Hi, yang here.
We left Bahias de Huatulco on Thursday morning, rounded the corner and started adding some northing to our course. Mostly west down in this section of Mexico, but it felt good to be 'going north'.
But at the corner we encountered this terrific current going east. So while our knot log (which measures our speed through water) was telling us that we were going 5 and even six knots with the sails up and the engine on, our GPS was telling us that our speed over ground (progress over the bottom) was something like 2.5 knots. Began to wonder if we had enough diesel on board to make it to Zihuatanejo.
Part of the problem was the sea state. We had swell from 2 directions, wind waves from the existing wind, and wind waves left over from the Tehuantepec storms. The technical term we cruisers use to describe such a sea state is 'we're in a washing machine' (expletives deleted).
Finally we had sufficient wind and the seas calmed into a predictable pattern such that we thought we could sail. Turned off the engine, looked at the knot log (water speed) and it said 3.5 knots. Good enough. Well maybe not ... the speed over ground was less than 0.10 knots and diminishing. Finally, still doing 3.5 knots through the water, we were doing 0.00 knots. That last decimal place means that we were doing less than 60 feet per hour. But if that weren't enough, our heading (the direction the boat is pointing) was set to west ... which the compass confirmed. Unfortunately, our direction over ground (forget the pointing, which direction are you actually moving?) was east. That means while we were pointed west with water rushing past us at 3.5 knots, we were actually moving east at less that 60 feet per hour. Gawd, is this going to be a long trip to Zihua.
Does one laugh or cry? Some of the crew (me) gave a primal scream and started laughing. As the day wore on, the current diminished and we were sailing about half the time. In the afternoons the breeze is sucked from the relatively cool sea to the heated land (sea breeze) and in the early morning hours the process is reversed ... the air leaves the cooled land for the relatively warmer sea (land breeze). In between we get to motor. But we have enough diesel to make Zihua easily.
We did pull into Acapulco Bay thinking to stop for a day and night, but the designated anchoring area was chock full of boats and mooring balls. No room at the inn. A striking harbor, but we didn't think the port captain and hotels would like us dropping the hook in front of them (there are designated anchoring zones). With the hills guarding the entrance, one can see why it was the most important treasure harbor in the entire Pacific for the Spanish in the colonial days. Now it's full of expensive homes, hotels. There was going to be a regatta that day and while we were motoring around we saw a swim competition out the harbor, around a not insignificant island, and back in. We also saw a tall ship over in the navy side, probably the Mexican tall ship.
But we took off for Zihua and should be there tomorrow (the 11th) morning. On the 12th there is a holiday where all the children dress up ... little girls in the traditional white blouses with scooped neck and long colorful skirt. Little boys dress up as Pancho Villa, paste-on moustache, sombrero, and all. Hope to get some pictures.
Love from us both.
We left Bahias de Huatulco on Thursday morning, rounded the corner and started adding some northing to our course. Mostly west down in this section of Mexico, but it felt good to be 'going north'.
But at the corner we encountered this terrific current going east. So while our knot log (which measures our speed through water) was telling us that we were going 5 and even six knots with the sails up and the engine on, our GPS was telling us that our speed over ground (progress over the bottom) was something like 2.5 knots. Began to wonder if we had enough diesel on board to make it to Zihuatanejo.
Part of the problem was the sea state. We had swell from 2 directions, wind waves from the existing wind, and wind waves left over from the Tehuantepec storms. The technical term we cruisers use to describe such a sea state is 'we're in a washing machine' (expletives deleted).
Finally we had sufficient wind and the seas calmed into a predictable pattern such that we thought we could sail. Turned off the engine, looked at the knot log (water speed) and it said 3.5 knots. Good enough. Well maybe not ... the speed over ground was less than 0.10 knots and diminishing. Finally, still doing 3.5 knots through the water, we were doing 0.00 knots. That last decimal place means that we were doing less than 60 feet per hour. But if that weren't enough, our heading (the direction the boat is pointing) was set to west ... which the compass confirmed. Unfortunately, our direction over ground (forget the pointing, which direction are you actually moving?) was east. That means while we were pointed west with water rushing past us at 3.5 knots, we were actually moving east at less that 60 feet per hour. Gawd, is this going to be a long trip to Zihua.
Does one laugh or cry? Some of the crew (me) gave a primal scream and started laughing. As the day wore on, the current diminished and we were sailing about half the time. In the afternoons the breeze is sucked from the relatively cool sea to the heated land (sea breeze) and in the early morning hours the process is reversed ... the air leaves the cooled land for the relatively warmer sea (land breeze). In between we get to motor. But we have enough diesel to make Zihua easily.We did pull into Acapulco Bay thinking to stop for a day and night, but the designated anchoring area was chock full of boats and mooring balls. No room at the inn. A striking harbor, but we didn't think the port captain and hotels would like us dropping the hook in front of them (there are designated anchoring zones). With the hills guarding the entrance, one can see why it was the most important treasure harbor in the entire Pacific for the Spanish in the colonial days. Now it's full of expensive homes, hotels. There was going to be a regatta that day and while we were motoring around we saw a swim competition out the harbor, around a not insignificant island, and back in. We also saw a tall ship over in the navy side, probably the Mexican tall ship.
But we took off for Zihua and should be there tomorrow (the 11th) morning. On the 12th there is a holiday where all the children dress up ... little girls in the traditional white blouses with scooped neck and long colorful skirt. Little boys dress up as Pancho Villa, paste-on moustache, sombrero, and all. Hope to get some pictures.Love from us both.
No comments:
Post a Comment