It seems like an eternity since our last travel update. We left Mexico far behind, visited Nicaragua, and have now been cruising in Costa Rica for the last eight weeks. But let’s start where we left off.
We sailed 260 Nautical Miles crossing the infamous Gulf of Tehuantepec with its gale-force northerly winds; lots had been said about this, at times, treacherous bay and its sudden winds. We did our due diligence and enjoyed a wonderful two-day journey, caught a sailfish, and finally arrived safe & sound in Marina Chiapas, the most southern point – and our last port in Mexico.
Sailfish app. 2.00 meter long
Check in Chiapas
We were planning on provisioning here; the City of Tapachula is only a 20-minute ride away and it is easy to hail a “Collectivo” on the main road to take you into town, sometimes together with 20 strangers cuddling very close together in a little minivan. The Marina provided a safe haven for Fortitude X while we were organizing a few land excursions, one of them via overnight bus from Tapachula to the little mountain town of San Cristobal.
It’s never good when your phone rings at midnight. We were just in the process of paying our taxi driver who took us to the bus depot, when we found out that Torsten’s mom had passed away.
Back at the boat and after the tears had dried, we were sitting on deck, remembering Hannelore’s life with a drink in our hands and a toast to her and her wonderful craziness; she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. The rest of the night was filled with travel planning, searching for the fastest flight connection to Germany.
Mother & son, summer 2023
Saying goodbye, last visit, 2023
Four weeks later we were back in Mexico and ready for our postponed trip to San Cristobal – a remote colonial town with an active and visible indigenous community, and an incredible arts scene.
By the time we returned from the highlands, the temperatures had increased dramatically. It didn’t help that the Marina was located at the end of an estuary with zero wind blowing through, and even the little pool didn’t provide any relief but felt like a bathtub. Some might dream of this; I called it hell. We broke down and bought a movable air conditioning unit that we placed in the companionway. Not very convenient, but cool!
After we finalized our provisioning, filled up diesel, and prepared some meals it was time to say goodbye to Mexico. We left the country with a bang, literally! The earth was shaking and we woke up at 5:39 in the morning to – as we found out later – an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale. No damage was done in the marina.
After stopping at several official offices, we had to stay on board and wait for customs – and the detection dog, for final inspection. If you are cleared, they wave you off and don’t want you to stop anywhere else within Mexican borders. Fair enough – we were ready!
We explored of lot of cruising grounds during our 12 months in Mexican waters, and we will always be grateful for the memories we collected and the friends we made. Now we are off to new adventures: Nicaragua – here we come.
We were welcomed with open arms, right in time for a cruisers potluck, after a night of our first encounters with thunderstorms, including lightning throughout the entire night. It looked spectacular and scary at the same time. Welcome to rainy season!
Volcano Mambacho
Laguna de Apoyo
Leon
Granada
In case you are wondering why we didn’t stop in Guatemala or El Salvador: Puerto Quetzal in Pacific Guatemala has it made very difficult and inconvenient for yachts to clear into the country. We truly wanted to visit this new to us state but were discouraged to do it by boat. At another time!
Bahia del Sol in El Salvador on the other hand, is a favourite amongst cruisers, well at least for the ones who dare. The marina and anchorage are very protected but you can’t get there without hiring a pilot to lead you through the shoals-and-breakers entrance to Bahia Jaltepeque. Add currents and tides and you know that you are in for a ride. We were still determined to go until a few weeks prior a fellow cruiser hit the bottom and lost his yacht, even though he followed the “pilot’s” instructions. The sand bar was closed for a while and after careful consideration, we decided that it was not worth it to jeopardize life & boat. Again: there will be another time.
Arriving in Nicaragua: The check-in process was easy, organized by the amazing Puesta Del Sol Marina manager, Juanita. Port Captain, Customs, and Immigration are all located in Chinandega. You pay for the cab ride to have them come to the marina, where you then pay them again for their services.
We did not plan for an extended stay in Nicaragua; our insurance policy demanded us to be in Costa Rica by June 1st but we still needed to explore the country and it’s people.
The roads and infrastructure in Nicaragua are superb, who would have thought? We tasted and bought several sorts of rum at Flor de Cana Distillery, walked the historic towns of Leon and Granada, hiked around Volcano Mombacho, swam in Laguna de Apoyo, and enjoyed a local panga tour on Lake Nicaragua. Torsten insisted that we drive to Estelli, really out of our way with no tourist attraction other than a cigar factory – which some people might debate doesn’t count as one. A.J. Fernandez is in fact a gem! Who knew that out of the world’s 25 top cigars, 13 are made in Nicaragua, and three of them right at the factory we visited. We found this little treasure through hear-saying, and meeting somebody who knew someone. The company does not advertise or promote touring the plant but welcomes every guest and treating them to a private tour. Needless to say, we left with a few cigars in our luggage.
Distillery Flor de Cana
Rum tasting
Treasures
Nicaraguan beer of choice
Cigar factory AJ Fernandez, all handmade; Nicaragua is the second largest exporter of cigars world wide.
Nicaragua; you are a diamond in the rough! We hope to be back one day.
1 Comment
Mary & Doug
Our sincerest sympathy on the death of your mother, Torsten. Memories and photos of time shared will help ease your loss.
Thanks, as always, for your journal. We enjoy “travelling along” with you.
Hugs, Mary & Doug