We are still in French Harbor, Roatan, Honduras.
The definition of cruising is getting your boat fixed in exotic places. With that goes special challenges depending on how critical the repair is to safety/comfort/progress.
As I write, a fellow sailor on his 52 ft motor sailer, Jim on Against the Wind, is off the coast of Mexico headed for Isla Mujeres, but he has torn his headsail and his engines have quit because of a blocked fuel line and/or filters. We heard him on the Single Side Band radio this morning and he was getting encouragement from the network of sailors in the area, but the Coast Guard "has no assets in the area at this time." We expect he will be okay. The winds are not "supposed" to get stronger and the current is in his favor, so even though he is moving at only 2 knots, if he stays offshore and away from the reefs I'm confident that he'll resolve the problem and be safely underway shortly as he fixes his own problem with help and encouragement over the radio.
I alluded to problems on Grace and Viva in an earlier post. Grace had fuel problems so went to La Ceiba as we stood near by. We helped them into the harbor with our dinghies in the dark. They have decided to have work done on their boat there in addition to just fixing it. They will return to the USA (by plane) for a while in the meantime. Bob on the catamaran Viva (he is known as Viva Bob) needs a motor mount replaced on one engine and a starter solenoid on the other. He was able to sail to La Ceiba with no engine needed and to anchor in the harbor with his crippled engine used lightly. These were not safety concerns, but could have been. Pearl S. Buck and we were standing by to help these boats and they will get fixed in La Ceiba. The problem for both is obtaining the parts. It has been ten days and Viva Bob still has not gotten the parts he needs, but he is no doubt making the family of the taxi cab driver, Javier, happy as he tranports Bob to and from the city of La Ceiba for entertainment.
We have a problem similar to one we had last year at this time: our battery bank is not charging like it should. Last year, I borrowed a very good, but discontinued battery charger to "equalize" our batteries. This process made them like new. I have been trying to find that same charger and finally got one on eBay yesterday. As I am typing, I am waiting for email replies to solve the shipping problem and get the unit here without having to pay 300-400 USD for shipping alone and having items tied up in customs for weeks. This is an issue that needs to be fixed before we continue to a new location. A resolution will be found within a day or two.
The key board on my laptop is slowly failing. I have no 4,5,r,f,g,or b any more. The solution was to buy a stand alone keyboard that plugs into my USB port. The downside is that it is in a Spanish format so I need to look at the US Keyboard while typing on the Spanish keyboard to find the correct keys. The upside was that the keyboard costs 150 Lps (limpera) or $7.50 USD. Bryan on Pearl S. Buck is trying to buy a single side band radio. He thinks he has found a good source, for a good price, in the United States. The shipping is so expensive that he is researching the cost of flying back to Miami and picking it up in person. So far, the differential in cost is about $60 and the differential in time saved may be several days, maybe even weeks! Maybe he will pick up my charger as well? His situation is not critical, but the radio is a safety consideration, in my opinion. Jim, on Against the Wind, is surely glad he has his working for him. With a single side band HF radio one can reach hundreds or thousands of miles instead of the mere 20-25 miles with a good VHF radio.
Aside from Jim, the rest of us can wait for solutions in paradise. We have it "so good" here in the tropics, but you don't realize the convenience of being in the US where goods and services are not only reasonably priced, they are available conveniently too.
Dorothy, Bryan, Barb and I had dinner with friends of Dorothy's from Texas. Andy and Joyce have a house in Roatan at the Parrot Tree Plantation and we all went to a nice restaurant together in Andy and Joyce's vehicle. Andy and Joyce are amazing people and I will do a blog entry on them later.
Yesterday the four of us hopped on the bus to Coxan Hole and then the van to West End and had a nice relaxing day seeing the sights together. This is not a bad way or place to wait for things to arrive from the US. We are meeting interesting people and enjoying the winter season in a way very different from many of you. We will suffer through it!
Until next time, be well!
J&B
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Monday, December 15, 2008
We are in French Harbor, Roatan, Honduras
Barb and I got our Sonar/depth sounder fixed ourselves and the radar was adjusted by a technician so we got away from the boatyard with only a few no-see-um bites. We anchored out as planned for a pleasent night with a gently, cooling breeze. Next morning, we motored out beyond the breakwater with no wind. By 1100 the wind began to pick up, but on our nose so we had to continue to motor. An hour later the wind was still blowing on our nose, but it had freshened to 20-25 knots. To quote my brother (retired NOAA Meterologist, paddling his kayak across Albermarle Sound), "the wind isn't supposed to be doing that!" We made it into French Harbor without incident and anchored near S/V Pearl S. Buck and two other boats.
This anchorage is very protected behind the reef and we are near a resort that has its own plane, Fantasy Island. Could it be the same one? I haven't spotted Ricardo Montalban or Tatoo, yet. I am accessing internet from their lobby and it is a gorgeous setting. Two nights ago we had a great dinner at Romeo's and attended French Harbor's Christmas Festival. While it was shorts and tee shirt temperatures as always, the street was full of Santa's helpers, horses, clowns on stilts, flashing lights and a happy family atmosphere. Lots of local color and great fun. I didn't bring my camera! Sorry.
Yesterday we went snorkling over the reef in the clear waters just outside our anchorage. It is so great to be back cruising!
If we get no further opportunity to touch base soon (one never knows) have a happy holiday season.
Fondly, Jay & Barb
This anchorage is very protected behind the reef and we are near a resort that has its own plane, Fantasy Island. Could it be the same one? I haven't spotted Ricardo Montalban or Tatoo, yet. I am accessing internet from their lobby and it is a gorgeous setting. Two nights ago we had a great dinner at Romeo's and attended French Harbor's Christmas Festival. While it was shorts and tee shirt temperatures as always, the street was full of Santa's helpers, horses, clowns on stilts, flashing lights and a happy family atmosphere. Lots of local color and great fun. I didn't bring my camera! Sorry.
Yesterday we went snorkling over the reef in the clear waters just outside our anchorage. It is so great to be back cruising!
If we get no further opportunity to touch base soon (one never knows) have a happy holiday season.
Fondly, Jay & Barb
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
December 1 - We leave Nana Juana
December 1 - December 6, 2008 from the Rio Dulce, Guatemala to Utila, Honduras. “Plans Change!”
We had returned to Guatemala from the USA in August. Our passports had been stamped giving us 90 days in the country. That date had passed on November 17th. We were now illegal aliens. Yesterday, December 1, our Coast Guard issued Certificate of Documentation had expired. Know that in early November, from the Homeland Security-Coast Guard web site, I had downloaded a renewal form as a PDF file. This form had to be signed and either mailed or faxed to their Documentation Center in West Virginia. Mail from Guatemala goes pretty fast (4-5 days) to the USA, but I had an idea we could do better than that. We had no good fax options, so after I signed the form, Richard on Tisha Baby scanned it and saved it as a GIF file, which I e-mailed to John MacFarlane, our caretaker in Colorado Springs. He printed the form and had it faxed to the Coast Guard. So the signed renewal form got to West Virginia in a few hours. Three weeks later, we still had no Certificate in our hands.
After good byes at Nana Juana and fueling at the Shell fuel dock, we left Rio Dulce on December first, with Bryan and Dorothy on Pearl S. Buck and Bob on Viva. We only went about ten miles, to Texan Bay, about an hour from Livingston and the mouth of the river. The weather was expected to be a factor and we had arranged to check out of Guatemala through the agent, Raul, at Livingston on the third. The plan was to hang out and relax at Texan Bay for a day after our two-hour run down the river.
We had tired of waiting for our renewed United States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation and left without it because we were told by other sailors that it is nice to have, but not required. A Bill of Sale will do in many cases and my strategy would be to show my expired Certificate to the authorities and hope that they would not notice the expiration date. If they did notice, I would explain that the renewed Certificate was in the mail to Bruno’s Marina, in Rio Dulce and that we hoped it would catch up to us. We have found that the authorities like to have everything in order, but for the unfortunate sailor who doesn’t have everything in order, they usually (after the obligatory headshakes, short lectures, heavy sighs and warnings) figure out some way to get you out of the office and on your way again any way. The sailor just needs to look sad, sorry and then thankful for the official’s eventual largesse. Everyone has his or her part to play in this drama.
On December 2, we heard on the Rio Dulce Cruiser’s Net that Bruno’s had mail for us. I called on the radio and asked if anyone was headed downriver and could they pick up our piece of mail and meet us with it? M/V Steel Magnolia answered and Roy said that he could do that tomorrow. I suggested we meet in Livingston and we were much relieved to know that our Certificate of Documentation was nearby.
The next day we pulled up anchors and headed to meet Raul and check out of Guatemala. It all went without a hitch (he had not noticed our expired document) and we had permission to leave and head to Roatan, Honduras. Pearl S. Buck and Viva headed out of the harbor, across the sandbar (at high tide as planned, but bumping the bottom like they did coming in six months ago) and anchored across the bay in Bahia Graciosa. Barb and I stayed at anchor and waited for Steel Magnolia. At 2 PM, I radioed and located Steel Magnolia. Roy said that they got off to a late start, but that they would be in Livingston by about 3:30. I said that I would hop in our dinghy and meet them in the river. It was raining hard now, but we needed to get going before 3 so we could anchor along side our friends before dark. After a 35 minute run upriver, I met Steel Magnolia and Roy passed my envelope to me. Thanking him profusely, I took off with the current and the wind. We got Jupiter’s Smile underway right at 3 PM. About half way across the bay, I asked Barb to open the letter and her facial expression immediately indicated we had a problem. After all the waiting and then the transfer on the river, we had been sent the wrong certificate! This certificate was for a person with a powerboat in El Paso Texas. Not us! We had a good laugh (what good comes from crying?) and continued on our way. We got on the radio and related the situation to Steel Magnolia, thanking them again, but due to a mistake on the part of our government, it was all in vain. Our government has made worse mistakes. We rounded the point into shallow water and dropped the hook in Bahia Graciosa next to Pearl S. Buck and Viva, just before sundown.
Bahia Graciosa is a pleasant place and the next day we decided to explore a bit, enjoy being in salt water again and then head out the following day. We did that, except we left this anchorage and moved about three miles west to a spot just behind Cabo Tres Puntas for a bit of a headstart for tomorrow’s run. We raised anchors at 4 AM to avoid being out too late in the afternoon and coming into an unfamiliar anchorage in unfavorable light conditions. A sailor wants the sun high overhead so he might see the shallows in the uncharted waters. In this part of the world both the electronic and paper charting leave much to be desired so we consider all the waters to be either uncharted or poorly charted. Your safety is in your own hands.
As we rounded the Cabo Tres Puntas and headed east. The sea conditions left much to be desired as well, but once we passed the last point we had settled into a reasonable point of sail and boat motion. The boats sorted themselves by length and, therefore, their speeds. Soon the big catamaran, Viva was way ahead with 41 ft, Pearl S. Buck inching slowly away from us (37 ft). As we approached our planned anchorage, Laguna Diamante, Bob had already made his way through the cut and had anchored Viva securely. He radioed to us relating what he had found as he entered and advised us to avoid “that big black thing.” We didn’t realize what he was talking about until it became apparent that it was the approaching squall that was going strike us. Barb and I struggled to get our headsail furled because it wrapped our spinnaker halyard. We had done this before in the Chesapeake, and it was obvious that we had gotten rusty after not sailing for six months and had forgotten to move this line to a safe position and out of the way. By the time we got the headsail furled, the wind was blowing and rain was pounding so hard that we could hardly see the bow of our own boat and the mainsail was still too full. Without too much difficulty, we reduced the main to a manageable size (hoorah, furling mainsails!). Pearl S. Buck radioed that they were coming back out away from land and wanted to know our position so that they wouldn’t run into us in this deluge. We were near, but not too near.
I had not been pleased with how our radar had been working and I had had a Raymarine technician check it before we left Rio Dulce. Last year, as we sailed with Stardust down the east coast in the fog, I was able to see seagulls floating on the water on the radar screen! This year I don’t feel as confident. The rain was so dense that I didn’t even try to filter it out on the radar and so we couldn’t see Pearl S. Buck, let alone a seagull, just a yellow screen. I need to have this looked at again.
The inundation abated and we could see our friends just ahead and to the right of us heading toward the anchorage once more. We went through the cut in dry air and the sun breaking through, but the water had so much runoff from the surrounding hills that it looked like mud and we had no hope of seeing any shallow areas. We followed Bob’s radioed directions and anchored without incident with well-rinsed decks and canvas. Bryan, Dorothy, Barb and I joined Bob for sundowners on Viva and while the local Mayans tended their nets in the lagoon, we talked about our day. It turned out that Bob had broken an engine mount on one of his two engines and the other one wouldn’t start because the solenoid was badly rusted. That made what to do the following day easy to decide. Fix at least one engine on Viva.
By nine o’clock the next day, after over an hour of investigation, Bob decided that he could sail to La Ceiba’s shipyard and, if he needed to, he could gently run the engine with the broken motor mount to get there. So we three boats decided to go together to La Ceiba, instead of Roatan, in the interest of Bob’s safety. As we exited Laguna Diamante, we saw another sailboat heading slowly in our direction. This turned out to be Grace with John and Elaine aboard. We were docked near them at Nana Juana for five months and we attended many events together. They had left Guatemala the day after we did. They had sailed all night, but had engine problems now. Like us, they have only one engine, but unlike ours it was not running and they had planned to sail into one of the lagoons to rest and figure out what to do next. We encouraged them to turn around and go with us to La Ceiba for repairs and that we would stick with them to make certain they made it in safely. They did that. We all stayed in radio contact and we sailed in light winds toward La Ceiba. Bob turned on his gimpy engine to ensure that he got anchored safely before dark, but Pearl S. Buck and we continued to sail with Grace trailing. It was a downwind run and this time Jupiter’s Smile was the fastest boat thanks to David’s help in Washington DC for our acquisition and use of our trusty whisker pole. It got dark with about eight miles to go, so we turned on our engine and made it through the breakwater, once again with Bob’s directions and anchored safely. By the time Bryan and Dorothy got in I had sounded the bottom from Bob’s dinghy with my hand-held depth sounder and we got them anchored in a good spot. As Grace approached slowly under sails alone, Bob and Bryan went in Bob’s dinghy and I went in ours and we towed them through the breakwater and to a spot to anchor. I think I was in bed by midnight. I really don’t remember.
We had returned to Guatemala from the USA in August. Our passports had been stamped giving us 90 days in the country. That date had passed on November 17th. We were now illegal aliens. Yesterday, December 1, our Coast Guard issued Certificate of Documentation had expired. Know that in early November, from the Homeland Security-Coast Guard web site, I had downloaded a renewal form as a PDF file. This form had to be signed and either mailed or faxed to their Documentation Center in West Virginia. Mail from Guatemala goes pretty fast (4-5 days) to the USA, but I had an idea we could do better than that. We had no good fax options, so after I signed the form, Richard on Tisha Baby scanned it and saved it as a GIF file, which I e-mailed to John MacFarlane, our caretaker in Colorado Springs. He printed the form and had it faxed to the Coast Guard. So the signed renewal form got to West Virginia in a few hours. Three weeks later, we still had no Certificate in our hands.
After good byes at Nana Juana and fueling at the Shell fuel dock, we left Rio Dulce on December first, with Bryan and Dorothy on Pearl S. Buck and Bob on Viva. We only went about ten miles, to Texan Bay, about an hour from Livingston and the mouth of the river. The weather was expected to be a factor and we had arranged to check out of Guatemala through the agent, Raul, at Livingston on the third. The plan was to hang out and relax at Texan Bay for a day after our two-hour run down the river.
We had tired of waiting for our renewed United States Coast Guard Certificate of Documentation and left without it because we were told by other sailors that it is nice to have, but not required. A Bill of Sale will do in many cases and my strategy would be to show my expired Certificate to the authorities and hope that they would not notice the expiration date. If they did notice, I would explain that the renewed Certificate was in the mail to Bruno’s Marina, in Rio Dulce and that we hoped it would catch up to us. We have found that the authorities like to have everything in order, but for the unfortunate sailor who doesn’t have everything in order, they usually (after the obligatory headshakes, short lectures, heavy sighs and warnings) figure out some way to get you out of the office and on your way again any way. The sailor just needs to look sad, sorry and then thankful for the official’s eventual largesse. Everyone has his or her part to play in this drama.
On December 2, we heard on the Rio Dulce Cruiser’s Net that Bruno’s had mail for us. I called on the radio and asked if anyone was headed downriver and could they pick up our piece of mail and meet us with it? M/V Steel Magnolia answered and Roy said that he could do that tomorrow. I suggested we meet in Livingston and we were much relieved to know that our Certificate of Documentation was nearby.
The next day we pulled up anchors and headed to meet Raul and check out of Guatemala. It all went without a hitch (he had not noticed our expired document) and we had permission to leave and head to Roatan, Honduras. Pearl S. Buck and Viva headed out of the harbor, across the sandbar (at high tide as planned, but bumping the bottom like they did coming in six months ago) and anchored across the bay in Bahia Graciosa. Barb and I stayed at anchor and waited for Steel Magnolia. At 2 PM, I radioed and located Steel Magnolia. Roy said that they got off to a late start, but that they would be in Livingston by about 3:30. I said that I would hop in our dinghy and meet them in the river. It was raining hard now, but we needed to get going before 3 so we could anchor along side our friends before dark. After a 35 minute run upriver, I met Steel Magnolia and Roy passed my envelope to me. Thanking him profusely, I took off with the current and the wind. We got Jupiter’s Smile underway right at 3 PM. About half way across the bay, I asked Barb to open the letter and her facial expression immediately indicated we had a problem. After all the waiting and then the transfer on the river, we had been sent the wrong certificate! This certificate was for a person with a powerboat in El Paso Texas. Not us! We had a good laugh (what good comes from crying?) and continued on our way. We got on the radio and related the situation to Steel Magnolia, thanking them again, but due to a mistake on the part of our government, it was all in vain. Our government has made worse mistakes. We rounded the point into shallow water and dropped the hook in Bahia Graciosa next to Pearl S. Buck and Viva, just before sundown.
Bahia Graciosa is a pleasant place and the next day we decided to explore a bit, enjoy being in salt water again and then head out the following day. We did that, except we left this anchorage and moved about three miles west to a spot just behind Cabo Tres Puntas for a bit of a headstart for tomorrow’s run. We raised anchors at 4 AM to avoid being out too late in the afternoon and coming into an unfamiliar anchorage in unfavorable light conditions. A sailor wants the sun high overhead so he might see the shallows in the uncharted waters. In this part of the world both the electronic and paper charting leave much to be desired so we consider all the waters to be either uncharted or poorly charted. Your safety is in your own hands.
As we rounded the Cabo Tres Puntas and headed east. The sea conditions left much to be desired as well, but once we passed the last point we had settled into a reasonable point of sail and boat motion. The boats sorted themselves by length and, therefore, their speeds. Soon the big catamaran, Viva was way ahead with 41 ft, Pearl S. Buck inching slowly away from us (37 ft). As we approached our planned anchorage, Laguna Diamante, Bob had already made his way through the cut and had anchored Viva securely. He radioed to us relating what he had found as he entered and advised us to avoid “that big black thing.” We didn’t realize what he was talking about until it became apparent that it was the approaching squall that was going strike us. Barb and I struggled to get our headsail furled because it wrapped our spinnaker halyard. We had done this before in the Chesapeake, and it was obvious that we had gotten rusty after not sailing for six months and had forgotten to move this line to a safe position and out of the way. By the time we got the headsail furled, the wind was blowing and rain was pounding so hard that we could hardly see the bow of our own boat and the mainsail was still too full. Without too much difficulty, we reduced the main to a manageable size (hoorah, furling mainsails!). Pearl S. Buck radioed that they were coming back out away from land and wanted to know our position so that they wouldn’t run into us in this deluge. We were near, but not too near.
I had not been pleased with how our radar had been working and I had had a Raymarine technician check it before we left Rio Dulce. Last year, as we sailed with Stardust down the east coast in the fog, I was able to see seagulls floating on the water on the radar screen! This year I don’t feel as confident. The rain was so dense that I didn’t even try to filter it out on the radar and so we couldn’t see Pearl S. Buck, let alone a seagull, just a yellow screen. I need to have this looked at again.
The inundation abated and we could see our friends just ahead and to the right of us heading toward the anchorage once more. We went through the cut in dry air and the sun breaking through, but the water had so much runoff from the surrounding hills that it looked like mud and we had no hope of seeing any shallow areas. We followed Bob’s radioed directions and anchored without incident with well-rinsed decks and canvas. Bryan, Dorothy, Barb and I joined Bob for sundowners on Viva and while the local Mayans tended their nets in the lagoon, we talked about our day. It turned out that Bob had broken an engine mount on one of his two engines and the other one wouldn’t start because the solenoid was badly rusted. That made what to do the following day easy to decide. Fix at least one engine on Viva.
By nine o’clock the next day, after over an hour of investigation, Bob decided that he could sail to La Ceiba’s shipyard and, if he needed to, he could gently run the engine with the broken motor mount to get there. So we three boats decided to go together to La Ceiba, instead of Roatan, in the interest of Bob’s safety. As we exited Laguna Diamante, we saw another sailboat heading slowly in our direction. This turned out to be Grace with John and Elaine aboard. We were docked near them at Nana Juana for five months and we attended many events together. They had left Guatemala the day after we did. They had sailed all night, but had engine problems now. Like us, they have only one engine, but unlike ours it was not running and they had planned to sail into one of the lagoons to rest and figure out what to do next. We encouraged them to turn around and go with us to La Ceiba for repairs and that we would stick with them to make certain they made it in safely. They did that. We all stayed in radio contact and we sailed in light winds toward La Ceiba. Bob turned on his gimpy engine to ensure that he got anchored safely before dark, but Pearl S. Buck and we continued to sail with Grace trailing. It was a downwind run and this time Jupiter’s Smile was the fastest boat thanks to David’s help in Washington DC for our acquisition and use of our trusty whisker pole. It got dark with about eight miles to go, so we turned on our engine and made it through the breakwater, once again with Bob’s directions and anchored safely. By the time Bryan and Dorothy got in I had sounded the bottom from Bob’s dinghy with my hand-held depth sounder and we got them anchored in a good spot. As Grace approached slowly under sails alone, Bob and Bryan went in Bob’s dinghy and I went in ours and we towed them through the breakwater and to a spot to anchor. I think I was in bed by midnight. I really don’t remember.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween
The MOTM is happening in Key West (Meeting of the Minds - the convention of the worldwide ParrotHead Clubs) and I have a parrot on my shoulder, but the rest of these are Macaws!
We are still in Guatemala (Rio Dulce) and will not be moving until the middle of the month AT THE EARLIEST! Hurricane season is still on the insurance company's calendar until November 31st.
Meanwhile, follow our inland experiences at the blogsite:
Return here when we sail...who knows when...soon!
Thursday, August 28, 2008
The Death of a Sailor
I preface this post with the rationalization: It could happen to anyone. As I write this, I am in some degree of danger. I mean right now! I can hear the thunder in the distance that tells me that electrical charges are passing through the atmosphere…. and I know that we have a long metal stick pointing over fifty-five feet in the air! Less than a half-mile away thick, black smoke is rising from a fuel dock fire and several expensive boats nearest the fire have been moved away from those docks. We seem to be safe from the fire where we are, but who knows.
I am surrounded by electrical wires, which could start a fire. We have propane tanks on board, which might explode. The boat could spring a leak and sink. Any of us could slip and fall and crack our skull. How about food poisoning? If one starts to worry about these possibilities, and they are possibilities indeed, one might not get out of bed (as if that was safe!) Danger is all around. People die!
One person died while we were back in the USA. He was a man that Barb and I never met, but he intended to ready his boat for cruising here in Rio Dulce so we feel some connection. Bryan (S/V Pearl S. Buck) had met the man and his wife while we were away. What follows is the short version of the incident. Local bad men boarded his boat looking for dollars and killed him and seriously injured his wife. The men left with no dollars and only a little of the Guatemalan currency. The wife has recovered. The long version and details may be found on the family’s blog:
http://danieldrydenincidentdetails.blogspot.com/
While Bryan and I were visiting the agent, Raul, to renew our Guatemala cruising permit, the surviving wife came by and Bryan introduced me to Nancy. Her family had joined her and when Bryan inquired about her plans, she shared that she wanted to take the boat out sailing, but that they would need a captain because they had not had a chance to ever sail the boat and didn’t know how. Bryan volunteered to captain and I volunteered to help if they thought they needed help.
Last Saturday, Bryan and I met the fledgling crew aboard S/V Sunday’s Child, soon to be renamed Kwiana and we all went sailing and had a wonderful time. If you have checked their blog you already have a sense of the quality of people we accompanied. They are wonderful. I was at the helm initially while Bryan held a class for the rest of the crew on the foredeck. Nancy was gracious and eager. Jen and her Brian seemed to take to sailing like they were born to it. Daniel, III, was a wizard at the helm and the instigator of a man/woman/whole crew (under the age of 50) overboard drill. Alejandro took a turn at the wheel as well. While Renee seemed shy, she was watching closely. It was an almost perfect lake-sailing day with enough wind to keep the boat moving, but not so much that any fears arose. At one point we had the boat heeled a bit and running with the wind just forward of the beam so she was moving out smartly. Nancy was moved to tears at this moment. This was what her husband would have wanted – a fine craft, doing what it was meant to do, with his family aboard and working together.....and life goes on. Get up each morning and treasure every minute. Hug your family. Help another. Accept another. Give everyone a cheery greeting. Appreciate. Celebrate.
No photos accompany this entry and it is relatively short because I should stop now. Barb and I have just completed our third day of Spanish class and I have homework to do!
Buenos noches.
Jay & Barb
I am surrounded by electrical wires, which could start a fire. We have propane tanks on board, which might explode. The boat could spring a leak and sink. Any of us could slip and fall and crack our skull. How about food poisoning? If one starts to worry about these possibilities, and they are possibilities indeed, one might not get out of bed (as if that was safe!) Danger is all around. People die!
One person died while we were back in the USA. He was a man that Barb and I never met, but he intended to ready his boat for cruising here in Rio Dulce so we feel some connection. Bryan (S/V Pearl S. Buck) had met the man and his wife while we were away. What follows is the short version of the incident. Local bad men boarded his boat looking for dollars and killed him and seriously injured his wife. The men left with no dollars and only a little of the Guatemalan currency. The wife has recovered. The long version and details may be found on the family’s blog:
http://danieldrydenincidentdetails.blogspot.com/
While Bryan and I were visiting the agent, Raul, to renew our Guatemala cruising permit, the surviving wife came by and Bryan introduced me to Nancy. Her family had joined her and when Bryan inquired about her plans, she shared that she wanted to take the boat out sailing, but that they would need a captain because they had not had a chance to ever sail the boat and didn’t know how. Bryan volunteered to captain and I volunteered to help if they thought they needed help.
Last Saturday, Bryan and I met the fledgling crew aboard S/V Sunday’s Child, soon to be renamed Kwiana and we all went sailing and had a wonderful time. If you have checked their blog you already have a sense of the quality of people we accompanied. They are wonderful. I was at the helm initially while Bryan held a class for the rest of the crew on the foredeck. Nancy was gracious and eager. Jen and her Brian seemed to take to sailing like they were born to it. Daniel, III, was a wizard at the helm and the instigator of a man/woman/whole crew (under the age of 50) overboard drill. Alejandro took a turn at the wheel as well. While Renee seemed shy, she was watching closely. It was an almost perfect lake-sailing day with enough wind to keep the boat moving, but not so much that any fears arose. At one point we had the boat heeled a bit and running with the wind just forward of the beam so she was moving out smartly. Nancy was moved to tears at this moment. This was what her husband would have wanted – a fine craft, doing what it was meant to do, with his family aboard and working together.....and life goes on. Get up each morning and treasure every minute. Hug your family. Help another. Accept another. Give everyone a cheery greeting. Appreciate. Celebrate.
No photos accompany this entry and it is relatively short because I should stop now. Barb and I have just completed our third day of Spanish class and I have homework to do!
Buenos noches.
Jay & Barb
We Return to Jupiter's Smile August 20
We have returned without incident (well almost) to Jupiter's Smile and find her in good shape - i.e. no odd odors, mold, infestations, bumps, tears or scratches. We are not too much the worse for wear ourselves. The only incident is that we lost a strap from around one of our checked bags. This strap had been used successfully to afix a six gallon water container to our arch on the stern deck over the last several thousand miles of wind and waves. Why the strap held fast at sea but not now seemed strange. We found a note in the bag that the bag had been inspected by TSA so someone had unlatched the strap to do that. Whatever its fate was after that, I do not know. Continental Airlines accepts no responsibility for its loss. A minor thing, but an annoyance to an otherwise excellent journey. We now need to put our living space back in order, renew our boating permit and find a location to send this e-mail.
To those of you we got to see/visit we enjoyed it greatly and are pleased that you are all doing well. To those of you we missed we hope to see you next time.
Until then, be well!
To those of you we got to see/visit we enjoyed it greatly and are pleased that you are all doing well. To those of you we missed we hope to see you next time.
Until then, be well!
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
On the Road to North Dakota-Still not Sailing
We left the Seattle area and drove to Spokane. There we met Jill Holland, one of the Dangerous Babes. The Dangerous Babes are about a dozen women who were Barb's high school classmates. They have met every year or so since their 40th reunion and enjoy each other more now, probably, than they did at Rich East High School. Jill is living in Gig Harbor, but we visited her as she was caring for her dad in the hospital in Spokane. We are all hoping for a good recovery for her dad. Did I take photos? NO!
We drove a little farther and visited Yvonne Mansfield in Billings, MT. Yvonne and Otto cared for our Borzoi, Galaxy's Antares for most of his life. Antares passed away in 2004 and Otto passed away last year. Yvonne is still active with many friends looking in on her. It was good to see her again. Once again....no photos!
We took no photos of Randy or Brad Wimmer when we visited at their jewelry store in Fargo, ND either. Barb's mom's sister, Aunt Sally, married into the Wimmer family and Randy and Brad had Sally as an aunt as well. They seem to be doing well as the third generation running Wimmers Diamonds.
We drove around Detroit Lakes, MN and saw where Barb's parents lived until they moved to Colorado Springs. Detroit Lakes seems to be a more popular lake than in the early 70's and her old house is for sale. Barb thinks that the beautiful lot will be the location of a new "Mc Mansion" after her old home is bought and then torn down like so many other houses in the area.
We arrive in Pelican Rapids, Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Barb and her Godmother, Aunt Hazele M. Hafstad Rosenquist get ready to look at photos. Hazele shared her memories and filled us in on family members we had not heard about in years. Hazele turned 100 years of age in March!
We drove to Toad Lake and saw the cabin that Barb's dad built and where Barb spent several summers as a youngster. We stopped at a cabin a few doors down and visited family members of Gayle Woodley, one of Barb's summer friends. Gayle got in touch with Barb later as a result of that visit. Then we returned to Hazele's place for an adventure.
We took Hazele out in the convertible to her church.....
...and to the annual pig roast. She was greeted by many members of the congregation.....
.......one of whom took this photo. Barbara H. Hafstad and I were married on this spot almost 40 years ago!
After another round of photo viewing and memories, we hit the road that night.
We are now back in Colorado Springs again preparing for our August 19th return to the boat in Rio Dulce.
We drove a little farther and visited Yvonne Mansfield in Billings, MT. Yvonne and Otto cared for our Borzoi, Galaxy's Antares for most of his life. Antares passed away in 2004 and Otto passed away last year. Yvonne is still active with many friends looking in on her. It was good to see her again. Once again....no photos!
We took no photos of Randy or Brad Wimmer when we visited at their jewelry store in Fargo, ND either. Barb's mom's sister, Aunt Sally, married into the Wimmer family and Randy and Brad had Sally as an aunt as well. They seem to be doing well as the third generation running Wimmers Diamonds.
We drove around Detroit Lakes, MN and saw where Barb's parents lived until they moved to Colorado Springs. Detroit Lakes seems to be a more popular lake than in the early 70's and her old house is for sale. Barb thinks that the beautiful lot will be the location of a new "Mc Mansion" after her old home is bought and then torn down like so many other houses in the area.
We arrive in Pelican Rapids, Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Barb and her Godmother, Aunt Hazele M. Hafstad Rosenquist get ready to look at photos. Hazele shared her memories and filled us in on family members we had not heard about in years. Hazele turned 100 years of age in March!We drove to Toad Lake and saw the cabin that Barb's dad built and where Barb spent several summers as a youngster. We stopped at a cabin a few doors down and visited family members of Gayle Woodley, one of Barb's summer friends. Gayle got in touch with Barb later as a result of that visit. Then we returned to Hazele's place for an adventure.
We took Hazele out in the convertible to her church.....
...and to the annual pig roast. She was greeted by many members of the congregation.....
.......one of whom took this photo. Barbara H. Hafstad and I were married on this spot almost 40 years ago!
After another round of photo viewing and memories, we hit the road that night.
We are now back in Colorado Springs again preparing for our August 19th return to the boat in Rio Dulce.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
On the Road to Washington State-Not Sailing
Barb and I hopped a bus in Rio Dulce and arrived in Guatemala City with some time to see some sights.
Clicking on this photo will enlarge it and you may see the armed guard at the doorway of our hotel. I have decided that this boy with the rifle makes me feel safer.
Barb and I lost two weeks after arriving in Colorado Springs as I battled with an amoeba that I picked up in Guatemala. I lost ten pounds in two weeks and several dollars in medical bills, but after a round of medication I suddenly felt well enough to pack up and get on the road to visit Glory Berglund, Barb's "new, big" sister in Port Orchard, WA.
As we approached the Portland area we called our niece, Emily. She was available to have dinner that night and we were able to celebrate her 24th birthday + 1 day, together. I am pleased to report to her father that we find her to be a delightful, attractive and charming young woman who has direction in her life, good friends and a gainfully employed boyfriend. Sorry, Tom and Vickie, no photos.
Barb's Nephew: Terry Berglund. We surprised Terry at the airport. "Are you Terry Berglund?" "Yes." He said. I said,"I'm your Uncle Jay!"
Sue Berglund: Terry's wife-a wonderful hostess! She shared her home with us for three days, fed us like we might not ever eat again and carted us all over the most beautiful parts of North Western Washington, almost into Canada!
Rhianna Berglund: Terry and Sue's youngest.
Left to Right: Terry, Barb, Sue, Glory, Aaron (Rhianna's boyfriend), Ty (sp?) (the wunderdog), Rhianna.
Barb and Glory (in front of the red tent) at the dog show in Sequim. This Borzoi won best of breed.
This is the view across Puget Sound from Glory's house. The Space Needle is to the left.
While we toured Seattle did I? No!
Clicking on this photo will enlarge it and you may see the armed guard at the doorway of our hotel. I have decided that this boy with the rifle makes me feel safer.
Barb and I lost two weeks after arriving in Colorado Springs as I battled with an amoeba that I picked up in Guatemala. I lost ten pounds in two weeks and several dollars in medical bills, but after a round of medication I suddenly felt well enough to pack up and get on the road to visit Glory Berglund, Barb's "new, big" sister in Port Orchard, WA.
As we approached the Portland area we called our niece, Emily. She was available to have dinner that night and we were able to celebrate her 24th birthday + 1 day, together. I am pleased to report to her father that we find her to be a delightful, attractive and charming young woman who has direction in her life, good friends and a gainfully employed boyfriend. Sorry, Tom and Vickie, no photos.
The next morning, we remembered that our friend, Jon Ulsh was living in Portland and we found his phone listing in the white pages. A call yielded a reunion at his home and we seemed to be able to renew our friendship right were we left off decades ago. It makes me think that people don't change and the reasons why we liked Jon then are the same as why we still like him.
We drove on to the Tacoma area and crossed the bridge, bound for Glory (I couldn't resist.) We spent the next two weeks getting to know each other, getting to meet other family members and seeing sights. Glory has a wonderful family (and we do too, but now we have even more!)
Barb's Nephew: Terry Berglund. We surprised Terry at the airport. "Are you Terry Berglund?" "Yes." He said. I said,"I'm your Uncle Jay!"
Sue Berglund: Terry's wife-a wonderful hostess! She shared her home with us for three days, fed us like we might not ever eat again and carted us all over the most beautiful parts of North Western Washington, almost into Canada!
Rhianna Berglund: Terry and Sue's youngest.
Left to Right: Terry, Barb, Sue, Glory, Aaron (Rhianna's boyfriend), Ty (sp?) (the wunderdog), Rhianna.
Barb and Glory.
Looking at Barb's photo album.
Barb and Glory (in front of the red tent) at the dog show in Sequim. This Borzoi won best of breed.
This is the view across Puget Sound from Glory's house. The Space Needle is to the left.While we visited Emily did I use my camera? No!
While we toured Seattle did I? No!
How about Sue's tour of Northern Washington? No!
Maybe someday I'll learn.
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Travel near Rio Dulce and we move to Nana Juana
June 24, 2008
Aside from getting acquainted with the rhythm of life and the things that are and are not part of that, we have three things to report. We have taken two excursions and changed location.
Our first sight seeing trip was in our dinghy to the Castillo de San Felipe, which guarded Lake 
Izabal from pirates. It was built in the 1590’s and rebuilt and expanded during subsequent centuries and is now a National Historic Site and Park. The written brochure was in Spanish and the guides spoke only Spanish as well, but we got the gist of the story and never went somewhere that we shouldn’t.
Dorothy from Pearl S. Buck arranged our next trip. Bryan and Dorothy from Pearl, Richard and Pam from Tisha Baby, Russ and Shelley from Jacana, Bob from Viva and Barb and I formed a group of nine and hired a van driver to take us to Quirigua. As we drove out of the Rio Dulce river valley and into the hills, the landscape changed from jungle to pasture land, then to hilly plantations then back to rich bottom land. The recent heavy rains left some flooding behind in many of the pastures and a landslide had been removed from the highway in the hills. As we approached Quirigua we were let out of the van to visit a Del Monte
banana plantation and shipping facility. This was an unexpected opportunity and we were fascinated to watch the process from banana stalk, to cutting, washing, inspecting and measuring, bagging, box assembly and boxing to the shipping area. These were very green bananas. We had been given some by friends and after over a week they still weren’t yellow. When one showed the slightest hint of yellow color we peeled it for our cereal and it was delicious. The rest of the bunch was consumed over the next few days – very tasty.
We reboarded the van and drove a very short distance to the archeological site of the Mayan ruins that seems to be on the Del Monte plantation property. The site was a major city in the 700 AD range and for several hundred more years, with its temples and ball court in the process of being restored. The stelea and zoomorphs that remain are among the best examples in ex
istence. I will let the photos tell the story.
With much consideration we have decided to switch marinas from Tijax to Nana Juana. Tijax was exotic in a jungle setting. The marina prices are moderate to high for the area - $200/month + $0.40/KWH for electricity + $30/Month for Internet. Bryan is paying for a side-tie slip at $240/Month. (When we checked out, we discovered that we in fact paid $0.54/KWH and nothing for the Internet. The internet connection was weak and unreliable however.) The best access route to town was a short water taxi (free) ride or dinghy trip. The restaurant and bar were quite good and reasonably priced. The pool, with its waterfalls and lush jungle setting was well maintained and the filter was run for a while most days. The staff was friendly and could understand our needs usually, but spoke Spanish almost exclusively. The facilities were kept very clean and I would recommend Tijax to cruisers. The downside was the intermittent power outages and the med mooring. Med moorings are the most common kind of docking in Rio Dulcie and seem to work here. However, the dock to which we were tied was old and it seemed tired enough to cause me concern if hurricane winds blew through. Nana Juana offered a side tie slip for $180/month, $0.35/KWH electricity and free Internet that is robust enough to use Skype. It is pretty, not as scenic as Tijax, but has more breezes to keep our boat and us cooler. So we moved last Sunday and are satisfied so far.
We are flying back to The States on Tuesday, July 1 so the next news will be about that trip. We have much to make ready before that. Until then, be well.
J&B
Aside from getting acquainted with the rhythm of life and the things that are and are not part of that, we have three things to report. We have taken two excursions and changed location.
Our first sight seeing trip was in our dinghy to the Castillo de San Felipe, which guarded Lake 
Izabal from pirates. It was built in the 1590’s and rebuilt and expanded during subsequent centuries and is now a National Historic Site and Park. The written brochure was in Spanish and the guides spoke only Spanish as well, but we got the gist of the story and never went somewhere that we shouldn’t.Dorothy from Pearl S. Buck arranged our next trip. Bryan and Dorothy from Pearl, Richard and Pam from Tisha Baby, Russ and Shelley from Jacana, Bob from Viva and Barb and I formed a group of nine and hired a van driver to take us to Quirigua. As we drove out of the Rio Dulce river valley and into the hills, the landscape changed from jungle to pasture land, then to hilly plantations then back to rich bottom land. The recent heavy rains left some flooding behind in many of the pastures and a landslide had been removed from the highway in the hills. As we approached Quirigua we were let out of the van to visit a Del Monte
banana plantation and shipping facility. This was an unexpected opportunity and we were fascinated to watch the process from banana stalk, to cutting, washing, inspecting and measuring, bagging, box assembly and boxing to the shipping area. These were very green bananas. We had been given some by friends and after over a week they still weren’t yellow. When one showed the slightest hint of yellow color we peeled it for our cereal and it was delicious. The rest of the bunch was consumed over the next few days – very tasty.
We reboarded the van and drove a very short distance to the archeological site of the Mayan ruins that seems to be on the Del Monte plantation property. The site was a major city in the 700 AD range and for several hundred more years, with its temples and ball court in the process of being restored. The stelea and zoomorphs that remain are among the best examples in ex
istence. I will let the photos tell the story.
With much consideration we have decided to switch marinas from Tijax to Nana Juana. Tijax was exotic in a jungle setting. The marina prices are moderate to high for the area - $200/month + $0.40/KWH for electricity + $30/Month for Internet. Bryan is paying for a side-tie slip at $240/Month. (When we checked out, we discovered that we in fact paid $0.54/KWH and nothing for the Internet. The internet connection was weak and unreliable however.) The best access route to town was a short water taxi (free) ride or dinghy trip. The restaurant and bar were quite good and reasonably priced. The pool, with its waterfalls and lush jungle setting was well maintained and the filter was run for a while most days. The staff was friendly and could understand our needs usually, but spoke Spanish almost exclusively. The facilities were kept very clean and I would recommend Tijax to cruisers. The downside was the intermittent power outages and the med mooring. Med moorings are the most common kind of docking in Rio Dulcie and seem to work here. However, the dock to which we were tied was old and it seemed tired enough to cause me concern if hurricane winds blew through. Nana Juana offered a side tie slip for $180/month, $0.35/KWH electricity and free Internet that is robust enough to use Skype. It is pretty, not as scenic as Tijax, but has more breezes to keep our boat and us cooler. So we moved last Sunday and are satisfied so far.
We are flying back to The States on Tuesday, July 1 so the next news will be about that trip. We have much to make ready before that. Until then, be well.
J&B
Monday, June 9, 2008
Settled in at Hacienda Tijax in Rio Dulce
June 9, 2008
View from the pool - notice the masts behind the palapa
View from the bridge - Jupiter's Smile is above the center palm hidden by boats in front.
The suspended walkway through the jungle.
To a mountain stream's pool.
The hacienda above the jungle.
We had reservations booked at the Hacienda Tijax Jungle Hotel Marina, but Pearl had none anywhere. When I made our reservation via e-mail I had tried to make one for Pearl S. Buck and Tisha Baby at the same time, but the response was that they could not take either one of the other boats. Bryan and Dorothy went off in their dinghy to scout out Catamaran, Monkey Bay and the La Holla del Rio marinas. Barb and I dinghyed to Tijax, announced our arrival and picked one of two offered locations at the dock. Barb had not been too impressed by what she saw, but we raised the anchor and while towing the dinghy we headed to the slip. Just outside the entrance, Barb piloted the dinghy to the dock and I backed Jupiter’s Smile slowly into the slip. Five men appeared to help with lines, three on the docks and two in a launch. The fellows in the launch took my anchor about seventy-five feet out and dropped it. The other three swarmed about the deck of an adjacent boat, my deck and the dock, securing Jupiter’s Smile with what is known as a Med mooring – the boat is perpendicular to the dock with only the stern tied to the dock. The drama in this was provided by the men speaking only Spanish and me speaking only English, except when I said “Si” in response to a word I thought I might have understood. My understanding Spanish is based on our almost yearly visits to Puerto Vallarta and the vocabulary remembered from my high school Latin and French classes (I’m still sorry, Mr. Carlson and thank you, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Nielsen and Miss Koch and my parents!) By the time this act played out, Bryan and Dorothy appeared at dockside and had decided that they would take the other unclaimed slip for Pearl S. Buck. With some variations, the second act concluded with us being neighbors in Tijax. That pleased Barbie and me immensely.
Hacienda Tijax Jungle Lodge and Marina is an exotic place with docks along the river front and small cabins connected by boardwalks (some with bathrooms) spread throughout the jungle. The office/bar and dining rooms are all open to the air and the pool is in a lovely setting surrounded by some variety of bird of paradise flower that produces more blossoms per stem than I have ever seen before. The men speak mostly Spanish except for the office manager and owner and the women do pretty well speaking English generally. It is an enchanting place. They offer excursions by foot and by horseback into the jungle and we will be doing that later on. Meanwhile, the weather has been somewhat rainy with the passing of tropical storm Arthur last week and showers continue for part of the day almost everyday. We are catching rainwater since the recommendation is to boil the piped water or treat it with iodine.
We have taken the water taxi provided by the Hacienda to Rio Dulce (a third of a mile away) and that or launch, dinghy or canoe seems to be the way most people get around. The town has a bustling main street with banks, pharmacies, hardware, variety shops and food stands which spill out onto the street. The road is a two-lane affair and is the main highway to Guatemala City so the heavy truck traffic crawls along with the pedestrian traffic just inches apart. This part of the town used to be called Fronteras and was separated by the river from Rellenos on the opposite bank.
An 85 foot high bridge connects the two towns and they are now united under the name Rio Dulce.
The plan is to make this our home for six months until the hurricane season ends. I feel like we are on vacation when I sit and read next to the pool. The people are very friendly and eager to help. Example: while we searched the other day to find iodine for water purification at a farmacia, a painter who was working on the other side of the parking lot walked over, paint and roller in hand and helped us as an interpreter. Smiles all around and mission accomplished eventually. The day-to-day activities of finding the necessities of life in a foreign land, with a foreign tongue and foreign money present their minor challenges, but as long as it remains a source of entertainment and not a crisis, it is all good. The quality of the experience is controlled by outlook, temperament and attitude. So far, so good.
We are having a full-length boat shade made by a local canvas maker. During this time we expect to tour the area by bus, visiting Guatemala City and the old capitol Antigua, visiting the various Mayan ruins and enrolling in a Spanish language school in Antigua for immersion learning so we may enjoy the culture at a deeper level. We may haul the boat out of the water and get the bottom repainted, the prop and stuffing boxes serviced and get a thorough cleaning and waxing. We expect to return to the US for a month or more to drive and see Barb’s “new” sister in the Seattle area, her godmother in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota and possibly, if time allows and we hold up, get to Springfield, VA/Washington, DC to see my parents and brother. Maybe we will be able to connect somewhere with Tom and Vickie as they travel by kayak.
This season’s cruise is concluded. We have no set plans for more, but now we have the summer and fall to do land based activities and decide what comes next. That’s it for now.
Till next time, be well!
We had reservations booked at the Hacienda Tijax Jungle Hotel Marina, but Pearl had none anywhere. When I made our reservation via e-mail I had tried to make one for Pearl S. Buck and Tisha Baby at the same time, but the response was that they could not take either one of the other boats. Bryan and Dorothy went off in their dinghy to scout out Catamaran, Monkey Bay and the La Holla del Rio marinas. Barb and I dinghyed to Tijax, announced our arrival and picked one of two offered locations at the dock. Barb had not been too impressed by what she saw, but we raised the anchor and while towing the dinghy we headed to the slip. Just outside the entrance, Barb piloted the dinghy to the dock and I backed Jupiter’s Smile slowly into the slip. Five men appeared to help with lines, three on the docks and two in a launch. The fellows in the launch took my anchor about seventy-five feet out and dropped it. The other three swarmed about the deck of an adjacent boat, my deck and the dock, securing Jupiter’s Smile with what is known as a Med mooring – the boat is perpendicular to the dock with only the stern tied to the dock. The drama in this was provided by the men speaking only Spanish and me speaking only English, except when I said “Si” in response to a word I thought I might have understood. My understanding Spanish is based on our almost yearly visits to Puerto Vallarta and the vocabulary remembered from my high school Latin and French classes (I’m still sorry, Mr. Carlson and thank you, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Nielsen and Miss Koch and my parents!) By the time this act played out, Bryan and Dorothy appeared at dockside and had decided that they would take the other unclaimed slip for Pearl S. Buck. With some variations, the second act concluded with us being neighbors in Tijax. That pleased Barbie and me immensely.
Hacienda Tijax Jungle Lodge and Marina is an exotic place with docks along the river front and small cabins connected by boardwalks (some with bathrooms) spread throughout the jungle. The office/bar and dining rooms are all open to the air and the pool is in a lovely setting surrounded by some variety of bird of paradise flower that produces more blossoms per stem than I have ever seen before. The men speak mostly Spanish except for the office manager and owner and the women do pretty well speaking English generally. It is an enchanting place. They offer excursions by foot and by horseback into the jungle and we will be doing that later on. Meanwhile, the weather has been somewhat rainy with the passing of tropical storm Arthur last week and showers continue for part of the day almost everyday. We are catching rainwater since the recommendation is to boil the piped water or treat it with iodine.
We have taken the water taxi provided by the Hacienda to Rio Dulce (a third of a mile away) and that or launch, dinghy or canoe seems to be the way most people get around. The town has a bustling main street with banks, pharmacies, hardware, variety shops and food stands which spill out onto the street. The road is a two-lane affair and is the main highway to Guatemala City so the heavy truck traffic crawls along with the pedestrian traffic just inches apart. This part of the town used to be called Fronteras and was separated by the river from Rellenos on the opposite bank.
An 85 foot high bridge connects the two towns and they are now united under the name Rio Dulce.The plan is to make this our home for six months until the hurricane season ends. I feel like we are on vacation when I sit and read next to the pool. The people are very friendly and eager to help. Example: while we searched the other day to find iodine for water purification at a farmacia, a painter who was working on the other side of the parking lot walked over, paint and roller in hand and helped us as an interpreter. Smiles all around and mission accomplished eventually. The day-to-day activities of finding the necessities of life in a foreign land, with a foreign tongue and foreign money present their minor challenges, but as long as it remains a source of entertainment and not a crisis, it is all good. The quality of the experience is controlled by outlook, temperament and attitude. So far, so good.
We are having a full-length boat shade made by a local canvas maker. During this time we expect to tour the area by bus, visiting Guatemala City and the old capitol Antigua, visiting the various Mayan ruins and enrolling in a Spanish language school in Antigua for immersion learning so we may enjoy the culture at a deeper level. We may haul the boat out of the water and get the bottom repainted, the prop and stuffing boxes serviced and get a thorough cleaning and waxing. We expect to return to the US for a month or more to drive and see Barb’s “new” sister in the Seattle area, her godmother in Pelican Rapids, Minnesota and possibly, if time allows and we hold up, get to Springfield, VA/Washington, DC to see my parents and brother. Maybe we will be able to connect somewhere with Tom and Vickie as they travel by kayak.
This season’s cruise is concluded. We have no set plans for more, but now we have the summer and fall to do land based activities and decide what comes next. That’s it for now.
Till next time, be well!
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Entering Guatemala and the Rio Dulce
On Wednesday, May 28th, the wind is calm and the seas behind the cape are calm as well. As we hoist the anchor at 0800, the skies are darkening and on the radar I see that rain is advancing toward us from astern. We have a rising tide around 0815 and want that to cross “The Bar” about two hours away. We get some light squalls and as we approach the buoy I find that it is not where it is charted. Consequently I have to decide, do I follow the course in the cruising guide or some other heading. Jupiter’s Smile needs 4.33 feet of flat water and “The Bar” has a reported controlling depth of 5.8 feet at mean low water so I am not too worried for us, but I am guiding Pearl S. Buck and she needs 6 feet of flat water and I am worried for her. It is past mean low water on a rising tide so that is good, but the seas are no longer flat and that is not so good. I decide to head toward the river gorge opening, which is only two degrees different from the cruising guide heading, but it seems to compensate reasonably for where the buoy now lies. About 200 yards beyond the buoy the bottom rises to about 6.5 feet on my depth sounder and then less and less until I see 5.9 feet. I report this progression (recession) to Bryan on the VHF as we are both motoring slowly along. Yes, he bumps, but does not stop as he plows a shallow furrow across the bar and then we are back into deeper water. We line up the microwave towers per the cruising guide, then turn parallel to the city’s concrete dock about one hundred yards out and drop the anchor in the current of the river’s flow as it begins to rain harder. 
It is 1030. We hail the Port Captain, but he does not answer. He hadn’t answered the catamaran captain who called earlier either, but Raúl did and arranged for the catamaran's clearance within an hour’s time, the captain told us as he was returning to his boat with his clearance paperwork in hand. We called the Port Captain one more time and Raúl responded, telling us to switch to channel 14 and there, that “the Port Capitan never answers the radio. Do you see any other boats coming?” We didn’t see any boats, just us two. Raúl would arrange for the boarding party to come out in about 20 minutes for their inspection. Then it started to rain very hard, and so we waited. Then in the rain I saw an approaching sailboat, so I took the opportunity to call Raúl to report this and he said, “good,” but that the officials would wait until the rain was not so hard before they came to the boats. In about an hour and a half the rain stopped, the sun came out; the boats had been well rinsed in the first rain we had seen in almost six months. The officials came to Pearl S. Buck first and took ten minutes. Then it was our turn, and I had all our paperwork and copies of documents for the Customs, Immigration, Sanitation and Health officers laid out on our saloon table; so they went below, picked up what they needed, asked a few questions, and left saying that we could pick up our stamped passports and permits from Raúl shortly. Then they departed. We lowered our quarantine flag as ordered leaving the Guatemalan courtesy flag flying and took our dinghy to the dock to find Raúl. A thirty year old “boat boy” said he would watch our dinghy, and a thirteen year old escorted us to Raúl’s office. Raúl said to return after lunch, and it would cost 1075Q ($145 USD) for our paperwork and permits good for ninety days. We found the bank and exchanged dollars for quetzales ($1 : 7.34Q) and walked around town, stopping to purchase some produce and some cold cervezas. 
We doffed our hats for a coffin-laden pickup truck leading a procession of mourners. Dorothy snapped a quick photo, and we went back to Raúl’s where we paid and collected our papers. Raúl explained that for 1100Q he could expedite the extension of our permits to a full year. We would consider that, but not now. We had ninety days to see how things went.
We doffed our hats for a coffin-laden pickup truck leading a procession of mourners. Dorothy snapped a quick photo, and we went back to Raúl’s where we paid and collected our papers. Raúl explained that for 1100Q he could expedite the extension of our permits to a full year. We would consider that, but not now. We had ninety days to see how things went. We returned to the dinghy, tipped the boat boy, and were underway at 2:45 PM up river with great 
anticipation!
anticipation! The photos speak for themselves, but capture only a hint of the exotic beauty of the gorgeous gorge.
At 4:30 PM we were anchored in Texan Bay off the Marina at Texan Bay. At the marina, the crews of the two boats went ashore and celebrated our wonderful day and arrival with a good dinner; and we each had a couple of drinks, all for about $20 per couple. That Wednesday night it rained again and it rained off and on heavily enough that we filled our water tanks and jugs quickly and then read a few books, did some puzzles, watched some movies and talked. We got off the boat for a few hours on Friday and explored the area by dinghy before it rained again. On Saturday we raised our anchors; and we motored up El Golfete, stopping to eat lunch behind Cayo Juan before anchoring first near the marina at Hacienda Tijax, but too near Rio Dulce’s water taxi landing, and then finally back around the point in a quieter spot for the night. We had Bryan and Dorothy aboard for dinner and planned for the 1st of June arrival at Tijax Marina.
Clearing Mexico and approaching Guatemala
We left with Tisha Baby at 1240 the next day planning to clear out of Mexico at Xcalak after we completed an overnight and two-day sail. A few hours out the wind turned contrary so Richard decided to head for Cozumel instead. We had heard that the weather might turn sour in a few days with a tropical wave meeting up with a low-pressure area, so we decided to keep heading south to beat it. Near sundown we heard that they were approaching the northern end of Cozumel while we, attaining over eight knots, continued on a close reach into the dusk. We reduced sail just before dark and through the night we sailed on. Each time we approached a cape or point we experienced confused seas as we were trying to stay somewhat close to shore to avoid the famous three to four knot Yucatan current. Our tactics allowed us to experience no more than a one-knot unfavorable current, but exposed us to an uncomfortable and wet ride. Twenty-six hours later we dropped anchor behind the reef in Bahia Del Espiritu Santo. In order to arrive in Xcalak with good light we lifted anchor at 0140 in the morning. Barbie’s note on the calendar spans four days – “Awful passage!” It was four days because when we got to Xcalak just after 3PM the next day the seas were very large and breaking across the reef-bordered entrance to the harbor. I used the VHF radio to contact any station that might advise us about entering and we heard from S/V Lyric that the port captain had had a heart attack and his assistant had cancer so the office had been closed for a week with no opening date planned. Furthermore, Lyric had planned to clear into Mexico, but failing that, they still supposed that they would be stuck there until the weather settled a week later. I decided to push on to Punta Gorda, Belize and beg for mercy for not having cleared out of Mexico due to the threat to our safety. By the time we neared Punta Gorda the seas were just as bad and now it was nearing sundown so the light for reading the water depths was poor. Again, I decided to push southbound and into our third night at sea. At about 9 PM, nearing Belize City I called Pearl S. Buck on VHF, but got no answer. S/V Spray answered advising us that they were anchored near Pearl off Caye Caulker so we asked them to relay our greeting. They also advised us to not try our planned route in the dark due to the coral heads that were interspersed along it, but to enter English Channel thirty nm farther south instead and then gave us the coordinates of an anchorage inside the entrance to the channel. It was not good news, but it was good information and we followed it. We anchored behind Water Cay at 0200 on the 22nd.
The next day, we awoke and played in the water before deciding to call a marina to clear into Belize. Cucumber Beach Marina was recommended in our cruising guide as a convenient location for clearance so we went there. It was convenient, but expensive. The next morning, officers from Customs, Immigration, Health and Agriculture and Sanitation all clamored aboard after coming from Belize City and charging $25 USD each for the expense of the trip. On top of that we were charged $20 USD by Customs and $30 USD by Health and Agriculture for a D-Rat certificate certifying that we had been checked for rats. They were not pleased that we had not cleared out of Mexico, but seemed to understand our situation. I guess they really didn’t like being called away from their air-conditioned offices to sit in our boat’s cockpit in the sweltering heat (even at 0900) so maybe they took it out on us in fees. Maybe not? The Sanitation Officer who checked the two houseplants that Barbie brought up from the saloon to him made the only actual inspection. Otherwise they all simply sat, checked paperwork and collected copies while making me fill out and sign and stamp some more. Then we had to go to Belize City ourselves to pick up the D-Rat certificate at the Health and Agriculture office later that day. We got a ride into the city from a car leaving the marina and they dropped us off within a block of the office. The certificate was ready when we got there so we decided we would tour for the remainder of the day. The downside of that was that it was hot. Barbie observed that where even children carry a washcloth to wipe their sweat – that’s too hot. We had a nice lunch in the breeze on a deck overlooking Belize Bay and as we ate we got some advice about repelling no-see-ums using a citronella oil fired lantern and where to find one. There are several hardware stores close together in downtown Belize City and we visited three before we found what we had been told to get. We spent $12 USD (cheap!) We rode the bus back to the marina $1.50 USD for the two of us (cheap!) and paid for the marina fee the next morning - $31.20 USD for two nights (very cheap!) E-mail, but not Internet access (I don’t know how they did that. Is it censorship?) (free!). We got caught up with our incoming e-mail and got a chance to answer a few. Several e-mails acknowledged Barbie’s birthday. Mike Nolen is sailing his S/V the Great Escape – our previous sailboat in the San Juan Islands of British Columbia. Dad is doing okay, out of the skilled nursing facility and back to the apartment after his hip replacement surgery. Even though my retired meteorologist brother was traveling with Vickie by kayak up the East coast (you must check his blogsite - http://turtletooblog.blogspot.com ), Tom saw fit to take time to e-mail us and warn us of a tropical cyclone possibly headed our way around June 1 – the official start of hurricane season.
With that in the back of my mind and our business completed, we pulled out of the marina to head about 20 miles north to Caye Caulker (Corker Key) to meet Bryan and Dorothy on Pearl S. Buck. They gave us directions on what to see and where to go on the Caye and we enjoyed a nice walk along the beach front and then back inland three blocks to the bakery to buy some fresh bread. Another two blocks inland brought us to the bay side and back to our dinghy. We returned to visit again with Bryan and Dorothy to report on the delights we found on Caye Caulker and to discuss the next move with an ear toward the weather warnings and an eye on the calendar date June 1. If a named storm occurred and we were not in a marina on the Rio Dulce, our insurance would pay nothing for loss or damage to our boat.
We left Caye Caulker Sunday morning and had a very pleasant sail to Colson Cays and did some snorkeling after we anchored. On Monday, we heard Tisha Baby getting the weather news from Chris Parker and the possibility of the tropical wave becoming a storm came up, confirming what Tom had sent us four days before. We headed for Placencias Cay arriving in plenty of time to walk through the village, enjoy a tropical drink at a beachside bar and to return to the boats along their famous and picturesque mile long sidewalk. On Tuesday, the weather news seemed to heighten the treat level so we decided clear out of Belize here at Placencias. Bryan and I dinghyed to shore at 0700, walked to the water taxi and bought a $6 USD round trip ticket. Arriving in the village of Independence we caught a taxi agreeing on a price of $12.50 USD to go to Immigration at the police station and then to Customs at the ship port and back to the water taxi. “It should take an hour tops.” The policeman/immigration officer was at his office early so we were able to get our passports stamped and drive to the Customs office by 0800. By 0830 the taxi driver was worried so while four other cruising boat captains arrived in a second taxi, our guy decided he would go to the officers house to see what was keeping him. We speculated that he had celebrated Commonwealth Day heartily and was now late for work, but he was not at home (or dead in the house.) We learned that he was on vacation instead and that a substitute officer was coming from another port “soon.” After treating our driver to some tacos and a juice at a roadside stand and getting some air in a tire we returned to the Customs office and began chatting with the other cruisers. At 1030 the substitute officer and the Port Captain drove up. We were happy to see the Customs Officer, but not so the Port Captain. If the Port Captain is not around the Customs Officer clears you out of the country with no fee. Being present, the Port Captain asks to see the ships papers, draws up a certificate that he hands to me, that I hand to the Customs Officer, that he stamps and hands back to me and I hand back to the Port Captain with $45 USD. Our taxi driver gets us back to the water taxi in time for the 1100 boat and we give him $20 USD. At 1200 we are underway in the direction of Rio Dulce. I was ambivalent about that decision because we had not really seen Belize and its beautiful cays, but with safety in mind we decided to avoid conflict with bad weather. The cays would wait until we emerge from the jungle in the fall and we will visit them then. We hear Tisha Baby on the radio intermittently and they expect to hunker down for the bad weather in Placencia and sail around, arriving in the Rio Dulce July 1.
As forecasted the winds are light, but as we approach the Gulf of Honduras the seas increase. Then Barbie catches a nice fish that we land and dispatch with a splash of rum in the gills. As Barb is filleting the fish the boat is pitching, but she manages to do a creditable job and we get several servings bagged and into the frig and the cockpit cleaned up as the seas and now the winds continue to build. We are approaching Cabo Tres Puntas and the current is opposing the wind, which steepens the waves. Once we round the cape and run a few more miles it will be dark so we anchor just beyond the cape, the surge of the swells and just before dark. The prior two nights we had been witness to some lightening flashes in the distant clouds and that night was no exception, but now we were within nine miles of our goal of Livingston, Guatemala with the last two obstacles facing us Wednesday morning. The fabled “Bar” and clearing into the country.
The next day, we awoke and played in the water before deciding to call a marina to clear into Belize. Cucumber Beach Marina was recommended in our cruising guide as a convenient location for clearance so we went there. It was convenient, but expensive. The next morning, officers from Customs, Immigration, Health and Agriculture and Sanitation all clamored aboard after coming from Belize City and charging $25 USD each for the expense of the trip. On top of that we were charged $20 USD by Customs and $30 USD by Health and Agriculture for a D-Rat certificate certifying that we had been checked for rats. They were not pleased that we had not cleared out of Mexico, but seemed to understand our situation. I guess they really didn’t like being called away from their air-conditioned offices to sit in our boat’s cockpit in the sweltering heat (even at 0900) so maybe they took it out on us in fees. Maybe not? The Sanitation Officer who checked the two houseplants that Barbie brought up from the saloon to him made the only actual inspection. Otherwise they all simply sat, checked paperwork and collected copies while making me fill out and sign and stamp some more. Then we had to go to Belize City ourselves to pick up the D-Rat certificate at the Health and Agriculture office later that day. We got a ride into the city from a car leaving the marina and they dropped us off within a block of the office. The certificate was ready when we got there so we decided we would tour for the remainder of the day. The downside of that was that it was hot. Barbie observed that where even children carry a washcloth to wipe their sweat – that’s too hot. We had a nice lunch in the breeze on a deck overlooking Belize Bay and as we ate we got some advice about repelling no-see-ums using a citronella oil fired lantern and where to find one. There are several hardware stores close together in downtown Belize City and we visited three before we found what we had been told to get. We spent $12 USD (cheap!) We rode the bus back to the marina $1.50 USD for the two of us (cheap!) and paid for the marina fee the next morning - $31.20 USD for two nights (very cheap!) E-mail, but not Internet access (I don’t know how they did that. Is it censorship?) (free!). We got caught up with our incoming e-mail and got a chance to answer a few. Several e-mails acknowledged Barbie’s birthday. Mike Nolen is sailing his S/V the Great Escape – our previous sailboat in the San Juan Islands of British Columbia. Dad is doing okay, out of the skilled nursing facility and back to the apartment after his hip replacement surgery. Even though my retired meteorologist brother was traveling with Vickie by kayak up the East coast (you must check his blogsite - http://turtletooblog.blogspot.com ), Tom saw fit to take time to e-mail us and warn us of a tropical cyclone possibly headed our way around June 1 – the official start of hurricane season.
With that in the back of my mind and our business completed, we pulled out of the marina to head about 20 miles north to Caye Caulker (Corker Key) to meet Bryan and Dorothy on Pearl S. Buck. They gave us directions on what to see and where to go on the Caye and we enjoyed a nice walk along the beach front and then back inland three blocks to the bakery to buy some fresh bread. Another two blocks inland brought us to the bay side and back to our dinghy. We returned to visit again with Bryan and Dorothy to report on the delights we found on Caye Caulker and to discuss the next move with an ear toward the weather warnings and an eye on the calendar date June 1. If a named storm occurred and we were not in a marina on the Rio Dulce, our insurance would pay nothing for loss or damage to our boat.
We left Caye Caulker Sunday morning and had a very pleasant sail to Colson Cays and did some snorkeling after we anchored. On Monday, we heard Tisha Baby getting the weather news from Chris Parker and the possibility of the tropical wave becoming a storm came up, confirming what Tom had sent us four days before. We headed for Placencias Cay arriving in plenty of time to walk through the village, enjoy a tropical drink at a beachside bar and to return to the boats along their famous and picturesque mile long sidewalk. On Tuesday, the weather news seemed to heighten the treat level so we decided clear out of Belize here at Placencias. Bryan and I dinghyed to shore at 0700, walked to the water taxi and bought a $6 USD round trip ticket. Arriving in the village of Independence we caught a taxi agreeing on a price of $12.50 USD to go to Immigration at the police station and then to Customs at the ship port and back to the water taxi. “It should take an hour tops.” The policeman/immigration officer was at his office early so we were able to get our passports stamped and drive to the Customs office by 0800. By 0830 the taxi driver was worried so while four other cruising boat captains arrived in a second taxi, our guy decided he would go to the officers house to see what was keeping him. We speculated that he had celebrated Commonwealth Day heartily and was now late for work, but he was not at home (or dead in the house.) We learned that he was on vacation instead and that a substitute officer was coming from another port “soon.” After treating our driver to some tacos and a juice at a roadside stand and getting some air in a tire we returned to the Customs office and began chatting with the other cruisers. At 1030 the substitute officer and the Port Captain drove up. We were happy to see the Customs Officer, but not so the Port Captain. If the Port Captain is not around the Customs Officer clears you out of the country with no fee. Being present, the Port Captain asks to see the ships papers, draws up a certificate that he hands to me, that I hand to the Customs Officer, that he stamps and hands back to me and I hand back to the Port Captain with $45 USD. Our taxi driver gets us back to the water taxi in time for the 1100 boat and we give him $20 USD. At 1200 we are underway in the direction of Rio Dulce. I was ambivalent about that decision because we had not really seen Belize and its beautiful cays, but with safety in mind we decided to avoid conflict with bad weather. The cays would wait until we emerge from the jungle in the fall and we will visit them then. We hear Tisha Baby on the radio intermittently and they expect to hunker down for the bad weather in Placencia and sail around, arriving in the Rio Dulce July 1.
As forecasted the winds are light, but as we approach the Gulf of Honduras the seas increase. Then Barbie catches a nice fish that we land and dispatch with a splash of rum in the gills. As Barb is filleting the fish the boat is pitching, but she manages to do a creditable job and we get several servings bagged and into the frig and the cockpit cleaned up as the seas and now the winds continue to build. We are approaching Cabo Tres Puntas and the current is opposing the wind, which steepens the waves. Once we round the cape and run a few more miles it will be dark so we anchor just beyond the cape, the surge of the swells and just before dark. The prior two nights we had been witness to some lightening flashes in the distant clouds and that night was no exception, but now we were within nine miles of our goal of Livingston, Guatemala with the last two obstacles facing us Wednesday morning. The fabled “Bar” and clearing into the country.
Pto. Morales & Tulum
Puerto Morales Lights
Tulum RuinsIn Isla Mujeres, May 9th on the morning net we heard of a “non-emergency boat watch” for S/V Pearl S. Buck and S/V Destiny. We were waiting for Bryan on Pearl S. Buck to arrive ourselves and were startled to hear of this inquiry so we answered the call with “info” of our own. We learned that Destiny had had engine trouble and that neither boat had been heard from recently. Barbie remarked that even without engine trouble we didn’t expect Bryan for a few more days anyway. It turned out that Cathy, the wife of the captain of Destiny had the concern and was searching for information. We told her that we were friends of Bryan’s and that while we did not know about her husband we would at least meet her and provide moral support. She appreciated that.
When Pearl S. Buck arrived on the 10th, Bryan told us that they had left Galveston the day before Destiny and they were not in contact as they traveled. Meanwhile, Kathy heard from her husband and that they were safe in Progresso, MX on the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and that had gotten their engine fixed. We met Dorothy who had committed to crew with Bryan six weeks prior to the trip and Georgie who had committed to crew just days before the trip. Luckily they had enough crew to hand steer the boat after the autopilot quit 250 nm into the 700 nm trip. It was great to see Bryan again and to meet his crew and Kathy joined us all on Jupiter’s Smile for a reunion.
Having left their boat in Progresso, that evening the crew of Destiny arrived in Isla Mujeres along with some friends who had not been crew. They invited us to dinner at the house they had rented so the five of us found a cab and squeezed in for the agreed upon 50 peso ride, but we had not agreed to get lost. By the time we got there the hosts had stirred up some turmoil between them, but we had a great dinner just the same. And the house was a three-story, cliff-side-sea-side, Architectural Digest cover photo palace! Flush from their adventures the crew of Destiny had stories to tell. It had been their first offshore passage. Bryan had been aboard Pearl S. Buck for over four years and had crossed the Gulf five times, sailed to Connecticut with us for several months and then to the Bahamas with us. Dorothy had all but circumnavigated the planet for ten years and Georgie had owned her own boat for several years as well. We sat and listened politely to the exploits of the crew whose boat was still in Progresso and all kinds of sailing advice they had for us. It was a surreal evening and like nothing I had ever experienced before. At nearly midnight there were no longer any cabs at the taxi stand so we started walking. Fortunately, Dorothy and I, having lagged behind the trio in front of us, were able to flag down an unsuspecting cab driver that was only a little perplexed when the couple he thought he was picking up turned into a quintuple. We returned to our boats and have not heard from Destiny since, but we think that Cathy and Len are sailing down the coast by themselves toward the Rio Dulce.
Georgie’s husband is undergoing cancer treatments and the plan was to sail Pearl S. Buck to Belize City where either he would fly from Texas to join her for a land tour if he were well enough or she would fly back to Texas to be with him if he wasn’t well enough. Bryan and the women sailed the next day.
On the 16th of May, Tisha Baby arrived from Key West. Barb and I accompanied Richard and Pam to help them check into Mexico and we completed the process in 45 minutes! We were able to buy some groceries, tour the town and have lunch at our now favorite beachside restaurante, Mimino’s followed by our seventh happy hour at Marina Paraiso. The next day we sailed for Puerto Morelas arriving in time to snorkel the reef and enjoy happy hour at a beachside cantina. For Barbie’s birthday we traveled with Daniel and Josianne from S/V Gone and Michel and
Brigitte from S/V Epsilon by classe primero bus to Tulum to visit the site of the Mayan ruins overlooking the sea. See photos. We six returned to Puerto Morelas to dine with Pam and Richard to 
celebrate Barbie’s birthday. Pam made a great chocolate cake with a rich chocolate icing and Barb heard happy birthday renditions in English, French and Quebecoise.
When Pearl S. Buck arrived on the 10th, Bryan told us that they had left Galveston the day before Destiny and they were not in contact as they traveled. Meanwhile, Kathy heard from her husband and that they were safe in Progresso, MX on the northern coast of the Yucatan Peninsula and that had gotten their engine fixed. We met Dorothy who had committed to crew with Bryan six weeks prior to the trip and Georgie who had committed to crew just days before the trip. Luckily they had enough crew to hand steer the boat after the autopilot quit 250 nm into the 700 nm trip. It was great to see Bryan again and to meet his crew and Kathy joined us all on Jupiter’s Smile for a reunion.
Having left their boat in Progresso, that evening the crew of Destiny arrived in Isla Mujeres along with some friends who had not been crew. They invited us to dinner at the house they had rented so the five of us found a cab and squeezed in for the agreed upon 50 peso ride, but we had not agreed to get lost. By the time we got there the hosts had stirred up some turmoil between them, but we had a great dinner just the same. And the house was a three-story, cliff-side-sea-side, Architectural Digest cover photo palace! Flush from their adventures the crew of Destiny had stories to tell. It had been their first offshore passage. Bryan had been aboard Pearl S. Buck for over four years and had crossed the Gulf five times, sailed to Connecticut with us for several months and then to the Bahamas with us. Dorothy had all but circumnavigated the planet for ten years and Georgie had owned her own boat for several years as well. We sat and listened politely to the exploits of the crew whose boat was still in Progresso and all kinds of sailing advice they had for us. It was a surreal evening and like nothing I had ever experienced before. At nearly midnight there were no longer any cabs at the taxi stand so we started walking. Fortunately, Dorothy and I, having lagged behind the trio in front of us, were able to flag down an unsuspecting cab driver that was only a little perplexed when the couple he thought he was picking up turned into a quintuple. We returned to our boats and have not heard from Destiny since, but we think that Cathy and Len are sailing down the coast by themselves toward the Rio Dulce.
Georgie’s husband is undergoing cancer treatments and the plan was to sail Pearl S. Buck to Belize City where either he would fly from Texas to join her for a land tour if he were well enough or she would fly back to Texas to be with him if he wasn’t well enough. Bryan and the women sailed the next day.
On the 16th of May, Tisha Baby arrived from Key West. Barb and I accompanied Richard and Pam to help them check into Mexico and we completed the process in 45 minutes! We were able to buy some groceries, tour the town and have lunch at our now favorite beachside restaurante, Mimino’s followed by our seventh happy hour at Marina Paraiso. The next day we sailed for Puerto Morelas arriving in time to snorkel the reef and enjoy happy hour at a beachside cantina. For Barbie’s birthday we traveled with Daniel and Josianne from S/V Gone and Michel and
Brigitte from S/V Epsilon by classe primero bus to Tulum to visit the site of the Mayan ruins overlooking the sea. See photos. We six returned to Puerto Morelas to dine with Pam and Richard to 
celebrate Barbie’s birthday. Pam made a great chocolate cake with a rich chocolate icing and Barb heard happy birthday renditions in English, French and Quebecoise.Richard & Pam
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