Monday, December 14, 1998 – Puerto Huatulco (say wah-tool-koh)
G’day Startrippers
The closer we get to this wretched Gulf of Tehuantepec the worse the weather is getting. On my last watch early this morning the first indications of a change in conditions became apparent. Then when I arose from my slumber late this morning, the boat started pitching. For the first time in a while, the sea was coming over the bow and anything not fast made its mandatory tumble to the floor. As planned, STARSHIP pulled into the Puerto Angel at noon. The swells made the small bay seem uncomfortable, so we decided to head another 25 miles southeast for our present anchorage – Puerto Huatulco.
The area around the port appears to be gorgeous with its rolling hills, forest and over 30 lonely and pristine beaches riddling the rugged coastline. This should definitely be worth a few excursions in the tender tomorrow. The port itself is also rather quaint. No sign of huge condo’s or mega hotels, although I believe there is a Club Med somewhere around here. The sickle shaped beach is home to a few cafes, beach chairs and a couple of Jet Ski’s. I think I could rest a few days here if needed.
Huatulco Bay in the Background - Rich working on the stainless steel rails
Historically, this port is also interesting. Apparently this is one of the places where during his circumnavigation (Dec. 1577-Sep 1580) Sir Francis Drake or "El Draque" dropped his ships (Golden Hind) anchor and raided the town. Although not considered a pirate like say Blackbeard, he did commit many acts of piracy. He was very patriotic and had a distinct hate for anything Spanish and hence looted any Spanish vessel he could lay his hands upon, all in the name of Queen Elizabeth. Nice guy eh! Anyhow, back to the 20th century. Up until the mid 80’s, the beach also served as a favorite watering hole for the village pigs. This all changed courtesy of the tourist trade.
As I mentioned yesterday, the purpose of our stay here is to wait for a weather window to cross the Gulf. A large cruise liner informed us today that there are 40-50 knot winds blowing through the valley. Not really the sort of conditions we want to be in. So it looks like we have to wait it out and see. I could think of a whole lot worse places to be doing this, but we all want to get going and make way for Costa Rica. At worst, it seems like we may get out of here by Thursday. All we could do is wait and enjoy our surroundings….
Best regards
Rich