Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve

MexicoWildlife

7 Nov

I awoke before sunrise and clambered into the cockpit joining Alex to watch the sun break the horizon, contemplating the bleak news emerging from the USA. The night before I had fallen asleep hanging from the spinnaker pole in the hammock listening to dolphins hunting and waves lapping the hull. After a succulent melon for breakfast, I set about rigging the dinghy with the 25hp Yamaha we’d hoisted onboard for the last passage.

With a block and tackle purchase rigged, Ben and I maneuvered the outboard onto the transom with only light swearing and packed drybags for for a day of exploration of the Sian Ka'an Biosphere, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

On starting the outboard, the rip cord promptly jammed. Did I say boat work never stops already? An 8mm socket later and lots of fiddling we were back in action. Or so we thought.

Ripping across the bay the outboard started spluttering. Then we conked out. Drifting about a mile from land or Argonaut with a light offshore breeze.

Off came the cowling again, nothing seemed amiss, disconnecting all the fuel lines and poking each connection with a Leatherman, fuel started moving again and we were off, but not before a considerate local guide boat scooted over to us to check on our predicament. It quickly became clear private cruising yachts were a rarity in these parts and Argonaut laying at anchor in the bay became another novelty attraction on their route around the bay.

With some aerial reconnaissance on Google Earth, I’d scouted a potential route through the mangroves to various lagoons and a final landing point. Finding the non descript entrance channel, excitement grew as the twisted plants surrounded us and the open bay disappeared behind. The first channel to the Black Lagoon was comfortably wide, but as we transitioned into the following smaller lagoons the channels became tighter and water shallower.

Deep in the mangroves the water clarity improved and we were spoilt with scenes of stingrays, juvenile barracuda and other fish species.

After getting stuck in one opening and only judt squeezing through another, startling a volt of Vultures, we moved into a large shallow clearing. Too shallow for the outboard, we resorted to oars and resident pilot in training Ben deployed the drone to scout the next channel. Whilst it was found, it appeared far too tight to navigate. Undeterred we persevered and as we entered we grasped the mangroves either side to pull ourselves through. Any tighter, we would be back tracking the long way, but eventually with a few more crab passengers that had brushed off the mangroves, we could see light at the end of the tunnel.

Emerging into open water we all grinned with delight and picked up speed again to find the dock to tie up to and venture inland.

Winding through the mangroves on a wooden dock, we emerged into the small village known as Punta Allen. With only sand or mud for roads they had developed large puddles we could have floated Argonaughty upon. To the east of the village we arrived on the exposed Caribbean coast peppered with coconut trees and small selection of restaurants where we stopped for lunch drinking in the sea breeze.

Later that evening after returning to the boat and swimming to cool off, Ben, Alex and I took Argonaughty to the Lighthouse guarding the bay, or not as we had discovered the night before as it was a lighthouse sans light. Most helpful. I gunned the engine towards the beach and we slid up the sand between gentle rolling waves.

After a quick scout of the lighthouse and one last swim and jellyfish sting, we launched off the desolate beach and chased the dwindling light west to Argonaut over glassy seas.