Nicaragua:

Before I start. I did not travel to Nicaragua. The small motor yacht I was delivering from Key West to San Francisco didn’t have a huge fuel range, so I cut through the Main Cape Channel, just on the outside of the Moskito Cays. Once around the NE tip of Nicaragua, the seas flattened out with the lees of the outside Cays. We enjoyed flat water cruising and only saw local fishing canoes. No threats from unidentified vessels and went directly to Isla San Andres for fuel.

I had planned on possibly stopping along the coastline to take on fuel. These are the contacts I acquired before leaving the USA.

I called the Nicaragua Embassy and spoke with Fernando Corronel, fernando.corronel@embanic.org, +1 202 939 6546. He was a great help in getting the following numbers for Puerto Cabezas and El Bluff. I would recommend contacting him before you plan to visit Nicaragua’s east coast.

Puerto Cabezas:

Port Manager, Mr. Oscar Simions, Osimons@pcabezas.epn.com.ni, +505 7922411.

Port Security Officer, Mr. Jorge Thimpson, jthimpson@pcabezas.epn.com.ni

El Bluff:

Port Manager, Mr. Francisco Buitrago, fbuitrago@bluefields.epn.com.ni, +505 5722668, +505 5770021

Operations Chief, Mr. Julio Arauz, julioarauz_22@yahoo.com

All the emails I received explained that there was fuel at both these ports and at the dock. I would assume you would need to clear in and out and an agent could be arranged at the port upon entry. Speaking Spanish would be a great help with these contacts.

Bevan Pulham

New Zealand

www.travelingbev.blogspot.com