Isla Mujeres, Yucatan

May Isla Mujeres

We actually got this far, prices are high but the gringos are out for the good deals, they seem to leave us alone, deducing we are off a boat or poverty stricken. It is fun to shop around and drink in a Amercana type bar again. They even have stuff in the grocery store! Can’t imagine what it will be like back in the states again, kinda avoided that kind of thing in my stay in Maryland. Filled up with fuel, so not much else to do but wait, another Norther is headed down, a few of the boats are going to take advantage of it to head for Florida, I myself would rather wait for a smoother ride, and in fact one boat for Tampa ended up in Key West because they couldn’t get any Northing.

The wind is blowing like snot and Jan and I take a bicycle trip around the island. A little rough pedaling into the gusts with these rusty ole clunkers, but the south end of the island by the lighthouse very spetacular. We get lost a little bit and a little tired out (me) so we don’t make it all the way around. I don’t guess Jan will let me live that one down, I never get lost.

Russel Again!

Wake up this morning and go out on deck to notice a red sailboat approaching. Gee that guy sure looks like Russel. "Howdy Floyd!", and sure enough I have to say good-bye once again. He is crewing a boat out to Tampa and leaving right now so no time to party but a howdy do. They were anchored up in the lagoon so didn’t even know they were here.

George on Essence and Mo and Jo on "?" leaving this morning and it does look nice, but you know how it is, maybe one more day to make sure. Keep tabs on them with the radio.

Onward to Florida

5-10-92 - Passage to Florida
Gonna bite the bullet, nice wind from the East and pretty brisk, going thru the channel on the North side of Mujeres the waves are also very big, but should settle down once we get out to sea a ways. At first we go like a bat outa hell, but the the wind shifts more to the North again and we are sucked into the loop current that goes clockwise around the Gulf. I consider going on the Starboard tack and let the current take us windward until we are out of the slipstream and in hindsight that is exactly what we should have done, Themroc a few days later does exactly that and has no problems at all. I decide to keep pushing on hoping for a wind shift and a quick exit to the north of this current. Essence relays their progress every morning and evening so we know what to expect, we are following in thier footsteps.

Passage #3 - Gulf of Mexico

5-11-92 - 23 hrs
Still being swept NW by the current, in fact we are now NW of Mujeres , steering 15 to 20 degrees and making 350! Wind and seas moderate and this is our best tack so put off trying to tack across, thinking it won’t be long and we will zip East with this kind of wind and hop on a current going our way.
5-12-92 - 47 hrs
Wind drops and we are under power, but beautiful weather and finally getting some Easting.
5-13-92 - 71 hrs
Light wind and under power, I check the chart and consider a very long tack to get us back on course to the Tortugas as we are now almost due West of them. Dist to Tampa and Tortugas exactly the same. We have been asking people along the way about what coast of Florida is their favorite and almose unanamously they have said the West coast. I think of Miami and I think of the times I have been to St Petersburg. And Jane is there and it would be nice to see here and we have the whole summer to poke around and still make it to Miami if that is what we want to do. Decision made we make a beeline towards Tampa, the sea seems to majically part our way for us, the current is helping for once but of course the wind is light and on the nose. I am not complaining usually it would be blowing like snot and on the nose.
Little did we know that Hurracane Andrew was going to rip thru Miami in a couple of weeks, just the gods once again taking care of us.

Arrival at Edmont Cay, St Petersburg Fla

5-14-92 - 95 hrs
Past thru what was left of a cold front, and got a nice cool breeze for 4 or 5hrs and then petered out again. Starting to pick up some radio stations, there is actually life somewhere beyond this blue event horizon. Really enjoying this passage, no problems (knock on wood), getting enough sleep the sky is blue and every foot of water going by is leading to our destination.
Out of this blue, blue sky and omen, good or bad I don’t know, appears in the shape of a Barred Owl looking lost. For a brief time he perches on the mast head until the slapping of the limp sails scares him away. What is he doing so far out to sea, we are 100 miles out from any coast, there has been no bad weather, how far has he flown and will he make it home?
Make contact with Essence they are about 20 miles out of Tampa bay and will arrive this morning sometime. Having no detailed chart of this coast I get the exact cordinates of the channel marker bouy outside Edmont Cay and feed it into the Sat Nav. Make contact with another boat (can’t remember name) who has been singlehanding from LA in 6 months! He loses his shaft and being so close and tired he calls a tow. Sounds like a very interesting person on the radio.
5-15-92 -117 hrs
In the North setting counter current traveling up the coast all night making terrific progress and as the midnight black fades into early morning grey we arrive in the ship channel. I hold my course to see how close to the needle eye we come to the bouy we have been making for, and soon pass it astern within 300 yds! I am very proud of this accomplishment and of course thanks also to good ole Sat Nav. Not really exhausted like we usually are we still take advantage to anchor in the lee of Edmont Cay to get our bearings and a taste of Florida. And soon we are in about 8 ft of water and kicking back listening to silence and not the drone of Sir Perkins.

Back in the US of A

5-16-92 - Edmont Cay
Midnight last night the wind finally decided to fill in, and of course right into our little anchorage. Not to bad but about a 2 ft chop is still bad enough. I don’t know what kind of bottom they have around here but when picking up the hook I get it straight up and down and it doesn’t come out. I can feel the whole boat shudder as it dips up over a wave and stops, the bow sprint taking the load, one more like that and it is gone. I yell back to Jan to put the engine in gear and power it out, which she does and in a flash we are under way.
Looks like we will be tacking up to St Petersburg, can’t make out the skyway bridge yet thru the haze but this will be fun lots of wind and itty bitty waves! We raise the ole sails and boogie. Alittle while later I am puzzled by the slap and looseness of the backstays, I check above and all seems to be well. I move forward and look, the Bob Stay is swinging in the breeze. Brand new it has completly sheared at my norseman fitting. The bang it got pulling out the anchor must have snapped it when it rebounded, because the force applied by the anchor was in the other direction.
Motoring in this delightful breeze I hide my face from all the other sailboats out here enjoying the day. Here we are sails furled, but destination in sight. George says you can’t miss the upsidedown pyramid and he was right. Soon we putter our way into the seaplane basin and drop the hook. Looks like someone knew we were coming they are setting up a stage and beer and all kinds of stuff in the park.
As the rock and roll booms we meet Chuck and party all night, welcome back to the USA.

Back in the USA

5-16-92 - Edmont Cay
Midnight last night the wind finally decided to fill in, and of course right into our little anchorage. Not to bad but about a 2 ft chop is still bad enough. I don’t know what kind of bottom they have around here but when picking up the hook I get it straight up and down and it doesn’t come out. I can feel the whole boat shudder as it dips up over a wave and stops, the bow sprint taking the load, one more like that and it is gone. I yell back to Jan to put the engine in gear and power it out, which she does and in a flash we are under way.
Looks like we will be tacking up to St Petersburg, can’t make out the skyway bridge yet thru the haze but this will be fun lots of wind and itty bitty waves! We raise the ole sails and boogie. Alittle while later I am puzzled by the slap and looseness of the backstays, I check above and all seems to be well. I move forward and look, the Bob Stay is swinging in the breeze. Brand new it has completly sheared at my norseman fitting. The bang it got pulling out the anchor must have snapped it when it rebounded, because the force applied by the anchor was in the other direction.
Motoring in this delightful breeze I hide my face from all the other sailboats out here enjoying the day. Here we are sails furled, but destination in sight. George says you can’t miss the upsidedown pyramid and he was right. Soon we putter our way into the seaplane basin and drop the hook. Looks like someone knew we were coming they are setting up a stage and beer and all kinds of stuff in the park.
As the rock and roll booms we meet Chuck and party all night, welcome back to the USA.

Arrival at Edmont Cay, St Petersburg Fla

5-14-92 - 95 hrs
Past thru what was left of a cold front, and got a nice cool breeze for 4 or 5hrs and then petered out again. Starting to pick up some radio stations, there is actually life somewhere beyond this blue event horizon. Really enjoying this passage, no problems (knock on wood), getting enough sleep the sky is blue and every foot of water going by is leading to our destination.
Out of this blue, blue sky and omen, good or bad I don’t know, appears in the shape of a Barred Owl looking lost. For a brief time he perches on the mast head until the slapping of the limp sails scares him away. What is he doing so far out to sea, we are 100 miles out from any coast, there has been no bad weather, how far has he flown and will he make it home?
Make contact with Essence they are about 20 miles out of Tampa bay and will arrive this morning sometime. Having no detailed chart of this coast I get the exact cordinates of the channel marker bouy outside Edmont Cay and feed it into the Sat Nav. Make contact with another boat (can’t remember name) who has been singlehanding from LA in 6 months! He loses his shaft and being so close and tired he calls a tow. Sounds like a very interesting person on the radio.
5-15-92 -117 hrs
In the North setting counter current traveling up the coast all night making terrific progress and as the midnight black fades into early morning grey we arrive in the ship channel. I hold my course to see how close to the needle eye we come to the bouy we have been making for, and soon pass it astern within 300 yds! I am very proud of this accomplishment and of course thanks also to good ole Sat Nav. Not really exhausted like we usually are we still take advantage to anchor in the lee of Edmont Cay to get our bearings and a taste of Florida. And soon we are in about 8 ft of water and kicking back listening to silence and not the drone of Sir Perkins.