Carnival Isla Mujeres Mexico

While visiting Isla Mujeres, the Ile of woman, we were pleasantly surprised to find out that we happened to be here during Carnival. We had never been to a carnival before, so the thought of hot womenfolk in costume appealed to Marc’s adventureous side. Not only that, friends had just invited us to Fantasy Fest in Key West Florida next spring and he had been researching pictures of what that carnival offered, so his interest was peeked, to say the least. For me, the music, dancing, costumes, colour and food, what could be more perfect.  Fantasy Fest it was not, but we now have the carnival bug. Sadly though, this coincided with the two week period that I was sick so we only really enjoyed one day of this five day long party.

Carnival is a big deal on Isla Mujeres. Community groups, schools you name it, everyone participates. They make elaborate costumes, play music and dance salsa, rumba, merengue all over the place. It’s all so powerful that your feet aren’t able to stop moving along with them. There are parades that start at midday down Rueda Medina, dance competitions in the town square and impromptu performances everywhere. While sitting to rest and have a cervasa in a street side bar a rickety pick up stopped, unloaded a gaggle of performers who then stopped traffic performing to a crowd for 45 minutes. Of course, followed by tourist photo ops. The thing that interested me the most and made it so special was that everyone participated in the celebrations. It didn’t matter male or female, how young or how old, how sleek or curvaceous everyone was having the time of their lives. What a healthy dose of self esteem these people have. I would describe them as vivacious. Marc and I laughed to see an older, curvy woman (remember I think 50 is young) dressed vibrantly, who kept moving to the front of the troupe to get her picture taken. Think of a time when you have had one too many drinks and think you are the hottest dancer on the floor and everyone wants you! It was a marvelous day. 

Blue View Let's Talk About Charts

Let's Talk About Charts

We are very spoiled when cruising in the Canadian and US waters.  The charts are detailed and fairly accurate.  Also, from what I see on my charts Bahamas, USVI and BVI are the same, which I can't confirm as we haven't been there yet. The problem with Cuban and Mexican charts is that they are either sporadic at best or sometimes almost downright non existent. Some people would say I'm crazy not to carry paper charts. But my thinking is the electronic charts are updated regularly, and your paper charts can be out of date within days of purchase.  To stay current, you would have to get the information off the website and manually update your charts.  Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bashing paper charts and I love to use them as they give you a great overview, but why would I go to the trouble of updating paper charts when it is done automatically by your electronic chart supplier.  I have an older Lowrance with 10 year old Navionic charts, a new Garmin in the cockpit, the new Garmin Bluechart Mobile App with Active Captain on my IPad, Sea Charts on my computer and last, a portable Garmin. I have looked at all of them and found them all the same.  The chart plotters can only give you the information that is available to them.

So, where am I going with this? Since traveling the Cuban and Mexican waters I have found it difficult to get detailed and accurate charts. Overall, Cuba's charts are minimal as soon as you leave a major port.  Mexico is somewhat better in highly traveled areas, but go outside the beaten path, then they are minimalistic also.

Detailed Garmin, Havana Cuba Habour Open To Commercial Vessels Only

Garmin Chart Of Hemingway Marina. A Large Pleasure Craft Marina Near Havana.  As You Can See, There Is No Detail. 

(The Markers 423 To 427 Were Part Of My Plotted Course).

This View Of Hemmingway Marina, Same As Above Is Information Of Provided By The Cruising Guide To Cuba By Cheryl Barr

Detailed And Clear To Understand

Garmin Overview Of Highly Cruised Isla Mujeres Mexico

Garmin Zoomed In Chart Of Isla Mujeres Mexico

Isla Contoy Is Only 15 Nm From Isla Mujeres.  This Island Is 4.5 Miles Long And Limited Detail With The Garmin Chartplotter.  The Dotted Line You See Was The Course We Took.  As You Can See At One Point We Were Doing Some Cross Country Travelling With Our Sailing Vessel Devocean.  

Although, This Cruising Guide To Mexico Is Seven Years Old, We Found The Detailed Charts In It, More Valuable Than Our Inaccurate Electronics

One quick word about Active Captain.  This is probably my favourite navigational tool, on board.  If you have an IPad with a GPS, you can purchase the Garmin Bluecharts Mobile App and charts. Then join Active Captain for free.  Active Captain is an information gathering system that interacts with the Garmin Mobile Chart.  This is updated by cruising members, giving you current information on anchorages, marinas, hazards, fuel prices and more.  I would highly recommend the Garmin Bluechart Mobile App with Active Captain to anyone.  Best purchase we have done yet.

Garmin Bluechart Mobile App With The Active Captain Gives You Icons To Achorages, Marinas And More.  By Touching The Icons You Get Actual Information Supplied By Cruisers.  Well Worth The Money. 

My recommendations:

When sailing these waters get the most accurate recent Cruising Guide books you can find. They are a great source of information. 

Never enter an unknown location in the dark unless it's an emergency.  

When in doubt, sail the deeper water as much as possible.  

Don't get complaisant in deep water.

Not all shoals or reefs are marked. 

The best indicator for shallow water is color, but even the colors can be affected by cloud shadows and you need to keep a sharp eyeball.

Finaly, I would like to say i'm not anti paper chart, pro electronic charts or pro guides.  This is what has worked for us so far.

May the trade winds be with you.

Isla Contoy Mexico

We have been using the Belize & Mexico’s Caribbean Coast Cruising Guide, by Captain Freya Rauscher, 3rd edition 2007. It has been a great source of information and the most current that we could locate on the market but, as we are finding out, it is out of date for such a fast changing cruising area. In the guide it described Isla Contoy as National Bird Sanctuary located 14NM from Isla Mujeres. The Island is home to the nesting grounds of flamingo, roseate, spoonbills, brown pelicans, frigates, cormorants, brown boobies, turns & red egrets. There is a 70 foot viewing tower, a biology station, where presently 5 biologists live and work, and a small information centre.  To be able to visit and anchor you must acquire a pass. 

When we received our 24 hour pass to visit, I was more than excited. I had visions of hiking the length of this 4.5 mile long by .5 mile wide island, coming into pristine areas of wildlife and birds, exploring like Jacques Cousteau. I was going to snorkel the advertised pristine reefs.  We had a beautiful sail north with a perfect east wind. When we caught sight of the island’s north tip we saw a 105 foot white masonry lighthouse, the sky above the island was filled with birds. We motored slowly as close as possible along the West side to capture as much of the island from the sea as possible. As we traveled we spotted a pink flamingo! Oh heart be still I had never seen a live flamingo before. 

When we arrived at the biology station, it was crowded with people from neighbouring Cancun basking on the small but beautiful beaches. Where did these people come from? What are they doing in my nirvana? Why are they lying on the beach and not exploring this pristine environment?  Well, it seems that 200 people a day are shuffled here from Cancun as an excursion, they are wined (tequilaed) and dined.  All, and that all includes us, can only use the beaches in a buoyed area, no snorkelling, visit the information centre which is very old and outdated, a two minute walk thru just about covered it all, hike a 550 meters cordoned area then up to the lookout where you can see where you really want to be. Out there exploring. I do get it, really I do. But it was me and this is not how it was presented. Now on the upside, as with everything, something just make the day perfect. The tourist leave at three, so we once again walked the area, it was like someone had told little creatures that the door was closed because hermit crabs came out of everywhere, iguanas scurried non stop and the concept of being anchored at a secluded island alone was pretty exciting. 

4

It's All Fun & Games Until An Anchor Slips

Conversions between common units of speed

1 Knot = km/h 1.852, mph 1.150779

08:00 17 March 2014 wind 18-20 Nautical Mile Per Hour gusting to 25 NMPH

You know how you say something like, “I haven’t had a cold in forever,” then the next thing you know, you have a full blown, fall down cold. Or “my car never breaks down, it always starts first time I turn the key,” then the next morning you are running late, and the car won’t start. Well, I jinxed myself just that way. I said to Marc, “ The weather has been so good, not sticky and humid like Cuba.” I swear the weather turned sticky humid the minute the words left my mouth. It was so humid the sheets on the bed felt heavy. When will I ever learn to keep my mouth shut. So, consequently, to say that we have been lively the past few days would be an understatement and I have been bored. I am not talking jeez, what should we do today bored, I’m talking full out watching paint dry bored. It’s too muggy to do anything. You don’t sleep well because it’s muggy, because you don’t sleep well accompanied the mugginess, you don’t move too fast, because you're not moving you don’t want to eat, or to Marc’s chagrin I don’t want to cook. I did try drinking, but that was yesterday and two days of lying around drinking, just seems wrong, unless your with your girlfriends, of course 

12:30 17 March 2014 wind 20-25 NMPH gusting upward 

So, today in the face of boredom, we decided to learn how to use the new single sideband receiver (SSB) that we bought, the one that is still sitting in the original packing box. The SSB that we bought ironically to allow us to keep up with Chris Parker, or other cruising nets with up to date accurate weather information. Well,  that was worse than watching paint dry, my stats class at LU or any form of math. I’m sure that the SSB will have its uses when we figure it out, but that is now up to the captain, he can explain it to me when he has it mastered. 

15:30 17 March 2014 wind 25-30 NMPH gusting upward

So, where am I going with this? Well, I was absent-mindedly trying to get internet that won’t work, pestering Marc for attention, anything to occupy my mind. Marc is still trying to learn the SSB, when the sky turns darker, the wind gusts and rain starts.

16:00-17:00 17 March 2014 wind  38-40 NMPH 

We are unsure of the actual highest wind speed because we set the wind indicator 20-30 minutes into the blow. 

It really gets windy. The boat starts to heal. Laughingly, confidently I say, “Lets go up and check it out?” That looking for adventure, lets cool off in the rain kind of question. When the wind turns to a Dorothy from Kansas type of wind. Now my captain is moving and moving fast.  We have been sitting in our anchorage in the same spot on the same hook, anchor for my non sailing friends, for at least the last two weeks and a couple of good 25+ knot blows and have never moved. When we anchored Marc had put out a second anchor that has sat benignly as an indicator of slippage since we claimed this spot.  We even have felt lucky that we have had such a good hold when others have not. See there goes that karma thing again, don’t say it out loud. This is not the case any longer. The first and second anchor is not holding. Number one is slipping number two is as tight as  a witches … well you know how tight it is and we are moving.  Marc starts the engine and yelled loudly over the wind that “we are dragging, take the helm.” So, with the engine running, Marc on the bow and constant sheets of rain pushing sideways I can’t see or hear a thing. I only hope that I am helping. I am trying to make sure we haven’t dragged close to any other boats. In what seems like forever Marc raises the anchors and with DevOcean in gear we push against the wind and waves. I see Marc looking, searching to ensure we are in a safe spot to reset the anchor. My clothes are soaked, I am frozen, my adrenaline is pumping. My captain is, as always, at the ready to ensure the anchor is set properly. I retreat to the cabin, but I don’t see his wet face for another 30 minutes. All is good.  

20:00 17 March 2014 wind 20-28 NMPH

Marc decides to set a second anchor, just in case, you never know if you might need one, for safety’s sake, as a back up. 

22:00 17 March 2014 wind 18-20 NMPH  

All is fine now except for the ever present howl of the wind. The rain has stopped.

06:15 18 March 2014 wind 12-15 NMPH

Marc is listening to Chris Parker on the SSB. I’ve got a full day planned and hey, the weather is good today not so humid and sticky like Cuba

Sunrise at 06:00 18 March 2014 Isla Mujeres

Being Sick On A Sailboat In Paradise Is Just No Fun

Sail•ing (sāl’ing)

1. n. the fine art of getting wet and becoming ill while slowly going nowhere at great expense.                               Henry Beard & Roy McKie

Marc and I are sick. OK I admit it I gave it to him but he wanted to live on a small boat and share everything so who am I to deny him his wants. I never really gave it much thought before we left other than ensuring a generous supply of over the counter meds. We don’t get sick. Ever. 

A few nights ago I woke up with a burning throat, fever and a wicked head ache. Of course my first thoughts were not good. I thought of the water that I drank that wasn’t purified, the under cooked chicken and my new love for cerviche (raw fish cured in lemon or lime). Cholera, e coli poisoning, salmonella, the list in my mind went on. Just days before Mexican Customs had asked if I had a fever when we came in. It seems that they have had some outbreaks of cholera in Cuba. Marc of course the ever level headed husband laughed at my fears, grabbed me a couple Tylenol rolled over and went back to sleep. Marc’s cold heart and laughter ensured his fait accompli, a done deal. 

I googled how to avoid getting sick while traveling and found some amazing advice: Watch what and where you eat, Inspect the vendors premises, inspect the seller, have the seller kill fresh chicken or meats in front of you, all of which I have broken at this point on many occasions. The realization that I should have been preemptive is not lost on me. 

Since I was getting no sympathy from Marc, I’m off to see fellow cruiser and Doctor Tom. Ok he’s a dentist but my teeth are part of my head so I figure what could I lose. Linda logic. Tom reassured me of my fate. I have a cold. He prescribed orange juice without vodka and plenty of rest. For the love of orange juice, who gets sick on a sailboat?

So Marc is now full of sniffles, my burning throat has turned into a hack.  Being sick on a sailboat in paradise is just no fun.

The Call Of Laughter & The Clink Of Ice Just Wear Me Down

Turners Marina Dog River Alabama

Sometimes its really hard to remember that this is a life style change and we are not on vacation. It is especially hard when you are staying in paradise with tons of tourists all having a good time.  Fun loving cruisers enjoying sundowners, happy hour, or... what ever you want to call it.  It was pretty easy to behave in Cuba. Here in Isla Mujeres it is a different story. When there is a knock on the boat and someone says come on we are all going for supper, or the other dreaded knock, we are doing drinks.  Seriously everyday! I’m going to have to go home to dry out and replenish the boats bounty. My intentions are always good, then somewhere around three my resolve just fades into the abyss. The call of laughter and the clink of ice just wear me down.

Bahai Honda Cuba

Living on a budget is hard to do and something that we just haven’t done militantly for a long a time. When we started cruising for about the first six months I tried to keep a detailed log of our expenses. Food, fuel, dockage, laundry, repairs, entertainment, and the dreaded “stuff”. Dreaded stuff is really just code for Marc and Linda’s shopping whimsy. Marc’s electronics or something we just have to have for the boat. For me, my newest whim is whatever that may be. Now I have finally given in and the detailed spread sheet has gone to the wayside. I applaud those who have the discipline to keep it up. 

Havana Cuba

I do think that it is important to know where our cruising kitty is going though. The one thing that really shocked me was the amount of money we spend on entertainment. It really is staggering.  And as I said before so easily influenced. Some people just have more money than we do and we can’t keep up to their style of cruising. It just doesn’t matter how much I like them. Or how much we want to spend time with them. 

Dunedin Florida

Funny thought though, when we were working we liked to pick up the tab if we were out with friends and often it was reciprocated. It took us some uncomfortable moments when the check came and a stutter in our voice to say two checks please. Trust me this felt foreign. The other big change was kids. We liked to say yes. Now we say sorry we can’t afford it. Thankfully they have embraced our new lifestyle. 

Mobile Bay Alabama

So if I stumble when you ask me to join you it is not because I don’t want your company. I just need to get back to the boat to pour a glass of chardonnay and watch the sunset. Cheers from DevOcean 

Isla Mujeres Mexico