Stranded South of the Border…Kind of.

Those that are familiar with the sailing and cruising lifestyle are well aware of the uncertainty that awaits . You never make plans. You try to make an educated guesstimate of where you’ll end up and when, but, ultimately, you embark expecting to go with the flow. My “plan” this past winter was to fly to Mexico, hop on a friend’s sailboat, get in some more nautical miles, sail to Ft.Lauderdale, and then rendezvous with even more friends once I made the crossing. But, as I mentioned, plans don’t always work out.

I departed the cold land of barren corn fields for Ft.Lauderdale airport. I unfortunately could not make the non stop flight 3 hours prior so I extended my travel time to around 20 hours in order to make a timely arrival into Cancun, Mexico the next morning. FYI, FLL airport has some of the most comfortable concrete floors I have slept on. Awakening from my slumber around 0500, I made my way back towards the gate to grab some breakfast and board my flight to Cancun. Upon landing, I made my way towards my shuttle; the Cancun airport does not allow taxis to pick up passengers at the airport. You must take a bus to a bus depot and catch a taxi from there. What most do is arrange a shuttle service either the day you arrive or prior to your trip. It is reasonably priced, you can fit an entire family into the shuttle van, and they even offer you drinks for purchase. Most vans even have WiFi connectivity.

I chose Happy Shuttle, and I would highly recommend them if you are considering a trip through Cancun airport. You walk up to one of their porters and they direct you toward your shuttle. The boat was located on the island Isla Mujures. The most common way to travel to the island is via ferry. The Ultramar Ferry takes 15 minutes and has an air conditioned portion as well as an open top deck with live music. Upon reaching the island you can walk, take a taxi or rent a golf cart or moped to travel to your destination or to go exploring. The boat was located at the World Mark resort and marina: a swanky resort with nice amenities, a pool and many iguanas.

What was originally supposed to be a 4 hour stay in Mexico turned into a 4 day stay. Upon arriving to the boat and checking out of the country via our agent, we found ourselves with a strong 20 knot breeze directly off the stern. To make a long story short, lines in the water, propellers, and high rpm to compensate for howling winds don’t mix well. We ended up snapping the prop strut in half. Fortunately, there was a boat yard next door to our marina; however, with it being Easter weekend, they weren’t able to haul the boat for a few days. There was also one other issue: we had already checked out of the country. Again, this was Easter weekend in Mexico which is apparently the most popular holiday in the country. Fortunately, our agent was able to get us checked back in the next day so we could check back out when we flew out.

Instead of Flying back to Florida immediately, two of the other crew members and I decided to stick around and check out the island for a few days and help prepare the boat for haul out. I mean, if you’re going to be stranded in Mexico, you might as well take in some sights, right?

The island of Isla Mujures is an amazing place to visit. The vibrant island has amazing beauty around each corner and has picturesque views overlooking the Gulf as well as the shallow water heading towards the mainland. The food was amazing and the beer was cold and cheap. We spent an evening at a restaurant called Caribbean Brisas near the marina. My friend John recommended pulpo (octopus) ceviche that was absolutely phenomenal! I’ve never had anything like it. The next day we were walking down the street talking about pushy sales people with sneaky tactics when we walked by a newer-looking restaurant with a young American handing out cards that said free margarita inside. After drilling the poor guy for a few minutes we decided to trust him and head in. Turns out they had just opened and were just trying to get some business. We each had a margarita overlooking the water and decided to have a few more after that as well as a few appetizers to go with it.

At the marina, we became good friends with Robert and Virginia aboard S/V Honeymoon Forever (http://svhoneymoonforever.com/blog.html). They were very familiar with the island and showed us the best places to visit. They even took us on a cruise to a popular beach where we spent the rest of the afternoon floating in the crystal clear water and watching the many boats come and go.

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After spending 5 days in tropical bliss it was time to head to Florida. I caught a flight to Ft. Lauderdale and then hopped on an empty flight to Tampa where I rented a car and drove to Sarasota to spend some time with family. After a couple nights there, I went to Clearwater to visit another friend.

My friend Captain Richie (http://lifeat15degrees.com) was running late from a charter so we decided to meet up at a local bar named the Drunken Clam. The Yuengling beer was cold and the band playing was great. After closing down the bar we made our way across the street to where his boat was and talked about boats and life as the moon slowly drifted across the night sky. Richie has been in the boat business for quite some time. We met years ago racing on the East Coast and have stayed in touch thanks to the internet. When he isn’t aboard a ship in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico, he is aboard his sailboat. He also runs an awesome marine parts store. If you are ever looking for parts or electronics check out his store (https://discountmarinedepot.com/) He has some really good deals and is very knowledgeable about marine products and boat repair.

My next stop was to head to Goodland which is a few miles South of Naples. Longtime friend Ray had just purchased a trawler and was in the process of preparing the boat for the journey to Kentucky Lake. One of our other good friends, Schmidty, was also aboard to help deliver the boat. I haven’t seen Schmidty for a couple years so it was great to catch up. Ray and Schmidty found an engine mount and alternator that needed attention while I tracked down as many electrical issues that I could find during my short stay. We spent the evenings relaxing and sampling the local bars and restaurants.

After having a multimeter glued to my hand for 3 days it was time for me to head north to my brother’s wedding. Walking down the dock I was followed by 2 dolphins that were playing with a fish and launching him 20 feet or so through the air with their tails. At one point I thought they were attempting to make a pass to me. I think they could sense my lack of hand-eye coordination or maybe one of their porpoise friends mentioned it to them after seeing me nearly drop my phone in the brackish water earlier in the day. One swam right past me, slapped his tail and turned toward the open water of the Gulf. It was a memorable send-off.