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M/V
HAWKEYE II
A
TRIP OF A LIFETIME
M/V HAWKEYE II
TRIP 3 OF 3
COZUMEL, MEXICO TO
NEWPORT BEACH, CA
The weather forecast was good so we paid our bill and departed Cozumel
about 7:00 p.m. Through the night the wind picked up to gale force out of
the North. The Auto Pilot could not handle the steep quartering swells.
The following sea kept building through the night end a steady 40 knot
wind, with gusts higher, was driving against the Gulf Stream. Hawkeye
would climb the wave, get to the top, come driving down at a
45 degree angle, hit the bottom of the
trough, shudder
and climb out again. The term "mountainous waves" has been used
by many nautical story-tellers. Now, an old salt, I will merely say the
waves were high, snow capped and vicious!
Swan
Island lay 36 hours ahead and only 20 miles off our intended course, a
good option for refuge. The storm continued to roar. Norman, Bob and I
were taking 30 minute turns on the helm, and 36 hours later we turned into
the lee of Swan Island. It was still dark, but what a beautiful Island. We
dropped the anchor, had a good breakfast and a sound sleep. Swan Island is
2-miles long, 1-mile wide and was claimed by the U.S. A weather station
and Voice of America antenna were there for many years. In 1971 the U.S.
gave jurisdiction to Honduras. They now have a small military cadre of 20
men.
At
about 10:30 a.m. a small boat came towards us with six men, dressed in
various garb, paddling with boards ...a strange sight. At first we were a
little apprehensive as they were armed with automatic weapons. After a
closer look we could see only five of the six
were paddling, and the sixth
was sitting in the bow wearing an official looking cap. That looked
better! They were rather stern looking, but with my "beat
Spanish" I invited them aboard. The Officer in charge, a very
pleasant chap, introduced himself as "Gary." He asked to see our
papers, made his inspection and invited us ashore. We offered them some
beer and some of my birthday cake, which they readily accepted. We offered
to tow them back to their camp with our shore boat, which they also
accepted. They were pleased with the ride and offered to dive for some
lobsters. We accepted
and
the lobsters were delicious.
We
later went ashore and visited their encampment and the remains of the
weather station that was abandoned by the U.S. in 1978. How rapidly
buildings disintegrate.
The
weather eased after two days and we again headed for the Panama Canal. We
passed within 30-miles of San Andres, the Island we enjoyed so much when
outward bound. How we wished later that we had again visited this lovely
Island.
Three
days later, at 4:00 a.m. in the morning, we dropped anchor in Cristobal
Harbor, the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. Custom and Immigration
Officials were out early to greet us. It was the usual friendly exchange
(a few bottles of whiskey, beer and a little green) for the checking in
process that can be very difficult and slow.
A little later we noticed our
"friends", the three Costa Rican Coast Guard Boats coming into
harbor. They had departed Cozumel 36 hours ahead of us, so we wondered
where they had been sitting out the storm. We waved, they recognized us
and returned our greetings.
We then stern tied at the Panama Yacht Club to finish
the check-in process. One of the Customs Officials acted as my guide and
took me to the various offices to obtain the clearance to transit the
Canal. We were assigned 7:00 a.m. Sunday morning to be at the first lack.
We were there on time, all went well and we had a very pleasant and
successful crossing to the Pacific side.
We
had arranged for fuel on the Pacific side but, when we reached Balboa,
found
that a General Strike had been declared and fuel was unavailable. We were
told "Manana", but by now we were learning about
"Manana!" We did stay one more day, but the general unrest was
increasing so we thought it beat to leave Panama while we could. Calling
ahead, we confirmed that fuel would be available in Golfito, Costa Rica.
The weather was good and we would have a safe fuel reserve for the 370
miles to Golfito.
As
we departed Balboa we again saw the Costa Rican Coast Guard Boats, waved
goodbye, and were on our way again.
April 5, 1986 -392 Days out of Home Port
La Paz, Baja Sur, Mexico
Trip Log: 15,119
We
departed Balboa, Panama on March 11th. Our course leaving the Canal was
South by Southwest for the first 120 miles. This took us down to 7 degrees
above the equator. It is interesting to watch the North Star hang lower as
we go South. I guess the world is round after all!
The
seas were flat and wind calm for the next two days. What a way to go when
you are low on fuel. We arrived in Golfito Bay, Costa Rica at 2:30 A.M.,
dropped the anchor and shut down the engines for a quiet morning nap. No
sooner was the head on the pillow when the roosters started their
morning's crow. I've always wondered
about
Central American
chickens ... Why is it they awaken their roosters so early?
By
telephone from Panama, we had been assured we could have 1500 gallons of
fuel in Golfito--no problem! As we checked in, however, there was a
problem ... the fuel truck had broken down! Maybe, in a day or so, it
would be fixed. After examining the fuel truck, it looked doubtful it
would ever run again. On the third day of promises, we were helped by some
of our local friends who borrowed a truck from a neighboring village. We
were fueled and on our way again that afternoon.
The
next leg of our journey would be the longest and most difficult. We would
pass the coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala to our
destination, Acapulco, Mexico. Two of the most hazardous weather areas,
the Gulf of Papgayo and the Gulf of Tehuantepec, lay ahead. The 1,200
miles should take 145 hours, or six days. The seas were flat and
the
favorable current gave us 1/2 knot increase in speed. The Gulf of Papgayo
behaved and we slipped right thru.
The
second day out was my sister Marjorie's 76th birthday. Sue and Bob, the
cook and mate, prepared a lovely Champagne breakfast, a delicious lunch
and a great dinner complete with balloons and a decorated cake with
candles. There were cards, presents ... the whole works.
We completed the event by getting up at 4:30 A.M. to see Halley's
Comet. What a beautiful sight in the southern sky! This was Marjorie's
second Halley's, so it was all quite an event.
On
our third day, and approaching the Gulf of Tehuantepec, the wind moved
around to the Northwest. Thru the night the seas built to a steep chop. We
reduced speed, but a rogue wave rolled over the pilot house dumping tons
of water over the boat deck. The new windshield, installed before leaving
California, proved to be very strong. The West Northwesterly wind
lightened and did prevent the Tehuantepec from giving us it's usual 50 to
60 knot Northerly. We had a pleasant 40 hour crossing of this area that
can be
treacherous.
On
the sixth day, and shortly after midnight, we saw the glow of Acapulco in
the sky. By 2:30 A.M. we entered Acapulco Bay. I don't know of a more
beautiful harbor at night.
We
were to meet two guests in Acapulco and pick up supplies for the next leg
of our journey. Gene Cunningham of Newport Beach met us at the dock that
morning and Jonnie York, from San Francisco, joined us the next day. Our
crew for the voyage to La Paz was now complete so, with a final night out
and dinner ashore, we bid farewell to Acapulco.
Our
next leg, a pleasant day and a half of beautiful weather, took us to visit
friends in the Bay of Careyes. This is one of our favorite spots in
Mexico, and where "Hawkeye" and crew of the sailboat racing days
is still a legend. It was fun to reminisce!
On March 27th we departed Careyes for the Sea of
Cortez...two days and four hundred miles of pleasant weather. As we sailed
north, each night got colder. The first night that it got down to 70
degrees, it seemed freezing cold. I remember walking out on deck that
morning and returning with cold feet. The thought of wearing shoes again
made me look back over my shoulder towards the South.
We entered the Sea of Cortez on March 30th, what
beautiful deep blue water! Our destination for that Easter Sunday was an
extinct volcano that divides the Island of Espiritu Santo and the Island
of Partida. This huge crater is one and onehalf
miles across. A small part of the high rim has fallen into the sea making
a passage possible. The colors range from orange, deep red to purple. The
depth of the water inside ranges from 50 feet to shoal, with beautiful
white sand beach around the rim. The colors of the water are spectacular,
from deep blue to many shades of turquoise. We dropped anchor and took in
this
beautiful
view of nature. Beyond the rim we could see cinder cones that looked like
a moonscape.
As we looked back towards the entrance we
had another great treat. A pod of killer whales were coming in to join us.
We lowered the Zodiac rubber boat and slowly worked our way toward the
frolicking group of some dozen whales. I let the wind drift us into their
"game" area. It was part of their mating dance, which is a rare
sight. They would leap out of the water in pairs, stand on their tails and
come crashing down. They seemed oblivious to our presence, however, we
were concerned with theirs. One flip of their tail and we might be an
Easter lunch, so we moved slowly away with cameras clicking.
We
spent two days exploring and continued on to La Paz. La
Paz is the capital city of Baja California Mexico. It would be our
headquarters for further exploring of the Sea of Cortez.
A big surprise! As we entered
Le Paz Harbor, we slowed to watch some 30 sailboats start Baja Race Week.
Lo and behold, what should we see but "Hawkeye I", my former
racing boat. Now 11 years old, but still out in front ... She looked
great! We put up our 40 ft. "Hawk" flag and cheered her on.
April 24, 1986
Newport Beach, California
Trip Log:
17,215
- 411 Days
On
Friday, April 4th, John and Betty McGraw from Laguna Beach, California met
us in La Paz. They joined us for a week of cruising in the Sea of Cortez.
We visited the Islands of San Francisco, Coyote, San Evaristo, San Jose
and Partida, a beautiful and interesting part of the world. The week went
by very quickly.
Vince
and Carol Arrigo of Newport Beach joined us for the following week. We
visited our friends on Coyote Island, trading them 200 gallons of water
for 35 large butter clams. Carol interpreted the negotiation with her
impeccable Spanish and charm. We did a bungle cruise of the mangrove
lagoon on San Jose Island. We stopped the outboard motor of the Zodiac and
drifted in the deep quiet, which was broken occasionally by the songs of
the colorful birds. The afternoon we spent beachcombing. San Jose has one
of the most productive shell beaches I have ever seen. It was very evident
that our trip was nearly over by the frantic gathering and the large sacks
of shells brought back to the boat. I looked at them woefully and stored
them on the outside deck. After a quiet night at anchor in San Francisco
Bay, we left for the two-day run to Cabo San Lucas, where Vince and Carol
left us to fly back to California.
Cabo
San Lucas is another great place to visit but, having gone so far and been
gone so long, I couldn't sit still. Like the horse going back to the barn,
I was ready to go! The HAWKEYE had been my home for over one year, I had
indulged myself in the challenges of the Seas, the Rivers, the Islands and
the far-away places. Questions came to mind ... how would I adjust to
re-entry? A life on land? Minor things like wearing shoes? Can you imagine
walking down the street--suit and tie, maybe--but no shoes? If I could just
try a little bit at a time but, no, when the boat is
back in Slip 18, you are there!
We added a few. supplies and some
fresh vegetables for the final leg of the trip home. It was seven hundred
thirty-five miles to San Diego where we would clear U. S. Customs, and
then another seventy miles to Newport Beach. This last leg of our trip is
often called "Up Hill" as the winds and seas are generally on
the nose. It may take four days, or take two weeks, depending on the
weather and your motivation. The weather didn't go out of it's way to
please us, so we pulled into the shelter of Santa Maria Bay for a day's
rest. During the night the seas laid down and we left early next morning.
Three
and a-half days later, at 10:00 P.M. Monday night, April 21st, we arrived
at the U.S. Customs & Immigration Dock in San Diego Bay. We happily
paid the $20.00 overtime charge to have Customs clear us that night. After
clearing, we proceeded to the San Diego Yacht Club for a quiet night in
the good old U.S.A. HAWKEYE had taken quite a bit of salt water over the
decks, so, in the morning, a good wash-down was in order.
On
April 24th, Fred and Mary Tomaschke of San Diego and John and Betty McGraw
of Laguna Beach joined us for the remaining Seventy miles. A great trip
was about over! At 17:00 P.M. we slid into Slip 18, our home port, after
411 days. We were welcomed by many good friends, balloons, whistles, bells
and champagne ... What a grand reception.
By
accelerating the return trip, we were able to attend the Newport Harbor
Yacht Club Opening Day ceremonies and display the well traveled Yacht
HAWKEYE.
I
want to thank the many friends who joined us along the way. Their being
with us made the trip more enjoyable. I thank all the crew for their loyal
support and effort beyond the call of duty.
A
special thanks to my secretary, Alice Carter, who helped coordinate guests
and supplies, and who kept the bills paid.
A
good word for HAWKEYE is in order. She did a great job. She pulled through
the care-free times and never faltered in trial. Her original owner, Curt
Smith, deserves credit and thanks for the many special and unique features
he had built into her. The quality and integrity of the vessel's builder,
Willard Shipyard, and the designer, Naval Architect William Crealock,
deserve the highest
praise.
After
two weeks at home, I decided it was time to take a cruise! It is now May
13th and I am finishing this letter and mailing it from Catalina Island.
it's only 26 miles... across the sea ... but I'm hooked on cruising!
Attached is a "Fact Sheet - Trip of a Life Time" and hope you
find it interesting.
David E. Cuckler
May 17, 1986
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