Tonight, with the stars, the warm Mexican waters, the fish swimming around the boat and our friends on board for dinner and drinks, was a special evening. One of so many here in Mexican. But, I digress....the reason for this little note is not to make our friends, family, and faithful followers upset with us, but to try to explain what this night was like for us. So with that warning, allow me to wax prophetic....

The day started out like one of many we have enjoyed here so far....warm, sunny and cloud free. We were expecting Larry and Sue from MV Beverly S. to join us for a dinner of Jeanne’s awesome homemade Chili rellanos , some freshly caught grouper, flavored with a hint of lime and orange, along with some beautifully done Spanish rice that Sue contributed. A chilled Chardonnay, a nice bold Tempernillo, and a rum and coke for me completes the setting.

After a dinner worthy of any high faluting restaurant back in the states, and a couple bottles of wine, our guests returned to their boat, Jeanne and I retired to the lido deck, also know as the bow of the boat to watch the worlds greatest natural fire works show. The bioluminescence in the water was strong, the stars were out in force, the water had fallen to an amazing calm, all adding up to an evening the likes of which become so very hard to describe. But I will do my best to try..

We are anchored in Bahia Salinas, on Isla Carmen. It is well past “Cruisers Midnight” the recognized 9:00 PM bed time of most of the boating community. The schools of fish, are out in large numbers tonight. Their every movement, enhanced by the natural lighting provided by the bioluminescence, appeared like fireworks, bursting thru the water around Eagle. The small schools, buzzing around like so many Fourth Of July sparklers, the medium sized fish moving thru the water with less flamboyance, but none the less impressive. The organized schools of larger predator fish, like the most highly advanced green-white torpedoes....moving as a group, zigging and zagging thru the water with grace and speed, and at the same time with deadly precision. The glow that they give off, surely gives away their presence to the very creatures they seek to obtain for their evening meal. The speed that they move through their watery realm reminds me of nothing less than the choreography of the Blue Angels fighter jets. They remain tightly bunched, until all at once, some unseen signal sends then all bursting off in different directions. Then as quickly as they had dispersed, they gather back in their tight formation and are off again, searching, and in some small part of my mind....just plain showing off!

The sky above this amazing display, is bordering on the un-imaginable. With nothing in the way of city light to effect the crystal clear view of the heavens most panoramic show case, we are nothing less than humbled by the sight of a limitless number of stars. The moon, which just a few days ago was at it's most magnificent fullness of the calendar year, and reduced by some small percentage each night, has failed to climb the jagged peaks of this arid Mexican desert island. It's absence further adds to the complete inky black of this amazing night, In this awe inspiring sky, one with so many stars that the main stay of the northern sky, the Big Dipper is almost lost in a camouflage of stars. Planets, stars, even a satellite or two all, reflected brightly on the calm waters of this beautiful bay. The still of the evening waters, with the multitude of stars reflecting on it, helps to erase the line, of where the heavens meet sea.

Moments like these are the ones that truly leave me in awe, and so glad we are down here!