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Successful Start To Fishing Tournament
Diario de Quintana Roo/Manuel Valdez reports that the Tenth Annual Fishing Tournament “Cosme Alberto Martínez Magaña" began successfully with 113 boats setting out to sea on Saturday morning. There are prizes and cash worth 900,000 pesos. This is currently the second largest fishing tournament in the state, and it is hoped in upcoming years that it will become the largest. There was one less boat registered this year, compared to last year. The welcoming dinner on Friday night was a success and the Mayor wished them success, spoke about traditions, and he said the catch and release policy (for marlin) shows consideration for marine life. He wished them luck, invited them to enjoy to attractions of Isla Mujeres, which is a magical place, and thanked the organizations and people who worked to organized the event.
Seeking Disqualification Of First Marlin Caught
The boat "Top Notch" presented their video of catching a marlin, that met the requirement of being over 70 inches, but inconsistencies in the video cause criticism and requests that the catch be disqualified. The organizers said they would hold a press conference at 6:30am and present the video to the public. There are captains who believe the fish was dead and not a legitimate capture.
(That was posted 9 hours ago. The following update was posted two hours ago):
Disqualified "Top Notch"
The Organizing Committee of the Fishing Tournament decided to disqualify the boat "Top Notch" for attempting to cheat regarding the capture of a Blue Marlin. TV Isla Mujeres posted the video HERE and a photo of the boat HERE. TVIM posted audio HERE in Spanish of the Tourism Director explaining that the Committee spent the night, into the wee hours of the morning, reviewing the tape, and have listened to the input of the other fishermen, and they have decided to disqualify the boat Top Notch. He says the Tournament scores will be tallied at 4 pm today and then the winners will be announced. Source: TV Isla Mujeres
Whale Shark Tour Operators Express Concern
Tour operators for swimming with whale sharks recommended that no more permits be issued, saying that over-exploitation could cause the animals to leave the coastal area of Quintana Roo. They said this recommendation came in response to hearing that there have been more than 200 permits issued to operators from Holbox, Isla Mujeres, and Cancun. There are differences among the operators about the start of the season, which for some begins on May 15, while others begin operations on June 1st. Source: SIPSE/Lanrry Parra While this article says there have not been whale shark sightings in the area, other sources have been reporting sightings. First a half dozen were seen from a plane, this week a tour boat said they stopped counting after 27, and last night at the bar Logan Day, who guides tours, said yesterday there were "too many to count. and hundreds of rays".
Hotel Occupancy Expectations
The Mayor said that in the first quarter of the year, average hotel occupancy in Isla Mujeres was above 70 percent. Occupancy during this time exceeded expectations but did not reach the most desirable level, which is 100 percent, but it was close to that at the last week of December. The Easter holidays were not bad for the Isla, and expectations are for tourism to improve, with hopes of attaining more than 90 percent employment. He said he was speaking in general numbers because we measure what has become part of the city on the mainland. He added that the municipality already has two thousand hotel rooms on the mainland where they are creating infrastructure, and on the seven kilometer island there are about a thousand hotel rooms. Source: Carlos Aguila/La Verdad
We finally got some rain this morning!! It was fairly brief, then a rainbow. It is another lovely, sunny hot day. These are videos at his link.
Predictions For Tropical Storm Season
The Harbor Master in Playa del Carmen, José Florentino Gallardo, said that due to climate change, the temperature of the Caribbean Sea has increased its average temperature by 1.5 degrees Celsius. It is currently around 28 degrees when five years ago it ranged between 26 and 27C. He said rising sea temperatures increase the chance of storms becoming hurricanes. The American Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA) has predicted that of the 18 storms expected to occur during this storm season, ten could reach Hurricane status, and of those four could reach Category Three status (on the Saffir-Simpson Scale), and the rest would be tropical storms. He attributes the current delay in the onset of the rainy season to climate change also. Source: SIPSE/Adrian Barreto
FIFTY TWO YEARS OF STORM HISTORY INCLUDES THIRTEEN HURRICANES
(plus Ivan)
Five of category 1
Three of category 3
Three of category 4
Two of category 5
This information is from the Urban Development Plan (PDU) for the Island of Isla Mujeres
The bolding is mine.
Name Date Category Velocity km/hr
Carla Sept 1961 Hurricane 1 120
Hilda Oct 1964 Tropical depression 50
Debbie Sept 1965 Tropical storm 90
Ines Oct 1966 Hurricane 3 200
Beulah Sept 1967 Hurricane 1 120
Laurie Oct 1969 Tropical depression 55
Ella Sept 1970 Tropical storm 120
Agnes June 1972 Tropical Storm 115
Delia Sept 1973 Tropical depression 55
Caroline Aug 1975 Tropical depression 55
Eloise Sept 1975 Tropical storm 55
Henry Sept 1979 Tropical depression 55
Allen Aug 1980 Hurricane 4 240
Jeanne Nov 1980 Tropical storm 65
Alberto June 1982 Hurricane 1 137
Danny Aug 1985 Hurricane 1 144
Floyd Oct 1987 Hurricane 1 130
Gilbert Sept 1988 Hurricane 5 295
Keith Nov 1988 Tropical Storm 115
Opal Sept 1995 Tropical Storm not given
Roxanne Oct 1995 Hurricane (# not given)not given
Dolly Aug 1996 Tropical Storm not given
Mitch Oct 1999 Hurricane 5 250
Isidore Oct 2002 Hurricane 3 200
Emily June 2005 Hurricane 4 240
Wilma Oct 2005 Hurricane 4 240
This list does not include Ivan who hit the area Sept 2004. (I do not recall what category it was in Isla Mujeres.) It was a Category 3 as it crossed Grenada, and gained strength to become a Category 5 as it hit the western part of Cuba with sustained winds up to 270km/hr. It caused damage to the Avalon, causing them to close for weeks, and destroyed a pier at Garaffon. Research indicates Roxanne was at its peak intensity of Category 3 with 115 km/hr winds when it hit Cozumel.
Hurricane of 1922 Wipes Out Island & Leaves People Shipwrecked on La Carbonera Islet
Below is a photo from the Hurricane that hit Isla in 1922 from an article republished by TVIM HERE. The original article was written in 2002 by Fidel Madrid Villanueva, Isla historian and former mayor. It says that of the 120 homes in the village before this hurricane, ~40 remained standing and only three were habitable.
The article says:
Finally night fell, black and stormy, with the wind becoming more and more threatening, to the extent that beneath its activity and blowing, in the streets you could hear the families crying out seeking safety. Then there is a quote from La Revista de Yucatan that says:
"When dawn broke, the scene could not have been more heartbreaking, because many island families saw that all was lost and prepared to leave the town in ruins, a town that until the day before the tragedy was considered as the richest of our coasts"
There are no Islanders who were adults then who can remember that Hurricane, just two who were children. Ninety year old Antonio Pena Osorio said that on Octover 17, 1922, the villagers began preparing for a storm after a strong north wind that blew for two days made them suspect a big storm was coming. Other signals were seen in the movements of birds and animals seeking refuge and in the high tide.They fortified their huts of wood and palms, knowing they could not survive strong winds Sr Pena noted that their grandparents endured many difficult challenges such as maleria, cholera, and whooping cough.
There were a little more than 1000 people on the isle, including those from outside who came seeking shelter, such as Cubans who were fishing nearby. As the winds increased during the afternoon, they sought shelter in the most resistant houses.
As shadows fell, before the dim candlelight and oil lamps, women prayed while trying to calm the fears of the children, tho some were very bold and determined to see what was happening outside the house. The adults told them, "Que a falta de valor la inconsciencia is buena" which is sorta like "What you don't know won't hurt you".
"I fell off the house of Don Manuel Osorio and landed on Don Domingo Martinez," he said, animatedly. In the gale force winds, branches blew everywhere, mingled with household items, and the drums used to pack turtle and shark oil were rolling around. When darkness enveloped the island, and dense rain fell, it was not easy to tell what was happening.
At midnight the winds hit their greatest intensity and heartbreaking scenes ensued. People came out of their humble homes which had collapsed, carrying their children and elders, seeking another shelter, and shouting for help for the wounded, while their cries were lost in the defening roar of the storm.
The hurricane was in full swing, with its 100 mph (161km/hr) winds shattering the town of Isla Mujeres. It slowed and remained over the island for 14 hours before moving to the mainland toward Campeche, and then it dissipated five days later in the foothills of the Sierra Madre.
There were 14 long hours of anguish and despair. Anyone who has had the experience of being in a hurricane knows that time seems to stop, making the hours seem endless and you do not know your destiny. On the morning of October 18, 1922, the magnitude of the disaster was revealed to the eyes of the Islanders. Of the 120 houses of the village, only 40 remained standing, and after an evaluation, only three were considered habitable.
Standing by the palms, a few meters from the beach, the Islanders saw the hurricane had caused another crisis for the occupants of the boats anchored in the harbor.
The Wreak of the Military vessel "Nieves"
In those days, Quintana Roo was a Federal Territory, with cargo and passenger service provided by a flotilla of Naval boats which traveled from Veracruz to Payo Obispo, powered by motors or sails, stopping at the ports in the Gulf and along the east coast of the peninsula. The journey lasted a month, on average, and this was the only means of communication between the island and those ports.
There were also small vessels "Canoas, Cayucos, Bongos, and Lanchas" that traveled the coast transporting copra, chicle, sponges, turtles, and livestock. The boat "Nieves" along with the "Cozumel" were the two boats that served this region. They were preferred for their "larga eslora y su estrecha manga" long length and narrow ??, that permitted them to move quickly when traveling. Both came to tragic ends.
The poor communication in those years kept people from knowing what had happened to the boat. On the 25th of October people in Merida still did not know what had happened to the Nieves, which had left Payo Obispo in bad weather. It was considered lost for six days after the storm hit.
On the 26th, nine days later, two survivors were able to tell their version of what happened in Isla Mujeres when the hurricane caused the boat to hit the reef on the night of the 17th, causing its passengers indescribable hours of pain.
With the light of day, the once elegant silhouette of the boat was seen wrecked upon the islet "La Carbonera" and from a rock nearby, someone was waving for help. The islanders had to wait a few hours for the force of the winds to diminish before they could venture into the rough seas. With the help of brave islanders, and with the boats of Fabian Magana and Inocente Pastrana, at four in the afternoon the people from the boat were again on solid ground. They were welcomed by the President of the Island (the Mayor) and the teachers and given medicines, food, and clothing, because none had been able to rescue their luggage. During the 16 hours of anguish on the rocks they were putting all their efforts into staving off the onslaught of the waves and saving their lives, clinging to "al riscoso y cortante esquilon" craggy and sharp sides (?) of the small lighthouse of islet La Carbonera.
The Nieves was a loss and staying put, with its 'ribs' broken. According to passengers who spoke to "La Revista de Yucatan" of Progreso, when the brave Patron of the Coast, Don Critino Pacheo, saw his broken boat, torn apart by the turbulent waters, he offered a "grito" (heroic shout) to the sea: "Viva Mexico!"
On October 25th, La Revista;s correspondent from Progreso interviewed survivors from the Nieves, Sr Jose Maria Cervera E. and his son Jose Cervera Casillo who spoke about hat fateful last journey of the ship that concluded with it capsizing in Isla Mujeres. This is their story:
We sailed from Payo Obispo at night on 10th with 34 passengers, into bad weather. After two days of travel, due to bad weather, we took shelter in Ascension Bay and stayed there for two days. At dawn on the 13th we headed toward Cozumel, having to stay within the "Caleta" due to the poor weather, so the trip took 12 hours (Caleta means cove or inlet...in this case I think it means they had to travel on the leeward side of the passage (reefs) rather than out in the open water.) In the Caleta, we put the women below for part of the passage and when we landed in Cozumel, we stayed there from Saturday night until Monday. We departed again on Monday at 11pm, and arrived in Isla Mujeres the next morning (Tuesday, Oct 17, 1922). From there we could not go anywhere because the storm was raging. Some of the passengers went ashore, and then returned to the boat in the evening to have dinner, where they had to stay because of the intense winds. At about one in the morning, when most of the passengers were asleep, the hurricane blew the ship onto the reef and islet in front of Isla Mujeres (Northeasterly winds blew the Nieves onto La Carbonera). The boat was completely damaged by water, and at that time the passengers and crew struggled to fight the darkness and waves and tried to reach the next reef.
We were about forty people, including a woman and three children, one of whom was still breastfeeding. We spent 14 to 16 hours on the reef, suffering from cold, hunger, and being battered and scraped as we struggled in the choppy waves and the most dreadful darkness. The next day we were assisted by two boats, one from the flotilla and another owned by an individual, and we were taken to Cozumel. The boat "Nieves" was completely damaged from running aground on the reef, and the luggage of the passengers was damaged and lost, including mine. Among the passengers from the shipwreck was Federal Lieutenant Rueda who came from Tabasco.
The passengers from the shipwreck embarked, some on the boat "Fenix" that arrived day before yesterday from Progreso, and others left on the Orion that arrived yesterday. Also wrecked in the Bay of Isla Mujeres was the boat ("balandro") "Rosita" that was transporting chicle.~The Correspondent
Also wrecked at South Point/Punta Sur in Isla Mujeres was the American fishing boat "Ida S. Brook". In Cozumel the same fate was suffered by the Alberto, the Norma, and the Candita.
That was the end of the Nieves and its long years touring our seas. Its gasoline engine, which was very modern, was rescued and put into the battle ship "Cozumel", which a few years later also sunk after a collision with another boat in front of Xcalak.
The testimony of those who endured this shipwreck tells us about the difficulties faced by those who had to travel at that time. It also demonstrates the lack of good means of communication, which prevented people from learning of the presence of a hurricane and hindered seeking and receiving help. Life had little value in Quintana Roo in those times of our grandparents.
It took eight days to learn the tragic news. Eight days of uncertainty. Now there are very few older islanders who can express the hardships of those days; when in an emergency there was no one to turn to for help. When the authorities of the Territory arrived, there was nothing they could do. The injured had healed or had died, and the houses of the fishermen were rebuilt, to await another hurricane and to demonstrate to future generations that they were never defeated by adversity, and that they were people who knew how to fight and work to have a decent place to live.
Therefore I dedicate these lines to the new social group Recuerdos de Isla Mujeres, composed of citizens who refuse to lose their cultural identity. My congratulations to the architect Cuauhtemoc Avila Zurita, who created it. (It is on Facebook and the author giving this dedication is Fidel Villanueva Madrid) He also expresses his gratitude to Lic. Ney Antonia Canto Vega, Director of the Center for Historical Research of the state of Yucatan, who assistance was instrumental in the preparation of this article. September 2011.
Hurricane City.com gives Cancun's history with tropical storms (tho Cancun was not inhabited by more than a handful of people before the 1960's, except hundreds of years ago when the Mayas lived there)
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Sunrise this morning from MVC B&B
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On the internet in the past 24 hours...
Rob Herrin added 6 new photos.
Tony Garcia Good morning. Hopefully. Today Get better fishing for all fishermen s. tournament. Looks. Calm this. Morning hopefully stay like that all day (There have been some whitecaps in the late morn/early afternoon).
Chango Loco says...Today is the last day of our combined yard sale at Chango Loco. As the days past and we continue to pack we've brought more stuff down there so come check it out. 10 - 2.Basurto Luis's video at this link
yes killer whales, not whale sharks...off Cancun & Isla Mujeres. Arrowsmith Bank is a popular area for deep sea fishing.
Satellite photo of location of Arrowsmith Bank here at LINK
Arrowsmith Bank (21°05'N., 86°25'W.) lies about 16 miles E of Isla Cancun. The bank is about 17 miles long and from 1.5 to 5 miles wide. There are depths to 16.4 to 38m, with the shallowest part lying on the center of its E part.
Location
Isla Mujeres, Quintana Roo21° 4' 48" N, -87° 35' 24" W
Soggy Peso Bar Grill says... One lane of the main road(Rueda Medina) will be closed on Saturday and Sunday due to the fishing tournament .The north bound lane will be open, however, and can be entered where " Kash Keken Chuc" is located. This will get you to The Soggy Peso for ribs. See you there!
Casa Havana Cafe Paladar updated their cover photo.
Hugo Ivan Sanchez Montalvo added 2 new photos to the album Cargas móviles.
"Time Lapse" of Playa Norte Webcam: LINK
Playa Norte now in real time in Isla Mujeres
The Early Edition with the newspaper photographs and headlines is usually published around sunrise.
This Final Edition with the translated articles, plus original photos including the sunrise and the "Around the Internet in the Past 24 Hours" section usually publishes around noon.
Both blogs always have links to the original articles.
Usually if an article is "missing", it may have been published in another paper recently, and translated.in a previous post.
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