Puerto Huatulco -- Check in to Mexico

4/24 PUERTO HUATULCO, 11:30

Had an awesome sail across the Gulf. Decided to take the "shortcut" and go straight across instead of hugging the shore. Contrary to our weather information we did get hit with a "Tehuantepecker" but it was not too fierce. About 35 knot winds and 10-15 foot seas. Because we took the straight path we had a very good angle to the wind and were able to sail a close reach for most of the day, self steering, at 7.5 to 8 knots which is very very fast considering conditions. The sail was exhilarating.

The night was milder and we arrived in port after motoring through most of the night during which time the seas gradually abated and the ocean became smooth.

We dropped anchor about 8AM and headed in to the Port Captain's office. We went from the Port Captain's office to the bank across town to pay fees and came back to the "Capitanía" (port captain's office) whereupon we were told to go to another office across the harbor for local clearance and fees. We jumped in the dinghy and motored the 100 yards across to get more papers filled out and returned to see immigration. It turns out immigration was out being wined and dined on a cruise ship and so would not be in until 1:00 which probably meant 3:00. Right this moment I'm sitting on a wall in the inner harbor with myriad "gringos ancianos" cruise ship tourists that are mostly older than Gracie Allen's widower. I've never seen so many OOOLD people with pasty skin, bony knees, floppy hats and emaciated physiques.

Phil and John went out with the military to examine the boat. Don't know what that entails but imagine the DEA pays them to hassle boats. Ostensibly they will be looking for contraband such as dope and guns. <Actually, all they did was come on board and shoot the breeze for a while before returning.>

I imagine when they come back we will take a taxi into town to get supplies and fuel and then wait to clear immigration. Doubt if we'll really have time to visit the Club Med three miles south, but maybe we can go there and anchor for the night.

Tomorrow we leave for Acapulco, a two-day sail. The following Monday Cindy arrives. The plan is for me to sail with Phil and Cindy to Zihuatanejo and leave from there.

The inner harbor at Huatulco is a rectangle about 200 yards square completely lined with commercial boats from sport fishers to ponga taxis that take people to nearby beaches to day sailers and sunset cruise boats. There is a large hotel rambling up one hillside and a lower one on the adjacent side. Everywhere hawkers are corralling tourists to guide them into various shops and restaurants to buy clothing and trinkets.

HUATULCO, 4/25, THURS, 5:30 FIRST LIGHT

Again am writing without being able to see my notes. It is not quite light enough to see them but the dawn is happening.

We're anchored in the middle of the outer harbor which is open to a southern swell, but there is almost no swell at all. There is a cool breeze and I'm sitting on top of the boat's cabin to enjoy it and to greet the sun. All of the boats in the anchorage are facing into the breeze and so are pointing to the lights on the small beach of the harbor that is lined with small cantinas, palapas and beach chairs all deserted. On the small hills that line the western side of the harbor are many new condo buildings underway that are of a Disney style as near as I can tell. The cliffs of the hills are very steep and crumbly and the condos are three to four stories high and looking very Mexican style construction. I wouldn't live in one of them on a bet. The first earthquake or severe storm and kersplash.

All day yesterday we checked in and got supplies. We took several trips to the little town behind the harbor by taxi getting first fuel in jerry cans, then water in jerrycans and then ice blocks, and finally groceries consisting of lots of cookies and coke with a small amount of real food like yogurt and fruit. We loaded this all on the boat by ferrying it on our small dinghy. I say small and I mean that one person had to stay on shore as the loads were successively transported to Misty.

We put much of it away and started to do "chores" including another change of filters for our balky engine.

After finishing the filter change the engine would not start at all so the rest of the afternoon was spent trouble shooting. Phil made several calls to a mechanic in Washington expecting divine guidance, I believe. John and I did as much trouble shooting as possible, and eventually got the engine running again, but still balky. My guess is that today it will run at least as well as it did the last few days which is ok but with unexpected stops at awkward times.

Since Phil is pretty much oriented toward motoring as necessary for his purposes, he was even considering flying a mechanic down here from Seattle to fix it. John and I are of the opinion that we probably can find the problem with normal checklist techniques and that a local mechanic could probably take it from there if it is beyond our expertise.

There are several possibilities that are not mutually exclusive: Bacteria in the fuel clogged supply line faulty fuel pump (my favorite) exhaust blockage electrical problem re fuel pump water in fuel

All of these are typical Mexico cruising problems.

The best situation is if you are able to just consider yourself a sailboat until the answer to the problem is solved. This, unfortunately, would mean scrapping the time schedule that is dictated by airline reservations and seasons. (Want to go north to Washington before the hurricane season)

It's light now, but the sun is not yet up. Pongas are zooming out of the inner harbor off to fish or whatever they're doing. Some pelicans are starting to dive to get their wet fishy breakfast and even a few frigate birds are soaring over the anchorage waiting for some other bird to make a catch so they can try to steal it. A pelican just dived in front of me and upon surfacing raised his engorged beak to strain out the water. He then tossed his head back to swallow the fish, looked at me and shook his tail in satisfaction and took off with no sound other than the whup whup of his wings churning the air.

Sounds below, now and I haven't even begun to talk about the evening.

After many hot, frustrating hours fooling with the engine Phil finally reached the end of his drive to get everything done before the day ended and we all took off for the beach, to have a good meal and to unwind a little--or a lot.

Club Med was closed up but there's a 5 star hotel here that has a name, but I never caught it. We just asked the taxi driver to take us to the top hotel.

We entered the huge open style lobby as three scruffy sunburned, sweaty cruisers. Fortunately all is very casual here, and we were not summarily ejected. Since rooms were $340 per day we decided not to check in, but rather just to drink and eat. I went to the gift shop and bought a clean shirt to go with my best dirty cocktail shorts and John did the same. Phil was OK as he had his Captain's uniform on that consists of a polo shirt, khaki shorts and boat loafers--very stylish. He looks like a very tousle-headed Charles Bronson.

We found that there was a combination dinner show with buffet and all the drinks you could down for $25 per person and decided that was the target for the evening.

For the next few hours we ate and drank freely while on the stage we were entertained by folk dancers and party games, you know, people from the audience do things that make the rest of the audience laugh hysterically at their antics.

John took part in some of this foolishness and Phil did some power relaxing with a variety of potables, and I simply maintained my dignity by drinking moderately and eating only healthy nutritious vegetables and viands.

The highpoint of the show was when several couples were on stage competing in exploding balloons by crushing them between themselves in some pretty suggestive ways. The sequence was:

First the lady holds the balloon to her chest and the two rush together with enough force to pop the rather tough balloon. Second they crush one back to back. Third and funniest is when the lady goes to one end of the stage leans over with her back to her partner and braces herself by holding on to the back of a chair that is supported by a couple of stage lackeys. The man then rushes at her holding a balloon at crotch level and in a kinetically violent move crushes the balloon against her protruding and waggling, bum.

Four of the couples were average people you'd expect in such a situation but the fifth consisted of a heavy middle aged lady and a very jolly man flamboyantly dressed in black and white stripes. He sported a boar's tooth pendant round his neck and a generous moustache on his lip. He had a middle aged gut but was not potbellied but rather pretty solid looking. In the first move the two rushed together so hard that the lady was knocked flying backward. Legs and arms akimbo she fell to the floor on her back whacking her head in the process. The staff looked seriously worried, but she recovered nicely and the couple enthusiastically completed their participation capped with a very theatrical pseudo-copulative balloon pop.

Now the sun is up and there's a golden path from the boat to the shoreline below it.

Phil's awakened, had a morning coke and has turned busily to working at the chores we left yesterday.

I want to write of the aftermath of the party, but will hang this up now to participate in the day's frenzy of getting on with the schedule.

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