b.c.bound

Vessel Name: mistletoe
Vessel Make/Model: fraser 41
Hailing Port: victoria b.c.
Crew: chris and jen clarke
09 August 2009 | b.c.
09 August 2009 | hawaii
08 June 2009 | kauai
08 June 2009 | kauai
28 April 2009 | mx
28 April 2009 | mx
09 April 2009 | mx
26 March 2009 | mx
26 March 2009 | mx
16 March 2009 | puesta del sol
15 March 2009 | costa rica
15 March 2009 | costa rica
27 February 2009 | panama
27 February 2009 | panama
27 February 2009 | panama
16 February 2009 | panama
15 February 2009 | san blas
12 February 2009 | caymans
19 January 2009 | cuba
16 January 2009 | cuba
Recent Blog Posts
09 August 2009 | b.c.

hawaii to victoria

Nawiliwili is a few miles from the nearest town so without a bus service we knew it was going to be tough to do what we always need to do in every port. Internet, laundry, provision etc etc. we hitched a ride to town, which was easy. Getting a ride back to the marina was going to be tricky and we decided [...]

09 August 2009 | hawaii

lahaina to kauai

Marty was such a big part of our successful stay in lahaina that we wanted to do something nice for him. He accepted our invitation to sail with us to lanai. The wind finally started blowing in its normal pattern and we had a great sail with Marty steering all the way. We were worried it might be like [...]

08 June 2009 | kauai

maui to kauai

Maui has proved to be one of our best stops of the trip. We were planning to skip all the islands and go directly to Kauai. Due to lack of wind we pulled into lahaina to have a break from two days of solid motoring. We got in after hours so were not able to talk with the harbour master. Some locals were [...]

08 June 2009 | kauai

mx to hawaii

We cast off our lines from Nuevo Vallarta marina at around 5.00 p.m. We were planning on a gentle motor over to the marina in la cruz, about 5 miles north. The wind decided to pipe up as soon as we left the harbour and within a few minutes, we were covered in salt again! We snuck into the fuel dock as [...]

28 April 2009 | mx

p.v.

Finally getting to P.V. after such a slog up from Panama was a huge relief and we both felt like we had come to another one of those milestones along our journey. One thing this leg has taught us. Going up the west coast of the U.S. is definitely not an option for us. Reality has hit me in the face. [...]

28 April 2009 | mx

z-what to p.v.

A few days in z-what and we were ready to roll again. We weighed anchor early and motored a couple of hours around to Ixtapa marina to fuel and top of water tanks, wash salt off etc. Once done, out into a windless ocean and the grim prospect of many more hours of motoring. The wind gods were kind to [...]

puesta del sol to t-peck

26 March 2009 | mx
chris
This was one of our best stops for a while. Met a couple from Que Linda, also Robby and Fred from Galatea. We all seemed to hit it off right away. Spent time chatting around the pool, shared a van into Chinandega both to explore and provision. Really buzzing place with lots of markets to wander around. Everyone very friendly. We were late returning and postponed our departure by 24 hrs. that called for a 'mohito' party onboard mistletoe that night. Mohito's are basically rum mixed with rum mixed with rum, add ice, lot's of bruised mint and some sugar. They go down well and needless to say, the party was a success with a slow start the next day. Luckily the customs and immigration people arrived at 9.00 a.m. instead of 8 to clear us out. We pulled away from the dock leaving enough time to clear all the hazards offshore before dark and with luck, arrive off Barillas, El Salvador, first thing in the morning. At dawn, we were surprised to see a sail ahead. It must be Jenny Wren, a valiant 40 which departed 3 hours before us. We called them and arranged to share the pilot for the 2 hour motor up the river. As soon as we were secure on a mooring the officials arrived. We had seven, plus me, sitting in the cockpit. Customs, immigration, police, port captain, security guard, marina manager and boat driver/pilot. They were all very nice, three went below with jen to look into a few lockers while I filled out a few forms. Pretty easy compared to Costa Rica, where we had to hire a taxi and it took all morning going from one place to the next. Merrill, from Jenny Wren, had a van rented for a trip into town. We agreed to share it and had a nice morning exploring the town of Usulutan. Our next big hurdle is called the Tehuanepec. T-peck is easier. Here the winds can howl across the narrow isthmus and into the bay at huge speeds.
" even coastal freighters caught offshore when a t-peck gale starts have been blown 200 miles farther out by 60 knot sustained winds into seas 25 ft and higher. Some break windows, hatches and rigging. Many have capsized and sunk." this, out of our cruising guide!
It is not something to take lightly and we were looking at the grib files and discussing options with Merrill. We agreed to leave in company on Friday morning, arriving at the start of the bay, Sunday midday, when the winds are forecast to subside. Two different sources concurred, plus, a call to Enrique, a local t-peck guru, also confirmed our decision. We passed Que Linda and Matarua who picked up our pilot and headed upstream. Had a nice chat on the radio, then up with the spinnaker and off to the n.w. at a gallop. Two days of sailing and motoring later, we are hove to just off Madero, mx. No wind, waiting, as agreed, for Jenny Wren, some miles back, so we can check the weather one more time before leaving the protection offered by the one harbour closest to the dreaded T-pecker. We usually search for winds that we can use to our advantage, but this time we are happy to motor along the shoreline in flat calm! We shall see. Stay tuned.
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