We arrived in Islas Mujeras, a small island, just off Cancun, Mexico at about 7pm on Christmas Eve after a 3 day passage, some great sailing from Key West but also a bit of motoring when the wind died.
On paper the passage should have been straight into the Gulf Stream, yup the same thing that keeps the UK warm and palm trees in Torquay, but fortunately it didn’t really materialise until the last 50 miles in the Yucatan Channel where we experienced nearly 4 knots on the nose – It is very dispiriting to be belting along under sail at 8 knots through the water into such a strong current the result of which is only about 4 knots over the ground.
We had a quiet Christmas morning, once Louise had been allowed to open her two presents at 6am, wandering around town trying to find an internet café from where we could ring home. Duty completed a quick fortifying Margarita was called for before heading off to the sailors ‘pot luck’ Christmas lunch at a local marina. After a bit of turkey we slipped away to selfishly eat our own little Christmas puds that we weren’t gong to share with anyone.
Unbeknown to us we arrived in Mexico with a passenger; a small lizard having taken up residence in the fore cabin. He must have got onboard when we where tied up alongside in Fort Lauderdale. So he has been christened Lauderdale Larry. After the first shock of discovery we have become quite fond of Larry but have been getting slightly worried about what he is going to eat, even pouring little pools of water for him drink. After several attempts at capture, (Mark spent a happy afternoon making a lizard trap, using loo rolls and sticky back plastic ‘a la Blue Peter’) Larry was still at large and beginning to look decidedly skinny but getting braver each day as he ventured further around the boat.
On Sunday we returned to the boat and found him sitting on top of the cooker in a frying pan, quick action and a little slight of hand he was captured in large plastic bag. Then a rapid dinghy trip to shore, Larry was released onto the white sand of Islas Mujeras, near some grass for cover. We stood over him for a minute or two like anxious parents and then decided to go for a Margarita to celebrate freedom and such things.
As our passage to Mexico had taken us over the magic 23½ parallel and so back into the tropics. We are happy to get back into our tropical routine of up early, well Mark anyway, a few jobs then prolonged siestas which always tend to get spoilt by the search for laundry, bank, food etc. But with a bit of time on our hands Mark has been in a DIY frenzy and so we now have a new kitchen ceiling, and 5 windows that don’t leak, which is quite useful in a sea going vessel!
We did manage to put off the siesta yesterday for long enough to bicycle around the island, luckily it is very small and there is not much to see. We did spot some very funky homes and visited the ruin of a pirate’s hacienda in a large much neglected garden but were kept happily amused for some time with the explanatory signs and the bizarre English translation.
Nights at anchor around this time of year can be pretty windy due to the ‘Christmas Winds’ and this can lead to disturbed nights sleep but after a while you get used the various clanking and bangings that are normal to your boat but sometimes a certain noise just cuts through. Last night was such a night and Louise heard something that sounded a bit odd and so woke Mark who very quickly realised we were being visited by another boat! Our neighbour’s boat had dragged his anchor and was in the process of getting entangled in our rigging! Luckily we had all woken up about the same time and disaster was averted, well a bent stanchion for us, a broken wind generator & HF aerial for him – things that go bump in the night can’t be ignored on boats!
Now a quick stock up and tomorrow we head off further south to meet up with Mike Barbis on another island off the Mexican coast called Cozumel for our sail down to Belize. | 