On the Move Again
26 February 2012 | Puerto Morales, Mexico
Puerto Morales, Mexico
It has been a loooong while since I last posted anything and I send a “Sorry” to those of you who have been wondering what has become of us!
We continued to enjoy ourselves in Isla Mujeres since the last posting. Jim went home to Nova Scotia for a few days of “tending to business” including visits with Mary Beth and my father. I stayed happily on the boat at El Milagro Marina, doing a few wee little boat jobs, but mostly swimming, paddleboarding, kayaking, eating and chatting with the other Milagro regulars.
Jim and I saw the beginnings of carnival before he left– with brightly costumed men and women parading and dancing in the streets and being crowned at the plaza. Unfortunately we couldn’t stay up past 10 pm so we missed much of the late night festivities. I had arranged to go downtown on the last night with my Guatemalan friend Delmi, but we missed connecting with each other (I succumbed to North American hurry-up mode because I didn’t want to miss anything and didn’t wait long enough for our rendezvous). I had a good time wandering the streets of downtown Isla Mujeres (feeling perfectly safe, by the way) while she and another friend wandered the same streets looking for me. Sadly, I was back on the boat by 8:30, and they enjoyed the music and dancing at the plaza till midnight. Drat! I learned my lesson though – I’m back to regarding promptness as an unnecessary habit.
Steve and Sandi, David and Elizabeth, and I dinghied down to Rolandi’s for dinner one night. Jim and I ate lunch there earlier in the week, and dinner was equally lovely – with white table linens, special cutlery for each dish, and silver domes being lifted simultaneously from our beautifully presented entrees. Eating here is a splurge for our cruising budget, but one well worth doing.
We had intended to leave on Saturday, but the wind cooperated with our hopes and didn’t shift east until Sunday so we were able to stay to meet Eric, the marina owner, and for Angelina’s big party. We had chatted on the phone with Eric a couple of times and it was a treat to meet the man who has done such miraculous things with the old Shrimp Dock here. His vision, investment, attitude and enthusiasm have created a treasure here for both cruisers and land visitors. El Milagro ranks high on Trip Advisor and we all want it to stay that way.
Angelina celebrated her 50th birthday; old friends and family flew in to be with her; and new friends at the marina were delighted to join them in another one of the great feasts produced by Jaime, Julio and the rest of the staff.
Departure day finally arrived and if we were ever to travel farther, we really needed to loose the dock lines and sail away. And so it was that on Sunday morning, with the sun shining brightly and the wind blowing nicely from the East, we untied the spiderweb of lines that had held us safely for two weeks and set off. Penny and Dave (land visitors who have the hearts of cruisers beating in them), Jeff, David, Delmi and Bruce, Elizabeth and David, Eric, Julio, Jaime and Jose waved us off as Jim executed a perfect reverse/clear the piling/turn and power forward exit. We filled up with diesel at the Pemex in the lagoon and were soon off around the west side of Isla Mujeres and headed for Puerto Morales. It felt good to be off on the next leg of this year’s adventure, but it felt just as good to know we connected with a new community of friends here – some of whom we’ll meet in other anchorages, some we’ll stay in touch with by e-mail, and some whom we’ll find when we come north again. Hasta Luego amigos. Mucho Gusto.