It is time to go to Central America! We did some studying and decided we would visit El Salvador, Costa Rica, and Panama. Other countries in the region (Guatemala, Nicaragua, Colombia, and Ecuador) were having political and economic problems with crime and piracy along some of their coastal waters so we decided to skip these …

We settled into Marina Chiapas and discovered that there was a nearby airport with cheap flights to anywhere in central America. Time for a side trip, or as we like to call them- “land excursions”! We had decided not to sail to Guatemala because of political unrest and risk of piracy but it was safe …

Over the next few days we planned to move along down the coast to Marina Chahue where most cruisers wait for a good weather window to cross the Gulf of Tehuantepec. That area has special geography. There is a thinner piece of low-lying land flanked by mountains east and west and bordered north and south …

Acapulco is two days away. We found a tiny anchorage described in the guide book at about half way called Punta Papanoa. It said there is a break wall providing protection from the swell there and nothing else. Sounded good enough to us! We just wanted a place to sleep so we could avoid sailing …

Onward to Zihuatanejo where the movie Shaw Shank Redemption ended! We left Coleta de Campos in a hurry due to big waves curling over way too close to the boat, but everything was in order and the weather was good. We had the sails up in 9 knots of wind and we were making good …