With Guatamala in the rear view mirror it was time to look ahead to our next destination- El Salvador and her illustrious sand bar entrance. Having cruised up and down the west coast and crossing many bars in Oregon and Washington we didn't give this one much thought other then timing the weather and swells for a smooth crossing. Our final couple of days in Chiapas was spent having dinner with friends, doing laundry and finally Jeff checking out with boater friends at the port captains office. Then on February 22nd, 2024 the 1:30a.m. alarm went off and customs agents and their dogs were on the boat to give us our exit papers and we were on our way for our 275 mile run to Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador.
Final Night at Marina Chiapas Potluck with Splinters, Muirgen & Summer Breeze
Marina Chiapas
Checkout at Port Captains Office with Splinters, Summer Breeze and Muirgen
The 2am departure was a blur and we were the last of the four boats (Splinters, Muirgen & Summer Breeze) to leave the marina. We were fine holding up the rear and glad to be on our way. The cruise itself was uneventful and we were so far behind the pack that we were out of radio communication and only had the occasional WhatsApp service when close enough to shore.
High slack was at 3pm the following day and we arrived at 2pm with plenty of time to spare. The three other boats were already there circling waiting to cross. At about 2:45 Bill (a local ex-pat who helps boaters cross the bar) arrived in a panga with the pilot who would be leading us all across the bar. Muirgen went first and we watched as they got slightly sideways to the waves and sat holding our breath. Splinters was next and they too did well. Summer Breeze can go so fast that he was actually told to slow down while crossing. He is the fastest of us trollers. And finally it was our turn. Having watched the other three I didn't think much of it and I maned the radio answering Bill's requests as Jeff drove us in. For some reason we didn't think to center our stabilisers before crossing the bar and at one point Jeff was fighting them and the boat got sideways and broached. Things went flying and I watched as Jeff wrestled with the wheel, finally turning off the stabilisers and regaining control and we were across the bar. Slightly scary being out of control and sideways to a wave but Jeff got it handled and next thing we knew we were across and high fiving. Being the last one to the dock everyone swarmed- Bill, line handlers, friends and it just felt really overwhelming. I was told by Jean (Bills wife) that Jeff needed to leave immediately to check in with the port captain and he could finish shutting down the boat afterwards. Welcome to El Salvador.
Sunrise Underway
Boobie
Getting a Free Ride
From Sunrise to Sundown
Stowaway
Moonlight
Sunrise Over the Ocean
Approaching El Salvador
Friends on Ever After Leaving El Salvador
Pilot Boat
Crossing the Bar
Approaching Marina
Docked Safely
Jean Helping with Check In
Cheers to Successful Bar Crossing
Celebrating wit Summer Breeze, Splinters & Muirgen
The next morning we slept in late and moved slowly. It was nice to get a good nights sleep after a long overnight passage. The proceeding days would be spent putting the boat back together, doing little projects and spending time in the pool. We started a little ritual of everyday at happy hour walking up to the bar for dollar beers and a refreshing dip in the pool. This seemed to be the new routine for the four boats. We meandered over to the beach and took a little stroll and Murigen had us over for delicious homemade pina coladas and a boat tour. A few days after that we rode with Kim and Eric on Splinter in their dingy to town and walked around and went to the market and had lunch. During our time in town we met another couple named Anna and Doug who had been living in El Salvador for the past year and knew all the ins and outs and they invited our entire group to go out for papusas- the national dish of El Salvador. We of course said yes and took another dingy trip up the bay and then walked down an alley into a ladies back yard where she had a full kitchen set up and we sat around an outdoor table while she made us all papusas. We drank beers and had a blast and they were the best papusas we've ever had. It was an incredible local experience we never would have had if it wasn't for Anna and Doug.
Marina Pool
Beach Walk
Pina Coladas on Muirgen
Engine Room Tour on Muirgen
Dingy Ride to Town with Splinter and Muirgen
Dingy Dock
Town
Market
Lunch in Town With Summer Breeze, Muirgen, Splinters & Doug
Dingy Ride to Papusas
Walking to Papusas
Papusa Chef in Her Kitchen
Haning out Waiting for Papusas
Chef Making Papusas
Dinner Table at Papusas
As unreal as the papusa experience was it wouldn't get more real then what happened the next day. The next group of boater were due to cross the bar and come into the marina. Two of the three we knew- Long Windid and Fin along with Rum Truffle. Fin would go first with no problem and entered the marina. Long Windid was next and they did't have such an easy time of it. A big 6 foot wave from behind thrust them forward lifting their stern driving the bow underwater stopping the boats moments and causing them to broach. Suddenly they were laying on their side and a second wave lifted them up this time grounding them. Somehow our friend Dan managed to get them loose and they made their way into the marina. What would follow will be something that none of us in the Panama Posse will ever forget. Mark on Rum Truffle would be the final boat to cross the bar and unfortunately he wouldn't be as lucky as the first two. As Rum Truffle followed the pilot boat across the bar he hit a shoal causing the keel and rudder to separate from the boat leaving huge holes in the bottom. Water rushed into the boat swamping it and later fully capsizing it. Mark fortunately was rescued from the water with only the clothes on his back losing his boat and everything else on it he owned. Tears well up in my eyes just typing this and reliving that horrific day and my heart still breaks for Mark. A day a boater never ever wants to live or think about.
Rum Truffle Capsized
Rum Truffle on the Beach
Sunset
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