Sailing Totem1: Mexico vs. the Caribbean揚帆遠(yuǎn)航的“圖騰號”：墨西哥還是加勒比海？

貝漢·吉福德

The Totem crew is often asked which location is better for cruising： Mexico or the Caribbean？ “圖騰號”一家常被問及哪片海域更適合航行：墨西哥還是加勒比海？

Hopeful cruisers2 sometimes wonder where to start their adventures. Pacific side of Mexico or the Caribbean—both beautiful cruising grounds， anchorages3 in proximity and resources to get started. Is Mexico or the Caribbean better？ One may be more appealing than the other， all depending on your priorities.

Room to roam

Both Mexico and the Caribbean offer extensive options for cruising. Both offer a range of environments to explore， from arid shores to rainforests. But the Pacific side of Mexico may be bigger than most realize， with 4，555 miles of coastline.

There are many more boats—in closer proximity—in the Caribbean. Charter4 fleets can crowd anchorages during the high season5. In Mexico， the only anchorages youd ever get squeezed out of are the handful of spots that are meant for just a couple of boats.

Personal safety

We cant think of a single case of vio-lent crime against cruisers in Mexico. As a cruiser， you are outside the zone of risk unless youve chosen to engage. While there are a few places in Mexico where outboards6 sprout legs7 if not secured at night， these tend to be well known and in general its not a problem.

The Caribbean， on the other hand， has a smattering of security considerations. There are two no-go regions （mainland Venezuela， and the waters off the Honduras / Nicaragua border）. Elsewhere in the Caribbean are harbors with earned reputations for boarding and theft， including assault， in well-identified hotspots8. Still fine places to go cruising， but it does mean keeping up with trends in security at a granular9 destination level， making calculated decisions about where you choose to go， and being aware.

Cultural interest

Theres plenty of culture and history in both to explore for those who wish. Multicultural heritages with indigenous10 depth in Mexico， blended African and colonial influences in the Caribbean， mean no end to what you can learn about the history and influences to everyday life. Mexicos regional variations are significant， but the Caribbeans more readily accessed—depart a French-speaking island in the morning， arrive at a Spanish-speaking island that afternoon， put a Dutch island on your itinerary11 next.

Cruising practicalities in Mexico and the Caribbean

A budget can be managed in both regions. But food is significantly less expensive in Mexico; it is among the most affordable countries we have cruised， and food is the biggest variable part of our monthly budget （by FAR）. While its possible to shop to a budget in the Caribbean， those personal choices may be easier said than lived by.

Formalities are a breeze in Mexico. Americans and Canadians get a six-month visa （really， a tourist permit） on arrival; your boat gets a 10-year temporary import permit. The paperwork for these is mostly straightforward. Extended stays are the norm.

Formalities arent difficult in the Caribbean… mostly. Best are the French islands， where you could literally be at a café with a beer signing in on a customs terminal！ But since every island you hop to can mean entering a new country， theres more to deal with and some added complexity.

Cruising community

In Mexico， most cruisers are from the USA or Canada. You can count on sharing a language with the other boats near you， which can make life fun （and come in handy）. There are a few hubs where cruisers gather， and many turn from active sailing into floating-condo retirement12. These liveaboards13 are often instrumental in fostering cruising community with local events like meetups14， seminars， and holiday gatherings.

The Caribbean has a greater number of hubs and boats， including substantial charter fleets. Charterers and cruisers alike come from a wider range of countries as European visitors flock for a winter holiday. Awareness for cultural relativism between cruisers becomes important： like how close cruisers from other parts of the world are comfortable anchoring15 （VERY， by the typical North American standard）， or the European comfort with naked deck showers.

Weather

Both regions have beautiful winter and springs， and a summer/fall hurricane season to respect. On average， Mexico is hit by far fewer tropical storms. Plenty of active cruising takes place in both regions during hurricane season， with boaters managing their risk.

Mexico has relatively light winds. It doesnt make for great sailing， unless you have a lot of patience or a good light-air setup. However， Banderas Bay has some of the best conditions anywhere in the world. Flat-water sailing with daily thermals and the humpback whale16 show as a bonus. Summertime sees cruisers either heading north into the Gulf of California （Sea of Cortez）， where hurricanes rarely venture above the midpoint， or holing up17 at a protected harbor elsewhere. It can be very hot in the Gulf/Sea， a dry heat that can be bearable with a breeze. Squally weather and humidity dominate conditions to the south， and boats choosing not to venture north typically park and plug in for aircon18.

Caribbean sailing is generally much better， with consistent easterly trade winds19. Sailing north， south， or west is relatively easy. But going east， such as from Florida to Caribbean islands， takes timing and finesse to minimize discomfort. Of course， plenty of sailors do this migration annually！ Sailing along the chain of windward/leeward20 eastern Caribbean islands isnt as great as prevailing conditions would suggest. Behind the islands， wind is blocked; between them， enhanced winds funnel through and seas get lumpy. Boats tend to cluster in hurricane “safer” locations like Grenada， or Trinidad & Tobago—but six months is a long time to spend in one spot.

Family fun

Plenty of kid boats are cruising in Mexico and the Caribbean！ But the dynamics are different. In Mexico， its relatively easy for the fleet to connect since boats all travel a linear， north/south route. Most arrive by passing through the hubs of La Paz or Puerto Vallarta on roughly similar timelines， which enables meeting other kid boats. Cruisers in hubs let you know about who has passed through， to facilitate connecting.

The Caribbean has more kid boats， but the meetups are more difficult. Partly because boats arrive from myriad directions—up from Grenada， down from the USA， west from the Canaries. And then， Caribbean boats route in different directions—a range of paths compared to the linear route in Pacific Mexico. Partly because there are more hubs; one on each island， almost. It adds up to more work to find and connect with kid boats. The major exception is peak hurricane season in Grenada. Between August and October， its a magnet—Prickly Bay has trick or treating21 with literally dozens of kids.

躍躍欲試的游艇玩家有時不知道從哪里開始他們的探險之旅。墨西哥的太平洋一側(cè)和加勒比海都是風(fēng)景宜人的航行區(qū)，附近都有不少錨地和配套設(shè)施方便出發(fā)。選墨西哥呢，還是加勒比海呢？兩者各有千秋，一切取決于您的需求。

航行空間

在墨西哥和加勒比海航行的選擇余地都非常之大。兩者都擁有豐富的自然環(huán)境供人們探索發(fā)現(xiàn)，從草木不生的海岸到熱帶雨林，不一而足。但墨西哥的太平洋一側(cè)可能比大多數(shù)人認(rèn)為的還要遼闊，有著長達(dá)4555英里的海岸線。

加勒比海的船要多得多，顯得更為擁擠。在旺季，租賃的游艇能擠滿錨地。而在墨西哥，只有幾處僅供幾條船停泊的錨地會難覓泊位。

人身安全

我們列舉不出任何一例在墨西哥發(fā)生過的針對游艇玩家的暴力犯罪案件。游艇玩家除非有意卷入其中，否則就身處危險區(qū)之外。盡管在墨西哥的一些地方，如果晚上沒采取安全措施的話，舷外馬達(dá)容易被盜，但這些都是眾所周知的情況，一般來說沒有問題。

另一方面，加勒比海有一點兒安全問題值得考量。這里有兩個禁區(qū)：委內(nèi)瑞拉大陸，以及洪都拉斯/尼加拉瓜邊界附近的海域。在加勒比海還有一些位于知名熱點地區(qū)的港口，因強占和盜竊（包括暴力襲擊）而聲名狼藉。這里仍然是航行的好去處，但無論前往多小的目的地，務(wù)必掌握當(dāng)?shù)氐陌踩蝿?，出發(fā)前做好精心籌劃并時刻保持警惕。

文化魅力

兩個地區(qū)都具備多樣的文化和悠久的歷史供那些樂于探索的人去發(fā)現(xiàn)。墨西哥擁有多元文化遺產(chǎn)，其土著文化尤具深度，加勒比地區(qū)則擁有著混合了非洲和殖民影響的文化，這意味著供您了解的歷史和日常生活受到的影響不可勝數(shù)。墨西哥的地區(qū)差異明顯，加勒比海地區(qū)的文化差異更容易體驗——早上離開一座講法語的小島，下午到達(dá)一座講西班牙語的小島，在您隨后的行程中登上一座講荷蘭語的小島。

在墨西哥和加勒比海航行的實用指南

在這兩個區(qū)域航行都能維持預(yù)算。但墨西哥的食品價格要便宜得多。它是我們航行過的物價最低的國家之一，食品（顯然）是我們每月預(yù)算中最大的可變部分。雖然在加勒比海地區(qū)也可以根據(jù)預(yù)算購物，但這種個人選擇說起來容易做起來難。

在墨西哥，各項手續(xù)很簡單。美國和加拿大公民可獲批為期6個月的落地簽證（實際上是旅游許可證），船能得到為期10年的停靠許可證。這些文件辦理起來大多很簡單。延長停留時間是常態(tài)。

在加勒比海，手續(xù)并不難辦……大部分情況下是如此。最為方便的是法屬島嶼，您真的可以一邊在小飯館喝著啤酒，一邊把海關(guān)入境手續(xù)給辦了！但是，由于您登上的每個島嶼都可能屬于一個新的國家，因此需要處理的事情更多，也更麻煩一些。

航行社群

在墨西哥，大多數(shù)游艇玩家來自美國或加拿大。所以您和附近的其他船上的人保準(zhǔn)能說相同的語言，這讓生活變得有趣（也很有用）。這里有幾個聚集游艇玩家的樞紐，許多人在此停下航行的腳步，把游艇當(dāng)成海上公寓，開始休息起來。這些船宿通常有助于通過聚會、討論會和假期聚會等當(dāng)?shù)鼗顒訕?gòu)建航行社群。

加勒比海有更多的樞紐和船只，包括一大批供租賃的游艇。隨著冬日假期來臨，歐洲游客蜂擁而至，有更多國家的租艇人和游艇玩家來到加勒比海。于是，游艇玩家之間的文化差異意識變得重要起來：比如，游艇與游艇之間要隔多遠(yuǎn)距離下錨，才能讓來自世界其他地方的游艇玩家覺得合適（按照典型的北美標(biāo)準(zhǔn)來說，這里的間隔太近了）;又比如，歐洲人也許覺得在甲板上裸浴并無不妥，而來自其他地方的人則可能覺得這樣并不合適。

天氣

兩個地區(qū)既有美麗的冬春兩季，又有不可小覷的夏秋颶風(fēng)季。平均而言，墨西哥遭遇的熱帶風(fēng)暴要少得多。在颶風(fēng)季節(jié)，這兩個地區(qū)都有大量的航行活動，船員們小心地管控著他們的風(fēng)險。

墨西哥的風(fēng)力相對較小。除非您有足夠的耐心，或已安裝在微風(fēng)條件下能良好驅(qū)動航行的設(shè)備，否則很難遠(yuǎn)航。然而，班德拉斯灣擁有世界上最好的一些條件。海面風(fēng)平浪靜，穿著日常的保暖衣便已足夠，還能看到座頭鯨表演，實在是意外驚喜。夏季時分，颶風(fēng)很少出現(xiàn)在加利福尼亞灣中點上空，因此，游艇玩家要么向北駛?cè)爰永Ｄ醽啚常ㄓ址Q“科爾特斯?！保?，要么躲在其他安全的港口。加利福尼亞灣非常熱，但陣陣清風(fēng)使得這種干熱能夠忍受。在南部，狂風(fēng)暴雨和潮濕天氣占主導(dǎo)，不愿冒險北上的船只通常會停泊下來吹吹空調(diào)。

在加勒比海航行通常要容易得多，這里有著持續(xù)的東北信風(fēng)。向北、向南或向西航行相對容易。但是，向東行駛，例如從佛羅里達(dá)到加勒比海諸島，需要找準(zhǔn)時機并運用技巧才能最大程度地減輕不適感。當(dāng)然，每年有很多水手這樣航行！沿著加勒比海東部鏈條狀的向風(fēng)群島和背風(fēng)群島航行時，這里的海況并沒有加勒比海平常的海況那么好。在島嶼的背風(fēng)面，風(fēng)平浪靜;而島嶼之間，強風(fēng)呼嘯而出，海面波浪起伏。船只往往向少有颶風(fēng)的地方聚集，如格林納達(dá)或特立尼達(dá)和多巴哥，但在同一個地方待上六個月是相當(dāng)之久了。

親子趣味

大量的親子船在墨西哥和加勒比海航行！但體驗不同。在墨西哥，游艇隊伍聯(lián)系起來相對容易，因為所有船只都沿著一條線性的南北航線航行。他們中的大多數(shù)都在大致相同的時間經(jīng)由拉巴斯或巴亞爾塔港這兩個樞紐抵達(dá)，這使得他們能夠與其他親子船碰面。在樞紐的游艇玩家讓您知道哪些船已經(jīng)經(jīng)過，藉以方便聯(lián)系。

加勒比海雖有更多的親子船，但船與船之間的碰面卻更難。部分原因是這些船只來自四面八方——自格林納達(dá)北上，自美國南下，自卡納里斯西進(jìn)，又朝著四面八方繼續(xù)航行——這五花八門的航線與墨西哥太平洋海岸的線性航線非常不同。部分原因是這里有更多的樞紐，幾乎每個島上都有一個。這意味著，要找到其他親子船并建立聯(lián)系的難度更大。但是，颶風(fēng)高峰期的格林納達(dá)是個例外。從8月到10月，這里像磁鐵一樣，普里克利灣能有足足幾十個孩子一起玩“不給糖就搗蛋”的游戲。

（譯者為“《英語世界》杯”翻譯大賽獲獎?wù)撸?/p>