May 29 to May 31
At Sea
Between Bahia del Espiritu Santo, Mexico, and San Pedro, Ambergris Caye,
Mexico
Sailors will appreciate this saga:
Great day at anchor, steak dinner.
Left next day
Went aground off Owen Island
Morris, a friendly American from a nearby fishing town, the only person around
with a radio, comes out to help
We take out the third anchor, pull ourselves off, and carefully weave our
way to deeper water
We are exhausted, and we anchor over night
Next day and night, we sail, arriving about 7 a.m., but
The passage through the reef is treacherous, and we live a thousand lives
in ten minutes
We anchor, and wipe out.
19-22.132N
087-31.229W
Anchored
Behind Owen Island
Bahia del Espiritu Santo
Mexico
Saturday, May 28
The greatest challenge to sailors is to manage their health, well being
and ability to perform,. These were challenged for us during an overnight
sail from Isla Mujeres.
To avoid north setting currents, boats hug the coast by staying within
a mile or less from land. This strategy calls for constant attention
because a slight error can put us on a reef or into a collision with the numerous
small fishing and recreational boats that ply the area.; (In one moment
of inattention, Pachamama came within ten yards of a small wooden fishing
boat, perhaps 10 feet.)
Most of our sail was delightful. We traveled less than a mile off
hotel row in Cancun, close enough to see our friend, Fred Diez, sitting on
his condo patio, reading. For most of the day and early evening we
had a pleasant time. However, about half an hour after a night change
of watch, probably about 1 a.m. Friday, we came too close to land, and saw
our depth meter fall to six feet. This caused rapid action, anxiety,
and a stress that lived with us for the rest of this leg. On arrival
here, we were exhausted, with head and stomach pain, too much for our frail
bodies. Chichi handled the experience well, but John became emotional
in a nostalgic way, a reflection of both his weariness and his appreciation
and respect for the care he was getting from the first mate. The emotion
is hard to describe. It is a powerful desire to cry, but without sadness;
just a reaction to relieve tension. This morning, after an afternoon
rest and a good night's sleep, he is fine, and ready to go. We probably
will do the next leg to San Pedro, Belize, tomorrow and tomorrow night, for
arrival Monday morning.
This bay is almost devoid of life. A small Mayan village three miles
north is the only settlement. It is called La Victoria. It is a fishing
and agricultural community, self sufficient and proud. We saw one of
their boats last night. Other than that, we have been alone, providing
a joyous contentment with an unnamed apprehension attached.
Our closing week in Isla Mujeres was made complete by the arrival of Rosa
Mari and Fred Diez. Rosa Mari is Chichi's best friend. We entertained
them on Pachamama, then they entertained us at their fine condo in Cancun
which included an evening meal and a folkloric ballet during dinner. Though
short and performed on a stage about the size of our living room, it was one
of the finest dance presentations we have seen.
We stepped out of the real world momentarily to see Star Wars, Episode III.
This series has been part of our lives since the beginning, around
1977. We could not miss it on the big screen, the only way to see these
sagas. It gave us new respect for one of movie's greatest characters:
YODA who knows The Force, both sides. Frank Oz deserves an Academy
Award for this, the finest puppet ever displayed on screen. Burr Tilstrom
would have been so proud. (Kukla, Fran and Ollie)
By seeing our friends in Cancun, we missed the departure of Eriu, Lynne
and Gerry. Last Saturday, Lynne, an award wining photographer with
The Associated Press, gave a seminar on good photography, including a catalog
of some of her best work. One was the Pulitzer Prize winning photo of
Hillary Clinton attempting a craft. Her mouth is wide open in an honest
expression of amazement. (Around 1992). Lynne and Gerry are heading
for Florida for a six year hiatus from sailing. She will resume work,
and Gerry will seek new employment in the boating industry. He was
a ship captain in The Irish Navy, well trained and knowledgeable, an excellent
resource for anyone in need. After six years, they want to have a 46-foot
boat, and sail again.
Gerry and many others, including Steve aboard Peregrin and John aboard Shamrock,
responded quickly to an emergency call from Pachamama. I had opened
a sea cock incorrectly, the handle came off, and water flowed into the bilge.
Steve knew what to do, and all was well in about an hour. Gerry
was on the outside blocking the thru hull.
After that, we got to know these others a little better. John lent
us his copy of Freya Rauscher's guide to Mexico and Belize, from which we
copied reliable way points for entry along the coast. Steve and his
wife Anik came aboard for drinks, with their two sons, Codi, 16, and Nathan
9. They have sailed together about two years, their favorite spot being
Guatemala's Rio Dulce, with numerous attendant side trips to ruins and volcanoes.
And these folks know how to do it: They educate their kids along
the way under a plan approved by The Vermont state board of education, and
they live without refrigeration. Their boating life is so simple that
at anchor, they charge their batteries no more than once each week. John
gave Codi and Nathan a copy of Garrison Keillor's Pretty Good Joke Book. This
consumed them for several days. On the morning cruisers' net, they
read a joke every day.
21-14.751N
086-44.654W
Docked, Marina El Paraiso
Isla Mujeres
Mexico
Thursday, May 19
What do you get when you put an American with a Mexican?
Answer: smiles, cordiality and great hospitality. Here is one
of many examples:
The ticket agent at El Teatro Cancun directed us to a stairway to the restaurant.
On seeing us turn the wrong way, she hastened out of her office, through
the back corridors, out the door, across the large entry way, and up the
stairs, to explain our error, and to redirect us. She then spent 30
minutes with us providing all kinds of advice, such as the best way to see
Chichen itza.
This area is first class. Good beaches, people with smiles, plenty
of good will, a nice marina, inexpensive; services and events run
on time, and the people dress with pride and dignity. Isla Mujeres
has won our hearts, as have our special activities.
The first special activity was the Cuban National Ballet at El Teatro Cancun.
At least three times we were torn from our seats by superb performances
and a lively audience. This was world class. The next was our
side trip by car to the Mayan ruins of Chichen itza, where our guide, Mario,
gave us the story, as best he knows it. Mario has done this over twenty
years. His knowledge and his twinkle made us feel right at home. The
bottom line, of course, is that no one knows where The Mayan came from or
how/why they disappeared. Looking at artifacts, archeologists have
made great assumptions about the designs and purposes of various buildings,
and about the religious and political practices of the people. All
of these are educated guesses. Who knows for sure whether the Tultecs
took over, whether priests ran the show, whether young virgins were sacrificed.
All we can do is guess, while admiring the work these amazing people
accomplished.
Back on Isla Mujeres, we have had profound luck. During the trip
from Clearwater, our second anchor slipped out its entire length of more
than 200 feet. John decided that retrieval was too risky, and he cut
it off, leaving us with only the primary anchor. So, John gets on the
radio every morning to ask for the parts and elements he needs, such as shackles
and nylon rode. Meanwhile, he walks from the marina, and sees a barrel
of chain resting quietly near a tree. You can guess the rest. Everything
we need to replace the anchor is right here. Steve aboard Peregrin
has the rode, the correct anchor, and the shackles, and the captain of a
fishing boat sold us 50 feet of the chain, all at good and fair prices. If
we purchased an anchor in The U.S., it would be about $400, but over
$900 in Mexico after shipping and taxes. Through pure luck, we saved
over a $1,000, while giving good value to the sellers who did not need the
items. Are we lucky, or what?
Star Wars opened today in both the U.S. and Cancun. Of course, we
will see it soon. Meanwhile, The Pacers need to beat Detroit tonight,
in Detroit, or call it a day--possibly Reggie Millers's last game. We
love our country, and our town.
Next week, Fred and Rosa Mari Diez (from Indianapolis, and Mexico) will
visit us after they arrive at their Condo. Then, we will wait for a
weather window south to San Pedro cut at Ambergris Cay, just north of Belize
City. From there, we will move south in a leisurely way, with respect
for the weather, as the first hurricane of the season moves west across Honduras
and into the Caribbean, this weekend.
Anchored
Isla Mujeres
State of Quintana Roo
Mexico
Saturday, May 7
(Mini Marathon Day in Indianapolis)
The magic of change, from pessimism to optimism, from health challenges
to contentment, facilitated our departure to Mexico, a trip we could only
imagine two weeks prior.
By the weekend of April 10, Chichi clearly was on the upswing from her
last bout of Meniere's disease, and we started to work like beavers running
late. Art Haddock arrived April 18 for a planned Thursday departure,
accelerated to Wednesday by our professional weather service, The Caribbean
Weather Center, operated by Chris Parker. Chris took us by the
hand, gave us complete directions, where to turn and when. Although
the rhumb line from Clearwater to Isla Mujeres is about 215 degrees, Chris
kept us out of negative currents by directing us just west of South, then
South to a point maybe ten minutes south of Isla Mujeres, where we turned
west northwest. This exercise added about 50 nautical miles to the total
trip, but allowed us to avoid the north setting Yucatan current that is known
to be as high as 4 knots, or 75 percent of our forward speed. From the third
day until arrival, we faced 20-25 knot winds from the southeast, not bad
after the turn west, but a challenge before the turn, when we took
gallons of water over the bow beating against small white horses.
Lynne and Gerry (s/v Eriu, see link on home page) gave us the best surprise.
They heard us on the VHF, and decided to greet us at the harbor entrance.
There is no greater joy than friends in an unfamiliar place. In
their 10-foot dink, they took us to anchor, barely 100 yards from their boat.
Next day, they escorted us through the bureaucracies of Mexico so
that we could be officially enrolled as visitors to Mexico.
Art left yesterday, after consuming his share of Mexican Beer ("Sol"),
touring Cancun, seeing a movie, enjoying the people and helping with a boat
job or two.