As recorded in a previous post, Bill Eddy, Harry Reppert, Jim Graves and I arrived at Isla Mujeres on February 5th of 2011. We kept Virago at Marina Paraiso which is a Seven Seas Cruising Association port. I didn’t see that that distinction mattered much to us in practice, but must say the staff was very responsive to our needs and Virago’s needs. I have included a few pictures of the arrival and then a photo montage of the marina itself.
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| Jim Graves Checking our Course | Harry Reppert Pointing Out Landfall at Is Mujeres |
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| Luxury Resorts Line the Beaches | Motor Yacht Prince Abdul Aziz off Cancun |
Lest we loose site of how far up the ladder of luxury goes, consider the yacht Prince Abdul Aziz. It belongs to the Saudi Royal Family and when she was built in 1984 was the biggest private yacht in the world. She is 482 feet long with a beam of 60 feet and a draft of 16 feet. She cruises at 22 knots and was designed to accommodate only 22 guests with such amenities as a main salon copied from the Titanic.
Speaking of a scale of luxuries: on Virago’s voyage we have visited about a dozen marinas. I believe i can speak for the entire crew when I say that Mene’s on Roatan was the least luxurious and the Acapulco Yacht Club was the most luxurious. Marina Paraiso was about average on the luxury scale and its rates were commensurate. Here are some picture of the required elements of a good marina.
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| Peaceful Harbor | Busy, Well Maintained Docks |
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| Pleasant Office with Cruisers’ Lounge | Helpful Staff – Manager Tom |
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| Gathering Spot | Bar or Cafe |
Some features of a marina are not photogenic, but Marina Paraiso does have wifi, laundry service, shore-side heads, and showers. Regular spraying keeps insects at bay. The weather was hot and relatively dry with warm clear water. It is about a mile and a half from downtown on a busy street well served by local taxis.
We kept Virago at the Marina for about four months using it as a base for entertaining visiting friends and family. It is a likely stop on our planned trip back.
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