Ocean Odyssey: Guatemala

Rio Dulce

If you had asked us 12 months ago where we would be about now, we would have never guessed moored in a small marina, at the side of a jungle in the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. So when making hard and fast plans in your cruising itinerary, write them in pencil, or better still write them down and then throw away the paper.

Clouds can have silver linings. We got to cruise in the Western Caribbean and would not have missed our Cuban experience for the world, especially Havana.
As for our base here in the Rio Dulce, wow!

So why did we come here? Well during the Caribbean Hurricane Season, about June to November, you need to be somewhere safe, or statistically safe.
The Rio Dulce is widely regarded a safe hurricane hole, so we checked with our insurers Y Yacht, and they said Yes.

Getting to our beautiful marina was in no way straightforward. The contributing factor was our draft. Lift keel yachts, those with shallow draft and of course catamarans, should have no issues passing over the bar at Livingston at the entrance to the river. However, Aztec Dream has a 7 foot draft, so we had to pick the one day of the month for the highest possible tide. To put it into context, the maximum depth even with the high tide would be about 6 foot 6 inches.

All went without a glitch. The bottom must be a fine silt/mud combination. We made prior arrangements to use the services of a local man called Hector. Hector it seems is the go-to man for tilting your boat over. Not too sure exactly how far over we did go, but it felt like about 45 degrees. It was quite an experience and of course, one we will need to repeat on the way out later in the year.

Most of the organising was done in advance through our Ocean Cruising Club Port Officer, Kelly Piercy. That made clearing in a little easier as our agent Raul Morales was expecting us. The clearing in process is not so bad.
We paid 1300 QTD for Azzy, and 500 QTD for Hector. QTD is the Guatemalan Quetzal. One £1 is about 9 QTD.

The 1300 QTD gets us 3 months for the boat, after that we need to make an extension both for us and the boat. Further update on that to come.

Our marina called Tijax, but pronounced Tea-ash, is opposite the town of Fronteras and there are many other marinas nearby. Here is a link to the marina website Tijax Marina. As you can see it is also a resort as well, and we have use of the swimming pool and restaurant, plus excellent shower facilities. Not to mention the jungle hikes to the rear of the resort. We are paying $220 in US dollars a month, and this includes free wifi and water (non potable), but not electric.

It was apparent almost from day one that we would not be at all comfortable, especially at night, in the high temperatures and humidity. It called for two measures. One was a portable aircon unit, and the other was a heavy duty tarpaulin to shade the deck. The aircon unit was 110 volts and Azzy is 220V, but no problem as the shore power connection at the dock had both. We have not had our first electric bill in yet, but frankly it is what it is, the air con is not going back.

Having now been here a month, our experiences thus far have been extremely positive. There is no shortage of skilled labour at very reasonable rates, social life is as much or little as you want. Shopping is relatively cheap, and the people we have met have been very friendly. The downside is the heat and humidity, oh and if you don't like creepy crawlies, this is not the place for you! One of the kitchen staff found a snake curled up on a shelf the other day, and one of the guests, a tarantula in her lodge room.

More updates to follow. As for our longer-term cruising plans, we have not made a final decision on where to go next season. With a boat called Aztec Dream it seems rude not to visit Mexico, on the other hand the lure of the Pacific is never far from our thoughts.