Excerpt from CRUISING CENTRAL AMERICA, With permission by author Eric Blackburn.

NICARAGUA MARINA PUESTA DEL SOL
Estero Aserradores
Latitude: 12’ 36.12 N Longitude: 87’22.80 W (Red/white ocean buoy)

This attractive full-service marina is located one mile inside Estero Aserradores and 14 miles north of Corinto.

SAILING DIRECTIONS

To enter Estero Aserradores and arrive at Marina Puesta Del Sol, you must first pick up a red and white ocean buoy at GPS waypoint 12’ 36.12 N by 087’ 22.80 W. The ocean buoy is precisely one mile from the entrance channel.

If arriving from the south, be sure to clear the surf line to your right or starboard. Give the coast a wide berth of 3 miles. If sailing in from the north, the same vigilance applies, keeping a lookout for breaking surf to your left or port side as depicted on the chart. Once you arrive at the ocean buoy GPS waypoint, you can set a course of 72 degrees magnetic for one mile until arriving at the well-marked entrance channel to the estuary. The depth at the entrance shallows out to 7.5 meters (25 feet). There is a maximum tidal range of 2.7 meters (9 feet). It is best to arrive at the entrance at high slack tide to minimize the ebb tidal current in the channel. Call Marina Puesta Del Sol on VHF 16 for confirmation. Once inside the estuary, the channel’s red and green buoys will easily lead you to Marina Puesta Del Sol.

AMENITIES

No expense has been spared; the marina has all the amenities cruisers could ever wish for, including 45 first class slips with 110v/30 amp and 220v/50 amps of power. Each slip also has pure drinking water, wifi internet, cable TV, dock box stowage. The clubhouse has hot water showers, coin-operated laundry machines, internet/fax, a full-service bar, and restaurant. Marina Puesta Del Sol is situated in a beautiful sheltered tropical lagoon surrounded by palm trees and looming volcanoes. The atmosphere is warm, welcoming and friendly. A 128’ fuel dock provides clean refined diesel and gasoline. Fuel prices vary according to the Central America market. A pump-out station and boat maintenance tool shop are also offered. Haul-out facilities and dry dock storage are not yet available.

RATES

Rates in any guidebook are always subject to change; however at press time cost per foot per day for slip rent is $1.00 per foot for the first two days. Beyond the second-day slip, rent drops to US$.50 cents per foot per day. Fresh Water included. Electricity is metered and charged according to consumption. Moorings are US$.50 cents per foot per day for the first two days. Beyond the second-day mooring fees drop to US$.25 cents per foot. See www.marinapuestadelsol.com for any recent changes.

OFFICAL FORMALITIES

If Marina Puesta Del Sol is your first port of call in Nicaragua, polite and uniformed Immigration and Port Captain officials are taxied on site from Corinto to handle efficient check in/out procedures.

Immigration will issue each person aboard a tourist visa for US$7.00. Citizens from the USA, Canada, and most European countries are given a 90-day visa. If you wish to stay in Nicaragua longer than 3 months, you can renew your visa at the immigration office in Managua. There is an immigration fee of US$15.00 to bring the boat into the country (entrada). The Port Captain will request your zarpe from your previous port of call and issue you a national zarpe needed to sail local waters for $15. If Puesta Del Sol is your final port of call in Nicaragua the cost for an international exit zarpe (Salida) from the Port Captain is $25. Harbor Master Dorian Espinosa oversees the marina and is amicable and helpful in every way.

PROVISIONS

The nearest major town of Chinandega (estimate 60,000 pop) is 1 hour away by private vehicle over gravel / paved road or 1.5 hours by local bus. Two buses depart daily for Chinandega from Aserradores. The first bus leaves at 05:30 a.m., the second departs at 07:30 a.m. Marina Puesta Del Sol offers a weekly shuttle service (Wednesdays) between the marina and Chinandega for $10. per person. Chinandega is a busy commercial trading town. The streets are filled with open markets and shops of every kind. There are several banks, internet cafes and supermarkets ideal for provisioning. In order to bus back to Puesta Del Sol from Chinandega, you need to go to “mercadito” near the central park. The only two buses leave the city at 12:40 hrs – 14:30 hrs daily destined for Aserradores. The marina is a 2-minute walk from Aserradores. If you miss the last bus you’ll have to flag down a taxi or stay overnight.

HISTORY

Roberto Membreno, a soft-spoken gentleman in his youthful 70’s, is the visionary behind Nicaragua’s first marina. Though Mr. Membreno has lived in the United States for the past 6 decades, he was born in Nicaragua and has now returned to give something back.

Roberto and his lovely wife Maria Laura speak perfect English and are very hospitable. They have sailed the Pacific Northwest waters of Canada and the USA. In 2000, while on a southbound passage down the coast of Central America, they discovered the jewel of Aserradores. And soon a marina is born. As they say, the rest is history…

RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES

Marina Puesta Del Sol offers a wide variety of recreational activities. Enquire into horseback riding on the beach. Word is out; Nicaragua has some of the best surfing in the world. Many legendary breaks and surf spots are found along this northern coast. A surf camp called Hotel Chancletas is quickly becoming popular with aficionados in the sport. Chancletas is owned and operated by a friendly American named Shay O’Brien. You can get there by walking about 30 minutes up the beach. See: www.hotelchancletas.com Surf season is from March to October in this area. Offshore winds are the dominant pattern here. Average waves are 4-6 feet and frequently will be much larger.

Puesta Del Sol has two full-size professional tennis courts and plans to open up a driving range and putting green for golfers amongst the fleet. Guided boat tours are available for the sightseer interested in exploring the intense flora and fauna of the mangrove-lined tributaries. Fully outfitted boats are ready to take you fishing either in the lagoon or out to sea for a try at Dorado, wahoo, or sailfish (catch and release only).

The marina recently hosted an international fishing tournament which was a big success. The estuary of Aserradores is a pristine natural harbor with white sandy beaches, palm trees and volcanoes hovering in the distance. Winds are predominantly out of the east and northeast.

Marina Puesta Del Sol is an ideal place to leave your boat for an extended period of time while visiting the many spectacular sights of Nicaragua.

HELIPORT

For those wishing to arrive by helicopter, there is a designated heliport at 12 degrees 37’.33 N 087 degrees 20’63 W. For more information see: www.marinapuestadelsol.com , or CONTACT Marina Puesta Del Sol Resort – Aserradores

Attention: Maria Laura Cano, Marina Puesta Del Sol, Aserradores, El Viejo, Chinandega, Nicaragua

Pacific Coast of Nicaragua 9 kilometers north of Corinto

Tel: (011 from U.S.) (505)-880-0013 or (505)-880-0019 Email: mpuestadelsol@yahoo.com, VHF Channel 16

Marina Puesta Del Sol – Managua office

Marina Puesta Del Sol S.A., Rotunda El Güegüense, 350 mts. al sur, Managua, Nicaragua

Marina Puesta Del Sol – U.S.A.

Marina Puesta Del Sol Inc., 2072-B Walsh Avenue, Santa Clara, CA 95050, Attention: Marc Membreño

Telephone: 408-588-0017 Fax: 408-588-1550 Email: info@marinaps.com