Tuesday, April 9, 2013
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Huatulco Posted on April 3, 2013 by Robin March 20, 2013
Huatulco
March 20, 2013
It was around 90F when we reached our destination of Huatulco (pronounced Wha-tool-co), at the lovely daylight hour of 3 pm. A nice blow in our favor carried us in at around 9 knots. For fuel conservation, we typically keep our speed at around 7 knots. About a 30 hour passage with smooth seas. Just like we like it!
Nice flat seas
With every mile South it becomes increasingly hot and humid. Meanwhile, the number of people who speak English becomes fewer and fewer. The normal procedure when we arrive at a port/marina is to radio in, announce our arrival and receive info about the channel entrance, slip assignment, etc. Our last few arrivals have been a confusing mess when it comes to communication. Somehow we get through.
Beach Huatulco
Luckily, most harbormasters speak English but this is not so with Port Captains. Our spanish emmersion no longer compares to a toe in the shallow water. We are now swimming in the deep end. I found it funny that Pedro who spoke pretty good English and greeted us at the dock, said “slow down lay dee”. Really? You want me to slow down. Have you heard the rate the spanish language is fired at you? Pedro became a fast friend and was a big help to us.
Huatulco, though we had never heard of it, was a pleasant little town that is a vacation area for locals. The town centro is the shining star of the Mexican town. Now that we have figured that out, we try not to miss one. It would be easy to go from marina to marina without really even seeing a place. Huatulco’s centro was quaint and park like. Lots of kids playing, good shops and restaurants. We had a great wood fire pizza at a place called Mama Mia. Yes. At this point, we do look for favorite “home” foods often. No matter how good, you can only eat so many tacos.
This stop also represents the jumping off point for crossing the notorious “Gulf of Tuantepec”. You know you are embarking on something to be cautious about, when all the cruising guides contain bold warnings about a body of water and mariners and sailors up and down the dock are holding little meetings around charts and weather websites. Hype or not you don’t want to be caught off guard. We joined in, did our homework, contacted the port on the other side for a recommended departure and set out with a buddy boat. Our new friend Tom on s/v Shemya, also heading to the canal. Catch you on the other side.
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