3/17/19
sunny. 84 degrees
Oh my...what has happened? I have fallen off the blog entries. So sorry. Our time in Guatemala before our departure was filled with angst. We had to replace all 6 of our batteries, which was a big hit to our sailing budget. We had just replaced all of them 2 years ago in Panama and now we are here again....they should have lasted at least another 3+ years. But there you have it....BOAT...Break Out Another Thousand!
Then we were on a time restraint with friends arriving in Roatan on March 7th and our new dingy was not finished yet. So, as that was being completed we got busy and prepared s/v Island Sol for leaving the Rio. We got our new and improved dingy in the water and headed out for Livingston to check out of the country on March 4th. We had called ahead to the agent, Raul, and he had one of his employees meet us at our boat, collect our passports and boat papers and in less than an hour, they were back with our exit papers....Wham Bam Thank You Mam! An then off we went sailing non-stop to Utila, Honduras. It was a miserable 24 hr. sail, or rather motor sail due to mixed up seas and an unfavorable wind. But we arrived in Utila around noon on the 5th. We were glad to be able to check into Honduras here as it is a one-stop shop, so to speak. But as luck would have it that was not meant to be. Their immigration person did not exist, so we were unable to check in and had to do that in Roatan....a much more lengthy ordeal. Charlie stood in line at the bank for about 45 mins. so we could exchange our US $ for Honduran Lempiras. One Lempira equals 4 cents US. We ended up taking a tuk-tuk....the international motorcycle with a covered back seat...to Mango Tango for Tapas Tuesday. We were not sure what to expect, but it was fabulous. We picked 5 different tapas and with 2 cocktails under our belt, it was lights out on our return to the boat.
The next morning we got underway early and made a 4-hour sail to Roatan and the mooring field at West End in the Roatan Marine Park. As we approached our entrance into the cut in the reef we were not sure if we would find a mooring ball as there were a lot of boats there. But, we did find one and what a relief to not be on an anchor where you worry all night if you are dragging or not. It is a high probability that you will remain in place on a mooring ball, which offers a good nights sleep.
So we arrived on the 6th and our friends, David and Steve arrived on the set date of the 7th. We were cutting it close and the sailor quote of...."You can pick your time and you can pick your place, but you can't pick your time AND your place" was not a problem. So the next week we toured the island, drank and ate and ate and drank. A sail to Cayos Cochinos, 4 hrs. toward the mainland, some snorkeling and just in general a good time was had by all.
Sunday, March 17, 2019
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Ola from the Rio
2/20/19
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
95 degrees and sunny
Hello everyone, Charlie and I have now been on the Rio for 2 weeks. Our flight was really nice, Charlie brought 4 little bottles of vodka and we bought 2 cans of Mrs. T's and took off into the friendly skies. We chatted with 2 women behind us with 2 dogs and a Honduran "singing Dentist" in the aisle across from us. The steward on the plane talked to us at length about Roatan as he was going on a cruise the next day and that was one of his destinations. All of this made for a quick flight. Giovanni, our driver/friend picked us up in La Ceba, Honduras and after cramming all of our bags into his Toyota we started off for Guatemala. This turned out to be a 4 hr. trip with several stops by military police to check the trunk and our passports, a stop at the border with immigration and then finally arriving at 7:00 pm. Here Luvi and his son Rodrigo (owner of the maria) picked up us in his launcha and took us to our floating home, Island Sol. It was a long day and we were exhausted, but Charlie got the AC up and running before we finally fell into bed around 11:00.
Life on the river has not changed much. On our trip into town the next day for some food and provisions we ran into several old sailing friends. The expat community here is big and well, it was like a reunion. The town is still busy with people and trucks and cars up and down the streets. Things are still stinky and dirty and you have to be really careful as the 18 wheelers are only inches from you as you walk the street.
Life in the marina is much slower and definitely cleaner. Luvi, the owner of our marina was and his wife Amy were making coconut milk for soup. No can opening here, this is the real thing. Very interesting. After shredding the coconut meat from the shell, they place it in a blender and add a little water ....then coconut milk.
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
95 degrees and sunny
Hello everyone, Charlie and I have now been on the Rio for 2 weeks. Our flight was really nice, Charlie brought 4 little bottles of vodka and we bought 2 cans of Mrs. T's and took off into the friendly skies. We chatted with 2 women behind us with 2 dogs and a Honduran "singing Dentist" in the aisle across from us. The steward on the plane talked to us at length about Roatan as he was going on a cruise the next day and that was one of his destinations. All of this made for a quick flight. Giovanni, our driver/friend picked us up in La Ceba, Honduras and after cramming all of our bags into his Toyota we started off for Guatemala. This turned out to be a 4 hr. trip with several stops by military police to check the trunk and our passports, a stop at the border with immigration and then finally arriving at 7:00 pm. Here Luvi and his son Rodrigo (owner of the maria) picked up us in his launcha and took us to our floating home, Island Sol. It was a long day and we were exhausted, but Charlie got the AC up and running before we finally fell into bed around 11:00.
Life on the river has not changed much. On our trip into town the next day for some food and provisions we ran into several old sailing friends. The expat community here is big and well, it was like a reunion. The town is still busy with people and trucks and cars up and down the streets. Things are still stinky and dirty and you have to be really careful as the 18 wheelers are only inches from you as you walk the street.
Life in the marina is much slower and definitely cleaner. Luvi, the owner of our marina was and his wife Amy were making coconut milk for soup. No can opening here, this is the real thing. Very interesting. After shredding the coconut meat from the shell, they place it in a blender and add a little water ....then coconut milk.
Tuesday, February 5, 2019
Time to Sail Away Again
2/5/19
Cat Spring, Texas
Yes, it is time to head south. This season will be shorter due to a lot of things, but we are getting ready for our 7th sailing season. It is hard to believe we have been doing this for 6 years so far. On Feb. 12 we will fly to San Pedro Sula, Honduras where our favorite driver, Geovanni, will pick us up and drive us 3 1/2 hrs. back to Rio Dulce, Guatemala, where s/v Island Sol, our floating home will be waiting for us.
Charlie is toying with the idea of building a rigid fiberglass dingy to export to the US to sell. Since we had our Colibri (our fiberglass dingy) shipped back to the states for US Coast Guard inspection we need to have another one built before we take off to Roatan, Honduras. So we will be hanging around the "Rio" for a few weeks.
So stay tuned and I will promise to blog this trip and hope to encounter more fun on the "high seas" and also under the sea as well.
Cat Spring, Texas
Yes, it is time to head south. This season will be shorter due to a lot of things, but we are getting ready for our 7th sailing season. It is hard to believe we have been doing this for 6 years so far. On Feb. 12 we will fly to San Pedro Sula, Honduras where our favorite driver, Geovanni, will pick us up and drive us 3 1/2 hrs. back to Rio Dulce, Guatemala, where s/v Island Sol, our floating home will be waiting for us.
Charlie is toying with the idea of building a rigid fiberglass dingy to export to the US to sell. Since we had our Colibri (our fiberglass dingy) shipped back to the states for US Coast Guard inspection we need to have another one built before we take off to Roatan, Honduras. So we will be hanging around the "Rio" for a few weeks.
So stay tuned and I will promise to blog this trip and hope to encounter more fun on the "high seas" and also under the sea as well.
Tuesday, January 17, 2017
Roatan, Honduras (Fantasy Island)
1/17/17
Oh, my to be stuck in paradise! We have been here 25 days now and can not get out of here. Roatan is, of course, a beautiful island. Unfortunately for the cruising community, it is a very large island and the only way around it is by car. You can take your dinghy here and there, but not very far from the "mother ship". So, it makes it difficult to shop or sightsee without renting an expensive taxi or rental car. Both of which we have done.
The island is also, from what we have experienced so far, not a gastronomical feast, as was Isla Mujeres, Mexico. We did get a ride to Punta Gorda and had traditional island fare out over the water. Met some locals who offered us a "drink" from their bottle, followed by a sip of Orange Crush. The older gentleman told Charlie is would be good for his sex life when we got back to the boat. (yeah...whatever)....
Most of our days are spent laying around reading or "bobbing" in the water with our British friends, Jan and Richard. So not only am I learning Spanish but "English" as well from them. We will be sailing to Panama with them in our small flotilla. We have done one dive trip (a 2 tank dive) to Mary's Place and Gold Chain. These are 2 dive sites very near Fantasy Island. The dive boat drops you off on top of the reef (approximately 15') and then you make your way to the wall and down to about 65'. The coral (both soft and hard) is breathtaking. But my favorites are the sponges. Of course, it goes without saying that the reef fish are pretty cool, too. I had some great photos with our GoPro, especially of a Hawksbill Turtle that seemed to love to swim all through our group of divers. Unfortunately, my sweet husband lost the tiny chip from my camera so all photos are lost somewhere in our boat.
The local grocery store, Eldon's, sends a large bus to the "Tiki Palapa"....the meeting ground of the cruisers at Fantasy Island, on Tuesdays at 3:00. They wait for an hour and then return us with all our groceries, so that is a help. Presently we are thinking about trying to rent a 4-wheel drive truck so we can really explore the islands north side as well as the east end. John is looking for a way to rent a house for a month and bring his "fast" panga here from Guatemala to do some serious fishing. So if our exploration actually unfolds I will report on that in a future post. Until then....
Oh, my to be stuck in paradise! We have been here 25 days now and can not get out of here. Roatan is, of course, a beautiful island. Unfortunately for the cruising community, it is a very large island and the only way around it is by car. You can take your dinghy here and there, but not very far from the "mother ship". So, it makes it difficult to shop or sightsee without renting an expensive taxi or rental car. Both of which we have done.
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| Now, this is a MEAL |
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| Add caption |
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| Our restaurant bungalow |
Most of our days are spent laying around reading or "bobbing" in the water with our British friends, Jan and Richard. So not only am I learning Spanish but "English" as well from them. We will be sailing to Panama with them in our small flotilla. We have done one dive trip (a 2 tank dive) to Mary's Place and Gold Chain. These are 2 dive sites very near Fantasy Island. The dive boat drops you off on top of the reef (approximately 15') and then you make your way to the wall and down to about 65'. The coral (both soft and hard) is breathtaking. But my favorites are the sponges. Of course, it goes without saying that the reef fish are pretty cool, too. I had some great photos with our GoPro, especially of a Hawksbill Turtle that seemed to love to swim all through our group of divers. Unfortunately, my sweet husband lost the tiny chip from my camera so all photos are lost somewhere in our boat.
The local grocery store, Eldon's, sends a large bus to the "Tiki Palapa"....the meeting ground of the cruisers at Fantasy Island, on Tuesdays at 3:00. They wait for an hour and then return us with all our groceries, so that is a help. Presently we are thinking about trying to rent a 4-wheel drive truck so we can really explore the islands north side as well as the east end. John is looking for a way to rent a house for a month and bring his "fast" panga here from Guatemala to do some serious fishing. So if our exploration actually unfolds I will report on that in a future post. Until then....
The Bay Islands....Honduras
1/8/17
We arrived at Utila on December 23. We had been beaten up on this first and shortest leg of our trip. The trip from Livingston, Guatemala where we checked out of the country began with sunny weather and a brisk wind. We made it across to Tres Punt
es and were beginning to make it around the peninsula and getting ready to raise the main. Fortunately, John saw the boom flopping around and we had lost a clevis pin that attaches the boom to the mast. We made a u-turn and I took the wheel in the lee of the peninsula and motored back and forth until John and Charlie got the problem resolved. The evening was fast approaching, once around the corner and heading for Utila we spent the next 20 hours in hardly any wind and what we had was clocking all around the boat. The bad part was the seas...8' and coming at us in all directions...it was pretty miserable, but "whatcha" gonna do? We also had the added squall with high winds that would hit ever so often and then be gone as fast as it came.
We hit the cut in the reef to enter the harbor in Utila at daybreak and in some major rain. We dropped anchor and just sat and looked at each other, too tired to do anything else at that point. Around 1:00 pm....we dropped the dinghy and made it to shore to check into Honduras. In the past this has been a very quick entry, but no not today. Four hours later, after many walks to this office and that shop to print more copies of our paperwork and Charlie taking the port captain out to our boat for pictures (this was a new one on us), we finally got that all important "entry stamp". It is now dark thirty and we have not had any sleep or eaten. We made our way to a new restaurant, Mango Tango and had frozen Mojitos...many frozen mojitos! And, then to our surprise a fabulous dinner. Full stomachs now and bed!
We arrived at Utila on December 23. We had been beaten up on this first and shortest leg of our trip. The trip from Livingston, Guatemala where we checked out of the country began with sunny weather and a brisk wind. We made it across to Tres Punt
es and were beginning to make it around the peninsula and getting ready to raise the main. Fortunately, John saw the boom flopping around and we had lost a clevis pin that attaches the boom to the mast. We made a u-turn and I took the wheel in the lee of the peninsula and motored back and forth until John and Charlie got the problem resolved. The evening was fast approaching, once around the corner and heading for Utila we spent the next 20 hours in hardly any wind and what we had was clocking all around the boat. The bad part was the seas...8' and coming at us in all directions...it was pretty miserable, but "whatcha" gonna do? We also had the added squall with high winds that would hit ever so often and then be gone as fast as it came.
We hit the cut in the reef to enter the harbor in Utila at daybreak and in some major rain. We dropped anchor and just sat and looked at each other, too tired to do anything else at that point. Around 1:00 pm....we dropped the dinghy and made it to shore to check into Honduras. In the past this has been a very quick entry, but no not today. Four hours later, after many walks to this office and that shop to print more copies of our paperwork and Charlie taking the port captain out to our boat for pictures (this was a new one on us), we finally got that all important "entry stamp". It is now dark thirty and we have not had any sleep or eaten. We made our way to a new restaurant, Mango Tango and had frozen Mojitos...many frozen mojitos! And, then to our surprise a fabulous dinner. Full stomachs now and bed! |
| Hopefully she won't be Christmas dinner! |
Friday, January 6, 2017
12/20/16
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
The last few days have been filled with getting the boat ready for our first leg of this adventure, to Roatan, Honduras. Luv and his wife, Amy, had a big Christmas party for all of his employees. It was a catered affair at the palapa. I ate fresh fried chicharrones for the first time, and I have to say they are the bomb with a beer....not like the ones out of a package by any means. The party started around 2:30, but got into full swing by dark. I danced the night fandango and then couldn't hardly walk the next day....Charlie is laughing his ass off about this. My mind is 35, but my body is 65....damn I hate that!
So, here are some pictures of our last days on the Rio. Adios....we won't be back for a couple of years at least. It is a nice place, but it just isn't the Caribbean, what can I say!
Rio Dulce, Guatemala
The last few days have been filled with getting the boat ready for our first leg of this adventure, to Roatan, Honduras. Luv and his wife, Amy, had a big Christmas party for all of his employees. It was a catered affair at the palapa. I ate fresh fried chicharrones for the first time, and I have to say they are the bomb with a beer....not like the ones out of a package by any means. The party started around 2:30, but got into full swing by dark. I danced the night fandango and then couldn't hardly walk the next day....Charlie is laughing his ass off about this. My mind is 35, but my body is 65....damn I hate that!
So, here are some pictures of our last days on the Rio. Adios....we won't be back for a couple of years at least. It is a nice place, but it just isn't the Caribbean, what can I say!
Here is the garbage "truck" on the Rio Dulce. We were having
a nice breakfast in the sunshine and then before you knew it is
was raining cats and dogs, it can be a white out at times.
Rosita's is our most favorite restaurant on the Rio Dulce.
It's clientele is mostly rich Guatemalans and the food is excellent.
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| This is view from Rositas looking back down the river to the bridge. |
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| So here we had fresh Robalo (snook) carpaccio with avocado slices, peppers and red onion (large plate). And braised pulpo (octopus) in a fabulous spicy sauce with the best garlic bread I've ever eaten to sop up all that delicious sauce. |
Tuesday, December 27, 2016
12-14-16
Cayo Quemado, Guatemala
Sunny, hot and humid (oh
boy!)
Actually, the weather has
fluctuated between sunny and then a huge rain cloud will appear and empty all
its contents on US. Which means we are
scrambling to close all the port holes and hatches.
Cayo Quemado, is the last
bay before the river enters the gorge.
There is a small community here and several “gringos” have helped get
schools going in the area. One woman,
Kelli, raised three thousand dollars (the benefit was located at RAM Marina in
Rio Dulce) to get a music program started and to buy instruments. There is a Mayan village up the mountain that
produces woven baskets. I have been told
it is an arduous climb for an hour to get there….I don’t think my knees will
let me do that…damn!
At 3:00 today, Charlie and
I took the “Colibri” back up the lake, passing 2 more bays to visit,
Jennifer. Jennifer is a gringo that has
lived here for 25 years and has a beautiful open air home with lush gardens she
has planted. She lives here with her cat
and her dog….Dog (pronounced “dee OH gee”).
Jennifer is an artist that dabbles in all sorts of mediums. We have commissioned her to use our collected
sea glass (from Isla Mujeres, MX) to add to a turtle shell. She has decorated many cow skulls with coins
(“Cash Cow”) and seeds, glass, etc.
Besides her talent she is an interesting woman to talk with. At any rate, I joined her and two other women
for a yoga class up the hill from her home and under a beautiful palapa. (Kathe
and Janice, you would have loved this).
Back to the boat by
sunset, buying a loaf of fresh bread from the community restaurant. Again, we grilled on our new BQ pit and movie
for the night….Dead Man Down. Buenos
Noches mi amigos y amigas.
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