Voyages With Penzi

Bocce on Sundays

2009-11-08T16:13:00.004-05:00

Just a few hundred feet from the Atlantic Ocean we are rolling balls down a sandy box towards a little bright colored ball. It is Sunday morning and we are with our friends at the Key West Bocce Courts. Our friends Simone and Geri got this new "tradition" started and we have come as a family a few times. It is a fantastic way to start a Sunday morning!

Today Samara was passed like a baton as each of us took our turns. She did not mind a bit and was excitedly cheering both teams, but I know she was probably partial to the Girls team!

We will Keep meeting as long as there are interested people and a set of Bocce Balls!

Caroline Taylor on Stage Again!

2009-08-02T11:33:00.004-04:00

The Studios of Key West (www.tskw.org) put on the third annual production of "One Night Stand". This is a creative 24 hour period where local writers, directors, artists, actors and stage people band together for one 24 hour period to create and perform original plays.

Caroline was one of the actors this year. She played a bitter and haggard Virgin Mary who has gone from blessed sainthood to lowly appearances in a crazy woman's toilet.

I was not able to record the whole 10 minute play, and I am hoping that there will be a more "professional" version from someone else. I was able to get some of the opening segment leading up to Caroline's first "appearance".

Here talents are never-ending. Samara listed to the recording just now and was smiling and laughing!

The video clip is here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3ewpu_JQyY

A Star Is Among Us!

2009-07-26T21:06:00.005-04:00

Caroline has completed her second acting workshop since Samara's birth. At the end of this one, she and her fellow actors performed in on of the premier playhouses of Key West, the Red Barn Theater.

The theater was packed with people even sitting in the isle. Caroline's performance was fantastic, but don't take my word for it, see it for yourself on YouTube!

This is the Link: Caroline's Monologue

Keith's Fathers Day Card from Samara

2009-06-29T09:02:00.008-04:00

My favorite place to rest,
is upon my Daddy's chest.
I am so safe and warm,
safe from any kind of storm.

I hear his strong heart beating,
and it always makes me grin.
It tells me that he loves me,
his Miss Samara Quinn.

The THREE MONTH Mark with Samara

2009-06-11T16:08:00.013-04:00

We are supposed to be updating this BLOG more often and we thought it would be a great venue to give everyone updates on Samara, but, when it comes down to sitting in front of the computer and typing away - or - playing with our oh-so-cute baby, the baby wins every time!

When she is sleeping, we catch up on chores and catch up with each other. Having Samara is the most momentous thing we have ever done and we are enjoying the journey very much.

Samara is now 13 weeks old, but more simply she has passed beyond 3 months. This is an important milestone because in many respects from 0 to 3 months she is still a VERY dependent creature who needs as much support as she got in the womb. Now, though, she is developing more of a personality, starting to get control over her hands and feet and becoming much more aware of the wider world around her.

Just the other day she rolled herself over (perhaps by accident) while we had her tummy-down on the quilt Grandma made for her. She smiles a lot, mostly in response to other smiles and positive affirmations, such as "you are sooo cute!".

We have converted a 3-wheel bicycle into baby transportation by through-bolting a baby car seat onto the back platform. The bike is a good size for either one of us to ride and Samara is safe right behind us.

We have also ordered the most expensive infant life jacket you can buy ($69.95), but it is worth it because it is specially designed for infants up to 25 pounds. Which brings me to weight, the main measurement of baby development and health, here is Samara's track:

March 11: 7lb 7oz (delivery)

March 13: 6lb, 13oz (normal to lose a little before leaving hospital)

April 2: 8lb, 5oz

April 9: 9lb

April16: 9lb, 13oz

April 23: 10lb, 1oz

April 30: 10lb, 7oz

and more....!

okay, okay - this is getting a little obsessive! She weighs 13lbs 1oz now and basically this means she is healthy and doing well!

Caroline is back to work 2 days a week, which gives Keith 9 hours each of those days as solid "Daddy Time". Keith is still working flexible days between boat captaining and computer work.

Oh, whats that? Samara is awake? Gotta Go play with the baby!

PS: Samara's Video Debut: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWDCX0FKDH8

Sorry for the Delay... More Posts Coming!

2009-03-23T19:24:00.001-04:00

We got completely absorbed in the last month of pregnancy and the first week of having a baby, but we are going to start catching up on our blogs this week!!!

What Does a Baby Mango Need?

2009-01-02T22:26:00.006-05:00

People Keep Asking, So Here It Is!

A List of things we still need to be ready for baby “Mango's” arrival.

Foam Changing Pad with Cover
Any Assorted Baby Cloths: Newborn to age 18!
Waterproof Changing Pad with Terrycloth on One Side
Sleepers (newborn – 3 months)
Side Snap T-Shirts (all sizes – Mango will be wearing these a lot in Key West)
Cotton Sweater (probably only 2, it is pretty warm here)
Brimmed Sun Hat
Washable Breast Pads
Medela Feeding and Storage Set (bottle, nipple & cover) (4)
Cotton Diaper Covers (Bummies are a good brand): (2) Newborn, (4) 6 month
Bibs: Newborn and 6 Month
Hooded Swaddling Towels (2)
Cloth Wipes
Books to Read to the Baby
Baby Carry Pack – for front or back carry

All of these items are available through Babies R Us web site: www.babiesrus.com

But, we also would be very happy with second-hand things as well, this reduces our impact on the environment and saves money. So keep us in mind next time you are in a thrift store or at a yard sale.

Christmas 2008 - with Baby Mango On The Way

2008-12-24T18:34:00.004-05:00

An update is long overdue, especially at the rate that Caroline is growing along with little "Mango" inside her womb. Many people are asking Caroline, "how are you feeling?", and happily we can report Caroline has had a great pregnancy with no problems. Well, not to say she hasn't stretched incredibly, gained 20% more weight and has to get used to a bizarre center of gravity, a baby kicking and not enough lung room to take a deep breath. As you can see from the picture, it hasn't slowed her down much, especially when it comes to decorating our new apartment.

We have settled into our new apartment in Key West that will be our home for the next year. Many people have been surprised we are so excited about being on land for a year, but after spending most of the last 10 years living aboard, living on land is a fun treat. Also, we know Penzi is waiting to take our new family on our first sailing trips as soon as we are ready.

We had our first party at our apartment: Keith's 39th birthday! Although he was very sick (flu) we had a few friends come by and enjoy pizza from the Veggie Cafe and an incredible "Brownie Cake" baked by Caroline. Regardless of being sick Keith enjoyed two of his favorite foods.

It is Christmas Eve and Keith is still pretty sick, which has put a damper on a lot of the holiday activities we hoped to do, not having to work Christmas Eve or Christmas Day. We are still hoping for a Christmas Miracle of spontaneous healing ans Keith will be baking cookies and singing carols tomorrow. But, if not tomorrow, probably in a few days...

Caroline is working again for the bed and breakfast that she was at before we went on our trip - they were so thrilled to have her back. She is working at their sister property (Duval Gardens) because it has an easier workload. Her boss has been so flexible on the hours Caroline feels very comfortable working until "Mango" arrives. Keith has been filling in at Danger Charters, where he used to work, but, they don't have any captain positions so keep looking until he found Java Cat. It looks like, starting in January, he'll be working 3 days there and doing computer work a couple of other days.

The Baby Shower is in the planning stages and we'll be announcing it here in the near future.

Until then, Happy Hanukkah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Merry Christmas and Peace be upon all.

Caroline & Keith

The Secret Log of KW5: The Return of Penzi

2008-12-02T20:40:00.006-05:00

On Nov 13 three special agents were dispatched from KW5 (the clandestine force protecting Key West from bigotry, oppression and global warming) This crack team consisted of: Keith, code name: Scar lip; Tom, code name: Mandana; Christy, code name: Organic. Our mission: bring back the top secret experimental vessel Penzi, which has been used for the last 6 months to research the use of the wind to travel long distances (also equipped with classified power generating units that use the sun). Penzi was hidden deep in the tropical river know as the Rio Dulce, Guatemala, and getting it back was going to take all of this teams strength, skill, cunning, wit and good looks...

Immediately after the stealth jet landed in Guatemala City the agents went to a local market in an attempt to see how the “locals” looked and behaved. This would help them blend in better and evade detection from the evil Cheney-Cronies. Agent Mandana was first to notice a serious pre-arrival intelligence failure: everyone here is short and dark, we are all tall and white, except agent Organic, she is short, but white and with prominent tattoos... So, blending in was not an option, so we decided to appear to be “typical American tourists” - much easier. In order to seem as “tourist” as possible, agent Mandana and agent Organic embarked on a shopping spree of typical Guatemalan crafts.

Once laden with our “touristy” cover of shopping bags and Tommy Bahama shirts, we took a 6 hour bus ride to the Rio Dulce. Six weeks ago agent Scar Lip and agent Prego had stashed Penzi somewhere along this wild tropical river, now we needed to find it again. Unfortunately, agent Scar Lip's memory is not what it used to be, so we had to take a “launcha” boat down river to search for Penzi. After about an hour agent Mandana spotted the vessel and we were able to board and take possession of the boat without having to terminate any locals or hostile forces (we did have to scare some birds away that pooped on the deck).

After provisioning for the long trip back to Key West, we headed to Livingston to attempt to clear the gauntlet of Guatemalan customs, immigration and port captain. This is when agent Scar Lip took enemy fire. After using local KW5 contact, Raul, to squeeze through the officialdom, agent Scar Lip dove into the river to protect Penzi from an enemy bucket floating nearby, but ended up sustaining a deep gash in his lip that had to be sutured closed with 6 stitches before we could depart for Belize.

It was quiet as we motored out into the Caribbean from Guatemala, too quiet. Agent Organic was concerned about the rumors of a weather weapon the Cheney-Cronies were rumored to be ready to test. Twelve hours later the wind built and it was right on our bow, so we motored on for 2 days into 20 knots of wind and squalls of rain. Scar Lip and Organic began to lose functionality as the crashing waves caused Penzi to lurch in all directions. Mandana, however, was using an experimental drug that gave him relative immunity to the mind sapping pitch and surge. We sustained ourselves on KW5 emergency rations: cookies, chips, chocolate, oatmeal, and cantaloupe (in that order).

On our way to San Pedro, Belize, the enemies of free energy and pesticide free food mounded up sea grass and sand in 3 places in an attempt to slow or stop our progress. But each time Penzi felt the earth below her keel, our team snapped into action, turning the wheel and backing down. We would not be so easily foiled!

Once in San Pedro, agent Scar Lip took care of bribing the customs and immigration officials while Organic and Mandan once again attempted to maintain the cover of tourists by engaging in copious amounts of shopping. It was when we returned to Penzi that we discovered a saboteur had been on board during our absence! Fuel and water were missing from the tanks and a motor mount had been broken! We were ready for this type of attack: we ran our water maker to replenish the water, obtained local fuel (at very high costs – note to KW5 accountant) and found a welder sympathetic to our cause to repair the motor mount. We left the next day to avoid any further sabotage.

Again, an intelligence failure. Our sources had informed us that there was 20 knots of wind from the North East, not the perfect weather for our mission, but we are agents not lilly-livered snail-suckers – we can handle sailing (beating) into 20 knots. But, it wasn't 20 knots, it turned into 30-35 knots. That is enough to get agent Scar Lip vomiting on the fore deck while reefing the staysail in 15 foot seas at 3:00 am. Agent Organic curled into a defensive ball sometimes referred to as the fetal position. Mandana kept the team together for the next 2 days, during which time we only made 86 miles towards our destination.

Eventually the evil Cheney-Cronies wind machine began to fail: no match for the will and determination of finest of KW5. The safe harbor of Isla Mujeres, Mexico was within sight when we encountered engine failure. Saboteurs again! This time they had deposited lager quantities of rust flakes into the metal fuel tank of Penzi. Scar Lip used go-go-gadget magnet to extract the debris and replaced the filter (this happened a total of 4 times on the journey). We arrived in Isla Mujeres without further incident, but discovered one of the batteries had also been destroyed by the enemies of peaceful existence. We made repairs, shopped more, made contact with KW5 home team (Caroline, Cheryl and Marianne) provisioned and left the next day for our final destination: Key West. We knew evil could be lurking behind every wave, but we could not let our extreme paranoia end our mission.

What luck KW5 home team was able to knock out the bigoted, right-wing weather manipulator and we ailed along at 5-7 knots as the Gulf Stream (controlled by KW5) boosted us towards home. Two days out, in the middle of the night, a remote controlled vampire bat chewed through the head strap of the genoa and we were forced to roll it up. But there was too much at stake, we needed to get back to Key West ASAP. The home team was becoming increasingly stressed and stretched thin without us. We had an agent meeting and decided to attempt repairs in the daylight – after and omelet for breakfast and mini-pizzas for lunch. Organic took the helm and kept Penzi as steady as possibly in the insolent chop of the Gulf Stream, Mandana manned the hoist line and Scar Lip climbed to the top of the mast to retrieve the jib halyard. It was scary, it was gutsy, it was weird. Scar Lip was slam dancing with a 45 foot pole. We succeeded and brought the halyard down to the deck. An hour later the genoa was re-sewn and we hoisted it again. Seven knots of speed, straight for Key West!

At 2:00 am on the morning of our 4^th day at sea from Isla Mujeres, agent Organic used our top secret communication device to send first text message, and then later, a voice communication with the KW5 home team. The home team cleared and secured the area for our arrival. At approximately 4:30 am local time we spotted the coded waves from the KW5 home team at the dock. Penzi was brought up alongside and hugs and kisses were exchanged (we are a very loving, and close , secret spy agency).

Penzi is back. The technological information gathered by her original crew, Scar Lip and Prego, will now be disseminated and used for the good of all humanity. The forces of the unaccepting narrow-minded have been defeated, for now. But, we must always remain vigilant so that rights, opportunity and love may be bestowed and endowed to ALL people.

KW5, signing off.

Leaving San Pedro

2008-11-21T21:46:00.002-05:00

Penzi's intrepid crew has had it's fill of Belize and we are scheduled to depart tomorrow morning for Isla Mujeres. We have refueled, re-provisioned, filled the water tanks, fixed the bilge pump and re-welded the engine mounting bracket. Christy has made friends with every stray dog and little boy selling necklaces. Tom has bargained with every jewelry seller and explored every store while getting food for the next leg. Keith has learned to release his anxiety and live in the moment....

More from Mexico, unless we keep going to Key West.... Stay Tuned!

Penzi is on her Way Back

2008-11-17T21:43:00.003-05:00

Being 6 months pregnant means Caroline is missing the ride back home on Penzi, but our friends Tom and Christy are helping Keith sail her back.

All three of them arrived in Guatemala on Nov 12 and left Livingston, Guatemala on Nov 15. Keith dove in to retrieve a bucket, but hit it face first by accident. Seven stitches at the Guatemalan Government clinic were free of charge.

We are now in Caye Caulker, Belize and waiting for the right weather so we won't have to motor all the way back to Key West.

We'll upload photos soon!

Back in the USA - Pregnancy Tour 2008!

2008-11-02T16:58:00.007-05:00

We have made it back to the United States and are currently on an East Coast road trip. We have purchased a used VW station wagon and adorned it with Obama stickers for the trip!
Guess Which Car....

The Trip So Far:

First Stop: Saratoga, NY. Visiting our friend Joe (Geri was in Key West at the time), we also saw Tico & Courtney (our gracious hosts because Joe's place was a little cold). We also got to see Ed and have great pizza at Jimmy's.

Second Stop: Spring Grove, PA. Caroline's Dad, Cal, hosted us, as well as her 2 brothers (Malcom & Mike) and her nephew, Evan.

Third Stop: York, PA. A wonderful day of visiting with one of Caroline's high school friends Mini, and playing with her youngest son, Kyle.

Fourth Stop: Silver Springs, MD. An afternoon with Alison, Dave and their 2 children, Sam and Grace.

Fifth Stop: Odeton, MD. Great days relaxing with Maura & Mel, plus a visit from Lisa and her 4th child, Zach. (NOTE: Maura has all the pictures from our visit)

Sixith Stop: Richmond, VA. Election time with our friends who are solidly in the same political corner as us: Go Barack! Sophia, James and our god-daughter, Savannah, are showing us a great time with beautiful walks and a lovely picnic. It was Sophia's birthday, so Savannah & Keith made a cake!

Seventh Stop: Keith's Mom in Haines City, FL. Rigth away Mom swept Caroline off to the Motherhood store for some overdue pregnant girl shopping. Caroline is now outfitted for the next 3 months.

Next Stop, KEY WEST!!!!!

More updates and photos later!

The Prettiest Little City Ever

2008-10-19T17:57:00.005-04:00

It was our last weekend in Guatemala, we were glum. All the wonderful fruit juices, blended fresh, no added sugars and so cheap. All the tamales wrapped like a culinary gift in a corn husk, steaming and delicious. The jungle and the mountains, the arts and the crafts....we would miss Guatemala. As a last Hurrah we treated ourselves to one last Central American bus ride and spent the weekend in the ancient colonial Spanish city of Antigua. It is quite honestly one of the most beautiful cities we have ever visited.

The original capitol for the Spanish colony of Central America, it is over 450 years old. Upon entering the city you feel as if you have stepped back into time, cira 1543. The streets remain cobbled, and horse drawn carriages trot down the narrow roads, the churches and grand Cathedrals rein high overlooking all the towns buildings and one very large and still active volcano watches over the city. Because the capitol city of Antigua was summarily and quickly moved in the 1770's, to the modern day location,of Guatemala City, the original capitol city lay forgotten amidst the mountains, untouched, un-modernized and astoundingly preserved.

(Learn more at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antigua_Guatemala)

We were drawn by the beauty of the town and walked around in a daze for three days taking it all in. The town, being of Spanish Colonial architecture, has high brick and stone walls facing out towards the street, and cut into these walls is door after door. The doors are massive wooden structures, many the size of barn doors, decorated with large brass hinges, door knobs and ornate designs. At first Keith and I felt locked out on the stone streets with no access to what lay behind the walls. We soon found that as soon as you lift one of the huge brass knockers and bang loudly, a person appears quickly and slides open a little face sized window to see who knocks. Then the large door is opened and you are led into a lush garden courtyard. The center courtyards are surrounded by balconies, all laden in Spanish tiles and then off of the balconies you can enter into the rooms of the house. Each and every door in Antigua was unique and beautiful as were the inner compounds.

Other than taking in the amazing architecture of the town we enjoyed the local craft market. However, one of the most difficult aspects of purchasing at the local markets is the art of haggling. We soon found that the asking price could often be cut in half if you haggled for long enough. After much practice Keith mastered the bargaining arts and took pride in his skill. He knew just when to walk away and then the well practiced vendor would finally cave on the price and both Keith and the vendor walked away happy. Once Keith got the swing of it, there was no stopping him! On our last day he was struck with the proud father syndrome and was haggling for baby booties, stuffed animals, pants, and even Mayan embroidered shirts that won't fit the baby for years! Caroline had to stop him!

One day of our visit was spend touring the churches, monasteries, convents, cathedrals that cover the town. You can't make it more than a few blocks without coming across a Catholic building of some sort. Some of the old buildings are crumbling and in ruins, although one can still imagine its magnificence. Others have been restored over the years and boast their ancient glory. Many of the old churches are used today and on Sunday bells rung throughout the town and the townspeople gathered in the church plazas and around the fountains with their families. There was food and music and children playing all enjoying the 450 year old surroundings.

When time came for us to leave we felt we could of easily spent weeks more in Antigua. We had found the home of Senora Maria who rented out rooms in her home for only $16 per night. We said goodbye to our hosts and wandered to the plaza of La Merced Church and joined in the festivities by eating our last tamale and enjoying the Mayan flute music. We hope to come back one day to this ancient tropical city high in the Mayan hills of Guatemala.

Leaving Our Boat In Good Hands

2008-10-15T22:10:00.004-04:00

Today we were picked up at our boat by Chico at 6:30 am. He took us on an hour long, early morning, motor boat ride up the Rio Dulce. It was quiet and serene as egrets and herons were just waking up for their morning meals. Chico will be watching over our boat, airing it out and making sure the bilge stays dry, while we fly home to visit friends and family.

Once we arrived in Fronteres Town, we caught our 7:45 bus to Guatemala City. Tomorrow we have our 22 week doctors checkup for Caroline and the little on who has started kicking her from the inside.
After our doctors visit we will take a side trip to Antiqua, a pretty little city about an hour away from Guatemala City.

We were both sad to leave our boat and be ending our cruise, but the sadness is fleeting in face of our overwhelming excitement about our new member of the family growing so fast each day. In about a month (November 12) Keith will return to Guatemala with 2 conscripted crew members for a marathon sail back to Key West.

Until then we will keep you updated on our land based travels

I Wish I Was 15 Again!

2008-10-15T21:58:00.006-04:00

Is it a wedding, a confirmation, a coronation? No, it is a Quince! In Latin America the fifteenth birthday is very special for girls, a symbolic transition to womanhood. According to some on the Rio Dulce, it means she can now be proposed to (not married). We had the opportunity to observe a local celebration for this young woman's 15th birthday.

In addition to the fantastic, multi-tiered cake there was also endless food and dancing. Caroline was swept off her feet by one of the local men for a round on the salsa dance floor. The gathering took place at the marina Texan Bay (www.texanbaymarina.com), which we were anchored at, and included about 50 people from local families. Mixed into this were about 10 of us "gringo" cruisers who enjoyed this unique experience.

Last Shopping Day on the Rio Dulce: Oct. 18

2008-10-13T14:55:00.003-04:00

We have been living 'on the River' now for over a month. Fronteras is the small town where we can get fresh produce, some great bread made by a German x-pat living in town and right 'out of the river' fresh fish and shrimp. Market days are on Wednesday and Saturday so on these days we each bring a large shopping bag with us and 'go to market'. Fronteras is a shabby run down town, and there is not much to it. It is a cattle town, there are 'real' cowboys sitting in the local Cantina's and many of them carry guns. Its a tough town, frontier justice is the main law of the land and as gringo's we have been warned not to go into town at night, people get drunk and people get shot. It is true enough, we have heard gunshots on a few occasions.

The only way to travel from one end of Guatemala to the other is via one road that happens to go through the center of the town. Although only a two lane road, the shop keepers and produce markets set up there wears along each side of the road seemingly oblivious to the massive semi trucks that come barreling through. Logging trucks, buses, beer trucks, produce trucks, tractors, and worst of all the cattle trucks come to a stand still as they force their way through the town amidst the market day shoppers.

On our first couple of visits to the market we were harassed by the spewing Diesel fumes, the huge Semis that inch towards you as you attempt to buy a sweet pineapple. The stray dogs that dodge the traffic, thin and scruffy, looking for scraps, and we were warned about standing next to a cattle truck as the defecating cattle show no regard for the shoppers trying to squeeze quickly by the truck. And then, one day, we found we were not bothered anymore. We fit into the scene, bravely walking out in front of a logging truck to quickly cross over to the fresh grapes. We learned to swerve expertly through the crowd heading to our favorite grocer. We picked through the stacked fruits and vegetables taking our time to pick out the best and not feel rushed. On our numerous trips we learned who had the best lettuce and who over charged for their grapes.

Today, Saturday, was our last trip into town and now we are preparing ourselves for our trip up to Guatemala City and then our flight back to the States. Oddly, we both felt we would miss the dirty, noisy, hectic little town. Under the dirt and grime we found a certain beauty. For one thing the fruit is sweet, juicy and delicious, and best of all very inexpensive. The Guatemalan avocados are rich and buttery and we will miss them sorely. Also the town is surrounded by the jungle, it is all encompassing, and humbling. Lastly, it is a community, mothers and children, shop vendors and butchers, old people and young, it's humanness is appealing. A certain baseness of survival reminds us of our existence and our own humanity. The shopkeeper Mariam, who sells green tea, thinks our baby will be a little
girl.

Castillo de San Felipe de Lara: Sept 23rd

2008-10-12T16:00:00.001-04:00

About a mile up river from our Marina is a Castle. Really it looks more like a mini-castle or even a replica castle in Disney World. But once you get close you see that it is indeed an authentic and finely built structure, made from river rock and volcanic rock that was most likely carried on the backs of the Mayans that were the slaves of the Spanish conquistadors. We rode our little dingy up the river to the banks of the castle. The site is now a national park and they provide dockage for visiting boats and charge a nominal entrance fee. The gardens surrounding the castle are well tended and the park alone is just beautiful. Because of the almost daily rainfall the foliage boasts vibrant green and all the plants are giant size. Philodendron leaves the size of small cars, python-like vines, orchids dripping from branches, trees laden with huge fruits we have never seen the likes of, and enormous bromiliads grow in abundance.

The jungle foliage dwarfed the castle giving it an enchanted fairy tale look. Once we got to the castle a tour guide latched onto us and took us through. He was very pleasant although we only understood half of the tour as it was in Spanish, however we tried to follow as best we could and the guide would kindly explain things in a variety of ways if we looked too confused. We found that the Castle was actually more of a fort and was 500 years old. Its main focus was not to protect a town, or battle large pirate ships but it served as a store house for the booty that the Spanish were taking from Central America back to Spain. The Rio Ducle was not deep enough for the large ships to traverse, so the Spanish cargo ships would come to Puerto Barrios (at the mouth of the Rio Dulce) and then the Spanish would load little boats filled with the treasure and take it to the Castle for safe keeping. It would be stored until enough booty was accumulated and when a fleet of ships was headed back to Spain they would load up the ships again and they would return to Spain with the treasures of the New World. The fort was well armed and had numerous cannons. Apparently many a pirate, British and French, knew that the Spanish held their treasure up the Rio Dulce.

We spent the entire day at the park and walked around the vast grounds. Keith packed a delicious picnic lunch and we spent an idle afternoon exploring and taking photos of the lush gardens. (Sadly all the photos are on our stolen camera), although some friends gave us a couple of their photos so we can post them on the blog. ENJOY!

The Big City: Sept 1st and Sept 29th

2008-10-12T13:45:00.003-04:00

The bus roared around the curve of the mountainside and immediately slowed down into the back of a line of traffic creeping up the 2 lane highway. Our faces peered through the smudgy windows to see what had brought all the trucks, cars, and buses to a crawl. Was it a mudslide, falling rocks, an accident? Around the next curve was the answer: in a last desperate leap for freedom, a cow had managed to get out of a cattle carrier destined for the slaughterhouse. The cow, and the cowboy trying to lasso it, were intermittently blocking the only road for vehicles making their way to and from Guatemala City. Our bus made it by, while the cow was still playing hide-and-seek around a truck, so we don't know what happened, but I believe the odds were not in the cows favor.

So far we have been into Guatemala City twice. Both times to see the GYN, but we like to add on a few extra days and make time to explore. We are like kids in a candy shop. We had not been in a big city, or really any small city, or even a real town ever since we had left Cancun, Mexico 4 months earlier. The abundance of things! Typically we are never interested in Malls, they are tedious, crowded and we both are not big shoppers, but live on a boat out in the boonies for 5 months and you have never seen such marvels!! We wondered through the malls window shopping, viewing the amazing items, from kitchen ware to toilet seats, from clothes stores to Ace hardware, and best of all, lots and lots of coffee shops filled with pastries!

On many occasions we would rest our weary feet, get out of the rain and sit at a sidewalk cafe. While watching the people rush by we would sip delicious cappuccinos and delve into a warm pastry. It was pure heaven, other than the fact that one cappuccino would leave me bouncing off the walls as I have quit caffeine while prego. I would have to often opt for a milkshake instead, which was just as decadent and delicious!

The other things that large cities offer that the small fishing villages do not, is museums and marvelous churches. We spent one day at the textile museum. It detailed the history of weaving and the various textile designs used by the Mayan peoples from the pre-conquest to present day. There are actually numerous (about 70 or more) different Mayan communities throughout Guatemala and they all have different textile design and clothing. We spent hours upon hours in the Museum and when we were ragged and worn, we went and found a little lunch spot and enjoyed huge 'liquados'. These are sort of like milkshakes but made with fresh fruit and milk or fruit and water. The cantelopes are in season now, and are the sweetest cantelopes I have ever tasted. So wonderful in a 'liquado'.

We spent a day in the small historic district of Guatemala city. Not and area to go at night, but wonderful in the day. We went to the main plaza to see the huge Catholic Cathedral that is breathtaking and beautiful. Catholic or not, the space is magical and we spent a quiet moment taking in the glory of such beauty. After this we hit the market place. No mall this time, much better. The local city market. We have never seen a local market so huge. It is similar to a farmers market, all the food you could imagine brought in by the farmers from the countryside. There were flower vendors, fishmongers, butchers, tortilla stands, tons of food stalls, bags and bags of spices, rows of vegetables and fruit, fruit and more fruit. The smells, the noise, the clutter was colorful and marvelous.

In the basement of the market we found local arts and crafts and watched many of the artists at work, potters, weavers, pinnata makers, seamstresses and a man sewing leather goods where Keith got a lovely wallet for a super cheap price. On the third floor was more crafts, mainly textiles, clothing and rugs. We spent a good part of the day wandering the market, we only saw 2 other Gringos so we knew we had found a true locals market.

Although we love the energy of the big city, other than when we got robbed, we are always happy to get back to the Rio Dulce and our boat. Life is quiet here. No cappuccinos, only waterey bitter coffee; no pastries, only hardened dough or coconut bread; no museums or malls. However, we are surrounded by the jungle, it is gentle and wild, and we love the peaceful nights when only the rain and the frogs can be heard, nothing else.

No Photos: Camera Stolen

2008-09-29T19:21:00.005-04:00

Mark Twain once said, "Golf was a good walk spoiled". Well a robbery along your walk can do that too.

On our second trip to Guatemala City we decided to take a nice mid-day walk to the Archeological Museum. This would bring us from Zone 10, through Zone 9, and into Zone 13 - about a 30 min walk. Many zones of the city are considered unsafe for tourist after dark, but it was the middle of the day and we intended to stick to the main streets.

We were about 10 minutes from the museum when the sidewalk veered away from the main road to go around several overpasses. You can see the curve on the map at the top right of the green patch labeled Zoologico (with a blue duck). We saw a young man walking towards us, but no different than many others, until he stopped a few feet away from us. He lifted his shirt to reveal the butt end of a pistol stuffed in the front end of his pants. Well, it wasn't too hard to figure out his intentions and we knew that we were not very visible from the road at this moment. He was quite casual about it all and neither one of us felt like our lives were in immediate danger, but he was the one with the gun tucked into his pants.

I took out my wallet and pulled all of the money I had (the equivalent of $135 in the local currency of quetzals) and handed it over. Then he wanted a cell phone, but "no tengo" - I don't have. Our camera, though was in a holster on my belt, ready for a good picture at a moments notice. I tried to say it was really old, but I guess he wanted to judge for himself. After I passed the camera over, I turned to Caroline and said "Lets go", and so we and our robber parted ways.

Right about 300 feet around the corner we found a security guard at a university, who could not help us and did not have a phone, but did point to a pay phone and tell us the number to dial for the police. The pay phone was broken, so we went to another, which would not connect. A nice man at the second phone used his cell phone to call the police, but he could not get though either. We went back out to the main street and we able to flag down a police truck with 4 very friendly (and well armed) guys in uniform. They quickly returned to the scene with us in the truck (4 seater cab with 2 guys in the back bed). They questioned 2 guys and searched the area, but our friend was long gone.

After that they dropped us off at the museum and advised that the area where we were robbed was very dangerous. That may be why there was no one else walking on that curve and we were definitely the only tourists around.

We feel lucky though, as the loss amounted to an older camera and some cash that can be replaced. He did not take the backpack (Caroline's wallet, medical records and our ATM card were in the pack), our wedding rings, my watch, or my whole wallet which had my ID and credit card. We were not threatened or touched (aside from him briefly showing us the gun). We did not resist and we are glad we didn't. $130 and a camera is nothing worth getting hurt over.

Is Guatemala City dangerous? Probably no more so than many large cities around the world, including many in the US we have visited. But, here we are not as familiar, and, perhaps not cautious enough. We are grateful it was a brief and simple lesson, next time we'll take a taxi!

PS: The damn museum is closed on Mondays anyway!

map link: http://www.larutamayaonline.com/guatemala/maps/guatemala_city_map.php

Baby On Board (our little stowaway)

2008-09-27T21:16:00.001-04:00

Our sailing trip was to be about adventure, uncharted waters, new horizons – well it has delivered, beyond our wildest expectations!

As of September 27, 2008, Caroline is approximately 4.5 months pregnant! Before you flip through your calendars and start trying to figure out the conception, we'll let you know it was shortly after we arrived in Mexico, after our friends/crew Tom and Joe flew home. There is some speculation that the extreme testosterone of these two manly and virile men may have helped jump start our reproductive systems, but that debate is beyond the scope of this post

Do not fear, we got the little tyke off to the right start – traveling through Central America by boat. We made a few changes to our itinerary so that we could accommodate visits to the doctor, but aside from that, we kept on sailing and exploring (re-imagine our previous blog entries now with Caroline pregnant).

What about prenatal medical care in 3^rd world countries? Fantastic. We have been to the doctor numerous times without an appointment and been able to see him right away. The doctor spends time with us to answer all of our questions and the cost of a visit (sometimes including an ultrasound) is between $30 and $80. The office may be a little sparse and the equipment basic, but you actually get the feeling the doctor knows you and cares about you. It will be a shock when we get back to Key West and attempt to navigate the health care there without insurance and without a lot of money.

A triumphant return. Having our first, and most likely only, baby on the way, we realized that there are many dignitaries and celebrities that will want to be close at hand as Caroline grows towards the great event. Thus, we have decided to return to Key West for a while. The familiar surroundings, friends, and family will make this event even more joyous and exciting. (We also expect a large contingent of ready babysitters to be on hand.) Another important benefit of Key West is JOBS, which we'll need to keep ourselves stocked in biodegradable diapers, organic baby cream, and full body massages (for the Mom).

We will fly into the USA on October 21, then we will take a road trip to visit Caroline's Dad, Keith's Mom & step-Dad, and various friends in between. Then in mid-November Keith, BikeMan and another crew member will fly back to Guatemala and make a marathon sail back to Key West. Then we'll settle in and prepare for the newest little crew member for the sailing vessel Penzi.

Wednesday Aug 27th: Into the Heart

2008-08-31T21:22:00.002-04:00

They say that you have to see it to believe it, it's true, it is spectacular. Rio Dulce translates to 'Sweet River' and it is truly a tropical wonder. As Penzi slowly chugged up the river we clambered around the deck trying to get various vantage points of the surrounding river jungle. On each side, rising perpendicular springing from the river, are tall walls of living green that rise 300 to 400ft above us. The green walls are dripping with giant vines and philodendron that dip into the water giving shade to the abundant fish. Magnificent bromiliads hang heavy on branches showering the green with spurts of color. The jungle is alive with sound, although we were unable to spot the bird life that lived within it. We shot photo after photo of the surrounding scenery, knowing that it's colossal grandeur could not be caught on camera. The deeper we made our way down the river and the further behind we left the sea, we felt ourselves being sucked into the intrigue and mystery the river held within it.

A few miles in we began to see little Mayan homes, most of them wooden structures with palm thatch roofs, along the rivers edge. The were isolated and far apart from one another, making you wonder if the existence on the river is lonely. There are no roads, only the river, so people that live on the river traverse the river daily, either fishing, or going into town, or visiting a friend or perhaps going to church or school. Many of the Mayan people still fish the traditional way using mahogany dugout canoes and fishing nets. It seems a family affair, and women and children are out paddling the canoes and throwing the nets with perfection and accuracy. Other families have upgraded to standard canoes with little outboards and various other types of boats that will take them up and down the river. It is no wonder that outboards are a hot commodity on the river and we have been warned to always keep our outboard locked up. Apparently there is some type of 'outboard mafia' on the river that are quick to steal and resell the outboards.

The Rio Dulce has an air of the wild west to it, in that the laws of the river are generally policed by the river community and everyone is so isolated from the outside world that the life on the Rio is a world unto itself. We are staying in a little Marina called Texan Bay marina. Not much of a marina really, a few wooden docks that have electricity (as of 4months ago), no water (have to catch rain water) and a little bay where we, and a few other boats, are anchored. There is a little cabana at the top of a hill, furnished with large wooden tables, where cruisers sit all day talking and laughing. A couple from Texas, Mike and Sherry the owners, sit and talk to the visiting cruisers while chopping up huge buds of marijuana with a pair of cheap scissors and roll joints throughout the day. Mike told us he had Texan Rangers on his ass once for running a cock fighting ring out of his home in Texas. There is a kitchen with a very basic menu (only has what you can get in town that week) and serves beer, wine and soda. They now have internet that comes via satellite and although it is intermittent it is quite a treat to be connected with the outside world. The marina owners, offer a boat ride every Wednesday and Saturday into the town of Fronteras, ½ hour up the river, so the boaters can provision. The Marina is isolated far from town on the edge of the river surrounded by jungle. It is so quiet that the jungle sounds at night echo throughout the bay; it is absolutely dark, the entire sky is so littered with a sheen of stars that it is difficult to even pick out a familiar constellation.

We have enjoyed swimming in the fresh water river to cool off and spent an afternoon paddling up through little river tributaries covered by the surrounding jungle. We had heard an amazing bird call and after paddling for hours we found the the culprit, a Montezuma Oropendola, a beautiful pheasant sized bird with an bright orange beak and yellow tail feathers. It was our first jungle bird sighting, and we were thrilled. Check it out: http://avesphoto.com/website/GT/species/OROMTZ-1.htm We are excited to see more of the great Rio Dulce as well as other parts of Guatemala. Tomorrow we are taking a 5 hour bus ride from Fronteras into Guatemala City. We will fill you all in when we get back!!

Wednesday Aug 27th: Lunch in Livingston, Guatemala

2008-08-31T21:16:00.002-04:00

We planned our trip so we could enter the mouth of the great river in the morning hours. We wanted to check in with customs early and you can only enter the mouth in the daylight as there is a large sand bank that blocks the entrance and one needs light to navigate this bank. The morning was grey and large dark clouds hung low over the surrounding mountains. It was this greyness that made our trip to the mouth of the river so majestic, it seemed the world was shrouded in mystery, hidden mountains subtly exposed, and we felt quite alone bobbing on the flat steely water with not a soul in sight.

By the time we reached Livingston, (the town sits on a high hill marking the entrance to the river) the sun had burned through and the steamy blanket of the jungle hit us full force. Only ½ an hour after we dropped anchor the customs and immigration officials came out in a little panga (fiberglass fishing boat) and squeezed into our cockpit to fill out all the paper work. It was a quick and friendly exchange and while our paper work was being processed we were told to go and enjoy the town of Livingston and in an hour we could stop by the office to pick up our documents. Livingston is a small, quaint town. The surrounding jungle makes it beautiful, huge fruit trees, palms and numerous other plants act as the backdrop to small colorful buildings. Our first stop was the ATM, as we needed some Guatemalan Quetzales to pay our customs fees. After going to the only ATM in town, and discovering that it was out of money, we had to go back out to the boat grab some US$$ that we had thankfully stashed on board in case we needed it, and went to the bank to exchange some money so we could pay our entrance fees.

Our pockets laden with Quetzales, it is 7.50Q to the dollar, we treated ourselves to lunch. We found a pretty blue and white restaurant that served the traditional Garifuna seafood soup called 'tapado'. When the waitress brought the soup out our eyes widened, it was the largest bowl of soup I have ever seen, a huge serving dish size bowl, brimming with seafood that has been simmered in coconut milk and spices. It is quite truly the best meal I have had on our entire trip and a meal that I will forever remember. It had clams, whole shrimp, squid, a whole blue crab, a whole fish all plied into the bowl. It took Keith and I a good hour to work on our meal as we sucked the sweet crab meat out of the claws, worked the tender fish meat off of the bones, pulled the heads off of the succulent shrimp and slurped up the clams from their shells. To make the soup even more exciting every now and then your spoon would dive deep into the soup and pull out a soft plantain that had been soaking up the spices at the bottom. I am not sure where we put the entire bowl of soup but at the end of the hour we both had only dregs at the bottom of the bowl and we were entirely bloated and well satisfied.

By then, I was already soundly convinced that I would love Guatemala. We settled our tab with the customs agents and headed back out to Penzi to prepare her for the trip up the river. The sails stayed rolled up and tight, we would not be able to do any sailing on this part of our voyage. Penzi would have to transform into a river boat for the next leg of our journey.

Tuesday Aug 26: Bidding Farewell to Placencia, Belize

2008-08-31T21:13:00.002-04:00

During the month and half that we spent in Belize, the country really began to grow on us. Underpopulated, poor, mostly uninhabited jungle habitat, with slim choices of fresh produce we were charmed. Friendly people, an incredible vast jungle eco-system, inexpensive (if not free) quality health care and delectable mangos. Additionally, we had began to settle into Placencia quite nicely due to the few cruisers that made our stay friendly and fun. Barb and Torrey, with visiting daughter Lauren on LITBE, introduced us to the funky town of Placencia, traded movies, jokes and “This American Life” NPR podcasts with us, and invited us over for many fun nights and delicious meals cooked by Barb, at the little waterfront bar Tranquilo. Art and Joan on OK FINE, joined in the fun, gave us invaluable information on Guatemala, lent us their Kayak and we all enjoyed Joan's 'Surprise' B-day party at Tranquilo.

I was relieved to have such good neighbors when Keith came down with a serious bout of Strep Throat. By the fourth day of Keith maintaining a high temperature, chills and his throat so sore he could not swallow, our cruising neighbors jumped in to help. Torrey and Barb lent me their phone so I could call my GYN (he can deliver babies, set broken bones and whatever you need) in San Pedro to ask him what kind of antibiotics to put Keith on, (in Belize you can actually REALLY call a doctor, any doctor, to ask for advice, you do not have to talk to the bitchy receptionist, make an appointment 6 weeks down the line and you do not have to be an 'established patient', doctors are actually there to help people, any people! Incredible concept) The doctor recommended CIPRO for the strep and we went to a nurse in town so she could properly diagnose the STREP and get us the antibiotics. For the phone call, the visit to the clinic and the antibiotics we paid $0. Barb brought over some Chicken Broth for Keith, along with a cooler full of ice cubes for Keith to suck on as his throat was so sore. Art and Joan brought over some vitamin drink packs so Keith could keep up his strength and a local man in town that knew Barb and Torrey offered to drive Keith, by boat, to the larger clinic the next town up if need be. I felt so much better just knowing that we were not really totally alone so far away.

Barb, Torrey and Lauren hosted a fresh baked “Cinnamon Bun” breakfast the day before we left Placencia. It was a 'good-bye' for us as well as some other cruisers that were getting ready to leave to the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Although sad to say our farewell to our new friends, it is also great to have met new people and Placencia will always hold fond memories for us. And, in fact, we have not parted ways with everyone, Art and Joan on OK FINE also left for the Rio Dulce and we met up with them only a couple days later at Texan Bay Marina in the Rio. The adventure continues!

Cave Tubing Sounds FUN!

2008-08-24T22:52:00.003-04:00

We once again got the “Jungle Bug”: we wanted out of the coastal areas and into some wild mountainous terrain. In our efforts we stumbled upon Ian Anderson's Caves Branch Jungle Lodge (www.cavesbranch.com). This place is everything you expect a good eco-friendly jungle lodge to be: organically maintained landscaping, sustainably harvested building materials, local organic produce, communal eating, outdoor showers and towels made into animal shapes on your bead each day! This is the type of resort that a lot of people come and stay for a week, each day exploreing a different part of Belize through organized trips.

As we ate dinner the first night we met lots of other people seated with us at the long “camp style” table. Some had already been on a few adventures and others, like us, had to choose what we wanted to do the next day. The choices all sounded great: hiking through and up waterfalls, tubing seven miles though caves, hiking a cliff then rappelling 300 feet into a cave, exploring ancient Mayan sites. We chose a combination of river tubing with exploration of Mayan ceremonial areas within the cave system.

We didn't need to get to excited about our jungle trip the next day because we were literally all ready in the jungle. As night fell the sounds enveloped us and the darkness allowed our imaginations to place whatever creature we wanted just beyond the glow of the walkway torches. In our thatched bungalow we only had screens for walls so nature did not feel very far away.

After a huge buffet breakfast the next day, we going four others on a tractor ride with our guide to the river. At the river's edge we all got into our tubes and started paddling backwards up the river. This seemed a little odd to my sense of “tubing”, but you have to try new things. After 10 minutes of being a spastic water bug, we came upon the cave opening that the river flowed out of. From there we spent the next 5 hours tubing and hiking so far into the cave that we could see no light at all if we turned out our lamps. Not only were the formations fantastic and the cave immense, but our guide knowledgeably pointed out numerous ancient Mayan ceremonial sights.

Our guide did a outstanding job of explaining the cave system, the nature within the cave and the research that has gone into the ancient human uses. He also pulled a unbelievable amount of food out of his backpack, deep in the cave, where we ate lunch.

We stayed another night, but did not have time to do another adventure. Before we left we met the man responsible for the organic turn the resort took years ago. He was called the “Head Gardener”, but he seemed more like an ecological prophet. After talking to him for an hour, Caroline and I wanted to give up all of our worldly possessions, wear burlap sacks, sit cross legged and listen to him speak of a environment in balance. “Bugs will always eat plants, you just don't want them to eat all of the plant”, wow. His grandfather came to Belize from Guatemala and was a Mayan preist. Some of the medical uses of plants were handed down to him. Long before he came to this place though, he was a immigration officer, prosecutor and forestry manager. We could follow this man around for years and still not learn enough!

As we boarded the bus for the trip home, we were left excited and looking forward to more adventures in the jungle.

Long Live Chocolate!

2008-08-17T14:06:00.002-04:00

Gold, emeralds, lost treasure of long dead pirates. None of these I seek. My quest, my “Fountain of Youth”, my “Holy Grail” is local Organic Dark Chocolate. Upon arriving in Belize I had heard the whispers and rumors: “somewhere in the south, there is man who makes...”, “until a few years ago it did not exist, but now there is...”. Through diligent research and intense interrogations, I finally got a name: “Goss”.

Supposedly in the land to the south there was a man know as Goss who had mastered the sorcery and art needed to make dark bars of pleasure and ecstasy. I must find him, I must find this mythical land.

To the south we sailed. For three days we braved great storms and heavy seas (and saw some dolphins!). We arrived in a dirty little port town known as Placencia. A rough bunch of people trying to sell you fruit smoothies and internet access. I sniffed around town dropping the name “Goss” and seeing if I had any bites. Sure enough, it didn't take long, a tough fellow, carving bizarre totems from wood, pointed to an old shack and said, “Wallen's got some”.

Who is this “Wallen”? I did not know, but I threw caution to the wind and ventured inside the shabby little building (Wallen's Market). My eyes adjust to the dim lighting and I sauntered up to the bar (or counter, or whatever) and said, “Gimme some Goss over here”. “Light or dark?” the sultry purveyor inquired. “I take mine dark, little lady”. My face was still stinging from her slap as I stumbled outside with the first real evidence that my journey was not in vain: a bar of the fabled Goss chocolate.

Wary of any of my shipmates attempting to pirate away my treasure I conspired to consume it immediately. The pleasure of the smooth and rich flavors melting upon my tongue and lips caused me to lapse into a trance. The deep rich cacao and overwhelming heat finally caused me to lose conciseness. My shipmate (Caroline) eventually discovered me under a coconut tree, naked and babbling.

After I recovered, I knew I must find the source of this chocolate. Instincts told me that the woman at Wallen's would not be cooperative. Luckily I had procured a rudimentary map of the area. Between the map and the small clues on the packaging of the bar, I deduced the source may be 5 miles to the north. It was dangerous terrain to cover, so I convinced my shipmate to come along. We found a local who was willing to loan us two mechanical horses (bicycles) for a small fee, and we set out.

With sweat poring off our brows, we made our way north along the treacherous trail (unpaved road). More than once we had to stop as we neared collapse from sun stroke. After a very long time (about an hour), we came upon a place called the Blue Crab – one of the clues I had acquired. Apparently it is a flop-house of some type, called a “resort”. There I found a man going by the name Kerry Goss, humm, could it be?

I grilled him on the types of cacao beans, the processing methods, mixture ratios. He held up well and I knew I had found the right place. The source of all that is good, just, and delicious in Belize. The Goss Organic Chocolate Factory.

Kerry Goss drives around Belize getting select beans directly from the farmers, all of which are small farms. One prized bean comes from a man with just 2 cacao trees, but they are the best in the land. The sugar also comes from Belize. All of this is processed in small batches in a small, nondescript building, in a small nondescript town 5 miles north of Placencia. 5 years ago all cacao was exported and then chocolate had to be imported, usually the Hershey's kind. Kerry Goss changed all of that and now high quality, local and organic Goss chocolate is available in Belize, maybe elsewhere someday.

That is my tale and, for those of you willing to try, you too may be able to experience the dark pleasures of Goss chocolate. But few, if any, will ever be able to retrace my epic journey to epicenter of it all.

LONG LIVE CHOCOLATE!

July 27th Into the Lost City of Lubaantun.

2008-07-28T21:02:00.002-04:00

After a night of resting in Punta Gorda, (we went upscale and rented a room for $25 per night, still no hot water or A/C but they had cable TV which was quite a treat for us), we woke up early to catch the bus back up the Southern Hwy. We planned on getting off the bus at the junction of Lubaantun, which is a Mayan ruin. We were told it was about a two mile hike from the Hwy to the ruin site. It ended up being more like 6 miles! However, we were lucky, and this guy in a pickup truck stopped and gave us a very bumpy ride up the dirt road.. Once he dropped us off it was about another mile hike into the jungle to the site. It turned out to be well worth the hike, the site was FANTASTIC!!! The site has not been as well re-constructed as other more popular ones so many of the temples and/or structures were still piles of rubble with huge trees growing out of them. However this is what made the site so intriguing, because you almost felt like you had stumbled across this lost city, still hidden in the jungle. Granted they did keep it up for tourists so they kept the area mowed and tried to stop the surrounding jungle from taking over the city again. Also there are some structures that archaeologists had semi reconstructed so you did get an idea of how the buildings looked once upon a time. The other amazing thing was that we were the ONLY people there, other than the man at the little office that sold us our tickets for $5 each. Keith and I had the ENTIRE site to ourselves. We wandered throughout, although the site was actually not too large, but if we looked out over the hills we could see distant piles of rubble that were impossible to get too due to the dense jungle. Later the man at the office confirmed that the site we were visiting was only a small part of the original city. At one point as we walked around the site, we heard water and we ended up following this little path through the lush tropical foliage and we wound up at this cool crystal clear steam that we sat in and cooled off enjoying our total isolation and the most amazing scenery.

Interestingly, for any Indiana Jones fans, the site of Lubaantun is the supposed site where they found the crystal skull. (The latest movie revolves around the myth of the Crystal Skull) No kidding! A British adventurer Mike Mitchell-Hedges and his daughter Anna apparently found the skull in 1927 in a temple vault at Lubaantun. He later claimed that this skull was proof of the link between the Mayan people and the lost people of Atlantis. Quite a bit later his finding of the skull was challenged and some claimed that he had bought the skull at an auction house in 1943 at Sothebys. However, his daughter Anna, apparently always maintained the fact that they had found the skull at Lubaantun and traveled the world displaying the skull.

When Keith and I were leaving the site we stopped and talked to the man at the office. He ended up being really nice and very informative and gave us a lot of information. Apparently many of the people from his village as well as him had worked with archaeologists to re-construct the site. He care-takes the site now and he showed us pieces of pottery and small flutes that he still finds as he is trimming the grounds. He had collected quite a few and we assume they go into the display cases around his small office after they have been logged. So I told him that I was embarrassed to say that I was not really familiar with the crystal skull until I saw the last Indy movie. He said 'oh yes we had the film crew for that movie here quite a few months ago filming'. Keith and I were like "No way!That is really neat!" He told us that one of the women on the film crew had asked him to take her to any area where there are leaf cutting ants (aka siafu) so she could film them. We told him that in the movie they did have lots of the ants and that they ate people, he was very amused by this! He also told us that the man who actually owned the Crystal Skull was there as well. We said we thought that the daughter Anna had the skull, and he told us that the she did, but this man married her when she was 95yrs old (he was much younger) and when she died he got the skull! He said he thinks that was the plan all along!!....So the curse of the skull continues!

We were once again lucky enough to hitch another ride back to the Southern Hwy just in time to catch the last bus going back to the town of Independence. We arrived just in time to catch the Hokey Pokey water taxi back to Placencia. It was nice to be back on the boat, snuggled in our comfy bed with our mosquito screening securely in place. However, the our jungle trip was one of the best trips we have ever experienced and are now eagerly planning our next excursion. Guatemala perhaps?

July 24th Living in Laguna

2008-07-28T20:54:00.003-04:00

The next day after talking to the tourist info center as well as one of the Inn owners, an American dude who has lived in Belize for 30 years, we decided to head into the little Mayan village of Laguna. This village, as well as others in the area, have tried to bring money into their communities by inviting tourists to come and stay in the village and learn about the modern Mayan way of life. When visiting the village you eat every meal at one of the villagers homes and learn about how they farm and what they eat etc. It was a little awkward as they do not have a phone, so you just show up and the village accommodates you. We hired a taxi to take us into the village and sure enough they were surprised to see us. We are in the off season and they do not expect tourists until November. However, they quickly took care of us and a woman named Justina, led us to the 'guest house'. Keeping with the authentic experience our house was just like the villagers house, called a Palapa. It is built of local wood with a thatch roof made of palm fronds. No electricity but they did supply lanterns. The toilet and shower was in a wooden structure outside; the toilet a latrine, a large hole in the ground.

The villagers were farmers mainly. They all lived in one room Palapas, although usually the kitchen was in a second Palapa next to the main house. The families are large, 5-9 children. Most of the families sleep in hammocks though we did met one woman who had a bed. They grind the corn daily (they have a diesel operated mill, no more hand grinding) for the corn tortillas that they eat with EVERY meal. They showed us how they made them and they still cook them over a stone fireplace over a wood fire. They were really yummy tortillas. Some of the villagers did have electricity and some had regular stoves and even fridges. Yet, even if they had an 'real' oven, the tortillas were always cooked over the wood fire. Our first afternoon we were picked up at our house and taken on a village tour. We were shown the new water system that now brings water into their houses so they do not have to go to the centralized pumps. This is a mixed blessing. Although they had to walk to get water, it was free, now they have a water system they have to pay the water company and many do not have any money to do so. We were showed the local school and the school garden where children learn to grow various plants and then cook them. The village was very small, pop 300, and the roads are all dirt and mud. There are numerous chickens, ducks, pigs and horses that wander the village looking for food. Although they are owned by certain members they are free to roam. Talk about free ranging! The village is laden with fruit trees, it was amazing! Guava, tons and tons of Mango trees, breadfruit trees, calabash trees, huge palm trees with a small nut quite like a coconut, banana palms, monkey apple trees and many others that we were unfamiliar with. One nice aspect of visiting the Maya in Belize is that they all speak English very well. They are all multilingual, even the children.

Our first night one of the village children stopped by our house and took us to our dinner. Miss Rosa had prepared a venison stew, a local deer that had been caught in the jungle, with tortillas. We also had the opportunity to try the authentic chocolate drink. Rosa has her own cacao trees and makes the chocolate drink. It was wonderful and we felt like Mayan royalty drinking this traditional Mayan drink that is thousands of years old. It was Rosa's grandfather that had escaped turmoil in Guatemala in the late 50's and founded the village of Laguna in 1959. Laguna is named after the very large and plentiful Lagoon that the village sits near. Because of heat and mosquitoes we did not sleep the first night. Our mosquito netting was not like regular netting, it was more like gauze and so we had no air flow. We went back and forth all night putting the net up to cool off, and getting eaten alive, to putting the net down and lying in pools of sweat. At six in the morning the corn mill started its humming and we pulled ourselves from our bunks thinking that perhaps we were too old for this.

Our day started with a hike into the jungle. Our guide Pablo picked us up at 8am. He said that he had had a rough night himself as he had a fever, perhaps a bout of malaria, that he had gotten years before. Keith and I tried to ignore the fact that we had been dinner for hundreds of hungry mosquitoes the night before and started our jungle hike. Pablo took us into the hills pointing out many of the fruit trees, medicinal plants and edible plants in the forest. The hike, although hot as hell and yes, equipped with mosquitoes, was really amazing. The path led us through giant palms that towered into the sky and the canopy was thick with lush tropical foliage. Pablo led us to an area that had been cleared to plant cacao, the villagers harvest and sell the cacao beans for chocolate. We then hiked up to this huge cave in the hillside and equipped with flashlights explored the cave. It was beautiful, and very eerie, filled with tiny bats and incredible rock formations. Once back in town after our hike, we had an hour to spare before lunch and searched our house for some other type of mosquito netting. We were in luck, we found two, real nets, washed them outside in a bucket, fixed any holes and left them to dry. We were determined to sleep! For lunch we ate Jippy Joppa, this is the soft young part of a palm frond. You find the palm and pull out a newly growing leaf and the bottom is soft and white. Then you chop it up and cook it. It looked awful, but was really yummy.

After lunch we had a craft lesson in the afternoon, which was mainly a time for the tons of kids to gather and watch the gringos try to weave. It was really fun. The local women then showed us their crafts and of course want to sell them. We bought way too much stuff!! But it was so inexpensive and we felt like we were their only chance to make any money until season. Our second night we slept very well,our new nets were fantastic . By the time we left the village we were sad to go, we felt like we started to get to know people throughout the village and it was so beautiful. They had so many fruit trees everywhere, the Emery trees would fill with roosting parrots in the evening. Neither Keith nor I had seen parrots in the wild before, and so many making a racket in the trees. One night I went to our outdoor toilet and there was a HUGE hairy tarantula next to the door. OH MY, that is also something I had not seen in the wild before!! They are SOOOOOO creepy looking!!!!! It seemed that by the time we left even the villagers we sad to see us go and we exchanged our e-mail with a couple of the people. (Not that they have e-mail in their houses, but the school has one computer that is kept under lock and key. The computer attendant opens up the computer to the village for an hour or two every evening). We were up at 5am the next morning so we could catch the only village bus back into Punta Gorda. It was an amazing experience!

July 23rd South to Punta Gorda

2008-07-28T20:49:00.002-04:00

It was time to head inland! After having spent months in numerous coastal towns we really felt it was time to wander farther inland. Belize is known to have a spectacular jungle laden with diverse flora and fauna as well as its numerous Mayan sites. Going on a tip we had gotten from a local dude in San Pedro we planned on heading to the southernmost town in Belize, Punta Gorda. He had told us that the town was at the foot of the Mayan mountains and a good starting point to get into the southern jungles of Belize. We left the town of Placencia early in the morning taking the Hokey Pokey water taxi across the bay to the town of Independence where we caught the bus to Punta Gorda. The bus was an old school bus, typical Central American bus, that stops for everyone and their wares while winding through little settlements. The bus ride was marvelous, granted there was no A/C but the breeze from the windows was sufficient. It was exciting to be inland seeing the banana and pineapple plantations backdropped with dense jungle. As it is rainy season the landscape is lush and an unimaginable vibrant green. The bus trip to Punta Gorda was about two hours and cost $4.50 each, we had discovered the way to travel!

Once in Punta Gorda we wandered aimlessly, quite lost, until a very nice man pulled us into his little restaurant “ Moms”, and fed us a delicious lunch of stewed chicken with rice and beans and my favorite, fresh squeezed Orange Juice. We must of looked like hardy backpacker types as he pointed us to a little inn named Natures Way. It was obviously a backpacker stop, pretty funky and ultra cheap. $16 per night. The room was more than basic, a wooden platform with foam mattresses thrown on and a floor fan. Shared bathroom and a small trickle of cold water was our shower. At first it seemed like an adventure and I was drawn in by the huge frangipani tree right outside the bedroom window. Later, when I found out that my very thin mattress was wet, due to the window being left open in a rain storm, I was none too happy. However, being the only guests at the place, we snuck into another room and snagged a dry mattress. We did not sleep too well due to the numerous giant moths that made their way through the cracks in the walls and pounded themselves against the glass window trying to get at the full moon outside. Then we had a huge rain storm, a daily occurrence this time of year, which was lovely but the heavy rain on the tin roof sounded like a constant roll of thunder. After the moon crazy moths and the rain, we drifted to sleep only to be woken by a loud ringing of a cow bell at 6am!! And then 10mins later at 6:10am. The inn owner woke her family up by ringing the bell. I suppose she had no concern for the vacationing guests. Sigh.

Punta Gorda is a weird town, you feel like you are in an Old West frontier town. It is really sleepy, not too much going on, but people from everywhere just passing through. Many of the Gringos go here to take a boat over to Guatemala, but not too many people stay in Punta Gorda. Of course we did, and Keith was offered drugs numerous times, but we never felt threatened or unsafe, we just said no and it seemed that the townspeople, drug dealers and market people alike, where very friendly and helpful. The town is hot and sparse and has a bizarre disjointed feeling to it. I am sure that many a person escaping from the law reside in the little town and soon find themselves drinking beer for breakfast, lost in the limbo land of Punta Gorda.

July 21, 2008 Placencia, Belize

2008-07-28T20:45:00.002-04:00

Although this is a tourist town like many others we visited, this one has very few visitors right now, which gives it a slower pace and guarantees the best seat in the house at any restaurant. A great feature here is that a lot of businesses are centered around a mile long cement sidewalk that served as a “main street” until the recent arrival of a road. This means we can enjoy a stroll around town without being run over by a golf cart or truck.

The anchorage is quiet, protected and full of over 40 sailboats that are run by the Moorings charter service. It gives the impression that a lot of sailors are here, but there are only about 4 cruising boats with people aboard. There is a bakery with banana-chocolate muffins, which I seem compelled to visit every time we go ashore. Despite my lactose intolerance, we treated ourselves at a fabulous gelatto shop where their presentation was as fantastic as the product!

We spent several afternoons going to the beach in our dinghy and went on a “kayak tour” (Keith paddled the inflatable around the mangroves). While strolling the beach one afternoon we came upon some Garifuna (a cultural group being a mixture of Carib Indian and African) drummers entertaining tourists. Soon we were all dancing in a circle around the two drummers, pulsing with the rhythm.

Now that we feel secure, it is time to plan some inland trips...

July 16, 2008 Sailing South Inside the Reef

2008-07-28T20:44:00.000-04:00

It was time to see more of Belize, so we made an 85 mile trip south to the coastal town of Placencia. This 3 day venture was some of the most fantastic sailing so far of our trip. The first major improvement is that we were sailing behind the protection of the reef, so the waves are small. The second important factor is that there are numerous islands which we could easily anchor at when we were done sailing for the day.

The first day was light wind and although we only traveled at 3.2 knots, we just relaxed and let the autopilot earn its keep. The uninhabited (no humans, animals live there) mangrove island we anchored at looked so idyllic, especially while we enjoyed a fantastic sunset. My idealism wore off a bit as I dashed around installing our screens in all the hatches. Lots and lots of mosquitoes lived on this island and they we happy that the dinner delivery boat had arrived!

Day 2: another fantastic day of sailing. The wind was from the port quarter (behind and to the left) which kept the sails full and we made better speed: 4.5 knots. We decided to anchor in a lagoon ringed by mangrove islands, one of which the cruising guide said had a resort on it. It turns out the “resort” is a seasonal retreat for a wealthy lawyer from Los Angeles. The moment we entered the lagoon the caretaker of the resort (Herman) was yelling and waving at us. We feared we we heading for some unknown danger, so we swung around and made a close pass to the resort dock. Herman just wanted to say “hi” and invite us to come over after we anchored – the way he was waving and yelling, he must be really lonely out there!. Right after we anchored a fisherman (Lewis) that lives on one of the other islands in the lagoon stopped by to see if we wanted to buy any seashells (we declined without explaining how the collection of marine artifacts can damage ecosystems). He did need some gas for his skiff, so we gave him half our dinghy can (about a gallon). Later, at the resort, Lewis wanted to trade seashells for diesel for his generator. I spent about 20 minutes dipping and pouring about 1.5 gallons of diesel into empty water bottles and delivered them to Herman (we declined the seashells again).

We have started to realize that, in many of the places we visit, anyone that can afford a “leisure” boat (not a working boat) and travel on an extended trip without working is really, really wealthy. Whereas, in the USA we may appear “poor” because we live on a boat and don't have a lot of material possessions. Understanding this encourages us to help whenever possible.

Our last day sailing brought lots of wind and rain as a weak tropical wave passed. That helped us average 5 knots under head sail only. Our fresh water tanks ran out just as we arrived in Placencia – no worries, we could fill up for just 10 cents a gallon. San Pedro was the last place we filled up because most of the islands have salt contaminated water and only drink bottled water

Fantastic smooth sailing, lots of easy anchor spots, friendly people, beautiful views, no seasickness – we love sailing in Belize!

July 13th Cool Caye Caulker

2008-07-28T20:37:00.001-04:00

We finally left San Pedro. On Sunday July 13^th we prepared the boat and waved good-bye to La Isla Bonita. We did not make it very far however, only 11 miles south of San Pedro, to the tiny island community of Caye Caulker. Pulling into the little harbor we could not wait to drop anchor and jump into the water to cool off and check on the anchor. (It was not until later that night when we came back out in our dingy that we saw the red glow of the eyes of the salt water crocodiles that live in the water! Yikes!) Deciding to treat ourselves and find a local place to eat in town, we took a refreshing cockpit shower, donned some semi-fresh clothes jumped into the dingy and headed into town. On our way, minding our own business, we were detoured by a woman waving madly from her semi-inflated inflatable Kayak. Rushing over to her she told us she was trying to save a dog that had swam far off shore and was worried he would drown. We could not quite understand the situation, she was very upset, but we found ourselves motoring out to this little brown head that was swimming out in the middle of the harbor. Attempting to bring the dog into our dingy proved useless, the dog was not ready to be saved, instead we followed the dog at a distance, all the way back to shore. After about half an hour we were back at shore, the dog energetically bounded off down the road without even a thank you. We found out that the owner of the deflating Kayak was also the founder of the the local animal shelter. (Anyone interested in coming to Belize and staying for free, the woman offers a free place to stay for people that are willing to help out at the shelter, look up PAWS in Caye Caulker online for more details). She surmised that the dog owner, who lived on a boat in the harbor, had abandoned his dog on land and the dog was trying to swim home. We felt awful for the dog and quite disgusted with the man. It was not until the next day, when Keith confronted the man on the boat (Keith, my hero, was about to give him a piece of his mind, luckily Keith wisely listened before throwing a punch), we found out it was not the mans dog. The man did have a dog, but his dog was a female in heat and the little stray dog had fallen head over paws in love with his dog. In love enough to swim all the way out to the boat!!! How romantic!

We much prefer Caye Caulker to San Pedro. It is far more laid back and does not have all the traffic and clutter. The streets are sand and the beaches are lovely and quiet and its nice to sit on the beach and not be accosted by person after person trying to sell us their wares. Caye Caulker has a local 'water hole' called the Lazy Lizard that is on the beach and has picnic tables and chairs in the water so you can cool off while sipping on your icy beverage. There is also a diving board in front of the bar where we spent a lovely lazy afternoon watching talented local kids doing back flips and very drunk adults doing belly flops, it was great entertainment. Our favorite aspect of Caye Caulker is a local juice spot. Two Mayan women run the stand and squeeze fresh juices daily. Mango, watermelon, pineapple, orange, papaya and banana. All fresh squeezed, no added sugars, no preservatives, not pasteurized and absolutely delicious. They sell bottles of the juice for $2.50 in reused liter water bottles and once you are finished you take your bottle back for reuse. We love to be able to recycle the plastic bottles. Garbage removal is a costly and huge problem for these little islands. We visit the stand every day and are now 'regulars'. We spent one day snorkeling the reef. It was a splendid calm day so we motored our little dingy the mile out to the reef. Like the rest of the Mayan Reef system, it is crystal clear and the corals are spectacular.

July 6 '08- Grooving in San Pedro

2008-07-07T16:02:00.001-04:00

It has been a week and we are starting to like San Pedro. It is super laid back, barefoot in most establishments, like restaurants, bars and shops, is the norm. Dogs wander the island, most well fed and happy, and they wander the establishments looking for extra treats here and there. The local children take advantage of the great beaches and there are always local families in the late afternoon/early evening spending time playing on the beaches. The other night we went to the Wednesday night 'Chicken Drop' sponsored by a local beach bar. People gather at about 6:30pm around the bar. There is a band playing and they serve the local beer Belkin, plus other fruity tropical delights. At the bar they sell tickets, $5 US minimum bet, for the chicken drop. Once they have collected enough funds and the crowd is getting more jovial they point to a huge plywood board that is laid flat on the beach with a fence surrounding it. The board has a huge grid of squares painted on it, and each square is numbered. The tickets you buy each have a number on it. After much cheering and taunting a chicken is brought out ceremoniously in a basket, a lucky volunteer from the audience takes the chicken out of the basket, holds it over the board, spins it three times clockwise, spins it three times counter-clockwise, blows on its ass for good luck and throws it into the pen. The chicken walks around a little stunned as drunk onlookers yell out their numbers. Eventually the chicken, who has been well fed before the show, will shit on one of the squares. Who ever has the number that the chicken shits on will win $100 US. The only down side to winning the $100 is, when the chicken shits on your number you have to clean it up!

We have tried the local fare. Pig-tail stew with rice and plantains, Pusapas, (I think thats the spelling, I take artistic license) a corn tortilla that has been stuffed with cheese, beans, chicken or pork and cooked on a griddle, and we tried vengado, which is venison,(delicious) apparently they have deer on the mainland. The Belizean people are amazing in that they are multi-lingual so it is not odd to hear them switch back and forth between English, Spanish and Mayan or Creole. It seems that all Belizeans speak English so it has been very easy for us to navigate the town. We have also found that most people are super friendly and eager to help the hapless gringo, which has also made the town easy to learn.

We went out on a paid snorkeling trip this morning. Although we went to a popular spot where many other touristas were, the coral and the fish life was quite amazing. We really saw everything, nurse shark, southern sting ray, moray eels, huge lobster, all types of snappers, lots of various grouper, colorful reef fish, trigger fish, hog fish, angel fish, parrot fish .....and the list goes on. We were in a protected marine reserve and certainly we could tell, there were so many fish. A lot of the other spots in Mexico that we went snorkeling are not protected, so although the corals were lovely, the fish were minimal and small. No grouper at all, no lobster and few snapper. We are planning on being in San Pedro for the rest of the week while we wait for two tropical waves to pass us by and then we will be heading to Cay Caulker. Apparently, a much smaller town, with not much going on, but a lovely protected anchorage.

July 3 '08- Last night I dreamt of San Pedro- La Isla Bonita

2008-07-07T16:00:00.002-04:00

San Pedro the island paradise that Madonna sings about and apparently Leo DeCaprio just bought an island next door. San Pedro is in North Belize and just a short boat ride to Mexico. The island town is huge compared to the other little fishing villages we have been visiting and a great place to re- provision. The island is a lot like Key West in many ways, and in fact, in one of their marketing brochures they boast a 'Key West' feel. It is however, much less Americanized and very Caribbean. The streets are mostly sand, some are mud, and the main street is red brick. The streets are narrow, without side walks, which does not stop the multitude of gas powered golf carts, tractor pulled beverage trailers, motorcycles and cars to speed up and down the streets at break neck speeds. Pedestrians do not have the right of way in this town. There are no stop signs or lights so a wave, or a shout informs one of the drivers intention. It does take a while to become accustomed to the chaos, but we must be getting braver because we are thinking of renting bikes tomorrow. The island is much like Key West in its prices. We where amazed, it is REALLY expensive. We have found that many of these little coastal towns and islands in Mexico and Belize have just recently, within the past 5-10 yrs, been discovered as the new tourist hot-spots and development is out of control. There are new, very large, resorts being built all up and down the coast and it seems the towns are in a strange limbo between a funky Caribbean town and a West Palm beach resort. You may see a shabby, beach side palm frond hut acting as a bar, a bike rental and a good place to buy pineapples; right next door to a huge half finished 5 story resort, decadence oozing from its walls, ice cold A/C, lights on in all of the rooms (vacant or not), flat screen TV's abound, and the pool runs maze-like throughout the property, equipped with pool bar, water polo nets, and a very attractive young Caribbean 'pool boy' who leads the water aerobics sessions. The dichotomy is surreal. Although we are getting into the groove of San Pedro, we found an outdoor coffee bar we like, we found a hot spot to scam free wireless and there is a great little store with fresh vegetables, we have decided we want to go inland for a visit. We have found that all the places we visited so far are very much like Key West. Mangrove and reef eco-systems, tourist town, beachy island type places, snorkeling, diving and boat trips are the biggest attractions. Although the reef here is fantastic, and we like the island feel, we feel we are missing the inland jungles and Mayan ruins that would be something new and exciting for us. We plan on heading south in a week or so and hope to find a safe harbor to leave our boat so we can take a couple of days to go inland and explore. Apparently it is much more affordable one you make it off the coast as well!

June 16 '08- Food Glorious Food.

2008-07-07T15:56:00.003-04:00

Although we stocked up quite well with food stores before we left the States, there is only so much food you can take. We brought with us some essentials, brown rice, pasta, couscous, lentils, lots of olive oil and lots and lots of tea. However, we figured that we would just make do with what the local fare was, wherever we went, and learn to cook new and exciting dishes. This has worked only to a degree. Although we do enjoy the food in Mexico, I mean who doesn't like a fresh fish taco loaded with Guacamole, we have been quickly reminded of our privileged status in the US. In the States our stores are stocked with so many different types of foods you could quite literally eat something entirely different for dinner for at least 3weeks to a month straight. Not so in Mexico. The food variety is very limited which means we eat pretty much the same food everyday, just in variation. We have avocado diced, blended and in omelets. We eat mangoes in salads, in salsas and for breakfast. We have Beans, refried, in soups, on rice and in omelets. We eat salsa on everything and cilantro is a constant. Plantains and Bananas are plentiful as are tortillas. We have tortilla soup, tortilla chips, tortilla wraps and eggs sandwiches wrapped in tortillas. There is an up side to the limited choices in that it is not too hard to decide on what to have for dinner and all that we prepare is fresh. On good days the local fisherman will sell us fresh fish which is worth getting up early for. It seems that the one grocery store in Puerto Morelos has no chicken or seafood, only some questionable looking pork looking thing, however there is a lady down the street who sells chicken out of her home. We are not sure if she is a middle person for some chicken distributer or she has chickens in her back yard, we think the latter. The upside to our different diet is we do try new things. I made a huge black bean soup two nights ago. We ate it the first night, like a soup, reheated it and added cream and big chunks of avocado for the second night (more like a Black Bean and Avocado stew) and we will blend it up tonight in our little Cuisinart and serve it up on rice. Keith made a very odd looking but delicious plantain mash with a sweet Dutch popover type bread for breakfast one morning. It tasted like apple pie, yummy. All in all we are learning to make do with what we have. Although I must admit, I am a little taco'ed out and I would kill for a French Baguette, a lovely Greek feta and some fresh asparagus!

June 27: Weather and Why we are in Xcalak, Mexico

2008-07-07T14:42:00.003-04:00

I thought 15 years living and sailing in the “Tropical Weather” zone of Key West meant that we would be relaxed, but prepared, on our voyage that, coincidentally, started at the beginning of hurricane season. Well, we have learned a few more nuances to the tropical outlook forecast.

In Key West we generally worried about a depression or named storm, and we always knew where we would go to ride it out. Now we are closely tracking every tropical wave that comes off the coast of Africa. With each one we scan our charts to see where we could possibly weather out a storm. This has become a necessary obsession, as it seems like a new tropical wave forms every week. Here is the progression we follow:

Tropical Wave or Tropical Disturbance (sounds fun or mischievous)
Tropical Low (maybe weather feeling a little glum)
Tropical Depression (bad feelings for weather and us)
Tropical Storm (inappropriate display of aggression – we run and hide)
Hurricane (incredible hulk anger – we hold our lucky coins tight)

Although most of the Waves do not progress, they do bring high gusty winds and thunderstorms. It is also difficult to tell if they will develop further. This means we try to stay where we are until a Wave passes and then dash to our next location before the next wave reaches us.

This brings me to the explanation in our change of itinerary. After we left Puerto Morelos we stopped in Bahia de la Asenscion for only one night and then pressed on to Xcalak, which is on the boarder with Belize. Our next stop is San Pedro, Belize. We sped up, and skipped a few stops, because the Mexican Yucatan coast offers few good anchorages for riding out a storm. Belize and Guatemala will have more options for protected anchorages. We are sad to miss some of our intended stops, but we would rather plan a time, in the future, when we can go at our own pace without the worries of another storm on the horizon

Right now we are on a secure mooring in Xcalak, a tiny fishing village, waiting for a Tropical Wave to pass tomorrow. We till then sail the 24 miles to San Pedro, Belize, where we hope to get into the swing of a new country!

Just 30 Miles, But Making Progress

2008-06-21T01:32:00.002-04:00

Puerto Morelos is a very small town, just a day sail south of Isla Mujeres. We gave ourselves 10 hours to go 30 miles. The math works out to be about 3 miles per hour, about half the speed we could make in good wind. The reason we had such low expectations is because for our entire trip south to Belize we will be fighting a 2-3 knot current heading directly against us. Instead of 3 knots, we managed to stay out of the worst of the current and averaged 5 knots – we were happy!

The seas were very confused and sloppy for the whole trip. This rendered the autopilot useless and made both of us a little woozy. Not so bad we got sick, just enough so we had to draw straws to see who would make lunch and neither of us wanted to fish or look and the chart much.

A week here and we have seen about all there is, the most important thing we saw was one of the most spectacular shallow reefs we have ever snorkeled on. The reef is just 600 yards off the beach, running parrell to the beach and people all around say it is some of the best snorkeling on the Yucatan coast. I think we agree. See some of the photos.

While we were here we found out the packages we asked Geri & Joe to send arrived in Isla Mujeres. Road Trip! We went from: dinghy to van/bus to coach bus to taxi to ferry; and in just about an hour we were back. We provisioned at some big stores in Cancun on the trip back.

Now that we are restocked and the weather looks good, we are heading to Bahia de la Ascencion (19 deg 45.65 min N : 87 deg 25.00 min W). There is a small town there (apparently even smaller than Puerto Morelos – how much smaller can they get?) called Punta Allen. After that we plan to go to the Chinchorro Bank for a few days. Google Chinchorro Bank (here is one web site: http://www.locogringo.com/past_spotlights/nov2006.cfm) and you will see why we are really excited that we may get the opportunity to see some amazing, unspoiled corals! After that we will go to Xcalak (Mayan work pronounced: ish-ka-lek)to check out of Mexico.

Check out these aerial photos of the towns we are going to: www.locogringo.com/maps/tour/171a-t.html

Back in the Saddle Again

2008-06-21T01:25:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed being in Isla Mujeres again. Our first time was 3 years ago when we flew into Cancun and got to sail back with our friend Jeff Kieser. He was on the tail end of his Central American cruise. It was comforting having our first landfall on this cruise being a familiar one.

After Joe and BikeMan left we spent days cleaning and fixing the boat, snorkeling, diving and exploring the town. Mujeres is a small town and reminds us of what Key West might be like if there was no road, and it was Mexican... You run into the same people at the grocery store and internet cafe, you can walk and bike everywhere, and if your Spanish is as bad as Keith's, good news: just about everyone can speak enough English to help you. The key is to try little Spanish so they know how bad you really are and they won't think you are just being lazy.

A small boat systems crisis developed: it became apparent our batteries we not keeping up with our electrical demands even while anchored. After a quick inspection we discovered we had been too lazy with our battery maintenance and the water level in the batteries had dropped to a damaging level. Although we replenished the water, it appears that our main battery bank is now operating at a diminished capacity. This means no excessive food processor use, we can't leave our radio blasting all day and we may have to cut back on the vacuuming. In other words: life will go on (quite happily) until we have the time and resources to replace the batteries.

Most of our time in Mujeres we relaxed and got into the pace of cruising, perhaps we got a little too relaxed, it took us 3 weeks to leave!

Next Stop: Puerto Morelos.

Demented YouTube Video from Crew

2008-06-13T20:41:00.002-04:00

One of our sick (mentally) crew members on the crossing (BikeMan) posted this to YouTube: DON'T WATCH IT - DON'T LOOK AT IT - DO NOT CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW - YOU WILL ONLY ENCOURAGE THIS MAD-MAN!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nqsm3hRE9gY

The Crew Speaks

2008-05-31T19:56:00.004-04:00

The following Blog entry was-

Written by Crew Member- Tom Thiesen, aka The Bikeman.

Destination Isla Mujeres. Part I

We not only appreciate his invaluable help in sailing Penzi across the 'Stream', but we enjoy his writing too!

We left our slip in Key West heading for Isla Mujeres, Mexico, on a calm Tuesday night in May.

The boat is a Young Sun 35 similar to a Hans Christian or any of the mid 80s Taiwanese boats of that era, well made with lots of teak inside, canoe stern, Cutter rig,( two sails in front, one self tacking the other a large furling Genoa), high free-board, and heavy displacement. Needless to say the boat was built for safety and comfort not speed, 4 to 5 knots at best.

There was a christening ceremony to celebrate the changing of the boat name from Tralee to Penzi, (Swahili for love). The toasts were made and Champaign broken over the bow. Picking the broken glass out of our feet we realized that perhaps the bottle swing had been a little too exuberant after all.

We hoisted the sails in the Harbor and motor sailed south until the winds picked up around 2am. By Sunrise the wind was from the north at 15 to 20 miles per hour and the seas were growing steadily. The Captain, Keith McDonald, crew Caroline Taylor, Joe Bachman and I, Tom Thiesen, were being jostled around by 5 to7 foot seas downwind. We struck the main and went under full genoa to keep the boom from becoming a hazard.

We rolled back and forth, most of us felt sick. The electric autopilot was overpowered and couldn't hold the downwind course so we had to hand steer as the waves grew to 6-8 feet with some big 10-12 foot rollers rocking the boat back and forth. That night, sleeping was out of the question and eating was a challenge.

The conditions stayed the same the following day but began to settle down as we neared the Cuban coastline the second night. Freighters at night were easy to spot with one bright bow light and one bright stern light. The port and starboard lights were amid ship so by lining up the lights you could tell if you were on a collision course with the steel monsters.

Still no sleep that night, but the next morning we were able to broad reach a bit which made the ride tolerable. Keith did a great job figuring out how the wind vane steering system worked. Set the course on the wheel; adjust some lines on the wind vane and a small paddle in the water and some lines attached to the wheel steer the boat according to the wind direction. At last we were hands free!

The crew took turns getting in cat naps and snacking. As we headed down the coast our course and the wind changed giving us a beam reach. With diminished winds, we shook out the reef in the main, hoisted the staysail, and furled out the genoa. Now we had a glorious 24 hours of cooking great meals, sunrise and sunsets, discussions about everything and time also for on deck showers as we sailed past Havana's tall buildings, which were on the horizon for what seemed like a day.

The third day started somewhat rough because the wind shifted to the south/southeast and we now had to beat and fight our way through the waves. Spray filled the air as the boat hobby horsed over the 3-5 foot seas. The crew went back to feeling sick as we pounded along. The weather calmed down a bit and on the dawn after our third night we were almost past Cuba and her small but impressive mountains.

We headed south to compensate for the current we would have to traverse in the 100 mile wide Yucatan channel. A strong 4-5 knot current flows northward in the middle of the Yucatan channel with the rest of the channel also flowing northward at a good clip. With trepidation we sailed on hoping our chosen angle would put us in Isla Mujeres and not thirty of forty miles north of the island where we would have to motor down the Mexican coast in the dark.

That forth night we were becalmed about 2 Am and motor sailed for a few hours until the wind kicked in from a more southerly direction around dawn. We motor sailed against the current all day and finally spotted some white specks on the horizon. The specks were the Isla Mujeres charter fishing boats with their customers looking for the allusive sailfish.

We were twenty miles out and headed directly to our destination. A large sailfish broke the water 5 or 6 times for us and then we were greeted by a pod of 30 or 40 porpoises that played on our bow wave and surfed the three foot waves in the channel. The south wind and northward flow of current kept the seas down and we had a beautiful day sailing into Isla Mujeres. After 96 hours we dropped anchor and we jumped off the boat to celebrate.

Isla Mujeres Part II

Caroline snorkeled down and set the anchor in 15 feet of water. You should always dive on your anchor and shove it into the bottom to be sure it sets.

When a vessel arrives in any foreign port, they raise a yellow," Q" quarantine flag and call the port captain for clearance. We arrived on a Saturday and the office was closed, so we decided to go ashore. We struck the courtesy Mexican flag, lowered the inflatable dinghy into the water and headed for shore with about and hour of daylight left. Most ports have a dedicated dinghy dock area and we parked our dink and went ashore.

Isla Mujeres is a well traveled tourist town and I was excited because this was my first time in another country in almost twenty years. The sidewalk was disheveled, odd looking cars, motor scooters, trucks zipped by the dusty, bumpy street. The people walking down the street were all Mexicans going about there routines. I had a little adrenaline going because we were illegal aliens in Mexico.

We walked along the, " Malacon" a curvy beach-side sidewalk filled with hawkers and their colorful wares. The heart of town was filled with small treeless, cobblestone streets. Most of the buildings have interesting porches and were colorfully painted in bright yellows and blues. We strolled half a mile from our dinghy on the bay side to the Atlantic side, which is about 15 feet higher.

Another Malacon greeted us at the top! Snaking down the Atlantic side, this one was newly made of red bricks. Sand bags held in with fence wire shored up the eroded cliff edges below. Frequent hurricanes in the past 10 years have really left there mark on this town. The nice brick Malacon was interspersed with large holes and old rubble was strewn about everywhere. We admired the beautiful sea and strolled along for a few minutes making sure not to break our ankles.

A nice expensive home with pool, landscaping and million peso views sat next to a 12 by 12 incomplete concrete block hovel with dirt floors, debris filled yard see through roof, bare walls and naked children. It too had a million peso view.

We headed back into the small street with an occasional gas powered golf cart swerving by us filled with local families or vacationing beer drinking gringos. There are stop signs but most people choose to ignore them as they weave their way around town. Pedestrians are respected and yielded to for the most part and a lot of streets are closed off and are full of restaurants and shops.

Dollars became Pesos at an exchange shop and we went to phone our loved ones and tell them of our adventures at sea. We found a one room internet/ phone shop. "13 pesos" was the charge and we handed the nice lady 1300 pesos. She smiled and gave all of our money back laughing. "Mucho! Mucho!" she laughed.

We thanked her and the four of us sat down and figured out that we get 10 pesos for 1 dollar, so there had to be a simple way to figure out the exchange rate. We gave up and headed to the first nice bar where the best of the Bee Gees blared out of the speakers as we enjoyed our first "cerveza fria" in four days.

After relaxing for a while we checked out the shops and Keith and Caroline were nabbed by a Cancun Time Share salesperson. They were offered 2 bottles of tequila and 4 tour tickets to Chitchen itza a Mayan ruin in exchange for them having to sit through a two hour, "presentation". They accepted and we found a nice restaurant on the beach and ended our night with a large plate of lobster ceviche and margaritas.

The next morning we awoke to a small fleet of shrimp and fishing boats heading out to sea. Keith and Caroline departed on a ferry for their Cancun sales pitch and Joe and I were left to explore the town.

Neither one of us spoke any Spanish so this was going to be a test of our survival skills. I bought a bottle of water and while fumbling with my new colorful money I asked the clerk if she took US dollars. "Si no problema". I handed her a dollar and that is how I expertly figured out how to avoid the complicated exchange rate.

Latter, we sat in the Plaza, a large, interesting, gathering place for the locals and waited for Keith and Caroline. A Catholic church abutted the plaza so while waiting we decided to have a look. It was a cute church with old fans hanging from the rafters to keep the congregation cool. The walls were lined with morbid small sculptures of JC's hands in different positions, some with stakes through them and some covered with blood, dripping down all around the wrist. Mucho creepy even for catholic standards!

Keith and Caroline were now two hours late so we rented a golf cart for 15 dollars and set off to explore the other side of the six mile long island. More fancy houses and tiny shacks lined the narrow road as we headed north. Cars and scooters passed on either side of us zipping by our slower cart.

We reached the end of the island which contains a park and for 30 pesos you can wander around the only Mayan ruins devoted to women, easily the most important historical site on the island and where the island gets its name. Mostly it is just a pile of cut stones on top of a cliff overlooking the beautiful ocean to the east and the bay to the west. Artists from around the world have fashioned metal sculptures of different designs to decorate the park. Walkways cut into the cliffs afford beautiful views on all sides of the steep hillside.

We headed back to town and were flagged down by some local boys who needed a ride. They hopped in the back of the cart, wet and sandy and politely introduced themselves as Juan and Orlando. Juan put his had to his mouth indicating he was hungry and I pulled out my trusty bag of trail mix and we all had fun passing it around. Then Orlando yelled," Halt" and I pulled over and let him off in front of about 30 small derelict shacks all with…… million pesos views.

We return our cart just in time to avoid an extra charge and met up with a tired, run down but triumphant Keith and Caroline. With four tickets to Chichen Itza in hand, we headed into town for another great dinner for four. Cost for dinner? About 40 dollars for the four of us with apps, entrees, drinks and tip. Next up…Chichen Itza.

The Departed

2008-05-24T20:34:00.001-04:00

Somehow Keith and I were able to cleverly convince Bikeman and Bachman that they should join us on the first leg of our journey . Key West to Isla Mujuers, Mexio. We told them it would be an experience of a lifetime, and we thought gleefully to ourselves how it would cut our 'on watch' shift in half! They are no fools but joined us anyway. On Tuesday May 13^th at 6pm Geri, Simone and Charlie gathered at the dock to wish us farewell. Bikeman and Bachman loaded their gear onto the boat. Keith and I were slightly harried as we had not quite stowed everything adequately and were down to the final hour. At some point we gave up and decided we were leaving ready or not!

One last item on the agenda, however, was the christening of the boat. We had recently changed the name to Penzi but had yet to do an 'official' christening. To ward off any bad luck we knew we had to do a proper Christening. All 7 of us gathered on the bow of the boat and each said something very witty about the boat and the journey in general. Keith and I then grabbed onto a large bottle of champagne, stood on the bow and swung the champagne hard into the anchor on the tip of the bow. The bottle burst magnificently sending chards of green glass all over the dock and one nice piece into Caroline's leg. We were on our way!!!

Amidst teary farewells, Penzi pulled off the dock at 7:15pm. Quite literally we sailed off into the sunset waving back at our friends who were waving madly, and then they disappeared. We raised our sails. The first leg of our trip was about to begin.

Key West Bon Voyage

2008-05-24T20:28:00.002-04:00

Our remaining weeks in Key West where a whirlwind, so much so it is difficult to remember. Of course our friends and our families pulled together to make sure that we would not embark on our journey unprepared. From cruising guides to novels, from sunblock to lavender oils, from DVDs to watercolors, from Chocolate-covered-Ginger to Tea, from West Marine Gift Cards to Cash, (and the list goes on) we were well stocked.

It was certainly difficult to say good-bye to everyone, probably the hardest part of getting ready to go. Yvonne from the Avalon B&B gathered all the crew together. They threw me for a loop and threw a surprise Bon-Voyage party at a little Mexican place in town. I was so touched and laugh to think how well Yvonne planned the whole event right under my nose!! Every time I eat Mexican food I miss everyone from work, which means I miss them a lot as we are in Mexico right now!!

The Monday before we left Delia, Irina and Lucy, the housekeepers at the Avalon, came to the boat for tea. They quite honestly could not imagine how Keith and I could possibly live on a boat, so I promised I would show them our pad before we left. It was loads of fun to show off the boat and if they thought we were crazy to live on a boat they did not show it, they were very polite. They too brought bon-voyage gifts of foods and candles making sure that we leave well prepared.

We headed up to Orlando for a long weekend to say goodbye to Keith's Mom and Step-Dad. It was the first relaxing time we had had in weeks. We relished in lovely walks, Nancy and Dick treated us to a super dinner and took us to an outdoor symphony in a beautiful garden. This was to be our last calm moment before we headed back to Key West to do last minute preparations on our boat.

One day before our departure Keith was to get a huge farewell surprise from one of his Danger co-workers, Brian. Brian picked Keith up on his motorcycle and off they went whizzing up the Keys to the only Sky-Dive operation in town. Keith jumped out of a PLANE!!!!

The time had come for us to leave. We figured that between Bi-plane rides, sky diving and endless parties, our friends would kill us before we ever left! On Tuesday May 13^th at 7pm we departed Key West for Isla Mujueres, Mexico.

Caroline's 40th Birthday!

2008-05-24T20:18:00.003-04:00

It just so happened that my 40^th Birthday coincided with our departure, and in actuality I do not think it was a coincidence at all. It just seemed right, for my adult life has always been, in some way, pursuing adventure and new experiences. In celebration of my 40^th, an age that takes you from young-adult to adult, it seems only natural that I am about to embark on a journey that utilizes all my past experiences only to lead me to new ones.

Certainly my friends and my best friend (and husband) Keith, made sure that the transition into my 40's would be anything but mundane and left me no space for regrets. My dearest Geri decided to fly me spinning into the sky on a WWII 1941 Bi-Plane! With Geri at my side, and thankfully a qualified pilot in the back, we both screamed all the way up into the sky, until an irresistible calm settled over us as we took in the magnificent view of our tiny island home. I felt I could now officially grab 40 and embrace the new decade with grace.

Simone could not let me enter a new decade without a calming and exfoliating facial. It was luxurious, cleansing not only my pores, but cleansing my mind of clutter and worry as I sat back and relaxed. After my first ever facial, Simone and Nancy 3, beaming from ear to ear sped me off to a lunch with the chickens at Blue Heaven. I was Queen for a day!

The excitement never ended. My darling husband, under the guise of a casual dinner with friends, had planned a Birthday Party for me, with Balloons, streamers, Cake (of course made by the best cake baker on the island Geri LaGotta), and the cliché, 'SURPRISE' greeting, as all my dearest friends cheer and laugh at your stunned face, as you quickly try to gather your wits. Too much food, incredible cake, Nancy 3 played the accordion, we danced and tried to sing and I looked around the room at all the wonderful people, all of them just as crazy, if not more, as me, and I felt truly blessed.

It would seem too real if the Birthday stopped here. It did not. Keith planned a surprise trip up to Miami with friends Simone, Charlie, Geri and Joe. Being the adult I had now become, we rented a hotel room at the only B&B in Miami, instead of a shared suite at the youth hostel. Apparently the Inn had just been the site for shooting part of a film with Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson. Keith and I were apparently sleeping in the room that was Jenn and Owens room in the flick. Our brush with fame! The six of us dressed to the nines in our Key West finest and headed to Sheeba, an Ethiopian restaurant that I had been dying to visit. Keith ordered traditional seating so we sat on little wooden African stools placed around large basket-woven tables and dug into dish after delicious dish with our hands. It was a feast fit for a King!

Exhausted, exhilarated and 40, I barely had the energy left to prepare the boat for departure. Although still reeling from my week long Birthday celebration, I am energized by all the love and friendship that surrounds me. If ever asked what I would of liked to of accomplished by the time I hit 40, I would simply answer 'I have' I have reached adulthood wealthy with friends and love.

Welcome to our Blog!

2008-04-16T10:08:00.003-04:00

Hello!!!
If you are reading this blog, you probably received our e-mail informing you of our blog address. Please don't laugh, we know our blog is rudimentary with few entries, however as we sail along the East Coast of Central America we plan on writing gripping and sensational stories of our travels!! (We will make it up if we have to!! HaHa)

Where are you going? you may ask. As of now we are hoping to leave Key West about mid-May. We do not have specific plans, we will see where the winds take us, however we do know our first stop is Isla Mujeres, Mexico. We love the ceviche in Mexico!! Then we will sail down the East coast along the Yucatan to Belize, and then to Guatamala. Depending on our money situation we may go further south, or may leave our boat in the Rio Dulce, Guatamala, while we go back to work. We are planning on a 6month cruise. Longer if the money holds out, we are both growing our hair long so we can sell it when times get hard! :)

Thanks for checking in!!! We will keep you posted!

Keith and Caroline

Sharkwater-It is about much more than sharks

2008-04-16T09:04:00.002-04:00

We just watched Sharkwater, a documentary by Rob Stewart. If you have not seen this film, put it on your NetFlix list NOW! Yes, sharks are possibly the most misunderstood creatures on the planet; yes, we are killing them by the millions; but, this film is also about the future of the oceans – the future of humans. Humans depend on the ocean for food and the plants in the water that help produce most of the oxygen we breath. Overfishing is putting our very existence in peril.

On land we can observe our food and resources such as cows, soybeans and lumber. When we run low we can take action to preserve them. Any modern hunter is aware that you must manage a deer population – not because there will be too many (except in areas of excessive development), but because we can easily kill too many and the population will die.

Unfortunately, we cannot really “see” the fish populations the same way. Our history as humans has been one of fishing creatures out of the ocean until their population collapses and they are extinct or endangered: whales, turtles, stellar sea cow, Chilean sea bass, Caribbean monk seal, conch, swordfish. The modern fishing methods enables us to take everything, which means eventually we will be left with nothing.

Watch Sharkwater, Google for more information, hopefully we can change before it is too late.

Loosening the Ties that Bind: Leaving Danger Charters

2008-04-14T22:43:00.003-04:00

Three years – three years! For Key West and the charter boat business that is a very long time to be at one job. When I started with Danger Charters I wanted to work there because it was the only trip that combined kayaking, sailing and snorkeling all wrapped in an ecologically informative tour. The condition and decline of our environment is so important to me and the trips provided a perfect venue to teach people about the fragility and importance of nature.

Something amazing happened in these past 3 years at Danger Charters; we all built something that was greater than any one of us. All of the crew took the ecology and service a step further, we tried harder to make a trip that no one could compete with. It worked, we found that we created an atmosphere of education & fun that no other company came to close to. I am so proud to have been a part of it.

In recognition of my part in this family, the crew at Danger gave me a “going away” party. It was an opportunity for us all to share what we will miss most in each other and come together one last time as a group. The crew presented me with an amazing gift: a scrimshawed knife and rope working fid. The knife handle is made from 10,000 year old fossilized walrus tusk and hand engraved. It is something that I will cherish and use – and it will always remind me the wonderful time I spent with all the crew during the past 3 years.

That was not all, Bethany presented Caroline and I with a packaged (wrapped in a remnant of an old schooner sail) that carried a myriad of things that only a fellow boat owner would know to get. Mike Mongo presented us with T-Shirts from Waterfront Market and Save The Pines, projects that he worked hard on. Megan and Wade hosted, made sure everyone went home on time and cleaned up. Wayne & Lara were away, but provided the food. Everyone made it there and I made them wait, I didn't mean to be so late, but I hadn't finished the cards I wanted to give to everyone (sorry for making you wait everyone).

My time as captain at Danger was the best job I have ever had. I will miss everyone and all of the adventures. My hope is that we will all stay connected in some way or reconnect again in the future. Until then, thanks for the memories: Haig, Don, Megan, Ben, Christy, Brian, Bethany, Wade, Wendy, Tony, Ben, Lynn, Dennis.

Mad Props!

2008-03-27T11:10:00.002-04:00

Why does the engine only go to 2400 RPM? What RPM should we get to – it's a newly rebuilt engine? Maybe the propeller is too big.... Yep, that's it!

We didn't come around quite as quickly as that sounded. After reading our engine specs, talking to the mechanic and reading a section of Nigel Calder's Cruising Handbook, we came to the conclusion that our 18” dia. X 12” pitch propeller was way too big for our 35', 19,500 pound full keel cutter with a newly rebuilt 39 HP Yanmar. The formulas in the Cruising Handbook are reprints and adaptations from Dave Gerr, published in two books: Propeller Handbook and The Nature of Boats. The numbers crunched down to a 15” dia x 9” pitch with 5 blades – WHAT? Sailboats generally have 2 or 3 blade propellers, 5 is crazy. This is where Nigel mentions you have to do a little real world fudging of the numbers, so we figured maybe a 16x9 or 17x8 3 blade would be good. The new problem was finding one used, because a new one would cost $600-$700 and we weren't even sure if our numbers were right.

The first one we tried was a 2 blade 17x8. It barely moved the boat at 4.5 knots in flat calm seas and it made a lot of noise (turbulence that Nigel describes). Next we tried a 18x12 3 blade, the same size as our original, but with much less width in the blades – it performed about the same as the original. We borrowed a 14.5x8 from a propeller shop in Ft. Lauderdale and it was much better – the sound was smooth, the engine could reach maximum RPM, but, it only pushed the boat at 5.5 knots. A lot of people we talked to thought we should be happy about 5.5 knots, but according to our calculations the hull speed was around 7 knots. We kept looking and Keith kept diving to swap props. The local prop shop came up with a 16x8 3 blade that we “borrowed” by leaving a $320 cash deposit. BINGO! We hit 6.5 knots (close enough), it was smooth and we reached max RPM. One last dive and we were done! We are keeping the 2 blade one as an emergency propeller.

Side-Notes
Even though $320 was the most expensive used prop we looked at, it is still half the price of a new one!

Keith did most of the underwater work free-diving. He used SCUBA once, but just thought it was easier without setting up all the gear. In the pictures you can see he had a bucket suspended with all of the parts and tools he would need. The “prop-puller” is a $29.99 pully-puller from the auto parts store.

Tip when using a pully-puller: loosen the shaft nut, but don't take it all the way off, so when the prop breaks free: the prop, puller and shaft key don't go tumbling to the bottom... Oops!

Your engine should be able to achieve its maximum rated RPM (3600 for our Yanmar 3JH2E), if not you are overworking your engine and causing damage to it. The common problem is “over-proping”. We never even thought about this on our first boat, but since we spent $5,000 on this rebuilt engine and installed it ourselves, we want it to last. That encouraged us to crunch the numbers and find the right propeller (or the closest possible).

Our First Blog Entry

2008-03-26T17:19:00.004-04:00

We wanted to be smart and witty, but alas, our wit escaped us. We have just finished setting up this blog and although Keith knew how to use computers years ago, it was a pre-Blog era. Together we walked through the process of creating a domain name (www.penzi.org) and a Blog linked to it. Now we can update the enthusiastic masses about our ongoing preparations to leave Key West on a 6 month cruise to Central America.

Check back for more updates, but not too often - we aren't used to "blogging" yet...

Keith & Caroline