FW: Passage Huatelco(Mexcico) to Bahia de Sol (El Salvador) Part 8 Crossing the Bar/ Arriving at Bahi De Sol
Sowell Family's Travels on Gijima
Skipper: Tim Sowell Admiral Tracy Crew Sean & Alex
Sun 4 Apr 2010 13:23
Passage length 465 NM
Distance to go:0 nM
Location:(13:18.076N 88:53.524W)
Speed: Docked at Bahia De Sol
The day was spent in hot conditions travelling down the coast of El Salvador
a good 10 miles off the coast, with limited westerly winds. The routine of
the passage had set in which Gary and I sleeping in the morning with Tracy
and boys on morning day watch, doing crafts etc. We had our sched net at 12
which Indian Summer got on, and so did Mitta Kulu (which is a boat already
docked at Bahia De Sol and organizing the rally. We were were able to line
up our arrivals, we were still on schedule for 4 to 4.30 pm off the bar.
As we approached the coast the scene was set with a low lying coast with
long beaches, and we have big long line fishing boats anchored 1 to 2 miles
off the beach. The beach is dotted with houses or buildings, and we have a
typical tropical vegetation, again it reminds me a lot of the coast of
Kenya.
When we were off the lagoon entrance we contacted the hotel for the pilot to
come out, Gary and I reviewed the scene which was just significant 3 to 4
feet breakers rolling over the 2 mile entrance to lagoon, I could not see
and entrance and sure enough the approach I had read and thought was not the
approach to take. The pilot lined up on the other side of the bar, and
guided us to where the waves were breaking, and said just "full throttle" as
4 feet waves built up behind us. I was at the wheel and decided that the
better policy was not to look at the waves, just look ahead and steer a
straight coarse. Tracy and Gary and the boys watched the waves behind and we
caught a nice big one, and surfed it 500 feet over the bar. Gijima handled
the wave face well, rosining the boat speed to a sustained 12 knots for 5
minutes, as closed in on the pilot boat, and then it was all over we were
off the wave and on the other side of the bar. The whole experience was more
intimidating looking at the surf than doing it, admittedly once you are in
the surf and caught the wave you have no choice.
We all relaxed and looked around us as we then came into Lagoon, with houses
and shanties on stilts on the water front, and lots activity as it Easter
Saturday and the hotel is full. Jet skies raced around us, pangas going in
out and some sport fishers. The lagoon and estuary is quite wide and typical
tropical vegetation with mangroves, we saw the docks as we rounded the
corner and pulled in on the dock, to waiting immigration and customs. The
boys and Tracy got off the boat and went straight to the pool which they
stayed in for 2 hours, and we settled down the boat, and met other cruisers
on the dock bar to discuss the state of affairs. This looks like a nice
place, and it is nice to have this passage behind us, as it has been hanging
over us all season, certainly it was not any drama, and it was nice to Gary
on board.
Stay tuned for photos and more.