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 of very minor
colds. On returning to the Rio Dulce, we became aware of a stomach virus and possibly a flu-like illness as well going around. This should not be surprising, as so many people are returning from
their home countries, and there are also many vacationers here at
this time of year. It hit Linda first on New Year's morning, actually
just about midnight. Luckily, it is intense for about 24 hours, and
then it takes a few days to regain strength and appetite.
We had Ariel scheduled for hauled-out 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 existing paint, epoxy over any imperfections, apply a barrier coat (to prevent water penetration into the fiberglass), and then apply new
bottom paint. Having experienced living aboard the boat while in the
yard two years ago, 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 Q2500 for an extended stay, 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 an all-day event.
