Ocean Odyssey: Castillo San Felipe

Visiting the Castillo

One of the items on our maintenance list was the loose stainless steel grab rail on the starboard side. It was not about to come off anytime soon, but it was disconcerting in a heavy seaway to feel it wobble, as you held onto it to go through the companionway. Of course no boat related jobs are simple and this one will turn out to be no exception.

The fixing is secured by two concealed bolts, so the teak plugs had to be removed to gain access. Then instead of just lifting it out, it turns out the wood was also glued in place. The only way to remove it was to break it, so now we are into a bigger and of course, more expensive job, especially as we will have to remove the other side and replace the wood so it matches up.

A local carpenter is coming next week to help us out. It looks like we need to re-do the labels on the clutches as well, as they have faded.

Loose handrail

Not easy to get off

It is nice to get off the boat and explore to have a change of scene, not to mention get some exercise. It was a very easy decision to say 'yes' to our Danish friends Bent and Jeanne from yacht Karma when they asked us if we wanted to go for a walk to visit the nearby Castillo. We met them at Tortugal Marina and set out for the 8km round trip hike.

Castillo de San Philipe de Lara, to give it its full title is a beautifully restored Spanish Colonial Fort located at the point where the Rio Dulce and Lake Izabal meet.

It was originally conceived to provide protection to the nearby port of San Antonio from pirate attacks, most notably from mainly English pirates, and construction dates back to the mid 1600's. Since then the fort has undergone many modifications and more recently, a sympathetic restoration.

The fort also contains a prison which would have been an horrendous place to be incarcerated in. Not only is it dark, but it frequently floods in heavy rain and prisoners would not be able to swat hordes of mosquito's, nor turn on the air conditioning like we do on the boat to escape the humidity.

Apart from the many gun emplacements, the fort also protected the channel with a heavy chain that would be placed across the river to further thwart pirate ships... a neat idea.

The fort is situated in beautiful landscaped grounds where visitors can make use of covered picnic facilities, or just simply sit on the lawn. As you can see from the photographs, the weather was not conducive for a picnic! In fact we witnessed a good deal of lightning and heard deep trembling rasps of thunder, all adding to the sensory experience as you imagine the thunder replaced with the sound of cannon fire. And then we got caught in the rain! Never mind, we walked back through the grounds under cover of the palm trees and took refuge at a little restaurant just outside the entrance to the grounds. It was just gone midday, so perfect timing for lunch whist the squall passed.

A very nice day all in all, and Lynne is happy to report she is feeling much better. A big thank you to those who took the time to email and wish her well.