Update Wednesday, March 30th & news on March 31

March 31 news: Scott managed to get someone at the Independence Post Office this afternoon and found out that the part is there. But Customs needs to see the part and establish a fee so they arranged a meeting on Monday morning over there. Independence is across the lagoon from Placencia and Scott will need to take the 7:30 AM Hokey Poky water taxi to be at the office at 8 AM. He's now trying to reach our mechanic and the boatyard manager to arrange for the repair work as soon as possible. BUT we now can start to make plans!

 This is just a quick update on our situation. Really not much has changed. Our part arrived in Belize City on Monday and we had hopes it would be here in Placencia soon. But we visited the local Post Office yesterday morning and they announced that the entire country's Post Offices would be closing "for end of the year inventory" as of Noon and would reopen on Friday! Can you imagine that happening in the States?

Yoli's husband Reagan is the master
BBQ chef - here yummy pork chops

Scott and Yoli hanging out together

Meanwhile we are settled in our very simple but comfortable (except for the lack of air conditioning, although we have several fans) one bedroom apartment behind our friend Yoli's bar and home. A number of our cruising friends are still here so we enjoy their company in the evenings. During the day we take several walks, eat out occasionally and swim at the nearby beach. So no complaints...I'll let you know when we have news.

Update Monday March 21st.

 Quick update. We got towed into Thunderbird Boat Yard this morning and Pete, a South African mechanic here, with several helpers pulled apart the transmission from the engine and as Scott predicted, the damper plate had a piece broken off. That was what caused the noise and stopped the transmission working. Sott ordered this part last Friday and it is on its way - not an expensive item. No telling how long that will be of course. We are staying here tonight and then moving into our friend's Yoli & Regan's one bedroom apartment behind their home tomorrow. 

Sunrise this morning over Placencia Caye. We were up early as usual preparing for our tow into the boatyard.

When the repair is finished we'll motor back to Placencia harbor and start looking for another weather window north. A friend of ours's is planning to head to Florida at the end of this month. It would be wonderful if we could buddy boat with him. We'll see. Everyone here seems to think we'd be lucky to get the part in 10 days, but Scott had one delivered once in 8. But no instant solution. But we are healthy and safe so no complaints!

It was an open coffin in the church but closed at the Dinner afterwards - this is the porch of Meryl's Cafe just behind Yoli's Bar. Tents were erected and dinner was served underneath and in both establishments. They served plates high with turkey, ham, stuffing, potato salad, beans & rice, and cranberry sauce. Then, out came trays of pastries. Meryl was famous for her wonderful desserts. Her cakes graced every special occasion here in Placencia. 

Last Saturday we attended the funeral services for our Belizean friend Yoli's mother Meryl. She was only 65 and died very suddenly. It was a huge loss for her family and the whole community. Pretty much everyone who lives in Placencia was there and it was a beautiful service. We enjoyed being with her whenever we could - her smile could light up a room. Afterwards everyone gathered for a feast held between Meryl's Cafe and Yoli's Bar and exchanged memories. What a lovely tribute.

Our tow boat pulled us for an hour
to the Thunderbird Boatyard.

On the way we circled this small Caye with more solar
panels that we've seen anywhere in Belize. 

Update Thursday, March 17th

 Happy St. Patrick's Day to all. We now have 3 mechanics names and have contacted them but haven't been able to arrange a visit out to our boat yet. We may have to wait till the weekend as most have full time jobs with either the one boatyard here or one of the charter companies. Meanwhile I wanted to answer an obvious question you might have had: "Why didn't you just sail up to Mexico?"

When this happened we were still inside the barrier reef in Belize. The main Ship Channel was just north of us and goes east/west for a few miles threading through small cayes and reefs. It is lined with lighted buoys and serves as the main entrance into Belize for large ships. In order for us to sail out of this we would need to beat our way up wind. This is a fun exercise for a small or lighter boat designed for racing, but our motor sailor is built for long voyages on one tack. We have a wide tacking angle and the genoa, because of the inner staysail, needs to be furled in every time we would change tacks. Secondarily we had the possibility of sharing the channel with large ships and not much maneuverability. Now we could do this but there are more problems ahead. 

Once out of the channel we could sail slowly north in the light winds until they filled in later in the week and in a few days reach Isla Mujeres or Puerto Morales. Now we would face narrow twisty channels into these tight harbors. We would probably have to reach out and get towed in by someone. Then there would be difficulty getting repairs done there. Belize isn't anywhere as good as Guatemala, but this section of Mexico isn't a cruising area and we believe there isn't a boatyard or marine parts store anywhere around. If our transmission needs to be replaced, we would need a boatyard. 

So that didn't look like a reasonable choice, although we did consider it. We were pretty desperate to reach Mexico and if this had happened after we had made it out to sea, we would probably have continued on. Any way, I just wanted to explain the situation better for you. I'll post an update when we have real news,

Scott and I play Cats Monopoly with Ama at 
Hideaway Caye after we dropped off Connie and
Mark in Placencia. 

Connie enjoys a Belican beer at the Blue Marlin
Resort (photos here dropped from earlier post)

Mark pretends to "heel over" under sail. In reality
we were sailed downwind in a light breeze.

Connie or Mark took this photo of a pelican
checking out Scott Free at anchor at South
Water Caye.

Bad News

 Quick update: 

We checked out of Belize on Monday with an excellent weather window to Mexico from our weather guru, Chris Parker. As soon as we returned to the boat, we cast off and made our way north up to the Colson Cayes, near the Ship Channel out of the country and anchored for the night. The next morning as we were leaving our anchorage at 5:30 AM the engine started making loud clanking hissing noises. We stopped and Scott investigated but was baffled. The only thing he had done after anchored the night before was add more transmission fluid. So he took some out and for a while it didn't seem to make noises. He suggested we start north again, but I was concerned we didn't know what had happened We'd chosen the weather window due the lack of wind and waves - we needed an engine.

So we decided to head south motoring and see if it reoccurred. After awhile despite very emotional concern, I suggested we might turn north again. Before we did however, the noises came back and the transmission stopped working - it wouldn't go into gear. Something was really wrong and we didn't know what was causing it. [Editor's note - it turned out the stress plate that goes between the transmission and the engine had small pieces break off and that's what caused the problem!] We couldn't continue and turned south under sail back to Placencia, the nearest port of entry. It was a long 10 hour sail as there was little wind and the slow entry into the north channel to Placencia and anchoring under sail, took all our experience. But we made it last night and this morning have successfully reextended our time in Belize for another 30 days - everyone at the Port Authority, Customs and Immigration were very nice to us. 

Anchored safely back in Placencia, Belize a golden sunset greets us!

We have contacted a few mechanics and are trying to arrange for a visit. It looks like it is either the transmission, which is really bad news as rebuilding that is probably not available here in Belize, or the pressure plate between the transmission and the engine, which may be fixed here. 

We are very disappointed that this probably means we will not be able to spend the much hoped for visit with our friends Lily and Eldred French in Isla Mujeres. They are flying there on 3/22. And it means that our trip north is delayed for who knows how long at present. BUT we are not floating around off the coast of Mexico without an engine. We have our health and are safe - so we are thankful for that. 

More to come!

Now It's Connie and Mark's Turn

 

Scott, Heather, Connie and Mark at Yoli's Bar in Placencia

Jenny left on Monday morning and on Tuesday our friends and Shrewsbury neighbors Connie & Mark Youngstrom arrived. The first half of their vacation in Belize was at the Table Rock Resort near St. Ignacio in the interior of the country. They kayaked, did some bird watching tours, and saw Caracol, the largest Mayan site in Belize. They were pretty impressed with the Sanctuary Development and the Reserve Marina when they arrived and we had a lovely first day. We enjoyed a great dinner and got them all settled in for the night. 

Mark peaks out from on top of the engine
 while Scott provides support.

Boat repairs continue to dog us and one problem had become a real concern. Our water meter shows a decline in our water storage that is not due to usage. We could hear the water pump going at odd hours and Scott knew we had a serious water leak in the system. When Mark heard what was happening, he dove into the problem - head first! For 3 hours on his first morning, he crawled over the engine space and eventually found the leak and repaired it!!! 

That allowed us to cast off from the dock and head out of the lagoon and over to Blue Ground Range for our second night. It was a lovely spot although overcast all day. The next morning however the clouds parted and we continued over to South Water Caye for two nights. The weather was as perfect as possible down here - not too hot and a gentle breeze. Connie and Mark did some snorkeling in two different locations and we all enjoyed the crystal clear water for swimming. 

In the evening we went over to IZE for Happy Hour and had fun with bartender Camille and Yoga Instructor Heather. One afternoon we walked around the island and had a drink at the Blue Marlin Resort on the north end. Our next stop was at our friends Dustin, Kim and Ama's resort at Hideaway Caye. We enjoyed a big dinner there after Scott and Connie enjoyed the good snorkeling nearby. Connie said it was the best so far and they saw a wide variety of fish and a shark - a nurse shark and resting on the bottom but still a thrill. 

That's Scott Free anchored off South Water Caye. 

Our last few days were spent in Placencia and happily we were able to sail for part of the way there - a nice change from our usual motoring. The chef was delighted to take a further brake as we enjoyed breakfast at De Tatch, the BBQ at Yoli's, and dinner at the Barefoot Bar. Of course we had several happy hours at Yoli's Bar so that Connie and Mark could meet some of our cruiser friends. It was a sad morning saying good-bye!!! What a fantastic visit and over all too soon.

BBQ Sunday at Yoli's: from left Mark, Connie, Lori, Peter, Jerry, Debarah, Marc, Brigitte and Heather. 

This week has been spent provisioning and saying good-bye to our friends here in Placencia. It's Friday and we go up to Hideaway for the last time and then to Sapadilla Lagoon to weather the cold front arriving tomorrow night. If all goes well, we will sail to an anchorage in the north of Belize on Tuesday and sail overnight Wednesday to Mexico Wish us fair winds and calm seas.

Fresh veggies and fruits at the start of our trip

Scott and I pose on South Water Caye

And checks the sail on the way to Placencia.

An iguana poses on a tire for his photo

Camille and Heather snap a selfie at
the IZE bar

Heather prepares papaya for breakfast, still
in her PJs

Jenny Wolf Signs on as Crew!

Jenny poses with the cliffs of the Rio Dulce behind her as we motor down to Livingston to check out of Guatemala. 

Jenny Wolf is the daughter of our old friends Russ and Marty and we've known her all her life. Now she is our friend too. After we were unable to check out of Guatemala she changed her plans to meet us in Belize and flew to Guatemala City on Saturday, February 19th. We had a driver pick her up at the airport and drive her down to us at our Tortugal Marina. The drive is a long one, around 6 hours, and she arrived around 9 PM.  We met her in Fronteras, the small town near our Marina, with a launcha and brought her back to Scott Free. It was a very long day for her and unfortunately we had to head off the next morning! Our permission to depart had arrived and we needed to leave the country on Monday. 

Scott and Jenny relax at the Maya Beach Bistro near Placencia (sorry for the quality - Jenny couldn't send the full pixel version.

We were able to spend some time with our friends at the Marina for coffee and breakfast before motoring down to Cayo Quemado, near the mouth of the river. Jenny enjoyed a good swim with us on the lake on the way down. The next morning at 6 AM we were continuing down the river to anchor off the Municipal dock at Livingston with Czech & Mate, our good friends and buddy boat for the trip. Raul, our agent there, arranged for all 5 of us to be picked up at our boats at 8 AM. It took about 2 hours to complete the procedures, which included COVID rapid tests. We didn't actually need them as Belize required them again when we checked in there. But if we tested positive, we wanted to stay in Guatemala not face quarantine in Belize. In that case we would have been allowed to quarantine back at our Marina, where in Belize we would need to stay in a hotel. 

We pose in front of the car that drove Jenny to the airport in Dangriga, where she got tested and then took a small Maya Airlines plane to Belize City and then home. This was at the Reserve Marina

The high tide was at 10:30 AM and we were lined up with Czech & Mate right on time. We went first and got quite a ways out before we started bumping and then came to a stop. Hector, whose boat has helped us many times before, caught our halyard and pulled us over on our side so that we could power forward and get over the shallow bar at the mouth of the river. It didn't take long. Then he returned for Czech & Mate and the two of us motored over to Tres Puntas where we had dinner together on our boat before spending a quiet night anchored there. 

The next morning it was another 6 AM start over to Punta Gorda, the southern most town on Belize, where we checked into the country. It took 3 hours as we had to wait quite a time for the "medical team" to arrive for our COVID tests. As the morning before in Livingston, we all tested negative. The wind was really ramping up when we returned to our boats and it was a rocky trip up to New Haven, our well protected anchorage for that night. 

The next morning it was blowing hard and Scott checked his AIS and found a cruise ship only 5 miles away from us traveling north to Placencia. He called them and after we discovered that they were seeing 30 knots of wind, we decided to stay put another night! Later My Island Girl joined us after a 6 hour miserable trip up from Punta Gorda (it had taken us 2 hours the day before) and they had gusts of 35 knots. So we settled in for a game of Mexican Train Dominos and drinks with Jerry & Debarah after a good swim and dinghy exploration of the area. 

But on Thursday morning we raised our mainsail and tightened it up mid ship for stability and headed north. We were headed directly into the wind for the first couple of hours and it was rough. But we all managed and after Monkey River, the wind abated some and shifted enough to fill our sail. Still it was a big relief to anchor in Placencia in time for lunch. We were happy to stay there for two nights and enjoy some amazing meals at De Tatch, Rum Fish and the Maya Beach Resort. We rented a golf cart to travel up to the later and enjoyed time on the beach before the excellent dinner. 

On Saturday we bashed our way again into the wind to the Pelican Cayes for one night anchored off Hideaway Caye to visit our good friends who live there and run the small resort, Dustin, Kim and Ama. We were able to deliver the gifts Renate and Jim had left for Ama and our own gift. Jenny enjoyed their company and got some good snorkeling in nearby. 

The next day was an easy trip over to the Reserve Marina. Our wonderful visit with Jenny was coming to an end. The next morning she had to fly home. Friends at the Marina arranged a taxi driver to pick her up for the trip to Dangriga where she flew the small Maya Airlines plane to Belize City and then through Miami to Boston. Everything went very smoothly, but it was another long day for her. And we were SO sad to see her go - what a wonderful time we all had!

It's hard to see but the boat is on it's side here and
I am braced on the rail steering. You can get some
idea as Scott hangs on below.

Jenny loved the flowers everywhere.

Sunset at the Maya Beach Resort

Jenny in mid air jumping off the bow. She could
climb up the sides of the boat in two seconds, a feat
we had only seen duplicated by Sean.

And the launch! 

Scott had to use the swim ladder - but he looks
really good in his speedos!

Free At Last?

 On Tuesday Jerry and Debarah on Czech & Mate got their call from our agent Raul that they and 2 other boats had been approved for departure. They were told they had to leave by Monday. He didn't have permission for us yet. We were a little surprised as we had applied several days before them.  Our friend Peter on "Dora" was down checking out that day and emailed us that 3 boats had been approved and were leaving that very day. So they were in the second group of cleared vessels.  We managed to talk to Raul and he informed us that we were in the next group of three to be investigated. Jean on C'est Si Bon and Jean Jacques from here at Tortugal were the other two. 

That's Peter on "Dora" on the front left and Jean Jacques in the third row right. Jerry and Debarah are in the last row on the left at the back, the furthest left and the third from the left. I organized a trip down river to a great restaurant run by a Swiss/German man, Casa Pericho, for dinner. We hired a big launcha to take all 18 of us!

It was a stressful night and most of Wednesday thinking that we would not be able to leave with Jerry & Debarah and that there might be additional problems with our application, but finally late in the afternoon on Wednesday we got our call. We too were approved and must leave on Monday too. Well that's good news but now we have additional complications. Our friend Jenny Wolf had planned to join us in Belize from 2/21 to 2/28 but was flexible enough to change her flights to land in Guatemala on Saturday afternoon. So not having any news about our clearance, we reserved an Airbnb in Antigua for Friday and Saturday nights to meet her and bring her down on Sunday. 

A fun little cloud hovers over the river. That's our swim raft in the center.

We have to leave on the high tide and it is at 11:30 AM on Monday. That is 3 hours away from our Marina and we have to start the check out procedures at 8 AM (includes COVID test). We have to sail down river near the mouth on Sunday. There was an earthquake on Wednesday leaving some roads with landslides. YECH! So we canceled our trip and hired a driver to pick Jenny up from the airport on Saturday and bring her down to us. We can then leave Sunday morning and sail down to Cayo Quemado near the mouth of the river. Join us crossing fingers and toes that the weather cooperates and we have a comfortable exit from the river. It's not a great tide so we'll need to be pulled over by our halyard and may even need a second boat to tow us across the bar. But we'll be OUT and headed to Belize. I'll send another post when this is all accomplished.

Happy Hour with Dave & Ellen who got COVID on their trip to Tikal - they are in quarantine on their
boat. Happily, they have only mild symptoms. Peter and Bill on Minx came down with COVID as well on a separate trip to Tikal (we think it was the bus) and they are almost recovered now but still on their boat waiting for a negative test. Dave on the boat, Jerry, Rick & Marsha and Ellen on the dock.

Debarah sat on our boat with us and that's Ellen
over on her's. 

Just an update - it's Friday night and the weather is looking good for our departure Monday. I'll let you know more after we get to Belize. 

Dave & Ellen on Cordelia had their great friend
and former band member with Dave, Janice,
down for a visit. They gave a terrific concert one
night at Tortugal. Janice played the fiddle - but
she is a violinist and music teacher.

We have a number of good restaurants here at
Rio Dulce, Las Amandas' owner was formerly
chef on a super yacht. Here's his Eggs Benedict.

Scott Free looks towards the full moon and yearns for the open water!

Retirement Possibility in Guatemala

 

One of the building locations for retirement cottages in Cayo Quemado, Guatemala. 

Our friend Sarah Cannon is building a small retirement community here on a spectacular peninsula in Cayo Quemado, Guatemala. She and her partner Tim built a beautiful home many years ago nearby but after Tim passed, Sarah sold it and has recently moved to her still under development property nearby. It's an enormous project. When they purchased it, it was jungle! She has two teams of workers going at all times, landscaping and building. There are no roads in this area so everything is brought in by boat. Two sets of docks are finished, one for her boat Cannonball and one large one for everyone's launchas and dinghies. One large building is almost finished. On the first floor is a workshop and bathroom. On the second floor, still uncompleted will be the community kitchen and dining room. The top floor will be the residence for the cook and her husband, but until Sarah's cottage is finished, she is living there. 

A second site for a cottage. Each site is landscaped so it is private from the others and has it's own view of the lake. Sarah has had land built up around the peninsula so that there is a nice walk all around the property along the water.

Sarah's house foundation is already outlined and will be built next. She took the site nearest the yoga palapa. Women from around the area meet together during the week for yoga there. She hopes to have 2 or 3 cottages built for other retiring individuals or couples. They will share the cost of upkeep and meals can be communal or individual as needed. Pretty amazing!!!

Jerry, Debarah, Sarah and Scott

Sarah's boat "Cannonball" rests at the new dock
she just had built for it.

The Yoga Palapa

A view inside, hammock ready for a nap afterward.

There is a big professional workshop on the first
floor of the main building, which will eventually
be used by the residents

Looking down from the dining room to the 
launcha/dinghy dock.

Jerry, Scott, Debarah and Sarah are standing in the dining room of the main building. The
first and third floors are finished but not this floor, which will also contain the communal
kitchen and another bathroom. The caretaker/cook's residence is upstairs: Sarah is living there
now. All the cottages will also have their own kitchen, but can eat here as well. 

Trapped in Guatemala

 

Sunrise at Tortugal as we prepare to sail downriver to Cayo Quemado. 

We've known for some time that we were supposed to leave Guatemala by January 20th, but as that time approached we still had boat work ongoing. Our Marina manager, Byron, assured us that we could stay a while longer and just pay a fine on the way out. We only needed another week. We wrote Raul, our agent and explained the situation. We heard back from him on January 8th and he said we'd be OK leaving a week or two afterwards, with a fine. We also heard from others in the river that they were waiting s well. So we didn't leave as originally planned. Well, in hindsight, that was a big mistake. 

Our anchorage at Cayo Quemado, also known as "Texan Bay" due to Mike's Cafe. Mike specializes in southern comfort food.. We had chicken fried steak and chicken fried chicken one night, both served with a huge helping of mashed potatoes and gravy (nice and peppery) with a small salad  It's actually a series of small interconnected bays that merge into mangrove lined canals that feed back into the Lake.  This is all located at the far end of El Golfete, a long narrow lake that connects Lake Izabel via the Rio Dulce to the Golf of Honduras.

But we were blissfully unaware of the problem at our beautiful anchorage. We came the day before to get our insurance rigging survey from Tom, a rigger that lives there. He scrambled all over our boat and pronounced it "amazingly over rigged and sound". The survey went off immediately to our insurance company who finally approved our renewal. SO, all set, we thought and proceeded down to Livingston on a launcha to check out of the country. Raul was plain spoken; "Your boat has overstayed it's allowed time and you will have to either import it into Guatemala or leave without a zarpe." Well, these aren't possible options for us (or any of the other boats in our situation). Importing the boat into Guatemala is a two year process and not only involves a complicated procedure to determine it's value (we've been told the tax is 30%) but you have to hire a lawyer to accomplish it. And leaving without a zarpe means not being able to go into Belize, Mexico or Cuba on the way home, regardless of weather or needed boat repairs! So we applied for special permission to depart admitting our error and explaining that we needed to return to home for health reasons (and we admit it, old age). Now we were told, we just need to wait. That was January 27th and we're still waiting. 

We have a guest, Jenny Wolf, arriving on February 19th. She had planned to meet us in Belize but was flexible enough to change her plans so will come to us in Guatemala. We're going up to Antigua, the old capitol on the 18th and she'll join us there on the 19th Then we all go down to our boat in the Rio Dulce. Hopefully, we'll get permission to leave that week and the three of us will sail to Belize. She'd fly home from there if that works, otherwise, she'll fly home from Guatemala City. Wish us luck!

Rigger Tom scrambled all over our boat, up to 
the very top with little assistance and no fear.

We took a public launcha from Cayo Quemado
down the Rio to Livingston to "check out". Along
the way we picked up and dropped off various local
people

We spent a week at Cayo Quemado visiting with our friends Brenda on My Island Queen and Sarah on . Cannonball. The later has been building a "retirement community" near Cayo Quemado, more on that in another blog post! Jerry and Debarah from Czech & Mate stayed with us until we sailed back up to Tortugal Marina on February 2nd. It's now February 14h and no word yet. We hope to be able to leave on the next high tide starting a week from now. 

Rigger Tom at the top of our mast.

Lunch at Bugga Mama's our first trip down to 
Livingston. This is a training facility for Ak'Tenamit,
 a Rotary sponsored school for local
children.  

Scott and Jerry at the bow of our this time private
launcha trip to Livingston.

It's hard to see the scale here but these cliffs are 300 feet high and lined with mahogany, teak and palms. The river is 6 miles from the end of El Golfete to the Garifuna town of Livingston at the mouth of the river. 

Our second trip we enjoyed a great meal at this
restaurant, Raul's favorite - terrific fresh fish!

Debarah at Casa Rosita's where our launcha docked.
These beautiful painted tables were especially
 commissioned from a local artist. 

Our launcha driver Bob, Debarah and I on the way
back.

Dried fish are a specialty here in Livingston.
When the fish are running they are put our to dry
all over town. 

On the way back from Livingston our driver Bob took us through some of the narrow canals that
wind their way through the mangrove forest. There are no roads anywhere in this region. The locals and expats all travel by boat and many of the homes are built partially on stilts over the water. There is little solid land.

Here's a typical local home on the canal with their small engineless dugout out front. 

Our last night we had dinner here at Sonia's with Jerry & Debarah and Sarah. One table set out on the dock and one menu - chicken pepian, rice and salad - no alcohol, we brought wine with us.