WHERE THE SKY IS BORN

THE YUCATAN CHANNEL IS RARELY SAILED BY VISITING CRUISERS, BUT KILA ZAMANA DISCOVERED WILDERNESS AND MAYA MYTHS

- KILA ZAMANA

Key West, at the southernmost tip of the United States, is a place of nonconformists, colour, and curiosities. Arriving at night, I spotted the Gunboat Traverse resting peacefully on the dock in front of a row of classic white and pastel-hued houses. It too was quite different, standing out from the other boats thanks to its unique shape and hull paint: as incongruous as a crystallised blue glacier.

This 48ft Gunboat is a rare breed: just six were built between 2004 and 2009 as part of a Morrelli & Melvin project to create a performance catamaran suitable for short-handed sailing.

This was going to be a new experience for me. Previously I'd spent four years sailing on the 50ft steel expedition sloop Malaika in stormy European Atlantic waters. Until that point, performance yachts like this had only existed vaguely in my imagination.

Traverse's owner, Daniel, hid his amusement at my awe-struck expression as I stepped aboard. But I didn't want to acknowledge my feelings, so instead, I pulled out my computer on which I had outlined the passage plan. "Shall we begin?"

OPPOSING CURRENTS

Traverse would take us on a crossing of the Yucatan Channel, which has a reputation for confused seas with currents coming from all directions. The Yucatan current flows from the north, the Gulf Stream flows from the south into the Gulf of Mexico, while prevailing easterlies and tides push in from Cuba. Also resisting forces from all directions, most of the people of the region refer to themselves as indigenous Yucatecans rather than Mexican (just as most Alaskans identify as Alaskan, not American) because of the Maya's rise to fight for their independence against Mexico and US influences.