April 2023
After 4 days and 5 nights at sea including one nasty thunderstorm, Dave and I dropped the anchor safely outside Bahia del Sol, El Salvador.
The ocean bar into Bahia del Sol must be timed and is notorious for big surfing waves. You can only cross the bar with a pilot.
A week prior to our arrival we emailed Bill and Jean, residents and previous cruisers who live in Bahia del Sol and inform you exactly what time it is safe to cross the bar into Bahia del Sol.
You can email Bill at [email protected]. He will ask you for the following information: Where you are coming from; number of people onboard; pets; boat length and depth you draw; boat type; if we drink adult beverages; if you have inReach or another way to track your location; citizenship; if you can receive emails.
Bill charts the surf each day and is an amazing source for the crossings. At 75 Bill still rides with the pilot in his panga and on the vhf radio guides you in (and out) over the bar. A few days before your expected arrival Bill asks you to email again to confirm your arrival time. At that time Bill will let you know when is the best time to cross the bar. There are times when the bar closes if the tides, waves and swell are too much. There were three boats crossing into Bahia del Sol when we were crossing. Boats go in one at a time under Bill’s guidance.
We closed all the hatches, put in the drop boards and harnessed up for the bar crossing. As we crossed the bar there were surf waves behind and beside us. Dave found it exhilarating. I found it quite unnerving. Following Bill’s exact instructions, we lined ourselves up and safely made the crossing. Phew!
If you stay at the Bahia del Sol marina for a week, the pilot costs $50 USD for the two-way crossing. If you don’t stay at the marina, you pay $50 USD each way for the pilot to cross. We opted for the Bahia del Sol Marina. We were greeted with cold drinks from the hotel associated with the marina. The marina has a restaurant, bar and pool along with a simple hotel. We hooked up to power. Water is not potable. There are some basic showers but we opted to put the hose down into our head to shower on our own boat. A weekly fee of $15 gives you access to the pool as well as a 30% discount on the marina/hotel food.
Bill and Jean look after the cruisers nicely. When Dave had a crown tooth fall off during our sail, Bill recommended a dentist in Zacatecoluca that for $45 USD fixed his crown and gave him a check-up. They also have mooring balls for $150/month.
Socials are also organized by Bill and Jean. We had the opportunity to see their place on the island right next to the marina and share stories with other cruisers. We came away with a large bag of bananas from their amazing garden.
Through Bill’s contacts we had the boat bottom cleaned for $40 USD, propane filled and fuel delivered. Sat nights they organize papusa night – the local El Salvador food. Bill and Jean were incredibly helpful.
El Salvador is where our family celebrated three generations of sailors. For a year we had planned to meet up with our daughter Leah, her husband Jon and their son Zephyr who sailed Brio II, a Sabre 42 to El Salvador from the Bahamas.
We had promised we would celebrate our grandson’s 5th birthday with Leah and family. Seeing our two boats together gave me a great sense of pride. Sadly, we only had one short day with the whole family before Jon and crew set sail to bring Brio II home to Vancouver, BC. However, Leah and Zephyr stayed with us on Synchronicity for 9 days before they departed back to Vancouver. We had lots of fun in the pool with Zephyr and then did a side trip to Santa Ana.
Leah, Dave, Zephyr and I rented a car (dropped off at the marina) for the two-day inland trip to Santa Ana. We hiked up a taxing two-hour trail to see the volcano and its crater. Five year old Zephyr hiked in crocs and never complained once. I dragged my butt up the rear. Leah, pregnant and wearing flipflops was in the middle. At the top we were able to buy ice cream and bottled water. We couldn’t believe that there were no barricades around the volcano. Two policia were standing in front of part of the volcano but not doing anything. The volcano was a beautiful sky blue.
While renting the car the front plastic bumper fell apart. We were concerned we would have to pay for repairs. The rental people neglected to pick up the car the day it was arranged. They still didn’t pick car up when we told them we were back. Finally an hour before we were scheduled to depart the dock to time the bar safely, the rental people arrived. Fortunately they just waved off the damage and we timed the bar crossing fine.
Prior to leaving we enjoyed a cruiser get together at a stilt restaurant over the water. You scrambled up a little rickety log ladder to get into the restaurant. The bathroom was an outhouse that had a hole directly through to the ocean. It was that or some folks just waded out in their bathing suits. I chose the outhouse. Fresh fish was enjoyed by all.
Fruit and veggie stands along the road nearby were cheap. We tried out dinner at a roadside papusa stand.
Over all El Salvador was reasonably priced with beautiful scenery and friendly people. The officials all came to the boat for the checking in and out. They wanted US cash for the fees.
We are grateful to Bill and Jean for all of their assistance. They work tirelessly to help out cruisers. A big shout out to them.
A side note is our daughter Leah and son-in-law Jon brought their first boat Brio, here approximately 10 years prior. Full circle. What a moment for us to meet up with the family and their boat.