I was on my way to Mexico! I was done with the baggage check in. I was done walking from terminal to terminal. I was done sitting in the hard plastic seats watching toddlers run up and down the rows. I was done watching other people board their flights. I was done with lines. I was on the plane!

I was excited to be on the plane but even more excited to get off. As I got my passport stamped and pushed my way through the crowd to get to my resort transportation desk I was amazed by the number of people who were offering or practically take my luggage from me for a little extra cash.

The first two days of the vacation were perfect. Our room was so luxurious with a big hot tub and marble shower. Rose petals were spread across the linens and the towels were made into animals. The curtains were arranged differently everyday and sometimes hung with flowers. The resort was filled with winding bridges and fountains that lit up during the night like the night sky. Every pathway was lined with statues and Mayan artifacts. Each building was a different color than the next and the pools went on forever. Just when I thought I couldn’t get any better I saw a wooded walkway and my curiosity go the better of me.

As I followed that walkway strange little animals started to appear. They weren’t afraid of me at all. I was more afraid of them. They were raccoon like with long thin striped tails called Coati. Even though the signs clearly said not to fead them families adored them and fed them out of the palms of their hands. Then at the end of the walkway the beach came into view.

There wasn’t a cloud in the bright blue sky. There was a constant breeze that helped to cool us down that we didn’t feel by the pool. As I stepped onto the sand I was glad I was wearing flip flops because the hot sun was almost melting the sand beneath my feet. As I looked past the rows of beach chairs and thatched umbrellas I saw the most gorgeous shade of blue that made me second guess if that really was the ocean. The shade of blue deepened as the ocean met up with the sky miles out. It was the most beautiful sight I had ever seen. I just had to go for a dip. As I walked out into the ocean I realized that no matter how deep the water got I could still see all ten toes which is a big change from the Long Island Sound. This was total paradise.

Now there is just so much sitting around you can do, even on vacation. It was time to get some activities in. First was Kayaking which was fun and proved to be easier then I thought. The waves rolled gently under the boat and the boat was easy to maneuver. As we were Kayaking we saw lots of people out on other types of boats. That’s when I asked my mom to take us on a Catamaran which is boat with a sail where you sit on top of a canvas that is stretched out over twin hulls. We approached the activities booth with an open mind to sailing. Unfortunately Catamarans were by reservation only. The next available boat wasn’t until the next morning. Little did I know what the next day was going to bring.

The third day of the trip was nothing like the other two days. It was disappointing when we woke up. The sky was dark grey and the winds were blowing strong. You could tell rain was coming. Part of me just wanted to say in bed and sleep the whole day but that would just be a waste of time and frankly I just wanted to go on the Catamaran. After all it wasn’t raining so why not make the most of the day.

After a quick breakfast we headed to the activities booth. The sand wan’t hot like the last two days and it wasn’t breezy it was windy. The waves weren’t gently rolling they were crashing but somehow we didn’t seem to notice this. At the activities booth my mom signed out a catamaran and signed all the liability waiver forms. We put on our life vests and the man running the activities booth pushed a catamaran up to the water. Since my mom had never sailed before she asked the man how to use the boat. The man showed her the very basics, meaning the rudder steers the boat and the rope lets the sail in and out. He then asked her several times if she wanted a guide to sail with us. She said “No, how hard could it be?”, almost insulted by the idea of needing help. The man mentioned that this was a difficult day for sailing because of the wind and waves and encouraged us again to take a guide. My mom declined again and whispered to me that it’s just another man trying to sell us something we don’t need. How wrong was that?

We got on the catamaran my mom, brother and I looking as confident as ever. As the man pushed us out into the ocean the sail quickly filled with air an the boat steadily glided out to sea. It was amazing how fast the boat could go and how smoothy it glides over the water. My mom was in charge of the sail and I steered the boat with the rudder. After a few seconds we were ready to turn parallel to the shore and ready to enjoy the view while just going up and down the shore line. We did as we were instructed and turned the rudder but the boat wouldn’t turn. My mom adjusted the sail and with a jolt the boat raced forward. Shocked my mom adjusted the sail again and the boat came to a stop. I turned the rudder and she adjusted the sail and again the boat raced further from the shore. Stopping once more we tried by placing the rudder in a different position but again the boat sped further out to sea. Now with my brother in full panic mode screaming as every wave crashed down on top of us my mom told us to get on our knees and wave our hand over our head. We did exactly that but as I noticed that I couldn’t see the men at the activity shed I realized that they couldn’t see me. More waves crashed down on us as we tried reviewing our options, the waves fill our mouths with a heavily salted fishy taste, not being a fan of sea food my brother let out another scream. “Uggh yuck!” he cried. It seemed that each wave was bigger and stronger then the one before. I noticed that the sky was getting darker. As my mom fiddled with the sail and rudder she told me to try and get the attention of another sailer or someone on a kayak. I looked around and realized that there was no one. Yesterday the water was filled with boats but today not a one.

I was terrified but mostly because my brother was screaming and crying. I was only able to stay calm because my brother needed me to comfort him. I started thinking that this was a scene from a movie with the sound of the waves being the dark music I knew we just needed a miracle. One that would end this movie. Just as I was thinking this my mom said “Wait I have an idea. I saw this in a movie”. “We need to do the opposite of what we are doing. We need to see if the sail will move to the other side of the boat”. I just stared at her. I had no time to argue and no idea of my own so I did as I was told. My mom told us to keep our heads down and told me to hold the rudder. “On the count of three I’m going to flip the sail. One. Two. Three”. On three the boat began to turn. I was leaning on top of the rudder to keep it in place. The water was moving fast beneath putting a lot of pressure on the rudder. My movie was coming together quite nicely. We were headed to shore.
I was so relieved. The waves seemed to become more gentle as we gained speed. My mother now figured out how to steer the boat and now the men at the activity booth were in sight. My brother quieted down as we realized we weren’t going to die. As we were closing in on the shore my mom said “I think I’m getting the hang of this. Do you want to stay on longer?” I looked at my mom with my are you crazy expression. My brother instantly screamed “NO!”

Before the boat came to a complete stop my brother jumped off and did a full sprint to my grandmother who was sitting on the beach. His first words were “I’m never going on a catamaran again!”.

Here we are two years later and under my brother’s order we are not allowed to speak of this adventure.