Richard on Dauntless is headed north

[alfamike]

HF Radio on board ? no\NO

I asked for you - NO "HF - SSB" radio on board Dauntless.

thanks.

Alfa Mike

 

[alfamike]

Sunday night update.

Richard on Dauntless are now well past the northern coast border of El Salvador & half way through going up the Guatemala west coast.

Looks like there is a good probability for an arrival at Mexico's furthest south west marina on Pacific Coast -- Marina Chiapas, looks like this will happen some time on Monday the 31st.

This is a fairly new marina & it is pristine.

Richards single crew man - Cliff - will be disembarking there to fly back to the state on Tuesday or Wednesday as his vacation is over.

Richard will be at this Marina Chiapas in Mexico for 4 to 7 days, - so any other crew like to join in the fun ?

Hope weather holds.

All the rest is good so far.

Alfa Mike

 

[alfamike]

Update - Dauntless - Arrived @ Marina Chiapas

Dauntless with skipper, Richard & crewman, Cliff have arrived at Marina Chiapas in south west corner of Mexico.

So they can be contacted there as now tied into Internet & e-mail, cell phone, etc...

Cliff is leaving the boat as vacation is over & flying home in the next day or so.

So this would be a good opportunity to come join in for a piece of the trip.

Alfa Mike

 

[Ski in NC]

Back on the move. Wonder if he will get any effects from that tropical storm.

 

[alfamike]

effects of storm on Dauntless heading North in the Pacific

UPDATE -- Monday -- Aug 7, 2017 -- 11:00 pm


Glad you mentioned that.


He is by himself again -- ( no crew) & he is Currently crossing the 260 miles width of the mouth to the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

This area can be treacherous !

Actually, because of that storm, it has made the Gulf of Tehuantepec a more mild wind of maybe only 20 to 30 knots & seas of 4 to 8 feet - currently - so he is going to shoot straight across on the rum line direct across the mouth of the Gulf of Tehuantepec.

Can't always do that, but this particular weather window allows it this time, provided trip across is completed in 3 days max.

FYI - Traditionally, during as many as 140 days a year, there are Force 8 gale winds blowing from east to west right off the Bahia Ventosa & the Lagoon just east of Salina Cruz & those winds fan out to SW, South & SE from there. 60 mph is not uncommon for these winds when they are blowing a Tehuantepecker. The winds & sea'a hit you right on the beam when crossing.

So proceeding north by himself on Dauntless across the mouth of the Gulf of Tehuantepec today & tomorrow and doing good so far.

We will see in next 24 to 36 hours how he does.

Of course wishing him smooth seas & fair winds.

Alfa Mike

 

[alfamike]

Update - Wednesday - 8/9/2017

Update - 8/9/2017 - 8:00 am

Richard, skipper of "Dauntless", has "reached the other side" so to speak. he crossed the 260 mile open bay of the Gulf of Tehuantepec successfully with no incidents or issues in route.
He waited for a weather window to open & when it did, he went direct route across the open and sometimes treacherous gulf.

He is currently anchored comfortably in "Bahia Tangolunda" which is right next to "Huatulco" in south Western Mexico.
(15 deg, 45.5' by 96 deg, 05.5') is the entrance to that bay / harbor.

He went straight through by himself averaging about 7 knots as a single hander across the gulf running approximately 37 hours straight. He left Monday, August 7th first thing in the morning at around 6:00 am. Arrived last night at about 7:00 pm.

He is currently Safe & sound and getting some well deserved sleep.

Great job with the weather Richard.

Thanks.

Alfa Mike

 

[rjwilliams11741]

Middle of Hurricane Season

Wow, Dauntless is right at the start of the convergent zone for the Eastern Pacific Tropical storms. This time of year tropical storms and hurricanes form frequently and because of warmer water temperatures start curving northwest following the coast all the way to Baja. There are no safe hurricane holes between Hualtuco and Alcapulco (approximately 325 nm) and again from Alcapulco to Zihuatanejo and from Zihuatanejo to Manzanillo. Probably the most decent hurricane hole would be the marina at Barra de Navidad just north of Manzanillo or the commercial port of Lazaro Cardenas about 1/3 of the way up from Zihuatanejo to Manzanillo. I'm surprised that his insurance company is allowing him to travel at this time of year north of Hualtuco. Personally I'd leave the boat in Hualtuco and enjoy this very beautiful area for a few months or go home and return in November.

My wife and I cruised Mexico from 2003 until 2015 in an 8 knot boat and would not have wanted to be on the coast between Puerto Vallarta and Hualtuco (except for the Barra de Navidad Marina) this time of year.

 

[Nevada Mike]

How far north is he going?

 

[alfamike]

Destination -- T B D ...

I will be talking with him this weekend and we will be discussing at length the where & when & all that strategy & weather & storm seasons, etc. for where he will leave the boat & where he is going to travel to & we will work out a strategy & itinerary.

He can do the jumps from Hurricane hole to Hurricane hole with good weather forecasts, as most are but a two or three day sail apart @ 7.5 knots if you can go 24 hours a day, & cover 180 miles a day when enroute.

But so far he is traveling for the most part alone, NO CREW & that is a tuff challenge to do all by yourself. Then you can't make it to a hurricane hole & that can be tricky.

So as usual, we are looking for some crew volunteers to do a few legs to assist so he can get some quality sleep on those 2, 3 or 4 day trips.

At the beginning of the year - when he originally thought he wanted to get to Guaymas - - but I think that destination is out the window at this point.

So looking for a place he can have the boat pulled out of the water & stored on the hard in a safe secure way -- hopefully at a good price -- & it be somewhere between Z town & Mazatlan. Any good places to do that as a suggestion from the guys here on TF would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Alfa Mike

 

[Larry M]

Dry storage yards are few until he gets up to San Carlos. Opequimar in Puerto Vallarta will probably be his closest option. He'll most likely be paying state side or a little higher prices though. The marinas track US prices so the favorable exchange rate doesn't usally help in the boating industry.

 

[Larry M]

Here's a link for the major marinas on the West Coast of MX.

First Timer's Guide to Mexico: Major Marinas

If he can't find dry storage, Paradise Village in PV is as good as it gets for a hurricane hole.

 

[rjwilliams11741]

Summer Storage

Puerto Vallarta and San Carlos are the two safest "hurricane holes" in Mexico. The problem with San Carlos is that it is located 3/4 of the way up the mainland side of the Sea of Cortes and when it's time to leave you need to cruise several days south to get around Cabo San Lucas. They have great dry storage facilities however. As someone noted Opequimar in Puerto Vallarta also has a reasonably good dry storage yard. For in the water storage Marina Vallarta in Puerto Vallarta, Marina Riviera Nayarit in La Cruz, and Paradise Village in Nuevo Vallarta are all good places to leave your vessel during hurricane season. From a hurricane and surge safety perspective I would rank them Paradise Village, Puerto Vallarta, and Riviera Nayarit. I know that both Paradise Village and Riviera Nayarit have great summer rates packages that are actually quite reasonable. We left Freedom at Paradise Village for 9 of the 12 summers we were cruising in Mexico and our insurance carriers (AIG and Martell) had no problem.

 

[Diesel Duck]

Update - 8/9/2017 - 8:00 am

Richard, skipper of "Dauntless", has "reached the other side" so to speak. ...........

He is currently anchored comfortably in "Bahia Tangolunda" which is right next to "Huatulco" in south Western Mexico.
(15 deg, 45.5' by 96 deg, 05.5') is the entrance to that bay / harbor.

.................

If Richard is still anchored in Bahia Tangolunda tell him to look to the east and wave hello to my gardener. www.QuintaAlegria.com My villa is the one to the farthest right as he's looking from Tangolunda bay.

BTW, Bahia Tangolunda is not near Huatulco... it is Huatulco. Tangolunda is one of the nine bays that make up Bahias de Huatulco... the bays of Huatulco.

.

 

[alfamike]

Update.

Richard writes:

Since we last spoke, plans continue to change.


I am now looking at locations to winter store the boat, but there are very few option south of Puerto Vallarta.
PV is an option, though the first quote I got was 3 times the cost of Guaymas.


I am currently in Huatulco. A really nice town. I hate leaving, but the winds are favorable for the next 5 days.
I'm not ready to leave Saturday, so I will plan on leaving early Sunday morning.
Then put into about 65 nm per day for 4 days.
That gets me to Acapulco. The Harbor Master here is from Acapulco and he has convinced me I won't die immediately.


Also Acapulco gives me the best shot at winter storage in southern Mexico.


After that, it looks like we may have a period of NW winds, in which case I will stay put.


I like the revised, revised plan much more.



Richard

 

[alfamike]

Looks like trying to have the boat hauled & stay here in Huatulco

Richard is now trying to have them haul the boat here & store it on the hard here in Huatulco. I can think of a lot worse placed to be. So sounds good to me.

So that is a promising strategy.

Sounds like a good idea to me as well.

We will see, as lots of details to work out.

Stay Tuned !

Thanks.

Alfa Mike

 

[Ski in NC]

Dang! I will miss following along. I would figure there would be enough weather windows and ports to get up the coast safely.

 

[rjwilliams11741]

There was no boat yard in Hualtuco when I was there so I can't comment on the quality of the dry storage facilities. Having cruised this coast I personally think he's making the right decision. He can return in November any enjoy the beautiful coast line and the anchorages north without worry of a hurricane.

 

[rjwilliams11741]

Dang! I will miss following along. I would figure there would be enough weather windows and ports to get up the coast safely.

Once he were to leave Huatulco the next decent hurricane safe anchorage Marina is Barra de Navidad. Even if he ran 24/7 he could not outrun a hurricane that formed within a few day of his leaving. IMO a smart decision.

 

[Ski in NC]

Once he were to leave Huatulco the next decent hurricane safe anchorage Marina is Barra de Navidad. Even if he ran 24/7 he could not outrun a hurricane that formed within a few day of his leaving. IMO a smart decision.

Understood. I am showing my lack of knowledge of the region.

 

[Larry M]

There was no boat yard in Hualtuco when I was there so I can't comment on the quality of the dry storage facilities. Having cruised this coast I personally think he's making the right decision. He can return in November any enjoy the beautiful coast line and the anchorages north without worry of a hurricane.

When we were in Hualtuco (2011), a couple of big boats were blocked and braced. I assumed a large crane or trailer set them since there was no travel lift.

I agree he's making the right decision. We spent 5 years on the West Coast of Mexico. The cruising, in season, is some of the best in the world.

 

[Wxx3]

When we were in Hualtuco (2011), a couple of big boats were blocked and braced. I assumed a large crane or trailer set them since there was no travel lift.

I agree he's making the right decision. We spent 5 years on the West Coast of Mexico. The cruising, in season, is some of the best in the world.

You are all right.
I'm going to have Dauntless pulled here.
I want her out of the water for winter.
She's been run hard and put away wet too often.

Yes. They get a crane, but they also modify, build, a trailer to pull her.

Huatulco is a great town. I regret stopping so soon, but dry storage is at a premium until one gets north of Mazatlan. That's a 1000 miles away.
And not only are there no safe harbors, the few stopping places there are will be affected by the sw swell.

All in all, too many risks for questionable returns.

Thanks for the advice. I'm taking it this time

 

[CDreamer]

For future reference, Mazatlan (in the state of Sinaloa) should be avoided due to a dramatic increase in gang/drug-related violence this year.

If you have plans to travel in Mexico, please read:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

 

[Ski in NC]

I worry about putting Dauntless on the hill for a long period of time. As she sits now, well tried and proven. Hill time is hard on boats and machinery. End up having to de-bug and repair after splash time.

 

[BandB]

I worry about putting Dauntless on the hill for a long period of time. As she sits now, well tried and proven. Hill time is hard on boats and machinery. End up having to de-bug and repair after splash time.

I agree. Is he going through the "winterizing" process? I know there's no winter, but still a protecting process.

When he launches, I'd suggest some local cruising before taking off.

 

[mbevins]

Richard.., exactly how long are you thinking for this "rest".

 

[rjwilliams11741]

For future reference, Mazatlan (in the state of Sinaloa) should be avoided due to a dramatic increase in gang/drug-related violence this year.

If you have plans to travel in Mexico, please read:

https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/alertswarnings/mexico-travel-warning.html

We cruised in Mexico from 2003 until 2015 when we had Freedom brought back to the San Francisco Bay Area. We now live 1/2 the year in the northern part of Banderas Bay (Puerto Vallarta area). We have visited Mazatlán many times (the last time being 2016 on the way Los Mochis to board the train to Copper Canyon) and would not hesitate to go there again. The Marinas (El Cid, Fonatur, and Marina Mazatlán) are in great parts of town. The Historic Center is fascinating with parts reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans with a beautifully restored theater and some great restaurants. We just had a good friend (single lady) who relocated to Puerto Vallarta had her car break down in Culican (the home base of the Sinaloa Cartel) and she was treated perfectly well and said only good things about a bad experience with her car. Yes, you never know when you might get caught in "crossfire" but the same happens in Chicago, Washington DC, St. Louis, London, Paris and so on. You might look at the UK's travel warnings about the United States. We find that the problems, except for Acapulco, are usually drug people vs. drug people. Tourists and everyday citizens are not targeted nor generally involved unless you get involved in drug deals. For some reason Acapulco's problem seem to be local gang related.

 

[CDreamer]

I love Mazatlan, Zihua, PV. I've traveled extensively throughout rural Central America for many years. (I also love Istanbul but right now I wouldn't go...different problem.)

 

[Wxx3]

Thanks RJW,

Yes. I'm looking forward to Mazatlan next summer.
At this point, I'm done.

I've discovered there is not better place to leave the boat than where i am for the next 1300 miles.

Places near PV want $1-2,000 /MONTH to store the boat.
Huataco is a very nice town. Nice people, not expensive.

So Dauntless will be here until next spring, summer.

And at this point, that's too far, too hard with contrary winds

 

[Lou_tribal]

So if you do not mind me asking what are your plans for the next months? Enjoying northern winter or get a nice tan?
If you seek some action I have a brand new shining shovel that just wait to meet snow next winter

L.

 

[BandB]

We cruised in Mexico from 2003 until 2015 when we had Freedom brought back to the San Francisco Bay Area. We now live 1/2 the year in the northern part of Banderas Bay (Puerto Vallarta area). We have visited Mazatlán many times (the last time being 2016 on the way Los Mochis to board the train to Copper Canyon) and would not hesitate to go there again. The Marinas (El Cid, Fonatur, and Marina Mazatlán) are in great parts of town. The Historic Center is fascinating with parts reminiscent of the French Quarter in New Orleans with a beautifully restored theater and some great restaurants. We just had a good friend (single lady) who relocated to Puerto Vallarta had her car break down in Culican (the home base of the Sinaloa Cartel) and she was treated perfectly well and said only good things about a bad experience with her car. Yes, you never know when you might get caught in "crossfire" but the same happens in Chicago, Washington DC, St. Louis, London, Paris and so on. You might look at the UK's travel warnings about the United States. We find that the problems, except for Acapulco, are usually drug people vs. drug people. Tourists and everyday citizens are not targeted nor generally involved unless you get involved in drug deals. For some reason Acapulco's problem seem to be local gang related.

For the most part I agree with your perspective. When we cruised through Mexico I felt safe. In fact, at that time, I even felt safe in Acapulco. However, one thing that must be mentioned is that US citizens and tourists in general have been targeted more recently than they were in the past. I'd say not generally by the cartels, but more likely by random criminals and smaller gangs.

I'd just say have the latest information wherever you travel. Environments change often and sometimes radically.