Yesterday we departed Puerto Madero, Mexico and sailed overnight to Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala. The weather was settled and we experienced steady 10 knot winds throughout the day. We sailed wing on wing for hours, and had a following current of one knot. When we entered Guatemalan waters we took down our Mexican courtesy flag and raised the blue and white flag of Guatemala. It was an exciting moment!

The day before we left Madero, we took a 30 minute bus ride into the city of Tapachula, Mexico. It is in the foothills of the Chiapas. Tapachula used to be part of Guatemala, so the people and culture are more Guatemalan than Mexican. The people are of Mayan descent and many wear the typical embroidered clothing and decorative scarves in their hair of the campesinos. Not used to seeing tourists, we got plenty of double-takes as we strolled through the Zocalo – central square.

We were glad to pull up anchor and leave the dreary little pueblo of Madero. It has a strong military presence being on the border of Guatemala. We had a small Navy boat anchored next to us which checked the papers on every panga fishing boat entering and departing the harbor. The Army had a boat several hundred feet away simply watching the comings and goings. The water was not clear so we didn’t swim or run our watermaker.

Most of our cruising friends skip Guatemala, but we wanted to see the country and perhaps take a side trip. We have a cruising guide called “The Forgotten Middle” which highly recommended stopping in this country. We are here, in Puerto Quetzal, and aren’t sure whether to recommend it or not to fellow cruisers.

We were surprised that the harbor is completely industrial, and the anchorage is in the far corner on a Navy base. It was confusing to determine where to anchor, but we dropped the hook several hundred feet from a small dinghy dock in 30 feet of water. There wasn’t another sailboat in sight. Fortunately, fellow cruisers on Lady Tamora – Ernie and Barb Taylor – decided to stop also and pulled into the anchorage an hour after us.

We called the Port Captain at 10:00am, and they seemed surprised a cruising boat was anchored. We did manage to communicate the need to check into their country, and we were told to raise our “Q” flag, which is a yellow signal flag, and stay on board and wait for them. We waited for eight hours, but were occupied by tidying up the Limerence, and regluing our dinghy which continues to leak.

We were boarded at 6:15pm by three military officials. Lieutenant Alvarez spoke good English and seemed genuinely interested in our happiness and well-being. He offered any services we might need, and said very few cruisers stop in Quetzal. He beamed when we explained that we were curious to see his beautiful country. They then collected $140.00 in fees and stamped our passport. They left us with the understanding that the Naval Base was available to us, with a small restaurant and swimming pool. As he left, he mentioned that we needed to reanchor several hundred feet closer to shore, because a 900 foot coal ship would be arriving at 8:00am and docking next to us.

Guatemala is not Mexico, so things happen on time. The huge ship arrived promptly in the morning, and we were entertained by three tugboats maneuvering this behemoth. As they unloaded the coal for the next 24 hours, we were relieved to find ourselves downwind and no dust.

Our friends picked us up later in the morning and we dinghied ashore and hopped a bus into San Jose. The military is everywhere and it is strange to see armed guards at every corner. San Jose is a crowded, dusty, third world town, but we found an oasis of a hotel and had a pleasant lunch. The central market place is bustling and indescribable. There are pigs, chickens, ducks, kids, nursing mothers, and every kind of noise and smell. We were astounded to find many modern automobiles. It is a city of contrasts.

We have hired a driver to take us on a two day tour of Antigua, and the central highlands of Guatemala. We are anticipating an interesting journey and will report soon.

Fair winds. . . Captain Doug and Judy

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