We arrived in Barra de Navidad in December to attend a 5-day seminar and get together with fellow cruisers planning to head South down the coast of Mexico potentially to the Panama Canal.
The seminar is part of a group called the Ocean Posse. The whole idea for the Ocean Posse was geminated right here in Barra de Navidad at the swim up bar in the pool. Back then it was called the Panama Posse and we remember having information cards thrust into our hands at the Annapolis Boat Show 5 years ago. At the time we had no idea that we’d be considering the trip to Panama ourselves.
Island Summers was docked here in Barra until February1 when we untied the lines and set sail for Las Hadas.
We are currently anchored in Las Hadas in front of a very beautiful vacation resort 163 nautical miles South of Puerto Vallarta (photo above). Steep cliffs surround the bay with the sprawling Las Hadas Beach Resort with its Mediterranean-style architecture, palm tree lined walkways, nice ocean breeze, restaurants along the boardwalk playing Mexican music, and the landscape decorated with Mexico’s iconic hot pink flowers called “paper flowers”.
We’re kind of used to Mexico. We know the drill for coming in and out of the country with Riley. But in the next few months we will be out of Mexico and the countries in Central America are a different story for traveling with our 4-legged friend. Lots of rules and requirements that seem impossible when traveling by boat. For instance, get to the nearest U.S. Consulate to have them certify a document you got from an FDA accredited veteranian in the states 10 days or less before your arrival. Pretty hard when it takes months to get there by boat. We need to figure all this out.
Weather will change for us as we travel South. Travel far enough South and we leave the tropical storm (hurricane) zone. Below about 11 degrees latitude they aren’t much of an issue. Instead, the warm ocean and humidity produce lightning and plenty of it during the Summer months. South of Zihuatanejo there are less cruisers and the ones that are there are on the move. Since there are fewer cruisers, the charts and guide books aren’t as good. This is where the Ocean Posse steps in. They fill that gap with downloadable charts and satellite photos. On the plus side, Central America and Southern Mexico are filled with historical sites. The civilizational history of the region goes back much further than the period we’d consider relatively modern – the arrival of the Spaniards.
The route toward Southern Mexico and Central America presents some navigational challenges, too. First – Huatulco and the Bay of Tehuantepec. Here the mountains are low and the continent is narrow allowing wind to spill from the Gulf of Mexico to the Pacific Ocean. As they flow down the slope of the mountains, the wind accelerates. Second – Costa Rica has the Papaguyos winds. Same story here as the Bay of Tehuantepec except the wind can be even stronger. Third – Punta Mala in Panama. The Southern Pacific peninsula of Panama creates a combination of wind and current from the area’s very high tidal exchange. Passing boats must ensure they have a safe weather window to proceed around the point. Once past Punta Mala the Panama Canal authority will consider you in ‘canal waters’ and will allow you to make a reservation to transit the canal.
We covered all this in the Ocean Posse seminars we attended in Barra de Navidad in December 2025. Our brains were completely full and we still have a bunch of decisions to make. Wow! Do we go for it? Run to Panama? Go as far as Chiapas (near the southern tip of Mexico and think about it for a season? We’re hoping we can find a buddy boat or two to travel with (there is safety in numbers). So stay tuned to see what we decide. Soon we’ll be heading South toward Zihuatanejo where we hope to meet up with some vacationing friends.
Tomorrow is the Super Bowl and its even a big deal down here. There’s a sports bars right near our boat so we will be there rooting for the Seahawks! GO HAWKS!
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