Thursday, May 27, 1993

Calm and sunny very early in the morning, so we took the boat to the marina before breakfast. No problem getting to the dock, bow out. No cleats; we tied to posts (actually, small tree trunks).
After breakfast, we went up to the office and registered. They charge 30 cents a foot per day plus $3 a day for electricity, but we didn't take the electricity, because the outlets are falling apart, and the wiring is pathetic. The generator is working perfectly now, so we'll continue to use it.
The guy in the office phoned customs and migracion. To our surprise, the officials came out to the boat! They were very nice and didn't even inspect the boat. They just looked at our tourist cards and asked a few questions.
After they left, we took a cab to the Port Captain's office. He was very nice and spoke English quite well. He needed another copy of our zarpe, and he told us where a copy place was. We went over there, had the copy made, and returned to the Port Captain. He typed on it, signed and stamped it, kept the original, and gave us back the copy. Then he asked if we had the form for checking out. We didn't, so he let us have his original to copy. We took it to the copy place and had 10 copies made. The Captain was pleased that we had run off extra copies for him. He showed us how to fill it out. We thanked him and left.
Next we went to a bank and exchanged $200 worth of travelers' checks for 650 pesos.
I've had a dead toenail for a number of years. The other day, I stubbed my toe and the nail came half off. Roy volunteered to cut it all the way off with a pair of pliers, but I declined his kind offer. Instead, I went to the medical clinic here on Isla Mujeres and had a doctor remove it. He did a good job. Shot a local anesthetic into my toe, cut off the nail, washed the toe with antiseptic, and bandaged it. Then he gave me a prescription for a pain-killer and an anti-infection drug. The clinic charge was 40 pesos ($13.33). That was the whole thing--doctor, two nurses, anesthetic, and all. I could have gone to the IAMAT clinic in Cancun for $45 U.S., and I would have for something serious, but I figured the local doctor could take care of a toenail.
We wandered around looking for a pharmacy so I could get my prescriptions filled. Instead, we found an ice cream parlor, so we treated ourselves. I asked the clerk where there was a farmacia, and she pointed around the corner, so we went there and found the pharmacy. There was no pharmacist on duty; the clerk simply handed me the stuff all prepackaged. Must be very routine prescriptions. She didn't even keep the prescription form.
Next we tried to find a super market. It was clouding up, and I didn't want to get my toe wet, so we hurried. Had a hard time finding it but finally did. Grabbed a few groceries and then ran for a cab. Got back to the boat just moments before the deluge.
It's only three days from here to Florida--in good weather. If these squalls out of the northeast continue, we might never get there. We don't mind the rain, but a 30-knot headwind would be a problem.
After lunch, the rain had quit and the sun was starting to come out, so we went back to town to check out the fuel dock. It looked pretty miserable, so we decided to take the jerry cans to the fuel dock in a cab.
Went over to the ferry dock to see about taking a ferry to Cancun, six miles away. They run frequently and only cost ten pesos, so we hopped on one. It turned out to be one of the super fast kind that slice through the water at 30 knots. It was a really neat ride.
We landed at Puerto Juarez, just north of Cancun, and took a bus into town (3 pesos). It was starting to rain when we got there, and I hadn't thought to wrap my left foot in a plastic bag, so we went in a large store and looked around. Roy wanted to get another pair of shorts, but they were ridiculously expensive, so he didn't.
We hopped on a bus to the hotel zone (4 pesos). Nice long ride. Went for miles and miles, nearly all the way to the point. Passed lots of luxury hotels, golf courses, lovely trees, green grass, neatly trimmed hedges, shrubbery. Trouble was, the rain was pouring down so hard and the bus was so packed, we could scarcely see anything.
By the time we'd made the round trip, the streets were so flooded, even the buses had a hard time getting through. It was after five, so we figured we better get back to Isla Mujeres ASAP. We got off at a bus stop that said "Puerto Juarez" and waited under the shelter. Nine zillion Hotel Zone buses went by, but none for Puerto Juarez. After many futile attempts to flag a cab, we finally caught one. He zoomed us out to the Terminal Maritima, but we'd already missed the 5:30 ferry. The next one was scheduled for 6:30, but there was a small ferry at the end of the dock. While I waited under the shelter, Roy walked out to the ferry to find out if it was going to Isla Mujeres, and if so, when. Just at that moment, about 300 people descended on the dock, all carrying enormous suitcases, and began stampeding towards the ferry. I joined the stampede. Roy yelled at me to "Come on!", and I yelled at him to "Get on the boat and grab a seat!" It was amazing how many people and suitcases crammed onto that little boat. They just kept coming and coming, but thanks to Roy, we had seats.
All the way across, we kept wondering when someone would come around to collect fares. Gradually it dawned on us that we were in the midst of a tour group from France that had chartered the ferry. We had just merged in with the rest. And when we got to Isla Mujeres, we just walked right off with the rest.
Took a cab back to the marina. Got there just before dark. And my toe was still dry.
Roy choked on a piece of fish during supper. Couldn't get it up and couldn't get it down. Really scared me. But eventually he dislodged it and was okay, thank goodness.
Heard another "Drama of the High Seas" this evening. We were listening to "Southbound II" on shortwave, trying to get a weather forecast. Suddenly, the "Primo", right here in the harbor at Isla Mujeres, broke in to say he'd heard a distress call and wanted "Southbound II" to contact the U.S. Coast Guard. (Hundreds of miles away. How about the Mexican Navy right here on Isla Mujeres?) Anyway, "Southbound II" phoned the Coast Guard in New York (sic) and the New York Coast Guard contacted Miami Coast Guard and Miami Coast Guard contacted the Mexican Navy here in Isla Mujeres. Right. And guess who pays the phone bill.
Anyway, it seems a fishing boat from the U.S. named "Leonardo II" was floundering around in the ocean about 13 miles east of Isla Mujeres, taking on water. Their electric pump had broken, and they were out of gas for their gasoline pump, so they were pumping by hand, but the water was gaining on them, and they were plenty scared. They kept sending out Maydays on VHF, but they didn't hear a response, even though "Primo" kept trying to contact them. They were strangers in this area and didn't quite know where they were. They didn't know how to pronounce "Mujeres"; they kept saying something like "Mayores", which added to the confusion. Fortunately, they were able to see the light on the southern tip of the island and were heading towards it. When they were 11 miles from the island, another gringo here in the harbor managed to contact them on VHF. You can imagine their relief when they finally heard a response. The reception wasn't very clear, however. The guy here, who called himself "Sailboat", kept asking for their latitude and longitude, but they didn't seem to understand. Finally, they came up with their Loran coordinates. Fortunately, someone was listening who was able to calculate their position. "Sailboat" asked them to spell the name of the island they were near, and the spelled it "Mujeres", so that cinched it. A bilingual guy in Cancun contacted the naval base here on Mujeres, and the navy dispatched a boat. (Mexico doesn't have a Coast Guard.) "Sailboat" told "Leonardo II" to turn their spotlight on and leave it on and to fire a flare so the navy could see them. By then, they were close to the point and in danger of going aground, so "Sailboat" told them to head due south. Soon, the navy boat found them and led them to safety. The last we heard, they were on their way to the harbor, but still taking on more water than they could pump out.