Day 1698
Position: 17°18'N 101°06'W
Underway towards Zihuatanejo
Miles YTD: 3306
Miles since day 1: 29530
We planned a quick refuel stop in Acapulco. We arrived around 11:30 PM and tied up to a mooring. We didn't want to tie to a mooring, but anchoring is tough with depths in the 18-23 meter range and a very soft slimy bottom full of junk that offers poor holding. We tried to get the anchor set to our satisfaction in a couple of spots, but since it was so late we decided just to tied up to a mooring. I hate to use moorings as you don't know if the system has been maintained properly or has been ignored and is ready to fail.
In the morning I got up early to beat the heat and changed the oil and filters on both engines. By the time I was done it was pretty darn hot. Then we went into the Acapulco Yacht Club fuel dock. The station attendant was surly and not helpful at all, not even at securing the boat to the dock. Before fueling we had to go to the marina office with our boat papers, a process that took at least 20+ minutes. Then back at the pump the attendant told us the fuel would cost 9.50 pesos per liter not the standard 8.48 pesos per liter shown on the pump. What the heck? Pemex is the nationalized fuel provider and prices are controlled by the government. So why the extra 12%? Back to the marina office, the management said it was a 'Service Fee' since the fuel dock was at the Marina. Humm. What service did we get anyway besides bad service?
Back to the anchorage area we had to use two anchors to get the boat to be reasonably secured in the poor holding bottom. About this time the port engine shifter stoped responding so back to the engine room to investigate. It turns out the threaded end of the Morse cable had broken off. We took at trip into the city and got the part repaired for cheap by cutting new threads onto the end of the cable. Back to the engine room for the fourth time and we were operational again.
We planned to go back in and see the famous Cliff Divers, but just too exhausted to make the trek. The city was very busy, loud and with some major water main construction going on, so it wasn't all that tempting to go back in anyways.
Around 2:30AM we headed out toward Zihuatanejo, but stopped short at a very quaint fishing village at Papanoa. Anchorage position: 17°16.5742 N 101°03.5298 W just inside the outer breakwater. With several hours of daylight remaining we went to shore to explore the sleepy fishing village. We tied up to a local panga at the small pier inside the inner breakwater and checked out the local fish buyer. Lots of small sharks around 24" without the heads on. We also noticed a local home/hut with lots of tiny shark fins drying on the tin roof. Not sure if this is a sustainable fishery or not, but I hope so. Walking around the town we headed for the adjacent beach and found it refreshingly underdeveloped. Kathy and I are always looking for a perfect spot to build a beach front home and this area definitely has some potential. Not sure what the catch 22 is, but there must be one to have such a nice beach with proximity to a boat haven and freeway and airport and no external investment. Seems strange.
Today we are headed toward Zihuatanejo and we plan to stop for maybe 2 nights to get some laundry done and fill our propane bottle. Other than that we need to keep moving along as hurricane season is approaching quickly and we still have 580nm to Cabo San Lucas and 1365nm to San Diego and 2606nm to Roche Harbor....
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