Time is Slip Sliding Away
The last blog ended in May of 2021. We’d been back aboard Wahoo since February of that year, still at Tortugal Marina and with countries closed due to Covid there had been no sailing at all. In May Belize opened to vaccinated tourists so we set sail. It was wonderful to see the sails fill and move off of the river into the Caribbean once again.
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Sunset at a mangrove cay-nice to be in blue water again
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| Stealing Breadfruit |
We stopped in Placencia. It felt so odd to see no other boats in the harbor. Our favorite spots had few people. The sidewalk vendors were just sitting around talking to each other, if they were open at all. So different from the normal bustle of the Village. We spent a week finding friends and catching up. Roy being Roy found a breadfruit tree. The fruit were young but by climbing into the bed of a trash truck he managed to reach one that was just right!
Soon we set sail for the cayes. Our first stop was Hideaway Caye, a little 2 room resort and restaurant set on a mangrove cay. Charming with wooden boardwalks connecting guest rooms, landing dock and restaurant. Dustin, Kim and their daughter, Ama, make you feel totally cared for. |
| Kim turning out delicious meals |
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| Ama helping serve |
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| Moonrise |
Our next stop was Ray Caye. This is a coral Caye, far from the mainland, near where the reef and the Caribbean meet. It's long been one of our favorite stops. You can snorkel right off the boat. The restaurant is wonderful and the staff as helpful as possible. Plus great Wifi, always a plus so far from the mainland.
Restaurant and Reef Tiny Wahoo on the horizon
The stay at Ray Caye was cut short by the death of our friend and tenant. We hauled anchor and sailed to Cucumber Beach Marina near Belize City and the airport. Faye had no close family so we wanted to do what needed doing in these dreadful circumstances. Our New Orleans stay was a short 10 sad days. We were grateful to those who helped in this difficult time.
By the time we returned to Wahoo hurricane season was getting close so we needed to head for the safety of the Rio and Tortugal. Our trip to Belize had indeed been too short.
Going back to Tortugal on the Rio Dulce in Guatemala is no hardship. But the absence of our “sailing family” due to COVID made us lonely. We decided to haul out at Ram Shipyard for some needed work. While there Hurricane Ida paid New Orleans a visit so another short emergency visit ensued. This time we stayed long enough to visit friends and enjoy a little NOLA life. With Wahoo still on “the hard” at Ram we couldn’t stay too long. Back to Guatemala we flew but not before we got our 2nd booster. We finished the work and were soon back in the marina.
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| Beautiful again! |
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| Wahoo at Ram "on the Hard" |
With a 2nd booster in our arms we felt comfortable heading to Antigua Guatemala to meet up with New Orleans friends, Ella, Roger and Felicia McCulloch. Each time we have visited Antigua, the old colonial capital of Guatemala, it has been magical. This time was no exception and sharing it with friends made it even better.
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| Iconic, Santa Catalina Arch |
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| Tartines rooftop restaurant, my favorite! |
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And one of the eeriest displays in a museum at Casa Santa Domingo
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Returning to Tortugal we found things weren’t going too well. COVID was actively in the marina. First two staff members were mysteriously away for a month. No word from the marina owner on why. She had resisted encouraging the staff to be vaccinated and also resisted most COVID precautions like enforced mask wearing. The worst came when two unvaccinated cruisers who had done some traveling around Guatemalan were hospitalized. Sadly, the captain died and the mate, while recovered, has long Covid. Needless to say we stayed aboard most of the time. We had COVID tests aboard and used them for ourselves and any staff that requested a test. Luckily no one else got sick.
We continued to think of heading back to the Eastern Caribbean. Lots of to-ing and fro-ing on that decision.
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| Happy Hour at Tortugal |
As Thanksgiving approached many cruisers returned to boats they hadn't seen in 18 months due to Covid. Tortugal was once again the scene of boat work, Happy Hours and friends. Among those spending Thanksgiving on the river were John Edward and Laura, our son and daughter in law. Such a happy time. We wanted to give them a taste of life on the river so sailed to Lago Izabal for a night and enjoyed a hike to the Aqua Caliente water fall. Then took them down river to Cayo Quemado for a look at this unique water village on the river. We returned to Tortugal for a splendid Thanksgiving feast.
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| Steam rising |
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Breakfast at Las Amandas in Fronteras with our personalized napkin holder
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We enjoyed this time together even more so, as it was becoming obvious that many of us where opting for a change. Selling up or moving on, for this close-knit group of friends, life going forward would surely be different. |
| Tortugal Marina Thanksgiving 2021 |
Thanksgiving passed, John Edward and Laura returned to Houston, and aboard Wahoo we watched for a good weather window to head East. At least as far as the Bay Islands of Honduras, we were still trying to decide what to do and where to go. We had spent 4 months locked down on Roatan during COVID and now wanted time to do more exploring. In the back of our minds we also knew this was the path to the Eastern Caribbean should we decide to go.
SV Wahoo and SV Ten Years After traveled together for the 27 hour passage in plenty of time to enjoy Christmas at Fantasy Island Marina. Eventually we were joined by friends on Kooky Dance, AltaMae, Fandango and Minx. Our niece Angela and her husband Dave came for a visit. As we remembered, the Islands were both fun and beautiful.
Passage from Rio Dulce to Roatan-A short video
Fabulous snorkeling
above "schooling blue tang" right a spotted eagle ray
Despite the great times without realizing it the decision that had caused so much a angst and discussion seemed to have been made. We had crew to help and departure was to be early March. As happens with life the thought of change brought both sadness and excitement.
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Our last view of the beautiful Rio Dulce.
What wonderful memories we carry with us. |
We stopped in Placencia. It felt so odd to see no other boats in the harbor. Our favorite spots had few people. The sidewalk vendors were just sitting around talking to each other, if they were open at all. So different from the normal bustle of the Village. We spent a week finding friends and catching up. Roy being Roy found a breadfruit tree. The fruit were young but by climbing into the bed of a trash truck he managed to reach one that was just right!
