Guatemala - Rio Dulce, Political Unrest causing Road Blocks Nationwide

Another 2 weeks have passed since my last post.

We've had Political Protests in Guatemala as the current Attorney General has jailed the President Elect, who was voted in by a 65% margin. So all main roads are blocked, which means our local town, Fronteras has no trucks delivering fresh produce. Thankfully I'd done a stock-up of fresh produce on the Friday two weeks ago, and the Road Blockades started Saturday! So I'm good for 2 weeks or so. 

Street scene in Frontiers with NO vehicles

A Street Vendor for Fresh Produce, with nothing available, except a few old peppers and tomatoes.

Local Supermarket  La Torre, Egg shelves bare

La Torre Vegetable baskets empty

All shops and markets had a few old apples, and a few other fruits at horrendous prices.

The Road blocks has had an awful impact on Cruisers trying to get back to their boats, or to leave Guatemala due to Visas expiring. It’s impossible to get to Guatemala City where the International Airport is located, and even if you could, the airport has no Jet fuel.  😳

However the situation is slowly resolving, and after 10 days, the blockades were opened for food trucks as prices in the supermarkets went sky-high, and locals could not get fresh produce or afford the processed foodstuffs.  Now trucks are allowed thru but still No vehicles.  

Back on Meshugga, I do Yoga every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and lead our Catamaran Marina Group using the Apple Fitness App which our family subscribe to via Apple One. My iPad is connected via a HDMi cable to the big TV in the Blue Lounge. We move all the couches out the way, sweep the floors and switch the overhead fans on.

Nicholas reads the news and catches up on world affairs. Getting back after Yoga for me, it's a quick cold shower and Iced Coffee, and then a look around as to what My Daily Chores will be.

Nicholas continues with Upgrades, Repairs and Maintenance. This week, we had Benjamin come start work for us. He is local and a really good hard worker. About 35 years old the heat does not seem to affect him.

Three new additional solar panel installed on our aft cockpit. 

New additional Lithium Batteries on charge and Balancing before installation 

We removed all the solar panels from our Flybridge, 10 x, and removed all the attachments ropes to hold the Flybridge to the awning structure, covering it with heavy duty plastic, Ceran wrap on the junctions etc. It is time to Gelcoat the underside of our Flybridge.

Flybridge relieved of solar panels, masked up and lifted from the frame so that the underside can be painted

Benjamin painting the Gelcoat on the Flybridge

This has been a whole week project$, and will take the whole of next week to complete. Tarpaulin has to be moved to protect decks and cushion backrests. Benjamin has been a huge help. 

The Solar Eclipse was very visible from Meshugga at about 85%. We used Nicholas’ Welders Helmet to view the spectacle. Unfortunately my photos don’t do it justice.  

I've been busy with normal household chores, laundry, cleaning etc, and giving the cockpit Screens a good cleaning. Can't believe the muck that has settled on them during the last 6 months.

Dirty screens

Cleaning the screens on the trampoline

And another month has passed so it’s Ladies Day Lunch again, this one not so well attended, as both the prices were higher and a noisy restaurant location which made speeches, chats and sharing difficult.

Fish with caper sauce, with sautéed veges and fried rice

Cheesecake

Our Catamaran Ladies en-Route back from lunch. Me, Maureen, Jennifer, Ruth and Annie. Thanks Steven for ferrying us. 

Sunday: Fresh baked bread and bacon for BLT lunch.

Guatemala - Rio Dulce, Another week of Repairs and Maintenance Tasks

Nicholas installed a new Air cooled Aircon which can run off our Batteries and inverter. Here is the installation in a ceiling locker in our cockpit, where he had to cut out panels to fit the main unit in, and then rebuild and glass in support bulkheads. It still looks a little rough as it's still work in progress. Although he did the aircon installation before we went to South Africa, and the aircon works, it’s only now that his shoulder is 2 months post op, that he’s able to lift and work with his arm above head height, and do the reinforcing of the cut bulkhead which has to be done before we set sail again. I’ll eventually post a final photo once finished, painted and all looks pretty again.

This is looking up into the ceiling locker.

Inside Split Bulkhead unit, all done and used daily

The heat outlets cut into the Flybridge coachroof aft deck so that the heat from the Air cooled Aircon will not flow downwards into the cockpit and heat it up.This is looking aft of the Main sheet track.

The monthly Cruisers Swop Meet at Mar Marina

Nicholas looking through Dan of SV Zia, stuff to see if he has any electronics he might use for spares for our units

Rugby World Cup! Watching the South African Game in the Blue Lounge with Meagan and Michael of SV Tenagra

I've been sewing covers for Nicholas’ Machines. These two are for the large Grinder and the Lathe which live in the Port Engine compartment

This finished one is for the small Grinder which lives in the Workshop

This is a waterproof cover Ive also just made to protect the Table Saw which lives outside when Nicholas is busy with projects. We previously had to move it every night into the cockpit so that it does not get wet. Now it can stay outside both in the Sun and Rain - which is almost every night.

With cutting the Airvents for the New Aircon, it has opened two holes in the aft Flybridge coachroof - which is a rain problem. So the task of installing the next batch of Solar Panels has moved up the Task List. 

Three additional new panels will be placed over the aft coachroof area.

You can see the morning shade from the flybridge roof which is a great to get this work done, as the afternoon sun here is horrendous.

Nicholas is currently installing the brackets to hold the 3 new Solar Panels. 

The panels have to be placed, (you can see the ropes we use which are tied to a halyard to a winch to hold the panel from slipping and falling off). 

For each panel; Fillets are cut, glued in place around the panel, panel removed, fillets glassed in, panel replaced, holes drilled in both fillet and panel, bolted in place, fillets ground to slope on the edges so that ropes do not get caught on the fillets or the panel, panel removed, and fillets painted with white gelcoat, panels refitted, electrics run ....... x 3. 

All a time consuming task, and the days are hotter than before. 

Afternoons are currently peaking at 38 deg C / almost 100 F outside in the sun with the UV factor on very high. So he tries to get as much done before about 11am, and then gets back to work at about 5pm until dark.