We've just been enjoying visiting with other boaters and getting acquainted with the El Milagro Marina Staff and Isla Mujeres. They are the best. Everyone wants to dock here, but they are full, at least until we leave. Dockage is very reasonable here especially when compared to the states. We are getting into high season now and the prices are going up including the dockage, so we will be getting out of town soon.
Its been so nice to be just be able to lay on the beach or just bike around town. Though Isla is not that big; you can probably cover the island in a hour on a bike.
The beach here is just beautiful. The sand is like powdered sugar and the water turquoise! And the sunsets. . .omg! You're probably getting tired of seeing sunsets, but I cannot help myself!
I imagine Isla has changed a lot in the last few years. Prices are going up, especially in high season. We have seen the price of beer and restaurant food increasing daily. Isla is still rather third world, especially during off season. But they know how to make money during the season.
There are 3 passenger ferry's that run back and forth every hour or so to Cancun, ($14 US round trip) and there is a vehicle ferry. There are two large catamarans that take tourists to snorkel. They charge $55 US to go snorkeling, but require you to wear a life jacket. You could probably see just as many fish snorkeling off the beach.
There are several beach bars, complete with swings, hammocks, and beds for relaxing. The handicraft peddlers selling handmade purses, rope and silver jewelry, tablecloths, snacks, t-shirts, and sarongs roam the beach front daily. You can also get a massage for about $40 US!
You can get a taxi easily for $30 pesos, $3 US, though it appears that the locals travel for almost free. We've noticed that Mexico takes care of Mexicans first; gringos have a different set of rules and pay different prices even wait in different lines, especially if it's with government services such as the ferry's. There is also one tour bus, though we chose to explore on our own. You can also rent a scooter or golf cart for the day or week for about $60 US per day. Golf carts are gas driven not electric, batteries are to expensive and hard to ship. Though it is not very easy to find bicycles to rent, some of the hotels or marinas offer them to their guests. Most of the locals use scooters, and golf carts for transportation.
They do have a convention center (if you can call it that) and a few 1st class, hotels which offer beach views for $125 US, but there are small hotels in town where you can get a nice room with a balcony over Hidalgo Street for about $40 US, as well as several hostels.
There are two farm markets that sell fresh chicken and vegetables, though we chose to purchase our food in the grocery stores. They also have a gravel baseball field! The center of town has a public square, complete with a basketball court, where people seem to congregate. They have basketball games, complete with referees! The main attraction is the Catholic church. Mexicans are very good church goers.
There are several elementary schools, but to educate children beyond the 8th grade, you will have to pay for books or private school. They do permit immigrants to enroll their children in school.
The homes here are cement, and many are in disrepair. They sleep in hammocks, have TV's, and sofas, but not much else. They wash clothing by hand, or take it to the local laundry; they charge about $100 pesos per kilo. You cannot go to a laundry and use their machines. Their lifestyle is not extravagant, but very meager, compared to life in the US.
There are a lot of restaurants in town, and of course, most offer Mexican food. There are only a few that offer American dishes. Drinking water is usually bottled water, although the city water is treated and clean, most gringos don't drink it. We've given up on a few Mexican places, as we learned our lesson the hard way! It's just not worth getting sick. You have to be cautious of the fruits and vegetables. Limones (limes) are served with most dishes, but they don't always clean them well and the result is not pleasant! There are many street vendors that offer tacos, tamales, fajitas, empanadas and such, but you are certainly risking Montezuma's revenge if you don't make certain it is disinfected.. Jax's is the best American restaurant/bar in town; if we're lucky we can even watch the Steelers there, but of course that doesn't matter since they are OUT for this season. The Soggy Peso is another great American bar; they offer a daily special and snacks and are within walking distance from El Milagro marina.
A couple of restaurants actually share the same retail space; one will provide breakfast and lunch, then the other owner will change the sign for dinner! A good idea!
The Naval station has a commissary here and everyone is permitted to shop there. They offer some things not available in the grocery, like liquid detergent and small appliances and their prices are a little better! You can buy Malibu rum for $130 pesos! The commissary doesn't offer fresh fruits, vegetables or meats.
The two groceries offer fresh vegetables and fruits. I've learned they don't use non dairy creamer much, I wish I had bought more in Key West. You can buy prepackaged boneless chicken breasts. . . .they pound a half breast flat and wrap it in cellophane, four to a package for about $6 US per pound! They also offer, sliced ham, pork and beef, but fewer cuts. The one grocery store has a deli; they offer rotisserie chicken, rice, beans (of course), and usually corn or a green vegetable. . . just like home! They also offer lunch meats, cheeses, pastries and rolls. They also offer lunch meats and cheeses.
There are many shops on Hidalgo, ( the main drag through town ) but most of the shops offer pretty much the same things, lanterns and garden decor, silver jewelry, pottery, hats, blankets, hammocks and such. Nothing I need on the boat! Boat parts and hardware supplies are very difficult to find; most have to be obtained in Cancun or ordered online. Shipping is very expensive and slow.
We are disappointed that we have not found a museum or library in Isla. We did tour the cemetery and found the tombstone of the pirate, Mundaca, who actually died in Merida, from the late 1800's. The tombs are quite cramped, with only very narrow paths. For more information on the pirate, Mundaca see our link to Isla Mujeres history.
The other disappointment in Isla is that we can't fish here! It is a national preserve. You can charter a boat for fishing, some are quite reasonable, others quite expensive ($800 US). You must be well off shore to be able to fish legally. Even the locals have to follow this law. The other day Michael (the Captain and owner of Jax) took his fishing boat out. He caught two huge groupers (which you can catch here), and 5 big snappers! A good day! You can be sure they will end up on the menu at Jax!
We usually give $$ to the Marina Manager, Jaime, and he will go next door to the Coop and purchase fresh fish pretty reasonably. A couple of times, the Marina guys hosted a BBQ, ($10 US per person). They grilled a couple of fish, rice, ceviche, and grilled bread. It was very, very good!
We have taken the ferry several times to Cancun, but there really isn't much there for us. They have a Walmart and Costco, but pretty much everything I need I can get here in Isla and Cancun is more expensive.
Cancun's beaches are very wide, and very clean, like Ocean City, MD. The hotels line the beach; lots of nightclubs and shopping, but too touristy for us. It is a big draw for the younger set. We can't understand why more people traveling to Cancun don't visit Isla, they don't know what they are missing!
It seems quite customary for Mexican men to have a wife, several girlfriends and of course, many children. The men just stop by to visit their families and drop by with food and necessities. Most Mexican women do work outside the home, by either preparing food, making handicrafts, or working in the shops or restaurants.
The newspapers here are very descriptive. On the front page of Por Esto, the local paper, was a picture of two men that had been decapitated and chopped to pieces! Parts of inter city Cancun are very dangerous because of the local drug wars which seem to be still going strong.
We went into town with a group from the marina the other evening and it rained quite hard. The streets were flooded in no time. The water was up to the taxi doors! A tropical storm or hurricane would surely do a lot of damage here. Even though it's been five years since Wilma, there are homes still in disrepair.
We are leaving Isla Mujeres on Saturday, December 26th. We will be hopping anchorages down through Belize and Honduras; within several weeks we should be in Guatemala! Yeh!
Stay tuned!
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
We made it to Isla Mujeres! Yeh!
Change in plans. . .Denise has canceled her doctor's appointment and will be joining us on our voyage after all. Yeh! After doing the final bit of provisioning, checking the weather and currents in the Yucatan Channel we have decided to get underway. We left Key West anchorage at sunset on Saturday, November 14th.
We incurred 2-3 ft following seas en route to Dry Tortuga's; we would have had moon filled nights had it not been for Hurricane Ida that had delayed our trip for a week. As it was, we had no moon which made the stars even more visible. We could see the Milky Way! We never could have imagined that a tropical storm or hurricane would be directly in our path, especially since it is pretty much past hurricane season, but the lack of moon light was not much of a factor.
We all stayed in the cockpit from the time we left Key West until midnight. Then, David and I took the 12 pm to 4 am watch; Hamp and Denise took the 4 am to 8 am and so on. Denise and I didn't like sailing at night; you can't see anything. If you do, it's a concern, i.e. lights from a boat. It was our job to keep our eyes on the lights to determine which way the vessel was headed using a Polaris and binoculars, which is always interesting since the sea is always moving.
As we passed the Dry Tortuga's, we were trolling, and Denise caught a mackerel, but just as Hamp was about to gaff him, he got loose. He was over 3 feet, although Denise keeps adding to his length!
Our friends Josh and Jodi, whom we met at Boot Key in Marathon, had left Key West at noon on Saturday, the 14th also. We tried many times to contact them via VHF radio, but never got a response. As we neared the coast of Cuba we anticipated we might even see their boat, but we didn't catch sight of them, nor had radio contact. They had planned to anchor off the coast of Cuba and maybe even go inland to Hemingway's. We only planned to go into Cuba if we had an emergency.
By sunrise on Monday, we caught our first glimpse of the mountainous coast of Cuba; a sight to behold! We were between 9 and 14 miles off the coast. We finally got enough wind to fill our sails, it was a great feeling to be able to shut down the Perkins!
Off the coast of Cuba we were treated to a dolphin show beyond belief; a very large pod of dolphins were swimming along with us, leading the way beyond the bowsprit. One lone dolphin put on a show, jumping and twirling off our stern to the north, he must have jumped and twirled a dozen times! It was unbelievable!
Before long, another fish had taken our lure. It is about a 15 lb bull dolphin! This one does not get away! Denise and Hamp carved him up and we heartily enjoyed him with rice and beans for breakfast!
After breakfast David, Denise and Hamp went for a swim in the beautiful royal blue water (over 3,000 ft deep). The counter current was very strong so it was a little frightening even being tethered but it was quite an experience. All three can now say they swam in Cuban waters!
David got his chance at a fish on our watch just before 8 pm that evening. It jerked so hard, it broke the reel. David and Hamp tried to hold on; the line got wrapped around David's finger and luckily it broke or David may have lost a digit. They think it is a marlin tuna (LOL), but it was a big one! (Aren't they all?) Our fishing from now on is on a Cuban reel, which did not prove successful.
Monday evening we saw lights off our bow, but can't see a red or green light to determine their course. Finally, I spot the green light, it is heading across our bow a couple of miles ahead; then I see it go beyond the horizon. David and I decide that it is the US Coast Guard or possibly the Cuban Guard. Nearly 30-45 minutes later it appears again and is heading north on our starboard. Again after about a half hour it goes beyond the horizon. It must be a patrol boat. We find that it becomes eery in the 4th hour of our shifts; lack of sleep is getting to us. Are we hallucinating? Still we are very happy they didn't come closer and board our boat; too tired to be sharp.
As we head toward the Yucatan channel the currents become much stronger, the seas are probably like 6-9 ft and following this made sleeping in the forward berth (Captain's quarters) nearly impossible, The boat sways to and fro and then the waves just slap the hull; everything in the lockers is banging, but we are making good time; a steady 5 to 5.3 knots against current.
I was not having much fun; lack of sleep and being unable to stay below except to brush my teeth and use the head has made me quite irritable. Thank heaven for Denise, she is making coffee and feeding the guys, plus doing dishes, as I am not able to do so. It is very frustrating not to be able to contribute. None of us has eaten much since our breakfast of dolphin, rice and beans; mostly cereal bars and peanut or tuna sandwiches. I should have taken Dramamine, but didn't.
The nights were filled with stars and it was our quest as we headed for the southern hemisphere to locate the Southern Cross. There was a lot of cloud cover as we edged south and so we weren't able to see it until we were getting close to Isla Mujeres on Tuesday evening. By about 10 am we spot condominiums off the coast of Cancun, then on Isla Mujeres. Hamp spots land first and earns the right to first drink! (I think he rigged it that way, LOL!)
In the distance to the east, I spot a ship heading toward our stern, he is moving along quite steadily. I kept watch. It appeared to be a military vessel. A few moments later we hear someone in Spanish on the VHF radio. David responded in English, it is the ship I have been watching. It is the Mexican Navy. He asks how many crew are we and our destination. He welcomes us to his country and offers help if needed. Haven't had that pleasure from the US Navy.
We continued onto Isla Mujeres, the seas are growing and we are all glad that we left when we did. A cold front is expected. We contact El Milagro Marina, expecting it will take us another four hours to reach their docks. We arrive at about 3 pm Wednesday under a sunny sky, light breeze, very comfortable temperature.
Upon arrival we meet Jaimi, the Marina Manager/Dock Master. He will be our agent and arrange a meeting with immigration and health department. Since it is late in the day, he has allowed us to leave the boat, but to keep that to ourselves. We rented the penthouse at the Marina, which has two bedrooms, kitchen, and TV; beautiful sunset from the patio. We showered and hailed a taxi, 30 pesos, about $3 US and go to Ballyhoo Restaurant for cervasa's and ceviche. It was awesome! We must be on the boat at 8 am to meet with immigration, so we drink fast and make it an early night. We met customs at the cabana, they never even asked to board our boat. They stamp our passports; we are off to town! How convenient is that, total cost was about $300.00 American dollars including agent fees and tips. For our fellow cruisers we would highly recommend using an agent. Jaimi and El Milagro Marina where very helpful.
We borrowed bikes from the Marina and searched for a place to have lunch. We had pizza at Rolandi's, not quite like US, but very good. Denise and I take off shopping, the boys continue to tour the island.
We meet up later at Ballyhoo for cervasa's and snacks. Hamp gets a haircut for $5 US! David found Tarzan's bar, complete with swings at the beach just steps from the sea! Our camera is full, must wait to get a shot another time, but what a sunset! Denise and I check out the grocery. Can't find a good brand of coffee, they only stock instant Nescafe, go figure! They do have meats, cheeses and a deli with hot entrees. Their prices are pretty close to US, I am disappointed, I expected it to be cheaper.
Friday morning we are up early and head to town for a ferry to Cancun; from there we are heading to the town of Merida Mexico. Merida is originally Mayan town conquered by the Spanish. Hamp is on a mission to find a friend he made 21 years ago in Merida. We purchase bus tickets; it takes about 4 and a half hours going west inland.
As we enter Merida, we see where the peasants live. It is very sad to see the little wooden shacks they live in. We leave the bus station and head into downtown. There are several lovely parks, with very old buildings on all sides, one is reputed to be the oldest church in all of the America's. It is beautiful!
We split up again, and later met up at an outdoor cafe. Denise and I have come across a shop that sells these live, huge, beetles adorned with jewelry. They believe that the heart of someone sacrificed becomes a beetle. They are supposed to be good luck for women. David and Hamp talked with a local; he speaks excellent English and we pick his brain about Merida. Hamp is also on a quest to find the hotel he stayed in in Merida; it had a large banyan tree in the center courtyard, shouldn't be too hard to find. Many of the larger hotels have courtyards in the center. I just love their architecture!
We pass several hotels that could be the one. Our “guide”, whose name I cannot remember, suggests we try a dish called Sopa de Lima, a chicken, tortilla, lime soup. It is very good, and we also share a combo plate with a tamale, pork, chicken, and tortillas, it is also very good. We then leave the cafe with our guide en route to find a Panama hat. Denise and Hamp buy a hammock for $100 US. We are urged to try it out, but we are not buying; we live on a boat!
The salesman are relentless. The Panama hats are handmade, roll up to fit in a pocket, said to keep you cool . . .but the locals don't wear them. We were told they only wear them on Sunday, but I didn't see a one! He wants $180 US for two Panama hats, we decide we cannot come to an a agreeable price so we leave. Suddenly, our guide abandons us. . .I think he was expecting a cut and is insulted. Oh well!
We made reservations at Hotel Reforma and head out to watch a parade. It is a Mayan celebration of the Revolution. We have never seen such a parade; aerobics classes, gymnastics, water purification, bull dozer's, ambulances, the whole community parades down the street below the Governor who is perched on a balcony with his family. We have a good view from the bar, but it is also on closed circuit TV.
The next day Hamp has been able to meet up with his friend of 21 years ago. They visit while David and I tour. We went to a Mayan Museum. It was quite interesting, but we learned that most of the artifacts are in a large museum in Mexico City. We then search again for the hotel with the banyan tree . . .we walk and walk and walk until we can walk no more and take a carriage ride. Never did find it !
We end up at an outdoor cafe for cervasa's, tequila, and rum. It rained, so we just had to stay there to keep dry of course! We then went back to our favorite place in Mexico so far, Pancho's Restaurant very nice and the food is unbelievable! Unfortunately, the flash is not working on my camera, but Denise is able to get one shot of the upstairs bar; it is open to the sky! Tomorrow we are off to Chichen Itza to tour the Mayan ruins.
We arrived after an hour and a half bus ride in Chichen Itza. Santiago becomes our guide. He is Spanish, but has been raised in LA. He sure knows his history and is still continuing his education; he is 55 years old. He joined us for a Mayan buffet dinner. He even made sure we were up in time for our return bus ride. He does the guide circuit between Cancun, Chichen Itza, Tulum, etc. We would highly recommend him. Chichen Itza is unbelievable. We have great pics, but words and pic's cannot do it justice. You have to see it to believe it. The Mayans where a great civilization. Direct descendants still live in Chichen Itza they have their own language and maintain many of the traditions of the culture.
Ah, it was a lot of fun, but we are all glad to be back in Isla Mujeres; it feels like home! Since Denise and Hamp have several days left of their vacation they book a room at Privilege Azures, a five star resort. We stayed on the boat. We joined them for dinner at Jax, Michael, the owner is from Georgia. He has lived on the island for ten years or more. He has a couple of boats docked at El Milagro Marina, where we are docked. We plan to learn much more about the island from him in the days to come. David and I returned to the boat for a quiet evening. We have not slowed down since we left Key West and need a rest.
We are happy to report that when we returned from our trip to Chichen Itza, that Josh, Jodi, Juliana, and Josh, Jr. were tied up to the dock at El Milagro Marina! They spent some time in Cuba, which they loved and had no issues with the US Coast Guard or the Cuban Coast Guard. They said Cuba is beautiful and the people are very friendly and hospitable. They hope to return and spend more time there, so much to see! We are glad they are safe.
On Tuesday, Denise and Hamp rented a golf cart and have asked us to join them to tour the north end of the island. We headed to Port Sur. En route we found another marina, and stopped at a resort for lunch. They have a large shark in a pen at the dock. We come upon a zip line park where you can also snorkel and kayak, but it is cloudy and a little cool today. We tour Port Sur cliff park. Hamp gets soaked “pissing in the ocean” by a 10ft wave.
We got back in the golf cart to explore some more of the island; Denise is in search of sea glass, I want a conch shell. We stopped at Villa la Belle bed and breakfast. Their property runs off a cliff, unfortunately we didn't have a camera with us, but I am certain David and I will revisit. Very neat little place.
On Thursday we joined Denise & Hamp at the beach. It was a very sunny, breezy day! Denise and I each bought a new dress to wear to Thanksgiving Dinner at Jax, our favorite American bar and restaurant. Dinner was actually very good, and we didn't have to cook or clean up, which is even better! After 30 years of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, we deserve a break, right?
All in all we had a great crossing, due mostly to our Captain who spent countless hours studying charts, programming way points, getting weather reports, studying currents, changing oil and filters, making improvements and repairs to the boat, etc.,etc. He has spent the last three years preparing the boat and it paid off. We are also very thankful for our crew, Denise & Hamp, for we would not have made it without them.
David and I plan to spend a couple of weeks here in Isla Mujeres and then it is off to Belize. Hope you can follow along. Stay tuned!
We incurred 2-3 ft following seas en route to Dry Tortuga's; we would have had moon filled nights had it not been for Hurricane Ida that had delayed our trip for a week. As it was, we had no moon which made the stars even more visible. We could see the Milky Way! We never could have imagined that a tropical storm or hurricane would be directly in our path, especially since it is pretty much past hurricane season, but the lack of moon light was not much of a factor.
We all stayed in the cockpit from the time we left Key West until midnight. Then, David and I took the 12 pm to 4 am watch; Hamp and Denise took the 4 am to 8 am and so on. Denise and I didn't like sailing at night; you can't see anything. If you do, it's a concern, i.e. lights from a boat. It was our job to keep our eyes on the lights to determine which way the vessel was headed using a Polaris and binoculars, which is always interesting since the sea is always moving.
As we passed the Dry Tortuga's, we were trolling, and Denise caught a mackerel, but just as Hamp was about to gaff him, he got loose. He was over 3 feet, although Denise keeps adding to his length!
Our friends Josh and Jodi, whom we met at Boot Key in Marathon, had left Key West at noon on Saturday, the 14th also. We tried many times to contact them via VHF radio, but never got a response. As we neared the coast of Cuba we anticipated we might even see their boat, but we didn't catch sight of them, nor had radio contact. They had planned to anchor off the coast of Cuba and maybe even go inland to Hemingway's. We only planned to go into Cuba if we had an emergency.
Off the coast of Cuba we were treated to a dolphin show beyond belief; a very large pod of dolphins were swimming along with us, leading the way beyond the bowsprit. One lone dolphin put on a show, jumping and twirling off our stern to the north, he must have jumped and twirled a dozen times! It was unbelievable!
Before long, another fish had taken our lure. It is about a 15 lb bull dolphin! This one does not get away! Denise and Hamp carved him up and we heartily enjoyed him with rice and beans for breakfast!
After breakfast David, Denise and Hamp went for a swim in the beautiful royal blue water (over 3,000 ft deep). The counter current was very strong so it was a little frightening even being tethered but it was quite an experience. All three can now say they swam in Cuban waters!
David got his chance at a fish on our watch just before 8 pm that evening. It jerked so hard, it broke the reel. David and Hamp tried to hold on; the line got wrapped around David's finger and luckily it broke or David may have lost a digit. They think it is a marlin tuna (LOL), but it was a big one! (Aren't they all?) Our fishing from now on is on a Cuban reel, which did not prove successful.
Monday evening we saw lights off our bow, but can't see a red or green light to determine their course. Finally, I spot the green light, it is heading across our bow a couple of miles ahead; then I see it go beyond the horizon. David and I decide that it is the US Coast Guard or possibly the Cuban Guard. Nearly 30-45 minutes later it appears again and is heading north on our starboard. Again after about a half hour it goes beyond the horizon. It must be a patrol boat. We find that it becomes eery in the 4th hour of our shifts; lack of sleep is getting to us. Are we hallucinating? Still we are very happy they didn't come closer and board our boat; too tired to be sharp.
As we head toward the Yucatan channel the currents become much stronger, the seas are probably like 6-9 ft and following this made sleeping in the forward berth (Captain's quarters) nearly impossible, The boat sways to and fro and then the waves just slap the hull; everything in the lockers is banging, but we are making good time; a steady 5 to 5.3 knots against current.
I was not having much fun; lack of sleep and being unable to stay below except to brush my teeth and use the head has made me quite irritable. Thank heaven for Denise, she is making coffee and feeding the guys, plus doing dishes, as I am not able to do so. It is very frustrating not to be able to contribute. None of us has eaten much since our breakfast of dolphin, rice and beans; mostly cereal bars and peanut or tuna sandwiches. I should have taken Dramamine, but didn't.
The nights were filled with stars and it was our quest as we headed for the southern hemisphere to locate the Southern Cross. There was a lot of cloud cover as we edged south and so we weren't able to see it until we were getting close to Isla Mujeres on Tuesday evening. By about 10 am we spot condominiums off the coast of Cancun, then on Isla Mujeres. Hamp spots land first and earns the right to first drink! (I think he rigged it that way, LOL!)
In the distance to the east, I spot a ship heading toward our stern, he is moving along quite steadily. I kept watch. It appeared to be a military vessel. A few moments later we hear someone in Spanish on the VHF radio. David responded in English, it is the ship I have been watching. It is the Mexican Navy. He asks how many crew are we and our destination. He welcomes us to his country and offers help if needed. Haven't had that pleasure from the US Navy.
We continued onto Isla Mujeres, the seas are growing and we are all glad that we left when we did. A cold front is expected. We contact El Milagro Marina, expecting it will take us another four hours to reach their docks. We arrive at about 3 pm Wednesday under a sunny sky, light breeze, very comfortable temperature.
Upon arrival we meet Jaimi, the Marina Manager/Dock Master. He will be our agent and arrange a meeting with immigration and health department. Since it is late in the day, he has allowed us to leave the boat, but to keep that to ourselves. We rented the penthouse at the Marina, which has two bedrooms, kitchen, and TV; beautiful sunset from the patio. We showered and hailed a taxi, 30 pesos, about $3 US and go to Ballyhoo Restaurant for cervasa's and ceviche. It was awesome! We must be on the boat at 8 am to meet with immigration, so we drink fast and make it an early night. We met customs at the cabana, they never even asked to board our boat. They stamp our passports; we are off to town! How convenient is that, total cost was about $300.00 American dollars including agent fees and tips. For our fellow cruisers we would highly recommend using an agent. Jaimi and El Milagro Marina where very helpful.
We borrowed bikes from the Marina and searched for a place to have lunch. We had pizza at Rolandi's, not quite like US, but very good. Denise and I take off shopping, the boys continue to tour the island.
We meet up later at Ballyhoo for cervasa's and snacks. Hamp gets a haircut for $5 US! David found Tarzan's bar, complete with swings at the beach just steps from the sea! Our camera is full, must wait to get a shot another time, but what a sunset! Denise and I check out the grocery. Can't find a good brand of coffee, they only stock instant Nescafe, go figure! They do have meats, cheeses and a deli with hot entrees. Their prices are pretty close to US, I am disappointed, I expected it to be cheaper.
Friday morning we are up early and head to town for a ferry to Cancun; from there we are heading to the town of Merida Mexico. Merida is originally Mayan town conquered by the Spanish. Hamp is on a mission to find a friend he made 21 years ago in Merida. We purchase bus tickets; it takes about 4 and a half hours going west inland.
As we enter Merida, we see where the peasants live. It is very sad to see the little wooden shacks they live in. We leave the bus station and head into downtown. There are several lovely parks, with very old buildings on all sides, one is reputed to be the oldest church in all of the America's. It is beautiful!
The salesman are relentless. The Panama hats are handmade, roll up to fit in a pocket, said to keep you cool . . .but the locals don't wear them. We were told they only wear them on Sunday, but I didn't see a one! He wants $180 US for two Panama hats, we decide we cannot come to an a agreeable price so we leave. Suddenly, our guide abandons us. . .I think he was expecting a cut and is insulted. Oh well!
We made reservations at Hotel Reforma and head out to watch a parade. It is a Mayan celebration of the Revolution. We have never seen such a parade; aerobics classes, gymnastics, water purification, bull dozer's, ambulances, the whole community parades down the street below the Governor who is perched on a balcony with his family. We have a good view from the bar, but it is also on closed circuit TV.
The next day Hamp has been able to meet up with his friend of 21 years ago. They visit while David and I tour. We went to a Mayan Museum. It was quite interesting, but we learned that most of the artifacts are in a large museum in Mexico City. We then search again for the hotel with the banyan tree . . .we walk and walk and walk until we can walk no more and take a carriage ride. Never did find it !
We end up at an outdoor cafe for cervasa's, tequila, and rum. It rained, so we just had to stay there to keep dry of course! We then went back to our favorite place in Mexico so far, Pancho's Restaurant very nice and the food is unbelievable! Unfortunately, the flash is not working on my camera, but Denise is able to get one shot of the upstairs bar; it is open to the sky! Tomorrow we are off to Chichen Itza to tour the Mayan ruins.
We arrived after an hour and a half bus ride in Chichen Itza. Santiago becomes our guide. He is Spanish, but has been raised in LA. He sure knows his history and is still continuing his education; he is 55 years old. He joined us for a Mayan buffet dinner. He even made sure we were up in time for our return bus ride. He does the guide circuit between Cancun, Chichen Itza, Tulum, etc. We would highly recommend him. Chichen Itza is unbelievable. We have great pics, but words and pic's cannot do it justice. You have to see it to believe it. The Mayans where a great civilization. Direct descendants still live in Chichen Itza they have their own language and maintain many of the traditions of the culture.
Ah, it was a lot of fun, but we are all glad to be back in Isla Mujeres; it feels like home! Since Denise and Hamp have several days left of their vacation they book a room at Privilege Azures, a five star resort. We stayed on the boat. We joined them for dinner at Jax, Michael, the owner is from Georgia. He has lived on the island for ten years or more. He has a couple of boats docked at El Milagro Marina, where we are docked. We plan to learn much more about the island from him in the days to come. David and I returned to the boat for a quiet evening. We have not slowed down since we left Key West and need a rest.
We are happy to report that when we returned from our trip to Chichen Itza, that Josh, Jodi, Juliana, and Josh, Jr. were tied up to the dock at El Milagro Marina! They spent some time in Cuba, which they loved and had no issues with the US Coast Guard or the Cuban Coast Guard. They said Cuba is beautiful and the people are very friendly and hospitable. They hope to return and spend more time there, so much to see! We are glad they are safe.
On Tuesday, Denise and Hamp rented a golf cart and have asked us to join them to tour the north end of the island. We headed to Port Sur. En route we found another marina, and stopped at a resort for lunch. They have a large shark in a pen at the dock. We come upon a zip line park where you can also snorkel and kayak, but it is cloudy and a little cool today. We tour Port Sur cliff park. Hamp gets soaked “pissing in the ocean” by a 10ft wave.
We got back in the golf cart to explore some more of the island; Denise is in search of sea glass, I want a conch shell. We stopped at Villa la Belle bed and breakfast. Their property runs off a cliff, unfortunately we didn't have a camera with us, but I am certain David and I will revisit. Very neat little place.
On Thursday we joined Denise & Hamp at the beach. It was a very sunny, breezy day! Denise and I each bought a new dress to wear to Thanksgiving Dinner at Jax, our favorite American bar and restaurant. Dinner was actually very good, and we didn't have to cook or clean up, which is even better! After 30 years of cooking Thanksgiving dinner, we deserve a break, right?
Well Denise & Hamp have to return to Florida tomorrow, we will miss them. Unfortunately, we have all been suffering a little from Montezuma's revenge. So hopefully, we will all feel better soon.
David and I plan to spend a couple of weeks here in Isla Mujeres and then it is off to Belize. Hope you can follow along. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Final preparations. . .then on to the Yucatan. . .YEH!
We have spent several months here in Marathon, but we ARE ready to sail on! It's a great place to visit; lots of friendly people and very convenient for cruisers, but it is time to go. We spent what turned out to be our last Saturday night at the "tiki". We enjoyed the "jam" sessions and good conversation always, and occasionally David played a song or two.Well, just a few more days and we'll be on our way to the Yucatan. . .yeh! We still have those last minute things to do, like to provision! Can't sail without RUM!
Our crew member, Hamp, aka "The Hampster", has bravely decided to join us for the crossing. Hopefully, he won't regret it! He arrived on Friday, just in time for Fantasyfest! David and I have already done the "fest", but Dennis, Frank, Harry, and Hamp convinced us to take them, well David didn't seem to need much coaxing. I think they were a little more than surprised at the "costumes" or lack there of, and I know it is a night they will remember for a long time to come! LOL!
Well, as it turned out our best weather window has passed us by. At this point we have to wait for a low near Belize before we can "kick the tires and light the fires"!
In the meantime, Hamp is exploring Key West and though I'm sure he'd rather be "underway", he seems to have adjusted quite well!
He and David have gotten to be pretty well known at Schooner's Wharf!
This will be the last blog post for us until after our crossing to Isla Mujeres. Thanks to all for following along on our "first" adventure! Stay tuned!
Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Visiting with the Benson's
Glenn, Carolyn and Cameron joined us for some fun in the sun during Labor Day weekend! We enjoyed their company very much and we also enjoyed a short reprieve in the weather, as we had a very nice constant breeze during their stay. They enjoyed going out to the reef with David on the dingy. Unfortunately, they were not successful at spearing fish or catching lobster . . . except for one, and she was delicious, just enough to whet our appetites!
The Benson's are diehard divers, and so we didn't do much else, except for spending one day in Key West. We went with them to look at a boat, which didn't take long as it was a disaster and would require way too much work and $$.
We accompanied them to Guy Harvey's, for the dollar drafts, Captain Tony's, Sloopy Joe's and the Southernmost point. Then we dined at Caroline's on Duval. They have great burgers!
Our last stop in Key West was at an Atocha artifacts shop. The owner and her husband were original crew members with Mel Fisher. . . I can't remember their names. She told us that she had received a million dollars with which she opened her shop. She sells original coins and chains, books, dvd's, puzzles, etc. She let us hold a gold chain that weighed maybe 25 lbs and was worth $960,000 and then she promptly put it back in the safe! Carolyn purchased a necklace forged from the original silver. . .how cool is that? The owner was so kind; she gave Cameron a replica of a coin and a book that details the markings on the coins. You can visit http://www.melfisher.com/ to learn all about the Atocha adventure. It's quite interesting.
The Benson's promise to visit again real soon. Now they know where to find the fish and lobster! I, for one, can't wait! David and I plan to go out there real soon.
On another note, we finally got a pic of one of our fellow "moorer's" shuttling her "best friends" to the dingy dock for obvious reasons! She does this a couple of times each day, that is what you call graditude!
So we are just doing some more improvements and some minor repairs and anxiously awaiting our trip to Isla Mujueres.
In the coming weeks we are expecting a visit from our friends Pat and Penny Wilson in late September. They will pass through Florida (from Canada) on their way back to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. This will be their third season there. We are very anxious to see them. . .we have much to learn from them.
Stay tuned! And thanks for following along!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
The generator is fixed, OH MY - onto Marathon!
I know we have spoken to many of our friends and family recently and I think just about everyone knows that we are safe in Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, but I thought I would get back to regular blogging as it is a chronicle for us to keep.
David had replaced the water pump, the muffler, the belts and the starter and the generator worked for a day or two and that was it. We went back to square one and asked one of the diesel places if they could recommend any other mechanics. So we contacted this one guy. He was willing to come to our boat and look over the generator. He was determined and left to get a new ground cable. He returned the next day and within an hour or so the generator was finally running! And it has been working ever since (which makes about 3 weeks I think)! All in all, our major repairs were the outboard and the generator and now both are running well. I know it could have been much worse.
So it seems we have finally made it through the "shakedown cruise" and unfortunately we feel it is too late in the season to attempt a crossing to Mexico during hurricane season. Though we are considering possibly leaving in late September or October depending on the weather. We do not want to wait until the winds change (November/December) and end up with a north wind pushing us against strong current - makes for BIG waves! Not want we want or need to do. We are still disappointed that we have not yet made it to the Dry Tortugas, but perhaps we will do that in October or November.
We have learned a lot, about the boat. . . how it sails, motors, what the batteries will run and what they won't! No big surprize, but finding knowledgeable repairmen is almost impossible. We learned a great deal about what is important and what is not, a lot about anchoring, mooring, ground tackle, what we wouldn't do again, what we can still do to make it more comfortable, what we can live without and what we can't. . . LIQUOR! (LOL!)
I still have a hard time not cooking large meals. I am accustomed to make meat, starch and vegetable or stews/soups, but I'm resisting the temptation to make enough for leftovers . . . most of the time; it is a daily challenge for me. Hey, I like to eat and I like to cook, and by the way, even though he complains that I make it more difficult that it needs to be, he ALSO cleans his plate and looks for more. (we went out for pizza last night because it was pretty late, 11 pm, and he didn't want to eat canned soup, go figure!) I am learning to be more creative with canned chicken at least - did you see my recipe at the very bottom of the blog? Even though it has been in the 90's most of the time, I cook at least 5 out of 7 days. . . I've just got to make more salads or sandwiches!!
We have met a lot of nice people, some not so nice and some very scary! You have to take the good with the bad and the UGLY! And everyone's got an opinion too!
It has not all been fun and there have been a few times that we both have considered throwing in the towel. It is not easy living with your mate 24/7 in a 38 foot boat, not to mention, the heat, and therefore lack of sleep at times. . .who doesn't get grumpy when they haven't had enough sleep? I can see why some marriages go the wayside when cruising. It ain't for SISSIES! Excuse my grammar!
Let's be fair, if David weren't so knowledgeable about sailing, weather, navigation, engines, generators, a/c, etc., we wouldn't be cruising. He has spent years learning all this stuff! It's a quest of a lifetime, and even so, we have at times said why are we doing this? We could fly around the world for much less. . .but where's the adventure in that? As they say in Lats & Ats magazine "Don't dream your life. . . live your dream"! And "the difference between an adventure and a disaster is ATTITUDE!"
I do my best to support David's efforts and to assist him. I take care of the cooking, cleaning, laundry and shopping, but he is involved in those tasks as well since I don't have my own "dingy"! (hint, hint)
It has taken us three+ years (counting the former boat) to get where we are. . . in improvements, repairs, and knowledge to take on this dream of cruising and though we are a little disappointed that we haven't made it out of the states, everything happens for a reason and Mexico, Belize, and Guatemala will still be there in the fall.
We are taking this time to make some things "more comfortable" for us like shade screen for the cockpit, and also will probably still make a few more improvements to the boat, like solar panels and maybe new and more batteries and FANS! The air conditioning will run on the generator, but we need to upgrade the raw water pump. We are currently replacing new sound proofing in the engine room to cut down on genenerator and engine noise. As all of our friends that have boats know, "it's never done "!
This weekend we hope to leave in the AM and sail out to Sombrero Reef. We're looking forward to the experience. We talked to a dive captain who gave us great directions to a mooring ball in 30 ft of water right off the reef !! Sounds cool! We may even catch some lobster for dinner. . .sounds like a plan to me!
We recently came to know about a 37' sailboat for sale in Key West and our good friends Glenn & Carolyn from Melbourne are coming down for Labor Day Weekend to see it. Hamp and Denise may also join in the fun, but we are still planning the event for now. It will be cozy to say the least!
Stay tuned!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
. . . The repairs continue!
Can't hardly believe it, but we still haven't been able to leave Key West and head to the Dry Tortugas!!!!!!
The generator worked for a several days and then just quit! We seem to have communication problems with the Phasor serviceman. He was not available until yesterday. So we came into Key West Bight Marina yesterday to meet the generator serviceman. He didn't show! Why is it so hard to find reliable help these days?!!! He came this morning and told Capt'n what he had already surmised, that it is probably the starter.
Wellllllllllllll, they ordered the wrong starter! Now we will have to wait until Monday before we can get the new one and install it since we can't seem to even pay the diesel guy to do that! Well, it is a small space and pretty warm in there too. Oh yeah, the a/c isn't working properly either. We're getting a little tired of the"skakedown" cruise repairs, to say the least!
In addition to our woes, our broadband thing has been acting up and most of the time we do not get a "connection" and therefore haven't been able to update the blog or answer emails . . . sorry!
And then, I got our cell phone wet, next time I decide to douse myself with the hose, I must remember to set my purse somewhere dry! Anyway, we tired to use David's old phone and it has decided not to accept incoming calls, nor can we make calls. It's great having all these modern conveniences, but a real pain when they don't work, especially now that we don't own a car. Gladly, David was able to find an AT&T store today so we are $100 poorer.
Needless to say, it hasn't been a real "fun" week!
I have had a lot of time to read just lately and there is quite a lot of history in Key West. Henry Flagler's railroad project for one. A monumental job that began in 1893, having been delayed by several hurricanes in 1906, in which at least 150 people lost their lives, another in 1909 and also 1910. By 1908, Flagler's railroad stretched from Jacksonville to Knight's Key Dock, 45 miles northeast of Key West.
Flagler also gets credit for building the first true resort in the Keys - the Long Key Fishing Camp. It was a popular destination for over 25 years until it's complete destruction in the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Hearst, Mellon, Hoover and Roosevelt all spent time at Long Key.
Key West has also been the site for the filming of several movies, Operation Petticoat, starring Cary Grant and Tony Curtis, Final Countdown starring Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen, True Lies starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jamie Lee Curtis, and License to Kill, starring Timothy Dalton and Priscilla Barnes. I don't remember seeing the first two, but True Lies is on our top ten list, and who can resist Bond, James Bond! Of course, in my opinion, the only true James Bond is Sean Connery!
For more Key West history, you can go to http://www.keyshistory.org/. There's quite a lot of information, but quite interesting. I never used to be much of a history buff, but it seems the older I get . . . the wiser I get, hey who said that?
I came up with a great, easy, boat tested sauce for pasta or rice. Go to the very bottom of the blog to see it. I can also email to anyone that is interested, just let me know.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Marooned in Key West, oh no!
Well, we're still here in the mooring field. The outboard has konked out once again. We had been marooned on the boat for three days, except for the kindness of the Dockmaster who gave us a gallon of gas for our outboard, since we thought we had just gotten some bad gas. Also, Andy and Vickie, who live on a Hunter in the mooring field, who let David borrow their kayak. They also brought us five gallons of fresh gas and took us into town and back one day so we could order parts for the outboard. Then there's Bob, sorry, but I didn't get his wife's name, who was very kind and brought us five gallons of fresh water. So without all this kindness, we would surely have been in a fix!
David has rebuilt the carburetor again, but it's still not working dependably. So I think tomorrow we will get into town and we are probably going to have to purchase a new outboard. We have to be able to depend on it. It's like not having a car, only worse, since land is pretty far away!
We enjoyed a great fireworks display from Fort Zachary Taylor State Park; the longest one we've ever seen.
So, once we get the outboard either repaired or replaced, we will provision and weather permitting, we plan to finally head out to the Dry Tortugas . . . unless, nooooooo, I'm not even going to say it!
Without much else to do, hey it's way too hot to work on the boat, I played around with the blog and changed the template a little. If anyone is having trouble accessing the blog, just send us an email at newhorizonsblue@yahoo.com and we will re-invite you.
Stay tuned!
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Key West
So we arrived “in the land of hoo doo, voo doo and all that s_ _ _”; * Key West the land of OZ.
We are moored in the City Mooring field at Fleming Key; not a good hurricane hole. We learned that during a storm that came out of nowhere, we clocked winds at 48 mph! We were swinging like crazy, but at least we held onto the mooring.
I saw a speckled ray today while we were in the dingy!
Anyway, we have been ordering and waiting for parts for the generator. At first, we only needed a water pump, but then Cap’n Dave found a leak in the muffler, and then the main belt broke! It’s taken a while to get the correct pump and then we had to have a muffler special made for us because they have changed the stock muffler and it would not fit into our space. David was able to do the repairs himself, even though he’s now 3 inches shorter with a crooked arm and a huge bump on his noggin’! We can now watch videos and even make ice!! All while keeping the batteries charged without starting the engine. We’re watching one of all time favorite TV shows, Andy of Mayberry, a true classic. No matter how many times I watch it, I still laugh!
We have spent a good bit of time at Schooner’s Wharf, our favorite bar. See picture of Liz, our favorite bartender. We also found that the Waterfront Market has a great daily special and they have a little place upstairs where you can have your lunch and catch up on emails and such, a diamond in the rough for us cruisers! Finnegan’s Wake is also another favorite haunt with Guinness, Cider, and Fish and Chips (Dennis and Evelyn are with us in spirit).
June 26th, we celebrated the Captain’s 58th birthday! He’s still got IT and doesn’t look a day over 45! (If you have a few beers.) Thanks to the Porch Pirates for remembering David’s birthday, that was so nice.
We went to Mallory Square to celebrate and met up with some pirates! (pics in the library). This isn’t our first hold up in Key West though our first time on New Horizons. Mojitos are now $10.00 a pop during the sunset celebration; a bit rich for our cruising budget and our capacity to consume, but the Cuban’s know how to make a good one! (I fell asleep sitting up in the dingy on the way back to the boat! I never was a drinker!)
We are planning to head out within the next day or three to the Dry Tortugas. I am looking forward to doing some snorkeling. Our original plan was to head from there to Isla Mujueres, Mexico but with hurricane season soon upon us, we’re not yet sure of our direction. We may ride the Gulf Stream north and head into Bimini for a few days after the Dry Tortugas since we have never gone there by boat. David spent time in Bimini at age 18 (1969) and it still holds a special place in his heart. The sail would give us more offshore sailing experience at night. After Bimini, we would head back to Marathon (Boot Key) to hang out for the next three months in the best hurricane hole in the keys.
Stay tuned!
* Captain Ron, Kurt Russell (our favorite movie)
We are moored in the City Mooring field at Fleming Key; not a good hurricane hole. We learned that during a storm that came out of nowhere, we clocked winds at 48 mph! We were swinging like crazy, but at least we held onto the mooring.
I saw a speckled ray today while we were in the dingy!
Anyway, we have been ordering and waiting for parts for the generator. At first, we only needed a water pump, but then Cap’n Dave found a leak in the muffler, and then the main belt broke! It’s taken a while to get the correct pump and then we had to have a muffler special made for us because they have changed the stock muffler and it would not fit into our space. David was able to do the repairs himself, even though he’s now 3 inches shorter with a crooked arm and a huge bump on his noggin’! We can now watch videos and even make ice!! All while keeping the batteries charged without starting the engine. We’re watching one of all time favorite TV shows, Andy of Mayberry, a true classic. No matter how many times I watch it, I still laugh!
We have spent a good bit of time at Schooner’s Wharf, our favorite bar. See picture of Liz, our favorite bartender. We also found that the Waterfront Market has a great daily special and they have a little place upstairs where you can have your lunch and catch up on emails and such, a diamond in the rough for us cruisers! Finnegan’s Wake is also another favorite haunt with Guinness, Cider, and Fish and Chips (Dennis and Evelyn are with us in spirit).
June 26th, we celebrated the Captain’s 58th birthday! He’s still got IT and doesn’t look a day over 45! (If you have a few beers.) Thanks to the Porch Pirates for remembering David’s birthday, that was so nice.
We went to Mallory Square to celebrate and met up with some pirates! (pics in the library). This isn’t our first hold up in Key West though our first time on New Horizons. Mojitos are now $10.00 a pop during the sunset celebration; a bit rich for our cruising budget and our capacity to consume, but the Cuban’s know how to make a good one! (I fell asleep sitting up in the dingy on the way back to the boat! I never was a drinker!)
We are planning to head out within the next day or three to the Dry Tortugas. I am looking forward to doing some snorkeling. Our original plan was to head from there to Isla Mujueres, Mexico but with hurricane season soon upon us, we’re not yet sure of our direction. We may ride the Gulf Stream north and head into Bimini for a few days after the Dry Tortugas since we have never gone there by boat. David spent time in Bimini at age 18 (1969) and it still holds a special place in his heart. The sail would give us more offshore sailing experience at night. After Bimini, we would head back to Marathon (Boot Key) to hang out for the next three months in the best hurricane hole in the keys.
Stay tuned!
* Captain Ron, Kurt Russell (our favorite movie)
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Monday, June 22, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
We learned an interesting thing about Marathon (from our cruising guide to the Keys); there is a facility called Radio Marti, which broadcasts 24 hrs a day to Cuba. It is named for Jose Marti, a Cuban patriot. He was born in Cuba, but lived most of his life between Spain, Guatemala, Venezuela, and NYC. He died in 1895 in Cuba during a skirmish of the war he vehemently advocated.
Apparently, we (US) have broadcast to Cuba ever since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. During Reagan‘s term, Congress passed the Radio Broadcasting of Cuba Act. Radio Marti broadcasts Soap Opera’s, news, entertainment shows, music and even messages for relatives of Cuban Americans who now live in the US. The radio station signed on in 1985 for the first time and has broadcast 24/7 ever since. The facility is not open to the public, and is surrounded by chain link fence with cameras and an armed guard. Who knew???
One evening David and I had gone to Keys Fisheries, a restaurant/bar on the bay, reported to have great fish, lobster bisque and the best sunsets. Earlier in the day we had met Nancy & Hank Haeseker, their outboard was acting up and we sort of towed them back to their boat. While at Keys Fisheries, I noticed a couple, whom I thought was them, sitting a few bar stools away. I was certain this was Nancy and Hank, (dead ringers). I asked if they had gotten their outboard fixed, the gentleman turned to me and said “Oh no, we are at the Yacht Club”. I said “well, how nice for you, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
You meet all kinds of people, and some just think they are “above” the rest of us, most are kind and eager to give helpful information. I had met another lady, Susie Sabercool, while doing laundry, we had planned to get together, but I never ran into her again. They are on an Island Packet 35’. They have been in Boot Key for a little while, her husband works at West Marine in Marathon currently. They are originally from San Diego.
On our last evening in Marathon, we enjoyed dinner and conversation with Hank & Nancy. They live aboard a 52’ DeFever motor cruising yacht. He is an engineer; he retired nearly 14 years ago. We learned of their adventures at sea. They have been just about everywhere; they have done the “loop”, Isla Mujueres, Guatemala, Costa Rica and more. They were so nice and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. Hopefully, we will stay in touch.
After dinner, we went again to the Hurricane to watch game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Victory is so sweet! I understand that this win ties them for eighth place in NHL history! That is so awesome. We love you PENS!
During the Pens game a one-man band, Ben Prestage was performing. I think the type of music he does is Kentucky Bluegrass. He played guitar, drums, banjo, harmonica and also sang all the tunes. He was awesome. If you ever get the chance, he is a treat!
We left Boot Key Harbor Saturday morning. Our last stop was Pancho’s for gas and water and then we on our way to Bahia Honda Key.
We actually got the sails up today and were able to sail for at least 45 minutes! It was one of the hottest days I have ever spent on the boat at sea.
The approach to the anchorage at Bahia Honda Key is between two bridges, new and old. A section of the old bridge was “blasted” away to allow entrance to the beach, state park and campground.
We arrived a little after 1pm. I took a pic of the lonely palm tree, a little oasis in the middle of Hawk Channel, just before the bridge. It looked like the Bahamas, with turquoise water and white sandy beach! Once we got inside the bridge, it looked more like America; RV’s parked along the beach, several shelters, and folks swimming, grilling, snorkeling and such. The water was quite clear, but not turquoise, oh how I love to look at turquoise water!
The current was so fierce, that I never let go of the ladder or I would surely have been swept away. I am not that great of a swimmer! We did catch sight of a guy that got caught in the current, under the bridge; he barely made it to the rocks! You must respect the sea!
The bottom was light sand covering solid rock! David dove on the anchor to make sure it was secure, as storms where once again predicted. Somehow we missed the thunderstorms surrounding us, we held watch all night, and never dragged anchor! Yeh!
We’re headed to Key West in the morning!
Apparently, we (US) have broadcast to Cuba ever since the Cuban Revolution in 1959. During Reagan‘s term, Congress passed the Radio Broadcasting of Cuba Act. Radio Marti broadcasts Soap Opera’s, news, entertainment shows, music and even messages for relatives of Cuban Americans who now live in the US. The radio station signed on in 1985 for the first time and has broadcast 24/7 ever since. The facility is not open to the public, and is surrounded by chain link fence with cameras and an armed guard. Who knew???
One evening David and I had gone to Keys Fisheries, a restaurant/bar on the bay, reported to have great fish, lobster bisque and the best sunsets. Earlier in the day we had met Nancy & Hank Haeseker, their outboard was acting up and we sort of towed them back to their boat. While at Keys Fisheries, I noticed a couple, whom I thought was them, sitting a few bar stools away. I was certain this was Nancy and Hank, (dead ringers). I asked if they had gotten their outboard fixed, the gentleman turned to me and said “Oh no, we are at the Yacht Club”. I said “well, how nice for you, sorry, I thought you were someone else.”
You meet all kinds of people, and some just think they are “above” the rest of us, most are kind and eager to give helpful information. I had met another lady, Susie Sabercool, while doing laundry, we had planned to get together, but I never ran into her again. They are on an Island Packet 35’. They have been in Boot Key for a little while, her husband works at West Marine in Marathon currently. They are originally from San Diego.
On our last evening in Marathon, we enjoyed dinner and conversation with Hank & Nancy. They live aboard a 52’ DeFever motor cruising yacht. He is an engineer; he retired nearly 14 years ago. We learned of their adventures at sea. They have been just about everywhere; they have done the “loop”, Isla Mujueres, Guatemala, Costa Rica and more. They were so nice and we thoroughly enjoyed their company. Hopefully, we will stay in touch.
After dinner, we went again to the Hurricane to watch game 7 of the Stanley Cup. Victory is so sweet! I understand that this win ties them for eighth place in NHL history! That is so awesome. We love you PENS!
During the Pens game a one-man band, Ben Prestage was performing. I think the type of music he does is Kentucky Bluegrass. He played guitar, drums, banjo, harmonica and also sang all the tunes. He was awesome. If you ever get the chance, he is a treat!
We left Boot Key Harbor Saturday morning. Our last stop was Pancho’s for gas and water and then we on our way to Bahia Honda Key.
We actually got the sails up today and were able to sail for at least 45 minutes! It was one of the hottest days I have ever spent on the boat at sea.
The approach to the anchorage at Bahia Honda Key is between two bridges, new and old. A section of the old bridge was “blasted” away to allow entrance to the beach, state park and campground.
We arrived a little after 1pm. I took a pic of the lonely palm tree, a little oasis in the middle of Hawk Channel, just before the bridge. It looked like the Bahamas, with turquoise water and white sandy beach! Once we got inside the bridge, it looked more like America; RV’s parked along the beach, several shelters, and folks swimming, grilling, snorkeling and such. The water was quite clear, but not turquoise, oh how I love to look at turquoise water!
The current was so fierce, that I never let go of the ladder or I would surely have been swept away. I am not that great of a swimmer! We did catch sight of a guy that got caught in the current, under the bridge; he barely made it to the rocks! You must respect the sea!
The bottom was light sand covering solid rock! David dove on the anchor to make sure it was secure, as storms where once again predicted. Somehow we missed the thunderstorms surrounding us, we held watch all night, and never dragged anchor! Yeh!
We’re headed to Key West in the morning!
Sunday, June 7, 2009
No Name Harbor, Pumpkin Key, Channel Five and Bootkey Harbor
Sorry for the lapse in time since our last post. Our generator broke down and so it is difficult to use the computer.
We had quite an experience at Miami Beach Marina! Sort of like the "Three Stooges". After refueling, we headed to our slip, but another sailboat (Moriah) being towed to the Marina via SeaTow changed our destination at the last second to another slip. By then the wind and current caught us and long story short it took practically an hour to get us "right" into the slip. I really felt sorry for the dock hand, as I think he actually knew less about tying up a sailboat that I do!
The Marina caters mostly to power boats and they just don't understand sailboats. Once we were finally tied up, we got to watch SeaTow plant, The Sailboat Moriah, next to us. Those guys really know how to manuever! Moriah is a 56 ft Vanguard and looked a little like the boat on "Captain Ron". They had a fuel filter issue. Captain Dave gave them some advice and turned out to be right.
I wish I could have gotten a look inside. We met the owners who had only purchased her a month ago and on their maiden voyage to North Carolina. They headed out Tuesday morning just before we left at slack tide for North Carolina, we headed for No Name Harbor.
A hell of a storm came up on our way to No Name Harbor, so we had to hang out for a while on the ICW, 40+ gusts. It was kind of hairy for a while, but we survived. We began this leg hopeful that we had put our "anchoring woes" behind us. Yeah well, the saga continues!
If you've never been, No Name Harbor, aka Bill Boggs National Park is just a little alcove off the ICW just beyond Miami Harbor, south of Hurricane Harbor. Captain Dave had spent some time there on our former boat, Valhalla, and was anxious to show it to me.
They charge $2 for the day and $15 for an overnighter. There is a little Cuban Cafe there. I am sad to say that since we hadn't originally planned on staying more than one night, we didn't put the dingy down at all. Captain swam ashore to pay our fees. So we missed the beach, park and the Cafe. I know, but at the time, it just seemed like a lot of work, and since it was raining or threatening to rain, it didn't seem important, not to mention that we were constantly dragging anchor. But I did get a great sunset pic! We spent two nights there and headed out early dawn for Pumpkin Key.
Pumpkin Key is also off the ICW. It's about 40 nm from No Name Harbor, near Angelfish Creek. Ocean Reef, one of the most prestigious resorts in Florida is adjacent to Pumpkin Key. They have an airport and a marina for members only. I was surprised that the homes were not as nearly as extravagant as those we saw in Fort Lauderdale and Miami.
Our first evening, Friday, just about the time we were ready to settle down to sleep, a storm came up and again we were dragging anchor. We had to start the engine and continue doing "donuts" for over an hour as there were about 4 other boats anchored there. We got soaked to the skin!
We had to reset the anchor again and again over the next two days there. (you got to be tired of hearing about our anchor issues!) We had planned on leaving for Hawk Channel on Sunday, but the weather looked kind of dicey, so we stayed one more night. I got a couple great pics of a beautiful sunset there too. I'm just crazy about sunsets, since sunrise comes a little early for me.
Angelfish Creek is quite narrow and very shallow so we had to leave at high tide, 6am Monday morning, and luckily we did not run aground.
We motor sailed down Hawk Channel and arrived at Channel Five at just about sundown, and of course another sunset! We soon realized that we were again dragging anchor and then we were aground!
Capt'n Dave put down all the anchor rode and with a little help from Mother Nature, we were floating again. Another sleepless night for our Captain! Honestly, I try to help, but he just has insomnia!
Up at 5:30am, we headed back to Hawk Channel en route to Bootkey Harbor City Marina. We arrived at about 1pm or so on Tuesday. We promptly got moored and headed in to the dingy dock. Land, it's land!
I've read that Boot Key was a haven for a lot of broken down, old boats and they had a very bad "pollution" problem. The City came in and planted mooring balls and have added new restrooms, showers, a laundry and now have a pump-out boat. They also have a book exchange, a TV room, VCR and movie exchange.
There is quite a large community of boaters here. They even have a yoga class each morning! How cool is that?
They have also organized a net that meets via VHF each morning and they even have church services this way too. You can offer something for sale or ask for information etc. This, of course, is the off season, but still many cruisers come in each day, stay for an evening or two and head off to their next destination.
Boot Key is very dingy friendly; you can go to West Marina, Publix, Kmart, Dockside (a tavern on the water), etc. though there are only a few places you are permitted to tie up.
Capt'n Dave and I rented bikes and toured Marathon. I AM REALLY OUT OF SHAPE, WHEW!! THE CAPTAIN COULD HAVE DONE THE WHOLE ISLAND, BUT I WAS NOT ABLE.
Yesterday we went to Sombrero Beach. It was very nice, except for all the sea grass. They have showers, picnic areas, volleyball courts; the place is very busy with family activities. There are many lovely homes on all of the canals, and of course condos. There is also the Sombrero Resort & Marina and a golf course.
We spent several evenings at the Hurricane Grill, watching the Penguins; last evening was a sorry loss! They had played so well on Thursday, what happened???? Ah, professional sports!
Our generator belt and impeller are due in tomorrow, Monday. Our plan is to do the repair and head out Wednesday for Bahia Honda. We will anchor there for an evening at least and then it's on to Key West!
Stay tuned!
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Visiting with Michael & Moriah
We were able to meet up with Michael and Moriah. David transported them, on what was, I'm sure their first and maybe their last "dingy" ride!
They got to check out "our home". David explained our sytems to Michael while Moriah and I chatted. (I would love to be a "fly on the wall" to be able to hear how they describe to the family about our new home and lifestyle.)
We later went to South Beach. South Beach for Memorial Day weekend, as we later learned is primarily a black college weekend, not bad, just different than I have ever seen in SoBe. We enjoyed an early dinner at The News, one of our favorite haunts.
A trip to Monty's and Miami Beach Marina followed. Quite a different marina than the one we are currently anchored. Miami Beach Marina is filled with very high end cruising yachts and nary a sailboat. Miami Yacht Club on the other hand, is mostly middle class and is also surrounded by a large number of boats that were probably salvaged during one of the recent storms, if you can get the "picture".
It was very enjoyable to visit with Michael and Moriah. They are such a nice couple. We learned of their missionary work in Guyana, an adventure of their own!
Michael was very intent on learning all he could about the Henry heritage and surprised to learn that he is a descendant of Patrick Henry. He was so intent that we were beginning to think that he isn't expecting to see us again. Hey you never know, right?
The evening ended at Miami Yacht Club for a nightcap. The Yacht Club requires $18 daily for showers and dingy dock. They also require $40 being spent in their restaurant which is faciltated by providing you with "funny money", which we promptly used for libations!
Holding at the anchorage is difficult to say the least. With the high winds and tidal currents we have had to reset the hooks numerous times, needless to say, the Captain hasn't gotten much sleep.
Hopefully, with most of our quirks worked out, we plan to head onto Miami Beach Marina tomorrow to provision, do the laundry and then head south to Hawk Channel. . . .stay tuned!
They got to check out "our home". David explained our sytems to Michael while Moriah and I chatted. (I would love to be a "fly on the wall" to be able to hear how they describe to the family about our new home and lifestyle.)
We later went to South Beach. South Beach for Memorial Day weekend, as we later learned is primarily a black college weekend, not bad, just different than I have ever seen in SoBe. We enjoyed an early dinner at The News, one of our favorite haunts.
A trip to Monty's and Miami Beach Marina followed. Quite a different marina than the one we are currently anchored. Miami Beach Marina is filled with very high end cruising yachts and nary a sailboat. Miami Yacht Club on the other hand, is mostly middle class and is also surrounded by a large number of boats that were probably salvaged during one of the recent storms, if you can get the "picture".
It was very enjoyable to visit with Michael and Moriah. They are such a nice couple. We learned of their missionary work in Guyana, an adventure of their own!
Michael was very intent on learning all he could about the Henry heritage and surprised to learn that he is a descendant of Patrick Henry. He was so intent that we were beginning to think that he isn't expecting to see us again. Hey you never know, right?
The evening ended at Miami Yacht Club for a nightcap. The Yacht Club requires $18 daily for showers and dingy dock. They also require $40 being spent in their restaurant which is faciltated by providing you with "funny money", which we promptly used for libations!
Holding at the anchorage is difficult to say the least. With the high winds and tidal currents we have had to reset the hooks numerous times, needless to say, the Captain hasn't gotten much sleep.
Hopefully, with most of our quirks worked out, we plan to head onto Miami Beach Marina tomorrow to provision, do the laundry and then head south to Hawk Channel. . . .stay tuned!
Friday, May 22, 2009
Heading south to Fort Lauderdale and Miami
Well, unfortunately due to uncertainity of alternator and voltage regulator we continued down the ICW, no fun there!
Spent a couple of days on the hook and couldn't leave the boat since our dingy motor decided to act up once again. We then headed to Riviera Beach Marina and landed a spot at the T-dock, what a mistake with the wind and current, but thankfully no damage.
We were hoping to at least talk with a mechanic . . . but I don't think there are any in Riviera! One guy told us to take the ground wire off the alternator, and if it still worked then we would know it wasn't the alternator! ~!@#$%! Oh, and the next guy, "an electrician", didn't even know what an alternator does, or even better, a voltage regulator. He learned something new, how great for him! What a joke! I don't know how they make a living! Scary!
The Captain ordered (West Marine told us they didn't make the model we had) and installed a new voltage regulator and it seems to be working fine. It helps to do your homework. The alternator is holding its own so we left for Fort Lauderdale mid-morning Wednesday.
We continued down the ICW all day and evening and anchored in Lake Sylvia. Now I know how the other half lives. Multi million dollar homes all along the ICW in Fort Lauderdale. It was really pretty at night and thankfully, deep water! We incurred a hell of a storm while anchored in Lake Sylvia, 45 k wind gusts and were still up at 3:30 re-setting the anchor - don't you just love it! All is well though, found a leaking port, books got wet, but no big deal. Ah, boat life!
We left Thursday morning heading south to Miami. Had hoped to go outside, but weather forecast again was too risky; we heard several maydays, convinced the Captain, the ICW is just fine!
The Captain was very tired, so Firstmate had to learn very quickly to navigate the charts. You would think I would have learned that already, but you know you just coast along sometimes. Sometimes I depend on our Captain too much, but I'm learning and very pleased to say that I did marvelously!
We came upon that beautiful blue-green water and then. . . ran aground! (Sorry Captain, but I have to tell, I was at wheel as the depth decreased to 7.7, got scared and turned it over to you) Hey, you know sometimes you just forget about the tides!
But hey, SeaTow was waiting nearby for that to happen! It pays to be a member; a $20 tip and we were on our way again. Happy to report no damage to New Horizons. The wind and current, as we headed toward the Julia Tuttle Bridge was unbelievable! But we made it! We were quite tired and frantic to find an anchorage close by. Alas, we followed another boat to a little anchorage!
We are anchored near Miami Yacht Club, just beyond the Venetian Causeway. Looking forward to meeting up with our nephew Michael and his wife, Moriah today.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Day One, our adventure begins . . . . isn't this great!
Special thanks to Gene and Deb for joining for one last Bon Voyage, plenty of food and a hangover.
We took off at approximately 2 pm on Tuesday, May 12th, but we returned shortly thereafter. David dove down to check the prop and learned that there was a line wrapped around the prop. He was able to free it and so we finally got on our way at 4pm.
It was an interesting voyage to say the least. Weather forecast had been for 10-15 knot of easterly winds with a 20% chance of showers. We experienced southerly winds, 6 foot seas with 30-40 mph gusts, rain, thunder and lightning. Thanks NOAH! It took us over 19 hours to reach Ft Pierce, a mere 58 miles away.
The alternator began to act up. David soon learned that it was over-heating. Once he turned on the blower and removed the bottom steps to provide air circulation, all was fine . . . but quite noisy.
The Simrad WP30 autopilot, we have affectionately named "Detlef", after it's namesake Detlef and Lorena, (who sold us the unit) performed marvelously, we would really have been in trouble without it.
We enjoyed a lovely, sunny, breezy day at anchor near Harbortown Marina in Ft Pierce; drying out, cleaning up and catching up on sleep.
Special thanks to Gene and Deb for joining for one last Bon Voyage, plenty of food and a hangover.
We took off at approximately 2 pm on Tuesday, May 12th, but we returned shortly thereafter. David dove down to check the prop and learned that there was a line wrapped around the prop. He was able to free it and so we finally got on our way at 4pm.
It was an interesting voyage to say the least. Weather forecast had been for 10-15 knot of easterly winds with a 20% chance of showers. We experienced southerly winds, 6 foot seas with 30-40 mph gusts, rain, thunder and lightning. Thanks NOAH! It took us over 19 hours to reach Ft Pierce, a mere 58 miles away.
The alternator began to act up. David soon learned that it was over-heating. Once he turned on the blower and removed the bottom steps to provide air circulation, all was fine . . . but quite noisy.
The Simrad WP30 autopilot, we have affectionately named "Detlef", after it's namesake Detlef and Lorena, (who sold us the unit) performed marvelously, we would really have been in trouble without it.
We enjoyed a lovely, sunny, breezy day at anchor near Harbortown Marina in Ft Pierce; drying out, cleaning up and catching up on sleep.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Well, it is now May 2, we are very close to our "drop dead" date. David has resigned! We joined the Porch Pirates for dinner and Bon Voyage. It was great! Still need to do more provisioning, a few odd ends to tie up, sewing a screen for the cockpit, Sailmail, cell phones, Satellite phone, etc. . . . but we are almost ready to go!
Monday, April 20, 2009
The beginning . . .
New Horizons was purchased by Ed & Betty Carter in 1981. The boat was delivered to Diamond 99 Marina, in Melbourne, FL.
Ed & Betty owned and operated Diamond 99 Marina for 25+ years. They used New Horizons for pleasure and also, since Ed was an ASA instructor, used the boat for training students how to sail on many excursions to the Bahamas. Ed & Betty have sold Diamond 99 Marina and are now retired.
Ed had made many upgrades since 1981, including a 50hp, 4-108 Perkins diesel engine, a 3.5hp Kubota generator, air conditioning, a windlass, a raw water washdown pump, an electric toilet, an Furuno chartplotter, a ProSine inverter, and a grill.
Since our purchase in 2005, we have further added a wind generator, a SSB (single sideband radio), a Sirius radio (for entertainment), (eliminating many CD's) a microwave, an Engel freezer, new batteries, a barometer, and a holding tank.
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