SV Gallant Fox

Much More Maya - Izamal and Mérida

If you can find more than 3 days to tour Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, have I got the 2-week trip for you. The roads are all still in good shape, it's just as easy to get around, and you'll be seeing a wide range of cities and towns, museums, ruins, and cenotes. You can even find some artisans who specialize in pre-Columbian ceramics and sculpture. We met a brother and sister who each reproduce artifacts for some of Mexico's archaeological musuems when they're not selling to tourists like us.

Marina El Cid, Puerto Morelos, Mexico

We chose Marina El Cid in Puerto Morelos for our entry into Mexico's Caribbean side for two main reasons: (1) we wanted a secure place for The Fox while we spent a couple weeks touring inland; and (2) we were familiar with the El Cid resorts and how they were managed, from having happily spent two hurricane seasons at Marina El Cid in Mazatlan.

El Cid at Puerto Morelos is a larger resort hotel complex with lots more beach than the one in Mazatlan, but its marina is smaller - 20 transient slips and 11 mooring balls. The approach to the marina from the sea is straightforward but visibility was poor for us due to heavy haze and generally flat land onshore. Simply refer to your Mexico cruiser's guidebook of choice like we did, and you'll find the entrance channel, no problemo. Approach depths were fine for our 6' keel, though I personally dislike depths below my keel that run in the single digits.

Underway, Mexico to Florida

5/9: winds very light, <5 kt. E, seas flat-calm w/ 2' E swell. But, we're motorsaillng at 5.8-6+kt. SOG w/ only 2000 rpm on engine - we've found the Gulf Stream & it's helping us thru the Straits of Florida. Today's forecast has us right on the edge of 2 weather systems, so it'll either stay calm for us or winds will increase behind us to the 20s; if it gets breezy we'll be surfing in to Ft. Lauderdale tomorrow 5/10 instead of driving. All's well. m

Underway, Mexico to Florida

5/6/2011: left Puerto Morelos1015 after waiting for port capt. to deliver internat'l zarpe, & for fuel truck to deliver diesel. Winds<15 kt. but seas were very turbulent w/ 4'-6' waves @ 4 sec.rolling from 2 different directions. Made 1st 100 mi. very barfy but was worse along shore. Yucatan Channel = rough water even when calm.
5/7: conditions eased & a fair current gave us 170 mi.of motorsailng during our 1st 24-hr. period. Fair amt. of commercial vessel traffic but we're the only sailboat. Breeze increased to N then ENE 15-18 during p.m. & we ran into foul current as we approached NW end of Cuba. Stayed a minimum of 20 mi. offshore, then tacked N overnight to get out of foul current.
5/8: Wind has turned E w/ the rising sun & winds are <11 kt so we can motorsail almost due E - which we need to do for the next 235 mi. We've found a fair current again & we're making 5.5+ kt. SOG w/ only 2000rpm on Yanmar.
All's well - m

Underway - Arrival in Mexico

[Hi there. Recently, both Skymate and our current marina's WiFi connection have been so weak and intermittent, I haven't been able to post any text to this here blog, let alone photos. I'm workin' on it, but meanwhile here's what I tried posting 4 days ago & have been trying to post ever since. -m]

At midnight last night (4/3), winds rose to E 13-18kt. & seas built to a steep, rolly 5'-6' on a 5-6 sec. period. We couldn't slow the boat down even w/ a double-reefed headsail & no foresail - still scooting along at 5-6 kt. SOG. Contents of lockers & drawers rattled loudly belowdecks. Hove-to ~20mi. offshore of Puerto Morelos but w/ the fresh breeze, tall waves & a strong current of 2-3 kt., we were STILL moving at 5-6 kt. SOG, in the wrong direction. Dodged 2 freighters & 3 cruise ships in the dark, so we resumed motorsailing. Entered Marina El Cid, Puerto Morelos, Mexico, at 0830, 4/4, after 7 days/7 nights & 881 miles at sea. We're tired, Fox is salty inside & out, & we've paid port capt. & immigration a total of $152 to enter Mexico again. All's well - so let the cleaning begin!

[4/8 update: we read news reports that during the week we were underway, the Caribbean side of Panama experienced some unseasonably heavy rains, and places we'd sailed past on our way off the coast of Panama have had some homes lost due to flooding and landslides. Meanwhile, most of our passage was quite calm and it was all rain-free. Sometimes we feel like the roadrunner, blissfully ignorant of the falling boulders he's just dodged.]

m

Underway - Place your bets

1.April, a new weather forecast warns of strong trade winds building along the end of our route in to Puerto Morelos, Mexico. Winds to blow to mid-to-high 20kts. w/ 6'-8' seas on a 6-sec. period on Mon., 4/4, our expected day of arrival.
Our 1300Z position today, 2.April = 18deg.02'N/083deg.33'W. E winds 8-12, seas ENE 4' or less but getting a bit choppy - we can feel it comin'. 1014mb, 60% PC w/ occas. small rain showers. Motorsailng, COG = 318T, SOG = 6.5 kt. We've 255 mi. to go - at these speeds we're going, likely to make landfall @ Puerto Morelos late Sun./early Mon. a.m. so will heave to 'til sunrise Mon. if we must. All's well but who'll wins this race: The Fox? Or the weather?? m

Underway - Panama to Mexico, Day 4 at sea

1300Z position = 16deg.27'N/081deg.46'W. Winds SE 8-12, E swell ~5' @ ~7 sec. Bar is 1012, skies = 50% PC, 83F in cabin. Course = 300T, speed over ground = 5kt. With these light winds & relatively fllat seas we're sailing wing-&-wing. Wow - at least for today, it's a classic Caribbean Cruise. Finally persuaded red-footed booby to leave his perch on our lifelines in favor of a passing trawler. We've about 380 mi. left to go to Puerto Morelos, expect landfall by Mon. p.m., 4/4 if all stays well. m

Underway Panama to Mexico

Left Panama @ 1600 on 3/28.Good sailing winds of 10-20 kt. NE but w/ rolly beam seas to 6'-8' 3/29 gave us a couple boarding waves into cockpit. Now easing to 6' or less. Our 3/30 0800 position = 12 deg. 40'N/081 deg. 00'W. 1014mb, winds NNE 035, 12-15kt., sea 1.5m-2m @ 6sec. Course =350T, SOG 4.7kt. Skies PC w/ slight haze. Plan to pass E of Isla Providencia (now 35 mi. away) then either E or W of Quita Sueno Banks depending on wind. All's well but salty. m