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The Miracle Marina, our home for two weeks
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What is a ‘typical’ day?
There are no typical days.
That has always been a goal, and it has been easy to achieve. There is so much we want to share with you
beyond just an accounting of where we were and where we are. The following is a
tidbit of our exploration that may illustrate what we mean, and why it has been
something we sought – to have a day that is not typical or routine.
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| This heron does not have a room, but hangs out here every day. |
It is 4:00 pm and we are sitting in the cockpit of Leilani in
our slip at El Milagro Marina on Isla Mujeres.
Three of the crew have come to the end of the dock. They brought several
ropes, an ice chest on wheels, and a set of minimal scuba gear. By minimal we
mean just the basics -a very small air cylinder, probably 200 psi compared to a
standard tank of 3000 psi. There was no
BCD (buoyancy compensator), no dive computer, no snorkel, no wet suit, no
weight belt - just gear for one guy.
It was apparent who was going to dive, as a comedic
badgering and harassing was directed at one solemn guy. He didn’t seem to speak much, but if he did, we
did not hear as it was lost in the punctuated shouts and orders given by the
other two “Marx Brothers”.
It soon became clear what they were going to do. Over a half dozen cylinders and collars of
concrete, similar to Roman columns with a base, had been stacked on the dock. The
“brothers” were going to construct a reef under the dock!
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| Reef building materials before their careful placement under the dock |
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| Location of the new artificial reef under the dock |
They lowered the first couple of pieces with some effort as
the heavy concrete fell and ran the rope through the hands of the only guy
lowering. Concerned, Bud grabbed a pair
of work gloves and jumped on the dock to hand them to the startled but appreciative
rope handler. They guy in the water
handed the rope back through the space between the boards on the dock. The rope handler lifted to assist the diver
with what was apparently the very careful placement of the reef building
materials.
After several more rounds of reef building, the diver
returned to the ladder and struggled up and onto the dock. His tank had slid through the backpack and
was dangling by the regulator hose. He was also out of air. More harassment
ensued as well as laughing as each grabbed a beer from the ice chest and a new
tank was strapped on the backpack. Little time was wasted to drink more than a
swig by the diver, before he returned down the ladder and into the water.
An additional crew member appeared on the dock and the previous
plan was about to change. Now, the three
on the dock would maneuver the reef building materials carefully while,
presumably, the diver dodged the falling concrete. They soon abandoned the rope procedure
entirely and just dropped the concrete into the water with huge splashes.
And then, it was all over.
Job done. The ice chest, the dive gear, and the ropes were quickly
gathered and all transported off the dock as if nothing happened. My gloves were returned rinsed clean with a
“Gracias”.
What is your “typical” day?
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Our view from Leilani’s cockpit of the anchorage in Isla
Mujeres
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