The ends of the earth

Many cruisers consider Huatulco the end of the road, if not the ends of the earth. A lot will come, stay, (some, like the couple next door, never leave), use it as a jumping off point for adventures inland, and ultimately turn back. South of Mexico lie Guatemala and El Salvador, with their somewhat inhospitable coasts (unless you’re a surfer, and swoon over endless miles of white sandy beaches and crushing waves) and Nicaragua – which now has two (pricey) marinas; plus crocodiles, snakes, insects, pirates, lions, tigers, bears – you get the idea. For some, the idea of venturing too deep into developing countries (we used to call them ‘third world countries’ but now, out of courtesy and optimism, they are called ‘developing’ countries ) crosses the line on the adventure-meter. And so they head back.

Those who do continue south will typically hang here at Marina Chahué a few days or week, waiting for <![if !vml]><![endif]>the Tehuantepeccers* to simmer down.

* a weather system best explained by this simple illustration – Wind swirls around the Gulf of Mexico, cuts across the isthmus to the south, gains speed as it cascades down the Sierra Madres, and wallops the Golfo Tehuantepec and everything therein.

The preferred route across is NOT a straight line, but to hug the coast, where the sea state will be flatter (relatively) – but in truth, if it’s blowing coconuts off palm trees, you just don’t take off on this 240-some mile passage between Huatulco and Chiapas.

As I’m touring the marina, I see through the jagged and narrow harbor entrance the rocks off Piedra Blanca. Waves are crashing over them in massive foamy plumes – confirming what the flurry of warm breezes and weather forecasts has told: the Tehuantepeccers show no promise of simmering down. It is honking out there! We are tucked in a few more days.