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Bowl of Diamonds
by Capt. John E. Rains
Spring is your last opportunity of the season to see Acapulco
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In April and early May, the owners of long-range cruising boats in southern Mexico get their last chance to visit the beautiful natural harbor of Acapulco before hurricane season begins in the Pacific.
Soon, visiting boaters will either have to return to (at least) the shelter of Puerto Vallarta or continue to northern Costa Rica, which is south of the hurricane belt.
Either direction you plan to go, Acapulco is a good place to resupply, repair and refresh your boat and crew before beginning that next fast passage.
When approached at night, Acapulco looks like the world’s largest bowl of diamonds. Dazzling city lights are set along the steep inside slopes of an extinct volcano caldera. Where the southern wall of this oval-shaped volcano cone crumbled open a few million years ago, the sea comes in. Sheltered and glassy at night, the harbor surface reflects the city lights and casts a huge beacon of light straight up into the humid tropical sky.
But it’s safer to approach Acapulco in daylight.
On my last cruise here, my GPS approach position (at 16 degrees, 48 minutes North latitude; 99 degrees, 54 minutes West longitude) was just outside Boca Grande, the preferred main channel entrance. A narrower entrance called Boca Chica runs along the north side of Isla Roqueta.
As you enter the harbor on a course nearly north, a forest of high-rise hotels called “Gringo Gulch” lines the beach to starboard, along with a Navy dock. Most of downtown lies straight ahead and the cruise ship pier lies slightly west of that.
The marina area you’re looking for covers the large cove, hard to port.
A Pair of Marinas
Acapulco has two excellent marinas. The first one coming into view is La Marina de Acapulco, which lies just below the lowest spot in the western hills. As you proceed west, you’ll see the Club de Yates de Acapulco tucked down into the more sheltered south side of this same cove.
La Marina is relatively new and has slips and Med-mooring slots for about 60 boats among its floating wooden docks, providing shore power (110v, 30 amp and 220v, 50 amp), city water and dock boxes -- plus, showers, laundry, telephone and fax service, a swimming pool, a guarded dinghy dock and a parking lot. La Marina’s paper clearance service is free; you pay only the port’s small fee. The marina’s mooring buoys float to the south, just off the concrete launch ramp. Plans call for additional slips, a fuel dock and marine ways near the launch ramp.
La Marina’s big-boat dock (mostly Med mooring) hasn’t been completely repaired from last summer’s storm damage. A fairly formidable stairway leads up to the street level. La Marina’s decorative white lighthouse helps you distinguish the marina from its surroundings.
Adjacent to the left is the venerable Club de Yates de Acapulco. “El Club” (to differentiate it from “La Marina”) has the area’s only fuel dock for pleasureboats. The club’s non-floating concrete docks have PVC white decking, 110v and 220v shore power, city water and dock boxes -- but they’re for Med mooring only, as the club has no alongside slips. About 150 boats fill the club. Shore services include a Travelift, a small chandlery, a telephone and fax desk, a paper clearance service (it’s not cheap), plus a nice restaurant and bar overlooking the lushly landscaped pool, courtyards and condos.
Unfortunately, most of the club’s dock space is occupied by longtime club members, so guest slots aren’t often available. However, if you register with the club office, you can usually anchor nearby and land your skiff at the club’s guarded dinghy dock.
The Acapulco yacht club’s plans call for a new floating dock with a line of spaces along the palm-lined seawall on the club’s east side.
Fueling in Acapulco
Make a reservation by calling Club de Yates, Muelle (pronounced “cloob day yah-tayz, mway-yay”) on VHF Channel 68. Tell the employee you reach how much fuel you want (they have both diesel and gasoline), then ask what time you should arrive at the club’s fuel dock -- hopefully that day or the next day. However, waiting three days for fuel to arrive is not uncommon.
Come around the left end of the club’s outer dock, through a fairly tight and narrow turn to the right, and enter the tiny basin lined with anchor rodes. Come alongside the non-floating concrete dock with the Pemex sign.
I usually encounter personal watercraft riders, fishing buoys and swimmers in these tight quarters. The largest boat I refueled here without a bow thruster was a 120-footer.
In early 1997, the diesel fuel price here was $1.22 per gallon, including the surcharge for paying with a VISA card.
Other Services
Either dockmaster can line you up with reputable mechanical specialists. For electronics repair, I’ve had great service from Pablo Nuevo. (He can be reached locally by telephoning 85-06-49).
If you need parts shipped down, ask the staff at La Marina to help. The shipper must include the airbill, stating that the part is for a pleasureboat in transit. You’ll have to pick it up in person at the airport’s customs office -- which means an expensive cab ride far south of town.
The new Wal-Mart Superstore near Gringo Gulch has the area’s best selection and prices on produce, staples and dry goods -- so, it’s worth the cab fare it takes to get there.
Acapulco’s port captain gives daily weather forecasts on VHF radio in Spanish, which is a big help for visiting boaters, Still, all boaters should depart Acapulco in time to get either north or south of Hurricane Alley before June 1.
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This article first appeared in the May 1, 1997 issue of Sea Magazine. All or parts of the information contained in this article might be outdated. |
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