Puerto Chiapas Marina, a must stop for cruisers!

Back in Marina Chiapas, Mx

11 July 2015

Well, we are back to Mexico from our Guatemala trip and we cannot say enough good things about Marina Chiapas! It is exceptionally clean, the well-manicured landscaping is beautiful, the docks are concrete, wifi very dependable, the clean modern showers have hot water, there is no surge, it is on the southern edge of the hurricane zone, it is seemingly unaffected by the lightning in the seasonal electrical storms to the south of us…. The list of praises is long. And, Kanilela was just as we left her, it was a happy homecoming.

Enrique, in white shirt, ensures every haul out is safely managed,
Guillermo (Memo) on left, has the travel lift controls, two great guys!

 

Enrique, the charismatic former manager of the Fonatur Marina Chuhue at Huatulco, was offered a fabulous opportunity by some local Chiapas investors to create a world class marina, which would be accessible to the local residents, and that also could become a gateway point for cruisers headed both north and south. He has succeeded. The 70+ slip marina opened in 2012 and Enrique had soon added a 70T travel-lift. Boats are stored on a well compacted, asphalt yard, so it is a perfect place for long term dry storage while owners return to their northern homes for the summer months. For northbound boats, Marina Chiapas is  ideal to clear into Mexico and to wait for a weather window to cross the Tehuantepec. The Navy comes to the marina for their inspection and Enrique and his compadre Guillermo (Memo) will assist with visits to the Port Captain, Customs and Immigration. It is also a good stopping point for southbound cruisers to relax and regroup after their Tehuantepec adventure and to get their exit zarpe from Mexico. Again, Enrique and Memo assist with all of this.

Guatemala has not made much effort to support cruisers on the Pacific Coast. The relatively new Puerto Quetzal is a large commercial freighter port and although there is a small dredged marina in the port, that is reported to be very secure, we have been told by other cruisers that it is very expensive to clear into Guatemala by boat. For that reason, many cruisers are doing what we did, which was to leave the boat in Marina Chiapas and cross into Guatemala at an inexpensive land crossing. As our previous blogs state, Guatemala is one of Central America’s most interesting countries, definitely a must see destination.

Enrique and Memo are working hard to develop the local talent to support yacht maintenance and repairs. Their pool of resources has grown to the point they are able to offer most services required from bottom cleaning and painting to mechanical repairs.