14th March, 2017

A Chance Encounter

Kayaking in Paraiso

Tuesday, February 28, 2017

We arrived at Paraiso around noon. It is another small anchorage, but, oh, so sweet. The cove is in the shape of a horseshoe with one colorful little boutique hotel on the shore. The grounds are covered with palm trees and a dash of bougainvillea. The water color is a mix of turquoise and teal and the air smells of sage from the dried brush that fills the hills. We anchored in seventeen feet on a sandy bottom. For about an hour, we were the only boat. We were hoping to have this little gem to ourselves.

“Don’t worry. That boat has at least ten people on it. They won’t be staying overnight.” I said, noticing another sailboat anchoring in front of us. Jay took out the binoculars.

“That’s Gadget!”

“No, it’s not.”

“Yes, it is. I can’t believe it!”

I took the binoculars from Jay. Sure enough, it was Gadget, a 64′ Hinckley, from Edgartown. Our Edgartown! We pass it every time we sail out of Katama Bay and here it was, so many miles from home.

We introduced ourselves to the captain and first mate, excited to tell them that we, too, are from Martha’s Vineyard. Chris and Elise have worked on Gadget for several years. In the summer, they sail her around the Vineyard and in the winter, they usually take her south to the Caribbean. This year, their boss asked them to bring it down and through the Panama Canal, up to Barra de Navidad, and ultimately, to Careyes where there was to be a wedding. (That is a lot of miles just for a wedding.) They left in November, and arrived in February.

We watched as, one by one, the guests jumped off Gadget and into the water and swam over to a small beach, tucked into the side of the cove. The gentleman who hosted the wedding had arranged for his guests to have a catered lunch there. Evidently, he has a staff of ten at his villa and they brought tables and chairs to the beach by the hotel. Another man in a panga, picked up the supplies and carted them over to the side beach, as you could only get to there by swimming or boat. At 1600, they were headed back to Careyes, after a beautiful afternoon at Paraiso.

As for Chris and Elise and Gadget, we made arrangements to meet up with them again in Barra.

NOTE OF INTEREST: Gadget was previously owned by Walter Cronkite and called Wyntje. The current owner is one of three creators of the animated television series, “Inspector Gadget.”