Into the Gulfo De Tehuantwpec!
08 January 2018 | 16 09.960N::-095 00.010W
Bill
Last night as we motored along the coast, it was the coldest night we have felt in YEARS! Yesterday, we pulled up the anchor and moved a whole 15 miles to a place the charts said was a "designated anchorage" from where we had dropped the hook. Our forecast for crossing the gulf was for the quietest times to be last night and through today till tomorrow morning. For the first time, we sat at anchor and waited for the sun to go down before pulling up the anchor at 2030 and took off under motor again. While there was some wind, not enough to get us anywhere so we left all our sails down. With current, we were making good time and staying with"One foot on shore and one foot on the boat", we avoided most of the swells that can get nasty here. While the charts showed us to be in the 30 foot deep range, our depth sounder said it was much closer to 70 feet deep. Every place we have been, the chart depths are showing it to be much shallower than what it was. Starting at about 2100, we swapped out watch with much shorter intervals since we had rested a great deal of the day. It ended up at about 2 hours on and 2 hours off and they worked just fine. Tracy came up to relieve me at 0100 and I came up into the cockpit at 0300 to find her buried under two blankets, a fleece jacket and a ski style hat pulled down over her ears. It was COLD! Cold like we haven't experienced in years. She's even gone below and made some hot tea to try and warm up. Snowshoe(one of our cats) had snuggled in with her as well. He being a Persian with long hair had to help him but he must have been cold as well as he snuggled in with me once I got settled in. Tracy gave me her hat, and jacket before heading below to warm up in the engine warmed cabin. With Snowshoe snuggling in and the rest of the clothes Tracy left me(plus the two blankets) I was fine till Tracy came back up at 0500. When I came back on watch just after 0700, the blankets were all folded and stowed but she still had her jacket on. I know we've looked forward to getting back in Mexico for a while but hey, could they at least turn the heat back on after the sun goes down?!?!? At the speed we are going, we should be near Huatulco(15 46.052N:-096 05.500W) after the sun goes down so we will probably stop in Bahia Tangola Tangola( as it's a much more open bay to stop in as it will be less crowded. Meanwhile the winds and swells are cooperating for us. YEA!!