San Pedro to Isla Mujeres
Author: Shirlz
Tuesday, 20 January 2015
I had been carefully monitoring the weather forecasts while anchored at Caye Caulker, only to be faced with a rather discouraging succession of northerlies. I was enjoying the lazy life anchored in the bay with regular bird watching trips ashore but I needed to be moving along. At last I noticed a promising 5-day stretch of east and even southeast winds. The opportunity was too good to miss and the next day I made my way up to San Pedro on Ambergris Caye to clear out. There were a few heart-stoppingly shallow patches en route and I wondered whether I preferred being able to see the bottom so clearly or if it was better to have reality masked by muddy water.
Next day the weather was as predicted with a light offshore wind giving perfect conditions for getting through the narrow dog-legged cut in the reef. I had been feeling a little anxious about getting through this awkward channel but the directions I’d been given were accurate. What a feeling of relief, as the colour of the water changed from pale turquoise to deep sapphire blue. We were on our way to Mexico.
Of course, the payback for the easy exit was barely perceptible air movement outside. Fortunately it was from abaft the beam and with the full sail up and some help from the current; we drifted easily along at 2 knots. When the sun went down the sky turned a brilliant scarlet promising another good day to come. I had to use the engine for a few hours as the wind had also packed it in for the day.
It was a moonless night but the stars lit up the sky and brilliant phosphorescence sparkled in our wake. Soon enough the wind returned, now more easterly. It was perfect sailing. We were about 5 miles off shore and I had originally hoped to make an overnight stop at the north end of the Chinchorro Bank, a big atoll about 15 miles off the coast, but unfortunately, the Mexican navy has declared it off limits and is using it for their own purposes so no chance of a good night’s sleep. I had bought a new kitchen timer when I visited Belize City and this worked quite well if I tucked it under my chin while I slept as it has a loud ring and vibrates strongly when it goes off. I was able to stick to my 20 minute watch schedule
Thursday, 22 January 2015
We made steady progress with nothing much to report except for sighting a really enormous turtle which seemed a little nonplussed at having to paddle out of our way and by sunrise on Thursday the island of Cozumel was in sight. Four massive cruise ships were moored at the dock. The 100m line is less than half a mile off shore and then the bottom rises steeply to a narrow area where it’s possible to anchor. It’s an open roadstead only protected from easterly winds. Isla Mujeres was still 50nm away and I wouldn’t be able to get there before dark. I decided to anchor for the day at San Miguel, get some sleep and start out again in the evening so as to make landfall in daylight.
The weather was still perfect but I couldn’t expect it to last much longer. I relaxed and had a cooling swim in the beautifully clear blue water. As evening approached the cruise ships lit up like Christmas trees. The one closest to me had an enormous TV screen on the top deck and if I had been interested I could have watched it through my binoculars.
I set off again at 8pm. I had worked out my passage time guessing a best possible average speed of 5 knots. Normally I Work on a 3 knot average but I thought I should take the promised 2 knot current into account. Once we were well underway I soon realized that I might have a problem. We were romping along at an amazing 6 to 7 knots. I checked the guidebook again and sure enough I should have noticed that on this particular stretch the current can run as fast as 5 knots. At this rate we would arrive long before sunrise. I quickly reefed right down but this made surprisingly little difference. I tried to convince myself that the current would soon slow down. At 11pm, with only 30nm still to go and 6 and a half hours before sunrise, it became obvious that something would have to be done. As usual, when unsure how to proceed and with no one to ask for advice, I hove to. Speedwell does this beautifully and the bouncy race slowed down to a comfortable, gently rocking 3 to 4 knots. At times like this the GPS really earns its keep. The track that it showed us making was still on course for Isla Mujeres. So, no more to be done. Just sit there and get carried along. Before we came abeam of the island we started sailing again and by 8am were making the final approach to the anchorage. The last bit was quite tricky with the channel passing really close to the beach and I was very glad not to be attempting it in the dark.
I found a good place to anchor within easy rowing distance of a convenient beach. People from two of the other cruising boats in the bay came over to welcome me. I desperately needed to make up my sleep deficit and the rest of the day was spent in blissful oblivion.
Saturday, 24 January 2015
The wind has gone northerly again and by midmorning was gusting to 30 or 40 knots. Boats were dragging. I put out another 20m of chain, bringing the total to 50. The water is only 3m deep but the holding is said to be not very good. We bounced around a bit as the anchorage is open to the NW but the anchor held. How lucky I was to get in before this started. It was impossible for me to row ashore to clear in so I left the dinghy safely tied on deck and settled down for the day with a good book.
January 30th, 2015 at 20:01
I’m curious about how you heave to. Can you describe the process, or how you set the sail and rudder?
February 7th, 2015 at 09:12
Hi Dena
Not all boats heave to the same way. Speedwell has a long full traditional keel which makes heaving-to easy. In strong winds I reduce sail, sometimes right down, then haul the sail in tightly as hard in as possible. Then I lash the tiller hard over to leeward. Sometimes one tack will work better than the other. Once you are successfully hove-to the boat should sit at approximately 60 degrees to the waves and ride easily even in very severe weather. with Speedwell’s junk rig there is only the one sail. If you have a jib it may help to back it.