Life in Isla Mujeres

Fish Tacos!

We were able to make it to Cancun Friday and finish our check in process by getting our Temporary Import Permit (TIP).  I thought I had all the documents copied that I needed but NOT...I needed color copies of 2 more documents.  They will not make copies for you so we grabbed a taxi and went to the color copy place.  We really need to work on our Spanish because we had a hard time telling the driver where we needed to go.  Finally we were able to direct him and he charges us 50 pesos (about $4).  We get our copies for veinte ocho pesos ($2.30) and a very nice women taught me how to pronounce veinte (20) properly!

We finish with the copies and flag down a taxi who takes us back to Customs.  Mike hands him 50 pesos and he gives us change.  He only charged us 30 pesos ($2.30) and he took us farther...we were a little upset the other guy ripped us off.  We finish getting the TIP and dash back to catch the ferry on time.  Mike was looking for the taxi driver who ripped us off but the ferry was pulling into the dock.  We didn't stay in Cancun to check it out because the winds were still blowing 20-25 knots and we didn't want to leave the boat for that long.  We will probably stop back in Cancun on our way south.

Windward side of Isla Mujeres

Right now we are just hanging out, checking out the island.  The wind has died down so we are going to explore some beaches and snorkeling spots in the dinghy today, Sunday.  Monday or Tuesday we will rent a scooter and see the rest of the island.

We are very glad that all the paper work is done, this has been the hardest place yet to check in.  It's hard to believe it has been a week since we arrived, although I think we have destroyed a few too many brain cells in all our celebration of the first port..LOL

Windard side of  Isla Mujeres

There is a walkway on the windward side of the island that goes the distance of the town.

Mexican Doggy didn't speak English

This doggy was hanging out in front of one of the houses, we have to remember to speak to the animals in Spanish or they ignore you!

Street view Isla Mujeres

Typical street view of houses, the other part of town with vendors is much different we will get a picture of that, lots of stuff for sale.

Looking towards the anchorage, weather coming!

There was a storm coming and we did get caught in the rain, but we like that!

Cheers for now!  Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

Isla Mujeres, Mexico

We started to check into the country Monday morning and finally finished Tuesday afternoon when we were boarded by agriculture and customs. It is a long process and we still need to get our TIP (Temporary Import Permit). We had a cold front pass us yesterday (Wednesday) and stayed on the boat all day as the winds were 18-25 knots and the anchorage here does not have very good holding. We are hoping to take the ferry to Cancun on Friday to get our TIP and be done with the process. In the meantime we are checked in and can enjoy the island. Today we need to find a copier that will do color copies of our check in docs to give to the other officials for the TIP.......stay mellow and all will go fine!

It is very beautiful here and we haven't even begun to explore. We have very iffy internet so we can not download pictures. I did manage to get one on facebook this morning, then nothing else.

Cheers for now Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

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WOW......

We have arrived in Isla Mujeres and it is beautiful. Our new backyard is a short reef and Cancun in background, we wish we could post a picture but we can't through the SSB connection. We will post pictures as soon as we, or if we, get an internet connection. We are tired but very happy!

It took 96 hours, 4 nights and 5 days, to get here from Marathon, FL. The trip was not the most comfortable, but nothing unexpected happened so it was an excellent passage. We cannot hail the Puerto Capitain so we can not check in today, which means we have to stay on the boat, quarantined, it is Sunday so we thought that might be the case. We will definitely check in tomorrow and explore the island. We do have all we need on the boat and we can swim in this beautiful water so no loss there.

Wow, Mike and I are so excited to be cruising again! We are unbelievable grateful for our life and our family and friends. Cheers for now, there is a definite need for some relaxation right now!

Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

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Good Saturday Morning!

Well I guess there is nothing wrong with the Pactor Modem it seems to be working fine. I was going to attribute it to operator error caused by being awake in the wee hours of the morning, but, I have concluded that we have a gremlin :)

It is a beautiful day and we are finally sailing after motoring most of yesterday and all last night. We were also dodging freighters and cruise ships most of the night and morning.

As of 1140 we are at N 21.47.401225 W 085.19.690 on a heading 225 degrees. We have a southeast wind @ 10 knots with seas 2-3 feet, great conditions for a sail across the Yucatan Channel. As we round the western coast of Cuba we will sail southwest until we reach N 21.15 to avoid the strongest currents then reach west to Isla Mujeres. Our estimated ETA on Sunday is anytime between 0600 and 1300 depending on winds, current and sea conditions.

I will try to update the blog early because after being sober and sleep deprived for 5 days there will be some serious anchor down beer drinking in Mexico!

Adios from Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

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Friday Morning

Good Morning,

We are currently off the coast of Cuba, have little or no wind and we are motoring probably most of the morning and maybe afternoon. Conditions should get better to sail after that and we should have a good passage over to Isla Mujeres.

Our current position is N 23.00.641 W 083.49.032 on a heading of 258, winds NE @ 5 kts, right on our stern. We are currently motoring at 4.9 knots. Sea state is 1-2 ft.

Yesterday we got across the Gulf Stream near Havana then turned west and are traveling along the coast to catch a counter current which will be west of W 84 degrees. The winds pick up in the afternoon along the Cuban coast so we had 18-25 kts from about 1500 to dusk. The seas were a healthy 3-5 feet with and occasional set of 6-8 feet so that was exciting.....we took naps all afternoon and our watches last night went smooth so we are very rested and we even had a cup of coffee!

Well I am going to try to scramble up some eggs for breakfast, wish me luck as we still have rolly polly seas! Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

PS I did encounter a little trouble with our pactor modem which sends our messages from the SSB radio last night, so if for some reason you do not hear from us don't stress we will be in Isla Mujeres by Sunday.

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GOOD MORNING!

We have been at sea for approximately 24 hrs. Our current position at 0738 is N 24.48.727 W 082.34.444 we are on a heading of 208 degrees. Weather conditions are good with sunny skies (it was chilly last night and this morning though). We have a 2.1 knot counter current, wind is NE @ 5-9 knots. We have following seas of 3-4 ft and very, very rolly conditions. We are 42 miles off the coast of Havana, Cuba trying to get within 12 Nautical Miles (NM) to catch the counter current.

All is good, we have very sloppy seas so our sleep shifts often ran short, but we will continue to trade off and take naps today and tonight's sail should be much better.

Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi :)

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FINALLY!!! We outta Marathon.

They thought they had us but we are finally leaving Marathon, FL tomorrow at first light and heading toward the Western Caribbean.   The hardest part is leaving our friends and we have made some good ones here and it tears at my heart a lot, but it is the way we live and we always have them in our hearts and in our Facebooks...LOL...  We are going to update our position and stuff for our family so they can keep tabs on us and hopefully some exciting stuff like we saw some whales or have a pod of dolphins on our bow!  Cheers all and we will update when we can.

Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

Preparing for Departure from Boot Key Harbour

Dolphin Jumping @ 7 Mile Bridge

We are just about ready to go!  Finishing up the last minute things such as provisioning, fueling and making the boat sea ready.  We may leave as early as Saturday if the weather holds and make our way down to Key West, the Marqueses, the Dry Tortugas and ultimately Isla Mujeres.  We will then continue to work our way down through Belize and up the Rio Dulce River for Hurricane Season. Mike is healing up nicely and feels ready to go so yippeee!! We have been in Marathon for about 5 years and are definitely ready to go cruising again.

Sunset in the Harbour

The view from our Mooring Ball
Our friends Gale and Mary's House & Dock

View our our new back Window Port

I will update when we leave and if able while we travel to Isla Mujeres.

Cheers Mike and Kim