Nicaragua and Costa Rica and the Papagayos

07:00, Monday, 17 Dec, 2012 Anchored in Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica It is absolutely calm and windless for the first time since we arrived last Friday. The Papagayo winds that buffeted us on the crossing and here at the anchorage had begun to decrease yesterday and suddenly shut down last evening. What we are left with is a beautiful mirror surface broken here and there by surfacing fish and the occasional seabird diving for a meal. Had we been up at sunrise we would have heard the parrots in the trees ashore but we’ll have to wait for sunset to enjoy that again. Fran was up at 02:00 and was amazed at the reflection of the starry sky on the water and the pop of phosphorescent particles, a truly magical scene. Our departure from San Juan Del Sur wasn’t without drama. Our newfound faith in Central American bureaucracy was dashed during our out-routine when both the Port Captain and the immigration official (different individuals from our entry processing) demanded another payment, but, what can you do? Luckily we had enough US cash to cover the extra $75. Funny, that only the cruisers get charged these extra fees. If you drive or fly into the country this never happens. We (with Nauti Moments) motored out of the bay hoping for the predicted decrease in the papagayos but, alas, it continued to blow 25-35 kts all the way across. The 4-hour washing machine-like ride was quickly forgotten when we entered this pristine bay. Our welcoming committee was a large school of rays feeding on the surface as we entered. We anchored in the lee of the northern shore in 25 ft. with a good mud bottom. With the papagayos still gusting up to 30 kts we needed a good holding and this is the best. This peninsula is part of an extensive national park system and is maintained as such. Normally we would be charged for being here but there are no attendants on this side so we get it gratis. Over the past few days we have been limited in our exploration of the bay by the high winds but today should be a much better day to see some of the more distant beaches. Yesterday we hiked up to a waterfall that was described in the cruising guide. It was a short hike mainly along a stream bed but the small waterfall and swimming hole made it all worthwhile. Later on Fran and I went snorkeling in a bay close to the boat but the sand and mud bottom was uninteresting. Earlier we had seen rays and barracuda hunting in the same area. The guidebook claims that there are hundreds of wild and exotic animal and bird species in the park but we only saw a few large cat tracks on our hike to the falls, a few hawks and some green parrots. The parrots only fly overhead at sunset, probably so that the hawks can’t see them clearly enough. They always fly in pairs but there are a few loners who squawk constantly as if to say “wait for me, wait for me”…. Fran wasn’t impressed to see a 3 ft. sea snake beside the boat one morning.

Last night we met a fisherman who took shelter here in his panga for the night. We managed to trade some beer and pop for a few small red snappers and a lobster. His 2 sons got the pop, and a few packages of Halloween red licorice. The fish and lobster were cooked right away. What the treat! We are expecting company later on today. Beverly J and Risk Taker should be on their way from San Juan Del Sur. The weather predictions state that by the weekend the Papagayos will be back to full strength so we will be departing here by Wednesday at the latest. 22:00, 20 Dec, Anchored offshore, Playa de Coco, Costa Rica Another calm and quiet anchorage; well, after 21:00 it is. There must be some kind of ordinance that ensures silence after a set hour. Last night it was closer to 22:00, after some fireworks and loud music coming from one of the shore establishments on the beach. Tonight it was lower key with a live band playing Christmas carols until closing time of about 20:00. Sunset here is about 17:30. We arrived here with Nautimoments, Beverly J and Risk Taker yesterday just before noon. The latter 2 boats had joined us, as expected, in Bahia Santa Elena and we sailed in company very early yesterday morning, hoping to get a respite from the Papagayos. They had been a bit gentler over the past few days and we were hoping the trend continued for this crossing. We had following winds and seas for the first hour but our track then took us south and, just like our trip from San Juan Del Sur, we had the wind on the beam at 12 to 25kts for most of the way. We managed to get some sails up for about an hour near the end of the passage as the wind decreased to 15 kts. As entered the bay we saw a large commercial barquentine, The Star Flyer, anchored off the town. It is a small passenger vessel offering the “sailing” experience to those who want something different in a cruise. When she left last night she was all lit up, a nice sight as she left the bay.

Today was a very busy but rewarding day. We began our in-routine into Costa Rica with a visit to the Port Captain’s office. From there we went to the immigration office, back to the Port captain and lastly to the Aduana (Customs) office near the Liberia airport. We were pleasantly surprised at the efficiency of all of these officials and the lack of any charges, so far. We must return to the Port captain after our stay at marina Papagayo, on the 27th to get our national Zarpe (travelling papers). Fishing licenses on the other hand, were a disappointment. Costa Rica is still working on a system similar to what Mexico was using 6 years ago. Everyone on board has to have a permit and the vessel must be licensed, the total would have been about $375. We can buy a lot of fish for that price so we opted to stow the fishing gear until we leave Costa Rica and hope that Panama doesn’t have any such regulation. We did manage to get money from a bank machine, do some shopping and find an internet café where we caught up on a week’s worth of traffic. So far we have found that Costa Rica is the most expensive country we have visited in Central America. Prices are quite similar to what we are used to back home. Even fuel is upwards of $1.35 per litre, beer at happy hour prices is $1.65 and coffee, over $2.00. Their currency trades at 500 to one, so, for $100, we got 50,000 colones. We’ll be watching our pennies more on this part of the trip. 21:00, 26 Dec 2112, alongside marina Papagayo, CR Another crystal clear, moonlit night. We have been in much different surroundings for the past 2 nights. This is relative luxury over what we have experienced for a long time, in fact, since the El Cid marina in Mazatlan a few years ago, but it comes at a price that we haven’t seen since the marina at Cabo San Lucas in 2008. At $2/ft/night this is not our normal choice in a marina but for 3 nights (one night free) we decided to splurge and spoil ourselves for a few days. With unlimited fresh water, power, WIFI, laundry facilities and a pool we are not wanting. The marina is only a few years old and, actually, there are very few boats here. There are 3 super-yachts, Legacy with a helicopter, Sea Wolf with a 35 ft. sailboat and a large powerboat on its stern, Morning Glory, a 165 ft ketch,originally built and, commissioned by Rupert Murdoch and now owned by, non-other than the ex- Italian Premier, Silvio Berlusconi (rumoured to be hiding out hereabouts) the biggest of all, Pegaso, believed to be owned by a Mexican, telecommunications mogul. (Could that be Cartlos Slim?). It boasts a 9 mtr submarine among other amenities. We feel kind of humble being in the same marina as that kind of talent but, I guess that’s why we are paying the big bucks…..

Yesterday our four boats were joined by August Moon, another Canadian boat that will be accompanying us south. They are longtime friends of Ken and Carol and have been speeding down the coast from Mexico to catch up. Christmas was a blast here. The wide docks were perfect for dock parties for Christmas Eve and another yesterday. If you think we don’t enjoy the same fare, think again. We had Pollo Navidad (marinated chicken), turkey, ham, mashed and fried potatoes, beans and carrots, 2 different types of stuffing and another two of gravy - oh yeah, and rum cake for dessert. We waddled back to our boats.

Gosling's Christmas tree.. The

wind actually blew it over whenwe were setting it up and JG had to dive for the top portion. Luckily the water is only 25 ft deep.... Yesterday as we were setting up for the dinner there was a shriek from Nautimoments. We looked over to see a swarm of bees just above their dodger. We immediately started to spray them with hoses and that resulted in the swarm attaching itself to their yardarm flags. No amount of water could shoo them from there so the call went out to the marina manager, who called the local fire station. They arrived some time later after the bees had migrated to Nautimoments mast and looked like they were going to set up a hive on their deck light fixture. The firemen sprayed it with AFFF foam getting many down but reassured us that they would have to return several times to complete the job. Finally, after the third application and a shot of insecticide by a fireman in a bosn’s chair up the mast we think they are gone. We’ll be able to tell for sure tomorrow morning. Apparently this is a common occurrence and the firemen are the experts. Only Betsy was stung and their boat was the farthest removed of the group.

Tomorrow we will water and fuel up and move back to Playa de Coco. Friday morning we must get our national Zarpe from the port captain before he closes shop for the week. We will then be free to leave and travel anywhere in Costa Rican waters.

Nicaragua - another country checked off the list.

22:00, 11 Dec 2012, at anchor in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua It is still HOT. If it wasn’t for the brisk, Papagayo winds blowing across the bay it would be unbearable in the salon. We have been here since yesterday morning after a comfortable, albeit, mostly windless 2-day motorboat ride from Bahia Del Sol. Our departure wasn’t nearly as exciting as the entry 8 months ago. Fran really enjoyed her early birthday present, a ride out on the back of the jet-ski that the guide, Rogelio, uses to lead the boats in and out. Fran was his radio operator for the morning, escorting our 3 boats out and 2 others into the bay. She hasn’t stopped talking about how much fun it was since we left.

Once settled in, sails up and heading in the right direction J-G had quite the chore, repairing one of the springs on the aft cabin door. This entails a disassembly of the entire door assembly. It definitely is not a good design and one wonders why the builders went that route. We now have used up the last spring, and will have to order more from the UK on our return home. Last night we experienced some stronger headwinds and saw some lightning inland, but, apart from the wind and a few light showers in the early morning we were spared anything serious. One of the highlights of the passage was seeing the dolphins during the night watches. The waters along the coast are rich in plankton and the dolphins leave a phosphorescent wake as they swim. On the first night the phosphorescence trail was in bright bursts of light rather than the normal wake-type trail. The other was catching a 6 lb wahoo, our first, and, for an ugly fish, he tasted really good.

We entered the bay just after sunrise to a light mist giving us fleeting memories of the Pacific Northwest. The bay has a large population of fishing pangas and some charter fishing boats but there are a few visiting sailboats, a German, Danish and another American sailboat. Beverly J is also here. This truly a picture perfect coastal town, complete with a giant statue of San Juan on the top of the hill on the north side of the bay, a long sandy beachfront and a new Japanese built fishing plant. There is a small pier adjacent to a boatyard and the Port captain’s office where passengers are off-loaded from cruise ships that stops in on a regular schedule.

Yesterday was Fran’s birthday so, along with Ken and Carol, as soon as we completed our check-in to the country, we did an afternoon Mojito run ashore. There are a number of little bars and restaurants along the waterfront where drink specials are the norm. We found a few good mojito places but none meet the standard we have set back home with the mint from our own garden. This evening we celebrated Fran’s birthday again with a wonderful dinner at the Colibri (hummingbird) restaurant. We have been in communication with our friends back home who are taking care of Rosie. All is well with and she is walking them regularly. …. We miss our guard dog but we feel better knowing she is in good hands. 20:30, Thursday, 13 Dec, Still at anchor in San Juan del Sur The wind has finally let up for the past few hours. Since we arrived the Papagayo winds have been ranging between 15 and 30 kts. The anchor is holding well and, because we are so close to shore, the waves are not a consideration, however, going ashore in the dinghy can be a wet ride. Yesterday the Star Princess anchored offshore for the afternoon. The ship is on a 30 day cruise that began in San Francisco and will end in Argentina after sailing around the horn and including a short visit to Antarctica. As is the routine, the ship disgorged hundreds of passengers to the shore trinket stands, to waiting busses and many found their way to some of the shore establishments. We met quite a few of them in a restaurant where we were testing out yet another source of mojitos. All were in high spirits about their adventure but were very curious about our lifestyle choice. We even got an invitation to stay at one couple’s place in Huatulco or Vera Cruz, Mexico. She is an ex-nurse from Bathurst NB and he is a Mexican ophthalmologist. This evening, under similar circumstances (restaurant) we met a young family who invited us to a party on the weekend (had to decline as we leave tomorrow) The parents are in the medical field as consultants and have decided to live here in SJDS for the next 6 months with their 3 children (under the age of 10). We went to Grenada today. One of the main cities in Nicaragua, it is located on the great inland lake about 1.5 hours away by road. In many ways it resembled the colonial towns we have visited further north. The museum offered a rich history of a country that went through centuries of turmoil Spanish Conquistadores, marauding pirates, JP Vanderbuilt and his shortcut to the Goldrush, the many revolutions and the still extant plan to build another Canal through the country. One of the features of Grenada is the large population of horse-drawn carriages, representative of a mode of transport that is still very much in use all over the country. We have seen many ox and horse drawn “daily drivers” on the roads.

Lake Nicaragua with volcanic Island and typical wind waves..... Nicaragua has been a very pleasant surprise for all of us. We had been told not to expect much and that the severe unemployment and lowest per capita income of all of the Americas would make this a more hazardous and bureaucratic country. On the contrary we have found the people to be very warm and cheerful and we have certainly experienced worse bureaucratic nightmares in Mexico. Although the Sandinista candidate just won the latest national election there doesn’t appear to be the political intrigue that many were expecting. We found that the country is much cleaner (trash wise) than its neighbors to the north. Also it is blessed with a large supply of fresh water so crops are diverse and plentiful. On our way to Grenada today we witnessed the considerable investment in giant wind turbines that the country has made to harness the power of the steady winds passing over the country from the Caribbean. A positive side of the low per capita income is that this is a very cheap country to live in so there are many American and some Canadian ex-pats here enjoying the simple life. Off to Costa Rica tomorrow.

Check out the top of the bus. Yes, that is a man laying on the matresses while the bus is speeding down the highway; it just passed us. Don't think they would allow that back home.....

We're finally off, well.... tomorrow

21:00, 6 December, 2012, Alongside Bahia del Sol Marina Another few days and we’ll be off and away from this backwater. If it wasn’t for the efforts of Bill and Jean, the El Salvador rally organizers, there wouldn’t be anyone here, and for good reason. It is a barely decent place to leave a boat and, as of this year, the choices are diminishing. Island Marine is up for sale and who knows what will become of the buoy field opportunities there. The buoys at the Santos facility are of poor quality and he doesn’t offer much in the way of preventative maintenance during the summer months. That leaves the marina docks. After the storm last April and observing the way the docks lost most of their flotation, cleats ripped out and decking washed away and the lack of commitment by the owner we realize that the marina is not a priority. Naughti Moments had quite a bit of gel coat damage when a cleat let go and she rubbed against the dock and Ken was told that he was lucky the hotel didn’t pursue him for ripping out the cleat….. The repairs to the facility were only superficial and it is a disaster waiting to happen…. again. But, people will keep coming, attracted by the $1 cervesas, discounts on food and mooring, but is it enough when you consider the ride in over the bar, the crappy facilities, filthy river water, and the 1 ½ hour, $90 taxi ride to El Salvador to get decent groceries and supplies? Yup, I’m ready to go. Gail and Mark (Mangareva) arrived this afternoon with the dinghy parts so that item is crossed out. While Fran went to San Salvador with a number of others for last minute shopping I stayed and tended to some last minute items. Yesterday I decided that the water-maker re-build kit had taken up enough space in the bilge so the water-maker was broken down and rebuilt with new seals. It was re-installed today and it seems to be working much better and with less leaks. All fuel tanks are full and tomorrow we top up our water tanks and check everything for departing. Fran will be busy with Immigration and Customs in the morning and tomorrow night we have a dock party. We have heard from Alan (Beverly J) a few days ago. They had gone into the Gulf of Fonseca, where El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua share the waterfront. They were boarded 3 times by the 3 different nations and finally chased out of an anchorage by the Nicaraguan navy. They motored down the coast to Corinto and didn’t find much so they are now on their way to San Juan Del Sur. After their story the 3 boats leaving Saturday have revised our plans and will most likely follow them to that port. The guides indicate that it is a pleasant anchorage with good facilities. 2100, Friday, 7 December It was a really nice pot luck dock party. The food and company were great. The work is done and the 3 boats are ready for sea. We leave on the full tide tomorrow morning. Fran will try to hitch a ride on the jet-ski that guides us out of the surf line. She’s been itching for that since we first crossed in March. @ boats have announced that they will be arriving tomorrow, Rathscallion and Precious Metal. We’ll be boats passing in the morning…. Next stop will be San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, but first we have to cross the infamous Papagayo region where the gap winds from the Caribbean pick up quickly and can blow up to 50-60 kts. We’ll tell you how it went in the next blog.

Almost ready.

Friday, 30 November, 2012, still at the buoy. It is pitch black out. The moon is just starting to rise behind some heavy clouds and we have had a bit of light rain in the past few hours. The bay is flat calm and the fish are jumping all around the boat. Friday night brings the weekenders to the beach so there is a bit more music playing from the western shore and most of the properties are lit up, some with Christmas lights. The eastern shore is mostly dark. They rely on generators and batteries there and few can afford such luxuries. Apart from the barking dogs and an occasional flash of a flashlight glow there is very little activity. Before I start the new chapter I must add a PS to the last one. While in Antigua we discovered something everyone from our generation would appreciate. Remember the Lone Ranger and his sidekick Tonto? Well, we had found out a few years ago that Tonto means stupid in Spanish. Fran was mortified and I was a bit disappointed that Hollywood would show that kind of blatant discrimination. Well last week we discovered that Tonto name for the Lone Ranger was Kimosabe. OK, close but no cigar. It was actually Quien no sabe, or, loosely translated, he who knows nothing…. Who knew all those years ago that the two were passing insults back and forth. I have to watch a few episodes again. We just got back from having supper at Mary Sol’s restaurant with Colette a little while ago. We had the best fried whole fish ever! Colette’s guidance really helped since we gringos didn’t have a clue where to start. It was a 2-3 lb red snapper baked crispy, just the right size for the 3 of us. Who knew that you can eat the skin and tail…. Colette is leaving Sunday and this was one of the last chances we had to have a nice quiet time with her. She has been the ideal landlady as we have occupied one of her buoys and we certainly hope we’ll see her again in Canada during our summer’s home. Our ranks are beginning to thin out. Last week Beverly J left and today Whiteshell (Comox) departed for points south. Naughti Moments has gone to the marina dock for a few days and we’ll be following soon for a few days of last minute preps alongside. It will be nice to have shore power for a change and lots of water to wash the decks and hull before we depart. It looks like we are on schedule, so far. It has been a busy week. The lines are all where they are supposed to be, thanks to some help from Ken who helped me get to the masthead to sort out broken messenger lines and a loose steaming light. The sails are bent on and the forward head is back in operation….. The last item was an unexpected one. The smell of sewage was beginning to get strong in the Vee-berth and we discovered that the holding tank was full and overflowing something we had experienced on our maiden voyage. We still haven’t figured out how the Y-valve was in that position but it was making quite a mess. Once we had all the valves back in order we had to pump the tank out with the hand operated pump and it broke on the first pump. I was not looking forward to this repair but I had most of the day as Fran was going shopping. The job wasn’t as messy as I had anticipated. The poopy water wasn’t up to the pump so I was able to remove it and do a jury rig repair with a screw and some 5200, the cruiser’s best friend when a difficult gluing job presents itself. The pump held together while I pumped out the tank and, hopefully, will last for the next few years as we don’t expect to use it much. The cleanup was a bit more daunting but was completed by the time Fran arrived back. Steve and Linda (Warren Peace) are still adding up the list of items that they will have to replace due to their lightning strike. It looks like most of their electronics have been fried. Thank goodness that they were insured. There are so many cruisers who do not have any insurance. They will be delayed but they will leave here with a complete fit of up-to-date electronics. There is a silver lining to their cloud…. We are now convinced that the problem with our inverter/charger was caused by the same strike. Warren Peace was only about 75 ft. away from us at the time. Lightning is very unpredictable and will cause the weirdest types of damage. After some investigation we have counted out the microphone problem on the VHF radio as lightning caused. Looks like the repairs we had done to the radio last summer caused the issue so we are now discussing the problem with ICOM. If and when we replace the radio we’ll be looking for another brand. Way too many issues with ICOM products. Monday, 2 Dec, alongside the marina dock. We moved Gosling to the dock yesterday. A few days before I removed the bags that we had wrapped the prop blades with and cleaned the bottom as best I could. The bag idea worked well. There was very little to scrape off and the hull has survived the summer remarkably well. There are a few barnacles but, overall, it is not bad. The extra copper we put in the bottom paint in Guaymas has paid off. We shouldn’t have to do another paint job till Cartagena. We have had a minor problem with the dinghy. There has been a slow leak and we narrowed it down to one of the valves. When we tried to fix it the inevitable occurred; it broke, so we scrambled to find a way to get parts delivered from the US. We found out that Gail and Mark (Mangareva) are arriving Friday so we ordered the parts and had them shipped by the fastest means to their place. Hopefully everything will fall in place and we’ll be ready to depart on Saturday. Saturday we attended a pig roast on the Island. Ian (Blyth Spirit) had bought a piglet s few weeks ago for the event, a benefit for one of the young men on the Island who is trying to make his mark on the local boat maintenance scene. The proceedings are to purchase a VHF radio so he can communicate with the cruisers. It was turned into a potluck at Jan’s place, a local gringo lady who has lived here for some years. The pig was slowly cooked over a coconut fueled fire and was absolutely delicious.

Ian Tending to the piggy that didn't go to the market....

Ready to dish out. We are spinning our wheels as we wait for the dinghy parts. There should be at least 3 boats leaving on Saturday. We are in most respects ready to go, although we are a bit low on propane but we should have enough for the next few weeks. It is very difficult to get bottles filled here. The locals rely on a tank exchange system. Cruisers with our fancy aluminum tanks that need a special adaptor must go to the other side of San Salvador for fill-ups. We missed the last propane run two weeks ago while we were away on our Spanish lessons. The Sarana Guide indicates that San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua should be a much easier place to fill up. The following photo is of the group at lunch in a small fishing town of Herradura in the mangroves.

A look at the early morning sky is revealing what the Olmec (pre-Mayan) astronomers had predicted way back when they were the dominant people of Mexico and Central America. The sun and all the planets are lining up so that on the 21st of December they will all be on a flat plane, much like the planetary models we were shown in grade school. Little did we know then that this phenomenon occurs only every 28,500 years? Jim Papp explains it this way in an internet article: This rare astronomical event, foretold in the Mayan creation story of the Hero Twins, and calculated empirically by them, will happen for many of us in our lifetime. The Sun has not conjoined the Milky Way and the plane of the ecliptic since some 25,800 years ago, long before the Mayans arrived on the scene and long before their predecessors the Olmec’s arrived. What does this mean? Due to a phenomenon called the precession of the equinoxes, caused by the Earth's wobble that lasts almost 26,000 years, the apparent location of the Winter Solstice sunrise has been ever so slowly moving toward the Galactic Center. Precession may be understood by watching a spinning top. Over many revolutions the top will rise and dip on its axis, not unlike how the Earth does over an extremely long period of time. One complete rise and dip constitutes the cycle of precession. The Mayans noticed the relative slippage of the positions of stars in the night sky over long periods of observation, indicative of precession, and foretold this great coming attraction. By using an invention called the Long Count, the Mayans fast-forwarded to anchor December 21, 2012 as the end of their Great Cycle and then counted backwards to decide where the calendar would begin. Thus the Great Cycle we are currently in began on August 11, 3114 B.C. But there's more. The Great Cycle, lasting 1,872,000 days and equivalent to 5,125.36 years, is but one fifth of the Great Cycle, known scientifically as the Great Year or the Platonic Year - the length of the precession of the equinoxes. To use a metaphor from the modern industrial world, on Winter Solstice A.D. 2012 it is as if the Giant Odometer of Humanity on Earth hits 100,000 miles and all the cycles big and small turn over to begin anew. The present world age will end and a new world age will begin. Over a year's time the Sun transits through the twelve houses of the zodiac. Many of us know this by what "Sun sign" is associated with our birthday. Upping the scale to the Platonic Year - the 26,000 year long cycle - we are shifting, astrologically, from the Age of Pisces to the Age of Aquarius. The Mayan calendar does not really "end" in 2012, but rather, all the cycles turn over and start again, vibrating to a new era. It is as if humanity and the Earth will graduate in the eyes of the Father Sun and Grandmother Milky Way. So now you know the facts. Celebrate the new era, if you will, but don’t bury your head in the sand. This is a time for a new beginning not the end of it all….

Spanish lessons in Guatemala

2000, 24 November, 2012. Onboard Gosling, Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador We have just returned to Gosling from Antigua, Guatemala. It has been 2 weeks of intense Spanish; well, as intense as 4 hours a day can get, 1 on 1 with an instructor, but with homework thrown in, the “intense” classification might just be appropriate, OK, we are over 60, so any brain drain over 20 mins is pretty serious….. Fran and Carol had arranged for the courses online at the Antiguena Spanish Academy. Initially we were a bit nervous as this was within weeks of the volcanic eruption of Fuego, just west of the town, and of the earthquake in Guatemala City. That one, and some of its aftershocks, had also been felt in Antigua.

Fuego (Fire) Aptly named but out of focus... We arrived in Antigua on Sunday night (2 weeks ago) after a long and grueling 8-hour taxi and mini-bus ride through the El Salvador and Guatemalan foothills. After a night in a cheap hotel we checked into the school and were assigned our homestay venues and our teachers for the course. The homestay system consists of a number of families who have been contracted by the school to provide room and board for their students. Our first family was the home of an elderly widow and her daughter who had 4 rooms available. We soon found out that the quality of food and lodgings varied considerably among the providers. Fran soon became unhappy with the food quality and we found the accommodations to be wanting. The bathroom sink drain leak and wet floor, the lack of hot water and the barking dog on the roof were sufficient for us to seek another location. Ken and Carol were in another homestay nearby and ranted about the place and, as luck would have it, there was a vacancy when we inquired. Problem solved: great food, comfortable accommodations and a super group of students, mostly half our age but it didn’t make any difference. Another student (in another homestay) almost got electrocuted when the showerhead caught fire. This probably requires a bit more explanation to those who have never taken a Latin American shower where the shower-head is an electrical appliance. It actually heats up the water as it passes through it, similarly to the instant hot water systems we are familiar with. No way would this meet the electrical code of anywhere north of the Mexican border. She was OK but later did feel a jolt as she shut off a bedside lamp. It was just her day…. On Monday of the first day we showed up at the school office, completed our registration and were assigned our own private maestras de Espagnol (teachers). We walked with them to another location, a park setting, chatting all the way, in what halting Spanish we knew so that the teachers could establish the level at which we had to begin. Neither of our teachers quit right away so we must have shown some potential. Every morning at 8 AM we would meet at the park, find our 2 chairs and table and slave away. By noon we were both fried, so after a homework assignment we both went our separate ways until the next day. We have to admit that we both actually know much more that we did 2 weeks ago. Our vocabularies have increased dramatically and verb conjugation is actually something we consider now. On the weekend we decided to visit the Mayan ruins at Copan, Honduras. It was another bumpy 6 hr minibus ride that began right after classes and ended after dark. We spent Saturday morning visiting the ruins with an English-speaking guide who explained in detail the history of the Mayans and purpose of the various buildings, the Mayan customs and traditions and so on. That really made the visit! I highly recommend to anyone visiting sites like this one to employ a guide. Without one the ruins are just a pile of rock; with one they become alive. The photos below show ruins that are much worse for wear than at Paleque (Mexico) where we toured last Feb. Most of the truly spectacular artifacts recovered from the archeological digs are in museums around the world, but some have been preserved in an adjacent museum where some of these pics were taken. Only a fraction of the existing ruin sites have been explored in this park. For those of you who have heard that the Mayan calendar is predicting the end of the world (or worse) and are considering entering a bunker on the Winter Solstice, it is a lot of crap. The date signifies the end of a Mayan era. One of many that was predicted centuries ago by their astrologers. Try a Google search for “Mayan Calendar End date”. There are some really good articles there including the Wiki site.

Temple ruins

Warrior Training Ground

Reconstructed wall panel showing a macaw god figure

The accurate location and reconstruction of a past mayan king's bed. Oh, come on, you'd have done it too!!!! The following day we toured a rescue bird sanctuary where hundreds of rescued exotic birds which cannot be returned to the wild are sheltered. Fran had her photo taken with several Macaws.

Fran, the bird lady. She found out later that while this was happening sand fleas were biting her ankles. Apart from the Spanish lessons and Copan there were other highlights worth mention: -we made lots of new friends. Arv and Belinda from Tasmania deserve special mention. If it wasn’t for Belinda, Arv would surely self-destruct as the Tasmanian Devil in the Looney Tunes cartoons is prone to do. Also of note were Jeri and John, an American couple taking time off from cruising their 50 ft steel trawler, currently in Rio Dulce. They are in Antigua for 6 weeks while John learns Spanish. Jeri is actually fluent in Spanish and teaches back home. She is spending the time learning to play the harmonica. We hope to catch up with them in the Caribbean next season; -We met Barry (Passat II) and his friend who were touring the area while Passat II is undergoing a refit. Between him and another couple we met on our course, Jerie and John Milici (MY Peking), who also have their boat at Rio Dulce we obtained a lot of detail about the area. This might be our final destination to store the boat for the summer season this season or next; -Shopping in Antigua was great from Fran’s perspective. We also discovered what is reputed to be the best rum in the world, Zacapa 23 yr old. We haven’t tried the premium Gosling rum yet so our jury is still out… - the town had more coffee shops than bars and Guatemalan coffee is very nice; - We decided to splurge for our last 2 nights and stayed in a beautifully appointed bed and breakfast, Casa Menta. It is run by a young Japanese couple who opened it just a few weeks ago; -on our last night we went out with a number of students for a final dinner and bar visit. On our way we discovered a specialty chocolate shop that provided a history lesson on the origins of chocolate and a demonstration of the manufacturing process. We were also able to sample the products of the various stages of production, a fascinating ½ hour accidental find; and -The volcano actually puffed for us on Friday morning, When we arrived back at the marina, Steve and Linda (War and Peace) were waiting for us with their tale of woe. When they arrived back from their Spanish lessons the previous week they discovered that they had been hit by lightning over the summer. Most of their electronics have to be replaced and they will be delayed a few weeks longer than expected. We were lucky to be spared as they were the closest boat to us in the mooring field. Just discovered that one of the cameras is defective. It took the photos but didn’t record them on the storage card. Bummer!!!

Another year, another adventure bigins.

0800, Friday, 9 Nov, at the buoy, Bahia Del Sol Up early today, before Fran for once. She seems to have had a good restful night. So, as they say, let them lie….. It is another clear and bright morning. It is already getting hot so the new fans I have installed will come in handy again today. The few hours of rain we had this past week appear to be the final remnants of what has been a very wet summer and the start of the gradual transition to the dry season. Our min/max thermometer indicated that the cabin only reached a max of 98F this season, however, the humidity would have made it feel much higher. We left last Thursday via Vancouver and San Francisco, so we had a leisurely day via the ferry and to Surrey where we met up with Bill and Janet (Optical Illusion, who will be catching up to us after we leave here, the boat is in Huatulco) and Ken and Carole (Nauti Moments) who graciously offered to accompany us to where the truck was to be stored for the winter and also drove us to the airport. They left the following day to join us. We flew with United and TACA, the predominant Central American airline. The TACA plane was a newer A-320 and the service excellent, much better than United. We arrived at 8 AM to a considerably hotter climate than we left. All of our baggage was there (whew) and we later discovered that only a bottle of contact cement had been removed by TSA. The going rate for a van taxi is $30, for the 40 minute drive, such a deal! It was with heavy hearts that we left Rosie behind this year. The airline industry is making it more and more difficult to bring animals as cargo. Also, after considering the areas we were heading to this season, it was getting increasingly difficult to plan pet friendly stops and inland travel. We’ll miss our alert dog but she is with very good friends who will undoubtedly teach her a bunch of new tricks and spoil her. When we arrived at the hotel/marina, Carlito was waiting for us with his panga to take us out to Gosling. He is Murray and Colette’s right hand man at Island Marine where Gosling and 8 other boats, (Including Nauti Moments and Warren Peace) have spent the summer. When we arrived onboard we were amazed at the sparkle and cleanliness. The crew had washed the upper-decks and even polished our stainless. When we opened her up Fran’s phobia of finding mold and mildew everywhere was eased. The boat had been aired out repeatedly during our absence and the interior had been wiped down several times by Murray and Colette’s crew. The fans, we had left on, also helped. There were a few closets that had a bit of mold but nothing serious. Fran’s vacuum packing of the majority of our clothes, bedding and dry goods paid off in spades. After getting the dinghy and outboard from storage ashore we were ready to start prepping for another season. We needed to get our bags unpacked and their contents stored in an already strained storage network. We must remember to take the time to get an inventory before we depart next spring. It is a common cruiser’s dilemma to bring lots of stuff from back home that really isn’t needed, especially clothing. Maybe if we were younger we’d remember what we had onboard form season to season. Next we had to get water onboard and start the process of putting up all the running rigging, sails, tending batteries and getting all of the items in Murray’s storage lockers, including all of the electronics back onboard. So far we have found a few items that have failed, probably from lack of use. One is the command microphone and the other is the charger-inverter that is, once again, not responding to a shore power input, the same problem we had 2 years ago and cost us about $600 to get repaired. Half of that was shipping costs to the factory in Minnesota….. So, it has been a busy week but we have had the time to socialize. Carole and Ken arrived, as scheduled, last Saturday and there are several other boats at the other marina that have, either just arrived or have spent her summer here. Among others are, Ideal 1, another Victoria boat, Timeless, Que Bella, Mita Kuulu, Blythe Spirit and Saucy Lady. A few boats left this week to continue their adventures, including Contento and Desmarais, a couple we had met in Guaymas in 2008. Yesterday was the first big shop. 4 couples shared a local mini-bus for the day and went to capital, San Salvador. The normal routing is a few hardware stores, a fabric supply store (where you can get Sunbrella for a low a $4.50/yd), a large shopping mall, Price Smart (Central American version of COSTCO), a large grocery store and back. We left at 8 and were back at 4, a long and expensive day but critical to our progress. We’ll do this again before we leave. Things are much more expensive in Costa Rica so stocking up here is essential. Sunday we are on our way to Antigua, Guatemala for our 2 weeks of Spanish lessons. We heard about the earthquake in Guatemala 2 days after it actually occurred. There was quite a bit of damage in the capital but Antigua was spared, as was the lake Atitlan area where Steve and Linda (Warren Peace) are doing their language training for another week. Once we get back from that we’ll be focused on preparations for our departure. We are aiming at the first week in December.

Countown to reality

22:40, Good Thursday, 5 Apr 2012, Anchored, Bahia del Sol Things are definitely winding down on Gosling. Much of our prep work to leave the boat for the summer is completed. Today Fran was sealing some of the foodstuffs we are leaving using her Food Saver. The vacuum sealer does an excellent job. We will be using a similar method for our clothing, bedding and towels when we get the bags in a week or so. Ken and Carole have returned home to BC for 2 weeks and have a list of items to bring back including the bags. Several boats are going through the same storage routine. Steve and Linda on Warren Peace are almost complete. They are at their summer mooring already and are well advanced. They will be leaving soon to take Spanish lessons in Guatemala before heading for home. There are still a number of boats that are prepping to continue down the coast for Panama. Tomorrow, Tom and Laurie on Camelot will be leaving and they will be followed by Hotspur and others as they continue their voyage. Ken and Carole have not decided whether they will continue this year or not. They feel that they are going too fast and missing too much so they are now considering leaving the boat here and continuing next season. It is still very hot during the day and cools down slightly overnight. We are at full moon and the highest tides of the year will be occurring next week. The current is 4-6 kts at times and actually gives anchored boats a bow wave and a wake. The locals seem to relish the heat. Conditioning must be the secret. Semana Santa (Easter week) has begun and the beach residences are full to overflowing. The resort here is sold out but we are spared the big crowds who would rather spend their time on the beach side of the resort rather than the estuary side where we are. 2300, 7 Apr 2012, same location What a light show we are having!!! Thunderstorms have been predicted for the next week and every day we have seen a build-up of clouds and some distant sheet lightning by nightfall. Over the last 2 evenings the thunder clouds have been forming closer and closer. Yesterday at about 5PM we saw a funnel cloud emerge from a big ugly black cloud just to the west of us and by nightfall we could see lots of lightning to the west. Well, tonight those clouds (minus the funnel) are overhead. At dusk we saw the first lightning and since then it has been a continuous show. So far it has been contained in the clouds above us and the thunder is muffled. It was absolutely still, not a breath of wind until a few minutes ago and now it is whistling through the rigging and making the awning flap wildly. I had to put up some frapping lines to keep the awning in control but that has only limited effect. 20 mins later: It is blowing 30-40 and raining like hell. Now we have forked lightning and real thunder claps. Rosie is hiding somewhere on the boat. She seems to find little cubby holes in the Vee berth when she is really scared. We weren’t completely caught by surprise but things are wetter onboard than planned. It was so hot that we waited to close the hatches until the last minute but fell asleep. Oh well, another lesson learnt. It’ll be hot and drier tomorrow. 1200, 8 Apr 2012 same location Everything is dry again but we will probably have a similar downpour tonight. We are in the transition period between the dry and the wet seasons. Jean (Mita Kuulu) says that this is the typical weather pattern for the transition period but it is a bit early this year. It has put quite a damper on the Semana Santa party-goers. For many this is their last day; tomorrow is a holiday only for the federal employees so most of the holidayers are on their way home. Soon we will be back to normal at the resort with only the cruisers using the facilities and keeping the bar staff employed. 2300, 22 April, 2012 At Colette and Murray’s Mooring, Bahia Del Sol I didn’t think I’d have much to write about during the last few weeks of preps to depart but we have had another interesting event to break up the monotony. Some of you may remember an incident I wrote about 3 years ago, about a microburst that hit us with high winds while anchored in Barra De Navidad. Well, a case of Deja-Vu last night. In late afternoon we had watched the build-up of nimbus clouds to the north of us, nothing abnormal about this and getting to be quite commonplace. We were expecting a light show and were not disappointed. As dusk arrived there was a lot of distant sheet lightning to the north. By 8 PM the wind picked up and rain started to fall. Our dinner guests, Ken and Carole, fresh from their 2-week trip back to BC, decided to get back to their boat before it got worse. Luckily for them they made it with minutes to spare before we were hit with what must have been another microburst. Our wind meter started at 30 kts and during the following 30 minutes it rose steadily reaching 73 kts at its peak. Our mooring field has 8 boats in it and 5 were swept away, with their mooring clumps. I was watching a Beneteau 45, next to us, lit up by almost continuous lightning as it wind-vaned beam on to the wind and begin its drift. An amazing sight! Luckily we had taken precautions when rain seemed likely but nothing prepared us for the maelstrom that followed. Our only loss was the gas tank from the dingy and a tear in our canopy. Other boats weren’t so lucky. 2 boats from our group drifted into each other and caused some damage to wind vanes, pulpits and railings while others suffered mainly torn sun shades and canopies. As soon as the wind had died down I was able to go out with Carlito,the caretaker of our mooring field to assess the condition of the boats. We discovered 2 local fishermen hanging on for dear life on the mooring cable of one of the boats. Their wooden canoe had flipped over and, lucky for them, they were upwind of the mooring field otherwise it would have been a much more tragic outcome. Boats at the other mooring field and the docks weren’t so lucky. One got a few small holes punched into her from an anchor on a drifting boat that broke her mooring line. One of the anchored boats, a J-36, ended up on a concrete dock and was severely damaged, and is now considered a write-off. Docks were damaged, cleats pulled out and panicked owners did everything they could to minimize damage. This morning we were able to better assess the damage. Cruisers are a remarkable breed. They have an inbred spirit of cooperation and are always willing to assist where assistance is needed. It certainly showed today as everyone pitched in to help those who were worst hit.

Tolerance - write-off

Island Marine's dock We have only 4 more days to go. We hope that will be the last excitement before we leave. Ken and Carole (Nauti-Moments) will be joining us in the moorings in the next few days. We are close to completing our preps. Fran has been packing things to go and things to stay. Her vacuum packer has seen a lot of use. She has also been vacuum packing large items using special bags that Ken and Carole brought back. She uses the vacuum cleaner for those. We are not taking any chances on mold so any linen, clothes, pillows or anything else liable to be affected is getting bagged. All surfaces on the boat are being wiped with a vinegar or chlorox solution. To back these precautions up we have a wonderful staff here at the moorings that will open up the boats regularly to air them out and check for excess moisture. Yesterday we were finally able to confirm Rosie’s flight arrangements, however, a SNAFU with the airlines will have her arriving 3 hours after we do in Phoenix. 2330, Same location Just a few minutes ago I was sitting on the bow in one of our folding chairs just enjoying the ambiance. There is a crescent moon setting directly in front of us. The tide is ebbing, we are pointed west, the current is about 3 kts and is burbling at the mooring chain. The only other sounds are dogs barking and occasionally, the sound of a small boat engine as they zip up and down the estuary. On the starboard side the shore is dark. There is no electricity supplied to the island so all we can see are small solar lights and the occasional bobbing flashlight as someone walks along the path by the shore. A few people on the Island have generators but by this time they have shut them off and gone to bed. The other side of the estuary is the narrow strip separating us from the ocean and the main road leading to the Pan-American highway. They have electricity on that side so there are lots of lights. With the right wind and tide we can hear the sound of the waves crashing on that shore, but not tonight, it is absolutely quiet. Earlier you could hear the bus announcing his passage by a blaring horn. Somewhere in the dark is the dock where our ever-faithful guard is watching over us. Every once in a while he turns on his million candle power spotlight and sweeps the beam over all of the boats in his charge. There is a slight odor of smoke in the air probably from sugar cane fields or trash burning. Since the storm there has been a lot of that. This is our last night aboard so I have to soak it in as best I can. It will be another six months before I can do this again. Tomorrow we finish our preps onboard, give our keys to Carlito and get a ride from him to the resort where we will spend the night, or part of it. We have to be at the airport by 5 AM so it will be a short night. It has been a great season and, as usual we have enjoyed our time on Gosling. We have left the Mexican comfort zone and are on track for Panama and what lies beyond. We’ll be leaving Gosling with some trepidation. This is our first time leaving her in the water but we will have the Island marine staff looking after our baby. This is probably our last entry of the season, Hope you have enjoyed reading about our adventures. Hope you follow us next season. Cheers, J-G, Fran and Rosie