Isla Mujeres

March 10, 2015

Jerry, Susan, Charlie and I were all at the Port Captain's office by 9:00 this morning.  Thank god, Jerry is fluent in Spanish, it was a big help all through the day.  By 2:30 we had completed all our paperwork.  Jorge, who worked with the Health Department, chastised (we received no fine,thank goodness) us all severely for not checking into the first Mexican port we had come to.  He said, "you have been in Mexican waters for a week and could have been spreading Ebola all up the coast".  Hmmm....well we knew we were all very healthy, because he took our temperature and made us stick out our tongues!  But, like he said, if he was in the USA and did this he would have been deported immediately....and he is right, so we promised to not do that again.

So with official legal papers in hand and a 90 day visa, we made our way across the street to Social Justice to celebrate with more cerveza and coconut fried shrimp...as only the Mexicans can do.  It is getting close to Susi's arrival time on the ferry from Cancun, so we walked to the ferry dock.  Susi arrived with her beautiful smile at 5:30...and her vacation begins!


March 11, 2015

We had a leisurely morning, but soon headed in the dingy back to shore and rented a golf cart.  Golf carts and motorcycles are the major mood of transportation on the island, at least by the tourists and cruisers.  We dropped off our laundry at Ave. Juarez and Ave. Matamoras and paid $40 peso/per kilo.  Next stop was a history lesson at the Estate of Fermin Mundaca.  Fermin was a pirate, who at the ripe old age of 40 decided to settle down on Isla Mujeres, in 1880, where he met a beautiful young Mexican girl, Prisca Gomez.   He fell deeply in love with her and built a 2 story home on his "plantation" in hopes to win her heart.  But she loved another and his heart was broken.  There of course is more to this story, but it was a very hot day and we walked around and saw what still remains of his home.  The price of admission was $20 pesos each.

Oh our way out of the "estate" we saw an elderly couple selling sea shell wind chimes.  I remember this couple from 2 years ago, the husband makes trumpet horns out of conch shells and Charlie had to have one.  This gentleman had to take the conch shell, that Charlie picked out, back home to plaster the hole where the conch was removed from, in order to make a horn out of it.  So we will return another day to pick it up.  Charlie just can't wait to wake the anchorage up early in the morning with his horn.

the last word.....salad

Our next stop was the Chuedauri....the large grocery store on the island....for a few grocery items.  Then a stop at Lolo Lorana's to make reservations for Friday night dinner.  Lolo is famous on the island for her gourmet cuisine.  We had met her briefly 2 years ago, trying to make reservations, but she was going to Europe on vacation, as she is from Brussels.  While having a wonderful breakfast at Mango's, we heard that Lolo had an accident and they were not sure if she was cooking. We made it to her house and a young boy ushered us back through her 2 kitchens and into Lolo's bedroom.  We were somewhat reluctant to enter for we could see Lolo laying on the bed, but she waved us in with her wonderful laugh and French accent.   She indeed had a terrible accident, breaking her upper arm bone and lower leg bone with a cast and metal pins sticking in everywhere...oh my...but still a smile on her face.  What a wonderful spirit she has.  Susi and I were somewhat taken back by all of this, which came out in hysterical laughter when we retold it to Charlie in the cockpit that night with cocktails.  So more to come on the dinner....

Cozumel to Isla Mujeres

March 9, 2015

We left Cozumel by 7:30 and had a nice motor sail up the coast to Isla Mujeres.  The Mexican "Gold Coast" stretches out for miles all along this northern route.  We kept thinking we were close to Cancun, but the hotels go for miles and miles.  We finally anchored in Isla Mujeres around 2:30. Now it is time for check-in.  As you check out of one country you must then check-in to the next.  We had managed to by pass checking into Belize by sailing along the outer cays.  As luck would have it the offices were closed, but just across the street is the Restaurant Social Justice, which has the best ceviche in town.  So the four of us ordered up Ceviche Mixto (shrimp, octopus, conch and some local fish) and plenty of ceverza to wash it all down.  Now with our bellies full we went back to our boats and fell blistfully to sleep.  Thanks to s/v Nikki Wikki, we now know to anchor in the sand near the reef, as this area is know as the "Drag Strip".

Social Justice

San Miguel, Cozumel

March 8, 2015

We arrived in Cozumel and made our way to the only anchorage around 2:30 p.m. and went to shore in search of sim cards for our phone and internet sticks, now that we are in a new country, but no such luck since it is Sunday.  We got a few things at the Mega Mart, it was air conditioned and we really wanted to hang there for a while, but we were all just too tired.

After arriving back to the boat we noticed a "ship" anchored near us....m/v "A".  Come to find out this boat is owned by a Russian and it is just over the top!  I have added a link to a You Tube video which gives you a inside tour. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbucJO3zDCE Susan took this great shot of Island Sol in front of  "A"....thanks Susan!

This was a horrible anchorage just north of the ferry dock.  Swells all night long and ferry wake constantly....we are so ready to get out of here!

Punta Allen

March 7, 2015

Charlie changed the fuel filters on the generator, not an easy task and then to boot, in a very small space.  I finished The Tenth Gift by Jane Johnson and added this to my best book list.  We are getting the boat ready for a 4:30 a.m. departure in the morning and making a 60 N M (nautical mile) sail to Cozumel.  Without any issues we should be in Isla Mujeres by Monday evening and then welcome Susi Q on board Tuesday for her 3rd visit to Island Sol.

March 8...Hoisted the anchor and left at our departure time of 4:30.  The wind is 21 mph with sloppy seas and with the wind at 30 degrees on a starboard tack. Very uncomfortable motor sailing, being tossed all around.  Had to finally take in the jib and motor sailed with the main sail only.

The starboard davit pole broke lose and Charlie had to use a snap block and a halyard from the mast to support the dingy because we were slamming into the waves so badly.

Punta Allen, Quintana Roo, Mexico

March 3, 2015

On seeing the cut in the reef to Bahia Ascension ...I am thinking, oh boy, won't be long to anchor.  Wrong...it took us over 2+ hours to get to the anchorage which was tucked in behind the land.  Unfortunately we had to go way in and turn back up due to shallow water.  After getting the anchor down, we noticed a lot of boats ferrying people, with orange life vests on, back and forth to a cut in the coast line.  We knew this had to be tourists, as no Mexican fisherman wear life vests.  But, it was time to settle in for the evening...again we were exhausted and couldn't wait to get in bed.

The elementary school

Day 2...we went ashore and realized that these boats were indeed shuttling tourists (all Italian, which blew my mind) around Sian Kiai ("Birth of the Sky") Natural Reserve.  Punta All was a much larger town than Rausher's guide depicted, but as we have seen many changes have occurred since the last edition of her book 7 years ago.  The town is very neat with well kept yards and nicely appointed gardens.  There is a school for the younger children and another larger school for the older students.  And, to our amazement a local library...yeah for Punta Allen.  There is also a wonderful basketball court, soccer field and playground near the central zocalo.  We found what seemed to be a local bar/restaurant and settled in to the shade of the building and ordered our 1st round of beers.  We decided to eat after the proprietor showed us some red snapper and lobster (frozen) - it seemed a little pricy so we all settled on shrimp.  We finally got some good tortillas, only in Mexico.  It has been our experience that Guatemalans, Belizeans, and Hondurans just can not make a decent corn tortilla - but I guess it is just our Texan taste.

We visited 2 "supermarkets" in search of avacados, but none were found.  This was our first store since leaving the Rio Dulce (Feb. 24) and our fresh produce was gone, except for a lime and an onion.  We were so excited to also find tortilla chips as they do not exist in Guatemala...at least in the Rio.

March 4....Today we went back to town, still on a quest for the elusive avacado.  Lo and behold our second store had some and we bought them all.

. Chinchorro Banks to Bahi Espiritu Santo...Mexico

March 3, 2015

Left this morning around 9:30.  We are sailing under full main and jib on a starboard tack doing an average of 6.5 knots and it is a beautiful day.  Vida Dulce is ahead of us by about 2 miles (how those cats can fly).  We should arrive at Bahia Espiritu Santo around 5:30.  During all this time together, Charlie and I have decided on our "grandparent names"....Tippi and Cappy!  Oh the places your mind goes when your are in a confined environment for hours on end.  A south passing boat s/v Beach House out of Los Angles, CA asked us, over the radio, to take a picture of his boat as he passed us.  He is circumnavigating and has been out a year.  He said he's never gotten a picture of his boat with full sails up.  We scrambled for the camera and did the best we could...hope it turns out OK.  Later we passed s/v Neko who was traveling with Beach House, they were headed to the Chinchorro Banks.

We arrived around 3:30 with 4 porpoise riding our bow.  Once inside the reef we turned north and headed for Vida Dulce already at anchor.  We had to weave through a ton of fish traps secured by plastic coke bottles, white plastic gallon jugs, and actual fishing floats.  We anchored in 20' of water behind the reef.  It is too far from land to do any exploring and we are even too tired to lower the dingy down to join Susan and Jerry for "happy hour".  So, cocktails in the cockpit.  It is such a sight to watch the sun set on the sea.  Tonight, it is setting behind the land.  There are clouds which somewhat obscure the setting but it is still beautiful.  So again, "red sky at night..."  Our anchorage is very rough, it is as if we are still sailing, but martini's make thing fine along with some good music.

such a great boat

Lighthouse Reef, Belize to Chinchirro Banks, Mexico....Overnight Sail

March 1, 2015

s/v Island Sol

Spent the day preparing the boat for an overnight sail and doing some cooking for the trip.  Around 5 p.m. our little flatilla left and headed for Banco Chinchorro in Mexican waters.  And, as our past was to be revisited, we were motor sailing into the wind with 6' seas.

It was a very uncomfortable sail again, but around 4:00 a.m. (March 2) we came into the lee of the Chinchorro Banks which flattened out the water and gave us a much more pleasant ride.  Poor Charlie, he has been fishing since we left Guatemala and has only caught sargassum weed.  Today though he snagged a barracuda.

We arrived around 9:30 to the anchorage at Cayo Norte and found a good hold in plenty of sand, then showered and feel into bed for a much needed rest.  Had happy hour on Vida Dulce - lovely evening with good conversation and what seems to be a good friendship forming.

The Chinchorro Banks have be so far the most beautiful water we have seen.  We will hopefully revist there on our way back south in June.

some knitting in my spare
time