Corinto

Corinto is the large commercial harbour on the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, and one of the best natural harbours of our voyage. It is in an estuary, however there is no bar to cross and the channel is wide and well marked. Entering the port was very easy.

When we arrived, we anchored near the power plant as advised by the cruising guide we're using. It was a little loud, but the holding was good. There is room for many hundreds of vessels.

We could not raise the Capitania on the radio, and were unsure how to proceed as we could not see anywhere to get ashore. While we were discussing our situation, a panga full of officials pulled up. The Navy and Migración came aboard, and in a slow but very friendly manner, completed our paperwork. The cost was the expected $29 USD. One of the Navy men told us where we could leave our dinghy to go ashore, and the following day we took his advice.

Corinto is a port town, and can be a little rough. A few people came up to us on our way into town with offers of assistance, which may or may not have been genuine. Nothing untoward occurred, though, and Corinto has a good complement of services - groceries, propane, restaurants, and even a small marine supply store.

We stayed a few days, and got a bit of a tour of the commercial dock trying to find the Capitania to check out. We took the dinghy to the main dock, which was a mistake. We ended up tying to the large boat dock and climbing up a ladder to the dockyard. A couple of Navy men escorted us to the Capitania, which wasn't within the shipyard after all as we'd thought. Everyone was very nice about the fact that we really should not have been in their shipyard. The Capitania checked us out and we left on our way.

Corinto isn't the most picturesque anchorage we've enjoyed, though we did have a fabulous view of an active volcano. It is, however, a very comfortable anchorage, with easy access to supplies. There is another anchorage up the uncharted and shallow estuary, with a dinghy dock and check-in assistance for those with shallower keels or more courage than we have.