Atalanta: Heading Back to the USA

After almost 9 months in Guatemala and a month Mexico, we are planning our return to the US. Summer in New England will mean some time spent on Atalanta in Rhode Island and New England coastal waters and some time as landlubbers Vermont. We are looking forward to a summer that brings us closer to family and friends.

Until then, our adventures at sea continue. Noah and then John Creelman joined us adding much enjoyment to our travels. Sharing our life onboard with friends and family is an integral part of living aboard and we love it when schedules align and enable us to welcome guests.

Loving Great Food in Mexico

After tackling some boat jobs, provisioning, and sharing margaritas with friends at El Milagro Marina in Isla Mujeres, we realized it was time for another road trip. We picked up our rental car (ever heard of a VW Gol? We don’t recommend it) in Cancun and hit the highway headed for a night in the colonial city of Merida. After one night at a great airbnb that once was a Spanish guardhouse and a delicious meal at Chaya Maya we were off on the 2.5 hour drive to Campeche (pronounced kahm-PEH-chay). The town of Campeche lies in the State of Campeche and is visited mostly by those gringos looking to escape the resorts that crowd the beaches of the Yucatan Peninsula. A lovely 2-bedroom airbnb house in the historic section of town was our home for two nights. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1999, over 1600 building facades have been restored. We visited a museum housing world-class Maya artifacts, walked the Malecon on the Gulf of Mexico, watched an amazing lightshow in the town plaza, and added dozens of photos to the 6,000+ we already have. When you come to visit, Richard will show you ALL of them!

Back in Quintana Roo we drove to Tacos.com in Puerto Morelos where Richard claims to have discovered the best tacos in the world. Although our stomachs were already stuffed we stopped in the plaza for ice cream and marquesitas. We also took our gringo selves to Costco where the hotdogs are served with jalapenos instead of pickle relish!

Noah Hand Steering
from Guatemala to Mexico

It’s almost time to make a multi-day passage from the Carebbean to the USA.. The trip north can be a challenge thanks to the Gulf Stream current and strong seasonal winds that, of course, tend to blow from whatever direction you want to go in. Sailing in wind-over-current conditions poses a number of challenges. Waves build quickly and the interval between waves can be short making for a rough ride. We had our share of 20+ foot waves and 30+ knot winds on the way here and hope to find a weather window that provides a comfortable, smooth and speedy ride. Yeah, right!

We wanted to arrive in the Dry Tortugas about 70 miles west of Key West. However, the DTs are not a port of entry so we will have make landfall in the US in Key West where we can check in with Customs and Immigration. Other stops on the way to Vermont may include Sebastian, FL (Peter and Blaine: prepare the anchorage), St. Augustine (Jason and Meredith: want waffles and milkshakes for breakfast again?), Cumberland Island, Ga. and then on to City Marina in Charleston for a month where ya’ll are invited to visit and enjoy warm weather and great food.

Adios amigos!

Richard and Kay