Our Necessary Long-term Visit to the States

We flew back to the States much earlier than we planned for many important reasons that had to put our cruising life on hold for several months. The biggest one was Linda's spine surgery that held so many uncertainties both short-term and long-term outcomes. We also planned to attend a family wedding in the Chicago area, my 50th high school reunion in Pennsylvania, our routine medical appointments and then visits to family and friends. But the main reason we flew back early was to complete the surgery as soon as possible.

 

Back in Pusser's Annapolis with Seth during our first weekend in cold country.

Originally, we had planned to sail to Panama and return to the US in July. But while we were in Belize we realized we would need return to the States in April but at the time we thought we could return to the Rio in June. Although we weren't totally sure we would be able to do that we needed a line in the sand. We planned that after the surgery we would fly back to the Rio for two months of recovery and then return to the States in late August to do all of our medical follow-ups and visit

Out of the jungle but still living like we're there having fresh coconut to eat along with rum and fresh coconut water.

family and friends. That plan lasted about a week after we got back to the States and the surgery got scheduled.  As we came to grips with what would be the short-term outcomes we realized it wouldn't be until after the surgery that we would really know the impact of our immediate future.

In our travels to visit family and friends we visited places from my past. An original covered bridge over the Conestoga at Hunsickers Mill.
 
In our "big-picture" planning we decided that rather than stay with any of our many friends that kindly offered to let us stay with them we would hole up in a residence hotel especially through the surgery so that the requirements would not tax our friends and provide the easiest accommodation for Linda’s recovery considering all the restrictions imposed by the surgery. So for the first two months we had a very affordable (considering the area) suite-hotel that provided a full-service kitchen and accessible bath with easy access to the hospital, doctors and shopping.

Dinner with my sister and two of my sons at El Serrano in Lancaster in April.


Before we left Guatemala, we scheduled several of our medical appointments so when we arrived in Virginia about midnight on our travel day the first of many appointments began the next morning. Although already busy during our first weekend back we got the chance to hang out with our old sailing club and talk with many of our old friends. It's always so wonderful to get back to see the people with whom we spent lots of time in years past.

Oxford Boatyard where our adventure began 4 years ago.

When we arrived in the DC area the temperature was in the 30's. Quite a shock from the "real feel" temps in the 100's that we had just left. Even the subsequent daytime temps in DC were only half of what we were used to.  Although we had brought the warmest clothes we had, we were poorly prepared for the very cold and wet weather we endured the first two months of our travel.

Another night in Annapolis at dinner with sailing friends Scott and Noi Neuman.


Medical Issues

After weeks of preparation and testing, Linda's surgery was scheduled and conducted in May. Everything went as well or better than expected. Then after 30 days of recovery she was cleared by her surgeon to travel so we left for Chicago to visit and the remainder of the immediate future. But, big questions still remained about what long-term impacts she would have but that answer would have to wait for months.

Packaging the drogue that was given to us for shipping back to Guatemala.


While recovering, Linda developed an unusual heart pulse which landed her back in the hospital about a week after she had been discharged. She was diagnosed with an atrial fibrillation or afib which was quickly reversed with treatment. However, with this condition there could also be potential impacts on our long-term plans.

One last rock on the dock in May at Pusser's in Annapolis.
 
But, while we were working through Linda's procedures my annual urology exam revealed that further examination for possible prostate cancer was warranted. As a result, I went through an MRI and then a third biopsy which proved negative.

Dinner with our sailing buddy Dave Sykes in Oxford before the surgery.


Return to Guatemala

We always planned to return to Guatemala for a period that we originally thought would allow Linda to recuperate in our home at much lower cost than in the States and in a much more friendly environment. But, after surgery and assessing her limitations we decided she should not return but

A room for the night south of the border in Honduras because my flight was delayed.  What you get for US$13. Even cheaper than military housing.

that I would travel back myself and she could remain at her son's home in Alexandria.  Her limitations would make it impossible for her to do many routine things without assistance and would even limit her ability to get on and off the boat. Not to mention even carrying a bag through the airport. So on 11 July I flew back to Guatemala by myself. In the 4 years that we have lived aboard these would be the first nights we spent apart.

Finally back home on the Rio Dulce.

In the nearly 25 years Linda and I have been together and the 4 years we've been cruising this would be the longest time we were apart. Being apart was its own challenge besides simply missing my partner and best friend. For those that don't liveaboard that may be hard to understand.  From our routines we have evolved into complementary roles where we each rely on the other for the accomplishment of specific supporting tasks on board. Upon returning to the boat my loss became immediately obvious.

The Sledgehammer going out on it's first "Party Cruise."

Party on the Sledgehammer the night before I moved to Catamaran featuring Rosa our favorite bartender.

One of our single-handing cruiser friend refers to the division as "red tasks" and "blue tasks." It may sound "sexist" but in our sailing relationship we have developed clearly identified functions based on our own best capabilities. Linda's role could be defined as the living necessities and mine could be defined as keeping the boat working. So when I returned I suddenly had to do it all.  Linda knows what we have, where it is and what should be consumed. I knew where the boat parts were and how to do the projects I needed to complete while I was there. But being alone I had to learn what she knew and integrate it around the work I needed to accomplish while I was at the boat.

A beautiful evening shot of the Castillo de San Felipe.


While I was back in the States we shipped 150# of stuff back to our boat at RAM marina. I was also able to bring back almost another 150# of material in my luggage (I didn't need to carry back clothes so I had almost all of my luggage available for freight) so my first order of business was to stow 300# of "stuff." One of the big and heavy items was a storm drogue that we had been given in the Spring and while it took time to lay it into the anchor locker stowing it was relatively easy.  Another big item was a sheet of soundown that I had shipped for replacing the original insulation in the engine compartment. By the end of my first day I had stowed everything and somehow found stuff to eat.

A favorite breakfast. Eggs made with my salsa and spices along with fruit and of course a tortilla de harina made locally. You can't eat this well in the States and the cost is probably less than $1. Everything is local.

I made up a pizza for myself on a tortilla de harina with some tomato sauce, broccoli, parmesan, sweet potato, peppers, onions, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. 

After being back a few days I moved Amekaya from RAM Marina to Catamaran Marina about a mile down and across the Rio. RAM is a good boatyard for work and storage. But, for long-term living it doesn't afford many amenities. We decided to move to Catamaran Hotel & Marina because it had a pool, restaurant and bar. Thanks to our good friend Steve Elliott organizing social events there were

View from the lobby of Catamaran Hotel and Marina.

Our dock.

many things to do there as well. So with the help of our friends Bert and Dorothy of Island Girl and Tony and Robin from Alleycat Too we cast off from RAM and for the first time I motored alone the short distance to Catamaran and with the help of lots of hands there got tied in to our new slip and now ready for new adventures.

At Catamaran I was able to begin my projects and was introduced to a jungle walk that I did every other day. There is a public dock across the cove where I could tie off my dink and walk back a trail through the village of Esmeralda to a jungle road. The road followed a pipeline over 9 hills to a

A boat project to accurately inventory spare parts and tools took several days to identify what needed to be brought back.

junction with another road that went off into the jungle in one direction and in the other back to the main highway that goes into Fronteras. The road junction was 2.5 miles from the dock passing through a rubber tree grove and a palm oil plantation. One of the unusual and interesting features along the walk was a herd of SE Asian water buffaloes that had been imported to Guatemala as work animals. They were fully domesticated, so they were of little danger.

A view down the pipeline road where I walked. The pipeline runs from a wellhead up near the Mexican border to Puerto Barrios carrying crude oil for export.

Little buckets hang on the rubber trees collecting the sap that will be converted to rubber.

The Rubber Tree Plantation.

On my walks I saw men working the plantation trees and carrying firewood; women doing laundry in the many streams in the jungle and working about their homes; many vehicles passed me with drivers waving and many stopping to offer rides; and lots of friendly hard-working people. I've had questions from friends about the safety of this because the public image is that Central America is a

Corn growing alongside the road. It grew about a foot a week.

hotbed of civil war and crime. Along the roads we walk nothing has ever provided any reason to suspect harm and in fact women from the marina run these roads by themselves without fear. Much better than many places in the US. The only challenge has been that the roads destroyed my shoes so I was forced to buy better ones.

The Palm Oil plantation.

In the jungle plants grow on plants.

A truckload of palm fruitlets to be pressed into palm oil.

Over the 4 weeks I was there I was comfortable in the boat making meals and running the dink about to get into town and other places as needed allowing me to eat healthy with the many fruits and vegetables available in the town. At the same time I was able to accomplish several boat projects and make it to the pool everyday for happy hour to socialize with other cruisers while enjoying a beer without any invasion from bugs. Most of the marinas around the Rio spray for bugs although we have friends at one marina where the bugs will eat you alive.

The domesticated herd of water buffalo working in the plantation.


After my four weeks I was happy and sad to be heading back to the States. I was happy to be going back to see my honey but it is always so hard to leave our home. Hopefully we will never need to be apart this long again. On the last morning one of our friends dinghied me to RAM Marina at 0600 to rendezvous with Otto, our reliable taxi, who was scheduled to meet me at 0700 but I expected him at 0630 and he was right on time to begin my journey back to the States.

My new dentist. A Guatemalan couple that moved here from Guatemala City and are gaining patients quickly. Cost for my exam and cleaning was $47.50. Last year in the States $350.


Visiting Friends and Family

Over the next 2 months we traveled close to 10,000 miles to visit family and friends. We made several trips to Pennsylvania to see my sister, son and grandson. We made trips to Chicago in June

After months of trying finally caught up with my college classmate Mike Campbell and his wonderful wife Hannah.

In Punta Gorda, FL with classmate Jack Andreas and his beautiful wife Dora at the Wicked Dolphin Rum Distillery. Sorry Dora, the better pics didn't get retained

In San Antonio with my son and his beautiful family. 

Linda and her old work associate Chris Skudlarek.

and another in September to visit family and friends there. We went to South Florida to visit my daughter and her kids; a college classmate and other friends. While in Florida we visited our

We spent a day at the Chicago Art Institute.


belongings in storage and our home (along with thousands of others) in Green Cove Springs.  We flew to San Antonio to visit another son and his family. Then there were the frequent trips to the Chesapeake to visit friends and do boat supply shopping in Annapolis and Oxford.

At a wine tasting in Geneva, Il with our good friends Ralph and Sunny Hernandez.

On the way back from Florida we stopped for a few nights in Charleston as a little sightseeing opportunity and play tourist to enjoy the beautiful community.

The Return

After six months we finished all our visits and our routine medical appointments. Then came the big job of shopping for what we needed to take back with us and packing it. Because we wanted natural

During the Annapolis Boat Show we got a chance to have dinner with our good friends Bob and Kat Lyon who came into Annapolis from Indiana.


solutions for Linda’s health, we needed to bring back many natural supplements, so we bought another bag that we would need to pay for. Normally we have 2 free check bags each and 1 carry-on but this time we would check a total of 5 bags. When we checked-in all of our bags were just under 50# so we were fine.   American upgraded us so we could have packed each bag to 70# but we didn’t know that when we were packing, although some of our bags had no more room. It’s always an art packing light things and heavy things in the right balance to stay under the 50# limit.

On one of our last nights we drove back to Annapolis for dinner with our longtime sailing friends, frequent hosts and fellow birthday boy Al & Trish DelNegro.

Our flight back was uneventful, and our driver was waiting for us in San Pedro Sula. We touched down at 1130 and were standing on the dock in Rio waiting for the Sledgehammer at 1530. So after our six-month odyssey we were home and ready to get to work on getting ready to go out cruising.

Waiting at the dock for our ride back to Catamaran on our return to the Rio.

As we left Livingston and traveled up the Rio Dulce this time our trip was not as thrilling as it was our first time last year. The lush jungle foliage was there, the beautiful river, the unique jungle houses with their activity but this time the trip carried a significance that was missing before. We knew that we had a very short time to get the boat ready so we could leave to fly back to the US and we knew the return to the States carried with it lots of undesirable conditions. The first being that it would be very cold compared to the 90+ degrees in the Rio but more importantly the uncertainty of the outcome of Linda's spine surgery.

The beautiful Rio Dulce.

Our buddy boat, Livin Life started up the river ahead of us from Livingston but we soon passed them as we raced to get into the anchorage before dark. After our tranquil night in Texan Bay we continued up the river to Fronteras with Livin Life getting out ahead of us. When we got near Shell Bay we watched them pull into the fuel dock on AIS so we slowed down to give them a chance to fill up before we arrived. As they left, we tied up at the fuel dock to complete the first task of our return. We pulled into the marina with dock hands motioning for us to back into the dock across from the fuel dock. We learned it wasn't really us they were calling. Another boat backed into our soon-to-be slip to get hauled and then were pulled into the well. While we were fueling and looking at the dock where

The shores of Livingston.

we were going to be berthed another boat came in without permission and tied up in our spot waiting to be hauled out. So when we finished fueling we asked the marina about our berth because they didn't want us sitting at the fuel dock. Deciding not to ask the other boat to leave they let us remain at the fuel dock wasting about 2 hours of valuable time we needed to get our boat put to bed. Finally they left our slip to be hauled out and we got in but by then it was late in the afternoon and we were unable to get any of our outside chores done. As in most of the tropics night falls early so with little more than an hour of daylight the outside tasks would be deferred.

Nothing changed on the street in Fronteras.

Our initial plan was to fly back to the States for 2 months and then fly back after Linda had her surgery. We would come back and spend about 2 months on the boat while she recuperated but then we needed to fly back to the States in late August for medical follow-ups, travel around to visit family and attend my 50th High School reunion scheduled for August.  This meant our boat would be in place for about six months so we needed to prepare it for that despite the fact we would be there for part of the time.

The preparation chores included: removing, cleaning and stowing the sails; removing as many outside lines as possible and replacing with messenger lines; covering up as much of the boat and running rigging as possible; prep the dinghy; fill the fuel and water tanks; clean the boat inside and out; service all mechanical equipment; setup the AC air conditioning in the companionway to keep the boat cool and dry; and implement a pest control plan. We needed to do this while we continued living on the boat and packing for our uncertain trip.

We had our cockpit cushions recovered. 2 day turnaround.

Over 2 days I was able to get much of the outside work done, service the engine (the genset had recently been serviced) and Linda started on cleaning the inside of the boat. On the 3rd morning we were at the dock listening to the local cruisers net when our boat was hit by a boat that was trying to get onto the fuel dock. There was no wind or current but somehow the pilot was unable to negotiate his 36' boat to the fuel dock 25' away without hitting us. When we ran out on deck the crew on the other boat was yelling at us in French as if it was our fault for being in their way. This was the second time we were hit while tied to the dock across from the fuel dock. Last year we were hit by a local lancha taking off from the fuel dock. So we asked the marina manager to be tied elsewhere.

On Saturday as our worked continued in earnest there was an opening on another dock and the marina agreed for us to move so we would be away from the fuel dock. When the dock hands arrived to help us I started our engine and while it was warming up it died.  After several failed attempts to start the engine we let the dock hands manually move our boat from one dock to the other and get us into our new slip. Quite disgusted I deferred until the next morning to begin an investigation of the engine issue.

The next morning I began looking at the fuel system and the likely culprit appeared when I removed the filters. As I removed the filters the villain was obvious. We had water in our fuel. Not a little water like from condensation but enough that the fuel didn't smell like diesel fuel and looked like milk.  I spoke to the marina manager and she suggested I get an independent mechanic that worked around the marina to come look at our boat because clearly we had something wrong with our boat to get that kind of water in the fuel. The marina denied any possibility that it was their fuel. I also contacted a contractor that had the capability to polish the fuel to come by to try and see if we could get the water out.   

Our farewell dinner with our friends at Dreamcatchers in the jungle.

With our need to get ready to leave we tried to expedite every action. The mechanic came by early Monday morning and could not find any possible source of contamination from our boat. He even commented about how unusual it was to see an engine compartment as clean as ours. But, he was unwilling to tell the marina that he could find no source of water from our engine or on our boat and it was probably their fuel.  Later in the day we began the process of removing the fuel from the tank for polishing with the contractor and in a short while he removed quarts of water. His machine consisted of 2 large water separation filters and even though he got lots of water out much passed through.

Working on the engine.

We pulled out about 2/3rds of the tank for cleaning. Then ran it back through the filters a second time and into the tank. Later that evening we bled the fuel lines and were able to get the engine to at least turnover. But, we decided that the only thing to do was pull out all the fuel the next day, Tuesday and replace it. So the next morning we removed 160 gals of diesel fuel until the tank was completely empty. Then by hand I poured fuel back in through a triple Filter designed to remove water and dirt. I poured in about 30 gals, bled the fuel lines again, changed the filters, bled the lines and we got the engine to run.  We ran it for about 20 mins.

Next day, Wednesday, I was able to go back to the fuel dock and refill the tank running all the fuel through a water-fuel separator and motored back into our slip. Over the next few months I will need to continue running the engine and drain off water and dirt changing the filters frequently to restore the fuel to a reliable condition.

Though we were able to fix the problem It cost me almost an entire tank of diesel, time for our mechanics and most importantly our time that we needed to get ready to leave. Meanwhile the marina continues to deny there was anything wrong with its fuel but has no explanation for how it got there other than that I might have added water to the fuel.

Schedules collided as we crashed getting all our chores done getting ready to leave while working the fuel issue because we had a local woman come in on Tuesday to help Linda clean the inside of the boat. So working around the challenges of the fuel issue Linda got done what she could leaving a big portion of the work for after we could close up the engine compartment. But that night we took a break for a few hours and had dinner with several of our friends before we left to come back to the States on Thursday.

Wednesday we wrapped up the cleaning, got the fuel tank filled, packed and did all the last minute stuff we needed to for leaving at 0530 the next morning. So after a lot of stress, scurrying around  on last minute details, trying to see friends and packing we finally crashed late Wednesday night with some assurance the engine and the boat should be ok.

After a few hours of sleep we were up, finished packing and closed up the boat. As many boaters know closing the boat is a very sad time. We really hate to be leaving our home to unforseen risks and threats until we return. We really enjoy being onboard our home and really enjoy being in Guatemala. It's tough to leave but it helps knowing we will be back and better for the future.

At 0530 we were waiting and Otto our driver arrived. We have used Otto for going to and from the airport because he is great. A local businessman from Fronteras he shows up early, is very helpful and knows how to provide great customer service. This is our 5th trip with him and we have recommended him to others and we will of course continue to use him.

Our flights back were uneventful although we were able to get upgraded on both of them and try out the new American Flagship Lounge in Miami. But, these amenities did not soften the blow of landing with temperatures in the 30's and getting ready for what's next.

Our next blog article will be about our time in the States. But we would rather be back on the Rio with friends or cruising the Caribbean.

Last sunset in the Rio for a while.

 

After enjoying the Bay Islands, home again

So much has happened since our last blog update. So much fun that has now been put on hold for another day. So please read on and follow our fun-filled time in the Bay Islands and our travel back to the Rio in prep for return to the States.

We left Utila on 12 March after spending a great week there diving and enjoying the wonderful little places on the island. We headed out with little wind and a general swell heading to the eastern end of Roatan to stay at Jonesville Point Marina for about a week to do some maintenance, refresh a few things and get familiar with Roatan. We had visited the island 6 years ago and stayed with friends on the east end but we had to reconnect as cruisers.

Mountains on the Honduran Mainland visible from Utila.

We started out with a little wind ahead of us that enabled us to sail for an hour or so before it dropped to nothing. Then we motored. The distance between Utila and Roatan is about 20 miles at the nearest point with Roatan lying to the northeast and farther from the Honduran mainland. On the Honduran mainland are high mountains that are visible frequently on Utila as they were when we left but we watched as they became shrouded in haze as the day wore on. Very shortly after rounding the southeast point of Utila we began to see the hills of Roatan rising out of the water. For most of the trip we could see Pumpkin Hill of Utila, the only high spot on the island and the hills of Roatan at the same time. Roatan is like a long mountain with various peaks along its ridge as it sits in an almost east-west alignment off the coast.

Fading view of Pumpkin Hill.

Roatan West End in the distance.

Roatan, with Utila and its sister Guanaja form the Bay Islands of Honduras. The islands were actually British for many years before being turned over to Honduras. The old-time residents on the islands speak a form of English that is very similar to that spoken in portions of the Chesapeake Bay, Bahamas, Jamaica, Belize and the Caymans. Most likely because the inhabitants were separated from the mother country by hundreds of years. There are many Spanish-speaking inhabitants who also speak English because of the large influx of tourists to the islands. In fact, the only 2 people we found on the islands speaking mostly Spanish were the Immigration Officer and Port Captain. Probably being government officials they were required to transact in Spanish. Most prices everywhere were even listed in US$.

With Amekaya at the dock, Linda at the bar I am washing down Amekaya.

We tied along side a long pier for what became a fun week in a very out-of-the-way place. The dock had no shore power so CJ, the young dock hand brought down an extension cord that we plugged into. It would run most small power needs and the battery charger (although the batteries were mostly topped off from solar and wind) but not our air conditioner. So at night we ran our genset to cool down the boat. When it came time to fill the water tank we were able to reach a potable water faucet that was actually spring fed. Life was good.

Our mast from the top of Lodge.

Our plan for our first day was to pick up a rental car so we could do provisioning and shopping at the many stores on the island and facilitate some work we needed to do. But first we met our friend Janice Rowland who had been there for several months while her husband traveled back and forth to the States for medical appointments. We got together for happy hour and dinner but we met one of the owners, Dennis who was an absolute hoot.

Looking our from Cal's after our Lunch with Janice.

Jonesville Marina is owned by the Trico Shrimp company of Fort Myers, FL and the bar is named the Trico Bar and Grill.  Dennis one of the owners spends lots of time at the marina. During the course of that evening and many others he joined us at our table and whenever our drinks were low told us he was buying us a drink. I think in the 9 days we were there we paid for less than 10 drinks for the two of us. Like most of the places we've been beer and rum drinks were less than US$2. It's very easy to like that. They also had entertainment on Tuesday afternoons that was quite good.

Trico Tuesdays at the marina with great local entertainment.

As planned we picked up our car at the airport and Sherry, who co-manages the marina with her husband Bryan, took us to the airport for our car as she had to pick up a guest for one of the other places they manage. We were then able to meet up with friends on Mikhaya and Moody Mistress from back in the Rio for a quick chance to catch-up. Both boats are similar Moody 43's.

Happy hour at Sundowners Beach Bar with great music.

Over the next couple days with the car we got to grocery and hardware stores on the island to shop for things we hadn't been able to get on board in many months. We also got the chance to spend time with other friends on Roatan. On Friday I got out with Tropical Divers in the East End for 2 dives in some very rough conditions. For several days later in the week and over the weekend the trade winds were very heavy. Unfortunately, the wind drove swell into the marina and rocked us for several days at the dock. But after a fun 10 days we left the friendly family at Jonesville and headed to the West End.

At West End we knew we would be meeting up with other friends on Mikhaya and Moody Mistress but also Trish and Tom on Double Up who we spent time with in Antigua. After days of high winds there was barely a breeze so we motored the 15 miles from Jonesville to the anchorage by the West End. Using way points Trish had given us we crossed through the reef and put down anchor in a sand patch we found among the heavy turtle grass. Over the time we were anchored there we found our anchor holding very well in some heavy winds.

One of our dinners with Trish and Tom and the Beach House.

Over the next 2 weeks we spent time with our friends. Trish and Tom also had dive gear so most of the days we went out in our dinghies to dive sites and blew bubbles for an hour and Linda snorkeled over the amazing reefs. Roatan has some of the best diving in the Caribbean. We saw many turtles and eels swimming along the wall. Tom and Trish always carried spears to kill Lionfish that provided amusement watching them get killed and then having a fish come by and swallow them in one bite. Hopefully the fish will learn they can eat these tasty morsels of invasive species and the Lionfish will get under control or even eliminated. Unfortunately I never had my camera ready to catch the banquet.

Getting ready for another dive.

Our last dive was on the wreck of the Aquia. One of the 3 wrecks on Roatan. The wreck was in 105' of water and featured several swim through opportunities although unlike other wrecks I've swam through there weren't lots of fish around. During our decompression phase of the dive after the deep water we swam the reefs in shallower water with beautiful canyons of colorful coral.

West End beach at night.

What a great 2 weeks we had. Dive in the morning, dinghy to the dive shop to drop off our tanks for refill, take a nap, have happy hour and dinner. The weather was beautiful and it was Semana Santa (Holy Week) and the West End was packed with tourists celebrating the holidays. Besides all the excitement there were fireworks on several evenings. While this was just a part of our ongoing liveaboard cruising it seemed like spring break with all the celebrating going on. Dive, nap and party. How can it get any better?

Sunset from Roatan West End.

The day before we left our friends Bob and Nina on Moondance arrived from Belize and the last night we had a very nice dinner with all our friends.

Our last night dinner in Roatan on 2 April.

The calendar was ticking and we knew we needed to head back to the Rio in order to prepare the boat for us to leave. So after just a few weeks we sadly left Roatan and headed back to Utila to enjoy Tapas Tuesday at Mango Tango and then check out of Honduras for our trip back to the Rio so we could get back to the States.

Running on the spinnaker on the way back to Utila.

We had great wind for the 20 mile passage back to Utila with the wind on our beam for about an hour before coming behind us so we hoisted the spinnaker that took us right to the channel where we needed to haul it in and turn through the shoal to the anchorage. We pulled down the spinnaker and motored in and anchored in the same sand spot we were in before.

Cruising at 8 kts.

Once anchored we tried to make reservations at Mango Tango only to find they were closed until later in the week. In our last few days at Utila we visited some of the places we had been before and enjoyed another dive trip. We went out again with Utila Dive Center and had 2 more wonderful dives. Besides a great wall dive complete with turtles and eels we also got so see a moray swimming along the bottom for a great distance and watch as he slid in and around coral heads. We met crews from several new boats and quickly made new friends spending several happy hours with each as we got to know them.

Our anchor buried on the bottom of East Bay in Utila photo taken from the cockpit.

But, it quickly became time to leave and we coordinated with our friends on Livin Life who had moved over to the West End of Roatan to buddy boat back to the Rio with them. We were both concerned with past incidents of assault that had occurred along the Honduran coast between Utila and the Rio. It isn't really the hot spot for pirates but attacks have occurred.  Livin Life was leaving from Roatan and we decided that we would go around the east end of Utila and head north northwest until we were well clear of the coast and then head southwest into the Bay behind Cabo Tres Puntas. By coordinating we should be close in the event of any issues.

Sailing across the Bay to Livingston.

We coordinated our departure as we were both clearing out of Honduras and the process on Roatan required more time than did we. So late afternoon we brought in our anchor and motored out of the harbor and pulled out our sails. The first part of our sail was a beat into about 25 kts of apparent wind at less than 40 degrees so it went very slowly with big swells slowing us as well. After an hour and 3 tacks we made it out around the northeast point of Utila and fell off to a beam reach as we quickly shot up to 8-10 kts of watching Utila shrink in the dimming sky as we ran away from the island. Our plan was to get about 25 miles north of Utila before we turned west getting us far from the Honduran coast line and closer to Belize. We finally turned downwind and went to just the jib which we carried until about midnight when the wind dropped to the point it wouldn't hold the sail. At that point we brought in our sails and motored.

By daybreak we were around the Guatemala border and continuing on we were anchored behind the Cabos Tres Puntas by 1030. On several occasions during the evening and early night we spoke to our friends over the VHF but soon we got out of radio range. After getting down the anchor on a beautiful morning we had breakfast, napped and swam. About 1600 that afternoon we saw our friends Livin Life approaching on radar. They got their anchor down before sunset and we all had an early night to get ready for crossing the bar.

Late afternoon anchored off Cabo Tres Puntas.

The night was beautiful with a full moon and even some phosphorescence in the water that was still and peaceful after our previous night's journey. What a contrast to how we left it earlier in January. Swimming around the boat during the day we found lots of starfish and dead sand dollars. I think there's a correlation because we've seen this before. I believe based on research that starfish eat sand dollars (or at least the animal part of them).

The beautiful peaceful evening slipped by quickly as we all got a nice night's rest after our passage from the Bay Islands. In the morning we lifted anchor to cross the bar just before high tide. Remembering our first experience crossing the bar where we ran aground and had to be pulled off we approached the crossing apprehensively but once again we got across the bar without touching. We're now 2 for 3 in successful crossings. We put down our anchor in the Rio Dulce with the brisk river current and a sea breeze opposing it pushing us around as we tried to back down on the anchor. With it down we called our clearing agent Raoul to come out to get us checked in.

Livingston's main street.

Normally clearing into a country is not an issue but we arrived on Sunday and that meant we would be charged a premium and the officials would not be immediately available although we advised them we would be in so they were expecting us. There was another boat in the river that had come in ahead of us so it didn't take too long for the authorities to arrive and request our paperwork. They advised that we could collect our papers in an hour and we set about for lunch.

The Livingston waterfront.

In about an hour Janice from Livin Life came by and took Dave and I ashore to collect our papers and pay the fees to secure our entrance to Guatemala. Janice returned to her boat and Linda stayed aboard to be sure that heavy-handed elements from Livingston didn't come by to help themselves to pieces of the boat.   Dave and I went to the ATM to withdraw Quetzales, the local currency of Guatemala because they do not accept US$ and walked to Raoul's office for our documents. For whatever reason the documents weren't ready as advertised and we stood outside of the office in the 95 degree Guatemalan Jungle heat for 2 hours until we finally got our docs and could head up the river.

We rushed back to the boats and got underway quickly as the day was fading and we wanted to make Texan Bay before dark. While the river is easy to navigate in the daylight it becomes difficult at night because there are obstructions along the way and shallows that protrude far from shore that must be avoided. At night seeing these becomes more difficult and the entrance to Texan Bay is narrow and visual piloting is required.

Anchored in Texan Bay.

We made it into Texan Bay and got the anchor down before sunset. But our friends on Livin Life developed an engine issue a few miles from the Bay but made it in before dark and we all went in to Mini Mike's for dinner and a welcome beer for being back on the Rio.  I've written about Texan Bay in previous blogs but it is a very pretty respite from everything. It is well protected from weather, shallow with good holding, peaceful and the community of Mayan's and ex-pats that live there keep it that way. During the day tour boats go through the Bay to take their tourists up the several creeks that go back into the jungle.

The jungle at Texan Bay.

About noon the following day we got ourselves together and motored the remainder of the way to Fronteras, also known as the town of Rio Dulce and into RAM Marina where we spent last year. We brought our boat back home to the Rio unexpectedly and not happily. We now had to rush to get Amekaya prepared for our departure to the US and we had to get ourselves ready as well. We didn't want to be back in the Rio and we didn't want to be returning to the US now. But life gets in the way of living. Our cruising time was cut short and we didn't make it to Panama as planned. In all, we had a great time in Belize and the Bay Islands. I can see why some people do that every year. It could become addictive. But now back to the States.

Back to the hustle bustle of Fronteras.

A beautiful Roatan sunset.