1) Ahoy Panama Posse 28-19 we like to introduce our latest marina sponsor Marina Pez Vela in central Costa Rica.
They are centrally located in Quepos, Costa Rica. For details and reservations contact them for
discounts ranging from 15 – 33 %
2) Welcome to the 18-19 Panama Posse !
Ay Caramaba !
Human Holiday
Malolo
Wind Swept
3) Acapulco, MX
We stopped in Acapulco for a short stay. We got in at sunset on a Sunday eve and planned to anchor in Acapulco Bay. When we arrived, it looked littered with moorings and it would have been tight to find room to anchor and swing. As we were deciding what to do, Vicente, a super sweet guy and friend to boaters and travelers, rolled up in his boat and told us we could take one of his 5 moorings. We were relieved as we were hesitant to anchor due to a potential foul sea floor and lack of swinging room, it was already getting dark and the area is fairly busy with traffic.
We cannot speak highly enough of Vicente. He made our stay easy and comfortable and he couldnโt be friendlier – classic Mexican hospitality. He was more than willing to help us out in anyway he could – he stayed late one eve to help us jerry can fuel from the pemex station. He is also very proud to be associated with the Panama Posse.
Acapulco was a much nicer place to visit than we had expected due to the negative press and the way it is portrayed particularly by cruisers. It is a vibrant city and culturally interesting. It is also full of super yachts and fast boats that donโt much care for the Colregs, but todo bien!
Bryan & Stephanie
ARGUS
4) Ixtapa, MX
Schooner Winds of the Worlds is making slow progress towards the Panama Canal.
Due to a medical situation at home in Houston, Texas, captain / owner (I) Dan can only afford to be away from home a few days at the time.
With crew member Curtis I returned to Ixtapa, we enjoyed ourselves with a little groceries shopping, filling water bottles and finishing the day with a delightful dinner, including life music, at the Bistro Soleiado, all within walking distance from the marina. The morning of January 17 we finished paperwork at the marina office (one-stop convenience), followed by uncovering sails and brightwork and pushing off at 11:40am, assisted by helping dock hands and escorted out the harbor, until safely past the sandbar at the marina entrance.
Nice, but fairly substantial, rolling waves welcomed us back to open waters. We raised schooner, jib, stay and main sails and were underway to Acapulco with fairly benign sea and weather conditions.
The next day both alternator belts of the Detroit diesel called it quits, a two hour repair job. Due to stronger then expected currents we arrived after sunset into Acapulco Bay and, not being familiar with the local situation and the surprising choice of marinas, made fast at the nice concrete pier of the Santa Lucia marina (very cliffy waterfront).
Saturday crew member Bernardo, from Mexico City, joined us and again the morning and early afternoon (Saturday!) found us spending time dealing with formalities: both Brenda, in the marina office, and Gabriel, general support, were very professional in assisting. Filling diesel tanks at the fuel dock across the bay with a resemblance of mediteranian berthing technique did proof cumbersome, but it worked.
Onward along the coast, with some times calm sometimes breezy conditions we arrived, after two days, at the bay that holds Huatulco, harbor and marina. The marina Chahue is still off limits for drafts over 4 ft due to sanding, so we dropped anchor not far from the marina entrance, at a location beautiful location described by a fellow Panama Posse participant; thank you!! A spectacular full moon kept us company for the night.
to be continued . . . .
Dan, Steve & Matthew
WINDS OF THE WORLD
5) ALERT ! Caribbean, Roatan, Honduras
Sad news from last season’s Panama Posse Veteran Vessel Fred Again Robert Nutall
His boat is lost on an unmarked reef
Kristin’s father Robert Nuttall has had the misfortune of hitting an unmarked reef in his adventure of sailing through the small Honduras islands (he started in his trip in Vancouver). It would be tough to find someone with more experience sailing and tough to find a better man. Robert has suffered a devastating loss as his boat was his home and livelihood as he had successfully been running charters for the past couple years as his retirement. The sailboat is a write off and is uninsurable because of the location but with that being said, thankfully the crew was unharmed. Any donations would be a blessing.
His family has set up a GoFundMe Page at
RobertFRED AGAIN III
5) Line Fleet Update Locations
VOLARE – Zihuatanjeo, MX
Anchored in 16โ in the municipal anchorage in Zihuatanejo MX. Very slight roll but not bad.17ยฐ38’08.8″N 101ยฐ33’19.2″W
AVANT – Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
remains in Bahia del sol, all is well aboard. We hope to receive our engine parts this week!
SINGULARITY – Punat Cabeza Negra, MX
Anchored 26ft moderately rolly after 2am. No cellullar inside
FIGMENT- Marina Chahue, MX
Figment & Blessed are tied to the cement wall across from the docks in Marina Chahue. Likely will not be available during the group call so sending info at this time. Wish all a great week. Essentially, we were told when we checked to HUX on Mon the 4th, in response to the E side of main pier anchorage having no room for our boats, that we could anchor W of the main pier. We went to Bahia Tongalunda for a few days then decided we wanted to reposition because the Tpec winds were going to reach in & Blessed’s owners were flying home for a week and wanted the boat located for that departure. We went to Bahia Santa Cruz. We again checked ut the E side anchorage with nothing that we felt would work. I then dropped the hook W of the main pier, north of the naval base about half way between the W shore and the Volendam which was in port at that time. The navy guys cruised by and didn’t seem to have an issue. Blessed went to the cove south of the nave base and dropped the hook though the exposure of that position seemed to make it unacceptable for the duration of our/their stay.
An hour or so later we were approached by the port captains
Navy captain’s patrol boat and told we needed to move. What ensued was a standoff. It went on for a couple hours. My position was we’d be happy to move so long as there was a safe place to which to move. Maintaining that position – will cooperate so long as you can show me something that will work – ended up in an unplanned discussion with the port captain – me sort of at my grubby worst – and him in his immaculate uniform. Result was he called the marina, spoke to the harbor master and we could stay so long as we acknowledged they did not have insurance to cover us in the event we had an issue with underwater objects.
I had previously been in the marina with Figment and our tender and had a good grasp of the depths – which are adequate for our 5ft draft and the tidal change. As sort of validation of our standing our ground if you will is the nave sent their patrol boat to the marina when the Tpec winds started reaching in. Where Blessed had dropped the hook was certainly untenable as it was much more exposed than the navy base.
The cement wall in the marina is subject to surge and hard on fenders and lines. And it works better for our two boats over the next week plus.
Harbor master is Arechiga – my typo
Depth at low tide saw minimum 7ft in main channel inside – deeper by the docks and the wall
At the wall now we have 11.5 ft and are about an hour after high tide
NILAYA – Oaxaca, MX
15ยฐ45’40.3″N 096ยฐ07’03.6″W
JO / AY CARAMABA ! – Caleta Campos, MX
en route to Caleta de Campos. Buddy boating with Ay Caramaba
SINGLE-D – Puerto Vallarta, MX
en route back to PV
SPREZZATURA – Banana Bay Marina
CARINTHIA- Venao, Panama
Northbound heading back to MX 6) Good Nautical is a non-profit 501(c)3 organization
All Fleet Update contributors will of course have access to all the shared data
from Mexico – Panama. Fuel docks, Anchorages, Marinas, National Parks, Routes, a.m.o.
Your registration to this season’s Panama Posse includes a free 1 year trial membership.
Please reply to this email to get your free login credentials and a quick tutorial.
7) Reply to this email with any updates and
pictures we’ll include it in the next Fleet Updates
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
8) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply reply with “REMOVE“