Belize and Christmas in Roatan

12/1/2006
 It is December and the Belize radio stations are playing Christmas music.  Some of the songs are the same, but most are island Christmas songs.  Very nice.
We are at the island "split" with Lyla and Cindy (and Aaron and Jeff)
We are anchored at Cay Caulker.  We really like this island.  The streets are sand, locals walk around bare-footed and the best food is what the locals sell on their bicycle with trays along the streets.  It is a friendly island.  No one is trying to get you to buy anything.  Things are more expensive here.


Locals  get around on bikes, very, very few vehicles.

Cokes and water are delivered in town with a tractor and trailer.

We met Santiago at the dock the first day we came and asked him about getting lobster or fish here.  He said he would go fishing and bring some to our boat.
So, he did.  He brought 6 lobsters, 9 fish and 1 conch.  Sonny asked him how much he wanted for the fish.  He said, "It doesn't matter.  Whatever you have.  An old snorkel or goggles.  My son needs some goggles".   We did not have any goggles, so we gave him a couple of our beer and a package of cigarettes, $10 US and a coke and M&M's for his son.
We ate on the beach from a fellow sailor.  He came here over two years ago on his sailboat and has not pulled up his anchor since.
He grills shrimp on the beach using his boat grill and sells them 5 for $5 Belize ($2.50 US)


12/2
Kay went walking on the island this morning with Lyla and Kaija.  Then, later, we all met in town for dinner.  We had absolutely the very best meal we have had inland for a while.  We had mashed potatoes, garlic bread and snapper, with cheesecake for $25 Belize ($12.50 US).  Sonny and Kay shared a meal and was full.  Delicious!


12/3
Blow Me Away, KaijaSong and Valentina are getting together today for dinner, before we all move north tomorrow to San Pedro to check-out of Belize.


12/4
Just a reminder....We update our current position report "Where is Valentina" (go to satellite view) on our website daily, so you can track us there at any time to see where we are in paradise.
We all headed to San Pedro, inside the reef, from Cay Caulker, where it is very thin water.  We were at high tide, but with a north wind.    We all bumped on the bottom the whole way.  It was a very long two hour trip.  We all got checked out.
  

12/5
A daytime crossing from San Pedro to Lighthouse Reef
Tuesday morning, we talked to Chris on the SSB and the weather looks pretty good Tuesday - Thursday to head to Roatan.  Higher winds and seas today than Wednesday and Thursday.
We checked in on the NW Caribbean Net as vessels underway and pulled up the anchor and headed out of San Pedro.  To get out of San Pedro, there is a solid reef that breaks at the top of the water with a break in it.  You must pass through the break.  The only problem is in the middle of the break, there is a huge coral reef that comes to the top of the water.  So, you must maneuver around the coral reef in the middle of the opening to pass through the reef.  To make matters worse, there are always big waves coming inland so it is very rough as you pass through.  Whew!
Blow Me Away is right behind us and KaijaSong is headed back to Belize City.  We will meet again down the road.  You cannot see Blow Me Away's cabin from the waves.
We have 16-20 knot winds and 5-6' seas every 7 seconds on the beam.
It was very rolly coming out of San Pedro through the reef, but, after we put the mainsail up, it helped to stabilize us.
It is still rolly, but settling down somewhat.  A platter and bowl down below fell on the sole with the last big wave.
We put on our life vests and went forward to raise the staysail.  The wind is now 15-20 knots with 5' seas and our speed with our main and staysail is 6 knots.

The plastic bottles of diet cokes just slid down on the sole.  I went down below and put them in the refrigerator for later.
The seas are calming, with a big roller every minute or two.  About 7', but, it is a nice sail.  Sometimes, you still have images of a toy sailboat in the bathtub getting tossed to a fro with the splashes and waves.
The wind is dying to 10-15 knots ,and our speed has dropped to 5 knots, so we are going to put out the jib also.   Now our speed picked up to 6.6.
We ate a banana, some cantaloupe and diet coke.  Good snack for a rolly, rocky day.
It is 3,281 feet deep right now and we have gone 8 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes.
But, no motor needed, no diesel used, a free ride.
Since leaving Kemah one year ago, we have sailed 2,661 miles (with 5 months in a marina for hurricane season).
We see a black storm cloud on our port side we are watching.  We can get our sails down in a hurry with our roller furling and electric winch.  The dark cloud dissipated and all is well.
Blow Me Away came on the VHF and said they are heading in between Lighthouse Reef and Turneffe Reef, hoping for calmer seas.  So, we jibed and are headed to the same waypoint.  They may stay, but, we plan to continue on to Honduras.
We are rolling though, the seas are behind us, so we are going to take the staysail down.  We are only sailing with the main now and are going 5.7 knots.  We are listening to Willie Nelson singing about Texas.
11:30 a.m.  Sonny is hooking up the boom brake so the main will not slam across with the rolling waves.
12:35 p.m.  We are 24 miles from Lighthouse and have figured if we continue on to Roatan, we will arrive at dark, so we called Blow Me Away and decided if we can get into Lighthouse before dark, we will do that, then head out tomorrow morning to get to Roatan in good light.  So, we are starting the engine to help us.
12:50 p.m.  It is raining.
2:00 p.m.  We are 2 hours and 18 minutes away (16 miles)  The rain has stopped.  We have following seas so we are still rocking.  But, it is OK.  It's just that "everything" in my house is tossed back and forth every 7 seconds with each wave.  It rolls to port...starboard....port....starboard...I secure everything before we leave, but it still shifts around.
3:00 p.m.  We are 1 hour and 20 minutes away.  The seas have calmed in between the reefs somewhat.  We can see blue sky.
Much nicer!

5:30 p.m.  We are safely anchored in the lee of Lighthouse Reef.  Location:  17 11.623N 87 35.967W
We grilled pork chops and fried potatoes for dinner and will go to bed early.
There is a full moon and it is just breathtakingly beautiful.

12/6
We are 87 miles to French Harbor, Roatan.
5:30 a.m.    We woke up early after a good night's rest
We listened and talked to Chris, the weatherman on the SSB, regarding weather to Roatan today.  He said it would be good, but by Thursday afternoon, wind and seas will kick up, so be there by Thursday.   The sun is out with  various clouds on the horizon.  We will probably run through some rain on our way.
But, hopefully, tonight will be cloud-free so we will have the light of the full moon to guide us thru the night.
Sonny was net controller for the NW Caribbean net today.  All went well.
We had bacon, eggs, and toast for breakfast before the overnight crossing to Honduras.  I love to smell bacon on anchorage.
It is a beautiful day.
10:00 a.m.  Blow Me Away and Valentina pulled up anchors at Lighthouse Reef.


11:00 a.m.  Safely exiting the reef

In this picture, you can see the shallow water and also a dive boat out on the reef.   You can see where the reef comes to the top of the water by the surrounding white waves.   The reef totally surrounds the island about a mile out, with small breaks in it that you pass through.  There are coral heads all inside, so you have to watch on deck to miss them.

12:00 noon  We just got back in the cockpit after a bunch of dolphins were up at our bow.  We took lots of pictures,  They were jumping totally out of the water.


We just made our turn from Lighthouse.
1:30 p.m.  We thought we may have had a fish on our line we are trolling with...we had two lines out.  One line caught the other line and both caught seaweed.  After the untangled mess, we only have one line out.  No fish today.
Sailing on....big, slow swells with 15 knots of wind.  Speed: 5.2,   Depth: 3,271 feet, 15 miles from Glover's Reef, 66 miles from Roatan
Took showers on the deck today.
2:30 p.m.  We located a squall on the radar.  It appears to be going away.
      More dolphins visited us.  There were probably 50 of them.  You could see them coming towards us in the water off our starboard side.
5:20 p.m.  What a beautiful sunset!

Bright red.....
Red sky at night, sailors delight.
Red sky at morning, sailors take warning.

And.....we have a full moon coming up in one hour.  Beautiful!

12/7
We had a great sail all night.  Neither of us got any sleep; we have a hard time on the first night of a crossing going to sleep.   We take turns (watches) while the other one rests, but, we cannot go to sleep.

We had to slow down because we would get into the harbor before daylight, so we were actually waiting for the sun to rise.
Land Ho!
The anchorage at French Harbor has a very shallow spot you have to cross, so we needed good light to see the bottom.





We anchored and within minutes, Roberto and Any were knocking on our boat.  It was so good to see them.  We have missed them.





There is a north wind blowing in and this harbor is very cramped with huge shrimp boats, so we are going to move about 5 miles down the island to Jonesville Bight.   Dave of S/V Bella Donna, does the weather for the NW Caribbean Net told us that would be a good anchorage for storms coming in and there is plenty of room, so, we pulled up anchors and headed to Jonesville Bight.
It is very nice here.  There are several other boats in the anchorage and a nice area.

12/10/2006                      
One Year Cruising Anniversary!
One year ago today, we cast off our lines at Kemah Boardwalk in the wee hours of the morning to begin our adventure.
 
During the past year, we have experienced every emotion possible, good and bad; we have learned to truly become one and trust the other's judgment and respect each other.   We realized how much we have learned, and some things we may have done different.
In our first year, we sailed (or motored) over 2,400 miles.  At about 6 mph, that is a lot.  We were at a marina for five months during hurricane season.
Things We've Learned This Past Year:
Wherever you go, most of the time, the wind is on your nose.
We ran our motor a whole lot more than we expected.
Totally trust each other.  Brought us closer together.  We like being together 24/7.
There are so many good people doing the very same thing that we are doing.
Weather rules everything.  We no longer hear any world news, but we get the report for weather every day.
You must keep your boat in top shape for it to carry you through tough times.
You are much tougher than you think you are (Gulf of Mexico).
You meet so many close friends.  And then, run into them again somewhere else.  Great reunions!
Things We Would Have Done Different:
This is a hard one, there is not a lot different we would have done.
We probably would not have bought the flat screen TV, because, we do not use it at all.  No TV stations out here, and we watch movies on the laptops.
Put more solar panels somewhere.  We plan to get a hard bimini at Cartagena and put solar panels on top of it.
Things We Do Not Like:
Storms (in the Gulf of Mexico)
Lightning
Nothing else, everything is good.
Things We Would Choose Not to Do Without:
Good, strong, sturdy boat
Good Autopilot - thanks Otto!
Good batteries
Solar Panels/Wind Generator
Chartplotter and Radar
Watermaker (we have only had this for 2 months and it is nice)
Good communication - VHF, SSB, email on board
Windlass
Good small laptop
I attempted to explain what our first year of cruising means to us in A-Z format.  Kind of cheesy maybe?
A
Always trusting your spouse's judgment, we are in this together
B
Being able to travel to exotic islands on your own boat and not have to fly home in one week when the vacation is over.
C
Catching fish, lobster, and conch and learning to clean and cook them.
D
Deciding to do it....and actually doing it.
E
Everyday is new, exciting, scary, fun, memorable, and worthwhile
F
Friends you meet along the way and meet again and again.
G
Grandkids.....yes, we sure do miss them.  Email and internet helps.
H
Healthy...we have never been healthier in our lives
I
Island Time....go to be with the sun....get up with the sun.
Try to stay up until 7:30 p.m. - Get up at 5:30 a.m.
J
Just everything we expected...but, more.
K
Keeping logs and our website updated for friends and family
L
Laid back, you can be yourself, acceptance among sailors
M
Music...fun to get with other cruisers to play and sing
N
Not for everyone, but if its in your blood, you must go to find happiness
O
Organizing the boat "daily".  Everything has a place.
P
Planning....planning...planning.  Trips, crossings, meals, provisioning.
Q
Quiet, peaceful sails with a full moon and stars
R
R&R....when you crash after a long crossing
S
Station Wagon - Your dinghy.  Your life.  You travel all over in it, take your dirty clothes to wash, haul your groceries, gas, etc.
T
Trying to think what day of the week it is.  But, does it even matter?
U
Understanding charts, maps and how things on the boat work
V
Valentina.  She has been very good to us.  Much tougher than we are.
W
Weather, it rules every day....like it or not.
X
X-rated.  Nude bathers are sometimes found showering on boats nearby.
Y
Your home is your boat, wherever she is anchored.
Z
Zero regrets....only that we did not go sooner.


We have thoroughly enjoyed our first year of cruising.  Thank you for coming aboard with us.

12/10
We have met some of the most interesting characters here in Roatan.    From where we are anchored, about 1 block away, is the "Hole in the Wall".  It is the local cruiser's restaurant hang-out.   You can connect to the internet, if it is not raining.  Since we have been here, it has rained almost non-stop.   So, updating the website has been a real chore.    You can bring your trash ashore here.  You can even shower there, if you desire.

On Sunday's, they have a buffet in the afternoon with tenderloin steak, lobster and crab, all you can eat for $20 US.   Most of the cruiser's do not eat there for the buffet, but the tourist will come in on boats to eat at the "Hole in the Wall".
Bob, the owner has a scarlet Macaw parrot named Abu.  Abu rules at "The Hole in the Wall".
One afternoon on the VHF radio we heard, "Come... Beast..... Come....."     After asking around, it was one of the assistants at the "Hole in the Wall" with a boat nearby.  He calls his cat, Beast, who is on the boat nearby, from  the VHF radio in the restaurant to let Beast know it is time to come eat.
Between the Hole in the Wall and our boat is a grounded cement boat that has been made into a local bar, the "Float and Drink".  See the boat under the building in the photo below?  The locals here love country and western music.  They play loud music until sometimes 4 in the morning.

To go to any town on the island, from here, you have to go in your dinghy about 1 mile, between islands, through a little channel until you get to BJ's Backyard.  She has a restaurant and will let you park your dinghy to walk to town.

Then, you follow the sidewalk path through the village about 1/2 mile until you get to the end, where the taxi waits.
Then, it is about $1 per person and they will take you to town, about a 30 minute drive.
The harbor where boats anchor are lined with small houses that the locals live in.

Here is an outhouse - over the water, of course.  
There are also some pigs here - over the water, of course.

12/12
Today was a very good day!
Our generator has not worked since November 1st and we were waiting to go to Le Ceiba to get it repaired.  It was leaking water out the bottom.
Greg, on S/V Lone Star Love, volunteered to help Sonny check it and see if he could repair it.  So, he came over yesterday and today and repaired a metal line that had a hole in it.  So.....our generator is working again and we can charge our batteries with it rather than the engine.  We are so thankful.
This afternoon, Aaron and Lyla, Damon, Greg, Sonny and Kay went snorkeling and fishing.  It was pretty far down the coast, but it was nice.  The water was still a little cloudy from the recent rains, but it was pretty.  Not as many fish as Belize though, but, it was good to get back in the water.

We all went tonight in our dinghies, through the canal, to BJ's to park, then walk down the sidewalk at Oak Ridge to find somewhere to eat.  There was no where open.  We stopped at one local restaurant that had 9 wooden stools outside and asked Emilie if she would cook dinner for all of us.  She said "yes".   Sonny and Kay had 8 pasteles, similar to a fried pie, but, with meat, rice, and veggies and 1 enchilada (like a chalupa) for a total cost of 63 limperas.   $3.00 US for everything.   It was good, too.   We will go back.
A very good day in Roatan.


12/14
It looks like we have good weather for one week, so we are going to go down to West End, Roatan for a few days.

West End is located on the western tip of Roatan, so there is not protection from the waves during a north or west wind while at anchor.   It was a 3 hour trip down, very nice.

12/15
West End is a very nice anchorage.  It is a marine park, so there is no spear fishing allowed.  They will literally put you in jail, confiscate your spear gun, and possibly your boat.
But, the snorkeling is fabulous.  Here, the water is so clear, you can jump off the boat.  There are coral heads all around.  We have seen a moray eel, squid, sting rays jumping out of the water, and lots of colorful, beautiful fish.

We went into town with Aaron and Lyla (Blow Me Away) and walked around.  While eating lunch at Eagle Rays, we met a family from Missouri who are currently living in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  Jim works for the US government in the Embassy.  A very nice family.
They came aboard Blow Me Away and Valentina for the afternoon and we had a wonderful time.  Aaron took the kids snorkeling in his dinghy.
It must be time for the sunset......  you can hear Aaron and Sonny blow their conch horns and echo through the hills nearby.  They are dueling conch horns.

In the evenings at 8:30 p.m. Sonny has set up a schedule and has been talking to his old Ham radio buddies in Waxahachie on the SSB radio. He has enjoyed that, and it helps us to stay up past 7 p.m.

12/21
We motored from West End to French Harbor this morning.  It was a calm, beautiful ride.  We looked up and saw a bunch of dolphins heading our way and jumping in the water.

We have had more fun with dolphins swimming around us.  How many dolphin can you count?
We weaved our way through the reef and shallows and anchored in French Harbor to a wonderful anchorage.   But, we found this pirate along the way.  There really are "Pirates in the Caribbean!"

We went ashore to Fantasy Island and walked around the resort, then we drove over to Old French Harbor and secured the dinghy at the Roatan Yacht Club to walk to the grocery store for some provisioning.
After another beautiful sunset,     we got out the constellation book and tried to locate some of the stars.  Not very successful.  There are way too many stars.
We are close to the reef and you can hear the waves breaking on the reef during the night.  Good sleeping.

12/22
After listening to the net this morning, we pulled up anchor and headed back to Jonesville Bight, a protected area for the norther that is headed this way.
12/23
We washed clothes today at Larry Wood's home.  Larry is an ex-cruiser who purchased property on the banks of Jonesville Bight and is building a home and has lots of stories we love to hear.
We were sitting in the cockpit, when we saw Santa come by our boat in a launcha delivering bags of goodies to the children in their homes along the shore.   Children came running from everywhere to see Santa and receive their bag of goodies.
Santa is the same, everywhere in the world.  Some places, just a little more creative.  Christmas is a wonderful season.  This year has been so different, not to be in the hustle and bustle of the commercialism of it.  You can ponder more of the real meaning of Christmas.


12/24
Merry Christmas Eve to our family and friends.  We miss you all.


12/25
We enjoyed a very nice Christmas together at Jonesville Bight in Roatan, Honduras.  Bob, owner of the Hole in the Wall prepared Turkey and dressing and the locals and cruisers brought pot luck.  It was a very nice Christmas dinner.   Bob is a very good person who gives back to the local community.  He was Santa in the launcha above.


12/28
Sonny had dinghied over to Jeannie's store to buy some baliata's (similar to a breakfast burrito) while Kay stayed on board.  While she was outside on the deck, she kept seeing something outside the harbor and dive boats gathering around.  Getting somewhat concerned, she grabbed the binoculars and saw something like huge dolphins moving very slowly and gracefully in the water.
A lady came on the VHF and announced that a bunch of pilot whales are outside the harbor.
                   
So, when Sonny came back to the boat in the dinghy, we headed out the harbor towards the pilot whales.  It was just awesome!  We were within 10 feet of the whales (in our dinghy!).  They were probably 15' long and very docile and graceful gliding through the water.  It was so exciting!
 
We are continually amazed at the diversified activities going on around us every day.  You would think it would be the same sometimes, but it is different excitement each new day.  We love it!


We are so excited to have our son, Taylor, Kodi and Riley Kay visiting us this week.  It looks like the weather will cooperate, winds out of the east for about 5 - 8 days.  We will hang out in Jonesville first, so they can meet some of the wonderful local people we have grown to love so quick.
                               
Jonesville has been the first village we have been to (other than the Rio Dulce) that we have met so many of the locals.  They are very friendly, open, and it is a safe area.  We really feel at home here.
The kids have made the news on the NW Caribbean Net announcing their awaited arrival, and Rob on S/V Carmelita (net controller) bragged about how beautiful Riley was.   Of course, we agree.
Riley definitely stands out in a crowd with her big blue eyes and blonde hair.  She made friends immediately with Candace (above) at the Hole in the Wall.  Candace is a pre-k teacher at Utilla, one of the Bay Islands nearby.  She is a sweet girl.  Her father is 100 years old, and Candace, who is 21 has a 12 year old brother.

12/31

As we reflect on the end of another year in our lives, we continue to be so thankful that we are doing what we love to do, living our lives to the fullest each day, and loving each other more and more with each day's sunset.  Life is good.




Valentina anchored at Jonesville Bight, Roatan, Honduras

Learning to Spearfish

Belize in November,  2006

Nov. 1, 2006
What an exciting day for us.  We have enjoyed our stay in the river and met a lot of great friends, but, it is that time that we must move on.   Most of our friends are doing the same route that we are, so we will just keep running into each other at different beautiful places.  What fun!
We woke up early and pulled up our anchor at Shell Bay in the Rio at 6:30 a.m. headed for Livingston to clear out with Customs and Immigration.
We passed Mario's Marina and waved our final goodbyes to our buddies.  The current is going out of the river at about 2 knots, so instead of us cruising at 5.3, we were going over land at 7.5.

After the awesome cruise through the canyon down the river, we arrived at Livingston at 10 a.m. and called the Port Captain on our VHF radio to announce our arrival. We then, proceeded to Customs, the Port Captain, and Immigration for final clear-out.
We then went back to Valentina to wait for the proper time for crossing the bar.   At the entrance of Livingston, there is a sandbar 5 1/2 feet deep for about 1/2 mile.  Our draft on Valentina is 6', so we have to wait for the high tide to cross the bar.   The high tide is about 4 p.m. this afternoon.

Our buddies, Blow Me Away and Kaija's Song also crossed with us.   You almost hold your breath as you cross, especially with wind and waves, hoping to not run aground.

Our shallowest location was 6'8".   Whew!  We made it!
The wind is kicking up and blowing out of the west, so instead of anchoring nearby at Cabo Tres Puntas, we went a little further to a protected anchorage in Bahia La Graciosa.

Nov. 2
We talked to Chris at 6 a.m.   He is the weather guru for sailors on the SSB radio.  We pay for a service for him, at any time, to give us the weather, where we are heading, so this morning, Sonny talked to him for a weather update for Belize before heading out.   He said there is a low pressure front merging with a cold front here, so, we will batten down the hatches until it is fair weather to head to Belize.   It is only 20 miles to Belize, so that will be a good day's sail.


Nov. 3
Well, the weather is still not good.  We woke early at 4 am for a storm blowing through.   We looked out of our cockpit, and one of the boats in our anchorage drug anchor near us.   We tried hailing them on the VHF radio, but no response.  Sonny got out the spotlight and shined it on their boat, hoping to wake them, and it worked.  They were dragging by at a fairly good speed.   They were headed back to the shore, so we were thankful, they woke up.   They reset their anchor and stayed put for the rest of the storm.   It was blowing at about 40 knots, with rain.  Not a fun day in paradise.
We downloaded the weatherfax and it looks like we are sitting between two tropical waves, with a low pressure system on top of us, with a cold front coming down from the great state of Texas.   So, we will sit tight in this secure anchorage.
After taking Doc (their dog) to shore, Gary on Kaija's Song came by our boat in his dinghy and showed us some ugly shells with critters inside.   He said he made a deal with the local fisherman to catch us 50 of the shells, and show us how to clean them, and we would pay him 2 packs of cigarettes and some beer.   So, later he arrived at Gary's boat, with at least 150 of the shells.  He stayed on Gary's boat a while, and smoke and drank, as they cleaned the critters.  He said they were small conch shells.
After the cleaning session, Gary and Kaija came by and picked us up and we all went to Blow Me Away for dinner.  I took a pot of beans and cornbread and Kaija, Lyla and I made delicious conch fritters.   It was wonderful!

Nov. 4
We awoke early to listen and talk to Chris to check out our weather situation.
He said it was clearing, but, definitely some squalls on our NE horizon.
We all talked about it, and decided to hear for Puenta Gorda (about 20 miles away) to check into Belize.   We could finally see sunlight on the horizon.
About 7 a.m. we all pulled up anchors.  Ours was very muddy and had dug in very good from the high winds.   After cleaning our chain and anchor, we headed out of the anchorage behind Blow Me Away and Kaija's Song.
We were out several miles, when, on our radar, sure enough, the rain was upon us.  The wind gusts to about 25-30 knots, with rain.   But, we were all ready and prepared for it.  Our mainsail was reefed and ready.   The rain continued most of the day.
 Kaija's Song had headed on to Puenta Gorda, when Aaron came on the VHF and said he had lost a hose on his engine and was taking on water.   After the engine cooled, he would go down and check it out.  In the meantime, he would be under sail power only.  We told them we would stay close by.     After it had cooled, he went below and made the repairs.
We both went into South Mojo Cay, but, did not like the looks of it for an anchorage, so we went on down to New Haven (Hard Luck Charlie's) about two hours further.
We set anchor at 4 p.m. and enjoyed a beautiful sunset, full moon and calm anchorage.

11/7
We are currently in Placencia, Belize and have checked in with customs.

We walked around the village and tried to update the web, but, no luck.   The connections here are very slow.  Will try again later.  So, we will sit here a while.

11/8

Today was our first day to go spear fishing.   Sonny snorkeled in the water with the spear gun and Kay trolled around in the dinghy because we did not bring our dinghy anchor with us.  Sonny shot some small fish, but no keepers.   He had fun.

11/9
We went into town to download the website and then we went snorkeling and spear fishing.  It was Kay's first time, and she shot at a fish, but he was too far away.   Sonny shot a blow fish, and by the time he got it back to the dinghy, it was a big one!  We got him off the spear quick.   But, it was fun.

Nov. 9
We went into town today and took our washing, went to the bank, found some PVC pipe to make a boat hook, since Kay dropped our other one in the water at New Haven.  I think I "missed" mentioning that in our previous logs.
Along the street, we went into John the Baker's shop.
We met him on the sidewalk last night and bought some cinnamon rolls from him for $.50 each.
They were delicious.  We want to get some more.

Then, we came to The Shak, where you can get natural smoothies.  We went inside, and the owner talked us into a seaweed smoothie.   It kind of tasted like a vanilla shake with a lot of nutmeg, but, we did not care for it.
We dinghied over to Kaija's Song for delicious appetizers and fun.

This is the great part of cruising.

Enjoying friends .... sunsets... and great food.
Brenda on S/V Queen Mary hailed us on the VHF and invited us to all come over to their boat to play so we brought our guitar, harmonicas and Gary brought his ukulele and harmonicas and we dinghied over to S/V Queen Mary.

Tom and Lyette (S/V Mesqua Ukee) were already on Queen Mary, along with Gene, Brenda, and Mom (Brenda's mother).

Brenda's mom, Helen, is 79 and cruising with Queen Mary for two months before returning home.

Gene and Brenda (S/V Queen Mary) play and sing country and western and gospel songs and are very, very good.     I could listen to them for hours.  They are also net controllers for the NW Caribbean Net.
The anchorage was alive with the electric keyboard, electric bass guitar and harmonicas, Oh yes, and the conch horn blowers.
Gary (Kaija's Song) played the keyboard and is a pro.
He does great on Ray Charles' songs.  Just needed a pair of dark sunglasses, he has the movements.     Georgia..... Georgia......

What fun!  This has been one of our more memorable nights cruising.
The sun goes down at 5:15 p.m. and usually by 6, Kay is heading towards the v-berth.  But, tonight, we stayed out until almost 10 p.m.   A fun, late night!

Nov. 9
Before we pulled away from the dock at Mario's on the 31st, we turned our inverter on and it made a noise and, then, quit.   Then, after we got to Placencia, our generator started leaking water out the bottom. So, since then, Sonny has been checking and troubleshooting our systems to see what we need to do to get them all working properly.
Currently, we have to run the engine to charge the batteries, and our inverter will charge the laptops, but, not a heavy load such as the microwave, icemaker, or a/c.  Sonny is contacting the companies for advice.
Kaija told Kay about butter you can buy in a can that does not require refrigeration until it is opened.
So, we went to get a couple of cans.
Also, here, you purchase small boxes of milk that do not have to be refrigerated until you open them. And, it tastes just like regular milk, when opened.    Very good for sailboats and cruising.  This way, you can stock up on dairy products.

11/12
We will listen to the NW Caribbean Net this morning, listen to the weather, run to shore to get ice and last minute supplies, download the website and we are heading out to the islands.   We plan to be back at Placencia for a cruiser's Thanksgiving, so until then, you will need to contact us on our winlink address.
A rain shower came up, so we will wait until tomorrow.

We sailed about 20 miles north of Placencia to an island called Lagoon Cayes.  We had several firsts today.  It was our first time to run aground.  We eased near the island between the coral reefs and coral heads and the chart shows to anchor in 10 feet of water, then it goes to 3 feet.  We dropped the anchor in 10 feet, but eased on up to the 3 feet.  That does not work very well with a six foot keel under us.  We checked the tides, and we were, sure enough on a rising tide, so we knew we could get off.  Sonny took the dinghy and nudged the front of Valentina and slowly pushed her to deeper water. Then, we set our anchor.  We are on the west side of the island with protection from the north and east winds.
We went snorkeling and Sonny got our first conch.

We feasted on conch fritters for dinner.

He also shot his first barracuda and was trying to get it to the dinghy, but he got off and swam away very fast.  He shot the barracuda using the spear gun.

11/13
We woke up to a familiar sound.
We could hear the dolphins near our boat blowing air as they come to the top of the water swimming around.  We jumped up to greet them and, of course, take their pictures.
After breakfast, decided to go snorkeling/fishing.
Sonny shot two fish we will have for dinner tonight.  When we got back to the boat, one of our lines in the water had something on it.  We pulled it up. This is what we caught on our small fishing line.

It was a nurse shark.  Our dinghy was nearby, so we just dropped the shark over in our dinghy so we could decide what we wanted to do with it.   We skinned it and cleaned it and then put some on the grill, but, did not like the taste.  We did not soak it in anything beforehand, that may have made a difference.  It had an ammonia taste.  We will stick to the fish.  Cleaning (skinning) this shark about whooped us.

11/14
Today is the day that cruising is what we thought and hoped it would be.   Up to this point, everything we have done, has been on a schedule.  But, this anchorage is not the most beautiful anchorage, but the coral, fishing, and atmosphere is just awesome.  We watch thousands of small fish jump out of the water in unison, as the larger fish chase after them, the pelicans soaring above the water, then dive in for a mouth of dinner, and the dolphins come in the mornings to wake us.
But, the coolest thing has been learning to spearfish.  We went out this afternoon to the opposite end of the island, it was calm, slick clear water.  We could see the fish from inside our dinghy.  We jumped out of the dinghy with our snorkel gear on and was amazed at what we could see down below us.  The coral was alive and fish were everywhere.
Sonny motioned me to come over to where he was.   It is always kind of spooky, because you do not know what he is going to show you.  He had his spear in a huge snapper, but could not get the fish out of the crevice it was hiding under.  He used my spear also and managed to get it out.
It was huge!  We were so excited!   He had also shot four other fish and got another conch.
We are hooked!

11/15
Tom and Patty on S/V Liberty (what a good boat name) arrived yesterday and wanted to stay another day in the anchorage, so we all planned on going snorkeling early.

But, after listening to the weather, we all decided to sail north, while we had an unusual south breeze. So, we loaded up and pulled up anchor and headed to Blue Ground Range.  We are anchored in 35 feet of water, and surrounded by islands.  There is supposed to be some weather coming, so we tried to get tucked in safe and sound.
It was a nice, slow sail up.  It took us about four hours in calm water, calm winds.  Relaxing.
We prepared fish (imagine that?) for dinner and invited Tom and Patty over.   It was a nice evening.
But, during the night, we were tucked in too close to the mangroves and when the breeze died, the no-see-ums came out.  They were awful.  You cannot hardly see them, it is a tiny black dot, but they sting like a mosquito.  They are so tiny, they can get through the screens into the boat.  We were up at midnight taking another shower, thinking that would help the itching.  Then, we showered in "Off" and that seemed to help.  Miserable!

11/16
We woke up to the weather report and headed to Lighthouse Reef about 40 miles away.  That would be a good day's sail.  The wind was favorable, so Liberty and Valentina headed to Lighthouse.  The wind picked up along the way as the northern passed through.  We had 20-28 knots of wind and 6-8' seas.  The last two hours were pretty rough, pounding into the waves.  When we realized we would not make it before sundown, we opted to head to the eastern side of the reef and enter there with calmer seas.  The island is surrounded by a coral reef with coral heads all inside, so you need good light to enter.
After we entered, we anchored in an unprotected area inside the reef and plan to move around to the more protected anchorage after daybreak.
It was a rough, rolly, anchorage all night.  Not as bad as some we have stay at, but not comfortable.

11/17
After a trying time to enter in between the breaking reefs in the rough water, we made it inside to a safe haven at Lighthouse Reef.
We, S/V Island Link, S/V Liberty, and S/V Blow Me Away all had dinner on Blow Me Away.  It was grouper the guys had caught.  Delicious.
We all opted to stay here until Thanksgiving and have Thanksgiving together at Lighthouse Reef.  Also, the weather will not be favorable to leave before then.  It is howling and the seas are very rough out there.

11/19
Well, I must say......this is "all right".   We have eaten lobster for three nights in a row and three more lobster tails in the refrigerator, I must do something with today.   Any easy lobster or conch recipes?   Please email me.
Lighthouse Reef is about 40 miles off shore, and, we are in a protected anchorage, so we will stay here for another week, waiting for weather to clear.
We FINALLY got to barter today!    When we left the states last December, we were told to take beer and cigarettes to barter for fish, shrimp or lobster.     After carrying this beer and cigarettes aboard for almost a year, we finally got to trade some of it for some goodies.
There are several small fishing boats that come over from Belize City.  It takes them two days to get here and they stay for a week, fish all day, and return to Belize City to sell their fish to the co-op.  But, due to the high winds and seas, they have had to stay here longer than expected, so their supplies are low.

There are nine men aboard this small boat, carrying nine dories (small boats) aboard.
We went over to their boat today to see if we could trade our (year old) beer and cigarettes for  fish.  They were glad to.  We told them we would go back to our boat and get our stuff and return.  So we did.   We brought back nine beers (one for each of them) and two packs of cigarettes and wanted to see what we could get with that.
They loaded us up with three lobster tails and a bag of cleaned fresh conch.  Probably fifty conch.  They had been here for a week already, and because of the weather, would need to stay longer.  They asked us if we had any coffee, and we told them we did.  We asked if they needed anything else, and they said, "canned vegetables".
We told them we have coffee and canned goods (also one year old from the states) and we would be glad to trade them.
They came to our boat in their dory and picked up our coffee and canned goods and will bring us some fish tomorrow by mid-day.
Kay would like to have Thanksgiving and include our other three buddy boats, and our new 9 fishing friends from Belize.  After all, Thanksgiving was originally Columbus dining with the Indians on Plymouth Rock, right?  How about the cruisers dining with the Belizean fishermen at Lighthouse Reef?   We will see.  Not on any of our boats, though, maybe on land.  Just a thought...
All four buddy boats monitored channel 17 on the VHF so we could communicate with each other.  Every morning, after the NW Caribbean Net, we would have our "Lighthouse Reef Net" with the four boats.  It was fun.
Somehow in the scheme of things, the NW Caribbean Net was in need of net controllers for the morning net.  Lyla mentioned she would be willing so Kay volunteered her.  She has a great voice and good radio.  She will be good.
Queen Mary suggested that Valentina also be net controllers.  They asked us on the NW Caribbean net if we would help out....so, reluctantly, we agreed.  So, Wednesday the 29th will be our first attempt at net controllers.  We will do Wednesdays and Lyla will do Fridays.

11/20
We were all ready to go to shore, so we took our dinghies and found a place we could get ashore.  We walked through the trails on the island.  It was marshy, but good trails.
There were sections staked off with Lot numbers on the trees.   How would you like to buy some ocean-front property in beautiful Lighthouse Reef for only ????? dollars?
We followed the trail for about one mile then came to this palapa and  knocked down some coconuts and drank the juice and ate the coconut meat.

11/22
Our local fishermen have left our anchorage for better fishing elsewhere on the reef.  The water is very cloudy and cool here.
So, we all decided for Thanksgiving, we would have it on the beach.  The only problem was the small beaches near us were where all the trash runs ashore from the east wind.  So, we would need to clean up the beach area first.
All eight of us went ashore and began the clean-up campaign. We had a fire and was burning what we could.  We also took our trash from our boats to shore to burn.  We raked the sand with plastic objects we recovered from the beach and the guys began their magic.
You would not believe what all we had created at our "Turkey Beach".
Jeff on S/V Island Link is a real McGiver.  If we were on survivor, he would be a good one on your team.
 
He gathered wood and built a table for our Thanksgiving dinner, made a privacy Ladies Room with a ladies shoe over the door, complete with rack for toilet paper and a shelf for your drink.  The guys also had a secure cup to aim into.  We brought hammocks, chairs, and food.                                      
We played conch horseshoes and the conch toss.
Aaron found a big log and brought it to the campsite, so we all carved the date and our boat names on our log, also, so future cruisers to add the names too.

All of us had been out for a couple of weeks, so fresh groceries on board were getting scarce.  We all pulled what we had together and we all had chicken on board, so we opted to have chicken, with dressing and gravy, conch cerviche,  Any's recipe of potato tortilla, green beans, corn, cole slaw, homemade sweet bread and pumpkin and pecan pies.
It was a real feast!

We are very thankful.

After we had all eaten, a local fisherman came rowing by in his dory.  We invited me to come ashore to eat with us.
He was a very gracious gentleman.
He said we could fix him a plate, but, he would take it back to his boat for him and the other five guys.   He stayed and talked to us for awhile.
The no-see-ums were coming out, so we all packed up and headed out.  As we were leaving the shore in our dinghy, Randolph was too.  After about 20 feet out, he said, "A lobster", and turned his dory back to go see.  We headed his way. He said, "See the wimple"....we could not until we got closer. Randolph pulled out a stick with a hook on it and hooked that lobster!
He asked if we wanted it and dropped him in our dinghy.
Although we dearly missed our friends and family, this was a very special Thanksgiving in the islands.  

11/23
Michelle, S/V Independence in Kemah, emailed me a recipe for Lobster Etoufee.  So, while Sonny was over on Blow Me Away, helping Aaron with his generator, Kay got our our lobster and began the new recipe.
We invited our three other buddy boats over for Lobster Etoufee and it was very good. Thanks Michelle!
Having eight people aboard is cozy but fun.

11/25
Jeff and Cindy, S/V Island Link need to return to San Pedro to check out of Belize by Dec. 1st.  So, after listening to the weather this morning, the three other boats decided to head to Turneffe Reef.    It was an overcast, windy, blustery day, and we decided to stay until the weather improves.   They pulled up anchor and we said our so-longs and the parade of boats out of the harbor began.
Once they rounded the protection of the reef, they were in 20 knot winds and rough seas, so they decided to come back to Lighthouse.  It was a good homecoming.  It was good to have them back.
About noon, things started to settle down a bit,  still overcast and sprinkling showers, but the wind had died down.   Jeff got on the VHF Lighthouse Reef Net and asked if anyone would be interested in heading to Turneffe now.  Sonny told them we were and then all four boats headed out from Lighthouse Reef.
The wind was 15-20 and the seas were 5' waves on the beam.
We arrived at Turneffe Reef at 4:30 p.m.  It was a pretty rough and tipsy night.  Not much sleep on Valentina.  We will move on early in the morning.

11/26
All four boats talked on "our" net and pulled up anchors at 7:30 a.m. and headed to Glory Cut.  It is a cut you can pass through to get inside the reef that runs from Mexico to Belize with the exception of Liberty and they had to head back south.  So long Tom and Patty!
Island Link is a catamaran, so Jeff and Cindy would go ahead of Blow Me Away and Valentina who have 6' drafts.  Jeff would let us know where is was very shallow and helped us dodge the coral heads as we weaved our way along the reef.
We anchored at Water Cay, but with a north wind, there is no protection, so we all came to Shag Cay Bogue.  There was a shallow bar we had to cross to get into the lagoon, but after the bar, it was 15-20' deep inside.
Lyla made tortilla soup while underway, so a great dinner was on Blow Me Away tonight.

11/27
We woke up to a beautiful sunshine this morning!  It has been a while since we have seen the sun!
I have not taken many pictures, since it has been dreary.
We plan to go to Cay Caulker today.  It will be about a 4 hour motor-sail to the north with northeast winds.  Cay Caulker has civilization!   We have been on uninhabited  islands since November 12th, so it will be good to get some clothes washed, update the website, and re-stock on some provisions.  (And....eat at a restaurant!)
The channel to Cay Caulker is a very shallow bank.  It is soft mud, but depths of 6' or less in areas.  Porto-Stuck is a channel between two islands and very shallow.
There are some sticks in the water, and for the deepest channel, you are supposed to stay within 50 - 100 feet keeping the sticks on your starboard side.
If we did not have the catamaran leading the way, we would have opted to go outside the reef where it is deep.

Valentina is sailing along.

It is a four hour sail, and you are watching the depths the whole way.  Very shallow.

We also sailed past a local fishing sailboat.

Whew, we made it through Porto Stuck without digging mud or getting Stuck!

After we anchored at Cay Caulker, we walked around the village, then went to Gene and Brenda's boat, S/V Queen Mary and played music.  What fun!  Good night.

Guatemala

10/1/06

We arrived back to Valentina last Wednesday evening after being away for about 6 weeks.   We traveled around Guatemala for about three weeks, then we went to the States for three weeks to see family and friends.

We returned with four very heavy suitcases packed full with boat projects.   

Just imagine for a moment........you own a home, but you could only go to Home Depot one time a year.   And, you had to haul everything for your year's home projects and "unexpected" projects back to your home.

Well, that is what we did, but, perhaps not so easy.    One of our bags weighed over 80 lbs. which would have been a $50 penalty.  So we switched a few things to another bag at the ticket counter to get it under 70 lbs, resulting in only a $25 penalty.  Now we have one 70 lb. bag and three bags close to 50 lbs., each has a backpack of our personal clothes, our laptop bag and another carry-on.

To get from our kids house to our boat with our bags, we had to go to the Minneapolis airport, then Guatemala airport,  through customs, a taxi to a hotel, haul the bags to our room, a taxi to the bus station, on the bus for a 5½ hour ride, taxi to dinghy dock (not far, but too many bags),  water launcha to the marina, and finally....on Valentina.   whew !

The moral of the story, be thankful for your local Home Depot. 

We are thankful for West Marine and our friend, Peter.

It took us about 3 days to sort through and find a place for most of the goodies.   

Things we brought back included: 

New Katadyn watermaker, belt tensioner for our alternator, new molding for all 12 hatches and portholes, spare light bulbs for navigation lights, new flashlights, 3 inflatable fenders, hand-held VHF radio, spare cockpit external mike for boat VHF, patches and kit for dinghy, new shower curtain, new silverware (saltwater rusted previous set), new small vegetable chopper (non-electric), boxes of zip-lock bags, almonds and pecans (cannot get them here), double 15 Mexican train domino set, security alarm for companionway.

While we were gone, there was a bad lightning storm, that hit a catamaran in the marina.  It blew out two holes in the pontoons at the water line and extensive damage.  So, several boats in the marina have discovered they were also victims.  Mostly, battery chargers, inverters, and radars.   We had tested almost everything and thought we scathed the bullet.

But, today, we discovered otherwise.

We had noticed our autopilot was not working properly.  "No, not 'Otto', we cannot do without him!"
We went out to test it, but, could not turn it off.  So, we began the investigation.   We called our Tecnautic  friend, Otto, and the troubleshooting began.   After over an hour on the phone, Otto felt sure it was our drive box.  He said, if we could ship the drive box to their office in Switzerland, they will repair it in one day and send it back.

10/2
That sounds easy, just ship it.....but, we are in Guatemala, remember?  The only place to ship it overnight locally is at DHL about 1½ hours away.
So, today, we will take our autopilot part and board the microbus (a 12 passenger van in the US) with up to 30 of our near and dear friends, and head to Morales, then change vans, to head to Puerto Barrios another hour away.
Drop off the part, only to do the same to return to the river.  
It is really not that bad, but another adventurous day.

Sonny took this photo today.  He is in the front seat and the driver's assistant was hanging out the open door as we are going down the road at 90 km calling out, "Barrios, Barrios, Barrios" for more passengers.
Our only concern on our autopilot, is getting our drive box back safely to us.   Our friends, Roberto and Any (S/V Deux Pieds)) had ordered a new controller for their solar panels, and when DHL had delivered it, to Roberto's surprise, he opened the box to find three denture molds and no controller.   In Guatemala, many packages do not make it to their final destination properly.  No questions asked.
It cost us 932 Quetzals  or  $124.26 US to ship the 1½ lb. box to Switzerland.  (ouch)

10/4
Well, manaña is finally here.   No more resting for us.   We are in full gear completing the projects on our list before we head back out.


Sonny has worked all day beginning the installation of the Katadyn watermaker and I have begun the ritual of refreshing the teak with varnish in between rain showers.


10/10
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of our autopilot part back from Switzerland.   Our part arrived in Switzerland on Monday morning, the guys repaired it and had it shipped back out to us within two hours.  Great customer service from Otto.   It is currently in Guatemala City, so hopefully, tomorrow, we can go to Puerto Barrios to pick it up.
So, this morning, Sonny is ready to fiberglass the mounting block  for the watermaker pump.  He has already completed the electrical wires, water hoses and pre-filters while waiting on our mount to cure.
We have also replaced all of the rubber gaskets on our two main hatches and ten portholes.

10/11
Today is the big day!   Our autopilot (hopefully) has arrived at Puerto Barrios.  Paul and Linda (S/V Miramar) has purchased property and in the process of building a house in Honduras, so they just recently bought a vehicle and told us we could take a "road trip" to go to Puerto Barrios to pick up our autopilot part.
So, off we go.....when we arrived at the DHL office, Sonny went in to get our package.   He came out smiling.   He had opened the box, and to our delight, had the correct parts.  So, back to the river we go.

10/12
Oops, did I say back to the "River"?
We did spend the night, but on Thursday morning we headed out again with Paul and Linda, but this time about three hours away to the famous Mayan ruins in Tikal and Flores.

This route had the most beautiful countryside and scenery, it was so enjoyable.

Guatemala is absolutely a beautiful country.

Inside the park, they had hammocks for rent, covered with mosquito nets for a few dollars a day.In Flores, we watched a local worker repair the thatch hut roof and walked around the shops in town.
 We spent the night in El Remate, a very quiet, tranquil village.

The cows, pigs, horses, dogs, chickens, and children run loose....... all  in the middle of the "highway" of the village.

10/13
We all woke up early to get a cool start on the ruins at Tikal.
Sonny and Paul are checking out the map of the ruins.

History claims the Maya civilization settles here around 700 BC.

The national Parque contains thousands of separate ruined structures, many being excavated today.


Sonny is climbing up the steps to one of the tallest structures.



Recently, they discovered a new wall and steps.

The geologist are documenting the discovery.

Mayan people are very ingenious and very creative in getting the job done.
As we walked around the ruins, we came across this method of hauling huge, heavy limestone up to the top of the ruins for renovating.   They used a motorcycle, with a rider aboard, and connected the line around the back tire and hauled the limestone to the top.











Do you see the limestone going up?


See the line connected with pressure to the back tire of the motorcycle?

As the rider gives it gas, the limestone slowly climbs to the top.





Can you picture the grin on the motorcycle driver?

Just another day at work.




The walk through the ruins was a beautiful, rain forest and jungle.


We saw monkeys swinging from the trees.

We were not in the best spot....you do not want to be below them....they let you know they are above you.  Do not look up.

After the trip through the ruins, we all decided to do the zip line through the jungle with the Tikal Canopy Tour.  That was the time of our lives!  We were with Paul and Linda...what a way to spend your pre-64th birthday Paul!  They were pros.....as they were hot air balloonist in their previous life....before sailing.

Kay was not sure what we were getting into.
When we arrived, you put on a harness around your legs and shoulders with a hook that attaches to the zip line.
The zip line is a series of cables linking huge trees up to 300m apart (900 feet).
The trees have a platform built on the top, that you slide from one tree to another, get off, and do it again.
Being somewhat afraid of heights, Kay was holding on for dear life on the platforms, which were about 100' in the air.
There was only enough room for the four on the small platform for us and our two guides.
We started out on the first zip line with 14 different platforms.   Then we went to the higher and faster one with 8 platforms.   We zipped under some monkeys and saw four toucan birds.   It was awesome!
No, I don't think the platforms would be OSHA approved.....but, our guides were very safety conscious.
I just kept wondering, "What would our kids think of us doing this?"
We talked about how sore we would be the next day.  Once your harness is connected and you raise your feet off the platform, and lean back, you glide down the cable until you pull down on the cable wire with your hand to slow you down for the next platform.

                                      Great memories!

10/14
We arose early and started our trek back to the river after a fun few days.
About halfway, Paul wanted to stop in Poptún at Finca (farm) Ixobel.
We all fell in love with this farm, very laid-back and has tree houses you can rent out for lodging.

I am afraid when our cruising time comes to an end, Sonny will be building a tree house somewhere for us to live in.
The tree house rents for 80Q for two people, or about $11 a night.









After driving around, we passed a banana plantation where the stalks of bananas are covered with a ventilated blue bag, until harvested.



We arrived back at the river  to Miramar and Valentina, patiently waiting.

10/15
Sonny rose early this morning with plans and projects on his mind.  We are to the last stages of connecting the watermaker and it is very exciting.
We made our first glass of water!  It is amazing, Sonny did a test of our water we made against the bottled water in the store and our watermaker makes cleaner water than the store bought bottled water.

10/16
After our morning walk, Sonny began completing the watermaker project.
Here is a photo of the membrane and water pump in the settee by the a/c  on the port side....finished.

10/17
Wow!  Today is Kay's one year anniversary from retiring from Holcim.   It has been a fast and furious year, but a wonderful one.   I am so thankful that we just quit our jobs while we are still healthy and able to achieve our goals and dreams in our lives and.......just doing it!  Cast off the lines, and, go!
We are working on various projects on the boat to get ready to head back out to salt water.   Kay is varnishing the cap rails and eyebrows today.   She can make it rain by just getting out the varnish!  We have had a few dry days, so we have to take advantage of it.
Sonny is figuring out the watermaker and has completed the project.   We are converting the river water to drinking water (after testing) , and then filling our water tank.   It is such a good feeling to know you are totally self-sufficient on our boat.

10/18
We have been walking every morning through the village nearby and up and down the hills for exercise with a group from the marina.   But, we wear our bathing suits, because as soon as we get back to the marina, we have to jump in the pool.  It is so hot here.   Sometimes, some people just jump in the pool with their clothes on.......right, Karyn?

But, this morning before we went walking at 8 am, Kay has already brushed the spider webs down on deck from the night before, and sanded what she is going to varnish for the day and Sonny has taken off a chain plate that had been
leaking.   For non-sailors, chainplates are what connects the wires that hold up the mast.  We have six chainplates aboard Valentina.   And, when they leak, it is wet down below.
So we started to replace the caulk in each of the chainplates.   We would work about an hour, head to the pool to cool off, then get a snack, the work, pool, snack........until dark.
Dark?   that is when Roberto and Any (S/V Deux Pieds) arrived back home from Argentina.   It was so good to see them and have them back.  A great reunion!   We had Mike and Karyn (S/V Sueños) and Roberto and Any (Deux Pieds) over for the evening.   It was like old times.   Great friends and great memories.

10/19
Today......is our one year anniversary for living aboard.   It has certainly been a good, exciting first year.  But, Valentina is our home and we are very happy and content to be able to live this lifestyle at this time in our lives.
After our walk and swim, we repaired two more chainplates today and Kay washed a load of clothes.
The two local nurses in our marina that manage the local clinic were called to the village this afternoon.   A young lady who was 23 was unconscious.  After they rushed to the village, the young mother died.   Life is just too short and must be lived to its fullest.  We must make the most of each day that we are given.

10/20
We worked very hard today in the heat re-bedding the remainder of our six chainplates.
We were pooped, but some of the band members were getting together tonight at the restaurant to just play and have a good time, so Sonny took his harmonicas and we headed to the Cayuca Club.   It was a very good time.  It was the last time for the band to be together, so all the guys just played as everyone sang.

10/21
Today we rested.   We swam, slept some, and played farkle with our friends.   Sonny won one game tonight!

10/22
We went to church this morning in the nearby village.  It is a good spirit.  Refreshing!
 Gary and Kaijah on S/V Kaijah's Song went with us this morning.  Kaijah is holding one of our friends.
We said "adios" to our church family as we will be leaving the river soon.  We will miss them.





You can worship together with others, anywhere in the world.   It is the same God and same sweet spirit, but, it sure is hard saying "adios".
Here is a picture of our pastor and the children at the front of the church saying their memory verses.

10/24
We are heading to Guatemala City today to celebrate our 15th Anniversary together (and stock up on some last minute boat supplies before we leave Guatemala next week).  We will return on Thursday, the 26th.

10/29
We have been busy getting projects completed on the boat so we can head out across the bar at Livingston at high tide around 4 p.m. on Nov. 2nd.  Sonny has the watermaker running great, we have installed a fan in the lazarette in the cockpit so our battery charger does not get overheated, repaired a leak in the tube in the dinghy, varnished the new screens, purchased and external hard drive and backed up both laptops, set up our little laptop to also received weather fax and winlink email from the SSB, changed the oil in the generator, motor and dinghy.

Tonight, Roberto and Any (S/V Deux Pieds) invited us over for an Argentina custom.   On the 29th of each month, you eat Nowokkers for prosperity and happiness.  She made the dish from flour and water, and rolled the dough into a tube and cut into cubes, then add a meat sauce and cook it.  It was very tasty and good.
But, you must put a dollar (or in Guatemala, a few quetzals) under your plate while you are feasting for an abundance of prosperity.   So we did......we will see how it turns out.   We will let you know.  Any would not keep our money as a tip, she said that would be bad, you have to take your money back after eating.

10/30
Well, the departure date is near, and it is time to take down our awnings and clean and store them. What a job!  In the river, everything is moist, and begins to  change our ivory awnings into a green tinted awning.
So, we spent the day cleaning the sail covers and awnings, near the pool, and jumped in every few minutes to cool off.

Kay washed our last few loads of clothes to begin a clean slate.  She also created a logo for   Valentina and opened an on-line store here on our website where our friends and family can purchase Sailing Valentina items.  Sounds cheesy?   Sorry, but, we make a small percentage to put back into the cruising kitty.   Our friends, Jim and Niki on S/V Seayeti told us about it and have one on their website.   It is good quality stuff,  It was a lot of work setting up, but we are glad we did it now.

10/31
Trick or Treat!   We had a treat!   We pulled out of the marina and anchored in Shell Bay, near the big bridge in Rio Dulce for the evening before heading down the river to Livingston to check out of Guatemala.   It was such a treat to be back on anchor, with the breeze blowing down the hatches again.   It was a beautiful anchorage.

And.....we have to have a feet picture.......at night, we normally sit on the deck to watch the beautiful sunsets, and yes, our feet are propped up, enjoying life.


Aaron and Lyla (S/V Blow Me Away,
and Gary, Kaija, and Doc (the guard dog and Captain) (S/V Kaija's Song) also anchored nearby.  We are all heading to Belize, then Bay Islands of Honduras.

We all did our last provisioning in town, said our goodbyes to fellow sailors we met and became very close to and headed to bed for a good night's rest before our trek back down the beautiful river.
The River was a good, safe place place to spend hurricane season.   We are very glad to have experienced it and  traveled extensively around Guatemala and saw a very beautiful county that we love.....but, it is time to pull up the anchor and move along.
Come go with us!

     Here is our view as we cruised
    down the beautiful Rio Dulce River
    on our way out.





   
One time Kay counted 11 cayucas in one small area with fishermen, women, and children, casting lines to catch their dinner.





 

Sonny admiring the view










Valentina is ready for some salt water.   Off we go......thanks for coming aboard with us!