Got no Swiine Flu!

We are safe and sound, so far, in the little town of Mahahual. As Mexico City is closed and Cancun shuts down, we ponder if we should go anywhere. Not like we really can with the transmissions being broken. However, just our luck, as we did plan to go to Cancun the end of this very week to have the transmission fixed. I guess it is just wash your hand, wash your hands, wash your hands for us!

As the media frenzy about the Swine flu intensifies and all of Mexico begins to shut down, we plan to leave for Isla Murjers (Island of the Women) to bring the transmissions to Cancun. As we sit in the Internet cafe we look up at the TV (CNN or something like it) and see the Minister of Heath, or in Mexico, the Secretary of Salud (State). Don´t we know this guy? Oh yes, that´s the big wig we took sailing with his family when the boat broke down! Wow.

Anyhow, since we have no power and must sail in, we can´t go directly to Cancun. Getting into a quiet and adequate anchorage will be challenge enough. Only 180 miles to sail to Isla Murjers, and then once there a quick and cheap ferry ride over to Cancun. This should take between 24 - 36 hours, depending on weather. It always comes down to that. Good thing we will have friends Sara and Thane on board to assist. Even though they have no real sailing experience (they will after this trip) it is always nice to have extra hands who are willing to learn.

All aboard, Friday, May 1st, along with an entire grocery store full of food, the six of us head off for blue waters. We´re going sailing :) Yippee! The adventure continues....

White Squail

As we watched the sky darken, and the sea turn, we buttoned down the hatches and prepared for stormy weather. Brian gave a lesson on a squall line to me, and we watched as the weather did exactly what Brian predicted.

It is so cool being on a boat in the rain. The sound of the drops is like a song and I feel so connected to nature being on the water in a storm. Of course, it was like 75 degrees out still as it rained, my kind of storm. Kind of like being in Kauai, rain and warmth at the same time. It is very cleansing, both physically (as Captain Gary capitalized on it by taking a shower at 11:30 at night) and spiritually, just washing away the negative. A clean slate so to speak, something much needed.

The real rainy season doesn´t really start until June / July, and goes until about Oct. However, due to hurricane season coinciding with rainy season, we will be long gone before then. Extreme heat and rain only equals unbearably hot, humid and mosquito ridden days that no one wants to experience.

Pictures to follow on Flickr

House Party & Earth Day!

Meeting people and making friends, that's what it is all about. Well, experiencing new places, cultures, etc. - that too! Anyhow, we took our new friend, Sara, up on her offer to come over to her house. Saturday afternoon, we headed out. She lives north of Mahahual, in Uvero, about 30 - 40 minutes by car. The good doctor (the local chiropractor in town) - Thane - offered us a ride in his Land Rover. Good thing too, because I don't know if we would have found it. Their really are no roadsigns to speak of, and the one's they do have, were all mangled from hurricane Dean. They are not easy to spot.

Casa Morena Sirena (Dark Siren): Located on a long sand road next to the beach, Sara's house was paradise. A big beautiful granite kitchen, solar, Internet, hot water private showers, and oceanfront. As we sat in the lap of luxury, I mixed up some cocktails and Thane started the outside BBQ. We dinned on whole grilled Snapper, grilled veggies, and tortillas, out by the water of course. As everyone danced the night away, I sat under the stars on the beach. It was a good night.

Thinking that Earth Day was 4/20, and laughing at that, we decided to do our part and pick trash out of the water and off the beach. We collected 2 buckets out of the water and one bag off the beach. Our good deed of the day but actually we do this every 3 or 4 days anyhow. Funny, Earth Day was 4/22 this year! On a Wednesday? Just another good excuse to do our part.

Enjoy the pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157617137134051/

Something to do

Boat continues to be broken :( and while Capt. Gary, with the help of Niki, feverishly run around trying to come up with any solution to fixing the transmissions (it was not the engines as previously thought, but both tranies), we on the other hand are going nowhere fast. On top of that, Semana Santa had just wound down. Its a two week celebration, centered around the Easter holiday, featuring concerts on 3 different stages and all night parties at most clubs. All the people and excitement disappeared, we were depressed. On the bright side, I did manage to make the ritual Creamed Eggs on Toast for the occasion (Easter). Alas, no coloring of eggs, or a hunt, or even a chocolate bunny! Things were looking grim.

To pull ourselves out of the doldrums, we decide to go to Chetemal with Steve (he goes every Monday to stock the restaurant) to buy some used bicycles. Score, we found some real beauties, but in Bacalar. This is a small resort town built around a large lake. As we sat and drank a few cold ones by the waters edge, waiting for the bicycle shop to open after siesta, I marveled at the colors of the water. They were very ocean like, except at the edges, then they were murky like a lake normally are. Too relaxed to take pictures, you'll just have to image it.

So far the bikes are a hit, even more so now that I deck mine out in hello kitty stickers, streamers, and nail polish (as paint). It's sparkly! Meow Also a hit, is the new floaty Brian had to have. Well, it is a water love seat, complete with his and hers cup holders. I just don't know if both Bri and I can fit on it together. It will be fun trying! So shopping good (fun), but shopping bad (on the budget).

My bike was a steal, at 300 pesos (like $23 bucks)! Brian's was more and he got a girls bike- he,he. The kitty shredder lives to ride another day. I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my bike.....

Quotes Antidotes!

Just some fun and funny stuff:

"It's not me (moving or swaying), it's the boat." -Juan Carlos
24 shots of tequila later (yes, that many) for his birthday party, he gets off the boat, and says "oh, it is me, it is not the boat!"


"My hair is no blonder than before I started (this journey), and it wasn't very blonde then either." - Kat
Said in frustration that the sun and sea have not lightened my hair any!


"Real men don't suck." -Capt Gary
In response to why real men don't like using a straw in their drinks.


"I got to have nice hair for a week." -Niki
Said in conversation about her week back in La Paz, where the humidity and showers are better.


"It's not me, it's the motion of the sea." -Juan Carlos
A few days later, after he recovered from his Birthday party


"I would like to be able to take a shower naked someday, hot water would be nice too." -Kat
Said while walking down the dock on a chilly night with 20 mph winds blowing, to the outdoor showers (none on the boat & no hot water).


"Eating habeneros is bad for your fingernails." - Yoshi
In response to our question why, he simply stated because when you go to the toilet, you scratch your nails down the walls! Capt. Gary ate 5 whole cubana Habeneros! His fingernails are just fine, but then again, he has an iron stomach.


"It's not the boat, it's the port!" - Kat
Said in response to the fact that it didn't matter that the boat wasn't working, the port was closed, again, and we couldn't go out even if we wanted to.

"I have fingernail issues right now." - Brian
I responded yeah I need to do some personal grooming myself and he said no, not that, from the hot stuff. (See Yoshi's quote above for details.) :)

Charters, Rescues & Breakdowns

Mix Master - Fernando & his store

We had our 1st charter, on Thursday. It was a private tour since our customers were muey importante! The plan: take our guests (the minister of Health, right hand man to the Presidente, and his family) down to the buoy at 11k and go snorkeling. Gary’s business contact, the “Doctor” who owns the pier and the restaurant you see in pictures set all this up. He was also on board to make sure everything went perfect. Then the following day we were to take the boat down to Ixcalac and pick up the family (at 1pm) and sail them to San Pedro, Belize (on Ambergris Cay). In Belize, they were to disembark and stay in a hotel. We were to hang out (tough, I know) for the next few days to be at their sailing disposal. We were all looking so forward to it....

Day of the trip, Brian's up at 6:15am scrubbing the boat, and swabbing the decks, it is the Minister of Health after all. It has to be clean. So, he's drenched by 8am in his own sweat, when he wakes me up, going, honey, the food will be here in 30 minutes and our guests shortly after, at 9am. Get the Frick up! :) Following suit, I am up, having breakfast made and the boat comes together at exactly 9am. Then it is hurry up and wait, as they tell us our guests were out to breakfast. At 10am Brian walks through the restaurant, and still no people. We are informed again that they are running late and will be 30 more minutes. After 45 minutes we are told they will be here in 1 hour. So, we all went to breakfast. Naturally, our guests show up early and we look like inattentive crew. Could this be a foreshadow?

We promptly launch the boat, pulling our act together quickly and looking sharp in our uniforms, like a professional crew. Setting sails and heading for our destination, in good breeze, and great sunshine, everyone is all smiles. Things are good. Once locating the narrow channel in the reef, we set anchor in a beautiful lagoon full of coral & fish. Spirits are high as everyone enters the water for a snorkel tour lead by Capt Gary and me. Well, for me it was more like herding cats and helping the stragglers in the group.

Meanwhile back at the boat, Brian observes the boat is drifting and the mooring is not holding. After numerous attempts to reset the mooring, he prepares to launch an anchor but decides it's easier to hold the boat in place using the engines.

Snorkel trip successful concludes with everyone safely back on board. Lunch is now served. The doctor made conch & shrimp ceviche for everyone, especial. All smiles, we are about to take off but are informed by the doctor, that his other tour boat needs our snorkel gear. No worries, we still have time to make it back for our early evening sunset trip. We hold up and then heave gear to their boat, pointing out a better anchorage. Minutes later we are on our way, out the reef we go with our VIP guest working a fishing line.

In the mist of our discussion about setting sails, we receive word that the boat that borrowed all our gear has lost an engine. Their guests need to be at the departing cruise ship rapido. We are instructed to pick up all their guests and get them back. No time to sail back, we maneuver the channel, pick up the drunk & seasick people and split. 3 out of 4 barf buckets were used. As we are making excellent time back to the dock, the port engine seized. Okay, no problem, we still had the starboard engine. A totally separate system. 5 minutes later the order for “raise the sails” is given. We have lost the starboard engine on the approach to the reef. We hoved too, and managed to pitch all 18 rescued guests into a parasailing power boat. At least they made it onshore on time.

Meanwhile back to our VIP tour, we sail up and down the Mahahaul beach devising a plan. The opening in the reef to our dock is only 50' wide at best, with the boat being 26' wide, there is no margin for error. Once through the reef we only have a couple hundred yards to stop and dock before we wipe out. Not good. In order to maintain steering we have to have enough speed to get through the break in the reef but then need to somehow stop. The answer was to sail under just the jib and then use the parasailing boat as a tug, to stop the boat once we got to the dock. The parasailing boat rammed us like an angry rhino while trying to come along side. Brian lined the boat up for the reef passage and Capt Gary maneuver the boat and the angry rhino to the dock.

Back at the dock, our VIP guests, disembarked into the hands of their nervous security detail. All smiles, they couldn't wait til tomorrow. Us however, with both and separate engines down, were not so optimistic. Facing the grim reality of the situation, Capt Gary hustled for a mechanic to come out pronto! A quick diagnose revealed one bad transmission on one side and a bad engine on the other. Boat broken. We decide to go out drinking. To Frenando's! He is the equivalent of what Sam Malone is to Cheers. He is just simply the best and makes the best Pina Colada you have every tasted. Our doctor feel good.

And the adventure continues.....

Sail On!

On Tuesday, Apr 7th, the stars aligned, the weather cooperated and the mood was right- despite the lack of any paying customers, we went sailing. We all realized afterward what a funk we had been in by not going out sooner. In our defense the weather was not allowing it.

It was a beautiful day with a good amount of wind, and boy does that boat haul butt. Capt. Gary said "Kat, you're going to drive, point us up into the wind and Brian, you and I are going to practice putting in a reef". What! You want me to do what! So, my first experience handling a catamaran, and a 55' boat at that, was a thrill but intimidating to say the least. Not to mention the 12' - 15' swells of the sea! Wow! Yes, another explanation mark. It took me a bit to get the feel of a multi hull and a boat that big. It is much different than that of a mono hull sailboat.


Our crew shakedown sail went great, very smooth, with everyone in sync. We were all energized and ready to go. Now, all we needed were some paying customers to take out on a sailing tour.

Pictures on http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157616535996889/

Sail Off!

As in no sailing as of yet. The wind finally died down for a day and a half, in which time, we had to reset the anchor Brian dragged out to keep the boat from smashing into the dock so hard, and reset the channel buoy that came dislodged by the wind storm. It only took Capt. Gary 3 attempts to get the buoy back but now that it is set we can safely go out for a sail. However, now if only mother nature would cooperate, it would be smooth sailing.

In the meantime, we made a trek to a bigger town, Chetamal with some friends we have made here. Steve and his wife Kathy took us in their car, otherwise it would have been a 3 hour bus trip. Steve does his shopping there on Mondays for his restaurant in Mahahual. Tagging along for the day, we also ran some errands and picked up some items we can not get in Mahahaul - like pillows and mosqutio netting!

Chetamal has a population of 250,000 and is nothing to brag about, except for one thing - The Free Zone. This is an area between Belize and Mexico that is a huge flea market. Alas, we saw the border but never had the chance (or time) to go across, maybe next time.

In the meantime, we will have to just sit on the beach sipping our pina coladas, and frolicking in the beautiful, seafoam green, bright turquoise, and deep sky blue clear, refreshing waters......

Hasta Manana!

Where in the world is Kat and Brian?

We are in beautiful Mahahual (pronounced Ma-ha-wall), Mexico (we arrived March 25). It is located just 30 miles north of Belize and 6 hours (by bus) south of Cancun, on the Caribbean side of course! It is so gorgeous, but with our luck lately, it has been extremely windy since we arrived here. The Port Captain has the harbors shut down. That means no sailing or tours, as it is illegeal to leave the harbor when it is closed.


In the meantime, we are meeting the locals, getting to know the lay of the land, the boat, and visiting with Niki, and Gary. To find out more info on what we’ll be up to and see some boat pictures, etc. check out Gary's website: http://www.sailmahahual.com/ .


Pictures can be found: http://www.flickr.com/photos/katnbrian/sets/72157616009506223/