Easter in Belize

Yaaa we made it! We arrived yesterday after a 52 hour sail. It was somewhat bumpy but smoothed out to some beautiful wind and seas the last part of the journey. We came through the reef at San Pedro, Belize yesterday but since officials will not be working until Tuesday we came over to Cay Caulker to rest up in some beautiful waters. We can't really go ashore because we are quarantined until we check in. We had a good sleep last night, no rolly polly, until Mike woke me up and said it was my watch. Ha Ha real funny Mike :).

We will go over to San Pedro Tuesday morning and get the paperwork stuff done and get us some fresh fruits and vegetables. Not sure where we go from here there are lots of islands in Belize and they are all behind a reef, so we will have easy day sails as we hop around. Some friends of ours sailed into the Harbor yesterday afternoon Tom and Colleen on s/v Unplugged. We hope to go scuba diving with them after we get checked in.

We are living at this Latitude and Longitude for the moment N 17.44.780 W 088.02.022. I realized the next day that my last post only had our latitude and longitude, no wind direction, speed or course heading, I must of been in a hurry, it wouldn't of done us much good if we needed help. We have lots of beautiful pics but absolutely no internet so that will have to wait.

Hope everyone had a Happy Easter, love to all our family.

Cheers Mike and Kim

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On the High Seas

We are currently at sea, our position is N19.50.601 W087.16.108. The wind is on our stern (butt) and the seas are 3-5 ft. Still heading for San Pedro, Belize. We saw big turtles and jumping 5-6 ft fish yesterday. We hit a squall at about 3:00 PM yesterday and had lots of rain. All is well. Cheers Mike and Kim

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Off to Belize

We are heading to Belize this morning, can't wait to get to the clear, cool water!  Time for some Scuba Diving.  Below are some pictures from Puerto Morelos.  Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

Shrimp Enchiladas

Puerto Morelos Beach

Happy Camper

Old Lighthouse washed out by Hurricane

Launchas

El Cid Marina, Puerto Morelos, Mexico

Hanging out in El Cid Marina while this next cold front comes through.  The harbor is currently closed so no boats in or out.  This Marina is really well protected and we feel good being here.  We will take a picture of the anchorage we were going to stay in and post it later.  We will be here for about a week.  We have full use of the hotels pool, hot tub and beach and it's really a nice place :).  Ka'imi is safe and we are relaxing.

We walked about 2 miles into town yesterday and found it to be friendly and quiet.  It's a small resort and fishing town.  It was Sunday yesterday and the port was closed so we saw a lot of fishermen and their families hanging out at the beach and swimming.  We ate at a local restaurant and each had two shrimp tacos with an incredible delicious sauce and a bucket of 5 beers mue bueno!  The waitress was really nice and working on her English.  I (Kim) was working on my Spanish, but she had such a look of bewilderment on her face that we just laughed.  I need Spanish lessons!!!  LOL

We didn't take any pictures yesterday so we are heading back into town today and will post some more pics!

Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

Puerto Morelos, Mexico

It is Sunday, April 5th and we are now in Puerto Morelos, Mexico. We arrived a few hours ago after spending yesterday and last night in Cancun. We will be staying here until this next cold front passes, not sure how long yet. It is a pretty town/beach we will check it out tomorrow. We had a pretty rough sail today and are very tired. The seas were bigger than the forecasted 4 ft, they were more like 6-8 ft...at one point they just got BIG! We are on a mooring ball, they won't allow you to anchor anymore much to our dismay. We are not sure of the security of the mooring ball, but they are trying to save the reef which is a very good thing! We haven't found any internet here so we may be out of touch for awhile.

Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

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The Island of Isla Mujeres

Windward side of Isla Mujeres

Playing on the beach

 We rented a golf cart on Monday and toured the island.  We went around several times as it is not that big!  There is not much to see in the way of history and the island is so busy with tourist it almost reminds me of Tijuana.  We found some beautiful spots though and had a really fun day.

Mexican Iguana

The iguanas here do not look like the ones in Florida, they are missing the crown.

Restaurant on the Leeward Side of the Island

Wounded Duck

We stopped and had lunch at this restaurant/hotel on the leeward side of the island.  I had shrimp tostados and Mike had chicken tostados...what we got is 4 chips with a piece of shrimp or meat on it and some guacamole...LOL...I left hungry!  Afterwards we went to a street vendor and got some fish tacos.  The fish was so bad I almost lost it!  Oh well you don't always win.




The people at the restaurant/hotel saw this duck land on their property and it had an injured leg.  The gave it water and tortillas and letting it rest until it gets better.  Maybe the iguana is helping with moral support.

Swimming Hole

Swimming Hole

This is a very nice swimming hole that we found while touring the island.  We went back the next day by dinghy and enjoyed it again!  The water is just the right temperature.  We did some snorkling out by the reef (near our boat) but not much to see and the reef doesn't look that healthy unfortunately.

We are heading out tomorrow (Friday) to overnight off the coast of Cancun the sail south to Puerto Morelos.  We hang out there until the next cold front passes and then head south again!

Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

Mike and Kim

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

'SHAKEDOWN'

Our departure time from Marathon has been delayed about 6-8 weeks so Mike could get his hernia fixed. He had the surgery and is doing great, he is just antsy to get going! In the meantime we did a little shakedown cruise to test our equipment and ourselves, we have been in harbour far too long. We anchored outside the harbour Monday night and got the water maker unpickled, the SSB radio working so we get grib files and sailmail (radio email), I am posting this message to the blog via the radio - cool huh! We took a sail today with 22 knot winds, only got the genoa up, we didn't want to do too much Mike can't really lift or strain himself, so it was all up to Kim..and she is rusty :(...

Most systems are up and running, we still have problems with our wind indicator though, will have to figure that out. We also didn't stow everything like we usually do so a few things fell down and rolled around! Heading back to the mooring ball tomorrow and will keep plugging away until Mike feels up to sailing! Will post some pictures later...Cheers Mike and Kim

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Making Progress

We are making progress on the boat.  Yesterday we finished installing the new back window in our bedroom cabin.  The old window was so old and glazed!  The bottom is getting painted today so we should be ready to splash early next week.

Old Back Window



New Back Window

Can't wait to see the ocean from this window.  Cheers

Boat Yard Blues

Ka'imi on the Hard

We are still in the boat yard finishing up projects.  We have to put in our new back window, install the radar on our mast, running the wire for the windlass, getting the bottom painted and probably 100 other things! 

We had great reunions with our families in California, Reno and Tahoe and our first vacation together in about 5 years now back to boat work so we can get out of here. 

Cheers Mike and Kim on Ka'imi

Paradise

Mike & Kim Get Married

Sunday, August 25, 2013 we got married.... barefoot...on Smather's Beach in Key West, Florida.  It was an exceptional day!!!  Nothing fancy, nobody even knew except a few family members, it was just Mike and I and those performing the ceremony.  It was a picture perfect day :).   We made our way over to Schooner Wharf Bar immediately afterwards for some celebratory Bloody Marys.  We were married through Surprise in Paradise they performed a really beautiful ceremony.

 We are quitting our jobs at the end of September and will finish up the projects to the boat.  We should be ready to sail by February. 






Mike and I are ecstatically happy and looking forward to resuming our travels....now as Mr. and Mrs. Leonard.

Cheers Mike and Kim

Soon the Adventure Resumes

Dolphins in Sister Creek, Marathon, FL

We have been working, playing and doing boat projects in the Florida Keys since 2009.  We are completing the last few projects and getting ourselves ready to start cruising again!  FINALLY :).  If all goes well this is our last summer season here in the Keys.










We've enjoyed our stay but are so ready to set sail again.  This time Ka'imi will be in tip top shape.  Some of the improvements we have made include:

New pulpit

Sister Creek, Marathon, FL


New radar
Refrigerator overhaul
New ports
New water maker
New rear window
New hatches
Shower re-glassed
Lifelines redone
New water heater
New heat exchanger
Re-wire windlass
55 lb Rocna Anchor :)
and many, many, more!







Egret sitting on our Dinghy while on the Mooring Ball

So very soon we will set sail and head to the Western Caribbean. 


Cheers and fair weather,

Mike and Kim