Las Barrillas, El Salvador

Wednesday 4/17 LAS BARRILLAS, EL SALVADOR

The rest of the trip here was uneventful except for Iron Mike failing so that we had to steer by hand for most of two days. That really is a pain although it does make the watch pass faster-- Oh, yes, the last night a shackle pin worked loose from the main sheet tackle so we suddenly had the main sail totally out of control. I was off watch at the time and by the time I got curious about all of the hoo hoorah the sail was down and all was under control. We motored the rest of the way to Las Barillas and arrived at the way point just outside the entrance to the river up which Las Barillas is located. The guide from the marina, Juan Padilla, met us at 6 AM and after a couple of other boats rendezvoused with us led the procession up the river 10 miles to the resort/marina. I guess we couldn't really have gotten up the river without a Padilla or someone like him.

Through this entire passage we didn't see a cloud. Motoring up the river was absolutely beautiful with vegetation lining the river and fishing encampments with colorfully painted boats and shacks accenting some of the shallower banks.

The river narrowed progressively as we neared the marina and finally we turned into a branch that was only about 1250 yards wide and we were in the anchorage. About 50 boats were on moorings and pongas were shuttling the yachtsmen back and forth to the marina that we could see but really couldn't make out details.

After a short wait of about 15 minutes a ponga arrived with Herbert, the manager of the Marina who came to help us with the immigration and customs inspectors he had brought. Herbert was a good translator and gave us a pretty good overview of what we could expect at the marina. The formalities were completed quickly and we were free to explore the facilities.

Las Barillas was built in 2000 by a El Salvadorian investment company. It has lawns, myriad palapas with permanent tables with electrical and Internet hookup, three swimming pools, several huge warehouse areas for storing boats and vehicles, a small snack bar restaurant, showers, a convenience store, and lots of smiling courteous people to make it all work. The layout of the facilities and the landscaping is impeccable and there are hammocks strategically located for the weary. Prices are moderate and the mooring with privileges is only $8 per boat per night. Each boat is issued a charge account and that is settled before leaving. Visa and Mastercard are accepted for all charges including fuel.

I don't think I could have designed a marina half as good as this no matter how much money or help I had.

I guess they don't have to worry about anybody skipping out since we are ten miles inland and you have to know the way to get out.

From the marina there are van trips to nearby cities a couple of times a week that are either free or moderately priced. You can go to San Salvador if you wish or take a bus to Guatemala.

While we were at sea Phil called the manufacturer of the autohelm and had arranged for parts to repair it sent to the marina via San Salvador. He had also called the marina and made arrangements to have the package sent from San Salvador to Las Barillas.

I was knocked out by how pleasant the marina was and immediately settled down to quaff a few, swim in the pool, shower in the shower, convenient in the convenience store and snooze in the hammock before sitting down to bring this log up to date and check email in the air conditioned Internet room which has computers for those who do not have their own computers to use in the palapas.

Phil, however hit the shore running trying to make the parts delivery happen quickly. Most of his afternoon was spent making phone calls and planning trips to San Salvador to run down the parts.

John and I did some power relaxation while Phil was thus occupied and by the middle of the afternoon Phil has arranged to rent a car to go into San Salvador day after tomorrow. I really want to get on with the voyage but can't say I'm too disappointed to have a couple of days to wait.

My own guess is that we could take apart the autohelm and figure out some way to make it work since it's obviously only the linkage to the helm that is in trouble and not the electronics. We'll see. I think John and I will probably try to see what can be done that way so that Phil can cancel the order and, if we must, we can get on with sailing.

So far the driving force of this voyage has not been a schedule although there is one and it hasn't been cruising. It has been the breakdown schedule. At almost every stop there has been something wrong with one or more of the systems and the time spent at that location has been strongly influenced by when parts or replacements can be delivered or should be delivered, etc.

Let's see what the problems have been…. Steering, autohelm, battery charger, knot log, Single Side band radio, Iridium Satellite phone twice, reefing lines, main sheet tackle, Is that all, it seems like more.

Today was the first time I got to look at my sunburned shoulders in a mirror. I look like the alligator man and there is a mosaic of scabby skin over the area. It is now healed and the disgusting remnants of my epidermis are sluffing off. I feel like a rattlesnake shedding its hide. Now I get to try again to achieve the perfect tan… Good Luck!

LAST MORNING AT BARILLAS, El Salvador FRIDAY 5 AM ON MOORING

NOT MUCH LIGHT

The first pink light of dawn is coloring the sky in the west and the reflection of the sky in the water. There are just a few clouds dotting the sky. The water is glassy and all of the yachts are lying quietly on their moorings. No one is up. The only human sounds are the clicking of this word processor and the occasional snore from below decks.

The trees and brush lining the channel are alive with bird sounds and monkey calls. There are screeches and squabbles, tweets and chirrups. Some are endlessly repeated and others intermittent. The pink deepens to a yellow rose color and the masts of our neighbors are silhouetted against the sky.

Yesterday Phil made the decision that we must get on with the voyage today win lose or draw with the part for the autohelm. He doesn't see how we'd have a chance to make the plane schedule in Acapulco if we wait another weekend here. I agree with him. If the part doesn't arrive it means four days to the new destination without any steering help. Four days and nights with the helm manned every minute.

Today will be frantic. First getting paperwork together to legitimize our leaving El Salvador then finding out if the part is at the airport at customs or in the DHL office or nowhere. We'll drive to wherever it is to get it, dealing with customs if necessary and then supposedly back in time to catch the 2PM guide boat to the mouth of the river. Somewhere in there we need to make sure our water is topped off as it has been mysteriously disappearing much too rapidly to account for our use. We will have to install the part for the Autohelm if it comes and that may be easy or not, we'll see.

Our stores now consist of a ton of dry pasta and sauce, dozens of snack paks of chips and things, lots of top ramen, dozens and dozens of pop cans, bacon from Miami and a 3 pound unopened salami from Miami, a package of ham from Miami and some hot dogs purchased here and there. I think all of the major food groups are clearly missing.

We have three watermelons a few cucumbers and one cabbage that has accompanied us from Panama, a few potatoes, a pineapple, rum, gin, brandy, canned soup, pancake mix and a half dozen eggs.

Since we're at a mooring we are not hooked up to electricity and so can't run the refrigerator. We get ice but that really only keeps the pop cold at the bottom of the box and does little for the meat locker and items stored on top. Needless to say I won't participate in consumption of a lot of that for fear of a sudden agonizing onslaught of sudden death. Phil, however, is more sanguine and abhors throwing food away. He recently finished the last of some rice and chile that was from a couple of weeks ago and has been aging in Tupperware ever since. He seems to relish it the longer it sits.

A slight breeze has started which riffles the surface of the water and mercifully ushers the myriad insects away. They're all looking for breakfast and I seem to be the only raw material available.

Yesterday we went into the town of Usulupán to see if we could find the missing part for the Autohelm locally. Not surprisingly we didn't, but we did see the little town, got some supplies and had lunch at a local restaurant suggested by our driver, Francisco.

The restaurant was open to the air, not unusual here, and was protected by a high metal roof. It was obviously a locals' restaurant and there was no hint of tourism. The menu was varied with various meat dishes, fish, shrimp, etc. We had an appetizer of a small crab cooked as soup. With the plastic spoon, much grunting and groaning and me calling upon all my skills as a taekwondo smasher of boards and bricks we were each able to winnow about 1 gram of crab meat to eat with the broth. It did keep us occupied until the beef arrived. The food was pretty good and we were served by smiling, pretty young ladies.

The town is a college town so the streets were filled with uniformed children from about 8 years old to about 19. For some reason most were girls and young ladies so we were all occupied in active tourism while driving the streets.

After eating we took a few moments to photograph each other with the restaurant's decorative stuffed caimán which is a small alligator. I was fortunate enough to be able to dance the Cumbia with it as my partner. She was a little stiff and didn't smile much so I cut the dance pretty short. It did inspire me with an idea for a dance movie in the bayou which could be called "Saturday Night Feeder" argggggg!!

In the evening we went out the gate and had dinner at the employees' restaurant eating mainly the same thing we had for lunch, meat beans and rice. Then we called it a day.

MORNING The sun's about to come up now and I hear stirrings below which suggest that there may soon be some coffee smells creeping up through the hatches. The wind is freshening and it looks like it will be another beautiful day in Paradise.

Although I haven't talked to Phil about it yet I decided last night to cut my participation in the trip short at Acapulco. There are a number of reasons but the main one is that my being on board would only perpetuate the tight schedule and I really don't relish just sailing and looking for replacement parts. There really hasn't been much choice but to do that since the distances that were covered and the timetable required us doing it as we did. But it would be easier to stretch it out if that meant languishing in a beautiful dive spot for a week or two. Additionally I feel that it's time to relieve Jana who's been tending the helm of our business for over a month.

The change will require changing airline reservations, which should be no problem, but I'm not sure of just what dates to plug in at present. I don't want to cut it too close and then have to change again. I should know in a day or two.

Our next leg takes us to Huatulco, Mexico and then across the Gulf of Tehuantepec which is notorious for violent winds. It is the birthplace of most of the northeastern Pacific hurricanes.

Phil and the sun are now up. The day is starting. John is not an early riser so it may be a while before he joins the morning coffee klatch.

Didn't feel like a big breakfast so I stayed near the marina offices to await the rental car. Got in a cold shower which is a real luxury and am sitting here drip drying as I wait.

Told Phil I was moving up my departure to Acapulco and he asked me to stay on board until the next port to make Cindy feel comfortable and so I agreed to that. Don't have a date, but suspect it will be about the end of the month.

The first logical port after Acapulco is Zihuatanejo

SATURDAY MORNING 5:30 LAS BARILLAS MARINA

Last night since it was his birthday John decided to rent a bungalow.

Nothing is open here at the marina except the showers and pool so I was able to have a long hot and cold shower in the cool of the morning. I'm now sitting at the snack bar table looking down the anchorage toward the sunrise, which is very subdued this morning because of some cumulus obscuring the sun. It is reduced to a pink glow and is wonderful as the muted pastel sky reflects in the glassy water.

All the flags on the marina flag hoist pole are still, and there is a faint sound of music coming from one of the fishing boats moored on the other side of the marina. The pink glow noticeably brightens and I see one or two workmen languorously cleaning the swimming pool or just wandering the grounds in the stillness. All is manicured and green with the palapas in rows like military mushrooms at parade rest. The birds provide a constant background concert and the only other competing sound is the low hum of the refrigerator in the snack bar.

The pink glow is turning fiery and instead of streaks of colored clouds there is only now the solid bluegray of the cumulus with the border on the horizon. The horizon is glowing like a distant conflagration. The morning breeze should be coming up in about 5 minutes. I wish there were a Starbucks here.

There it is. The El Salvador flag on the marina pole has started to ripple and wave but is still hanging down and not streaming out. The smaller flag hoist flags are hardly stirring. A couple of curious blackbirds are ambling into the snack bar area looking for an early breakfast, but the place is so clean that there's nothing.

Phil just ambled up carrying the remains of last night's non-orgy a half-full brandy bottle. He's an early riser too but John will probably have to be pried out of the bungalow later when it's time to get going. Phil's wandering around now asking the workmen if anyone can ferry us out to the boat. He's not much for just sitting around and listening to birds.

We'll leave sometime this morning since the tide will be falling and it will be too shallow about one o'clock.

Now it's 7 AM. We've walked all over the marina being early for everything--too early for the restaurant, too early for coffee in the snack bar, too early to check out with immigration. Well, I guess the exercise is good.

Now sitting in the employee' restaurant. Waiting for eggs and fried bananas that Phil ordered. Things happen slowly and it's been at least 15 minutes while we sit here and listen to the watch geese as they hassle arrivals outside, and Phil stands by the kitchen egging the cooks on to hurry with our breakfast.

next