Sunriser

A last ceviche in one of the stilt restaurant in the water, a last beautiful sunset and sunrise, and we released Sunriser from its 6 month long mooring. We’re finally leaving to Mexico! The forecast is of no wind all the way, so it should be a quiet, boring trip… or so we thought.

We had to wait for the right moment to leave the mooring (high water and low waves) as the exit of the river can be dangerous if the conditions are not right. We left at dusk following the small pilot boat leading us through the shallowest part. The waves build up over the sandbar turning the river mouth into a rollercoaster. Like a rollercoaster ride it was exciting but Sunriser and my captain handled expertly the steep waves and we were soon in the calmer open waters of the Pacific ocean.

The trip to Chiapas in Mexico is about 245 nautical miles and, with a speed of just over 5 knots (miles per hour), this was going to be a trip of about 48 hours. The first half we slowly got back our sea legs while motoring in no wind.

During the second night it was done with the peace and quiet! We went through a very nasty squall/thunderstorm. During sunset we spotted black clouds forming in the distance, but were confident that they would pass far away from us. However, unexpectedly, during the night the winds suddenly picked up to 30 knots and we were caught in the middle of constant lightning. We tried to steer away from the worst parts, based on what we saw on our radar which led to some strange tracks, more worthy of a drunken sailor. During the storm we disconnected our antennas to save the electronics in case of a lightning strike, which turned off our AIS signal (Automatic Identification System), so we were not visible. In these waters, under constant surveillance for drug runners, this may have looked suspicious to the coastguard. Luckily, after 30 stressful minutes, the weather gods allowed us to escape undamaged. The rest of the night we admired the lighting show on the distance instead of on top of our heads.

In the peace of the following day we received some visitors, who (fortunately) this time left no big surprises on our deck.

And we also caught 2 fishes, the first this season. One skipjack (small tuna) and a 9 kilo barracuda; though normally we throw barracudas back due to the risk of ciguatera poisoning, in the Pacific they are safe for eating. We got 14 nice filets out of it, which we vacuum packed and put in the freezer. You might see on Jos face that is was quite a fight to reel the fish in.

Upon arriving to marina Chiapas, our port of entry in Mexico, no less than 7 officials and a dog came on board to perform an inspection, as the first action of 2 days of formalities. The next day we were driven around to the various offices, which provided a first glance on the burocratic side of Mexico.

The last hurdle was to convince an official on the border that B. Montero Lopez, in the boat papers, was actually the same person as BEATRIZ Montero Lopez in the passport. After 45 minutes of discussion, the insurance papers on Jos’s name did the trick, and the much needed Temporary Import Permit was issued, signed and stamped.

We and Sunriser are now officially in Mexico. Time to get to know this part of Mexico.