Cucumber Beach Marina Belize

We ran over night to from Chinchorro Bank to the main ship channel to Belize City. We had to slow down so as to arrive at the sea buoy at first light. The twisty channel is deep and well buoyed, but we weren’t taking any chances on a first time approach, because the reefs and shoals lie along the outside of the channel belonging to the second largest barrier reef in the world. Looking at the chart, the channel looks like a sunken river channel and probably was when sea levels were lower in the last ice age.
We were headed to Cucumber Beach marina 5 miles SW of downtown Belize City, which is really the only useable marina in the area. We called ahead to make a reservation and asked the Dockmaster if we could get in with our 6’3” draft. He said yes, but only at high tide. So we carefully consulted the tide table built into our Furuno Navnet software (C-Map) so that we’d go in at exactly high tide which would give us 1.6 feet above datum. One hour out, we called on VHF and said we’d be in, but the Dockmaster replied that high tide wasn’t for 2 and a half hours. Now we were confused, who to believe, C-Map or the Dockmaster, so we chose the latter and back and filled off the breakwater.
We found the approach waypoint by Rauscher( 17 27.87’N 88 14.65’W) to be quite accurate withy no hazards on final approach, a soft bottom with no rocks. Well to starboard you see the new petroleum pier extending well offshore and ashore conspicuous white tanks. To port you’ll see another small breakwater with aquaculture pens outside and commercial fishing boats inside. Cucumber beach marina is most distinguished by a tall tower with colorful flags on it. This is part of a water park associated with it. The breakwaters are not tall and the entrance is narrow. Wide enough for one boat, so if you see another vessel coming out, wait for it to exit before entering. Stay centered in the channel as it shoals quickly on the side.
We finally entered at slow bell and watched the sounder carefully and just inside the breakwater about 100 feet we were reading close to zero under our keel, but didn’t not touch. Inside, all we could see were catamaran’s, which is usually not a good indication for a deep draft cruising boat. We discovered later that the C-Map tide table was in error. So we ordered the official U.S. Dept. of Commerce tide book sent down to us.
Well inside is a turning basin. Depending on the tide there is a weak current flowing in or out of the marina. The transit docks are on a single long non floating pier on the southside. The pier facing is all wood and easy to lay alongside, the top of the dock is about 4 feet from the water. Power is 220 50 amp and was ample for air conditioning when we were there. Car access is only steps from the boat so it is easy to get supplies aboard. Only a few steps away is a good restaurant, reasonably priced. Inside of it is an ATM machine that dispenses Belize dollars. The exchange rate was 2 Belize. Fuel is brought pierside by truck. Security is very good. At night we saw two guards patrol, each carrying a sawed off 12 guage shot gun and a machete. Bugs are a problem so keep the boat buttoned up. They are very tiny, barely visible like gnats and bite and pass right through screens.
On the north side of the marina is a tiny convenience store. Behind it is a self service laundry with one washer and one dryer and showers. The dock master’s office is next door. He will assist you with port clearance by calling the officials (Port Captain, Immigration, Health, and Customs) who come out from Belize City. You pay for the taxi ride. You present your clearance and crew list from you last port. They have many forms to fill out. One unusual twist is they want a copy of the dinghy registration and list of ships stores. You don’t have to be very through with this, almost any reasonable list will do. They never check. Don’t arrive on the weekend and try to clear as there are large overtime charges.
Total Port Charges were in and out were about US$224 which seems high. James, the immigration officer collected US$30 in and 30 out and didn’t give a receipt for either when asked, so it’s bogus. We went to the immigration office the day before to make sure we got cleared out to make our high tide at 1300 the following day; he insisted he had to come to the boat the next day.
Security is very good. At night we saw two guards patrol, each carrying a sawed off 12 gauge shot gun and a machete. Bugs are a problem so keep the boat buttoned up. They are very tiny, barely visible like gnats and bite and pass right through screens. Overall this is a very convenient marina, especially by Central American standards.
On departure the dredge was working from the north breakwater. We found .8 foot under our keel at the same spot we found least depth in the dinghy. It was exactly high tide of .76 foot. this would mean 7’ of water at high water. So at low tide we would have nearly touched with our 6’3” draft. This is contrary to the 8’ we were told by the marina. But they were working the dredge so hopefully this will make the place more available to boats other than catamarans.

Banco Chinchorro, Mexico

Banco Chinchorro is a pristine, remote atoll, 17 miles offshore of the SE corner of Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. We ran over from Bahia Espiritu Santo in about 4 hours, with the trades returning to normal easterly 15 to 20 knots.
Freya Rauscher’s approach waypoint is spot on. We saw the Cayos Nortes first on radar, then the wreck on the western edge of the opening, and then the reef breaks on the north side of the opening. We came in on 132-135 deg T, and sounded our way with an eye on the color of the water toward the lighthouse on Cayo Norte. The DMA charts and the C-Map electronic charts for Chinchorro are totally inadequate in scale, soundings, and position of the reef. In both cases our tracks on route coming in showed us passing right over the reef rather than the entrance.
As soon as we got anchored, the Mexican Marines hailed us on 16 to say it’s prohibited to anchor here, we must use the mooring buoy. We’d seen 3 buoys but assumed they were reserved for the Marines or Navy. The guy’s radio was cutting out badly, so we had to ask 3 times for clarification – Are we supposed to use the mooring or avoid anchoring too close to the mooring? Finally we got it straightened out, so we upped anchor and moved to the mooring closest to the lighthouse.
Then we lowered the dinghy and got it all set up so John and I could begin our first few hours of surveying Banco Chinchorro. Our plan was to start by sounding a straight line to the lighthouse, to go ashore and pay our respects to the Marines and Lighthouse guys. But as soon as we got the dinghy moving away from the boat, someone on VHF called rather excited and said it’s prohibited to launch our dinghy, prohibited to come ashore, prohibited to even go snorkeling or diving! We asked if we could swim around or boat, and he said only with great caution.
That cancelled our whole reason for even coming to Banco Chinchorro. ; by now it was too late and we were too tired to get No Plans underway to Belize. We gathered weather faxes, and weather-wise it didn’t make any difference if we went that night or the next day. So, we opted to stay here most of the next day, leaving before sunset and making the 14 hour run to Belize City.
Chinchorro’s lighthouse was tilted southward by Hurricane Dean, the most recent hurricane to damage the Yucatan, according to the Marines who came out by panga to check our papers and sign their forms.
Chinchorro Bank is a Biosphere Reserve, not a national park, so tourism isn’t courted here anymore. It’s run by Conap, the Pesca environmental agency, who have a HQ on Cayo Centro. Conap sets a quota on how many people can visit Chinchorro in any month, so if it’s already had too many yachts stopping for presumed emergencies, then they will close it to others for a while. To protect the habitat and corals, etc. The marines said all tourism has to come over from Majahual or Xcalak as certified tours lead by guides. Chinchorro has only 3 moorings, so if 4 boats show up, one must be turned away.
Following us were 3 sailboats. Two got to use the moorings, but the 4th had to stop and anchor way out by the entrance where it must be very rolly. It is pretty rolly here on the best mooring.
Moorings (the marines said) are 100 ton concrete blocks. I dove and inspected them, the hardware and rope was new. It has no chain, probably to protect the coral, the blocks were buried in the sand and I couldn’t see them. We were in 9 feet of water. The buoys are soft plastic so they won’t damage your hull if they rub up against it. The rope had a well made eye splice covered in plastic, so they were easy to pick up and won’t chafe. While we were there a week norther blew up and to 20 knot NW and the wind blew straight in the harbor, the only direction it is open to. We had about a 2 foot sea, the 70 ton boat rode well to it without strain, but this is no place to be in a strong norther. When we first arrived the wind was easterly about 12 knots which is protected by the island and reef, but it was still pretty rolly. We’d have put up the flopper but the water is too shallow for them and they would bottom out.
The same Mexican Navy patrol boat 1102 “Sirius” that had come alongside two days before to take off the ship wreck survivors came in and picked up a buoy. They needed fuel, but couldn’t go to the pier coming out from the lighthouse because the swell was coming straight in. Then they ferried out fuel in a navy panga in drums.
We departed for Belize for an overnight run with the wind on the stern.

Bahia Espiritu Santo, Mexico's Remote Caribbean Coast

Bahia Espiritu Santo is a large shallow bay on the SE corner of the Yucatan Peninsula. It is a biosphere reserve and very isolated. The only paved road runs many miles inland from the beach and only a very rough dirt road connects to Punta Allen in Bahia Asuncion, 30 miles north. However no roads come into Espiritu Santo. A few Mayans live along its shores as their ancestors did growing corn and beans and catching fish.
The opening to the reef is 1.5 miles wide. You can spot the light house on Punta Herrero on the southerly side of the bay. The existing DMA chart 28190 and the C-Map charts we used on our Furuno Navnet were totally inadequate in scale and detail. The land is placed properly; we did a chart overlay with our radar and could see that. But the soundings and reefs are wrong both here and at Chinchorro banks. If you came in using those charts you’d hit the reef, missing the entrance completely. We used Freya Rauscher’s charts to “Belize and Mexico’s Caribbean Coast” and found them accurate enough. On entry we had two navigation programs to go by. This was a great help, but you have to be very cautious and go by “eyeball” navigation through the reefs and coral heads by reading the color of the water. This is true almost anywhere in the Carribean.
We came in as described by FR from her waypoint on a heading of 265T lined up on Owen Point light on the north end of Isla Owen. If you draw 6’ or less you can go to anchor on the west side of Isla Owen. Once inside the depths began to shoal and we turned north to anchor behind the reef. We turned north because a norther was predicted and this would offer the best protection.
We motored slowly north about 3 miles and anchored at 19 25.9’N, 87 27.9W in 10’ of water over hard sand between small widely spaced small coral patches. We had a hard time getting the anchor to set. I dove to check the anchor amidst fantastic coral and brightly colored fish that were very curious. The anchor had not set and I could see that it was sand over hard pan. Back on board we very carefully backed on our 100’ of chain and the anchor eventually grabbed.
At sunset at norther blew through with winds gusting to 37 knots from the NW. We dragged a short distance and our CQR grabbed again, I imagine on a coral head. We veered out another 50 feet of our ½” chain before dark just for good measure. The wind blew all night and it was chilly on the boat.
Next day, the wind calmed down but still NW. That morning we responded to a Mayday Call from a 30’ catamaran, “Ally’s Cat”, that hit the reef and sank 7 miles outside of us. We aided in their rescue and the Mexican Navy showed up later and took them on board their vessel.
In the late afternoon we made some soundings with the dinghy but it was too rough to take the computer along so we did it manually. We were anchored .9 of a mile off shore where there was a group of about three huts. We headed toward them and people were standing on the beach trying to direct us through the grassy shallows but we didn’t attempt to land. We shouted to them what all the commotion was about with the search and rescue boat and helicopter.
After two nights in Espiritu we departed for Chinchorro Banks.

Cozumel, Mexico by Yacht

We made the easy 50 mile run to Cozumel. Knowing the crowded nature of the only public marina in town, we decided to anchor off the town pier. This anchorage is protected from NE to SE winds, the normal direction here. We had been having an unusual number of northers, so we’d have to watch for that. We anchored about .3 of a mile north of the main commercial pier directly in front of the clearly marked Port Captain’s office in about 20’ of water over sand, with some grass. This is far enough from the busy ferry dock that it’s out of the way, though an occasional wake would cause us to roll.
The first night was comfortable enough, but the wind piped up from the SE and gusty next day blowing across a strong NE current. At times we’d ride to the current at others to the winds and sometimes crosswise. We put out our flopper stopper. This helped but it wasn’t as effective as usual because the current pushed the vanes farther aft and at shallower depth.
We wanted to get ashore, but we were reluctant to launch and use the dinghy in these choppy conditions. We managed to flag down one of the many small tourist launches passing by. They put us off at the town pier. Immediately some unfriendly API (Integrated Port Authority) guards made sure we paid a landing fee. Ok fine.
We went first to the marina that used to be called Club Nautico. It had been taken over by API and was very run down and packed. The docking method here is to med moor to a concrete pier. However it is now only used by local tourist boats. The fuel dock had been moved into the far corner of the marina and you have to pass the hose over other boats. Marina Manager, Sr. Novelo said to always call in advance to make a reservation for fuel, so they can move boats around and make room for you. His APIQROO card: 987-869-7678 tel / fax. Email: jnovelo@apiqroo.com.mx cell phone: 987-111-9274.

Fonatur says it’s building a new marina in a natural harbor called Caleta three miles south of the town pier. It was Sunday and we couldn’t get past the construction fence, but we could see they have a long way to go to completion. We did see signs warning of crocodiles in the same lagoon. To avoid crowding and crocodiles anchoring out is about the best option now. We saw only one other cruising boat on the island in our 3 days there.
A new API ferry pier is being built at the south end of town, and next door to the south is Meridiano 87, a new haul-out yard and work yard. The manager Helman E. Can Solis said the yard will be open in 2 months. For right now the big navy blue Fed ship type boat up in the 100 Ton Travelift under the shed belongs to the owner of the company. Helman said the yard would open to the public in about 3 two months, as soon as the API pier next door got finished. For the first year, they will haul and do repairs, and not be just as a dry storage yard or marina seca. Plans call for larger yard for dry storage.
Back on the boat that afternoon the wind dropped and a huge thunderhead built up over the mainland 10 miles away. It crossed the channel and we suddenly had a huge black squall with strong rain and lightening. The wind gusted to 40 knots and we started to drag anchor. We went out on deck and the wind was blowing the rain so hard that it hurt the exposed face. We paid out 50’ more of chain and held. An hour later it was calm again. It was very strange event for dry season in Mexico.
The next day we had to clear out of Mexico with a Zarpe for Belize at Cozumel, because we’re too deep to get into Xcalac or Majahual, the last possible stops in Mexico. We started at the Port Captain’s office, the middle of 3 Port buildings in front of the main yacht anchorage. We used a crew list for port clearance form from “Cruising Ports”. On it included intermediate stops of Bahia Espiritu Santo and Chinchorro Bank, so we wouldn’t have problems if our papers were checked by Navy on our way out but before we were into Belize. We also had to fill out the port captain’s own form, which had much information redundant to our port clearance form. They also asked for a copy of the document and insurance papers. Then we had to go to the bank to pay the port fees and get a receipt to take back the port captain (about US 22.50 for our 60 ton boat.) Next stop was Immigration (15 avenue con calle 5) corner of 15th Ave at 5th Street, about 18 blocks south and 5 blocks inland behind San Miguel. They stamped our crew list. But he said we’d have to come back with a copy of our Zarpe from the Port Captain before he’d stamp our passports for exit. So back to the Port Captain, present our receipts and properly stamped crew list, and receive our “Zarpe.” Then back to Immigration to give them our Zarpe which they copied in house and gave us back the original and stamped our passport and kept our tourist cards. We did it, kept the taxi 2 hrs! Good guy, #577. Now we’re cleared out of Mexico for Belize with stops.
We’d come ashore again by flagging down a tourist launch. To go back out we tried a short pier just south of the main commercial pier. This was a non API pier, nobody collected funds and a friendly launch driver took us out for a tip. We didn’t see anywhere to land and leave a dinghy. You might be able to work a deal at this dock.
As many as 7 cruise ships stop here daily. So the small town is a zoo when they are in. Sunday’s and Mondays are the lightest traffic days. We departed southward that night for the solitude of Espiritu Santo Bay.

Cancun Official Entry by Yacht

Because we came direct from the U.S. we had to make our official entrance into Mexico at Marina La Amada just north of Cancun. Dockmaster Miguel Angel is authorized by the Puerto Juarez Port Captain to serve as a port agent. He asked to see our U.S. port clearance. I explained that we had none, because a U.S. flagged yacht cannot get one, only commercial vessels, furthermore this clearance is not required when entering on the Pacific side of Mexico. He said that this is no longer true, and showed me the U.S. CBP Form 1300 that another US yacht had presented and that all the Port Captains on this side of Mexico are requiring one. He asked to see what paperwork we did have. We had brought with us a standard crew list in Spanish they we had used for years. Miguel said he’d use this and also typed up a flowery letter in Spanish to the Port Captain explaining why we didn’t have a Zarpe from the US. We also gave Miguel a copy of our ship’s document, Mexican insurance, and Temporary Import Permit (which we had onboard from a trip 4 years ago and is valid for 10 years). All of this paper work was accepted and several other dock masters we talked to verified that the U.S. port clearance was required. When we get back to the U.S. we will contact U.S. Customs and verify that you really can get one now.

Now Miguel called the necessary officials to come down to our boat for inspection. The first official to arrive was from Sanidad, to inspect the food items we brought in. We had not done a big provisioning in Florida, knowing that certain meats and vegetables were not permitted, and knowing that we could provision in very good stores in Cancun. We had a few prohibited items like apples and citrus, but he allowed us to keep them if we promised to consume them on board and dump the leavings at sea when we left. We only had one package of meat which was sliced deli ham and turkey. They are not on the prohibited list, but he said that U.S. beef and chicken are not allowed into Mexico at this time.

Next was Immigration. They came on board with tourist cards for us to fill out, and they stamped them and our passports. Miguel gave us a special form to take to any bank to pay the fee. If you don’t do this, when you go to leave the country you would have a problem, so we went to the bank the next day. We paid the approximately $20 each and were given a receipt, which was important to keep with the tourist card to prove it was valid.

Customs was next on board. She asked one question, “Do you have any guns.” We honestly answered no. She said ok, you are cleared. We asked if she’d like to see the rest of the boat, and she said no. We knew that it’s illegal for any yacht to have arms on board in Mexico and it is strictly enforced. Dock master Luis Roberto of Hacienda del Mar marina regaled us with stories of American yatistas being thrown into the Cancun jail over guns on board. Nuff said.

Finally the port captain’s representative came down. He collected our papers from Miguel and didn’t come on board, but told us we could now lower our yellow quarantine flag.

Later Miguel gave us our papers back, including the crew list which was properly stamped by all of the authorities and proof that we’d properly cleared into the country. Now we were free to come and go in Mexican ports, and all we’d have to do was call the port captain on VHF and announce our arrivals and departures. They usually ask in return: the name of the boat, name of the captain and number of persons on board. When we leave the country we will have to visit the Port Captain, Immigration, and Customs with an exit Crew List to receive a properly executed “Zarpe,” (international exit clearance)

Arriving in Cancun by Yacht

We arrived at La Amada marina at Cancun which is a separate interior basin located about 5 miles northwest of the mega-tourist area. You can carry 17’ draft into the channel (lined in giant concrete jacks) and turning basin which has alongside berths for megayachts on both sides. The two docking areas north and south of the turning basin have 10 foot depth. The marina is brand new and is owned by Spanish investors and you can certainly see the Mediterranean influence. The docks are high, non-floating concrete with partial fingers of about 20’ coming out to separate the berths. The concrete pilings have a small amount of vertical fendering, but unlike Florida marinas, this has no wooden pilings to secure lines to. Like in the Med, a tag line running alongside the hull connects to a chain running on the bottom to the dock. Dockmaster Miguel Angel said the bottom of each section of 5 or 6 boat slips contains a “mother” chain on the bottom, and individual “sister” chains branch off that.
The docking procedure is to back into the slip, and one or two of their uniformed marina staffers passes you the tag line, you walk the line to your bow and secure it. Meanwhile your deckhands are securing the stern to the dock. Brest and spring lines are secured to bollards on the short finger pier. Put the line’s eye on the bollard and adjust lines on your boat’s cleats. You can best disembark if you have a passarelle as many European boats do, or jury rig a stern plank.
The fuel dock and marina office are on an island-like pier just to the south of the marina entrance channel and adjacent to the turning basin. We lucked out because the dock master put us on the south side of the concrete island which constitutes the fuel dock and office and we therefore had an alongside berth. This enabled us to step off onto the dock from the pilot house boarding gate without having a plank. The 50-amp 220-volt service used U.S. style connections and was more than adequate and the dock security excellent.

Crossing Gulf Stream Florida to Cancun

Feb. 16, 2010
We flew into Fort Lauderdale to join the 57’ Nordhavn “No Plans,” which was lying at Harbour Towne Marina in Dania, only a hop, skip and jump from the airport. Mary and Larry Mason, our hosts, had her in the Med for 3 years during which time we had cruised with them a couple of times through Italy, Malta, Croatia and Greece. In July 09 they had shipped her back to Newport, R.I. on the Dock Wise Yacht Transport and had spent the summer and fall cruising the NE and down the ICW to Florida. Here she had quite of bit of work done, stuff that had been deferred due to the difficulties of doing work on an American boat in the Med. Now she had AIS installed and was now in top form.
We were headed down the Yucatan Channel toward the Panama Canal and to the Pacific side of Costa Rica to do research for the 7th edition of “Cruising Ports.” We planned a leisurely cruise of daylight runs down the Keys, anchoring for the night and then jumping off across the Gulf Stream to Cancun where our research would begin in earnest. Florida had been having a brutal winter with a lot of wind, rain and cold in this El Niño year, and we began tracking the weather for several days before we got on the plane for Florida. A very strong cold front had just passed through South Florida, and the wind was blowing strong from the NW on our arrival. But the forecast was for the wind to drop, and a weather window was opening for us to jump off for Cancun non-stop. This leg involves crossing the Gulf Stream twice, once in the Florida Straits and again in the Yucatan Channel, so it can be dangerous. Thus weather conditions overrode our desire for leisurely stops in the Keys.
We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale one evening and spent the next day shopping and doing last minute errands. We departed Lauderdale just before sunset. As we exited the breakwater we engaged the Trac stabilizers and bingo, the computer control head went blank and we were wallowing around in a heavy sea way with no stabilizers. After trying to fix the problem for ah hour, we realized there was nothing to do but replace the control head, so we turned around and re-entered the harbor at “zero dark thirty.”
We tied up for the night at Lauderdale Marina fuel dock. The next day we were very lucky to track down the part and someone to install it by early afternoon. Two years ago this would have been impossible at the height of cruising season, but the yacht business has fallen on hard times, and marinas have many empty slips and marine businesses are crying for work. The weather window was still open, at least to Key West, so we departed again at 1500.
The run down the Keys was uneventful; we skirted the reef about 3 miles off. This was a sweet spot between the offshore freighters and the small-boat traffic working along the reef and avoiding the worst of the head currents of the Gulf Stream. By mid morning we were near Key West, and a week cold front passed us, with rain and the wind shifting to the NW and gusting up to near 30 knots. This was an offshore wind so the seas weren’t bad and after about an hour it subsided to 20 knots northwest, which is what it was predicted to be crossing down to Cancun. It was a borderline forecast; it shouldn’t be dangerous, but certainly uncomfortable and almost normal conditions for this time of year. So we decided to press on. After all, it was a well founded boat.
We had only moved offshore a couple of miles when the seas picked up, and the boat started rolling violently. Every once and a while it would get thrown down on her port beam with a bang. It looked like we had made a terrible misjudgment of the weather. Then it occurred to us to check the setting on the stabilizers. Sure enough the technician had left them in a mode called “zero heel” with the boat speed set at 20 knots - and we were travelling at 8 knots. Running along in the lee of the reef of the Keys, this hadn’t been a problem. We put it in “max mode” and lowered the speed setting to 8 - and instantly the boat started acting normally for the conditions. Whew. We could continue to press on.
Our rhumb line was a straight shot from the Key West sea buoy to the south end of Isla Mujeres and would take us 7 miles off the coast of Cuba. As we closed with the island of Cuba, we were down to 6 knots for hours: obviously the main current of the Gulf Stream. The wind stayed about 12-15 knots steady out of the northwest, and when our speed was slowest the boat rolled the worst. Toward the west end of the island we picked up a counter current and speeded up to 9.5 knots and the ride was smoother.
Just as we were starting across the Yucatan Channel, we encountered two ships engaged in cable laying on the approaches to the Vessel Traffic Separation scheme at Cabo San Antonio, a dense shipping lane. They requested 5 mile clearance, and the maneuvers with dosens of ships got interesting. Our newly installed AIS helped greatly. Not only does it give a CPA and time to CPA for other vessels with the same equipment, it also gives the name of the ship. So you can call the other vessel on VHF without the old routine of “ship at lat and long of such and such, on a course of and speed of such and such.” It eliminated a lot of confusion in tight corners.
About 0300 we pulled back our speed in order to make a daylight entrance to the Cancun area. We were headed to the new marina La Amada and chose the entrance south of Isla Mujeres rather than the north, because it’s deeper. In the pre-dawn hours it was disconcerting to see the number of strobe lights not marked on any charts. When they first appear you wonder if it’s some fishing gear in the water, so you maneuver to avoid - only to find out later they are on a tower or building ashore. Just outside the sea buoy we saw two large unlit ship moorings. Scary. Inside we favored the side toward Isla Mujeres. A coral reef sticks out from the south end of the island. It’s a national park called “Garrafon,” the edge of which is marked by a series of yellow buoys - easily seen now that the sun was up. Past this we turned northwest to the first buoy of the marina at 21 14.831N, 86 47.215W, a position we got off their internet site. Bingo, there they were right off the bow. We entered their long, well marked channel maintained at 17’ depth.
We’d covered 500 miles in 3 nights and 2 days, crossed the Gulf Stream twice. We were ready for some rest and recuperation. Stay tuned for our description of Cancun/Isla Mujeres.