b.c.bound

As we got closer to marina chahue, it became clear that the navionics charts and the g.p.s. were not in sinc. I had noticed things were not quite jiving further back along the coast. thankfully it was not night time or my head would have had a meltdown. I watched in amazement as the g.p.s. icon on the computer screen crashed into an island 1.2 miles to the north! Fortunately we had two guide books to give us all the info that we needed to get in. the g.p.s. continued up and over a couple of hills as we motored slowly into the marina. No sooner had we tied to the dock when the officials were there to check us in. all very smooth, efficient and friendly. Beats travelling all over town in a cab for 3 hours! Next morning, having concluded the usual wash down with lots of fresh water, the wind piped up, from the direction of the new marina construction. You guessed it. Everything, inside and out, covered in a fine layer of dust! We were enjoying the town so much it took three days before we finally decided to call it quits and left early enough the next morning completely clear of all soil and sand! Too bad, we go into marinas to get cleaned up, not to get dusted up.
The two nice bays we went to next made up for any frustrations in the marina dept. some of the nicest we have visited for a while. The wind along this coast seems to be as regular as clockwork. Wind from the n.w. at 10 a.m. gradually building to 15 kts then dying at sunset becoming calm, or offshore, during the night. The grib files that we usually rely on don't seem to have a handle on it. It is too local. We resigned to the fact that we were either going to be motoring in calms, motorsailing into head winds, or beating if the wind was anything but on the nose. This coast was proving to be some of the most challenging of our trip so far.
We battled 20 miles up the coast to puerto angel. Really lovely little fishing village full of very active fisher people. Some go out at 4 in the morning, returning at about 10, just before the wind picks up. Some, who dive for lobsters etc, have bankers hours. There is another group who leave at sunset, spend all night offshore, returning early next morning. All these people have one thing in common, however. When they return from the sea, they line up their parking spot on the beach a long way out and go full throttle straight into the beach! If their calculations are correct, the pangas end up well above the high tide line where they are surrounded by half the village and relieved of their hard earned catch.
Three days after entering, we motored out to see what mother nature was going to serve up. The helping that m.n. handed out became the least of our worries. The raw water pump that we had waited for in grand cayman and installed in panama, was now leaking so badly that we decided to pull into Acapulco to see if we could get a replacement. All the guide books say to give this place a miss. It was looking like they were right. The yacht club wanted $ 2.50/ft/day to stay at the dock. $ 35.00 per dium for a mooring (not including use of the facilities) $ 30.00 per dium to land the dinghy ashore (not inc) 12 % surcharge on fuel. O.k. this place clearly does not want the likes of us around their prestigious club. We took 20 gallons of diesel. I went on a pump quest while jen took as long as possible filling water tanks and washing decks etc. the yacht club marine store attendant said she could get me a pump in 8 days. $ 800.00! We paid $ 300.00 for the one from west marine. Thanks, but no thanks. Across to another marine type store which I could tell were not going to have anything close. The only thing they could offer was a place 10 mins walk away that may be able to help. This is a lost cause. Should I go back to the fuel dock where we would by now, be very nearly, overstaying our welcome. Sod it, one last try. Walked into the 'prince' yard and found the boss. Went through my familiar speel. "What about fixing it" Raul said very matter of factly. From that point on, everything just fell scarily into place. We found an abandoned mooring just in front of the 'prince' yard. My taxi driver spoke perfect English, came with me while we bought bearings and seals, then drove me back via the cliff diving site so we would know how to get there later. Raul had all the tools needed to fix the pump. We decided to do the other one while we were at it. both pumps are now ready to go. All for the princely sum of 600 pesos, about $ 50.00. To celebrate, we went for supper overlooking the cliff divers. These guys are amazing. From 30 meters, swallows, back dives, summersaults and at night to boot! Really impressive. The day before we left, went to the Mercado centro. This is the most incredible hodge podge of shops, stalls, all manner of vendors selling everything one could imagine. We loaded ourselves down with fruit and veg, hailed a herby taxi, returned to mistletoe and got her ready to leave. The trip to z-what took 26 hours. 22 of those with the motor running! The good news, however is that the pump performed flawlessly. No stopping every 5 hours to bail the engine compartment out! We are now checked into z-what and have been invited to lunch in the hinterland by some of the cruiser folk that call this place home.