[PUP] West Coast offshore winds, El Salvador update

[Scott E. Bulger]

As I said in my original post:

I have nothing but respect for those of you that will never do anything
different based on your experience!  I'm sure it's born of real world
experience where the Tpeckers beat the heck out of you or a friend.  I also
think it's gotten much more predictable as the weather systems that cause
Tpeckers are better understood.  

Today, sitting in the river estuary in El Salvador, there are 9 boats that
made the crossing in the last few days.  All 9 went straight across, not a
single boat stayed on the beach.  Things change, equipment evolves,
knowledge is shared.  Having 3 weather sources tell you a window for 7 days
exists, and your only exposed for 48 hours seems like manageable risk to me.
Would I do this in a Meridian or SeaRay?  No, I only did this because our
boat was a Nordhavn, and if the predictions hadn't held true I was willing
to either tough it out, run downwind or turn back.  The purpose in sharing
this information was to aid those in transit who are reading the Rains book
and only considering the historical practice of following the beach.  The
Harbormaster in Marina Chahue sealed the deal when he talked about the
fishermen in Salina Cruz.  He said these guys manage the Tpeck every day of
their lives to make a living.  The do it in pangas (22' open boats with
outboard motors) and run 10, 20, 60 miles out to sea.  I'm sure there are
countless stories of Tpeck disasters and each skipper will have to make his
or her own decision.  My point was there are more people choosing to wait
for a window then to go along the beach (which has it's own risks, such as
the 62' Nordhavn on the rocks near Turtle bay can attest to).

One more point, yesterday I talked to the two other skippers, one who stayed
inland in the hope of missing the long lines and one who went 60 miles
offshore to try to avoid them.  The skipper who went out 60 miles still
encountered long lines, but fewer than those of us in closer.  The skipper
who stayed very close actually got in a situation where they were boxed in
and had to cut one of the lines to get out.  If I were repeating the trip
I'd form a single file of boats 1/2mile apart and travel 30 miles out.  

The facilities here at Barillas are wonderful and the staff couldn't be more
helpful!  They are very proud of their country.  Yesterday I spent 3 hours
with a technician from El Salvador modifying the existing WiFi network so
the boats in the estuary would get a signal and we were successful!  I'm
writing this from my pilothouse on a laptop with internal WiFi and no
booster!!!  Life is good!

Oh, when we arrived we were tied to a mooring buoy that was in close
proximity to another buoy.  I didn't realize how close it was until I shut
down the engine and started to look around the boat.  Quickly I realized it
was in a very bad position and I started the engine so I could move to
another mooring.  Sure enough, a wind blew from behind the boat, we moved
forward, the buoy passed over the stabilizer fin and then we backed down on
it.  The buoy became lodged between the fin and hull and we were pinned in
place.  I got on the radio and asked for the marina to provide a diver to
come and help free the mooring.  Before they got to the boat I decided to
try to free the mooring myself.  I used the bow and stern thruster to point
the boat directly into the river current, we were healed over about 3
degrees and sitting 45 degrees to the current because of the midship
attachment point of the fin.  As the boat got straightnend into the current
I powered forward and the buoy started to rise.  It then freed itself and we
cast the forward line off and I pulled forward around the two buoys.  It was
pretty stressful for a while, and if I had it to do over again I'm not sure
I would, but it all came out ok.  The marina is going to send a diver down
tomorrow to make sure the fin is ok.  I don't think it will be a problem as
the forces involved weren't abrupt or too extreme.  The visibility in the
river is really poor, otherwise I'd try to go in the water myself and look
at it.  Also, honestly, the crocks are a bit of a concern  : )

So, that's the update from El Salvador.  Tomorrow we go on the Monkey walk!
Take care, 

Scott Bulger, Alanui, N40II, Seattle
Currently at Barillas Marina, El Salvador
ter World Productions, formerly known as Trawler World Productions.