After a great sail north from Aventuras back to Isla, we were comfortably back in our spot in Isla Mujeres, The staff at the marina are great, and know us on first name terms. We know the local restaurants and bars that we like - life was good. But it was time to continue on our trip to Cuba.
We had been watching the weather, and it looked like a window had opened up for decent conditions. June 2 was showing winds from the ESE at 7-14 kts, lightening up for our approach if we left in the afternoon. The gulf stream taking its predictably north veering NE path. I had some concern about wind on current, but since the wind was about as light as it seems to get, and the direction had seemed pretty constant from the trades, my thinking was that this may be just as good as it gets.
We cast the lines off at about 4pm and left the dock, anticipating an arrival in Los Morros, Cuba the following morning. We followed our track from the way in to get back out into the Yucatan channel.
Conditions were about as predicted, with the winds being on the upper end of the forecast. As a general note, we have been looking at www.windyty.com and have noticed that in this area, wind strength has been a little under-predicted. We have started to notice some patterns regarding depth and the gulf stream effects in this area that seem to be consistent, as follows:
- depth less than 65 ft - stream effects are small (little current, but still noticeable);
- depth 65-100 ft - confused zone, choppy waves in a confused state, current strengthens, but could be in eddies (direction squirly);
- depth 100-250 ft - seas still confused, but bigger waves (short period), stream strong; and
- depth >250 ft - seas become more organized, bigger waves, full stream strength (we have definitely seen 3++ kts in this area)
Anyway, I digress and must stress that these are just my own observations. We had got well beyond the 250 ft depth line and into the 1500-2000 ft area. We were about 25-30 miles offshore. The sun had set and we had reefed the main sail for safety.
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| Not too many photos on this leg, but before it got too rough, Patrick caught a couple of fish, including this Yellowfin |
Our admiral resisted saying "someone has to stay awake". We were now approaching about the 1/3 point of the open crossing, and I asked the crew the question that I had been mulling over, but resisting, "so, this is the time we make a decision - go, or turn back. Does anyone have a strong opinion or preference?".
At first, there was silence, then one by one, the crew said, "I don't mind either way" - the truth was more that nobody wanted to give the first opinion. We talked about options - bearing off more north to see if the ride improved (we tried it and it didn't really change things). Given the seascape (seas still confused, wind building, wave heights building), there were not too many options - push ahead and deal with a crappy night, or turn back - they were really the choices. Considering the crew, the stresses on the boat, and remembering that a schedule can be the biggest yet least important driver, I made the decision to turn back. Nobody complained, and yet I personally felt disappointed. Did I read the forecast wrong?, was I over-optimistic? were we just being wimps? had things changed that much?....we have done 30 out of the 90 miles - would this just mean we have to do it again? All of those thoughts go through your mind.
After making the 180 degree turn, we started to see thunderstorms light up the sky behind us. Confirmation of a good decision I think. We were now motor-sailing on a beam to broad reach - still being tossed about, but not as violently as we were surfing down waves rather than plowing into them. We felt as if we were moving fast, but instruments showed: 2.5, 3.0, maybe 3.5 kts SOG...wow - we were seeing a good 3+ kts of gulf stream current against us. My knot meter (which reads boat speed through the water) is somewhat unreliable as its been reading low by as much as 2 kts.....but it showed almost 6 kts, confirming the current dead against us.
We saw a cruise ship that we got within a couple of miles of.
A poor photo I am afraid - low light, camera instability, windy, rolling - yes , all of the above! It was lit up like a Christmas tree. I hailed the captain to be sure he knew we were out there, and confirmed a starboard to starboard pass was OK with him. He thanked us for hailing him and for confirming our intentions.
As we approached Isla Mujeres, we knew we would have to cross the reef and find our way back to either the marina or the anchorage. While I would usually not do that at night, holding off for daylight, I had two tracks on the electronic charts, so could follow back the breadcrumb trail I had previously left. We made it in just fine, with close look-outs, and slow speed. We got back to the slip we had previously left, and tied up - 1:30am, but we were safe. The crew did a great job! - thanks everyone. - A beer, leftover pizza, bed.
June 3 - we are tied up and strapped in - just in case we get a strong blow. Its been raining and gusting, but nothing too significant as yet. Several other boats have come into the marina from the anchorage or have moved up the bayou seeking shelter.
We just spoke to the customs agent - seems we have 48 hours to leave or pay the check-in fee again. My guess is we are paying the fee!
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