We have learned that the last two posts from the satellite hotspot were not readable, probably because I attempted to include a photo in the post. I’ll fix those when we get to within cell range. In the meantime here is an update.

We generally had a good passage from los Frailes to Isla Isabela, with a Northwest wind on the beam or just aft the whole way. About 35 miles from the island the winds died to the point that the headsail was slatting and popping most annoyingly and so we motored the rest of the way to Isla Isabela.

We are the only cruising boat here and so have the premiere anchoring spot with lots of chain out. On shore we can see a small camp nestled into the shrubby trees where researchers spend part of their time. I watched them moving along the shrubby edge of the island, clipboards in hand, presumably counting the nests and their inhabitants.

Shortly after dropping anchor we jumped in the water. Finally! The water is warm enough to snorkel comfortably with just a swimsuit. I think the water temp is about 78 degrees. Not exactly bathwater but I’ll take it.

Melissa and I snorkeled over to the monas and checked out the underwater scene there. We both noticed a healthy crop of moorish idols this year. Good for them! We also followed a large eagle ray flying below us.

Ryan swam to shore and took a short walk on the small sandy stretch nearby. Most of the shoreline here is rocky, with breaking waves, so landing in surf either by dinghy or swimming requires care.

We will spend one more night here at isabela and then should have wind enough to sail the 42 miles to mantanchen bay.

Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

About twenty minutes after I sent yesterday’s post into the ether I realized that whining about not being able to snorkel because of the virus was pretty tone deaf. In light of the suffering and death brought about by this pandemic, our petty problems don’t amount to a hill of beans. So even though we are impacted by this disruption in many ways, most problems are still of the First World sort. Let’s hope they stay that way.

We had good wind and a fast, bumpy ride most of yesterday until about midnight when the wind started easing, leaving sloppy waves that threw us about and made sleep impossible. The first night of a passage is always pretty rough; we kept three hour watches and having Ryan, our crew/guest aboard definitely made the watches more pleasant. We are about 80 miles from Isla Isabela and hope to stop there in the morning if the weather allows. It isn’t a great anchorage unless the winds are light, so we are prepared to press on to Mantachen Bay if it doesn’t look safe.

This morning I was at the bow, mentally adding more tasks to my refit list when I was buzzed by a brown footed Boobie. He made several passes and was attempting to land on the boat. Or so I thought. The attached photo tells the story and now the Boobie is my new Spirit Animal (replacing the three toed sloth).

Sent from Iridium Mail & Web.

Our stay in los Frailes was a disappointment. As soon as Melissa and I got into the water to snorkel on the nearby reef, a park ranger came by and told us the park was closed due to the pandemic. This is Semana Santa, a weeklong holiday in Mexico, and the government is trying prevent the usual hordes of families from descending on the beaches. We dutifully got back on the boat frustrated by the fun-sucking complications this virus has wrought.

So we moved our departure date up and left Monday morning (the sixth). The winds are a bit stronger than predicted and we are flying the cruising spinnaker with main on a beam reach. Very lovely. We will fly the spinnaker until the wind builds or just before sunset.

This is my first attempt to post a photo to our blog using the sat phone.