Fuel Stop in Central America

[quiet storm]

I am planning a trip south on our 65 foot Nordlund from the PNW to the Caribbean and I'm laying out the trip on my charts. Has anyone found a list of reiable fuel stops in Central America??? It's 1,100+ nm's from Acapulco to Golfito CR. Our range is 1,400 nm's so I'd like a reliable fuel stop in the Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua area. Can anyone recommend a cruising guide for these areas???

[Weyalan]

Guatemala: Livingston on the Rio Dulce, maybe
Honduras: Puerto Cortes, maybe

[Pete the Cat]

Originally Posted by Weyalan

Guatemala: Livingston on the Rio Dulce, maybe
Honduras: Puerto Cortes, maybe

This is the wrong side of Central America.


You will have no real problem but you will need Jerry jugs--you aint going to have dockside pumps every time. Assuming you have 300 mile range at least: From a fill up at Acapulco, you can make Huatulco (La Cruces), then Puerto Madero, then Barrias, El Salvador, then Los Suenos, Costa Rica, then probably Golfito. If you are going to the canal the real problem for fuel is Golfito to Panama. Not much there for fuel. Most folks use Rain's book for crusing this area. Charilies Charts are nice for the anchorages--- but you need to use your own judgement about the chartlets that are in them--they are a bit crude. Any printed cruising guide will be out of date by the time you use it, but that does not mean they are not useful for planning. Note that many of the charts for this area are a mile or two off from GPS. Unless the US military has been there and done it right (like El Salvador).

[quiet storm]

we have a 1,400nm range so we're just trying to find reiable fuel without water/other contamination...

Where is the largest volume fuel stop between Acapulco and Golfito???

[Weyalan]

Originally Posted by Pete the Cat

This is the wrong side of Central America.

Oops. Doh!

[Pete the Cat]

I would recommend Puerto Madero on your proposed route. The Mexican navy fuels there. Don't try to sneak by the port captain there, he and his staff watch very carefully for all the folks that try. There are other places like Los Suenos resort where they have dockside pumps and high volume for sport fishers--great resort if you happen to have a lot of money. I never had any problem with water or dirt in Central America. I filtered all my fuel, but there was never anything in it. Unlike my experience stateside.

[Pat Rains]

1.) Marina Pez Vela in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala has a nice fuel dock, reliable diesel, except it's crazy crowded when a sportfishing tournament is in town. Port clearance fees are highest in CentAm.
2.) In El Salvador, both Bahia del Sol and Barillas Marina have fuel docks for yachts, both bays requiring a guide panga to lead you in over the bar in daylight hours. The El Salvador Cruisers Rally at Bahia del Sol runs March 15 - May 5 or 15, so lots of parties and crowded anchorage, few slips. Barillas Marina (Texaco dock) is quieter and more secure, but has moorings only. In many years of delivering power boats coast to coast, we usually prefer Barillas (pronounced bah-REE-us) for a fuel stop.
3.) In Nicaragua, only Marina Puesta del Sol has a floating fuel dock for yachts. It has been a nice safe stop for yatistas for 10 years. The supposed marina in nearby Corinto is not happening yet.
4.) At the north end of Costa Rica, Marina Papagayo has a 300 foot floating fuel dock inside the marina breakwaters, mucho spensive but very nice marina in the pristine jungle. The rest of Costa Rica has several fuel stops, but that's getting pretty close to your Golfito destination. BTW: you can schedule fuel from a sportfishing "mother ship" off Isla Cebaco off the NW coast of Panama en route to the canal.
"Cruising Ports: the Central American Route" covers all this, but sorry we're sold out until the new 7th edition comes out this spring. I hope this helps you plan your itinerary in the meantime.

[perfectwave57]

We are in Barillas El Salvador now. Great stop, good water and great fuel dock.

[Pat Rains]

We like Barillas best of all the fuel stops on the Pacific side of Central America. The people who run it are tops. BTW: Is the ship yard further up the channel from the moorings still in business? We finally did come out with the 6.5 edition of "Cruising Ports: the Central American Route" last month, but we couldn't get in contact with that Barillas boat yard. Any info you can get by VHF would be appreciated, just for future reference. Thanks.

[perfectwave57]

Barillas is open and still very clean and professionally operated. They monitor vhf 16 and were easy to contact for the bar crossing. Spoke to the manager today about the boat yard which is not owned by Barillas but by the fishing fleet operator that moors vessel up the channel from the resort. They do have the ability to do haul outs and are working on a project ( haul and bottom paint) for another cruiser that contacted me two days ago. Best to contact HeribertoPineda General Manager hpineda@barillasmarina.com

Pat we have your guide that is how we got here. Keep up the good work, we leave Sunday for Nicaragua.

Eric
Perfectwave57

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by Pat Rains

..."Cruising Ports: the Central American Route" covers all this, but sorry we're sold out until the new 7th edition comes out this spring. I hope this helps you plan your itinerary in the meantime.

See Captain Pat’s:
“Mexico Boating Guide”
“Cruising Ports: the Central American Route”
“MexWX: Mexico Weather for Boaters”
At ➥ Excepts from our books, download a chapter in PDF

[category4jay]

Have a Great cruise Quiet Storm! Please do be very careful though. Might want to read up on some other threads here in CF related to security issues/suggestions in the areas you are going to be in.

[category4jay]

I dont mean to be a naysayer but here is just one example of what I'm talking about.

Noonsite: Costa Rica Pirates – Cruisers Be Aware

[perfectwave57]

This is a perfect example of people spreading bad information. the post on drug smugglers is from 2009. We have been cruising west coast of Mexico and Central America for the past 9 months and feel safer here than in the US. The people here are great and very happy to help in any way they can.
Be aware of you situation and surroundings and enjoy your cruising, don't miss great places and people based on rumors.

[John A]

One thing to consider of reports of safety issues reported by Noonsite and the Safety and Security Net is that they relie on others to supply the reports and puiblish them without verifacation. Retractions or the real story seldom find there way into thier websites.
As is the case with most news services, bad news sells, good news does not.