Bottom Painting Again

We left in the spring, planning to get the bottom painted as soon as we returned. We had visited our chosen boatyard in the spring and made some rough plans. We heard nothing but good recommendations for this yard. It is known as Abel's, named after both the father and son who run it. It is actually Astillero Magdalena. We made the short trip further up the river and under the bridge to the boat yard the first thing Monday morning. We pulled right into the travel lift basin and were hauled immediately. They went to work right away, pressure washing and then sanding the bottom. By the end of the day, it was practically ready for paint. This is the first time we have not done the work ourselves. We could not have accomplished in a week what took them a day. Firstly, we would not be able to work in the heat as they do, and even without the heat, we would not have the stamina. We stayed aboard on the hard, but maybe that was not the best idea. Each day, the temperature inside the cabin topped out at 106 degrees. We managed to get it down to 92 degrees by bedtime, and it would be mid-eighties in the morning. We stayed off the boat pretty much except for eating and sleeping. On the second day, they finished sanding and then applied two coats of paint, leaving about 4 hours between coats. On the third and final day, they moved the stands and applied the two coats there and then, finally lifted it on the travel lift, applied paint to the blocks that were under the keel, and let it hang for a while to dry. At about 11, we were back in the water. We could not have been happier with the whole experience. The work was excellent, and everyone was friendly and hardworking. We received excellent value for our investment.

We are so glad that is behind us, and we should be good for another couple of years. Our timing worked out well, as it has rained a lot since getting back to the marina.

Back On Ariel

We are back on Ariel. Before we started this adventure, we expected to be off Ariel to visit friends and family for about a month, at the most two months each year. We never expected to be away for four months. With hurricanes and the rainy season in Guatemala, it didn't make sense to stay on the Rio Dulce. Our travels home and returning could not have been smoother. We were concerned returning to Guatemala as we maxed out on luggage with four checked bags, each weighing just under 50 pounds, and we each had our carry-ons. The luggage included boat parts, which we kept our fingers crossed would clear customs in Guatemala. We sailed right through. The taxis here are very small, so it was a real pinch getting our bags and us into such a tiny vehicle.

A day before our planned departure last June, we got word that my brother Bill had died. Our plans had been set to spend a week in Antigua, Guatemala, before our flight out. Given the plans for the memorial service and the cost of changing the air tickets, we decided to stick with our original schedule. Despite the circumstances, we enjoyed Antigua and highly recommend it as a tourist destination. While there, we both visited the dentist for checkups and cleanings, and Linda saw a dermatologist. The cost savings are substantial, and the quality is excellent. We are anxious to get back to Antigua and plan on doing so later this year.

When not traveling, we stayed with Norm’s mother. We have done this before, but for shorter periods, and we knew it would work out. We can help with work on the house, yard, and garden, which we appreciate, as it gives us something meaningful to do. We thank her so much for putting up with us and for agreeing to have us back next summer.

The highlight of the summer was spending time with our grandchildren. We managed to spend extended time with all of them without their parents. We had Thomas with us while his parents went on vacation to the Adirondacks and Vermont. He attended Vacation Bible School at Norm's mother's church and had a great time.

We went camping with Michael and Evelyn on Kelleys Island in Lake Erie. We hadn't been camping for several years, but we all did pretty well. We then took both of them back to upstate New York with us for a NASCAR race at Watkins Glen.

And then, in early September, Scott and Pamela were at a wedding, so they decided to add a few days to make it a vacation. We moved into their home and had Camyrn and Claire to ourselves for a few days. It was at times exhausting (Camyrn is almost 3 and Claire just turned 1),  but wonderful.

We made the first step toward life beyond cruising, but do not be mistaken, we do not have plans to give this up anytime soon. We bought some land just outside of Corning, NY. We bought the land to eventually build on, but it currently has a small house on it, which we are renting out.

Right now, we are getting Ariel back in shape and getting back in touch with old cruising friends and meeting new cruising friends. Our calendar is already becoming booked with social activities. We found the interior of Ariel exactly as we left it, with no mold, mildew, or insects. Sealing it up and setting up the dehumidifier worked perfectly. The exterior is another matter. It was pretty black, especially the teak. A film of mildew covered everything, and the spiders had made quite a mess. The good news is that the mildew cleaned off easily, but not so for the spider messes, which take some serious scrubbing.

We are making plans to haul out and have the bottom painted. This will be the first time we have not painted it ourselves. Hooray.

In Memory Of Bill

William R. Merrick, age 59, of Covington, PA, died Sunday, June 6, 2010, in Lindley, NY. William was born January 8, 1951, in Wellsboro, PA, a son of Varley and Gladys (Karns) Merrick. William was an accountant for Ron Baltzley Hardwoods in Covington, PA. He was a U.S. Army veteran who had served during the Vietnam War.

William is survived by mother, Gladys of Lindley, NY; a son, Chad Merrick of Wellsboro, PA; a daughter, Alicia Merrick of Wellsboro, PA; three brothers and sisters-in-law, Mark (Brenda) Passmore of Marion, NY, Richard (Maggie) Passmore of St. Paul, MN, and Norman (Linda) Karns of Broadview Heights, OH.

Last Days In Guatemala

We spent the past couple of weeks getting the boat ready to leave for four months, but we were not so busy that we did not have time to enjoy the area and spend time with other cruisers. We were down to two couples, us and Bill and Pat aboard Mobetah. Still, two additional boats came into Monkey Bay: TiTaRo, a big catamaran from Munich, Germany, with Theo and Rosemarie aboard, and Calusa with John and Robyn aboard.

We visited a fort just a short distance past the bridge and only about a 15-minute dinghy ride. Castillo San Felipe dates to 1641.

This is a Boa Constrictor that stayed in the same spot next to our kitchen area, digesting its last meal, which we think may have been a bird. The large bulge has since disappeared.

Some of the devastation caused by the flooding from tropical storm Agatha is very near the Rio Dulce, just about 30 minutes away, but on the other side of the mountain. As is typical, the cruisers came together to provide food and clothing, which were gathered in town and trucked into the affected areas each morning.

Life On The Rio

Rio (river) Dulce (sweet) could not be more aptly named. We have settled into our life here, and it is everything and more than we expected. There are several marinas stretched over a few miles around the town of Fronteras (Frontier).  The average marina size is 15 - 20 boats, and so there are probably in excess of 300 boats waiting out hurricane season here. Many marinas, such as ours, are accessible only by water, as are many of the businesses. Needless to say, our dinghy gets a good workout. We take our laundry to the Backpackers Hotel just under the bridge. Each load is 35 Q, washed, dried, and folded, which is about $4.50 USD. We visit businesses along the river and in town, and while it takes some searching, we can usually find what we need. The fruits and vegetables in town are fantastic, so we often go.

Super Fruits and Veggies

Always Hectic

A launch operated by the orphanage, Casa Guatemala, comes to the marina twice a week with frozen and refrigerated goods, so we buy our meats, cheese, butter, and yogurt from them. Friday nights we go to Tortugal Marina for pizza and a movie. Actually, they sent their launch to pick us up. There is usually a good crowd from Mario's Marina, Catamarans Marina, and our marina, Monkey Bay. Of course, there are many restaurants, and the prices are very reasonable, so they are fun to try out.

And the monkeys have been around.

Tikal

We took our first extended inland trip to the ancient Mayan ruins of Tikal and to the city of Flores on Lago Peten Itza. We traveled with Ray and Vonnie, sailing on Wishbone from Toronto, Ontario. It is a three-hour bus trip to Flores, and Tikal is another 63 km. The trip could not have been better. We got to our hotel, La Casa De Don David, which was 2/3 the distance between Flores and Tikal, in time for a late dinner, which was included in the room price. We arranged a guided tour which would start with our ride from the hotel at 5:30 am. We had an excellent tour guide, Caesar Moran. By 1 pm, we were all exhausted from the heat, hiking, and climbing, and called it quits to return to our hotel. Beyond the ruins, the park has such an incredible variety of flora, fauna, birds, and wildlife. We would have liked to spend several days, but our time (and budget) were limited. The following day, we went back to the city of Flores to get a hotel on the little island connected by a causeway. We liked the minivan driver who took us to and from the park, so we had made arrangements with him to take us to Flores. It was also a treat to walk around this very quaint city. After a short three days, we were back on the Rio Dulce, but with great memories.

Ray and Vonnie

Agua Caliente

A group of us from Monkey Bay, fourteen in all, planned a little excursion to an agua caliente (hot springs). This one is about halfway along the northern shore of Lago Isabel, or about 12 or 13 miles from Fronteras. We each brought our own drinks, and most of us bought fried chicken in town to take for our lunch. We caught a collectivo, a minivan, which dropped us off near the entrance to Agua Caliente. While a collectivo is crowded, it is very inexpensive. The agua caliente was great for swimming. It consisted of a stream flowing by with cool, but definitely not cold water, with a waterfall cascading into the hot spring. The spring water was extremely hot, so the water in the pool below the falls was quite warm. Just upstream, the water was much cooler. It was a fun outing. Luckily, when we hiked back out, the collectivo (same guys) had guessed when we would be done and had parked under a shade tree to wait for us.

Lunch Time

Monkey Bay Marina

We arrived at our marina on May 1, so we have been here just a week. We could not be happier with our selection of Monkey Bay. There are several marinas, and each is unique. We struggled trying to decide, of course, site unseen. Monkey Bay is noted to be a little quieter than some,  mostly because it does not have a restaurant attached. It is only accessible by water. We were welcomed by everyone and immediately included in all the activities. It seems there is always something going on. Right now, there are a lot of us here, but it will begin thinning out soon as people head north for the summer.  If nothing else, we all get together every day for happy hour, but there is also dominoes, eating out at restaurants, going shopping, and taking little excursions, and it has only been a week. It is so comfortable here. You can leave your things out, like food in the marina refrigerator, or shower stuff in the cabinets at the showers, or maybe the book you are reading in the palapa, and no one will bother them. We have our sail bags in the palapa, out of the way until we leave, for example. The marina is managed by John, a super guy with a very good reputation for caring for the boats while the owners are away. We have heard the monkeys, but have not seen them yet. They should be back soon. They apparently make a circuit, allowing time for the leaves to grow back before returning. We do have a couple of porcupines living in our palapa.

Arriving Guatemala

With the forecast for high winds later in the week outside the entrance to the Rio Dulce, we decided, along with most other boats in Placencia, to advance our arrival in Livingston, Guatemala, a few days. Monday morning, Norm, along with people from three other boats, caught the 7:45 am Hokey Pokey water taxi from Placencia to the small village of Mango Creek. Once in Mango Creek, we negotiated with John, a taxi driver (in a minivan), a rate to take us to all the stops, wait for us at each stop, and return us to the water taxi. We piled in, and the first stop was immigration in the police station right in Mango Creek. Next, we went to Big Creek, about three miles away, to clear customs. Big Creek is a shipping port, primarily for exporting bananas. A ship was arriving, so the customs officer was not at the office. Nothing to do but wait. While waiting, the Port Captain rode up on his bicycle and processed our papers and collected a departure fee. Meanwhile, Kathy from Tundra would knock on the customs door every now and then, and probably out of frustration, a guy finally opened the door. He had worked a long, hard weekend and was not on duty, and asked us to please stop banging on the door. About 15 minutes later, he again opened the door and said he would process us. He just wanted to get rid of the noisy crowd.

On the way back to the water taxi, John stopped in town at a fruit and vegetable tienda, obviously belonging to a friend or relative, but we were pleased with the selection and the prices. Norm returned to the boat with a pineapple, a papaya, cucumbers, and tomatoes.

We decided to break our trip from Placencia to Livingston into two short days. We definitely wanted to arrive in Livingston in the morning and get upriver. Livingston is not a safe place to stay. High tide was at 7 am, and we crossed a couple of hours later. We were the last boat for the day, joining about a 1/2 dozen boats already at anchor as we cleared into Guatemala. We arrived in time to catch Raul, the agent who helps with clearing in or out, and the entourage of officials while they were still on board the boats, which is the beginning of the process. We had the anchor down for only about 15 minutes before Raul, the Port Captain, immigration, customs, and the medical officer (in scrubs) came aboard. They all gathered in the cockpit, where we presented our papers and answered their questions. They all spoke English and were very friendly and professional. After about 10 minutes, they were on their way, and we were left with a map and an 11:30 appointment at Raul's office to pick up our completed paperwork and pay our fees.

We had our first-ever experience with boat boys when we arrived at the government dock in our dinghy. Not really, boys, or at least not young boys, they will look after your boat while you're away in town. It is recommended to pay this small expense in Livingston. Well, our first experience was not pleasant. They were all clamoring for our business, and we chose a young man who appeared to be trustworthy. A guy we didn't choose felt cheated, and a pretty good shouting match broke out. We could not shake the rejected guy, and he followed us to the bank, constantly still arguing his case. He even went into the bank with Norm, but he sent him back outside. Coming out, he gave him Q20 to go away, and that worked. 1 USD = 7.88 quetzales. We walked around town while killing time before our appointment, but the heat was just too much, so we found a restaurant, ordered drinks, and watched the activity from our shady spot.

We had Raul also process our boat extension. The initial boat permit is for three months, but it can be extended for an additional year. We will fly back to the United States in June, so we paid Raul the extension fees and signed the application, and he will forward the extended permit to Monkey Bay Marina when it arrives.

We found our dinghy in good shape, paid our boat boy, and were back on Ariel before lunch.

Our reservation at Monkey Bay Marina is not until May 1, so we will take our time going up the river. We could certainly go in right away, but we wanted to spend some time at Texan Bay Marina, which is about halfway, just after entering El Golfete, a wide part of the river.

Going from Livingston at the mouth of the river to El Golfete is an amazing 10 miles or so. The river winds through a canyon with sheer rock walls that soar 300 feet. Most of the steep sides are covered with trees and vines hanging down to the water. It is just one of those places where pictures do not do it justice.

Texans Mike and Sherry Paine started Texan Bay Marina about five years ago. We took a slip ($10/day) and are using the opportunity to meet cruisers. Most boats stop here on the way and either take a slip or anchor in the peaceful bay in front of the marina. It is a fun place. Last night, the excuse for the party was a Full Moon.

Placencia

We are now in Placencia, only the third community we have been to in Belize, and the first on the mainland. San Pedro, where we cleared in, is actually on Ambergris Caye. After leaving Caye Caulker, we traveled short distances and stayed behind some of the numerous cays that lie behind the barrier reef. Most of the cays are uninhabited, some are private, and a few have only fishing camps. For the most part, we had the place to ourselves with no one within sight as far as we could see.

We have really lost contact with news from the United States since losing our satellite radio signal. We tried the BBC on the HF radio, but the short time they were on did not carry any real news of importance to us. We were talking with a cruising family from Vancouver, and they asked if we knew whether the healthcare bill in the US had passed. Well, that was old news, so we were able to answer that one. Logically, you would think that with the internet, we could keep up. Our internet access is sporadic, so when we get it, we have much higher priorities than checking on news stories.

The boats that are headed for the Rio Dulce are in pretty good numbers now. There is a full moon coming up, so there will be dozens taking advantage of the higher tides to get across the bar outside the entrance to the Rio Dulce. Our draft is such that we do not have to worry so much about timing. We plan to stay here in Placencia for another four or five days and then clear out of Belize and head for Guatemala, which will be our home, or at least Ariel's home, for the hurricane season.

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Here in Placencia, the Paradise Resort Hotel is cruiser-friendly, with free WiFi, trash disposal, laundry, and happy hour - who could ask for more? This is our new temporary hangout.

Norm got a new face mask, although not a very good one, and he decided to finish cleaning the bottom of the hull. He immediately found that two barracuda had taken up residence under the boat, up against the hull. They didn't seem happy with his arrival and approached him in an intimidating fashion. He was hesitant, but one was about 20 inches, and the other was smaller, so he decided they could not do too much harm. They behaved just like little nippy dogs. They would approach menacingly to within about six inches, and then if he made a move toward them, they would dart away but come right back and repeat.  He decided to ignore them as best he could. He was down there for about 1 1/2 hours, and they were still there when he finished, still playing the same old game.

Belize

Belize is a small country, about the size of Massachusetts, and with a population of only about 300,000. With such a small population, Belize's environment and wildlife can thrive. Belize is protected from the sea by a barrier reef, the largest in the Western Hemisphere. At 185 miles in length, it is second only to the Great Barrier Reef in size. Belize gained its independence from Britain in 1981. Belize is culturally diverse with Creoles, Latinos, Maya, Garifuna, East Asians, and whites. Belize also has a sizable Mennonite community, which has been helpful in Belize's becoming self-sufficient in chicken, dairy products, and corn.

We really feel like we have transitioned into another world and can certainly understand how cruisers stay year after year. We feel like rookies again when we meet cruisers who have been in the Northwest Caribbean for years. Certainly, Belize is the best cruising ground we have encountered to date. The locals are friendly, and we enjoy interacting with them. Our surroundings are just beautiful beyond description. The water temperature is in the mid-80s. The temperature on the boat, as long as we have the trade winds, hovers between a low of about 80 just before sunrise to about 90 at the peak. It is bearable with fans going and decent winds. I think we are adapting because if it gets into the 70s, we feel a chill.

San Pedro

San Pedro

San Pedro

San Pedro

WiFi Spot on Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker

Caye Caulker