Lost Elvis - Huatulco to Acapulco

This blogsite is very slow to load photos so unfortunately, I don't have any on this blog. Thea arrived in Huatulco from Vancouver via Phoenix and Mexico City. Flying on a US Airways guest pass sounds like a great deal but it's not. When I arrived at the gate in Vancouver (after confirming my reservation over the phone) I was advised that because I was flying to Mexico, I was not permitted to check any bags. Well, our sailing friends know that not checking bags is not an option. We are constantly lugging parts and supplies to our boats. In the end, I convinced them to at least check my bags to Phoenix but that was the end. I had to buy a one way ticket from Phoenix to Mexico City.

Huatulco was as beautiful as I remember but greener due to the seasonal rains. We at tacos al pastor as much as we could. On Sunday we went to Barra de La Cruz to surf with our friends Chad and Tony from "Entonces"; our buddy boat. It was fabulous. I was just playing in the breakers trying to stand up on my board but the boys were out on the point on a left break where the local surfers (1/2 of which were women) would push them out of the line up. As in most line ups, the locals stand their ground. If it were a week day it would have been more tranquilo.

It took us 36 hours to get the boat from Huatulco to Acapulco. Entonces stayed behind due to repairs. It was strange for me because we have two guests who are experienced sailors. All of my normal duties were covered. I slept alot. The weather was typical for this time of year; squalls, south swell; 60% good 40% not so good.

Entonces will meet us in Zihau on Wednesday.

We must have caught Chad's bad fridge karma because we smelled something burning in the main hold of the fridge. It turned out the the thermostat was fried. We got Marcelo and Jorge here at the Acapulco Yacht Club to fix it. It took them all of about an hour and they wanted $200!! We bargained them down to $100 including parts which is still a rip off.

We found Nacho Camacho again but too late. He said he would not have recommended Marcelo and Jorge had he known.

Nacho Comacho is the king of the bay of Acapulco. He is a captain and knows everyone. You can usually find him at Bar Mitla, across from the yacht club. By the way, fellow cruisers, there is a new marina called "Performance Marina" here in Acapulco beside the cruise ship docks. It's all med mooring but they also have mooring balls and a fuel dock.

Tonight its off to watch the cliff divers and off to the fuel docks here at the yacht club at 07:30 before we head to Zihua.

We love Mexico! It's sooooo nice to be back.

Arriba!!!!

Lost Elvis Arrives Safely in El Salvador

Bahia del Sol Resort

This morning I received the following email from Claudia at Bahia del Sol Hotel and Marina in El Salvador:

"Hello Thea

Lost Elvis was calling us on the radio at 5:30 am but they were too late for the high tide and had to wait for the next high tide at 4:45 pm.

They are all right.

Sincerley,

Claudia"

The reason they have to wait is that Bahia del Sol Marina is in an estuary and in order to enter, vessels have to cross a bar, sometimes in very high surf. The marina sends a pilot in a panga/lancha to weave each boat through the bar between sets of waves. The tricky part is that the pilot often doesn't recognize that a 23 tonned boat with a full keel and no bow thrusters cannot accelerate or manouevre like a sport fisher so the crossing in Lost Elvis can be a little challenging and quite stressful.

The entire vogage from Golfito, Costa Rica took almost exactly 72 hours. We did it last year (going the other way) in about 65 hours.

I have not spoken to Randy yet as he is still at anchor (standby waypoint: 13 degrees.15.7' N; 088 deg.53.5'W) waiting for the high tide late this afternoon. The marina monitors Ch 16 and during the high season the "cruisers" monitor Ch 22 and will arrange for the pilot who is employed by the marina (Rafael).

Tonight Luis Bondi and Richard Lee Johnton fly in to help Randy sail the boat across the Tehuantepec to Marina Chahue in Huatulco but not before enjoying the fine cuisine, papusas and Pilsen beer. They may also visit the stilt restaurants in the estuary for fresh seafood or perhaps visit with Jan, a kind Canadian woman, who operates a free English school for children. It won't be the same without our friend Alex Kao (Reflections) who just arrived from the South Pacific to Hawaii with his fiance Leah Prentice. Randy will have to find someone else to drink Flor de Cana.

Bahia del Sol Marina and Hotel has rooms and suites, conference rooms, excellent internet, a pool, a fantastic restaurant and discounts for "cruisers" on food and beverages and a mini casino.

PURA VIDA - More Nightmares

And all this time I thought Pura Vida meant, full of life or pure living..... after living in Costa Rica for 80 days, I now know it means STICK IT TO THE GRINGOS.

Gringos get charged more for everything and they are forbidden to buy cell phones. Gringos can no longer use the same border crossing to renew their visas every 90 days. If you use Panama once, you have to go to Nicaragua, the next time.

Also be careful with the marinas some of which have fully adopted the "Stick it to the Gringos" national policy of Costa Rica. They do not tell you any of their fees (except dock mooring fees) up front and try to offer services which they claim they are doing to help you and to make things easier (most of which as previously mentioned, the screw up). For example, they suggest that instead of taking the bus to the border to renew your 90 day visa ($5), they will drive you in their van to make it easier. What they do not tell you is that they will charge you $50 for "helping" you out. For six large bags of laundry they charged us over $400. They charge $50 a month for water (which they don't tell you either). Their electrical power is over priced. There is a 23% tax all all food and beverages and they charge American prices for mediocre meals. While many marinas offer a food and beverage discount to live aboards and long term slip renters, Golfito marinas offer no such benefit. There is absolutely no incentive to eat or drink at the marina if you are staying there. Order in from Chicken Bros, any of the Sodas, the chinese restaurants.

It's not only Golfito; it's the entire country. Two bags of normal groceries (mostly local; not American brands) normally costs about $40. Diesel is over $4 a gallon. A can of beer in the store or direct from the supplier is $1.25. In Panama you can get 24 cans of beer for $10.00. A pipa fria on the street is $0.60..... that's a frickin' coconut! They grow like weeds every two feet. In El Salvador a coco frio (same thing the Ticans have their own word for coconut) at a nice restaurant is only $0.5o. A 1/4 chicken dinner in San Vicente, El Salvador is $1.25!!!!! Are Costa Rican's disconnected from the rest of Central America? Are they trying to kill tourism in Costa Rica? I believe they are well on their way. I gave Costa Rica two chances. I will NEVER return to Costa Rica until it comes into line with Mexico, El Salvador, Nica and Panama. In fact, Panama is equal in natural beauty, fauna and flora and it also offers so much history AND Panama is half the price of Costa Rica!!! It's just as safe and the Panamanians actually have a culture (eg. Carnival!)

The Ticans are all depressed and when they do deal with you, you can tell behind the false grin, they are trying to rape you for every penny they can. When something goes wrong, they try to blame someone else.

Do yourself a favor and skip Costa Rica all together. Go to Panama, it's just as safe, beautiful if not more and more than half the price for everything. El Salvador and Nicaragua are also better options for price, friendliness, natural beauty, surf, beaches. Pura Vida is Pura BS.

After arguing with Fishhook over our overpriced invoice for almost an entire day, we are moving Lost Elvis to Bahia del Sol Marina and hotel in El Salvador. Where slip rental is half the price of Costa Rica, the people are friendly, always smiling and honest and they offer a discount to the boaters who rent their slips.

We hope to get the boat to El Salvador by Monday, July 12 or Tuesday, July 13. Then, on about July 15 or 16, depending on weather, Lost Elvis will cross the Tehuantapec again to Huatulco to stay at Marina Chahue. The long term plan is to get Lost Elvis to Paradise Village Marina by the end of July where Dick and Gina and the rest of the establishment treat us with respect and where we are charged a reasonable rate for exceptional services (the antithesis of Costa Rican Marinas: exorbitant fees for substandard services)

Thea is in Vancouver working to try to help pay the incredibly ridiculous fees of our Costa Rican Marina and will likely re-join the crew in August in Huatulco.