Part Four: Boating Trip

We decided to book a boat excursion. For a full day of sailing and activities the cost was a mere 81 dollars per person. It was a no brainer. We arrived at the location in town where we loaded onto a bus that would take us up to a Marina. The leg room in the seats were not built for people over 5 foot 6 much less for people like Joseph who is a couple inches above six feet. The man in front of us called Joseph out for kneeing him in the back but then promptly apologized. Uh oh. I had singled this couple out as our potential buddies amongst the families onboard. I feared the budding relationship was ruined.

After a warm and un-air conditioned 30 minute drive we arrived at the marina. We boarded the beautiful sailboat and things began to look up. We found a spot to camp on a ledge in the middle of the boat. Enter the super spunky Mexican boat crew, including my favorite member who went by the name of “boobie”. This crew member wore a shirt that stated “I love boobies” with a picture of a blue footed booby on it. Boobie sightings had been promised to us on this sail. He also wore his sunscreen on his face in a way that made him look like a clown. Dude was just so darn likable. 

He loves boobies. I love him.

Joseph had begun fraternizing with other people on the boat but made it clear that the couple from the bus were “dead to us”. He garnered the hometown  location of each family and they would then be for the rest of the day referred to as their city of origin and crew. We met a San Diego crew, a Kansas City Crew, a Minnesota Crew, and a San Francisco crew. 

Our first stop was to the Marietas Islands which were recently declared a national park. As such we were all required to wear life preservers on exiting the boat because part of being a national park is having very un-Mexican rules. We were ferried from our Catamaran by a smaller motor boat to a picturesque beach on the island. The dad from the San Diego crew noted that the island looked like Galapagos but I wouldn’t know. The water was clear and beautiful with generous waves and I just bobbed along in my life preserver until it was time to get back on the board, too happy to bother exploring any of the caves. 

Back on the catamaran the next stop was a place to snorkel. I’d always though snorkeling would be cool but that it would make me anxious and claustrophobic. Snorkeling was so freakin amazing that I didn’t care about being scared. I hunted octopus so hard I got separated from the group. The elusive octopus was seen by others but not myself. Fortunately I saw really cool fish and sea urchins. Proper scuba diving was on my bucket list now. Back on the boat the cook prepared us a lunch and we sailed the open seas for a while. We were now onto the activity portion of the trip. The crew had us gather round and they singled out the male half of the couple now dead to us. They placed him at the mast of the boat and had him face way from us. Perhaps they were going to murder him for sassing Justin on the bus ride to the marina? He was then topped with a clown style top hat. He acquiesced to the isolation and crowning as though he knew what was about to happen. Then Booby adorned a giant curly black afro. 

"OK guys" he told us, "after this activity we are going to go swimming but pay attention for now for this activity".

 “What is this activity” Joseph yelled and I burst into a fit of silent tears of laughter for the duration of several minutes. Because he was right. What the heck was this activity. Were we getting ready to throw Tom overboard while amping up Booby's clown gear? This was some seriously Mexican anything goes kind of stuff.  Just as I thought things could not get any weirder, Tom’s wife was walked out from below deck also wearing a wig. Booby then re-officiated the marriage of Beth and Tom by the power of Ally Cat boat tours. Tom and his wife were celebrating their ten year wedding anniversary. Next were three birthdays to celebrate where a cake was passed around for each birthday person to take a bite out of, no utensils required. We sang happy birthday to "dear persons" with Booby leading the chorus. And before I knew it were engaged in a mid day boat dance party with one random dad wearing a rainbow afro mohawk wig. After this formidable throw down we sailed to the next spot which was a swim spot. 

That's the newly remarried newlyweds on the right. Not sure why they made her wear and afro wig. I'm obviously hiding below deck.

The conclusion of the boat toad included dragging about half the boat on a net back to the marina. I never imagined I would partake in this activity but I sure did embrace it. Small children, moms, Jospeh and I hung on for dear life in what I felt was a moderately dangerous activity that would never be allowed in American. But we did and we had fun. I did a lot of things I never imagined I would ever be a part of that day and I enjoyed every minute. 

We saw tons of Boobies. They followed our boat and fished around it.

Wearing a life preserver while being dragged by a boat is optional because we are no longer in a national park.