The Challenge of Leaving Huatulco

Well the last week in Huatulco was almost entirely used up getting ready to sail the Gulfo de Tehuantepec. It took a couple of days to get our international zarpe (legal document for entering and exiting ports). We had moved the boat over to the marina secundaria for most of the time we were there – it was less expensive and more private. And we had a whole dock to ourselves. A couple of days before we left, we had to move over to the main marina so that we could fill our water tanks and wash down the boat. We did that the same day we got the zarpe. We were planning on leaving that day, but immigrations had to come look at the boat. The next day, we couldn’t get out of the marina. The wind was too strong that our boat probably would have been impaled on a huge power boat that stuck out way farther than the docks. So we had another evening for Burt work to with the manager of a radio station up in Alaska to figure out when and from where he could go up and work. We were going to try for Bahia del Sol in El Salvador, but we weren’t sure we could get there in time to catch a flight. So Burt worked it out with him that he would contact him when we arrive in El Salvador. We are thinking about finding a good spot in Costa Rica for me to stay and for him to go to Alaska and feel comfortable with me staying behind. My sister, Jill, might come stay with me.

Still getting out of Huatulco. Burt had to make some phone calls the night we got stuck in the marina. Guess what! All of the internet in the Huatulco area was down. First time since we’d been there (we were there for 3 weeks). So we couldn’t leave until he made the calls the next morning. Early the next morning we moved the boat to an outer dock so we wouldn’t get stuck again when the wind came up. Good thing we did that because a huuuuuge power boat docked opposite the other one that had hemmed us in. Then we would have never been able to get out. So finally, on Saturday we were able to leave around noon.