Guatemala - Rio Dulce, It’s Raining

The Political unrest has faded, and all roads are open and markets stocked per normal. We had no impact here apart from no fresh produce for 2 weeks. 

Bacon, fresh bread and butter for lunch…Yum.

We decided our Signwriting was looking a bit tired and faded, and having found Andy Signs in our local Fronteras town with good references, had them come remove, measure, make, and apply our new signage, both to the bows and stern.

Removing the old signage.

Andy and his partner at work

New signage in a darker grey than before

Benjamin, our daily helper has been cleaning decks, and stainless steel.

Furlers are looking new and gleaming

Meshugga is slowly beginning to come together, with Flybridge gel coated painted and decks clean. For Benjamin, it’s now hull cleaning and polishing between the constant rain. 

The brown paper on the aft Flybridge roof window is because Nicholas broke the window when removing all the windows a couple of weeks ago for the Gelcoat painting. 

This is the new window installed and he’s not yet removed the protective covering.

Nicholas is disconnecting and balancing all the Lithium batteries, so he’s working in the Generator locker upfront. He’s also building a new ‘battery box’ as he’s installing another 16 lithium batteries and the current ‘box’ is not large enough.

Halloween / Samhein. 

The Rio put on a day for adults and kids to visit various marinas to Trick or Treat

Catamaran Marina offered to put on sweet treat and ice creams for the kids, and Painkillers for the adults. We had quite a crowd both from our Marina and all the dinghies. 😂

Many of our Catamaran Marina cruisers dressed up.

Meagan and Michael of Tanagara 

Jennifer, aka Christmas Tree, not Statue of Liberty as I thought. 

Ilka and I

Ruth and I on ice-cream duty, doing seconds and thirds for the kids

Aboard, my machine bread making is going well. Second rise just prior to baking.

Today, between rain showers, we made it to a local Lawyer, to get documents and letters Notarized so that my sister-in-law, Penny, in Cape Town can collect our Renewed Drivers Licenses. We had applied for them whilst in Cape Town, but due to a backlog, (and the only Drivers Licence printing machine in South Africa broke down🤣), hence they were not ready for us to collect prior to flying back to Guatemala. Now I’m hoping that the Drivers Licence Department will accept the scanned documents- otherwise I have to DHL them to South Africa. 

It’s been pouring with rain the past 10 days due to Tropical Storm Pillar in the Pacific Ocean, and a System i94 in the Caribbean Sea just off Nicaraguan coast, ie abeam us. The expectation is still for more rain for another week, and the river rising with all the run-off.  Right now our river water is definitely ‘brown’.

A plus, is that temperatures have ‘plummeted’ from 100F / 38C to a cool 80F / 26C and although we have little solar incoming due to the heavy cloud cover, we also don’t need to run the aircon. Further, with Nicholas having many solar panels and batteries disconnected, it seems the ideal time to be using shore power (which is hugely expensive here in Guatemala at US 52c/KWH).

My makeshift Tarpaulin Tent over the Generator locker so that Nicholas can continue with his Battery stuff and servicing the Generator.

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.

Guatemala - Rio Dulce, It’s Hot

Back at Meshugga. Jet Lag. Heat. Humidity. Rain at Night. TG for AirCon!

It took me a week to get over Jet Lag, and slowly become accustomed to the heat again.

I tried a New Schedule of: Get up at 5.30am, coffee and read the news, and get going on any outside cleaning tasks by 6.30am. At 7.30am my alarm goes off, have iced coffee and listen to the Rio Dulce Cruisers Net for any info of interest, and then back outside to clean til about 9am. By this time the sun is already high enough that it's become too hot for me, and retreat inside for another rest and then look at at tasks I need to do inside. 

HaHa. That lasted a day or two. The heat is relentless. I'm tired all the time! We run the Fans inside all day long, to move the heavy hot humid laden air.

Daily temps are 35+ deg C/ 95 deg F, and humidity at 80 %.

Catamaran Marina and Resort has a lovely pool, but it's in the sun all day long, and hence the water is warm. At about 4pm the shade from trees overhangs the pool, and I like to pop up for a warm swim - the best is getting out of the pool for the cool breeze that sets in each afternoon to airdry my body. So cooling!

Meshugga is on the western side of Catamaran Island, and the afternoon breeze, often reaches 10 knots is from the east, so we don't get the wind in our slip, and the inside of Meshugga remains stifling hot. At about 4 or 5 pm we close up the boat, and switch the Aircon on. Heaven, as the boat cools down. We first do the Salon, and after dinner open the doorway to our Cabin, and let the cool air flow down the stairs to cool our cabin for the night. When going to bed about 10/11pm Nicholas switches the Aircon off, and within a couple of hours as the ambient outside temperature drops to about 25 degrees, much the same as our internal temperature, and we open Cabin hatches to let the evening breeze flow in.

Drinks with fellow Cruisers, Ladies Who Sail Luncheons, Yoga, Poker Games, Dominoes. There is lots to keep busy with, not to mention the daily specials various restaurants put on to entice.

Dinghy ride to Casa Perico, the venue for our Ladies Lunch.

Michelle of SV Reach at the Ladies Luncheon.

Volleyball at Catamaran Marina

Pool bar drinks, every evening at 5.

The front seats on our bows are beginning to look shoddy as Lagoon did Veneer Teak on Marine Ply, and after 10 years  the veneer is beginning to lift and peel off. So we’ve been looking for solid teak. We heard about a lumber yard, and after some research found one close to us, with Plantation Teak, not Burma teak (which is the Gold Standard, and very hard to get, not to mention expensive).

We dinghied to Tortugal Marina and walked through the Mangroves on a boardwalk and then about 2 miles on a path finally coming to the Sawmill. We were able to buy a few ‘planks’ of Plantation Teak, and arrange for one of the workers to help Nicholas carry the teak back to our dinghy. I was lucky to walk unhindered by such weight.

I was amazed to come across Cacoa trees, with large heavy ripe pods.  Wow. They belong to someone, but the urge pinch a pod was huge …..

At least twice a week, I jump in the dinghy and drive the 1 mile to Fronteras, the town, and do my shopping for fresh produce and any other necessities. I've still not explored the whole town, and still hear from other Cruisers about a Store providing an interesting Service or selling something interesting. The Fresh Produce Vendors often sell different produce, so it’s always worth trolling down both sides of the street to check out who might have Avo's, or Mangoes, Papaya, Apples, Pears etc. Not to mention Red Peppers or Fresh Broccoli or a nice head of lettuce. 

Dispensa has just reopened, another great addition to availability of goods. 

A short video of our Main Street in Fromteras

I was astounded to see this fresh delivery of a pallet of eggs. 

This I’d the most eggs I've ever seen in one store!

Twice a month the area hosts a Cruisers Market, where Cruisers can sell off  'Stuff' they no longer want, and local Vendors also set up tables of Cruiser Interesting Stuff. It's always interesting and worthwhile to spend a couple of hours perusing the tables. You never know what you might just Have to Buy.

In between there’s the necessaries Cookie days!

Oats, Coconut and Cranberries

Marshmallow CRISPIES for Nicholas

Days morf into each other. I'm making a new Boom Cover, that require huge amounts of Sunbrella and Dacron. I arranged to use the Restaurant floor, as there is nowhere on Meshugga big enough to allow a 10m/34 foot length of fabric to be rolled out, measured and marked for cutting.

Cutting fabric on the FlyBridge with the Hot Knife 

Sewing on the dining table as I really needed space to hold all the Fabric

Finished and installed. Double layered with Marine Sunbrella on top and Dacron underneath, sewed with Tenara PTFE thread. New Boltropes sides with 25 foot YKK 15 gauge zips.

It should be good for 10 years, keeping the sun off our Mainsail, and dry. 

Ashore in Fronteras on Independence Day, Busses were festively decorated. 

 Early mornings, we always have a lot of swallows coming to eat the bugs. 

Shopping at La Torre as opposed to in the street market - bit more expensive, but air-conditioned 

Meshugga at Catamaran Resort and Marina (tall mast on the left)

I had fun on Saturday doing a Virtual Baking Class by King Arthur Baking

Another month and another Ladies Lucheon.. This time at Tijax. Lovely venue, hot, but with fans and interesting women to bond and exchange info with. Great networking opportunity. 

At Catamaran Marina one of our barmaids, Diane, is pregnant and about to go on Maternity Leave and the Cruisers rallied to support her with gifts for her baby girl.

Diane

Geoffrey and Ruth of SV Jroo

Michael of SV Tenagra and Dan of SV Zia, toasting Diane

Our Resort Staff

Cruisers at the Shower