On Tuesday, the afternoon breeze hardly kicked in at all, so although I poled out the genoa and goose-winged the main, we barely made 3.5 kt. Lovely though it was to be without the engine noise, I was forced to start the motor soon after dark.
I kept well offshore overnight, as we approached Acapulco, passing the beach where Nereida I is totally buried, deep under the wet sand of a surf beach near the village of Tenexpa..
I had kept our speed down to make sure we arrived in daylight.... It turned out that I couldn't have chosen a better day to pull into Acapulco!
I found the Acapulco Y.C. fuel dock, after a bit of searching around, and was told I needed to go to the office with my ship's papers before fuelling.
I knew Senor Marquez, the Y.C. Dockmaster, from my visit in 2008 and, sure enough, he came into the office to check my papers. He had been the kind soul who had said to stay with his family in 2008 when I lost my boat the very next day after leaving to head north to complete a circumnavigation....
It was lovely to catch up with him - but he said the port captain's office was closed because it was a fiesta - Dia de Marinero. - which explained the Navy boat coming out that morning, dressed overall with flags, and the accompanying smaller boats I'd seen as I was entering Boca Grande - the main bay of Acapulco.
Jose suggested I stay overnight at the nearby Maina Acapulco (half the cost of the Y.C.!) and invited me to the Y.C. fiesta at 4pm when I'd meet his family. That went really well, with a live band to dance to in between chatting to the family.and being plied with food and drink. (They all came to visit "Nereida" later)
Discussing my plans, Jose said it would be better to clear out from Mexico in Zihuatanejo rather than from Acapulco whose officials might possibly cause me complications - he could give me a 'despacho' from Acapulco to Zihuatanejo to simplify matters - so off to his office he went, returning half an hour later with my paper - very kind of him.
So plans have changed. Tomorrow, instead of heading to the Port Captain's office first thing, I'll be heading for Zihuatanejo (a day's sail away) that I was intending to go to anyway, to clear out of Mexico from there for Canada.. Why was I planning on heading to there from Acapulco? To complete my 'unfinished' circumnavigation which I'd started in March 2007 and so nearly finished in June 2008....
I'd forgotten the blue-and-white old Volkswagen Beetles which are commonly the taxis here in Acapulco. ...And the steep-sided roads, with hair-pin bends and stone facings - much of the bay is very steep-to.
I'll wander over towards the marina office soon, not just to send this off (my ship's radio connection via Pactor modem normally does that fine) but to get an Internet connection - possibly my last for several weeks - and post some photos on Facebook from today's fiesta event with the Marquez family at the Acapulco Y.C.
Tomorrow, I'll leave for Zihuatanejo - probably motoring into a light breeze - the forecast is not looking helpful for the next few days.... light winds, possibly northerlies... Que sera,sera...!