Friday - 7/22 Catie's Birthday

Today started out great.  The plan was an early departure on Mahalo Nui to the whale shark area and swim with the whale sharks.  We finalized the party details for Caties birthday party with Jamie and we loaded our snorkel gear aboard, a few drinks and the dogs.  We motored out of the marina and once clear of the island, J hoisted the sails and we were headed north east.  I got to be crew for a change as J was captain so I started trolling two lines behind the boat.  I had put a new artificial lure on J's rod because we had not had a lot of luck with our previous lures.  It wasn't long before J had a fish on.  He handed the rod to me and I reeled in a Bonito. It wasn't a huge fish but it was "eating size".  Catie went absolutely nuts for the fish and nibbled its fins.

Then it went into the cooler.  We continued sailing northeast but with storms threatening and J plotted a course more north and skirting the storms.  We continued trolling as we motor sailed and we caught another Bonito about the same size.  The storms were getting closer and we could see the rain line.  It wasn't much longer before we were in the rain.  J and Beth ducked into the cabin taking things with them and I wasn't far behind grabbing Sally.  Captain J was getting soaked and J took him a foul weather jacket and I rejoined him in the cockpit.  The rain was shortlived but J decided to head back to Isla as there were numerous storms in the area and being the tallest thing around with a metal mast sticking up with lightning around isn't the most comfortable feeling.  So we never made it to the whale shark area but will try another day. We continued trolling and had a really big hit, it was taking line and almost spooled the reel.  As quickly as it took line, I was getting it back and it quit fighting.  Once we got it to the boat, we understood why.

Apparently, something ( possibly a shark ) liked the idea of lunch and took 1/2 the fish for himself.  There were some impressive tooth marks on what was left of the fish.  Shortly after that, we landed another bonito about the same size and added it to the cooler.  We were sure they guys at the dock would add our catch to the feast they had planned for us.

Catie watching over her catch

We had one more hit which took the lure with it and we reeled in an empty line.  We spotted a sailboat heading for Isla and hailed them on the radio.  They were arriving from the Dry Tortugas.  We advised them on the marina situation and they followed us.  Unfortunately their beam prohibited them from joining us as El Milagro but they settled in next door at Paraiso and we invited them to Catie's birthday party.

While getting ready, I checked email and found out that the engine parts order I had placed and was awaiting delivery for had been cancelled.  I called the company and they never processed the order nor did they notify me there was an issue.  After seriously chewing them out, I was still without the parts and they were unsure when they could deliver to Mexico.  I called the local Honda shop and since I don't speak spanish well enough to hold a conversation, Jamie took the call.  They don't have the parts in stock, don't know when they can get them but were nice enough to give us the number of a big Honda dealer in Merida, Mexico.  They were already closed but are open on Saturday so we will give them a call and see if they have and/or can get the parts. We were all disappointed with this development but J suggested if they have the parts, we rent a car and take the 4 hour drive to get them.  A nice interior Mexico road trip.  The only decision at the moment is to stay put, take care of the remaining chores and enjoy our time here until we can get the parts, make the repairs and go.

Getting ready for the party:

No birthday party would be complete without a cake

The birthday girl getting ready to blow out the candle ( with some help from the wind )

The staff of El Milagro Marina and friends from other boats.

J and Sally

The fiesta was arranged by the staff and they got us a 5 kg red snapper, added our Bonito and cooked us a feast.  This was by far the best meal any of us have had since arriving in Mexico.  We had fish, pork, potatoes, mexican rice, tortillas, and more.  We meant to take a picture of the table before we started devouring everything but that didn't happen.

After the fiesta, we all retired to our respective boats and called it a night.