| May 18, 2006 Cozumel to Xcalak |
As we work our way south, Xcalak is the last port of call to
clear out of customs and immigration in Mexico, so we pulled up anchor in
Cozumel at 3:30 a.m. this morning and headed towards Xcalak, which was 160
miles away. The wind was NW at 15 knots and the seas were 2 to 3 feet so we were able to sail on a beam reach. It was nice to be able to sail, no motor, although we were only sailing 4 knots. We started out this crossing very tired, as our last three days in Cozumel, we had a freaky May front with a "north" wind. To us, that means, we had 5-6' waves directly from the Yucatan Channel beating us while on anchor. So, the previous two nights, we got very little sleep. It reminded us of our anchorage at South Riding Rock.
We motored, sailed, or motor-sailed all day. It is a good crossing.
About 8:30 p.m. it was pitch dark, and our speed had dropped drastically as we were rounding the point near Bahia del Espiritu Santu. There is a very strong current that whips around this point. We were trying to stay in shallower water to avoid as much of current as possible. The depths of the channel are over 2,000 feet. There are reefs and wrecks outside of this point you have to avoid. The charts said we were in about 54 feet of water, then would jump to 8 feet. It was a long, tense few hours as we passed the point. After rounding the point, we set our weigh points and stayed about 5-7 miles off-shore in over 3,000 feet deep.
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May 19, 2006 |
Around 3 a.m., we changed watches. Sonny showed
me the light of an upcoming island on our port side and he went below to
sleep. I kept watching the light and it was getting closer and
closer and then noticed he had a green light below the white light. It
was a power boat, not a light on the island. He kept getting closer
and closer, until he headed straight towards us. When he was
getting near, I called down below to Sonny and he came up. The boat
then shined a bright spot-light on us, then turned and went away.
It did scare me. We had not seen one boat or ship since we left
Cozumel and then this one comes to us. I watched him on our radar as
he left. It must have been the Mexican Marines checking us out,
but, they did not hail us on the radio. I did not have any
trouble staying awake the rest of the watch.
We motored most of the rest of the way, in order to arrive in good light. The entrance of Xcalak is, of course, between a cut in the reef you pass through. You line up two lighthouses and keep them on a bearing on the compass at 283 degrees, then pass through the reef. Once inside, the anchorage was in about 7-10 feet of water. We were so tired, but, we did go ashore to try to check out of Mexico, but, the Port Captain was off, so we will try tomorrow. We went to the one restaurant in town, and had a fish
dinner. It was absolutely delicious and we were starving. Kay is
looking around in the shop in the restaurant.
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| May 20, 2006 |
We went ashore today to catch the customs officer, but, he
was not there, so we walked down the road about a mile to a small dive
resort where groups come in to go fly-fishing and bonefishing.
Kay ordered Mexican eggs with tortillas and Sonny ordered two pancakes with
potatoes. After about 15 minutes, the waiter brought out two pancakes
and we did not see him again.
After we walked back to town, we
We returned to the boat and prepared for leaving early in the morning for San Pedro, Belize. |
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We
checked in on the NW Caribbean net this morning as we were underway.
This is a very good cruiser's net. After you check in as being
underway, the next day, you need to let them know you arrived at your
destination safely, or they will be asking on the net where your boat is and
if anyone has seen you.
Out
here, in the middle of no where, no towns or civilization we could see, were
two cruise ships. This one was headed in and there was one already
docked on the shore.
At
sunrise, Sonny was walking around the deck and saw a flying fish that landed
on our deck during the night. He was about 8 inches long.
We
went back to the boat and crashed.
When
we pulled our dinghy up to the dock, the Marine boat pulled in and we got a
picture of one of the Mexican Marines. He said he does not use his gun
very often, but, they sure were shining them.
Our Spanish and his English was not communicating. That was all he
thought we ordered, so we waited for them to prepare the rest of our order.
There is no hurry in Mexico. 
caught
the Xcalak Customs Officer, Immigration Officer, Port Captain, and
everything.....all in one. His name was Jorge Ivan Avila Morales
and he was very helpful. We had heard Xcalak was a good place to check
in and out of Mexico, because of him and it truly was. He was very
polite and spoke English. A pleasure to deal with. Other
locations should use him as an example. He even checked the weather
report on the internet for us. Thanks Jorge!
We
saw a young girl giving an elderly lady a ride on the bicycle and some
banana trees along the way.