----- Original Message -----
Sent: Monday, April 18, 2005 4:08 PM
Subject: Sula is south bound for El Salvador
Hi all. Just a quick note to say
that the weather window for this week looks good, so tomorrow
we will be departing Huatulco, Mexico for the 500 mile passage
to Bahia del Sol, El Salvador.
The forecast calls for at least a
48 hour window with the 35+ knot, north winds currently
blowing in the Gulf of Tehuantepec forecast to ease up
beginning tomorrow night. The 12 foot swells should also
subside somewhat, hopefully giving us a good sailing breeze
without the SW swell on the beam being too large. Although it
may take us as long as 5 days to make the passage, 48 hours is
enough for us to get out of the main high-wind area in the
Gulf, which basically rips right down 095 degrees west
longitude, a mere 60 miles from where we are now. If you find
the town of Salina Cruz on the Southwest coast of Mexico, that
is basically where we are talking about the high wind
conditions being of potential concern. But our window looks
good, and we plan to take the more conservative, "one foot on
the beach" route (as opposed to a direct rum line route) at
least for the first 100 miles, to minimize the potential fetch
should conditions change or the forecast not prove accurate.
Once across the Gulf, we may also
have an interesting challenge making the last few miles to our
destination. The entrance to Bahia del Sol in El Salvador can
be tricky, depending upon conditions. Arriving vessels
sometimes need to surf on 6-8 foot breaking waves though a
narrow entrance into the lagoon under the direction of a local
pilot. You only enter this place at high tide when the
conditions are right and then only with local assistance,
so its possible we may have to wait outside the entrance for a
day or two before conditions are right for us to enter or
perhaps even bypass this stop altogether and head for a
different harbor in EL Salvador with an easier entrance if
conditions warrant it.
Okay, now that I have sufficiently
freaked out the grandmothers, I'll just close by saying the
weather looks good and lots of boats do this all the time (we
have friends there already) so we are looking forward to a
comfortable, uneventful passage. No worries folks, we will
send mail in a week or so, upon our safe arrival!
Fair winds and following seas!
