Sailing

When I close my eyes, I can still feel the movement of the waves under me. It is maybe a faint, residual drunkenness, but mostly I think the six hours on the water today have left me with this feeling. I've been thinking about the day and how it was such a nice birthday. I realize how happy I really am. On my list of best times, I'd have to rank today fairly high.

I've also been thinking that maybe 40 isn't that old. I've never been afraid of birthdays. Granted, the 12-year-old me might have been fearful of such advanced years, but I don't feel bad at all. What's more, is that today sort of showcased the fact that all the good times aren't behind me. I look back on the past twelve months and realize that they have been pretty significant. It was good year, really. So far, I think they all have been. I hope the next one is as much fun as the last.

Today, we had to be at the Cozumel Sailing office at the Marina by 8:30 AM. Usually, we never left the Villa before then to go for breakfast, so we got a relatively early start. It was cool outside and this morning we caught sight of our first Cozumeleno jogger.

We had breakfast at La Choza again, and then headed over to the Marina. We got there no later than 8:20 which was rewarded by there being nobody at the sailing office. This gave us time to apply sunscreen (SPF50).

Applying Sunscreen

The other passengers arrived at about a quarter to 9. It was a group that all seemed to know each other. They all took turns snapping pictures and it looked like they were having a nice time. There were 8 of them and so that would make a dozen of us plus the crew if nobody else showed up. I was hoping the boat wouldn't be too crowded.

At about 9:00 or so, our hostess introduced us to Juan, the captain, and Jaime, the 1st mate. We walked over to the boat and had to give up our shoes and put them in a big plastic bag. After that, we got a few rules as we pulled out of the marina. The air was still pretty cool, not what you would call chilly, but relatively nice as we motored past several hotels and resorts. You could see the floor of the Caribbean as we cruised along. In a few minutes, the cooler opened up and I found myself having a beer before 10:00 AM. (So was Ian.)

Soon, we were all at the front of the boat bouncing up and down over the waves. We were served snacks and more beer and I took a lot of pictures. I was really impressed by the beauty of the water, the boat and the sky. Before I knew it, they had unfurled the jib and raised the main and we were under sail. The wind was fairly light, but it was moving us along. Shelly told me that she was glad I didn't cancel. I was glad too. It was good to be out on the water.

Ian had a few beers by now and Jill was beginning to get seasick. Uh oh! I was most worried about Jillian having a good time because the heat has been getting to her. That didn't seem to be a problem today, but I hadn't even thought to worry about seasickness. It sort of caught me by surprise.

We stopped for snorkeling and had a beautiful time. The reef out there was really pretty and it was a ways from shore so there weren't any other people around. We saw some fish we hadn't seen before and some truly amazing coral. Shelly and I were two of the last people to get back on the boat. Jillian was still feeling awful, but she was being a good sport.

After snorkeling, we went further north and took a dingy to Passion Island. We went to a fairly remote location where the water and sky were beautiful, but there was no shade. Also, the sand was strewn with debris from Cozumel vacations long gone by. There were a large number of water bottles and sandals that had washed up on the shore. There were also some nasty biting flies. Our only refuge was in the water. However, since they had my sandals on the boat, it felt really strange walking on the sand-covered vegetation under the waves. Jill covered herself with towels and layed down on the beach.

After about 45 minutes, we were back on the boat for lunch. There really weren't any veggie options and we hadn't caught any fish either, so I ate what they served. It would have been a nightmare at any other time, but the grilled steak and buffalo wings didn't taste too bad. I was pretty hungry too.

When everyone had eaten, it was time for spinnaker rides. The wind wasn't too strong, so I was wishing I had gone on a diet. I was the first because it was my birthday, but the wind only got me about 5 feet or so off the water. It was fun, but a lot of work to keep that sail open. The next person to try would be celebrating his birthday tomorrow. His name was Cal. He probably weighed less than 160, so he really took off.

Jill was feeling better by now and when it was her turn, she dove into the water and climbed on. The sail lifted her high above the water. Jaime was controlling the sail from the boat and flung her back and forth. He had fallen in love with her already, but she didn't tell me that until the end of the day. "Te quiero." he said.

When I got another chance to ride later, the wind was a bit stronger. It launched me to an altitude that would have been uncomfortable to fall from. I am now reminded that during the afternoon, I had been drinking beer pretty steadily. These were punctuated by excuses provided for the birthday boy to drink shots of tequila. (excuses such as "Woo hoo, great ride huh? how about another shot of tequila?")

As we headed back, a fish was hooked and one of the crew handed the pole to someone from the other party. When it was reeled in, it was obviously a barracuda. They put it in a bucket. I can't say it was pretty, but I got a picture. A few minutes later, they hooked another one and I heard a bunch of voices saying "Hey, birthday boy! Your turn!"

I had two thoughts. The first was that I felt like I should participate as expected to be a good sport. The second thought I had was that if I was a bad enough fisherman, maybe I could free the fish. Unfortunately for the fish, there was no freeing it and a few minutes later, it too was aboard the boat in a bucket. ("Woo hoo! great fish, how about a shot of tequila?") I had already arranged for Shelly to drive us back to Casa Colonial, so I wasn't worried about that, but I was actually starting to feel a bit worse off than just "not good to drive." I was beginning to feel pretty schnockered.

For a while after I left the boat, I continued getting more tipsy as a sort of residual effect of drinking all that tequila. I drank a ton of water hoping that I would be able to stay hydrated enough and avoid the dreaded headache that sometimes follows these things.

Pretty soon after we got back to the villa, I had a short nap and woke up feeling a bit better. After a while, we went back into town and had a nice dinner at Senora Grill. Shell and Jill both got henna tattoos tonight. Shelly got one around her wrist and Jill's was a butterfly. As I waited for the tattoos, I noticed that I was almost back to normal. I reflected on the day and the things Shell and the kids got as birthday gifts from the shops we'd been to. I wandered over to a shop off the square and took a picture of some salt and pepper shakers I had noticed earlier.

After the sun went down, we were all sitting by the pool and Ian decided to open a pack of "Cuban" cigars he bought at some point I wasn't around. I don't really like the smell of cigars, but when Ian offered me a birthday cigar, I thought it was a nice gesture. So fishing and cigar smoking were two unusual activities I checked off today.

It really was a nearly perfect day. I had a wonderful time. And now when I close my eyes, I still feel the resonant rocking of the Caribbean. It will be the last sensation I have tonight - the feeling of drifting off to sea and to sleep at the same time.