We did not get the new year off to a
good start on Ariel. In all of our years cruising, neither of us has
been sick, thank the Lord, other than maybe a couple very minor
colds. On returning to the Rio Dulce we became aware that there was
a stomach virus going around and maybe a flu like illness as well.
This should not be surprising as so many people are returning from
their home countries and there are also a lot of vacationers here at
this time of year. It hit Linda first on New Years morning, actually
just about midnight. Luckily it is intense for about 24 hours and
then it is a matter of a few days to get strength and appetite back.
We had Ariel scheduled to be hauled out for bottom painting at 9 am
on January 3. Norm awakened on that day knowing his turn was next.
Luckily they were ready for us when we arrived at the travel lift so
the haul out went quickly. We had moved our stuff to the bungalow we
rented at
Captain John's Marina and made up the bed the day before so
as soon as Ariel was secure we were off to the bungalow and Norm was
off to bed. Norm, like Linda recovered from the worst of it in about
24 hours.
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| Living Room and Kitchen Very Open (Bedroom and bathroom in back are enclosed and have windows) |
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| Our Own Dock |
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| Fully Furnished Kitchen |
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| Paint Removed Port Side |
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| Starboard Side - Almost Done Removing Paint |
It has been over ten years of adding
layers of bottom paint to Ariel, so we decided it was time to remove
it all and start over. We contracted with
RAM Marina to remove all
of the existing paint, epoxy any imperfections, add a barrier coat
(against water penetration to the fiberglass) and then to apply new
bottom paint. Having experienced living aboard the boat while in the
yard two years ago here in Guatemala we knew it was not something we
would repeat. We rented a very nice fully furnished bungalow for
Q1200 which is about $150 per week, or if we need to extend our stay
the rate is Q2500 or about $320 per month. One of the benefits was
that we were able to move our food from our freezer and refrigerator
( which does not work without seawater for cooling ) to the bungalow.
The work so far has been progressing on schedule which is somewhat
of a miracle because each night since we hauled we have had steady
and at times heavy rain, but the days for the most part have been
dry. As I am writing this though our luck seems to be changing as it
is raining in what looks like it may be an all day event.
