Cozumel

June 4^th

OK, I'm really,really, going to leave once I catch up with Julio and get my Zarpe.

Well, it turns out you only get a Zarpe when you clear out of the country. And, because I want to stay in Mexico another week, or so, I need to get one later. Shit! I could have left yesterday. Julio's advice is to use Majahual. So finally I set sail, a little late, Jeff holds my line and I'm off.

Sailing through the bay of Isla Mujeres, a dive boat captain waves me down and without any english explains its too shallow where I'm heading. Oooh! Charts show 8 feet. Thank God for the kindness of strangers.

Wind has picked up so I decide to not stay off of Cancun but head on to Puerto Morales. I get there just as its getting dark and decide not to try to enter in poor (and fading) light but head for the north shore of Cozumel where my charts look decent enough to make a night approach. Got in a little after midnight, and managed to foul the prop with the dinghy painter while backing down on the anchor. No moon, so I'll sit at anchor without the luxury of a motor if the anchor slips. Its a rolly anchorage, the wind not being from the South East. Can't anyone get the weather right?

June 5^th

Oh! quite a pretty little anchorage. Right off of Isla Pasion, water is clear as a bell. I dive and clear the painter off the prop and follow a ray in the water. Dive on some pretty starfish. Lots of fish, damn those barracuda look scary.

Really was quite a pretty spot. If only it wasn't for the wrecked boat washed up on the shore bringing home what can happen to people who wrap their dinghy painter around their prop in the dark.

Moved the boat 15 miles down the west coast of Cozumel. Found an anchorage tight in to the shore that turned not to be sand at all just rock. A lot of good my anchor will do. I decide to stay, the boat is tight in to shore in 12' of water and there's not a ripple. If the wind does lift it'll come from the SE and push me out to sea – that's OK. So I set the anchor watch app on my phone and sleep like a baby.