Jonathan visits Guatemala / Prepare for the wild blue yonder!

Well, we weren't sure it would ever happen,  but Jon finally arrived on October 4th in Guatemala! David met him at the airport and they toured Guatemala City and then took the 6 am bus to Fronteras (a five hour ride . . . I awaited impatiently at Texan Bay for them; it seemed as though they would never get there.

Gracie and Ed, Sherrie, and Jack (fellow cruisers from Texan Bay) joined Jon and us on a trek to Finca Paraiso and Rio Agua Caliente. We left Texan Bay early, 7 am en route for Fronteras, from there we got a ride on a collectiva van. Don't do this if you are claustrophobic like me!  They just cram people into these vans, we ended up with 31! I wish they had tied me to the roof, then at least I could breath! Even so, it was a beautiful ride through the country.

We arrive at Finca Paraiso, but there seems to be a little confusion, language barrier again. They don't understand that we needed a ride to the bungalows. Ok, so now Sherrie is trying to convey to them that we are not walking the 2 miles to the hotel. It took a while, but we finally understood that they would give us a ride in their box truck as soon as they changed the flat tire. David, Jon and Jack were too eager and have decided to walk.

The bungalows are very nice, very clean and right on the beach; we were able to hear the surf at night, awesome! We decided to have a bite to eat before we go to the falls. The food was very good, most of us ordered the Robalo (snook).

We're off!   They transported us in a sort of boxcar by tractor, but at least on this ride we were able to actually see the finca and the mountains, just lovely. It was cloudy when we arrived, but  the sun came out and it is just glorious.  The driver stopped to let us view the (2) howler monkeys in the trees. So cool!

It's about 100 yards up a trail through the woods, along the stream. A lone piglet appears. David has "oinked" at him and now he is following us, too funny! As we were descending the stairs, I look across the stream and see the falls. WOW! Just beautiful. Jon got some really nice shots. Two guides helped us to get into the water as the rocks are very slippery. Everyone dives in. I forgot my floatation device at the bungalow, swimming is not my thing!  I enjoyed it just the same.

Later on, after returning from the falls, we sort of had a happy hour and enjoyed the snacks we brought.  Jon and I went for a walk for some sunset pics.  We came on a couple of cowboys trying to rangle a bull.  They eventually tied him to a lamp post for the night.  I guess he was a "bad bull"!

In the evening, we asked if we could have a bonfire on the beach. They were kind enough to gather firewood for us. However, it didn't turn out like we would have wanted as they had mercury lamps right on the beach and right above our fire. Oh well, what can you do? We enjoyed it even so.

The next day, Jon, David and Jack wanted to go back to the falls.  I was the last to get on the box truck. (Now I'm certain it was planned to happen that way!)  Apparently the bull we had met the prior evening, his last evening, had been butchered and his head was sitting right at the front of the truck, so that I couldn't miss it.  I was horrified!  He was distributed between several large pans, covered, thank heaven! Everyone was just waiting for the moment and I guess they got a good laugh from my expression.  Along the way, the driver dropped off the head and laid it on the side of the road, soon a family walked up to retrieve it, dinner, I guess!

The boys left for the falls, and then we learned that David had left his sunglasses and his wallet in our bungalow.  Again, communication was a challenge so Sherrie gave her cell phone to the lady at the breakfast stop.  We thought she was so nice to help us locate his belongings, but later learned that she had transferred Q100 from Sherrie's phone to hers!  The nerve!  The cowboys that brought David's belongings would not accept any money, however.  We had something to eat and then waited for a bus to take us back to Fronteras.  We caught up with the guys later on. Later we learned that Jack, David and Jon jumped from the top of the falls into the pool below, very scary!  All three made it, thank heaven!  Glad I wasn't there to witness it!

If you ever come to Guatemala, don't miss the falls. It is well worth the trip, and pretty economical too.  The bungalows rent for Q100; $12.50 American $.

We also spent a day in Livingston, which is the entry port into the Rio Dulce. It is much cleaner and has some nice restaurants and a beach, though I would never swim in the water. It's loaded with debris, though they had cleaned it up a bit since our last visit.  We had some lunch with Chris and Dani and just sat around talking.  Jon went shopping for a gift for Matt and got a very nice hammock.  Then back to Texan Bay.

Jon and I rode the dinghy over to visit Pat & Penny and to see the palapa they built.  So at least he got to see some lilly pads, a few birds, and where some of the locals live.

I'm sure Jon and David would have enjoyed a kayak trip down the Rio, but it never quite materialized. I had wanted to go to Ak Tenamit, the school which trains restaurant service and etiquette, but we never got there either.

Jon was content to relax at Texan Bay and got to know some of our friends. He thoroughly enjoyed the trip, as I knew he would. We wished that Matt had been able to join us. It would have been a great family visit. We're hoping Matt is working toward getting his passport and will be able to join us somewhere along the way on our next voyage, possibly Roatan as there is an airport there.

Once Jon departed, we got down to business and started on our maintenance to prepare for the next leg of our voyage.  You know, change the oil, check the fluids, change the filters, check the rigging, sails, etc.   Then finally we moved off the dock at Texan Bay and headed up the Rio to provision and to make sure all systems are "go".

We shall miss our friends at Texan Bay, Sherrie, Mike, Ed, Gracie, Chris, Mavis, Maurits, Carlos, Kelly and Chris, Jack, James, Dave (Coriolis) Kenny, Jennifer, Kimberly and Scott, Tanya and Oron, Dave and Carla, Grisel, Walter, Axl, Marcella, Theresa, Curtis, Annie and Tom, little Mykol, Tomas and Lorena, Martine and Alvin, Sandy and Hodwell, Clyde and Mia, (the regulars and staff at Texan Bay) and last but not least, Pat and Penny, but it is time for us to move on.  We have enjoyed their company, but we're very excited to get going just the same.  We look forward to seeing them again.

Utila or Roatan will be our first stop, of course, depending on weather.  We want to see French Harbor this time, maybe David will go for a dive this time, or at least snorkel.  Then it's off to Guanaja, the most western island in Honduras since our last trip was cut short by Hurricane Alex.  From there we plan to go to the Viva rios islands and the island chain known as the Hobbies, in Columbia, then Providencia and hopefully the San Blas Islands, off the coast of Panama.  This will by far, be a much longer trip than we have done so far (about 780 nautical miles), with several 3-4 days at sea, several times.  So it will be a challenge for us.  Of course, we are always dependent on weather, so if we don't make it to Panama, there's next year, hopefully.  At the end of the season, we'll probably be back in the Rio, but who knows.

We have seen a lot of changes since we first arrived to the Rio in March.  The locals are starting more and more businesses and more of them are learning new trades and working for gringos as well.  Some want a better quality of life and they aren't afraid to go and get it.  I think it's great, but also will change the flavor of the Rio.

Pollution will be one of their greatest challenges, and it's not from the gringo's.They don't seem to care much about litter, on the street or in the water.

Something I personally don't understand, especially since the river is their life. More and more Guatemalans have luxury boats, and travel the river for pleasure, not purpose.  So we feel fortunate to be here, before it all changes.  I'm sure it's much different from when our friends Gene and Deb sailed here in 1998.  (We hope they will make it here by next spring).

We dearly miss our family and friends, but this is something we have to do.  We hope you all understand.  Basically, we are retired, we live on a boat and  we travel, do maintenance and try to enjoy  "the golden years" of our lives. Not much different than most retirees.  We are not as unusual as you might think. We have met many cruisers here on the Rio, from all different walks of life, some rich, some not, some with children, some not, some younger, some older, some wiser, some not. It's sad in a way, we love the US, we are Americans, but we can't afford to live there, unless we're working so we're trying to avoid that at the moment!  We figure we can always work at McDonalds, or be a greeter at Walmart, but at 70 we may not be able to cruise on a sailboat.

It's not nearly as fun, or romantic as you might think, it's hard work to live this way, but it is our choice for now.  We are very grateful that we can blog and stay in touch via email and Facebook with all of you.  It would be much harder if we weren't able to communicate with all of you.  We miss our boys most of all, but maybe it's better for them that we are not hovering over, as they find they way in life.  

So thanks for following along and staying in touch with us.  It means more than you will ever know.  We hope you will continue to do so.  Adios for now, well at least I've learned a little Spanish while in Guatemala, goodness knows, we've both got a long way to go.  We hope to leave for Roatan by Saturday, November 20th, depending on the weather.
Stay  tuned! 

New adventures in Utila and Roatan!

We had left Texan Bay on Friday (the bets were on!) and after spending two nights in Cabo Tres Puntas, we left at dawn enroute to Omoa, Honduras! (No one ever believes us.) The seas were pretty rough, but calmed down quite a bit the further we came to Omoa. There was a a lot of debris in the water, including trash and very large logs. We arrived in Omoa about 2:30pm in the afternoon, but were quite tired and we didn't even go ashore. Sadly we missed touring the fort built in the 1770's.

Early the next morning (Monday) we left to go to Puerto El Condito, an awesome little cove amidst huge rocks at the entrance. We thought we were completely alone, then we saw some natives walking the beach probably enroute to the village in Diamante. If you ever have the chance, stop here, it is just lovely!

Utila is much larger than expected and we arrived at the east harbor around 4:30pm Monday. Once we were certain the anchor was set we headed into town. It is much like the other islands, San Pedro, or Caye Caulker, but it is hilly. It is one of the best places to dive and most of the tourists are there to do just that. Sadly, there are far more Europeans than Americans diving.

Much of Utila is swamp, but we toured the rest of it. Many, many dive shops, lots of tiendas, very few street vendors, a decent amount of restaurants/bars, a few little bazaar type stores. One of our favorite restaurants was Evelyn's. She served us fresh whole fish with rice and vegetable, it was very good and the best bang for you Limpera in Utila, $100 limperas (100 L = $5 US)!

They have a lovely little beach, but it no where compares to Isla Mujeres. There is another beach, but they charge to visit it . . . we passed.

We found a little place called Skidrow Bar. Soon learned that one of the owners is from Pittsburgh, and as it turns out, he (Dave Steffan) went to my High School! He graduated four years after me, his brother two years after. I did not know them, but it was really fun talking about the Burg and he and his wife Trish, knew exactly where I grew up. David and I had spent 40 years of our lives in Pittsburgh and never ran into anyone we knew from our high schools, then we go to Utila and meet someone, too weird! It is a small world! Needless to say we spent a lot of time at Skidrow! We also donated some flags and left "our mark" there!

Bush's Grocery is the best and really the only place to shop in Utila, for you fellow cruisers. They now have gasoline, diesel and metered water. Once the docks are repaired you will be able to pull up and fill up. It is also a very safe place to leave your dinghy while you are touring the island. Checking in and out of Honduras is also very easy to do here.

I took a ton of pics of the Jade Seahorse Restaurant. This place is amazing, it is more of a treat to your eyes than a restaurant. There are mosaics everywhere, bridges, you just have to see it to believe it. I'm sure it is lovely at night too. this is a "must" see. Visit their site, http://www.jadeseahorse.com.

The divers love to party and their music kept us awake most every night. We loved Utila, but the downfall is the anchorage is not very good for holding and the music became annoying after a while.

David rented a bike one day, but he just couldn't find the caves at Pumpkin Hill. It was just way too hot for me. Supposedly there are well preserved markings from Pirates of long ago here. Another time, perhaps.

Be careful in Utila, they have cement streets and between the skooters, motorcyles, golf carts and four wheelers there isn't much room left for pedestrians, and no speed limits!

We've been trying to get our propane tank refilled and after waiting about 10 days here, we are heading for West End, Roatan. It's about 38 miles from Utila.

West End is dive shops and restaurant/bars, very few shops. They also have a lovely beach, and it happens to be at the Sundowner Bar. We watched the World Cup, lazed on the beach and enjoyed cervasas.

Several long time cruisers have told us that without a doubt, Roatan outshines them all for diving! The water is very clear and there are a lot of fish, etc. here. Sadly, I never even snorkeled. David was going to treat himself to a dive on his 59th, but was interrupted by Tropical Depression Alex.

Roatan is nice, but we still preferred Utila. However, we didn't make it to French Harbor or Fantasy Island by sea and so we're told me missed the best of it! Our visit was interrupted by Tropical Depression, Alex. He passed right over us, but it wasn't a worry at all, most rain. We had stronger winds in the harbor in Utila. Even so, when all the boats began to leave after Alex, we decided we had better move back to Guatemala too, or risk another tropical wave.

We did take a van to Coxen Hole one day and another to French Harbor by land. Went to a brand new strip mall and went to lunch at Wendy's! Applebee's was next door and a lot more reasonable that in the US!

It is easy to get propane in Roatan, not so much in Utila.

We had the pleasure of meeting Ted and Joan from Panchita, Steve and Cheryl from Samdalay and John and Sharon from Sunbow in the mooring field. We also met the owner of Changing Spots and his crew member, but can't for the life of me remember their names.

David has hosted the Northwest Caribbean Net on the (Single Side Band radio). The net meets every morning at 8:00 am. At this time of year many cruisers are back home and there are so few boats "out there", so David stepped in to help. It is a way for cruisers to check in while underway or just to talk with other fellow cruisers. For some cruisers this may be the only human contact while they may be under way.

I think the net must have been a Godsend for one single-handed cruiser, Bob Curren. He came on the net one morning to report that his mast had splintered (in the midst of Alex), and that his engine had fouled. He was able to get the fuel line cleared and the engine running again. The net controller asked if he wanted help from the Coast Guard, but he had declined. We later learned that he had hit the reef in Isla Contoy (Isla Mujeres, Mx), and was seen swimming to land. So far no one has been able to find him in Isla Mujeres, but as far as we know he was not seriously injured. Good time Charley sank, however. Too sad.

So as we've learned Roatan requires a return trip. Looking forward to it!

We arrived back in Guatemala on Saturday, July 3rd. This is the best place to spend hurricane season. It has been fun seeing our old friends at Texan Bay, though there are few cruisers still here. Gene and Brenda of Queen Mary arrived yesterday. We have followed them "on the net" each morning and are happy to be able to spend some time getting to know them better.

We hope you have enjoyed following our maiden voyage via the blog. Our plan had always been to leave the boat here and go back to Orlando, but sadly it is so expensive. We are not yet prepared to go back to work. Of course, poverty has a way of changing your mind, but for now, Guatemala is very affordable for us.

There is much maintenance to be done on the boat; that will begin soon . . . maybe tomorrow.

This last leg of our trip to Utila and Roatan took us about 138 miles. All total we have cruised probably over 1,000 nautical miles. Not bad for a maiden voyage, I say! We have learned a lot and are beginning to make a list of the things we would like to add to the boat to make future voyages a little more comfortable for us, new canvas, an easier way to secure the dinghy, more FANS! Then, of course, there is the list of maintenance projects we must do, too numerous to mention. We'll get there!

We don't have a lot of room for company, but if anyone wants to visit, two at a time, works well, just send us an email, newhorizonsblue@yahoo.com. We'd be more than happy to show you around Guatemala!

Stay tuned, we are not yet finished, just taking a little hiatus!

Guatemala and beyond . . .next stop . . . Utila!

The other day we went to a fund raising event at the school in the "aldea" (the village). Of course, we would have enjoyed it much more had we been able to understand Spanish. These people live very simple, meager lifestyles. They have so few modern conveniences, yet they seem to be so happy. Their children are able to entertain themselves by playing simple games, like my generation did when were little. We played hopscotch, hide n seek, release, etc. I think they have the "key to a happy life"; less is better. Check out the story on the http://www.riodulcechisme.com.

It's shrimp season, when the river gets salty; it lasts from March through most of April. I cleaned a shrimp the other day that was 7 inches long! We thought they would be tough, but they were not. The natives look forward to this season with gusto; a way for them to make extra quetzals! It is sometimes difficult for Texan Bay to get their regular employees to work, they just want to go "shrimpin"! We have certainly enjoyed the "fruits of their labor"! It's hard to resist, when the cost is like one fourth of what you'd pay in the US.

Within the last five days, Carlos has transformed New Horizons. He sanded and varnished our toe rail and wheel. It looks so great! Of course, now we need to paint the gelcoat and nonskid again to get her really shipshape! He did an awesome job, I'm almost ashamed to tell you what he charged us to do this, but let me say it would have cost us probably four times as much in the US, and it would not have been done as well. We were told boat maintenance was very reasonable, but that isn't the adjective I would use. If you ever come to Guatemala, and need some varnishing done, definitely look him up! Canvas, carpentry, general repair work is also very reasonably priced.

About the second week in May, we motored up the river to get provisions in preparation for a trip to the Sapodillas with our friends, Pat & Penny. Unfortunately, that plan fell apart quickly. We moored at Tortugal Marina, just the other side of the bridge in Fronteras; it is a delightful spot to moor or dock your boat. They offer wifi, showers, laundry service, restaurant/bar, swim platform, kayaks and have bungalows for rent. They also offer free launcha's to Fronteras. They have a TV, pool table and comfortable furniture under the palapa for reading, playing scrabble, or surfing the web. Tortugal Marina also offers “Pizza and a movie” every Friday night. They will gladly send their launcha out to pick you up from Bruno's or Mario's as well. Two slices of your choice of pizza, a beer and the movie for $50 Q, not a bad deal at all. Get your seat early! It is only a short dinghy ride from Tortugal to the Spanish Fort. There are many backpackers that frequent Tortugal as well. Janet and Russ have been managing Tortugal for about three years and they do a great job! Go to bed early while here, as the roosters will begin their wake-up call promptly at 4 am, and the chorus continues till you are wide awake! You can hear them from near and far, it's almost comical!

The marina has been replacing the roofs of all their palapas; it has been interesting to watch the workers sort, string and replace all the palm fronds. It really is a special craft. A roof usually lasts about ten years.

We took our dinghy to Castillo San Felipe is a Spanish Fort which guards the narrow entrance to Lago Izabal. It once served as an anchorage for Spanish treasure ships. The fort was built in 1652 to defend the valuable cargoes from constant pirate attack. The Spanish dug a channel to make this tip of land a tiny island, then gave the fort a draw bridge, many gun turrets and pediments. After pirates were eradicated from Guatemala, the fort was used as a prison and municipal building. Boaters can use the dinghy dock to visit the museum and anchor on either side of the entrance to Lago Izabal. The fort is quite well preserved and is surrounded by a lovely park, outside restaurant and a swimming area on the north side. Guatemalans and tourists frequent this area all year long.

One beautiful, breezy morning (though not enough to actually sail the boat) we went to Lago Izabal; the lake stretches 30 miles SW and 12 miles across, fed by dozens of mountain streams and fringed by three broad estuaries. Mountain ranges around the lake run NE to SW, so they funnel the trades causing stiff sailing winds during winter cruising season. Average depths are 30'. Very scenic!

Denny's Beach is an anchorage, about 10 miles north of Tortugal, on the lakes' SE shore where you can land a dinghy at the private dock to enjoy the cantina and the hammocks under the palms. They also provide three mooring balls, but caution to boaters, we encountered 6-8 ft swells with no wind! There are several bungalows, and one of the few places to stay on the Rio with a/c and private baths! Breakfast, lunch and dinner are served 24/7 at Denny's. Sergio, the waiter, bartender, greeter, etc. is a great guy. His English is quite good, though he wants to learn more. We taught him "awesome" and "touchdown"!

If you're lucky you will get the opportunity to meet “Denny”, a treat in itself. He has been living on the Rio for 28 years and has seen it all! Denny's also offers launcha's to Fincka Paraiso, (the hot springs), a horse back tour into the mountains or a jungle tour. We walked along the path along the lake into the nearby village. There were varying degrees of wealth/poverty; some folks living in quite nice cement block homes, and others, the smaller wooden structures. We came upon two “ice cream” vendors wheeling their carts along the path! Chickens and roosters everywhere you look, but also, ducks, pigs (some of the scrawniest I have even seen) and a couple of horse stables.

We thoroughly enjoyed spending some time with two couples from Germany who had driven from El Salvador and then came by launcha from Mariscos. They each had a son and daughter, who spent most of the day swimming. One of the ladies had escaped the tragedy of genocide, having lost four members of her family in Rwanda. She and her husband, who speak English, French and German, translated most of the time for the other German couple. There were two young couples from Britain, the girls have just become interns, one of the guys worked for an ad agency, the other a lawyer. They were all quite charming. It was very interesting to meet folks traveling from other countries. We enjoyed it immensely. They were all quite amazed that we live and travel on our boat. David gave one of the German guys a tour, it was pretty rocky on the lake, he wasn't anxious to stay very long!The only downside to our weekend being an accident between our dinghy and the bow sprit, OUCH, that's going to leave a mark!

The village of Mariscos on the south shore a few miles west of Denny's Beach has a road to Trincheras on the highway. Dozens of Mayan villages are found on the nearby streams. Unfortunately, since the dinghy is sick, we missed an opportunity to go to Fincka Paraiso, the hot springs/falls, we'll save that for another time. It's a little warm for hot springs if you ask me! Don't miss a trip to Denny's, though I would recommend a weekend stay, as during the week, it may be just a little tranquil, but it is worth it! www.dennysbeach.com

A word to boaters, bring lots of fuel filters, oil, belts, as much as you can store on your boat, as it is nearly impossible to find those items here. We understand that there is a better market in Puerto Barrios, but though we have tried, have not been successful transiting there yet.

We have met some great people while in Guatemala, some that have been here for a while and others are just passing through. We have also had the opportunity to catch up with others we have met along the way; as more and more cruisers have discovered that Guatemala is a great hurricane hole, and also quite affordable. Most of the cruisers we have met along the way have already docked their boats for the season and returned to their respective homes.

We have met four guys named "Dave" who are either native to Pittsburgh, or have lived there at least part of their lives, too weird! It is also amazing to learn the number of people who are from Texas; while there are also many Canadians, and French Canadians, a few Dutch and a number of Aussie's. We have been surprised at the number of "young" (under 40) cruisers we have met, must be "trust fund" babies, though I guess anything is possible, you just need a "plan"!

The longer you stay here the more you realize that the Rio Dulce is a lot like “Peyton Place”. There could be a party at Texan Bay or Tortugal, and the next morning it's the news in Fronteras! It's quite amazing because the news travels via “the river”, which you would think would take a little longer. Many of the gringos have been here for years, so once you've done all the touring, I guess it's easy to get caught up in gossip.

Penny has gone home to Canada, Gracie & Ed have left for Minnesota, as with have many of the other cruisers we have met along the way. We miss them already! It has been a wonderful experience from the beginning, back in May 2009. There is so much more to see and that is what we plan to do.

It has been raining at least a little every day; this is their rainy (only two seasons, this is winter, summer begins in November)season. The boat is soggy, we are soggy and in need of a change of scenery. We have checked out of Guatemala since our 90 days has expired, and we are leaving in the morning for Utila; (that's what our zarpe says) of course, according to weather forecast.

Stay tuned!

The Rio Dulce . . . ahhh . . . tranquility

It is so weird to wake up to the sound of “pigs” oinking, damn cormorants! There are so many of them. They migrate to an island, then once they have killed the trees, they move onto another island. They seem to be taking over. Of course, they have company, the pelicans and the egrets. It is disappointing that we have only seen one other native bird here, a Montezuma Oropendola. It has a very unusual call; it sounds like R2D2!

The natives . . .most of the young girls are hardly 15 or 16 when they find a mate, and soon become pregnant. Most don't even marry, I guess it's more like a “common law marriage”. Of course, many marry men twice or more their age. Some also marry Anglo's. We've met several men that came here to visit and ended up settling down with a young, native wife (and her children). It is not unusual for women to have a dozen or more children, most only a couple of years apart. The men work for the “gringos” and more “well to do” natives and supplement by fishing. We have not seen many fish in the Rio. They eat even the smallest, like 3 inches in size.

I know some of our family and friends have been concerned about our safety here in Guatemala. I can tell you that I have not felt fear once since I have been here. Each aldea has their own “guardian”. Yes, there was a cruiser killed here several years ago. The locals worked hard to remove those that committed the crime. You have to be cautious every where today, the US and abroad. But don't miss a trip to the Rio Dulce because of what you hear on TV, or even magazines.

Well I'd like to be able to tell you that we have just been exploring, but David had a bout with Strep Throat that kept him down for a few days. Then, unfortunately, a number of people at Texan Bay, including us, came down with a 48 hour virus.

We did go on the Texan Bay launcha yesterday to pick up a few supplies. Mike has a brand new 200hp Yamaha and we flew to Fronteras in less than ½ hour! White knuckles! Everyone did their thing, then met up at the Sun Dog bar for lunch and cervasas. You can get just about everything you need there, including some marine supplies.

It is an experience to go to Fronteras, but not a whole lot different than San Pedro or Placencia. There is one main paved road. The 18 wheelers, the oxen/cattle trucks, the taxi's, the street vendors, and the pedestrians all share this road. You really have to pay attention to the traffic; you don't get under the oxen truck or you may get splashed with feces! Gross! This is not for the faint of heart! I couldn't wait to get back and take a shower.

There are the Farmicia's where you can buy everything from Claritan, to antibiotics right over the counter. Only the addictive drugs are controlled here. Too weird!

They even have what is basically a Walmart here, called the Dispencia. There are lots of vendors selling vegetables, new and used clothing, shoes, Cd's, farm supplies, and housewares.

We were able to buy shrimp for like $3.50 lb (US)! They were very good. Penny and I also bought all of our meats from the Casa Guatemala Orphanage. The pork chops, chicken breasts, and beef are very good and very reasonable. The ground beef is also very good, but you have to marinate or tenderize all other cuts of beef. I was able to get a pineapple, a head of cabbage, a couple pounds of tomatoes, apples, beets, carrots, onions, potatoes all for like $10.00 US.

There are quite a few marinas to choose from in Fronteras, including Mario's, Mango Marina, Bruno's, Laguna and Monkey Bay, Catamaran Hotel. There is also Abel's yard for hauling out your boat. A lot of cruisers stay closer to Fronteras for the proximity, but I don't see any other value. It is quiet and serene in Texan Bay, far from the hustle and bustle. More and more Canadians, Europeans and Americans are moving here and building palapas. I'm glad we got here before it is so populated and commercialized.

We haven't done much lately except to get to know a few of the folks that liveaboard their vessels here at Texan Bay Marina and to learn a little more about places to visit.

There are about eight tiendas (store) within about a mile radius where you can buy the necessities, water, some fresh vegetables, rice, sugar, some meats, etc; certainly enough to keep you going for several days. Just like home!

There is much to see here. We want to go to Tortuga, The Seven Altars (falls), the Fort, and Lago Izabal and Denny's Beach.

I would like to visit the Casa Guatemala Orphanage. Many cruisers donate their time and supplies to the orphanage as well. You can also go to www.casa-guatemala.org for more information.

Also, it would be cool to go to Ak'Tenamit. It is a Mayan village, home to about 7,000 Qeq'chi Indians isolated in the mountains along the Rio Dulce. It was founded by Steve Dudenhoefer (US), John Carr and Steve Morgan (both from UK) working with leaders from nearby villages. Q'eqchi volunteer brigades expanded a local school and built the project clinic. It is an indigenous community development organization that promotes long-term solutions to poverty through education, health, income generation and cultural programs run by and for the Q'eqchi May and is supported by the Guatemalan Tomorrow Fund, a US based non-profit that raises funds for Ak Tenamit. Community outreach programs offer health care and dental clinics. They also offer programs for adult literacy, paper-making cooperatives and textile training. All programs are financed by donations and contributions.

We started out to go to the hot sulfur springs, but our outboard was being kind of cranky. David got it running smoothly, but by then we would have had to cut our stay too short. It is about 3 miles or so from Texan Bay, a long ride with a 6 hp outboard. Actually, kind of scary too, since there is a .5 to 1 knot current on the Rio Dulce. It would be a long “row” back to Texan Bay. David went on his own to the spring a couple of days later; it was very overcast and too cool for me, like 65 degrees. Unfortunately, he was somewhat disappointed. Some guy handed him a flashlight, but instead of taking him on a tour, just took the $20Q and walked away. So he went in the caves and into the hot springs, but he said it was barely warm and not impressive.

Gracie and I went into Livingston to shop; a ½ hour ride from Texan Bay. The Rio Dulce winds around the huge limestone wall of graffiti where mariners have left their mark. In the 17th century the Rio Dulce offered a safe refuge from Caribbean pirates for Spanish Galleons laden with gold from the Inca Empire in Peru.

Livingston was the primary seaport in the late 1800's. In the 1920's, Livingston surrendered its trade to Puerto Barrios and Santo Tomas when the US based United Fruit Company brought in the nation's first railroad. Today, Livingston is home to about 3000 Black Carib's, Mayans and Mestizos. The natives sell fresh vegetables, hardware, clothing, handmade jewelry, wood carvings, and woven items in Livingston. Today Puerto Barrios is the main seaport. We have attempted twice to go there, once David & Pat missed the ferry, then we turned back because of the sea conditions.

It is quite amazing to see children paddling their cayucos up and down the riverbanks either going to/from school, fishing or selling tortillas or craft items. The Mayans still carve the cayuco from mahogany logs. More and more of the natives have the larger launcha's with motors too.

By the way, Penny has a great bug spray. Equal parts of Skin So Soft, water and rubbing alcohol. It's much more economical, healthy for you (no deet) and the environment. So far, the mosquitoes don't like me so much, yeh! I've heard Bounce dryer sheets work well too.

A group of us went to see the Mayan Deer Dance at Laguna Izabal; one of the festivities during Semana Santa; similar to Mardi Gras. The men were dressed in elaborate costumes, some representing deer, some conquistadors, some natives. Afterward, we were served us pork in a tomato broth, with squash, rice and bread, cooked over a fire in these huge pots, for a small donation. It was very good! (Even though the markets are full of fresh vegetables, the natives eat very little of them. Their diet consists of small amounts of meat or fish, tortillas or bread, and rice. No wonder many of them are overweight.)

Semana Santa, or Easter week, in Izabal, is a religious celebration for many and a week-long party for others. Many people from Guatemala City escape to the beaches and tropical waters of Izabal during the week-long vacation, so hotels can fill up quickly and prices often double or triple during this time. The discos are often open late all week long, and the main street in Livingston is converted to a pedestrian-only street and becomes home to a street fair, concerts, and lots of religious processions. One of the major differences in the Easter procession in Livingston compared to the rest of the country is that here, the Christ statue is black, representing the strong presence of the Garifuna culture. Semana Santa usually occurs on or around the first week of April.

Gracie, Ed and I visited Carla and Daves' home on the Rio. They have added two floors to the home they bought several years ago. The main floor is cement; it has a tin roof, two of the bedrooms have window a/c. It has every modern convenience, including a large workshop and sits on about 4 acres of land. Dave built homes in CA, this is now his labor of love. It is just lovely; they may one day sell it as a B&B.

We recently celebrated two birthday's, Dave C's, and Ed's, which seemed to have lasted for days and then there was Ed & Gracie's 5th anniversary! I will always remember the "brownie's"!

We are going to be leaving Texan Bay soon and either head out to the Sapodillas, Lago Izabal and/or Antigua. We will leave the boat here for hurricane season and probably return in the fall, but nothing is carved in stone.

Stay tuned!

Placencia to the Rio Dulce, Guatemala! YES!

After getting provisions, water, fuel and doing laundry for the last time till we get to Livingston, we treated ourselves to a beer at Yoli's. While chillin' at Yoli's, an attractive woman in her 40's walked up to David and said “I'm Mia, you must be Dave”!! I'm thinkin' what the hell, who's this, as she didn't acknowledge me! I'm about to go off, when we learn that she is friends of guess who, Pat & Penny! This is the couple, Mia and Clyde that were going to bring Pat & Penny to Placencia to meet us.

Clyde and Mia have a huge luxury yacht, which Clyde built and used for charter; just a mere $8000 US per week and it's yours to cruise. We didn't get a tour, but I'm sure it's unbelievable! Penny stayed on the boat to babysit their Doberman for two weeks. A little slice of heaven. Apparently, Clyde is somewhat of an entepreneur and has started recycling plastics here to make plastic wood for use on docks and such. Good for the environment too.

We met some other cruisers that afternoon at Yoli's; John and Sheila from Triumphant and Jim and Donna on Go My Way. Jim and Donna invited us to come over to their boat on Tuesday afternoon, but 4:30pm it began to kick up a bit in the anchorage and we were too concerned to leave the boat, in fear of dragging anchor. They have been cruising for 12 years; we were so disappointed we weren't able to visit them and hear their cruising stories. Hopefully, we will run into them some where in the Rio.

On Tuesday, at sundown, a boat pulled in next to us to anchor. We were quite surprised when we saw the transom, Adrienne Marie, Pittsburgh, PA! Too weird! We spoke to Ralph and Cindy on the VHF and they invited us to come over the next day; since we told them we were leaving in the morning for the Rio Dulce.

David went by their boat and they gave him two cell phones and chargers for Guatemala! So kind! We also learned that they knew Pat & Penny. Pat & Penny are becoming celebrities; everyone knows them!

David brought up the anchor and we were on our way to New Haven, about 20 nm away. It was a completely overcast day and pretty uneventful. We arrived to the anchorage about 3pm and got settled in for the evening. There wasn't a soul around, but John and Angie on Blu (we met them later at Texan Bay) were anchored on the other side of New Haven; about a nautical mile away. We only saw one abandoned home on the beach, nothing else but trees.

Thursday was also quite dreary as we headed for Cabo Tres Puntas. The only excitement was seeing a Del Monte freighter off our stern! We arrived around 4pm. It was hard to sleep as we were so excited because we were only 10 nm from Livingston!

We followed Blu and Moonshine across the shoal, playing chicken with 4 freighters! Again another dreary morning, though the sun broke through the clouds long enough to hoist the Guatemalan and quarantine flags.

We arrived in Livingston at about 10 am. We anchored in the bay and went below for a minute as it was beginning to drizzle and we were waiting for the Port “Capitan”, immigration,etc. I heard someone hailing us from outside and peaked out the companionway, I couldn't believe my eyes! Pat & Penny had come to greet us in their launcha (16 ft boat)! They took a chance, since we expected to arrive by Friday, but you never know. We were blown away! It was so good to see our old friends! It's been way too long.

The Port Capitan, a doctor, a Navy sergeant, immigration and our agent “Raul” boarded the boat shortly thereafter. I served them some iced tea, in about 7 minutes they were on their way! No problemo, welcome to Guatemala! Enjoy your stay!!! OK, let's go into town!!!

We had to go to the ATM for quetzales. Pat & Penny came around the corner and we checked out Livingston with them. Stopped in for a cervasa and lunch, although lunch must have taken an hour, I think they just caught the fish! It was so good and well worth the wait. I think the total for the four of us was like $17 + tip US; for beer and food! Now that's what I'm talking about, I could get used to this!

We tied their launcha and our dinghy to New Horizons and made the scenic trip up the Rio Dulce! It is magnificent! Beautiful emerald colored water flowing through a gorge of foliage and wildlife. Sorry, I took a lot of pictures, but it was just breathtaking!

It took us a while to get up the river, the current flows at a couple of knots, but we didn't even notice. We did it, we made it to the RIO DULCE!!!!! It took almost four months, but we finally made it!

About an hour later, we came upon “No Name”, Pat & Penny's boat and the palapa they are having built. The roof is just about completed, but the main floor and the loft is not. There is a walkway that runs between their landlord's property and theirs. Pat has built a bodega, his workshop. It is so cool. They found a couple of turtle shells in the river and Pat is going to make sconces out of them. They want it to be “all natural”. I, for one, can't wait till it is finished.

We arrived in Texan Bay Marina a few minutes later. It is so nice. They built the docks “around” the trees and foliage, water lilies and turtles everywhere! The bar/restaurant sits atop a hill. They serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. A cheeseburger and fries is like $5 US! There is a library, showers, a washer and dryer and wifi service. It's about $150 US a month, plus electricity! Wow!

They have been here about 6 years, so it is still evolving. I also have found a new pet, Royal, but there are others, Ima and ??? Royal comes by for breakfast every morning, he just loves my oatmeal! Of course, he doesn't complain when we have a little ham leftover either.

So far we have met Dave, our next door neighbor, Mac the proprietor, Gracie and Ed, Mavis and Morris, Angie & John, Richard, Chris and Ashka. They are all so nice. We plan to take a “launcha” or New Horizons up to Fronteras to explore and get some supplies within the next few days. There are two “tiendas” (grocery) within a short dinghy ride, they have a good selection of fresh veggies, frozen meats and a few other staples, but I need to stock up a little.

On Monday, David, Pat and a few other guys went to El Hotel Perdido to help Chris and Ashka lay a floor in a new bungalow. Chris and Ashka came here about 6 years ago from Europe with a vision. Their original plan was to build a hostel, but it has grown and is an ongoing labor of love. They have 3 bungalows (almost) for rent with a main house for gathering and eating, and their own bungalow. Check out their website, http://www.hotelitoperdido.com (link on blog home page). Their pics are great, but perhaps a little dated. I tried to take a picture of their pics of the before and after album, but it didn't come out very well, but you can certainly see that they have worked hard to make this a paradise. There were hardly any trees when they bought the property. They have done an unbelievable job! It is just so neat! After the work was done they provided dinner for everyone, it was just wonderful! Unfortunately, they didn't publish the prices of the bungalows on the website, but I will try to find out.

Stay tuned, there's more to come!

Placencia - it's unbelizeable!

After pulling up the anchor, we left Blue Ground Range anchorage and headed south to Placencia, Belize.

Unfortunately, the winds were lighter, but we were able to use the mainsail to give us a little help on our trip to Placencia.

As we were approaching the harbor at Placencia, RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR went the fishing line again, this time we caught a fishing boat! The line got caught around his prop, we were in 3ft of water and kind of aground. He cut the line and away he went, no problem, mon, whew! That could have been costly, but instead we just lost a lure. I swear that is the last time we try to fish while underway! From now on we fish at anchor, from a dock or buy it!!!!!

Placencia has a very lovely beach! You enter the harbor between two islands and it is shallow, but soft bottom. The anchorage is also quite large and 20' deep and pretty well protected for NE and NW, not so much for SE winds.

Once we got the anchor set, we decided we had to go into town, it's five o'clock somewhere, right? We saw a sign for the Tranquillo Bar and soon learned that they taxi you to it, since it is surrounded by water. The funny thing was the Cook/Bartender/Mgr was on the taxi with us and one other couple. They open at noon for lunch, but she slept in. . .it was about 4:30 central time!!! So we had to wait while she opened the coolers and such. Ya gotta love the laidbackness here! It rules! Got some great sunset pics! They had a live band, but we left after sunset, the no seeums were eating us alive! Although, we were entertained with their live band well into the evening, we should have anchored farther away! They like to party and since they are closed on Monday, they did partee!

Placencia is spotless compared to Belize City. . .and so colorful, keeping the island flavor! I haven't seen one window covered with bars or a fence, so pleasant!

There are a lot of bars here, internet cafes, not so much. You can get a room for $60 Belize with cable tv, a/c and all. We also saw rooms advertised for less. Of course, diving and cruising is the big draw here as well. It similar to Cay Caulker, but different. The people on the streets are mostly tourists, not natives. The natives are working. There are quite a few Americans, Canadians, etc. that own homes here; some live here year round, others rent their homes and vacation here.

On our travels, we found at least four asian grocery stores. Haven't come across any Mennonites yet, but understand they do live here! I was surprised to find about three thrift shops. They have a good mix of everything here, hardware, dive shops, a canvas shop, restaurants, bars, clothing, art and gifts, spa's; only one pharmacy though. I could spend a little time here, no problem!

The locals spent about a year constucting a sidewalk that runs parellel to the beach, approximataely a mile long. This makes it very easy for wheeling suitcases! There is a dirt road as well. You can get a bus, taxi ("Hokey Pokey" Taxi Service) or bicycle to traverse the island.

Today, Monday is the "calm" before the storm as yet another front is expected to arrive by Tuesday afternoon. There's a nice SE wind in the anchorage, but it is quite hot in town. I had to just take a break and sit for a while in the comfort of the Purple Space Monkey to catch up on email and the blog, we passed it twice, cause guess what it's not painted purple?!

If you ever come to Placencia you should definitely check out Yolley's, a great bar right in the harbor, Tipsy Tuna – great beach, wifi and sports bar, two of our favorite spots! The Purple Space Monkey is a great place to relax, catch up on the
wifi, have lunch/dinner. Tranquilo's is definitely a great place for sunsets! Paradise Resort/Bar is also quite nice, though we didn't go there. There are many other restaurants, too numerous to mention.

Later in the early evening, David hailed SunDog on the VHF radio. Joe responded, but it was quite garbled, then nothing. . . a couple minutes later he came flying over in his dinghy. He was anchored just in Placencia harbor, though we hadn't known.

We had a nice visit with Joe and his crewmate, Morris, a friend from elementary school. How cool is that?! Unfortunately, Kathy will be flying back to Placencia today as she had flown back to Tennessee to see her ailing mother. We are looking forward to catching up with them some more tomorrow evening.

For those that follow Raucher's Guide to Belize, take note that you can no longer fill your water tanks, or pull up to the dock at the Shell Station for fuel, as it was torn up by an earthquake and storms.

We did find that Yoli's is equitable with letting cruisers fill up with water with the purchase of a couple of beers. The hose is conveniently located at the T-dock for dinghies. There is another dock just north of Yoli's where you can dock and replenish water or hook up to a mooring ball for like $12 Belize. Now that's a bargain! The shower facilites are included.

Kathy & Joe, SunDog, invited us over for happy hour; great conversation, way points, and snacks. Joe makes a great ceviche! They left Friday morning for the Rio.

Hey Judy Klawe, so you let Richard go out for gelato????? LOL! His twin is here in Placencia, playing a ukulele! Wish you really were here with us!

We have learned from the Caribbean Net (SSB radio) that Belize, as of Friday, February 25th, has invoked an additional $40 Belize to check out. It's getting more expensive here every day.

David checked us out of Belize this morning, which cost $90 Belize for both of us, the $20 taxi ride, and the ferry; still quite reasonable.

One more front tomorrow, then a clear weather window through the weekend! We plan to leave Wednesday morning, but we're not sure if we will go to New Haven, or just continue on to Bahia de la Grasio (an anchorage) and then leave Friday for Livingston, Guatemala to check in. In any case, we're only about 55 nm from our destination. . .the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Stay tuned!

Blue Ground Range, Belize

We left Cucumber Beach Marina early on Friday morning enroute to the Blue Ground Range, halfway point to Placencia, Belize. For once we had great winds, NE and were actually able to get the sails up and keep them up all day! It was marvelous!

We left our friends Pat and Bill in Cucumber Beach. They have friends joining them on Saturday. We hope we will cross paths once again, though they aren't going to the Rio Dulce, Guatemala until May.

We had a lovely sail down to Blue Ground Range, Belize, a little more than halfway to Placencia. It's been a while since we were able to keep wind in all the sails and still point in the right direction.

I took a curious picture of what looked like a spoil island, that was completely clouded with birds. I didn't think it would turn out, though I zoomed it, but it did. Other than being able to sail, this was the only other event on the way. Oh well, sometimes you have to look for the little pleasures in life!

There was plenty of daylight left to set the anchor before sunset. In the anchorage we were joined by two large cruise ships, well actually they were sort of like Mutt and Jeff in size. We heard them communicating on the VHF, both Captains were Brits or Aussies! Don't you just love to hear them talk? That was pretty much the excitement for the evening, although . . . we did get a visit from a lone fisherman. He came to "welcome" us! Actually, I was hoping to be able to purchase some fish, but he didn't have any.

Though we didn't know it at the time, our friends whom we met in Isla Mujeres, MX, Joe & Kathy on SunDog were anchored on the otherside of the island. They checked in on the SSB radio the next morning. Hopefully, we'll catch up with them in Placencia.

We watched a dvd and went to bed early. Looking forward to getting to Placencia. We are anxious to see our friends Pat & Penny. It's been a long time since we have seen them, our only form of communication being email.

David woke me in the early, early morning to see the Southern Cross, a star formation. It was awesome!

After pulling up the anchor, we will be on our way to the next stop, Placencia, stay tuned!

Drowned Cays to Cucumber Beach Marina, Belize

After spending a day doing laundry and such, we were invited onto Mobetah for happy hour and great conversation with Pat and Bill, Dave and Booker also joined us (whom we had met in Isla Mujeres. They have a big, beautiful catamaran. Tortuquita) Pat makes a wonderful homemade salsa!

Much thanks to Dave from Tortuquita (for repairing a small tear at one of the battens of our mainsail). He was so kind to come over with his sewing machine. As requested, we hope to pass the favor along to some other sorry soul one day.

Our last evening in Cay Caulker was spent with Pat and Bill from Mobetah, and Dave and Booker from Tortuquita, We enjoyed a few drinks, conversation and dinner at Habanero's. It was a very nice evening. We were sad to leave, but another strong front is expected and we have spent too many nights here worrying about dragging anchor.

We left Cay Caulker on Friday, February 12th heading south to a safer anchorage in the Drowned Cays, about 20nm. Mobetah soon followed.

We thought we'd try to catch some fish on our way. Wouldn't you just know it, just as the reel went RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR, fish on, we were in the midst of going through Porto Stuck, a very shallow area. It must have been a "big" one, cause it broke the line and took our lure!

David added a new lure, barely had it in the water, and guess what. . .we caught a seagull! The crazy bird flew about 3 times around the mast and the genoa before David could grab the line to stop him! He lifted the bird onto our outboard and tried to remove the hook, which went right through his beak! That wasn't working very well, it kept trying to bite the pliers. I put on a pair of gloves and held the gull and David was able to remove the hook and save the bird. Better yet, I was able to get a couple of pics! I'm thinkin' fishing and sailing aren't quite a good combination, or maybe we just have bad luck. (A local fishing boat came by the anchorage on Saturday and we bought a good sized hogfish and a couple of pounds of lobster for like $50 Belize ($25 US). . . so much easier, but then not free!

The first pics were of an old fish camp on Stilts.

We arrived in the Drowned Cays about 11:30 am where we planned to hide in the mangroves, waiting for yet another front. Our friends Pat and Bill from Mobetah joined us shortly there after. They are so kind. As I was about to hoist David up to retrieve the fishing line caught around the mast, Pat and Bill came in their dinghy and did the deed for me! I don't know how we will ever repay them for all their kindness. We are truly grateful for their companionship and kindness. We have been so fortunate on this voyage and have met so many nice people.

The front arrived right on time, about sunset, but since we were in a very protected area it wasn't a problem.

On Saturday, Pat and Bill were heading down to Bluefield Range to do some snorkeling. (They were concerned about "no seeums" in the anchorage, since the winds were expected to die, but luckily we didn't have a problem with them or mosquito's either. We thought about following along, but decided it would be best if we left on Sunday and got fuel and water in preparation for our voyage to Placencia, didn't want to cut it too close. Another front is expected at first light on Tuesday, go figure~? We are missing numerous cays and bogues, too many to mention, to explore and snorkel. Hopefully, we will be able to do this on a return trip. There is much to see and do in Belize, but it is only a bus ride from Placencia or Guatemala, so we plan do it another time.

A little after sunrise, David pulled up the anchor and we headed west to Cucumber Beach Marina for fuel and water. No fishing this trip! We arrived about 10:30am under cloudy skies and calm seas, which is a good thing, as the entrance to the marina is very narrow and bolstered by rocks on both sides!

Our plan was to get fuel and water and head out to Placencia, 55nm away, another "over-nighter". David doesn't sleep much these days, and being very tired, we have decided to chill here for a couple of days so he can get some much needed rest. Well it turned out to be more costly to stay for a couple days, reduced rate for extended stay, so we ended up here almost a full week.

It is a nice place, not quite as upscale as El Cid, more of a working yard. They do have a lift here. Also, a nice restaurant/bar, beach, water slide, gift shop, and a little museum. Yeah, I even took a pic of the ladies room, the wooden doors were the nicest I've ever seen! They also have a lot of antiques here in the restaurant at Old Belize, sewing machines, old bottles, nautical stuff. Their night security carries a sawed off shotgun!

Belize city has one of the largest cemeteries we have seen since leaving the US. It's on both sides of Northern Highway, approximately 1/2 mile long. We were traveling via taxi so we didn't investigate.

It's said that Belize City was built on broken bottles of rum and mahogany chips along the mangrove bank of Haulover Creek. It has served as the main commercial area and seaport for more than 350 years. Hurricane Hattie, 1961 devastated Belize City with winds gusting to 200 mph and waves of 10ft surged through the streets of the former capital. The capital was later moved about 30 miles inland.

We went into Belize City; what a hell hole! There is obviously a lot of poverty, as in Mexico, San Pedro, Cay Caulker, but there is trash every where in Belize City and no one seems to care. It seems very few have any pride in their homes or property. It's just filth. Many go to the states for their education, but they ultimately return here. I chose to take pictures of the nice buildings instead of the poverty; who needs to see that! There are also a lot of vagrants sleeping on the streets and looking for hand-outs.

Belize City, like San Pedro and Cay Caulker have a sizable Mennonite and Asian population. The taxi drivers said that the Belizeans like the Mennonites because they "give back" to the community. They feel that the Asians are trying to take over their country and they don't like them much at all. We did see quite a few Asian restaurants and grocery stores!

We did have a beer and lunch in a little place in the city. Red beans, rice, chicken and potato salad for like $4.00 US! Hell, the beer was $3.00 US. I found it strange that there are very few bars here, probably more grocery and hardware stores than bars. Hey, you get good local information in bars!

In the city, everywhere you look there are chain link fences or tin barricades. All windows are boarded up or covered with steel bars; doesn't matter whether it's a shack or a nice home. Everyone has a dog, but we have seen so many dogs roaming the streets and many of them were nursing females. We walked and rode all over the city and never came across a humane society once. . . which I find sad.

When David got a haircut, I took a pic of the hair dresser; he has a striking resemblance to Bob Marley! I guess he thought we were rich and gave us a website to sell us the island his family owns!

We came across a catamaran in Cucumber Beach Marina that our friends Gene & Deb, the Deborah Lynn II, rebuilt from the ground up. They spent the better part of five years on it. They made their maiden voyage en route to Guatemala a couple of years ago, but did some damage to one of their keels and then lost all electronics in an electrical storm so they turned back and ultimately sold the boat. I'm sure they'd be pleased to know how well the boat has held up and that the current owner is very happy with it. Gene & Deb recently purchased a cabin cruiser and will be making the trek to Guatemala next season. We spent a lot of time with them in Indian Cove Marina, Merritt Island, FL. Their stories and those of Pat & Penny spurred us on to ultimately make this voyage. . .and it looks like we are going to all meet in Guatemala as we planned so long ago!

Next stop Placencia. Pat & Penny are meeting us there and are going to join us for the trip down to Guatemala. We can't wait to see them! Only about 120 nm to go! Stay tuned!

Bahia de la Ascension, Mx. . .San Pedro, Belize. . .Cay Caulker, Belize

BAHIA de la ASCENSION

We left about 10 am from El Cid Marina on Monday, January 25th bound for Puerto Morelos, Mx. Our friends, Jay and Sherry on Sanctuary decided to return to Key West instead of continuing on down to Belize.

David had a strange look on his face, that told me he wasn't sure we should leave Puerto Morelos He had gotten conflicting weather reports from Passage Weather and NOAH. Once we got “out there” I began wondering why we had left too. Bill and Pat, whom we met in Isla Mujeres, followed us an hour or so later in their boat Mobetah, a 42 ft Endeavor center cockpit sloop rig. So at least we had a buddy boat along for the ride. Mobetah had made an attempt at this run the week prior, but had to turn around due to engine problems. We soon learned that NOAH's report was the correct one! Sea conditions became very rough.

The seas were reported at 8-10 ft, but seemed to be growing! We had been delayed so many times since we began this voyage that we began to feel that we were going to have to “rough it” or never make our final destination. . . Rio Dulce, Guatemala. So we kept on, doing an “over-nighter”, that would take us approximately 30 hours. It was a very long night. Our auto pilot broke about midway and David stayed at the wheel all night. We had huge following seas, drizzle, high winds and waves that had to be 15ft or more. It was like surfing.

It was so black out there. With the cloud cover, we were unable to get much light at all from the moon. We had the main sail up and at different times, the genoa and baby jib, but the north east winds became inconsistent and the huge seas made it difficult to maintain a safe rum line, so we motor-sailed a great deal of the way. I thought I would lose it when David left me at the wheel in complete darkness, to take down the main sail, it was so scary. I think mostly it was lack of sleep. However, I was panicking, wondering how I would ever been able to find him if he fell into the water.

Finally, after a very, long black night, we arrived at the mouth of Bahia de la Ascension, which is nearly two miles wide, about 5:30am Tuesday. This part of our trip, only 75 nm, was far more demanding than the crossing from Key West to Isla Mujeres. Though a much shorter distance, the sea, wind and currents were greater, and we didn't have the pleasure of our crew mates, Hamp and Denise! I'm quite proud of myself though, because I didn't freak out and stayed the course. Though I'm not quite sure I wish to do a repeat performance!

Actually, once we finally had some daylight, albeit, in the middle of a “whiteout”; we caught up with Mobetah who were idling, waiting for the rain to clear before continuing into the bay. We finally got the anchor set by 8am behind Culebra Cay, had some breakfast and dove into the berth for some much needed sleep.

When we awoke, we realized we were in never, never land! Nothing but milky green water, (not good for snorkeling), blue sky, a couple of islands, and a couple of lighthouses. Too bad we couldn't see any of the lighthouses when we first came into the bay, they would have helped to guide us in.

Curious enough, we learned from Raucher's Guide that a fellow from Wexford, PA owns the Casa Blanca fishing lodge on Punta Pajaros, about 30 nautical miles south of Culebra Cay. They have an airstrip there and it's supposed to be a great place to do tackle salt water fishing. I know my boys would love it as fishing is their first love. We weren't able to actually visit the island because of time constraints. . . yeah that weather window thing again. Plus, Casa Blanca's waters are somewhat shallow for our draft.

We spent the new few days licking our wounds and checking out the boat, besides, there was nothing else to do in Culebra Cay. Luckily, David was able to repair our autopilot; he's gotten really good at this repair stuff!

The winds were expected to change from NE to SE and we attempted to anchor on the east side of the island; in the process we lost our smaller 35lb. CQR anchor; good thing we bought a Danforth anchor in Key West! Mobetah was kind enough to try to locate it for us, but since the waters were “milky”, were unable to find it.

The rudder seemed to be making a little noise, but all other systems good. We spent a few agonizing hours wondering if we would be able to make it to San Pedro and possibly have to haul out in Belize City to inspect the rudder. We where concerned that the big following seas we had may have caused damage to our rudder and or steering system. After inspecting the rudder as closely as possible, we decided to move on.

On Monday, with favorable weather conditions, we pulled up the anchors and left Culebra Cay about 4:30am heading to San Pedro, Belize. We did another “overnighter”. Sea conditions were east swells, with 10-15 mph NE winds, much more favorable than our trip to Bahia de la Ascension. The raging current made it difficult to make much headway, but we were able to use the autopilot the whole way, a big relief. We also had a bug ride along with us practically the whole way, guess he was tired!



BELIZE IT OR NOT. . .FIRST STOP SAN PEDRO!

We arrived about 12:30pm Tuesday in San Pedro under beautiful sunny skies and crystal clear water! We've made it to Belize, YEH! Now only about 140 more miles to the Rio Dulce!

We were really worried about coming through the reef as the swells had grown to 8 10 ft, but we followed Raucher's guide and made it to the anchorage with no problem. As we had swells from the east instead of following seas, the rudder is no longer making noise, so we are hoping it slipped back into position on it's own.

We had barely set the anchor when we got a visit from Gene and Brenda from Queen Mary, a CSY (another favorite sailing vessel). They “clued” us in on San Pedro. They are heading down to Honduras. Hopefully, we will cross paths again one day.

San Pedro, Belize, aka Ambergris Cay, the largest and most developed island in Belize. It's name is derived from “ambergrease” a grayish, waxy substance secreted from sperm whales, and often found floating on the ocean surface. It is highly valued in making perfumes.

San Pedro, named for Saint Peter, the patron saint of fisherman was founded in 1848. In 1869, James H. Blake purchased the island in a bankruptcy sale for $625.00. Their economy was based on coconut production (for 100 years) and then eventually fishing. The Belizean Government is trying to purchase the northern two thirds of Ambergris Cay which is privately owned in hopes of offering reduced rates for Belizeans, yeah right!

Ambergris Cay extends 20nm southward from Boca Bacalar Chico channel, the Mexico-Belize boundary. The channel was dug by the Mayans, go figure, but was recently dredged by Mexico. If it were not for this channel, Ambergris Cay would be an extension of the Yucatan Peninsula rather than an island.

It is quite a busy little town, with golf carts and cars the most popular form of transportation. Very few taxis, as compared to Isla Mujueres. They speak English, which is quite refreshing! Some speak Spanish, and then others sort of have they own lingo, like the Bahamians. We bent the ear of a lovely girl at the Lime Bar. Cassidy, she is from British Columbia. She relocated to San Pedro with her mother as she hates cold weather. She told us where to shop, where to eat and drink and even guided us to the right places in Cay Caulker, as well.

Naturally, there are many tourists here diving the reef, the second largest in the world, and their “bread and butter”. There is an Arabian family there that owns 4 or 5 hardware stores, go figure?!. We were told they have quite a large population of Mennonites and Asians, and a lot of ex-pats. They have a small airport; Mayan Airways and Tropic Air provide service to and from Belize City.

Internet cafe's are quite prevalent here so very easy to check emails and such. We were even able to use a satellite phone to call the boys, but that was pretty costly at $.50 per minute! They have wonderful coffee here too. Most of the island is comprised of dive shops, restaurant/bars, and hotels/condos. There are at least 5 grocery stores. You can get just about anything, but not marine supplies here. Cassidy directed us to Pepperoni's Pizza, which is pretty close to the pizza style back home. At least, they use mozzarella cheese rather than machengo, like we had in Mexico, big difference. Sadly we will miss the concert Tribute to Bob Marley, February 13th in San Pedro. Jon and Matt would have loved this too! Reggae bands from all over the country come to put on a huge concert, a celebration of Marley's birth date. We had a nightcap at BC's bar and a Steeler fan left his/her commemorative terrible towel from the 2009 championship!

There are catamarans taking tourists to the reef and ferry's running to and from the reef in Cay Caulker several times a day. Stay out of their way, they will run you over! David being the “light” sleeper saved our lives one evening as he heard a barge coming right for us in the anchorage. We had our anchor light on, but apparently the Captain didn't see it, David used our spotlight and was able to get his attention and avert him from our path, whew!

It was blowing pretty hard while we were in town and the winds were expected to change so we didn't see as much of San Pedro as we would have liked; didn't want to risk dragging onto the reef.

They have a lot more shops to buy clothing, but less souvenirs and Mayan art, which was okay with us. I have not seen any ceramic here at all. The street vendors sell mostly beaded jewelry and carved bowls and decorative items in the community park, which is just a brick area next to the Catholic Church, and they don't hound you like in Mexico. We even found a place that burns dvd's and were able to get 4 current movies for about $20. US, a very good deal! Boot leg dvd's seem to be very legal here!!

Cay Caulker, our next island destination is about 10 nm south from San Pedro. We left on Thursday and arrived just after 3pm. The bottom is quite shallow and grassy here, but very clear, so we stayed on the boat in case the anchors weren't dug in.

We have been able to get Belizean radio. We heard of a lady that pulled a gun on her neighbor, they carted her off to jail, they would not give her bail. . . no guns allowed here, that's a good thing. They report the obituaries on the radio. It's kind of cool, they record birth as sunrise and death as sunset and no details are omitted, including mistresses, and nicknames! It is also weird to hear the commercials for cholesterol meds and notices that watering lawns and washing cars is prohibited. . .so close, yet so far away!

Cay Caulker is really cool, quieter and much less busy (very few golf carts, more bicycles) than Isla Mujeres or San Pedro. Cay Caulker is over 4 miles long, and was cut in two by Hurricane Hattie in 1961. Luciano Reyes purchased the island for $300 Belizean dollars in the 1870's. The village occupies about 1,000 islanders in an area less than a mile long, south of the cut. The reef brings many Americans and Europeans back every year. An airstrip was completed back in 1992. The fishing cooperative is one of the most successful in Belize, though we also have heard that some Belizeans feel that they are “over fishing” and this could be very detrimental to their future. You can have a whole lobster dinner for $30 Belizean, that's like $15.00 US!!

We did half the island on Friday and met Patti, the owner of Oceanside Bar and Nightclub. She's been here for 17 years (from Fort Lauderdale, FL), and originally had a dive shop, but sold the business and opened the bar later. It's all indoors, complete with sand floor, poker machines, darts and a dance floor. She rents space to a dive shop and a Chinese restaurant within her premises. She and her husband are looking to sell the bar and retire. We talked with her most of the afternoon, it was very informative for us and she didn't mind since it was pretty dead there. We plan to watch the Superbowl there.

It was a dead calm yesterday in Cay Caulker, which is why we spent so much time in the Oceanside, at least they had fans; it was the calm before the storm. We had a great dinner, (very reasonable, $30 US I had grouper and David had fried conch) at the Rainbow Grille and headed back to our anchorage. We were treated to a light show from the iridescent jellyfish, it was so cool. Shortly after we arrived back at the boat, 7:30pm, waiting for the wind change expected at midnight, we had gusts of 35mph! It went from dead calm to these great gusts, so weird. We got turned all around, and of course our anchors got tangled, but they finally re-set themselves, but still another sleepless night! If it weren't for the alarm on the GPS, David wouldn't have slept a wink. This anchoring stuff can really get to you after a while. David is pretty much over it.

We are planning to head onto the Drowned Cays in a few days, waiting for yet another cold front to pass on. At the moment, I can't think of a better place to be though. I think this is our favorite island so far. It's quiet, laid back and has most everything you need, and it's a little cheaper than San Pedro. You can get a room with hot showers for about $40, Belizean, which is like $20 US! Of course, don't expect a/c and cable TV, or TV at all. There are hotels, with all the luxuries too.

We ended up at Barrier Reef Sports Bar, owned by a Canadian guy, (more TV's). Jon and Matt, checkout my pic's, Steeler and Penquins fans have been here too! We watched the Penquins lose to Washington in overtime, damn! We were able to get great seats right in front of the big screen, so we had to stay and watch the game. We met Guy on Hip Sway, a 40ft French Catamaran. He knew some folks from Isla Mujeres, so it was like “old times”. Also, met Ramsey, a Belizean who runs sailing trips to the reef. Go Saints, I knew they could do it, and better yet we won $50 bucks! We had a great time, though we were homesick for the boys and had wished it had been the Steelers playing.

There are a good many wild dogs here, they just roam the island, although they do have a humane society too. I got of picture of four of them chasing the pelicans, the water was shallow enough for them to just run around. A little boy kept picking up and dropping a black lab mix off the dock, don't know why, though I really wanted to find out. I think the dog probably wanted food and kept following him. David had to drag me away from some new puppies, a litter of four, but the Mommy is a little larger than I truly would want on the boat.

Next stop, the Drowned Cays, then I think we may go into Cucumber Beach Marina and maybe take a day trip to Belize City. We're almost there, about 120 nm miles to go to the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Can't wait, stay tuned!

Next Port of Call - Puerto Morelos, Mx

Well, unfortunately, I was not feeling up to par, and missed ringing in the New Year with the crazy Mexicans; very disappointing, at least to me, since NYE is my birthday. I went to bed very early, but did wake up in time to see the fireworks on shore, as we were at anchor and I was able to get a few pics. Let me tell you, NYE is a very big thing here too, though different from NYC. The Mexicans really like to "partee". We could still hear music at 6 am!

We had moved to the anchorage, as El Milagro was expecting a large fishing boat that had made a reservation for the slip we occupied. We enjoy being at anchor; it is a change of pace, no neighbors, quiet and FREE and it appeared that the weather was not going to cooperate so that we could move on down the coast of Mexico.

Within a few days we learned that yet another front was coming our way with gale force winds predicted (45 mph). So we went into Marina Paraiso, (next to El Milagro, since they didn't have any slips available). We just didn't want to chance losing an anchor in the middle of the night, which would not be fun in daylight either.

Many boats chose to ride it out in the anchorage. The gale, accompanied with rain, came and luckily though it was really rockin' and rollin' we made it through unscathed. Only one boat out there "came loose", but a couple guys from Marina Paraiso came to their rescue and all was well. I'm not sure if I had motion sickness or had picked up a virus, but I spent about a day and a half in bed. Had I felt better I would have chosen to get off the boat as it was pretty rocky. Though it was very difficult for me to get off the boat with the constant swells, hobby-horsing a lot.

We enjoyed our stay at El Paraiso and met a number of new cruisers, many of them are also heading to the Rio Dulce as we are.

After spending two months (to the day) in Isla Mujeres, we finally got a small weather window and we grabbed it! We pulled away from the dock at 7am on Monday, January 18th heading for Puerto Morelos, a 40 mile sail. It was so good to get out on the sea again. Wind Shift, Windward, Mo' Better, Star Singer and Wind Song followed a couple of days later.

We arrived about 3:30pm at the mooring field having had a very nice motor sail. We spent one night on the ball, and guess what. . .another front is on the way! Will it never end? I'm beginning to think we are cursed! That's cruising, you just can't follow a schedule. You're dependent on fair winds and hopefully calm seas. However, Puerto Morelos is also a great place to be "stuck"!

The mooring balls inside the reef are free, but after David dove and inspected the mooring support, we decided to seek better shelter so we came into El Cid Marina. We later learned that over the last several months over 8 mooring balls had broke loose, so we now know we made the right decision to move.

David had taken our dinghy to inspect El Cid Marina, while I checked out Puerto Morelos. To our surprise, David found our friends, Jay and Sherry from Sanctuary at El Cid Marina. We had spent a lot of time with them in Isla. We were unable to reach them via radio once they had left Isla; so we were glad to know they were safe.

So David left me at the dock. I never need much of an excuse to explore and SHOP, though I seldom buy anything. Unfortunately, it's all the same stuff; beaded jewelry, Mayan masks, Mayan pottery, little obsidian chess sets and pipes, and the same sarongs, over and over. Their handicrafts are very nice, but not anything I really want or need. (Every thing bought must have a dual purpose on a boat; you just don't have space for frivilous purchases; this I have had to learn. Our "Cap-i-tan" has taught me well, even though I have been reluctant. I have always loved shopping for food, and for now, it satisfies my craving to shop; at least for the time being.) Also, it is all pricey. They barter a little, but not enough for my wallet! Sailboat cruisers do not need or buy this stuff! We need something like West Marine!

El Cid Marina is very nice; complete with a restaurant, self serve laundry, good showers and floating docks. The staff is very helpful and have been roaming the docks all night considering the weather we're experiencing. . .30-35 knot winds and 4-5 ft swells at the dock! Our neighbor, Windward, a practically new Tayana 45', Windward, popped a line in the middle of the night! We also popped a couple of lines, it's been really rough!

Across the street is the El Cid Resort. It is beautiful! Included with the very reasonable $20 (I understand rates rise on March 1st) per day slip charge, we have access to the beach, the pool, a water slide, and a gym. It is an all inclusive resort. They also offer snorkeling, yoga, water aerobics, ceramics, and on the beach massages. Ah, yes, a massage, I must do this before we leave! We have enjoyed not be constantly bothered by the Mayan ladies roaming the beach selling their key chains, hair bands, and woven purses.

Puerto Morelos is part of the Quintana Roo providence of Mexico, another fishing village. See the link on our blog. The town is much smaller than Isla, but just as charming. Several dive shops, restaurants and little shops selling the same Mayan art and such as in Isla. They do have a beautiful beach though. Their prices seem to be a little more; at the grocery I found a 16 oz bottle of white vinegar for $55.00 pesos (nearly $5. US) You've got to be kidding me! They sell some vodka for less than that!

We've learned the hard way that there are definitely items we should have stocked up on . . . like natural peanut butter, Cremora, tuna in foil paks, canned green beans, and canned diced tomatoes, but we have been able to get most everything else we like, albeit, at a greater price.

The Mexicans subsist on beans, rice, tortillas, eggs, alot of varieties of chili peppers and very little meat. They eat tortillas, mostly corn at every meal! Ground Beef is about $3.60 a kilo, though more fatty and not nearly as tender as USDA and their cuts of beef are different. Trimmed and packaged chicken breasts are about double the cost of ground beef. Although, we did find whole, boneless, frozen chicken breasts (they were huge!) for the same price as ground beef) at the butcher counter in Isla.

The fresh markets and grocery stores stock fresh chicken, beef and pork and very nice vegetables, which are very reasonable. Though we have not found a fresh market or anything but smoked pork chops, hot dogs and bacon in Puerto Morelos.

They have deli meats and cheeses, but not US quality (and it's all ham)! Their Virginia ham would be equivalent to boiled ham in US. I wish I could find some cheddar cheese, or some sharp cheese, anything other than Machengo! It is pretty tasteless.


It has calmed down since last night, but will probably take a day or two for the seas to calm. We learned this morning that Puerto Adventuras Marina (about 30 miles away) is closed due to weather conditions. They have a rocky entrance and their insurance company has advised them to close.

The only other option is to continue past Puerto Adventuras to the Bahia de la Ascension; nearly 100 miles. If we do go, we will need to get more fuel, and some provisions. We are comparing notes with our fellow cruisers; there can be safety in numbers. Not sure if we want to chance it, since the winds are still predicted to be SSE for the next few days, with wind "on the nose" and the 2 knot current, it will be a long voyage! Windshift and Mo'better left around 3pm this afternoon. We are anxious to reach them on the SSB radio tomorrow morning to learn of their voyage.

So again we wait, next stop Bahia de la Ascension or possibly San Pedro! A three or four day window opens Tuesday and we are hoping to get as far as possible. Tomorrow we are going to share a rental car with Sherry & Jay from Sanctuary and get provisions. So that is the plan for now, but it seems to change day by day. Stay tuned!