05 October 2011; Puerto Chiapas, Mexico.

We did have indeed a nice bit of wind blowing while we crossed the Golfo de Tehantepec. Although the 40 knots predicted did not completely work out. For a while it breezed up to peak gusts of over 50 knots but as there was no swell and we kept the ship nicely upright with ballasting, the discomfort to the guests was at a minimum. What was correct in the forecast was that the predicted area was indeed very local. Basically a funnel wind coming down from the land and covering a maximum width of 60 miles. So it started to breeze up by 1930 hrs. and by 2300 hrs. it was calm again. Of course the wind gusts blew up the sea spray and within a short time we saw the salt settling on the decks, greatly displeasing the chief officer as it would be a lengthy task again the next morning to wash all off again. However Mother Nature was very obliging here and provided a torrential downpour just before sunrise which washed the whole ship down nicely. It is always nice to start the day with a freshly washed ship. 

The port of Puerto Chiapas from the air. The turning basin is clearly visible in the right centre.

We approached the pilot station of Puerto Chiapas at 0700 in the morning. This is a fairly new port on the coast. About 5 years ago a cruise terminal was constructed here, along a natural river bed and the whole area was dredged to provide a turning basin for ships of up to 320 meters. The entrance is just a gap into the land with two breakwaters to mark each side and the only problems it can give are swell and current. If there is too high a swell coming in from the South West, then you cannot go in, as the depth of the entrance is only 10 meters. With a ships draft of 7.5 meters, that leaves only 2.5 meters under the keel, so a swell with an amplitude of 1 meter already creates a situation to be concerned about and to keep a close eye on. Today there was three feet, which is the normal situation. The current is easier to deal with; you just steer a course that compensates for the set. If there is a good current running it can be a bit disconcerting for guests standing on the bow because it looks like it that the ship is heading straight for the rocks. Only at the last moment you see that it nicely being pushed into the port entrance. In ports as Willemstad Curacao where there can be up to 4 miles running in front of the entrance, this visual perception of “running straight on the rocks” can be quite extreme. Not only from the ships side but also from the shore side. In Curacao there is a hotel right on the corner and hotel guests can enjoy the experience of seeing a ship head directly for their hotel room only to see it veer away into the entrance at the last minute. Today in Puerto Chiapas it was much less extreme, by steering 4 degrees drift I could keep the ship nicely in the leading lights until we were well and safely inside the port entrance. The river is prone to silting and the local authorities keep a dredger on constant standby to ensure that the depth remains sufficient for ships to enter. Not just the cruise ships, it also serves as a navy port and there are oil tankers and cargo ships calling at a regular basis. As is usual, we swung around on arrival so that the ship was docking face out and ready for departure. As you can never be quite sure in ports like this what the weather will be later in the day, it is better to do the swing while the going is good. Late afternoon squalls can bring a lot of wind and the turning basin is not that big.

Local shows and shops can be found in the square terminal building on the fore ground. Alongside the cruise ship dock is the local dredger which keeps the port at a sufficient dept. It is painted blue and yellow as these seem to be the favourite colours of the area.

Puerto Chiapas has a nice terminal with local shows and displays but the main reason we call here are the tours. There is no nearby town where you can stroll into, as was the case in Hualtalco.  At the moment Holland America Line ships are making the most calls here. Departure was of course an easy shot. straight through the middle and within 5 minutes we were in open waters. The tonight we will cross the border and tomorrow we will be in Puerto Quetzal

This port suffers much more from swell problems and therefore it has a 90 degree turn in the breakwaters to keep the swell out of the port.  We are going to be very early as there are full day tours leaving at 0600 in the morning. It will be once again, as today, a very warm day but there are more showers expected. Not ideal, but it also means that it will be more overcast, so less hot and of course the rain is warm.