We set out to tackle the Tehuanepec crossing with 2 other sailboats heading the same direction. After a days run, just before Salina Cruz, we spotted a nice right point that we could tuck into for the night and ride a few waves the next day & hike a sand dune hill for an awesome view. We left the following morning early, rested & hopefully ready for what the dreaded Tehuanepec would hit us with. The next 24 hrs we scooted as quickly as possible thru the wind tunnel, and we were lucky as the winds only built to 25 knots for a couple of hours and diminished down.

But the next 3 days, we were at sea and entered Guatemala waters. It was here that we got blasted each night with pouring squalls, lightening in all directions, bolts hitting the sea and heavy winds to go with it. To make matters worse, there were shrimp boats & container ships transiting in these waters and steering clear of them at night in the stormy conditions was quite difficult. It is in these waters that tropical storms & hurricanes originate, and it was easy to see why with all the tropical turbulence that surrounded us.

Even as nasty as it got, it was never cold, and most nights, we'd only be wearing beach clothing & surf trunks. Thru the heaviest part of these squalls, Kelita was often at the wheel, as she thought the storms were fun while I & our other sail friends were hoping it would end as quick as possible. Each morning we'd share storm stories with the two other boats with which we were traveling.

On the fourth day, we were low on fuel and now in El Salvador waters so we pulled into a small port named Acajutla for fuel and a nights rest. After the bureaucratic mess of getting our paperwork processed, a panga man brought us 20 gallons of fuel and we turned in early, happy to be at anchor for the night able to sleep a whole luxurious 8hr stretch. We continued on the next afternoon sailing overnight and arriving outside of Bahia del Sol, a river/estuary in El Salvador. We had to wait a few hours for the tide to be high enough for a panga man to guide us across the sand bar and into the estuary where we are currently still at anchor. But crossing this sandbar was treacherous in itself as there were breaking waves all around us. svFREEDOM surfed its first real wave as we bounded toward the beach & rivermouth. Without the panga leading the way, we'd never take our vessel across such a bar. It was an exciting ride to end our journey of the Tehuanepec crossing.

Here we've spent two weeks doing boat projects, resting and enjoying the pool/bar/restaurant of the marina with our other & new sailboat friends. Up next, Kelita & I will journey over land via bus to Coban, Guatemala, to visit Kelita's Guatemalan relatives & sister that she has never met in person. We also plan some side trips to Tikal & other ruins & tourist destinations in the area.