Jaltepeque Estuary, El Salvador
It is hard to believe, but this is the third Christmas we have spent in El Salvador. The first was way back in 2013, on our way south - the second was just last year, sort of on our way north. If all goes as planned, it may be our last for the foreseeable future. Once the new year is here, we really do plan to be on our way towards Mexico again.
The day before Christmas was spent at the home of our friends Lou and Lynn, a few miles up the estuary, where we joined a group of other cruisers for a full-on feast including turkey and roast pork and much cavorting about, in and around the pool. The usual great time was had by all.
On Christmas Day, we had another full-on Christmas dinner at the home of our friend Jan, an expat Canadian who has lived in her home here on Cordoncillo island for some 17 years, just a short distance from where we are currently moored. Jan teaches English to some of the children on the island and her dinner guests included her current students. All in all, this Christmas, we have certainly been well fed and have nothing to complain about.
The weather, after the unseasonably cool week in which we arrived, has returned to its normal winter pattern. Warm, in the low 30s during the day, and humid, with no threat of rain. The wind is calm most of the time, only occasionally gusting a bit in the afternoon, no more than 5 or 10 knots as a rule. The nights are usually very still, with the temperature falling to the mid 20s - not too uncomfortable for sleeping, as long as you have a fan blowing and don’t use any covers. A couple of times we have had a bit of cloud cover, but it has been bright and sunny for the most part. As a result, our solar panels have been more than able to keep up with our power demands.
I have almost completed all of the items on my priority to-do list, so the boat is essentially ready to go places as soon as we are. The mainsail now has all of the reefing lines re-strung and the staysail and its cover are re-installed. Putting the mainsail up for the first time in almost 3 years was a bit of a learning experience (and quite a shock to the nesting birds ensconced therein).
The nastiest job to-date was a cleanup of our propane locker. Some oil that I had cleverly stored in there leaked, and was mixed in with about an inch of rainwater that found its way in there during our absence. On the plus side, I had to use up what oil had not yet been compromised, by performing an oil change on the engine, which was actually one of the items on the aforementioned to-do list. You see, I really am a glass is half-full kind of guy.
One new issue that has cropped up is a problem with our pressurized fresh-water system - it appears that our good old reliable Shur-flo pump is having difficulty maintaining pressure. It is fortunate that one of the first jobs that I did upon arriving back on the boat, was to install a new manual foot-pump in the galley, which I am happy to report is functioning perfectly now - so we are not completely reliant in the ailing pump. I figure the chances of finding a replacement pump here are slim.
Our current plan is to wait until the craziness of New Years is over before contemplating our next move. Then we will most likely take the boat to the docks at the Bahia del Sol resort for a while before making our exit from the estuary, sometime in January. As usual, these plans are subject to change for little or no reason.
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