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Limerence Update #20 Bahia Jiquilisco, El Salvador 13d15’N 88d29’W Air Temperature 88 Sea Temperature 83 March 25, 2001 Hi Everyone! We leave El Salvador glad to have had the experience of seeing this country . . but sad for the many problems facing the people. El Salvador is a country with complex problems to solve after years of civil war and natural disasters. Many people work in agriculture on the sugar cane or coffee plantations and make a few dollars a day. They live in small wood or mud houses in what we would consider primitive conditions. Most children attend school until the sixth grade, and then many drop out because their families can not afford to pay for the required high school uniforms. The kids work in the fields with their parents and are destined to continue the cycle of poverty. They have almost no chance to own property or make a living that would enable them to raise their standard of living. The most critical challenges El Salvador faces are education and government. We became involved with the earthquake relief effort in the hope that perhaps we could make a small difference in the lives of a few people. We joined with the cruising community project and took on the challenge of finding a cement mixer for the mountain top building site. With the generosity of several friends who got interested in the project through this website, we made it happen. After determining that shipping from the US was prohibitively expensive, we located a new cement mixer in San Salvador, and bought it on the spot. It is now in use on the work site making the cement for the foundation of 12 homes. Our hard work paid off!
Our other major challenge here was to solve the problem of our “deflated” dinghy. We discovered a factory defect in the gluing process that caused the front seam to suddenly, and without warning, let go. After attempting five times to reglue the seam, we contacted the distributor in California who gave us several expensive options. We learned what “guarantee” does or does not mean. We ended up shipping our hard bottomed boat back to the US, and having them send us a retubed used dinghy. The whole process cost us $1600 and hours of frustrating negotiations, on top of trying to get shipment into a third world country. We feel fortunate to have been here at the Barillas Marina as we solved our technical difficulties. It is a lovely spot with many amenities. . . a true oasis. The owner of the marina was on site often and couldn’t have been more accommodating. He offered us his special shipping company for the receipt of mail and packages, and even gave Doug a ride in his airplane! He allowed a group of us to use his private beach area on an island for an outing, and was generous in countless other ways.
For those of you from San Diego, we want to mention that two boats were here from the Southwestern Yacht Club. Kumbaya – with Jerry Allen and Barb Schmalhofer, and Argonauta – with Howard and Susan Wormsley. Argonauta left almost two weeks ago stopping at Cocos Island 300 miles west of Costa Rica. They continued west and just arrived in the Galapagos Islands. We speak to them almost nightly on the ham radio. Kumbaya will leave with us headed to Costa Rica. Several days ago Knee Deep with Dennis and Diane Johnson came into Barillas - primarily to help with the relief effort. They have adopted a Mexican puppy so are now a crew of three!
In this part of the world, papagayo winds howl from November to March. They are unpredictable along the coasts of Nicaragua and Costa Rica and blow up to 30-45 knots. We were very content to sit here in Barillas waiting for calmer weather. The weather has improved and eleven cruising boats are ready to move on. We have decided to buddy boat and sail directly for Costa Rica. It will be a two night, 200 mile passage, and we expect to leave before April 1. Wish us fair winds! Best wishes, Captain Doug and Judy |
