FLEET UPDATE 2019-01-14
1) Paradisea Anchorage, Marina Chahue, MX PANAMA POSSE NAMING RIGHTS !!! Thanks to Bob from Paradisea we have the location for a new anchorage outside the Marina Chahue and we have aptly named it
the Paradisea Anchorage - so as you need to wait for your weather window to jot across the Tehuantepc to Chiapas - here is the link
https://www.goodnautical.com/mexico-pacific/anchorage/paradisea-anchorage
(note A big thank you from all of those who will follow in your wake)
The Marina Chahue is closed to new sailboats because of flooding.
But, harbormaster Ezekiel is helpful. We dinghy into the marina to dump trash, park dinghy to eat in town. Local worker Tito brought out diesel and LP gas, cleaned bottoms, laundry. Anchorage remains rolly & windy afternoons. No other anchorage with marina access & internet connection ( via Skyroam). Day trips waiting for WX window...limited. Bob
Bob & Maureen
PARADISEA
2) Tangolunda Bay - Toccata Anchorage, MX PANAMA POSSE NAMING RIGHTS !!!
And not to be outdone around the corner is the newly named Tangolunda Bay - Toccata Anchorage
So depending on your needs / wind and swell conditions you now have 2 choices !
(note A big thank you from all of those who will follow in your wake !)
"we anchored in Tongalunda, the bay east of the marina lined with high end resorts. We never went ashore, we did however notice buses and shuttles headed that direction when we were in the marina. The area on the west side was sheltered from the swell when we were there."
Steven & Marilyn
TOCCATA3) Bahia Samara, Costa Rica
Happy Dance is currently anchored in Bahia Samara, and will be sailing to Bahia Ballena in the morning (Sunday the 13th). We are happy, HAPPY to be past the papagayos and enjoying some calm anchorages. After checking in to Costa Rica in Playas del Coco (which was not an easy process for us due to closures), we spent a few days having some boat work done while anchored on the north end of the gusty bay. After finally getting our papers stamped we enjoyed a few peaceful nights anchored off of Playa Iguanita listening to the howler monkeys and the birds. Then we went a few miles south to Playa Guacamaya and really enjoyed it there, walking the long beach, snorkeling, and playing in the water. It felt like we were finally back into cruise mode after fighting winds and gusty anchorages for so long. For those of you heading south, we recommend Guacamaya!
Here's a photo our friends took of Happy Dance in the sunset next to Isla Chora.
https://www.goodnautical.com/costa-rica/anchorage/bahia-guacamaya
Sue & Marty
HAPPY DANCE
4) Punta Cabeza, MX - Acapulco, MX
Punta Cabeza Negra South – 18 35.352 N 103 41.892 W – 35 feet in sand/mud. This anchorage doesn’t offer much other than turning the trip to Z-Wat into a few day trips versus an overnight. Again, great weather conditions but very rolly and I didn’t want to deploy a stern anchor or flopper stoppers in the event we needed to make a quick exit if the weather changed on us because the anchorage was fairly small. Both C-Map and Navionics charts were not accurate at this location.
- Caleta de Campos – 18 04.337 N 102 44.905 W – 35’ in sand. This was a very nice anchorage, both scenic and interesting. We had one other boat with us and this spot could have probably fit another 2 or 3. We didn’t go ashore but there is a small, very active beach town, with what appeared to primarily consist of locals. It would be a great beach to stretch the legs on and probably a pretty easy landing with the dinghy to the north.
- Zihuatenejo – no need to provided anchorage info as it is well covered. This was our first time visiting and we liked the town a lot. Local info can be found on facebook and www.porlosninos.com . We ate at a place called Tentaciones which has fantastic views of the bay and first class food. Set menu and a little pricey but well worth the cost. Probably in the top three restaurants I’ve been to in all of Mexico.
- Playa Escondido – 17 16.073 N 101 03 .357 W – 35 feet in sand. We tried anchoring in the town to the north (2 times / Bahia Papanoa) and in each case we couldn’t get the anchor to set in what appeared to be a rock shelf without anything to catch the hook on so we went around the corner to the southern anchorage and the anchor set hard and fast. This was a great anchorage although a little rolly. We could have deployed a stern anchor or flopper stopper to mitigate this but it was fine enough conditions for the people we had on board. Decided to stay and extra day here as it was a great bay to boogie board, kayak and walk the beach. A number of palapa restaurants, ate at one, nothing to write home about but the setting was fantastic and the beer was cold. Bonus, we had the entire anchorage to ourselves.
- Acapulco – Acapulco Yacht Club docks – this was a very difficult marina to get a hold of prior to arrival and nobody we have met on site speaks any English, so with our limited Spanish it makes it even more difficult to communicate other than face to face with Google Translate. We decided to just show up and if they didn’t have room we’d drop the hook or see if Vincent had a ball that could accommodate our size. I was able to hail them on 16 but due to my limited Spanish, all we understood was gas dock so we went and docked there. It is about 120’ long, and is a fixed concrete dock. The office gal Mary was out of the office so we arranged to stay on the gas dock for the evening without power. The next morning we talked with Mary, checked in (Mary takes care of signing you in and out of the Port also) and moved to a side tie floating dock at a rate of 1.50 per ft plus power and water. Fantastic facility with all the normal yacht club amenities eg restaurant, pool, locker room with showers, spa, tennis court, gift shop and small tienda with a few grocery stores within a couple of miles. We’ve been here a couple of days, saw the divers which was worth the effort to get there, went to Puerto Marques by cab to check out the marina but the office was closed and no one was available to answer any question on rate or availability for transients. Our take away is that this is a great stop over for transiting north or south but we wouldn’t consider it a destination stop.
Our plan is to stay at the YC until tomorrow, move to the Puerto Marques anchorage, then head south to the Huatulco area on Monday via overnight trip in order to catch a T-Pec window currently forecast for this coming Friday/Saturday. FYI – the zip line in Puerto Marques is so high there is zero chance that even the largest sailboat would have to worry about striking it and we hope to see a few people cross when we are over there because none of us are brave enough to try it ourselves!
Cheers,
FLOATING STONES
Bryan & Cheryl
(note - Bryan's excellent reports have been added to Good Nautical and are now geo referenced accordingly)
https://www.goodnautical.com/mexico-pacific/anchorage/punta-cabeza-negra-south
5) Near Acapulco, MX
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
"Schooner Winds of the World finally escaped from Barra de Navidad!! Crew members Mike Talotta and Curtis Davies are a great help.Had good sailing conditions to
Ixtapa with the typical light winds at night and in the morning; a bit blistery during afternoon and evening. We plan to continue on the 17th to Huatulco, with a brief afternoon stopover in Puerto Marques (Acapulco)"
Dan, Mike & Curtis
WINDS OF THE WORLD
6) THE BURGEES ARE FLYING
YOSHAN has their burgee !!!
BANDIT has their burgee
7) Pie del Gigante, Nicaragua
Safely anchored in Pie de Gigante. We got up at 4:30. It was blowing about 10 knots. No real gusts.
We were up anchor and going by 5. Out of the bay and down the coast 10 miles. We saw some gusts but short lived.
We have observed it’s often calmest from about 4 am to 8:30 am.
That is our best window for this windy windy Place !
Also often calm around sunset
Jim & Suzy
OCTUPUS GARDEN
8) Puerto Quetzal -GUATEMALA - UPDATE
Has any one have comments on Puerto Quetzal- Guatemala ?
(note from Carinthia
~ 500 usd + to clear in and only stop in Guatemala so most of us have cruised on by or
visited Mayan sites from Chiapas Mx. If you do go we'd love a detailed report .
Marina Pez Vela email is edonis02@gmail.com vhf 71 to clear in and out)
(note from RAVEN
You can get a Anclaje Permiso for around $100, but no shore landings are permitted. Really only worth it in cases of fatigue or emergency)
Argan & Gloria
MAI THAI
9) FLEET POSITION UPDATES
as of Mon Jan 14th 2019 from our weekly LINE call at 16:00 UTC
CHARLY - anchored at La Cruz, MX
SLOW DANCER - Tenecatita, MX SINGLE D - Barra de Navidad, MX
FIGMENT - Barra de Navidad, MX
...when you've a chance would really like to know your routing. Bahia del Sol to Gulf of Fonseca then SE or direct or ???
Answer by Sprezzatura
From Bahia Del Sol went straight across to Puesta del Sol. Pretty rough out from Fonseca. Took a ($$ costly) one day break in Puesta del Sol and would only stop if you need the break or want to stay for some time to explore NIC or leave boat for some time.
Then did a foot on the beach to B Santa Elena. Mostly pretty easy but last 8 hours pretty tough again. Santa Elena , Costa Rica was a fantastic anchorage.
FIREFLY - Barra de Navidad, MX
LIQUID - Barra de Navidad, MX
SEA GLUB - Barra de Navidad, MX but heading to the anchorages nearby tomorrow for a few weeks
DESTINATION - departing - Barra de Navidad, MX fro Ixtapa
JASINA - Zihuatanejo, MX
NILAYA - Zihuatanejo, MX
MAI TAI - 4 hours before arriving at Acapulco, club de Yates - I am heading to Huatulco Sunday for the crossing, what was the date of your pin drop I assume is the bay where the marina is? In navigating the tpeck what was your guidance on distance from shore, like did you stay 3 mi off or 1 mi off or always in 10’ of water or 100’ of water and how close did you get to Salina Cruz and what obstacles should I be aware of
(note check Carinthia's 2018 route in Good Nautical
double click anywhere to get LAT & LONG for WAYPOINTS
https://www.goodnautical.com/route/marina-chahue-marina-chiapas-gulf-tehuantepec
FLOATING STONES - en route to Huatulco, MX
MADELEINE - back in marina Chiapas, MX after a fantastisch 5 day tour with Luis to Palenque and San Cristobal
PARADISEA - Chiapas, MX
AVANT - Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
RAVEN - Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
TOCCATA - Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
FREE SPIRIT - San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
SPREZZATURA - Playa de Cocos, Costa Rica
HAPPY DANCE - Bahia Ballena, Costa Rica
CARINTHIA - Vista Mar Marina, Panama
SEA GLASS - Vista Mar Marina, Panama
KNOT RIGHT - Vista Mar Marina, Panama
DAD'S DREAM - Vista Mar Marina, Panama
10) The Panama Posse is now 83 vessels strong and growing
and on the move with 7 flag states flying the Panama Posse burgee !
we had 83 last year by MAY so we are well on our way to our goal of 100
11) WEEKLY 2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE FLEET CHECK IN and MORNING NET on MONDAY'S at 16:00 UTC via LINE
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Dietmar & Suzanne
CARINTHIA
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FLEET UPDATE 2019-01-06
1) Costalegre, MX
Chamela, December 23, 2018. Anchored at 19 35. 081 N & 105 07. 885 W in twenty feet. A small amount or roll during a S. W. swell.
Tenacatita, December 26, 2018. Anchored at 19 18. 072 N & 104 50. 086 W. in twenty five feet. Good holding, slightly rolly. About 26 boats there but a large anchorage with much room.
Santiago, December 29, 2018. Anchored at 19 06. 597 N & 104 23. 673 W. This was just West of the wreck noted in the cruising guide. There is a 2nd wreck marked by buoys just South and East of the listed wreck. A large well protected anchorage, good holding, very little swell but would not recommend entering this anchorage in bad visibility conditions. A large amount of tourists in a variety of Personal Water Crafts.
Manzanillo, December 30, 2018, Anchored at Las Hadas anchorage, 19 06. 131 N & 104 20. 695W in 15 feet. Good holding, very little swell. The cruising Guide advised we could dinghy into the marina and tie up at the dinghy dock. We did so but the charge to do this is 250 pesos. We went ashore one night using a mix of bus and taxi. Both very affordable. On page 166 of the crushing guide they have a photo of the Bar Social which looked interesting. After a long search we found it had closed up about four years ago. There are many small boats here pulling water skiers along with a lot of tourists on jet skis making the anchorage a little rough and loud. That's all we have for now.
Jim & Laura
NILAYA
2) Tehuantepec, MX
We had a very good trip crossing the Gulf of Tehuantepec. In the last night, 1/1, we anchored out just along the shore. It was a beautiful evening, quiet weather. We enjoyed it very much. We did not want to enter Chiapas in the dark. Anchored at 14 59.97 N 92 47.82 W in 8.1 m depth, good holding in sand. Near La Encrucyado. Next morning fishermen came to check if we had problems! Very attentive.
As soon as Rolf from the marina heard us calling the port captain on the VHF to ask permission to enter the harbor, he called us on the VHF and said he had a slip waiting for us and men on the dock to take our lines. The day before we had sent Memo an email to tell him we were on our way to his marina. We felt very welcome! Same night we met Luis and today we did the Chocolate tour with him. We like him and he is very enthusiastic. So we arranged the 5day Palenque tour with him for next week, very much looking forward to that! We are enjoying Mexico very much and the Posse really ads to it, because of all the information and the back up.
Thanks for that! Kind regards,
Huib & Maaike
MADELEINE
3) LINE updates & Check ins !
Weekly PanamaPosse group call on Mondays at 16:00 UTC and the chatroom is open 24/7
Sirena - Tenecatita, MX
Mai Tai - Barra de Navidad, MX
Sea Glub - Barra de Navidad, MX
Sans Cles - Zihuatanejo, MX
Wine n Down - Chiapas, MX
Madeleine - Chiapas, MX
Coquette - Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador
Sprezzatura - Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador
Xenia - Las Perlas, El Salvador
Carinthia - Vista Mar Marina, Panama
Knot Right - Vista Mar Marina, Panama
4) Medical / Vaccinations
Jan & I met with an infectious disease specialist in early Dec at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans to address vaccination needs related to our travels. Bottom line – no Yellow Fever in the parts of Panama and CR that we plan to visit -coastal areas and San Blas. The guidance document provided for Panama Yellow Fever says: Vaccination “recommended for travelers aged >= 9 months; all mainland areas east of the Canal Zone. Transmission does not occur on the San Blas Islands, but it is necessary to transit areas with known transmission risk en route to the islands. Daytime insect precautions are essential for unvaccinated travelers.” I take that to presume travel by land to San Blas. The document further says, “Not recommended: itineraries limited to Panama City, the Canal Zone, areas west of the Canal Zone (see map) or the Pearl Islands.” I presume (with all associated risks) that YF west of the Canal Zone would likely extend into CR.
For what it is worth – we were advised to use anti-Malarial meds during our planned visit to San Blas Islands. I can provide the document citations if anyone is interested.
FIGMENT
Don & Jan
(note: each country's requirement and relevant statistics has been diligently compiled for review on the official Panama Posse website by Tammy from SV RAVEN )
https://panamaposse.com/mexico
https://panamaposse.com/guatemala
https://panamaposse.com/el-salvador
https://panamaposse.com/honduras
https://panamaposse.com/nicaragua
https://panamaposse.com/costa-rica
https://panamaposse.com/panama
5) Oaxaca, MX
Music festivals in Guerrero, Oaxaca - source mexiconewsdaily.com
Tequila Blues Explosion is in Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo and Blues on the Beach is in Huatulco It will soon be festival time in two Pacific coast resort destinations, both of which will celebrate blues and other music.
The second annual Tequila Blues Explosion Festival returns to Ixtapa-Zihuatanejo after a successful start in January last year.
The festival’s purpose is to build community and provide a world-class experience for tourists, visitors and locals alike.
This year, the festival will be a fundraising event for the Talita Cumi orphanage near Zihuatanejo by helping to give them better facilities to enable them to serve more children.
A lineup of performers from Canada, the United States and Mexico, including two local bands, will present blues, blues-rock, jazz and reggae at the three-day festival, which kicks off January 10 with concerts at the Ixtapa Event Center.
A Blues Brothers Tribute Show kicks things off on the first day, bringing two hours of soul, rhythm and blues and blues music and comedy all based on the 1980 cult status movie The Blues Brothers.
To close off the weekend, the festival will present the Blues Kruise 4Kids Blues At Sea fundraising cruise on the catamaran Picante on Sunday, with festival performers entertaining on board and all-inclusive food and beverages.
Farther south, Blues On The Beach returns to Huatulco, Oaxaca, for its ninth year with concerts on January 17 and February 14.
Dawn Tyler Watson, dubbed Montreal’s “Queen of the Blues,” and Toronto harmonica player David Rotundo are the headliners at the January show; Rotundo will return with harmonica legend Lee Oskar for the second event.
Like last year, both shows will be held at Chahue beach but at a new, larger venue called the Sea Soul beach club.
The festival is a fundraiser for Un Nuevo Amanecer (UNA), a charity that helps disabled children.
The organization receives little government funding and most families of the 100 children who benefit can ill afford to pay for the help they receive.
Rob & Debra
AVANAT
6) Electricity - tech request - please reply
Here in Mexico we often see wide differences in voltage when in the marinas.
Currently the marina we're in regularly has voltage in the range of 135-138.
What are some ways we can protect the boat from this ?
Are there devices we can buy to diffuse the voltage somewhat before entering the boat ?
SEAGLUB Chris, Monica & Penny
( note: https://www.electrical-installation.org/enwiki/Connection_of_Surge_Protection_Device )
7) Acapulco, MX A large fire at the yacht club in Acapulco, Mexico broke out on Saturday (Dec 29, 2018) morning, injuring two men with second- and third-degree burns.
Authorities say that both men, who were also bruised in the incident, are being treated at a local hospital.
A statement from the Secretary of Civil Protection for Guerrero revealed that the fire, which started at 8 a.m. local time was caused when fuel sparked after one of the boats refueled without turning on their blowers - The fire then spread to a neighboring boat and a fuel pump.
(note - Diesel pump was not affected and things a are cleaned up as of Jan 3rd, 2019 )
8) Herradura Bay, Costa Rica
- Marine Electronics - propane info from last season
Carinthia met with CR Marine Supply - nice chandlery walk-able from the bus stop
Kensy Chaves +506 2637 7419 Ocean Plaza 50m North of los Suenos kensey.chaves@grupomontecristo.com
International Marine Electronics - Kerry Monteleone can get parts from Florida - +506 6011 - 2300 email: international.me.cr@gmail.com
. Bus stop at 09 38.873 N 084 39.3760 W where you will hang out for bus to Jaco ( 240 colones )
- or up the street to the auto supermercado and Laundry lady
- visit the local bar with a new Jersey bartender
and get propane picked up and delivered by this guy !
Jaco Gas and he will meet you at the Bus off the main beach
stop and fill your tanks ( takes ~ 3 days ) call +506 2637 6161
2 tanks for 8000 Colones
note - USE A STERN ANCHOR in HERRADURA BAY - point the bow of your vessel SW - SSW - lot's of swell here.
Rick & Brenda
DAD'S DREAM
9) Additional long term planning dates
Mayan Adventures & Pot Lucks Marina Chiapas MX (Dec-Apr)
Bar Crossing Celebrations Bahia del Sol, El Salvador (Dec-Apr)
Flor de Caña Rum Tours Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua - (Dec-Apr)
Papagayo Survivors Party Coconutz , Playa Cocos, CR (Early Feb’19)
Golfito Marina Village an IGY Destination Golfito, Costa Rica May 1st ’19)
Rally Completion Award Event Vista Mar Panama (mid May’19)
Suzanne toasting @ Golfito Marina Village an IGY Destination – Costa Rica
10) FREE GOOD NAUTICAL MEMBERSHIP
All of last season's knowledge and fleet updates have been compiled into
Good Nautical the official 501(c)3 non-profit umbrella organization.
All Fleet Update contributors will of course have access to all the shared data from Mexico through Panama.
Fuel docks, Anchorages, Marinas, National Parks, Routes, a.m.o.
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11) PANAMA POSSE HOWLER MONKEY MARKETING and PROMOTIONPlease help us promote the Panama Posse with sailors, marinas, yachtclubs and chandleries
- if you are currently near a marina please print out this PDF in color and post it on the wall.
For extra fun (we did this last year) print it out and take a selfie with it on your vessel !
https://route.panamaposse.com/artwork/NOTICE_OF_A_RALLY_l.pdf
The Official Panama Posse Press Release - please forward it to your contacts and friends in the media
https://panamaposse.com/for-immediate-release-2018
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Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
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