1) PANAMA POSSE NET 
SSB Net 8294 USB @ 15:15 UTC ( 9:15 local time ) fallback 8297 USB 

Please confirm your net control and time with ROB with an email rap84040@gmail.com ( cc’ed above )
If you can please volunteer for one weekly slot as a fallback


Monday – VOLANTE III
Tuesday  – ANNAPURNA   – Confirmed
Wednesday – EASY
Thursday – CARINTHIA – Confirmed
Friday – INTERLUDE
Saturday – CROSSROADS
Sunday – RESPITE


here is the script
https://panamaposse.com/ssb-radio-net

2) WELCOME TO THE POSSE  FRED AGAIN III     
Robert, Michael & Laura

Ahoy from Fred Again III.  We have departed Manzanillo headed for Zwhatenejo and expect to arrive on Friday morning.9 am coordinates 17.52.755 and 102.28.146 Light winds SOG 3.3. COG 100


3) WELCOME TO THE POSSE  SEA CASA             
Connor & Chase
Thanks again for putting all of this together. 
2. Tracking URL is: https://share.garmin.com/ConnorJackson2
3. I’ve requested access to the Facebook group. I’ll make an introduction when I’m accepted in.
4. Skills to benefit the fleet: diesel mechanic/electrical skills, Wilderness First Responder, HAM operator, diver, etc.

Thanks for having us aboard.  We’re really excited to catch up with the Posse!  Let us know what we can do to help!  SO EXCITED!
Connor & Chase

4)  WELCOME TO THE POSSE  HAPPY DANCE 

Any info you can pass along for our trip south is always appreciated.  We’ll leave Barra in a week or so I guess…a slow route south.
Sue and Marty
s/v Happy Dance
www.happydance.blog






5)     WELCOME TO THE POSSE  SALT            

Allison & Nick



6) SV ANILA 
– 
 Hello,
We made it to Huatulco early this morning Jan 17th, anchored off Marina Chahue until daylight then went inside the narrow, 8-ft depth channel.  No power or slip-side water, but we heard this rumor from others so, it was no surprise. 
We will wait for a good weather window to cross the Gulf of Tehuantepec.  Thank you to “Easy” for the long-line positions, we will keep a close lookout for these pesky things too as we cross.
 
In Zihuatanejo:
* We enjoyed eating at Coco Bahia – halibut kebabs were excellent!
* We took a fabulous tour to the Xihuacan ruins about 30 minutes out of town.  We went with Norma Blanco (local tour guide – mobile is 755-127-0982 or email: nblanco16@hotmail.com ) who approached us, spoke good English and took us in her A/C, large, comfortable van.  It was a unique tour because she had the head archeologist as our local tour guide who showed us his lab, what he’s working on, and took us into areas off-limits to the public.  She translated for him.  On the way back we ate at a little roadside restaurant called “Los Arbolitos” (not included in tour price but very reasonable).  Very good Carne de Cerdo.  She charged us $50 USD per person but said it’s usually $75.  My guess is she’s trying to fill up her 12+ passenger van so price is negotiable.
 
In Acapulco:
* Diving:
    * Shout out to Acapulco Scuba Center located at the head of La Marina Acapulco – really nice diving outfit – Carlos helped my girls since they’re relatively new to diving, when issues arose such as self-inflating BCD or not enough weight.
* Cliff Divers:
    * We joined Shearwater and Interlude for a hike up the hill behind the PEMEX gas station near Playa Manzanillo, down other side and then short up again to view the cliff divers at La Quebrada.  Ate lunch at La Perla for 300 pesos which included a great view of the cliff divers, otherwise it’s 40 pesos per person just to go down on the viewing platform.
* Fueling:
    * Don’t pull up to Marina Performance Acapulco fuel dock, it requires a pile of paperwork for the Capitania/Aduana or customs, plus we avoided hazardous metal rails caked with barnacles, just under the surface of the water on either end to hold down the dock in place that we surely would’ve hit, instead we went by dinghy to fill jugs at the PEMEX off the seawall just north of tiny Playa Tlacopanocha with no hassle. We were able to land the dinghy on the concrete stairs between med-tied fishing boats (careful of tons of lines in the water).  They only accepted Mexican credit cards, so bring cash.
 
S/V – Anila
Satin and Dave
 

7) PANAMA POSSE PARTICIPANT INFO

to access each other please visit https://panamaposse.com/2017-vessel-contact-sheet
 – THIS IS CONFIDENTIAL
– check off the captcha
– login with your username and password

8) Land excursion SV LIQUID – MY CROSSROADS – SV CARINTHIA
Tour of  Joya de Ceren (World Heritage Site),  San Andres, San Salvador (Capital) – FIRST CLASS Shopping and Exploring
$150.00 for the 3 couples ($50/couple). Meet 7:00 AM by the pool. Ernesto speaks perfect English – all arranged by Bill & Jean – Thank you !




9) ANNAPURNA
Stopped briefly in Puerto Ensenada. There is a sandbar extending from the rocks; Los Maineros. We dropped our anchor at 15°51.451 N 97°3.681W in 21ft. We could only put out 100ft of chain so we could stay out of the breakers. We anchored at night so didn’t get it perfect. It is possible to get the hook a little farther from the beach.Then overnight in Puerto Angel. Now moving to the Huatulco area to reprovision and prepare for crossing Golfo De Tehuantepec.  Looks like Friday to Monday is the next window; 19 – 22 January.


10) SV LIQUID passage to El Salvador
Our plan was to be about 10-12miles out through Guatemala then angle in on the rhumb line to Bahia del Sol. We weren’t sure what currents or fishing would be like but figured we had enough time to figure it out and could always go a bit farther out if we needed to..
Weather GRIBs had light winds until Saturday night then picking up on Sunday.
The first part of the trip was great. We had good wind for sailing leaving Chiapas and then easy motor sailing through the first part of the night.
Then we started seeing these white lights. It took a while to figure out but these were pangas out fishing. They usually had a single white light. Sometimes on a pole and sometimes just on the bow. It was often difficult to see or intermittent. Occasionally it would be blinking. They were hard to pick up on radar.
I think if we had been a few miles farther out I think we would have been able to avoid them. The freighters seemed to travel 3-4 miles farther offshore from us but they were much easier to avoid. I think the fishermen wanted to stay out of their way too.
Another problem for us was that our planned route put us directly over some prime fishing areas in Guatemala. There is a deep underwater canyon with several seamounts about 20 miles off Puerto Quetzal. We counted 16 different sport-fishing boats here all racing around doing their best to be unpredictable. There was probably a fishing tournament going on. Anyway that forced us to run a few more miles out.
With all of this fishing activity if I were to do this section I would mostly stay about 15 miles offshore. I would locate the sea mounts and be a few miles outside those and then start working my way back in. You will want to have a way to track the freighters but this would have you miss most of the fishermen.
Unfortunately even with a light wind forecast once you are in El Salvador you will probably want to be closer to shore.
We were 18 miles out before we turned in but the wind picked up as we turned. We were forecast to have light winds until that evening but instead we had 20kts on the nose and running fully against the swell. Wind waves were 5-6ft stacked on top the swell and very close together. Due to the timing needed to cross the bar in Bahia del Sol we didn’t have a lot of leeway to change course or speed either. It made for a crappy final approach and a rough 4-5hours as we pounded through it to make the bar crossing on time. If we had been close inshore (1-3miles) it would just been brisk sailing since there would be less fetch and not much distance to beat into when we finally need to.
To do this passage again my plan would be:
– Wait for forecast light winds
– Leave Chiapas during the day to be able to spot and avoid fishermen until you are far enough out.
– Run 15 miles offshore.
– Go outside the sea mounts and prime fishing areas
– Stay out 15 miles past Acajutla to avoid commercial port traffic
– Once past Acajutla get towards shore as quickly as reasonable.
– Run the final 70 miles close to shore (1-3 miles). That way it’s not a big deal if the wind picks up.


11) Julia Max
ready to check out of Mexico from Chiapas Marina. Took a tour with Luis to see a world class chocolatier, something you all should see. This woman won an international competition making hot cocoa. Luis will take you to her humble home, not a big factory and you will be served the most delicious tamales along with the chocolate, everything cooked in front of your table. You even get to stir the chocolate beans and grind them up by hand on a stone.

12) SEA GLASS – CHIAPAS PANAMA POSSE GATHERING

Had another great cruiser get together cookout under the palapa here in Chiapas last night with S/V Avant, Respite, Julia Max, Easy & Sea Glass. Also in attendance were crew from at least 4 other boats that are here. Dad’s Dream owner arrives back here to his boat from California today so we are looking forward to meeting another Posse member. EASY is leaving today for Bahia, Julia Max is leaving Tomorrow for Costa Rica, and we expect to head to Bahia Saturday morning on SEA GLASS.





Keep these reports  coming

PANAMA POSSE