On The Border

Tadd setting up the fans for an overdue nap after a long hard watch

We reluctantly left Chinchorro behind in the early evening after some less impressive snorkeling and a heavy squall had passed through. We’d tried fruitlessly to get our army friends from the day before to answer us on the radio and give us any weather report they could… actually we couldn’t get anyone to answer… not sure what the deal is in Mexico… maybe they just don’t talk to gringos!

During the night there was lots of lightening going off all around but we got lucky and nothing actually passed right over us… still it’s more than enough to make you nervous. I had a great watch with lots of wind, though there were a few moments when I had to start wishing it would calm a little so I wouldn’t have to wake Tadd to help reef the mainsail. Unfortunately, once Tadd took over, the good conditions I had had turned really crappy, and he had to suffer through a watch with no good wind and the boat being bashed this way and that by the waves… no fun at all.

So when we arrived off the coast of Xcalak with following seas and potentially unclear instructions how to get through the way-too-narrow gap in the reef 50 yards we were not too feeling too happy or refreshed, but knew it could have been a lot worse. Luckily as we headed in to take a look and see if we could work it out… we were very surprised and really pleased to catch sight of some small buoys… the depth was looking good… the lighthouse and the range light were in transit… we were even happier when we gradually became confident that the buoys were in actual fact marking our passage into town… only the second time we’d seen anything so helpful since we’d left the US… just what we needed after a long night.

Things got even better when we spotted a couple of mooring balls again… thank you!

After a well-deserved nap we tried all usual to call into the port captain… last chance to make it happen before leaving Mexico… nope… not going to happen. So after some food we headed in person.

Susi, the port captain in Xcalak is fabulous! She got our paperwork sorted in a matter of minutes (there’s no immigration or customs there, so she’s everything)… and while chatting, we learned that the storm that had passed us out in Chinchorro had come in and hit Xcalak the day before and the winds were too much for the concrete posts that hold up the power lines… not that surprising considering they’re planted in the swamp. So one post came down and brought down a bunch more with it… so no power, no lights, no air conditioning, no internet… no refrigeration for food… so no shops really and no open restaurants.

Luckily Susi was there to help out and offered us a ride in the back of the official Port Captain truck to the next town 40 miles away, where she was going to get ice and stuff anyway…

Hold on tight… Susi’s also a speed demon… 100 miles an hour watching the road fly away behind us, as the trees bent and swayed as the we passed…. But we survived the trip and picked up some supplies… food… beer… gas… diesel…. What more can you want? Thanks Captain Susi!

With the lights not coming on any time soon, we loaded up on some water and headed back to boat to relax and chill and eat tamales, rice and beans… a few drinks and good night sleep before an early morning start to Belize!