FW: Passage Huatelco(Mexcico) to Bahia de Sol (El Salador) Part 3 Crossing the Tehuantepec
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Thu 1 Apr 2010 19:56
Passage length 465 NM
Distance to go:368 nM
Location:(15:54.161N 94:16.042W)
Speed: 5.8 knots
Motor Sailing
Well it is mid afternoon family has been in the blowup swim pools in the
cockpit and now it is nap time. I introduced Gary to Audio books and he is
leaning back enjoying "Endurance" about Shackelton's trip in the cockpit.
We had the NE Wind left over Tehuantepec wind for 3 hours this allowed us to
push along with 15 knots off our starboard beam, with just the genoa out at
8 knots. But just before lunch 2 hours ago this changed to SSW at 5 and
building, the choppy NW seas have gone we still have the SW swell 3 feet big
period, so it is cleaner. The sun is out, and boat is riding well, we are
making water after the hot days in port, we have caught 3 bonito fish this
morning. As the wind swung we pulled in the genoa as it was on the nose, and
put up the main, which we are motor sailing with at the moment. We have
9.5knots apparent from the SE at 35 degrees off our port bow, it is swinging
slowly westerly which has allowed us to change our coarse to 125 degrees
magnetic heading for a waypoint 200 miles away at the end of this massive
bight/ bay. We will be on this tack for at least 24 hours at which point we
head more south and down the Guatemalan coast. The forecast has stated it
will move westerly which will help us, and hope to get the genoa out in the
next hour.
We passing over many current lines in the sea, and we have 1.5 to 2 knot
counter current against us at this time, again we expect this to go to a
positive current in the next 24 hours as we leave this bay.
The other boats are 15 to 20 miles behind us having stuck very close to
beach at 50 feet and not leveraged the NW this morning as a pushing wind.
Telecom we have not heard from for the last 6 hours but our current coarse
should have us come in contact with them in the next 6 hours as they stayed
out above the 16 line and went across as they had sails up when the blow hit
last night.
At over 24 miles out from the coast we are still in 150 feet of water, it
seams to get shallower as we head across as our current heading has us also
heading out cutting the corner. Basically at this stage we past the
Tehuantepac danger zone if it came up now it would push us from our stern
down the coast but the forcast is stable.
All good from this watch!