Oct 13 1715hrs
Greetings,
We are in Cienfuegos for the end of our time in Cuba. The passage from Cayo Ingles was okay. A bit rough for about four hours in the middle but the last few hours, running along the coast, were calm and beautiful. We’ll be looking for a good weather window between now and the 18th to head to the Caymans.
So, this morning, (wait, your going to love this) Capt Johne replaced an O-ring in the water maker. No, not just for fun, or because he hadn’t taken it apart in over a week. It was leaking again. It’s working for the moment. Until the next o-ring goes.
Oct 14 0800hrs
Last night, when we checked the weather for the next passage, it was showing very calm for mid next week. Yea!!! After that we had a lovely dinner in a great old colonial building with one of those central court yards. There was a very good pianist and singer adding to the atmosphere. The food wasn’t outstanding but very enjoyable (which is high praise from my experience eating out in Cuba). After dinner, walking back through town, we walked passed an art gallery that was having a little concert. The front doors were open and there was a small crowd watching from outside. We joined the crowd and listened to the six flautist group play a couple of very fun pieces. Then a guitarist and singer came on and did a couple of songs. It was very fun and exciting to just happen across that kind of local cultural experience.
Oct 16 1940hrs
There’s a restaurant near the marina that’s an old, elaborate, Moorish style palace. Its has a terrace roof bar that has a great view of the river and harbor. We enjoyed a drink on the terrace Sunday evening followed by dinner down stairs. The building is beautiful but way over done. But I’m glad we got to see it.
Yesterday morning we walked to the old cemetery which has a lot of wonderful marble sculptures. After we got back to the marina and took care of checking out we left Cuba yesterday afternoon. We had less than 2ft waves all the way to Grand Cayman which is where we are right now. We got here early this afternoon. The check in process here was about the easiest I’ve run across. The officials were all very pleasant, helpful, and laid back. We’ll be leaving tomorrow afternoon to catch the continued calm seas down to Providencia. I would like to spend a little more time here but I far prefer calm cruising. I’m looking forward to spending the morning ashore before we head out, and I’ll look forward to coming back sometime.
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Cuba part 4
Oct 3 1940hrs
We’ve arrived and anchored at Cayo Ingles. We plan to stay here for a few days.
Danny has gone back to Isla. The rest of his visit was very nice although the weather didn’t cooperate for doing any snorkeling. Our time at Cayo Blanco was very relaxing.
After we dropped Danny off in Casilda to catch the bus back to Havana, we headed for Cayos Machos de Furera, which is one we hadn’t been to before. It has a grounds keeper who indicated where we should anchor and then rowed out in his kayak to greet us. (I think he gets lonely in the off seasons with no tourists). He visited on Second Star for a bit and we told him we launch Hook and come in to see him later in the afternoon. The island has a little house/shack for the care takers who have a 15 day rotation on the Cayo. There was a palapa with tables and benches for the tourists, but the most interesting thing was the iguanas and large rodents (I think he called them Jutoba or something like that) that all came to eat fresh coconut pieces out of our hands. They were quite aggressive and almost intimidating. But it was very neat to be able to have that experience.
That night, when the wind shifted and increased, we had dragging issues again. So we had to decided whether to try to reset the anchor there, in the middle off the night, in a bottom we’d already had trouble with or just head down here; a 10 hour run that we were going to start first thing in the morning. We decided on the latter and set out at 0230. The good part of that is we were here with the anchor down before 1300. We had lunch and a good long nap. And we should be able to get a good night sleep. This is a very protected anchorage with a good bottom. This is one of the places we came lat time. The snorkeling is awesome here. I’m looking forward to be here for a bit.
Oct 5 1700hrs
We went for a walk on the beach this afternoon. In this beautiful, pristine place, where barely any people come, the beach has a very disturbing amount of trash. Mostly plastic bottles and a surprising number of shoes (mostly flip-flops and sneakers). I guess they’ve blown off boats and docks and washed up here. On a brighter note, there was a family (family=2 bigger and 1 smaller) of rays feeding right at the shore line. It was fun to watch them working the sand and the small one was really cute.
Oct 6 2020hrs
Today was awesome. The way cruising should be. We did chores in the morning, just boat projects. We had lunch, had an afternoon nap and then went to see if we could get some more lobsters. Last time we were here our fisherman friends showed Johne where they harvest the lobsters so we were pretty confident that we would be able to get some. The first couple of places we tried the “lids” were steel and too heavy to lift without better leverage then we had. So we decided to just go out to the reef for a snorkel. Last Feb we snorkeled four spots along this reef, all different from each other, and all fabulous. Well, this was no exception. The reef is so healthy, the colors are so vibrant, the fish so abundant and the variety of both fish and coral is amazing. The conditions were also extraordinary. The water was so clear, great visibility, almost no current and no at all cold (even to me). On the way back to Second Star we saw more “lobster lids” so we decided to try again. Johne went in to check and gave me the thumbs up. This was the kind he could lift and one of them had two lobsters under it. So I went in to help. He was going to lift the lid and all I had to do was hold it while he grabbed the lobsters. Well, easier said than done. He lifted the lid, but past vertical so it wanted to go the other way. While I was trying to get it to go back where it was supposed to be he chased the lobsters out. Then he came to help me get the lid back in place. I followed one lobster while he tried to catch the other. I have to say, I’ve never seen a lobster swim, in an unconfined area, while feeling threatened. They move fast! The first one evaded Johne and went back under the lid. In the meantime the other one was just sitting in the grass trying to look inconspicuous. I show Johne where it was and he tried to sneak up on it from behind, but it was also way too fast, so we came home with big smiles but no lobsters.
The evening has topped it off with fruit and cheese on the aft deck, a lovely rain storm passing though (which freshened things up nicely) and a great sunset.
Occasionally “living the dream” has some nightmare-ish qualities, but we are living the dream, and it’s great!
Oct 7 2000hrs
Today we dove with tanks. I was a bit frustrated at first because it took me a bit to realize there was air leaking into my BCD and I couldn’t figure out why when we first went in I wasn’t having a hard time getting down and after a little while I was popping up to the surface and couldn’t seam to get myself back down. When I figured it out the dive suddenly got much better. We went to a cut where we could swim through to the outside of the reef. The visibility wasn’t quite as great as yesterday but if it hadn’t been for yesterdays experience I would have said great visibility. I can’t begin to list all the beautiful fish and coral we saw. I took my new underwater camera but I’m just starting to learn how it works so I didn’t get many good pictures. But it was another great day.
Oct 8 0800hrs
We hadn’t seen another person for four day which was lovely. But last night two small fishing boats pulled into the lagoon where we’re anchored. (ah oh, people, run and put on cloths.) The R/O has been working so well (knock wood) that we have an abundance of fresh water. So Johne went over to ask if they needed/wanted any and just to say hi. These were, maybe, 26ft boats with hard tops but no enclosures. One had three guys the other four. They said they were okay then but would appreciate some water when they get back from fishing today. We’re happy to share for nothing, but I suspect we’ll have fresh fish tonight.
0945hrs
Sure enough, five live lobsters were just delivered to our aft deck. One of the tails weighed in at 210zs. They’ve invited us to come over for dinner tonight.
Oct 10 0715hrs
We have now given the fisherman water twice, beer, vodka and coke, and Capt Johne gave their Capt his old fins since he just got two new pairs and they were admiring the ones he’d been diving with. So far they’ve brought us 16 lobster tails and a very tasty little grouper. They said they’d bring more tonight. We didn’t end up going for dinner. They get back in from fishing to late. But they stop by here, on their way in, to get the water, give us the fresh catch and visit.
Diving yesterday was fabulous. We took the tanks again and went to the outside. None of it is deep, we didn’t go below 20ft. There are plenty of sand areas that you can just stop and kneel in and watch what my brother calls “reef TV” It’s so incredible, if you stay still, what happens around you. I got some better pictures but the camera just doesn’t do justice to what we see.
1835hrs
Well, diving today was good but not the best. There was a bit of surge and not as good clarity. (Okay, I’m spoiled.) Although I did see an octopus hiding in a rocky area. If it hadn’t moved just when I was looking I never would have seen it. Their camouflage is amazing. It looked just like the rocks around it.
Well, gotta go make some fresh grouper for dinner. Yup, spoiled, that‘s me.
Oct 11 1540hrs
No good diving today. We went out but with the wind up to 15-20 knots, and the visibility down to about 30ft, and lots more jellies out, and a thunder cloud building…we decided to call it a day. We were going to come back and scrub the bottom of Second Star but the current was strong enough that we just cleaned the dive gear, had showers and have moved on to cocktail hour (it’s 5:00 somewhere, right?)
The fishing boats have headed back to town. We’ll be heading out in the morning. We’re going to Cienfuegos and from there we will watch for the best weather to head down to the Caymans; the next stop on our ongoing adventure…
We’ve arrived and anchored at Cayo Ingles. We plan to stay here for a few days.
Danny has gone back to Isla. The rest of his visit was very nice although the weather didn’t cooperate for doing any snorkeling. Our time at Cayo Blanco was very relaxing.
After we dropped Danny off in Casilda to catch the bus back to Havana, we headed for Cayos Machos de Furera, which is one we hadn’t been to before. It has a grounds keeper who indicated where we should anchor and then rowed out in his kayak to greet us. (I think he gets lonely in the off seasons with no tourists). He visited on Second Star for a bit and we told him we launch Hook and come in to see him later in the afternoon. The island has a little house/shack for the care takers who have a 15 day rotation on the Cayo. There was a palapa with tables and benches for the tourists, but the most interesting thing was the iguanas and large rodents (I think he called them Jutoba or something like that) that all came to eat fresh coconut pieces out of our hands. They were quite aggressive and almost intimidating. But it was very neat to be able to have that experience.
That night, when the wind shifted and increased, we had dragging issues again. So we had to decided whether to try to reset the anchor there, in the middle off the night, in a bottom we’d already had trouble with or just head down here; a 10 hour run that we were going to start first thing in the morning. We decided on the latter and set out at 0230. The good part of that is we were here with the anchor down before 1300. We had lunch and a good long nap. And we should be able to get a good night sleep. This is a very protected anchorage with a good bottom. This is one of the places we came lat time. The snorkeling is awesome here. I’m looking forward to be here for a bit.
Oct 5 1700hrs
We went for a walk on the beach this afternoon. In this beautiful, pristine place, where barely any people come, the beach has a very disturbing amount of trash. Mostly plastic bottles and a surprising number of shoes (mostly flip-flops and sneakers). I guess they’ve blown off boats and docks and washed up here. On a brighter note, there was a family (family=2 bigger and 1 smaller) of rays feeding right at the shore line. It was fun to watch them working the sand and the small one was really cute.
Oct 6 2020hrs
Today was awesome. The way cruising should be. We did chores in the morning, just boat projects. We had lunch, had an afternoon nap and then went to see if we could get some more lobsters. Last time we were here our fisherman friends showed Johne where they harvest the lobsters so we were pretty confident that we would be able to get some. The first couple of places we tried the “lids” were steel and too heavy to lift without better leverage then we had. So we decided to just go out to the reef for a snorkel. Last Feb we snorkeled four spots along this reef, all different from each other, and all fabulous. Well, this was no exception. The reef is so healthy, the colors are so vibrant, the fish so abundant and the variety of both fish and coral is amazing. The conditions were also extraordinary. The water was so clear, great visibility, almost no current and no at all cold (even to me). On the way back to Second Star we saw more “lobster lids” so we decided to try again. Johne went in to check and gave me the thumbs up. This was the kind he could lift and one of them had two lobsters under it. So I went in to help. He was going to lift the lid and all I had to do was hold it while he grabbed the lobsters. Well, easier said than done. He lifted the lid, but past vertical so it wanted to go the other way. While I was trying to get it to go back where it was supposed to be he chased the lobsters out. Then he came to help me get the lid back in place. I followed one lobster while he tried to catch the other. I have to say, I’ve never seen a lobster swim, in an unconfined area, while feeling threatened. They move fast! The first one evaded Johne and went back under the lid. In the meantime the other one was just sitting in the grass trying to look inconspicuous. I show Johne where it was and he tried to sneak up on it from behind, but it was also way too fast, so we came home with big smiles but no lobsters.
The evening has topped it off with fruit and cheese on the aft deck, a lovely rain storm passing though (which freshened things up nicely) and a great sunset.
Occasionally “living the dream” has some nightmare-ish qualities, but we are living the dream, and it’s great!
Oct 7 2000hrs
Today we dove with tanks. I was a bit frustrated at first because it took me a bit to realize there was air leaking into my BCD and I couldn’t figure out why when we first went in I wasn’t having a hard time getting down and after a little while I was popping up to the surface and couldn’t seam to get myself back down. When I figured it out the dive suddenly got much better. We went to a cut where we could swim through to the outside of the reef. The visibility wasn’t quite as great as yesterday but if it hadn’t been for yesterdays experience I would have said great visibility. I can’t begin to list all the beautiful fish and coral we saw. I took my new underwater camera but I’m just starting to learn how it works so I didn’t get many good pictures. But it was another great day.
Oct 8 0800hrs
We hadn’t seen another person for four day which was lovely. But last night two small fishing boats pulled into the lagoon where we’re anchored. (ah oh, people, run and put on cloths.) The R/O has been working so well (knock wood) that we have an abundance of fresh water. So Johne went over to ask if they needed/wanted any and just to say hi. These were, maybe, 26ft boats with hard tops but no enclosures. One had three guys the other four. They said they were okay then but would appreciate some water when they get back from fishing today. We’re happy to share for nothing, but I suspect we’ll have fresh fish tonight.
0945hrs
Sure enough, five live lobsters were just delivered to our aft deck. One of the tails weighed in at 210zs. They’ve invited us to come over for dinner tonight.
Oct 10 0715hrs
We have now given the fisherman water twice, beer, vodka and coke, and Capt Johne gave their Capt his old fins since he just got two new pairs and they were admiring the ones he’d been diving with. So far they’ve brought us 16 lobster tails and a very tasty little grouper. They said they’d bring more tonight. We didn’t end up going for dinner. They get back in from fishing to late. But they stop by here, on their way in, to get the water, give us the fresh catch and visit.
Diving yesterday was fabulous. We took the tanks again and went to the outside. None of it is deep, we didn’t go below 20ft. There are plenty of sand areas that you can just stop and kneel in and watch what my brother calls “reef TV” It’s so incredible, if you stay still, what happens around you. I got some better pictures but the camera just doesn’t do justice to what we see.
1835hrs
Well, diving today was good but not the best. There was a bit of surge and not as good clarity. (Okay, I’m spoiled.) Although I did see an octopus hiding in a rocky area. If it hadn’t moved just when I was looking I never would have seen it. Their camouflage is amazing. It looked just like the rocks around it.
Well, gotta go make some fresh grouper for dinner. Yup, spoiled, that‘s me.
Oct 11 1540hrs
No good diving today. We went out but with the wind up to 15-20 knots, and the visibility down to about 30ft, and lots more jellies out, and a thunder cloud building…we decided to call it a day. We were going to come back and scrub the bottom of Second Star but the current was strong enough that we just cleaned the dive gear, had showers and have moved on to cocktail hour (it’s 5:00 somewhere, right?)
The fishing boats have headed back to town. We’ll be heading out in the morning. We’re going to Cienfuegos and from there we will watch for the best weather to head down to the Caymans; the next stop on our ongoing adventure…
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Cuba part 3
Sept 28 1745hrs
Greetings,
Last night we went into Trinidad. The hotel by the marina in Casilda no longer has internet so we couldn’t check on the outside world until we got up to Trinidad where there’s an internet store. After we checked in online we went to our favorite bar where the band we got to know the last time we were here plays. They were there and we got to visit with them for quite a while and listen to a set. We were the only ones there for a lot of the time and they just sat around the table with us and played a little just for us. It’s times like these that are what this life is all about. Priceless!
Sept 30 1015hrs
While I was writing the last entry, our friend Danny from Bahia Tortuga on Isla Mujeres, who had been planning to come see us here with his wife Ronda, walked up to the boat. Ronda has been under the weather so we weren’t sure if they were coming. As it turns out, Danny came alone (he really needed a break from work). We’ve come out to Cayo Blanco and anchored. The weather has been a bit rainy, not great for snorkeling, but fresh and cool.
Right now Johne and Danny are in the process of replacing an O-ring in the water maker (because you can’t go too many days in a row without taking the water maker apart. You might get out of practice). It started leaking again last night, at the other end this time, even running at lower pressure. It should be back together and running again in no time.
Hopefully the weather will clear and we’ll be able to get in some snorkeling before Danny has to go back. But I don’t know, today’s looking pretty blustery.
1400hrs
The fishing boat we meet here in Feb just stopped by. They brought us more lobsters and told us they would see us at Cayo Ingles in a few days. Fun to see them again.
Greetings,
Last night we went into Trinidad. The hotel by the marina in Casilda no longer has internet so we couldn’t check on the outside world until we got up to Trinidad where there’s an internet store. After we checked in online we went to our favorite bar where the band we got to know the last time we were here plays. They were there and we got to visit with them for quite a while and listen to a set. We were the only ones there for a lot of the time and they just sat around the table with us and played a little just for us. It’s times like these that are what this life is all about. Priceless!
Sept 30 1015hrs
While I was writing the last entry, our friend Danny from Bahia Tortuga on Isla Mujeres, who had been planning to come see us here with his wife Ronda, walked up to the boat. Ronda has been under the weather so we weren’t sure if they were coming. As it turns out, Danny came alone (he really needed a break from work). We’ve come out to Cayo Blanco and anchored. The weather has been a bit rainy, not great for snorkeling, but fresh and cool.
Right now Johne and Danny are in the process of replacing an O-ring in the water maker (because you can’t go too many days in a row without taking the water maker apart. You might get out of practice). It started leaking again last night, at the other end this time, even running at lower pressure. It should be back together and running again in no time.
Hopefully the weather will clear and we’ll be able to get in some snorkeling before Danny has to go back. But I don’t know, today’s looking pretty blustery.
1400hrs
The fishing boat we meet here in Feb just stopped by. They brought us more lobsters and told us they would see us at Cayo Ingles in a few days. Fun to see them again.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Cuba part 2
Sept. 23 0900hrs
Greetings,
The sun has risen on what looks to be another beautiful day. No rain on the horizon this morning.
We’ve enjoyed our coffee on the aft deck and now it’s time to start morning chores. The water maker got caught up on production so this morning we’ll be getting the rest of the salt from the trip off.
Ooh, dolphins off the starboard side. That makes me smile.
1720hrs
We went to Playa Serena this afternoon. It’s a bar/restaurant on the beach where they take the day-trip-snorkelers. They have two dolphins in a pen there and, while it was exciting to them that close, it made me sad for them. I’m pretty sure they’re not born in captivity and shouldn’t be held for the tourists to gawk at. It was much better to see the ones swimming beside Second Star this morning.
Sept 24 1620hrs
I went for a swim around the boat this afternoon. It felt good to be in the water. The temp was great for me. I didn’t get cold but it was refreshing in the heat of the day. There were lots of sea stars, a huge conch shell (I didn’t pick it up to see if there was anything living in it), and what looked to me like the biggest hermit crab ever.
Other than that I’ve spent a good bit of the day reading. Aahh, this is the life.
Sept 25 1550hrs
We’re getting ready to leave Cayo largo and head for Casilda. We’ve checked the weather online and it looks good (not great, but good). We’re planning on leaving at about 0400 to get in there in the afternoon. Early to bed tonight.
Sept 27 Noon
We’re in Casilda now. We arrived later than we’d hope yesterday after fighting the current all the way here. We got in right at sunset and got anchored just before it got dark. We came into the marina this morning and are still wait to be checked in.
We had a little adventure getting Hook aboard to head out. After having lifted her about half way the relay switch on the davit failed so Capt Johne had to bi-pass the switch so we could finish bringing her up. Then, when he’d gotten it going again, the outer covering (Not the strength part) on the line that she was hanging from ripped and started to jam up in the pulleys so, while I held the dinghy to keep it from swinging, Johne cut the covering off the line being very careful not to cut the core. Anyway, we got her aboard and we have new line to replace the damaged one. We’ll have to go with the bi-passed wiring until a new (although this one was new) relay switch can be acquired.
We’ll be here for a couple of days, then we’re planning on heading into the Jardines de la Reina. More to come…
Greetings,
The sun has risen on what looks to be another beautiful day. No rain on the horizon this morning.
We’ve enjoyed our coffee on the aft deck and now it’s time to start morning chores. The water maker got caught up on production so this morning we’ll be getting the rest of the salt from the trip off.
Ooh, dolphins off the starboard side. That makes me smile.
1720hrs
We went to Playa Serena this afternoon. It’s a bar/restaurant on the beach where they take the day-trip-snorkelers. They have two dolphins in a pen there and, while it was exciting to them that close, it made me sad for them. I’m pretty sure they’re not born in captivity and shouldn’t be held for the tourists to gawk at. It was much better to see the ones swimming beside Second Star this morning.
Sept 24 1620hrs
I went for a swim around the boat this afternoon. It felt good to be in the water. The temp was great for me. I didn’t get cold but it was refreshing in the heat of the day. There were lots of sea stars, a huge conch shell (I didn’t pick it up to see if there was anything living in it), and what looked to me like the biggest hermit crab ever.
Other than that I’ve spent a good bit of the day reading. Aahh, this is the life.
Sept 25 1550hrs
We’re getting ready to leave Cayo largo and head for Casilda. We’ve checked the weather online and it looks good (not great, but good). We’re planning on leaving at about 0400 to get in there in the afternoon. Early to bed tonight.
Sept 27 Noon
We’re in Casilda now. We arrived later than we’d hope yesterday after fighting the current all the way here. We got in right at sunset and got anchored just before it got dark. We came into the marina this morning and are still wait to be checked in.
We had a little adventure getting Hook aboard to head out. After having lifted her about half way the relay switch on the davit failed so Capt Johne had to bi-pass the switch so we could finish bringing her up. Then, when he’d gotten it going again, the outer covering (Not the strength part) on the line that she was hanging from ripped and started to jam up in the pulleys so, while I held the dinghy to keep it from swinging, Johne cut the covering off the line being very careful not to cut the core. Anyway, we got her aboard and we have new line to replace the damaged one. We’ll have to go with the bi-passed wiring until a new (although this one was new) relay switch can be acquired.
We’ll be here for a couple of days, then we’re planning on heading into the Jardines de la Reina. More to come…
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Cuba part 1
Sept. 19 2100hrs
Greetings,
The passage from Isla Mujeres to Cayo Largo was relatively smooth and uneventful, which is how we like it. The first day the waves were a bit choppy, but not big, and nothing we couldn’t handle. The last several hours were quite calm, the way I wish all passage making was.
We arrived at Cayo Largo at about 1230 local time. The check in process took longer than we expected and we didn’t even get done. We’ll have to go back in to finish paying the last two fees in the morning because the officials weren’t all in when we got here.
So, after about three hours of paper work and running around trying to see all the officials we came out to get set on anchor. Once we had set the anchor, we started the generator and the water maker and lay down to rest. After having worked fine, running almost everyday, for over a month in Isla Mujeres, the water maker decided this was a good time to spring another leak. So, once again, Capt Johne got to take it apart and replace more O-Rings. When we fired it back up no leaks (knock wood) so extremely frustrating, but not the end of the world. Then…after having dinner, when Johne set the anchor alarm on the radar, he thought we might be drifting. I went up to the bridge to check the GPS coordinates and just after I did, the wind picked up. Sure enough, we were dragging and headed for the beach. So now, in the dark, with occasional lightning to give slight help, we had to re-anchor.
Sept. 20 2000hrs
Another long day but thing are looking up. The water maker has been apart twice more since last night. It just ran for 3 and a half hours, at 600psi (instead of the usual 750) without a problem.
The new anchorage spot is much better. Held well through the night and check the anchor today. It’s well down into the sand.
I got one of the two fees paid today. The port Capt. still wasn’t in his office the three times I checked. So we still have to see him to complete the check in process.
I got a couple loads of laundry done and Johne got most of the salt from the passage washed off the boat. Now, maybe, we can start relaxing…after I do the dinner dishes. J
Sept. 21 1000hrs
It’s been a good morning. The bilges are dried of the little bit of water we take underway. The water maker is running, with no grief at the moment. Laundry is drying. We just had a lovely, if brief, rain pass through. Right now life seems pretty good. (Life is always better when the water maker is working).
Sept.22 1530hrs
Well, now we’re starting to get into a cruising routine. Yesterday and today we did some chores in the morning. Yesterday Johne ran in to finish the check in process. We’ve napped in the afternoons and we’re enjoying the beauty of our surroundings.
Right now I’m sitting on the aft deck, listening to the water lapping gently against the hull. Every now and then there’s a splash near by as the fish play or feed. The water is totally clear and when the breeze dies, and there are no ripples on the surface, you can see the paths in the sand on the bottom, and every detail of the sea life going on around the boat. We had more rain this morning so, even though it’s hot, it’s kind of fresh, and not stifling.
The rain showers have come with some stronger gusts of wind, give the anchor little tests. We’re holding strong and the anchor is completely buried in the sand. All you can see is the chain.
We’ve taken the water maker back up to 650psi and it still seems to be coping. So we’re getting caught up on water production.
I’m looking forward to some snorkeling here, over the next few days, before we move on to Casilda and the Jardines. Even with frustrations, life is good…
Greetings,
The passage from Isla Mujeres to Cayo Largo was relatively smooth and uneventful, which is how we like it. The first day the waves were a bit choppy, but not big, and nothing we couldn’t handle. The last several hours were quite calm, the way I wish all passage making was.
We arrived at Cayo Largo at about 1230 local time. The check in process took longer than we expected and we didn’t even get done. We’ll have to go back in to finish paying the last two fees in the morning because the officials weren’t all in when we got here.
So, after about three hours of paper work and running around trying to see all the officials we came out to get set on anchor. Once we had set the anchor, we started the generator and the water maker and lay down to rest. After having worked fine, running almost everyday, for over a month in Isla Mujeres, the water maker decided this was a good time to spring another leak. So, once again, Capt Johne got to take it apart and replace more O-Rings. When we fired it back up no leaks (knock wood) so extremely frustrating, but not the end of the world. Then…after having dinner, when Johne set the anchor alarm on the radar, he thought we might be drifting. I went up to the bridge to check the GPS coordinates and just after I did, the wind picked up. Sure enough, we were dragging and headed for the beach. So now, in the dark, with occasional lightning to give slight help, we had to re-anchor.
Sept. 20 2000hrs
Another long day but thing are looking up. The water maker has been apart twice more since last night. It just ran for 3 and a half hours, at 600psi (instead of the usual 750) without a problem.
The new anchorage spot is much better. Held well through the night and check the anchor today. It’s well down into the sand.
I got one of the two fees paid today. The port Capt. still wasn’t in his office the three times I checked. So we still have to see him to complete the check in process.
I got a couple loads of laundry done and Johne got most of the salt from the passage washed off the boat. Now, maybe, we can start relaxing…after I do the dinner dishes. J
Sept. 21 1000hrs
It’s been a good morning. The bilges are dried of the little bit of water we take underway. The water maker is running, with no grief at the moment. Laundry is drying. We just had a lovely, if brief, rain pass through. Right now life seems pretty good. (Life is always better when the water maker is working).
Sept.22 1530hrs
Well, now we’re starting to get into a cruising routine. Yesterday and today we did some chores in the morning. Yesterday Johne ran in to finish the check in process. We’ve napped in the afternoons and we’re enjoying the beauty of our surroundings.
Right now I’m sitting on the aft deck, listening to the water lapping gently against the hull. Every now and then there’s a splash near by as the fish play or feed. The water is totally clear and when the breeze dies, and there are no ripples on the surface, you can see the paths in the sand on the bottom, and every detail of the sea life going on around the boat. We had more rain this morning so, even though it’s hot, it’s kind of fresh, and not stifling.
The rain showers have come with some stronger gusts of wind, give the anchor little tests. We’re holding strong and the anchor is completely buried in the sand. All you can see is the chain.
We’ve taken the water maker back up to 650psi and it still seems to be coping. So we’re getting caught up on water production.
I’m looking forward to some snorkeling here, over the next few days, before we move on to Casilda and the Jardines. Even with frustrations, life is good…
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