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!
