Tradewinds Sailing Blog

The high rise hotels of Acapulco passed alongside yesterday afternoon, and in the evening I started getting some adverse current, so things are starting to slow down just a bit.

I discovered an interesting and surprising variety of bugs and beetles on the boat yesterday, seemingly from nowhere. I haven’t been close enough to shore to have caught them as strays, so I am guessing these are the hatchlings from bugs that came aboard while I was in Panama. Nothing serious, but all of sudden they seemed to be everywhere. And already this morning their numbers are much reduced.

I enjoyed some glow-in-the-dark dolphins last night. It’s when the algae in the water makes everything that disturbs it phosphoresce, or glow green. The boat wake, small waves, everything glows in the dark. But the dolphins are amazing like that, you can see them coming from 100 yards away like torpedoes, and even with no moon they are lit up like daytime under the bow. Very fun, and a nice break to the night.

I’ll be passing Zuhuatenejo and Ixtapa this morning, continuing towards Manzanillo.

5/14  8am   17.31N    101.31W    7004nm gone,   1736nm to go.

Sailing along yesterday afternoon, an easy 10-knot breeze on the beam, flat seas, clear sky, and I was relaxing in the cockpit with a book. I felt a bit of side-motion on the bow of the boat, like a wake from a boat, so I looked up to see what caused it. I noticed a spot of upwelling water, like a glossy spot, near the bow, and I first thought “more dolphins”, as they leave these glossy spots when they flip their tails to swim. But a second later, I realized the spot was too big for a dolphin, so I though, “a whale?” In the 2 seconds it took to think that, I had sailed past the spot, so I stood up in the back of the cockpit and turned around, to watch if the whale would surface. I saw another big smooth spot, but no telltale blow from the whale. Hunh…  Then something caught my eye in the clear water, right behind the boat, and it was a huge shark chasing me!  It was a great white, maybe 15 to 18 feet long, and coming at me fast. I had all these thoughts in a split second, including a Jaws flashback- I need a bigger boat- and, quick get the camera. But as I reached my arm behind me to get the camera, it dove and swam away.

I’m guessing he was sleeping, and I nudged him awake, and he wasn’t very happy about that. So he gave chase, but soon realized the boat wasn’t food, and left me alone. But I had visions of him jumping out of the water and into the boat, and my heart started beating just a little bit faster for a few minutes…

Other than that, it was a thankfully uneventful day. More turtles still, and some dolphins, too, and a look at some of the southern Mexican coastline as I closed to within 8 miles of it.

There is land effect wind here, meaning as the land heats up in the afternoon, the hot air rises above it, drawing in ocean air. This makes the west wind bend to the southwest along the shore, which is better for me. The evening is the opposite, the air sinks, pushing wind out from the shore. So I find myself weaving in towards shore during the day, and back out to sea at night.

I am feeling very comfortable now, even though I know the NW winds and seas on the nose will come, because I am in familiar territory, and there are lots of anchorages and villages and places to stop and rest along the way if the weather isn’t cooperating. So far so good, and we’ll see how long my luck lasts…

5/13  8am   16.16N   99.04W    6855nm gone   1895nm to go

Although I’ve been calling this a coastal route, I have been sailing about 100 miles offshore, and crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec, which this morning is behind me- about a day and a half ahead of any big winds and seas even started to develop. But now, I should be within 20 miles of the coast until I jump from near Puerto Vallarta over to Cabo San Lucas, and that is still some 600 miles from now.

Yesterday afternoon a nice SW wind filled in, allowing me to sail through most of the night and finish crossing the Gulf. I should note that on my paper Mexican chart, it says Tehehuantepec, like I used yesterday. But in my U.S. chart book, and on 3 different electronic charts, it says Tehuantepec. So I am going with the preponderance of evidence and using the slightly shorter Tehuantepec. I hope I don’t anger any Aztec or Mayan gods, but since it’s behind me, I probably won’t use it at all anymore.

There were plenty more turtles and dolphins yesterday, but I expect less of that near the shoreline. I will be watching the weather closely, and hoping for continued good luck and mild conditions as I work my way north and west up Mexico. It’s already been one week since I transited the Panama canal- how time does fly…

5/12   8am    15.16N   96.20W    6691nm gone,   2065nm to go

This morning I’m sailing in Mexican waters. And Mexico is right next to California, so I must be almost there, right?  Well, it turns out that Mexico is bigger than the rest of Central America combined, with some 2000 miles of coastline. I don’t have to sail all of it, (I won’t go into the Sea of Cortez), but most of it is in front of me.

Yesterday brought lots more sea life, including several visits of dolphins, more manta rays, and literally dozens of turtles. I stopped counting at 20, and it was only mid day. Most of them are Olive Ridley turtles, with the humpback shell, but there were some flat hawksbill turtles, too. I thought about jumping in and getting some underwater pictures of them, but when I looked real close I realized they were about a billion small jellyfish floating along. Which explains all the happy turtles, because they eat jellyfish. They must like the warm water, too, which is currently 85 degrees. And that’s as cool as the air gets at night, too.

The weather continues very mild, and I am making good progress. I expect to be a full 24 hours ahead of the Tehehuantepecker, about 150 miles north of it, and it blows to the south, so no worries there.

The big decision, whether to go offshore or not, seems to have been made for me. There simply is not any wind offshore, same as it has been all week. I would have to motor 500 miles straight out to sea just to start getting wind, and the Pacific High might get in the way a week later anyway. I’ve recalculated courses (again), and as of today the offshore course would be about 1500 miles longer, and while I wouldn’t get any wind on the nose, I might not get any wind at all. So it looks like I am taking the coastal route. I had big plans for the offshore route, but the weather didn’t play it that way. So up the coast I go, along all the familiar cities and harbors I have sailed before. And that brings some comfort. Here’s hoping for good weather…

5/11   8am    14.02N   93.49W    6530nm gone,   2228nm to go

Yesterday was a busy day, with many unexpected visitors. There was yet another school of dolphin that came out to play in the afternoon, and a few more in the evening. Then near sunset, a bird took a rest on the lower spreader. Not long after, another one took a spot on the opposite spreader. Apparently the first bird was the alpha bird, because he flew off, circled around, and landed on the upper spreader. Not to be outdone, the second bird did the same, but on the opposite side. This made the first bird try one last time, landing on the very top of the mast, barely holding on to the wind instruments there. As the sun went down, the second bird left, and about an hour later the first bird gave up trying to hold on and he flew away, too. And in a most kind gesture, they both left behind several souvenirs for me to clean up today. Then during the night, a small squid managed to get himself on deck, but by the time I found him this morning, it was too late to cook him up for breakfast.

I departed Nicaraguan waters during the night, and am currently off Honduras’ little piece of the Pacific. It won’t last long, though, and I should be off El Salvador for lunch.

The weather continues very mild and flat, and I am very happy with that. The winds are fickle, coming and going and changing direction every few hours, which keeps me busy. But I’ve been getting enough good wind and favorable current that the progress in undeniable- 176 miles yesterday.

I am watching the weather very closely as I approach the Gulf of Tehehuantepec, which is famous for gale force winds and short steep seas. Sometimes. I’ll report on that tomorrow, along with my pending decision on whether to stay with the coastal route or head offshore…

5/9  8am    11.37N   88.38W    6205nm gone,  4420nm to go

Yesterday was a busy day, with many unexpected visitors. There was yet another school of dolphin that came out to play in the afternoon, and a few more in the evening. Then near sunset, a bird took a rest on the lower spreader. Not long after, another one took a spot on the opposite spreader. Apparently the first bird was the alpha bird, because he flew off, circled around, and landed on the upper spreader. Not to be outdone, the second bird did the same, but on the opposite side. This made the first bird try one last time, landing on the very top of the mast, barely holding on to the wind instruments there. As the sun went down, the second bird left, and about an hour later the first bird gave up trying to hold on and he flew away, too. And in a most kind gesture, they both left behind several souvenirs for me to clean up today. Then during the night, a small squid managed to get himself on deck, but by the time I found him this morning, it was too late to cook him up for breakfast.

I departed Nicaraguan waters during the night, and am currently off Honduras’ little piece of the Pacific. It won’t last long, though, and I should be off El Salvador for lunch.

The weather continues very mild and flat, and I am very happy with that. The winds are fickle, coming and going and changing direction every few hours, which keeps me busy. But I’ve been getting enough good wind and favorable current that the progress in undeniable- 176 miles yesterday.

I am watching the weather very closely as I approach the Gulf of Tehehuantepec, which is famous for gale force winds and short steep seas. Sometimes. I’ll report on that tomorrow, along with my pending decision on whether to stay with the coastal route or head offshore…

5/9  8am    11.37N   88.38W    6205nm gone,  4420nm to go

I finally got back to the latitude of the Panama Canal entrance yesterday, so now I feel like I am really making progress north and west. Costa Rica has been nice to me, offering some good breeze yesterday afternoon, and a favorable counter-current to help me along, so I had a day of good progress.

The night was a bit squally, with winds shifting about from East to West to South and back, so not as much rest as I might have liked, but I kept the boat moving in the right direction. It all added up to a nice 172-mile day.

I had another visit from a school of dolphin in the evening, this time they all seemed to be jumping completely out of the water, right next to the boat, as if they wanted to get a good look at me. I think if I would have held my hand out, I could have touched one.

I should be leaving Costa Rica tonight, and entering Nicaragua. Unlike endless Brazil, small countries make it fun, as there is always something new on the horizon.

5/8  8am   10.05N  86.03W    6029nm gone,  4583nm to go.

Yesterday was a bit squally and grey, with off and on warm rain, and a bit of sunshine, and few hours of good wind. It was also my farewell to Panama, as early this morning I crossed into the waters of Costa Rica. And it is a clear blue sunny hot day. Alas, still not much wind, though, but I was expecting this, and continue to motorsail along the coast, trying to find favorable counter-currents when I can, which isn’t often.

The coast in these parts is dotted with small islands, and it is nice to see the dense jungle, rocky outcrops, and pristine beaches along the way. Not as carefree as the open ocean, but I am enjoying the scenery, and heading in the right direction.

Last night’s nearly full moon provided an interesting spectacle- a moonbow! Or whatever it is you call it when the moonlight creates a rainbow. Rather than seeing all the colors, though, the bow is all silver and shimmery.

5/7  8am   8.26N  83.44W    5857nm gone, 4748nm to go.

I’ve completed my first day back in the Pacific, and is has been pacific indeed. Sunny and hot, with smooth seas and a long, low swell, and almost no wind. I received several fine welcomes throughout the day, from 2 schools of different types of dolphins, and a small pod of whales spouting nearby.

In the afternoon, I crossed paths with 3 of the Global Challenge racing yachts, who were motoring to the Panama Canal, having suspended racing at the bottom of Mexico due to no wind. These are the 72-foot aluminum sailboats that race around the world the wrong way, with amateur crew paying to participate. They had last departed San Francisco (Oakland actually), and were on their way to New York.

I was able to do some sailing when the wind got up to 5-10 knots, as it was on the beam, but I’ve also been motoring a bit, which is what I expected. In fact, it looks like I may have another 4 or 5 days of these conditions, which is what the earlier forecasts predicted as well. So that means for now, I am taking the coastal route. If conditions change, I may still head offshore, but I’ll make that decision when the time comes.

I finished going south yesterday, when I rounded Punta Mala at latitude 7, and am now heading slightly north of west. I should cross the border of Panama tonight, entering Costa Rican waters.

5/6  8am   7.12N  81.26W    5702nm gone,  4898nm to go