Deja Vu Chronicles

What good is a blog without a blogger?

2009-10-10T22:13:00.007-04:00

I just went to our blog and sadly noticed that I hadn't blogged in months. Can't have that... so
here's a morsel until next time. Memories of a blissful Belizean sunset w/ Beachhouse, Antares and Deja Vu at anchor, Caye Caulker, Belize, 2008. Photo by Sharon Smith, s/v Beachhouse.

An Embarrassment of Bananas...and Chayotes

2009-04-30T13:55:00.010-04:00

Roatan Market Day

On a recent shopping trip with fellow cruisers to this great little island market, the owners were happy to share their beautiful, colorfully displayed fruit and vegetables. There might have been a language barrier as we awkwardly tried to speak our faltering spanish but they were very forgiving and taught us some new words...like zanahoria (carrot), perejil (parsley), albahaca (basil) and ejote (bean). The Honduran people are a racially and culturally diverse group with one common denominator...their warm, welcoming smiles.

Marcy (First Light) and Debbie (Sea Ya Manana) savor the sweetness of a freshly cut orange

Chayotes ~ I still haven't figured out a great use for them

The Oakridge market proprietors with their ever helpful employees

This Floating Life... The Pleasures of Parrot Tree Plantation

2009-04-07T16:00:00.003-04:00

Roatan, Isla de la Bahia, Honduras

This installment comes to you from the beautiful Parrot Tree Marina in Second Bight, Roatan. We are peacefully docked here ~ how refreshing not to worry about anchors dragging or boats dragging into us in the middle of the night...or squalls or all the things I don't like about sailing.

The placid anchorage at Second Bight, looking south through the reef cut

Parrot Tree Marina embarcadero at sunrise... the view from our cockpit...
Can you believe I got up early enough to take this photograph?

From right to left: Deja Vu, Goen Places and Miss Kathleen

The newly opened marina is part of a 160 acre development on a lush peninsula between two serene bights on the south coast of the island. The very long (267 yds) freshwater pool has recently opened, replete with fountains and water falls. There is also a lovely man-made saltwater lagoon with a pristine white sand beach. The "introductory" dockage rates are very reasonable and yachties have access to all the facilities, including a coffee shop, wi-fi, weekly fueling service, laundry...and security. The staff is professional, accommodating and friendly. A beach restaurant is scheduled to open soon and waterfront shops are also planned. The Plantation is a 15 minute drive to French Harbor and good provisioning.

On our almost daily walks we have encountered energetic agoutis, huge iguanas and shy hermit crabs. We have rewarded ourselves after the almost two mile, strictly uphill climb, with seafood paella at "The View" with its stunning vistas of both the north and southwestern coasts of Roatan. We've partied with our cruising friends on Capraia, Antares, UpJinks, Windquest, Compania, Allegro and Goen Places.

This is what I love about sailing ...being safely docked in a beautiful marina on a very friendly island in the western Caribbean. Got to finish this blog...it's almost happy hour.

Later this week we'll cast off the docklines and move eastward toward Barbareta and Guanaja to join our buddies on Jumbie before returning to the Rio Dulce in May.

Postcards from Utila, Bay Islands

2009-03-24T12:40:00.009-04:00

A rare photo of the Deja Vu Diva (far right) with Rick/Cindy~Dragonfly and Shirley/Brant ~ Bruja...enjoying sundowners in Puerto Este Harbor

After the weather settled down we had a mellow time in Utila, an island that is as laid back as they get. It's diver/backpacker nirvana, especially if you love a good tattoo and cheap beer. We feel like the elder statesmen on this island, although most of the liveaboard cruisers are in their 40s-60s.
If you've got college age kids on a tight vacation budget, this is the place to send them. We had a delicious grilled wahoo dinner for $5!

Most turistas fly into San Pedro Sula or Roatan and take the ferry to the island. Utila also boasts a unique species of iguana, a turtle nesting area and most impressive...an amazing cultural/racial diversity. Everyone says hello on this welcoming island and we look forward to returning en route to Guatemala in May.

A few postcards from Utila...

Uptown...and downtown
Mosaic and decorative detail from the Jade Sea Horse restaurant

Mariposa Cafe ~ a safe place to tie-up the dinghy and great food, especially the seafood pesto pasta

It's the Destination ~ Not the Journey

2009-03-16T12:32:00.010-04:00

The Coast of Honduras to Utila, Bay Islands ~
A Really Shitty Day in Paradise

Until a few years ago, I was from the "it's the journey, not the destination" camp, but after our recent sail from mainland Honduras to the Bay Islands, I'm convinced it's the destination that really matters. Seems we have at least one or two near catastrophes every sailing season and so far this one is no exception.

We are humbled, once again, by the power of the sea and feel fortunate to be writing this blog today. We have learned many lessons in our years of sailing in all kinds of weather but some of those lessons obviously didn’t sink in.

A Good Day Gone Bad

Getting to the Bay Islands from Guatemala is usually a slog to windward. The weather forecast indicated winds at 15 knots and fairly calm seas (3-5ft). In Maine we have an expression, “you can’t get there from here”. What began as a reasonable day to make this 40 miles passage began to deteriorate by late morning —an 8 hour motorsail seemed to have no end in sight as we plowed through 8ft seas created by the oppressive 25 knot headwinds.

By late afternoon we were salt-encrusted, soggy and dejected. It was one of the longest days of our lives. As I said to George more than 20 years ago after an equally horrible passage, “I would have rather been in labor.” Our boat speed diminished to 3 knots as the windspeed increased and the prospect of getting to the main anchorage of Utila-- with enough daylight to navigate the shoal entrance-- grew dim.

We were also running low on fuel due to a miscalculation and needed to have Plan B in the event we ran out of fuel en route. Reversing our course and heading back to the large open roadstead of Puerto Cortes on the mainland was our main option but one we hoped we didn’t have to implement.
Happy Ending

As we finally approached the west end of Utila we made a decision to try to anchor in the Water Cays –we had never been there and daylight was fading but we had a couple of charts and were able to identify the prominent cays and cut through a deep channel between Jack O’Neil and Pigeon Cays. We could still see the reefs on either side of the cut and miraculously managed to find a good spot in 15 feet to drop anchor.

Celebrated with copious amounts of wine and a freeze-dried dinner of Jamaican jerk chicken and rice.
Exhale. All's well that ends well.

To Kate and Cameron: don't worry, kids. we're fine. Wish you were here to share our adventures but you should be glad that you're not. Love, Mom and Dad

Sunset over the Water Cays of Utila

(Photos of Deja Vu taken during calmer passages off the coast of Honduras in 2007)

Next port: Parrot Tree Marina, Roatan (http://www.parrottreeplantation.com/) while George goes home to work for two weeks.

Postcards from Guatemala ~ It's a Technicolor Life

2009-02-28T12:25:00.007-05:00

Embroidery detail from the Panajachel huipil mercado

Confetti

The continuing, excellent adventures of Kathleen and Dinny in their relentless quest to enhance the gross national product of Guatemala~

While George was slaving away in Maine recently, working so we could afford to play, I did what any normal, abandoned mate would do...went to market in the western highlands of Guatemala. I took the early morning Litegua bus to Guatemala City (5 1/2 hours) and holed up in the Biltmore Express hotel while waiting for Dinny's late night arrival from the frozen north, aka East Boothbay, Maine.

At a time when spending money feels like a crime...where frugality rules and shopping is taboo...where we worry about EVERYTHING, spending quetzales in Guatemala was pure therapy for our Scrooge-infested souls. Beautiful textiles, carvings and jewelry were purchased from local artisans. The prices were good for us and good for them ~and that's FAIR TRADE. "You can't always get what you want but if you try sometime, you'll find, you get what you need." (Rolling Stones)

For more stories and pix of La Antigua, Lake Atitlan and Chichicastenango, Guatemala (2006-08), click on the archives in the left margin of our blog.

Enjoy the photos and send us a comment so we'll know you're out there.
Currently anchored at Texan Bay in the Rio Dulce with plans to sail to the Bay Islands in early March.

We would have brought back the whole pile if we didn't have to pay overweight charges.

Children's masks at La Antigua mercado

Hot, hotter, hottest...

We passed on the ceviche but I'm sure it's fabulous.

Espresso break to give us strength and keep us buzzed

Copan ~ The Rise and Fall of a Maya Empire

2009-01-26T13:06:00.025-05:00

Our convoluted travels in Central America have taken us to extraordinary Maya sites, among them Tikal, Caracol, Lamanai and Quirigua. Last weekend we ventured from our watery home on the Rio Dulce in Guatemala to the impressive ruins of Copan, a four hour drive through western

Honduras

and into the mountain valley that was called Xukpi by its original inhabitants.

Stones Tell the Story

Although less majestic than Tikal ~the mother of all Mayan ruins~ Copan is distinguished by its elaborate sculptures and carved stone monoliths or stelae. The quality and detail of the glyph stones have made it possible for epigraphers to interpret and understand much about the Maya civilization.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1980, the ruins of Copan have been called the “Athens of the New World”. Kings with names like Great Sun Lord Quetzal Macaw, Waterlily Jaguar and Eighteen Rabbit built and maintained an empire that was a military and commercial power during the Classic Period (AD 250-800) of Pre-Columbian history. In its glory days, more than 20,000 people populated the 50 acre site. Archaeologists from Harvard’s Peabody Museum described the city as a “huge machine at work at the center of a civilization with hieroglyphic writing, an advanced calendar and complex astronomy.”

Sting Rays and Seashells

During early excavations, evidence of trade with distant cities linked the site to Teotihuacan, Mexico (700 miles to the north) and other Maya centers. Sting ray spines, marine shells, pottery made throughout Central America, pieces of jade and small amounts of gold were found. Burial chambers revealed much about their rituals and deification of nature.

Collapse of Copan ~ A Future Foretold

They may have honored and ritualized their deities, seasons, crops and animals, but it wasn’t enough for their survival in the long run. As urban sprawl engulfed the area, farms were replaced with housing for the increasing population. Eventually, deforestation led to major erosion, flooding and ultimately the downfall of the empire. Many deaths were caused by infectious diseases and malnutrition. Natural disasters, particularly earthquakes, collapsed many of the ruins, although evidence of 3450 structures remains, with many unexcavated sites still buried under the valley growth.

Hotel and Travel Tips

Our friend, Orin on Antares, arranged a shuttle van from Rio Dulce to Copan Ruinas with Ottitours. There were eight of us and the cost was $55 per couple for the one-way trip (approx. 4 1/2 hrs). We stayed at the Hotel Maya Acropolis which was clean, friendly, simply furnished and reasonable w/ private bathroom and hot water at a cost of $50 per double room. For our money (lempiras, that is) the best restaurant in town is Twisted Tanyas. Welchez Cafe has good espresso but there are other coffee houses in town with excellent coffee. Before going to the site we explored an informative museum in town that set the stage for our visit to the ruins with its diversity of stelae, funerary pieces and terra cotta figurines. The walk to the site is only 15 minutes from town and very pleasant. We hired a terrific guide, Juan, who was knowledgeable and entertaining. If you are anywhere near this part of the world, make the effort to visit Copan. You will not be disappointed.

Acropolis Maya Hotel

Back in the Banana Republic ~Deja Vu All Over Again

2009-01-25T15:14:00.005-05:00

View Larger Map

Welcome back to you and to us!

Where are we?

Latitude: 15 degrees, 40',72"N
Longitude: 88 degrees, 58',37"W
(I have to write out "degrees" because I don't have the symbol on my keyboard)

George and I returned to the good ship Deja Vu on January 13. After spending a beautiful summer and fall...and too much of winter...at home in Maine, we arrived at Mario's Marina on the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. For those of you who are location challenged, we've added a map of Central America. We are relieved to report that our floating condo is shipshape and none the worse for wear since we returned to Maine in May. For cruisers who are considering leaving a boat here for months at a time, it is essential to have some kind of dehumidifier system on board that will operate while you are off the boat. It's a jungle down here ~ with huge humidity levels, particularly during the summer rainy season. We also vacuum seal all of our linens, cushion covers and other items that would be damaged by moisture but that's another story.

The Rio Dulce is a beautiful freshwater river whose entrance is on the Caribbean Sea at Livingston, Guatemala ~squeezed in between Belize to the north and Honduras to the south. A long shallow sand bar stretches across the mouth of the river, making it imperative for us to come and go only at a very high tide with our 6ft. draft. It's almost 20 miles upstream to the small town of Rio Dulce.

We will stage here for our next adventure in early March when we will sail to the Bay Islands of Honduras and, hopefully, on to Panama sometime in April. Check in occasionally for updates of our adventures, including our recent trip to Copan, the extraordinary Maya ruins in western Honduras.

Sea, Silver and Stone ~ A New Blog

2009-01-24T23:52:00.000-05:00

Announcing a new blog for my sea-inspired jewelry designs. Have a look at www.seasilverandstone.blogspot.com

I'll be adding photos as well as pricing and shipping information as available. Please contact me via email.

Flashback ~ Grenada, Nicaragua

2009-01-05T21:37:00.016-05:00

While perusing my photo files, I opened up the Nicaragua folder from January, 2007, and was reminded of the vibrant colors and simple pleasures of Grenada, Nicaragua. Enjoy the flashback and do think about Nicaragua as a destination. The people are friendly, the country is beautiful and the price is right. After an unimpressive stop in Managua~and remembering that the city was flattened by a massive earthquake 30 years ago~we were transported back in time to Grenada, a colonial city founded in the 1500's and formerly a Central American capital.

Horse carts share the road

100% Cuban cigars ~ made in Grenada

Patio fountain at the Mona Lisa. Grazie, Leonardo.

Our adventure in the wayback machine was contrasted by an afternoon with mojitos and American football at Norm's Sports Bar and pizza at the Mona Lisa. Our rooms at the Hospedaje Italiano were spartan but clean and two blocks from the real deal parque central. No Disney rides here, just funky horse carriages and lots of smiles. Turistas are in the minority but the country is changing so go there soon while there is still peace in the land. If you have vacation money to spend, spend some of it in Nicaragua. The people will thank you.

Getting A Life ~ Safe Passage for the "Dump" Children of Guatemala

2008-08-09T22:49:00.014-04:00

Guatemala is one of our favorite countries, particularly because of its gentle, generous and extraordinary people. The physical beauty of the country is breathtaking. Guatemala is also a region of enormous poverty and a recent history of a devastating civil war between the ruling elite and the indigenous Mayan culture.

One courageous woman from Maine, Hanley Denning, also fell in love with Guatemala and the children whose families live and scavenge daily in the garbage dump of Guatemala City, a huge festering place filled with disease and peril. In 1999 Hanley founded an educational program, "Safe Passage", with a mission to "empower the poorest, at-risk children of families ...by creating opportunities and fostering dignity through the power of education. Children and parents discover that through their own efforts, they can move beyond poverty. "

Tragically, Hanley was killed in an automobile accident near Guatemala City in 2007. Her dedication to this program inspired her colleagues to continue the work she began. This video from 2006 was posted on Youtube, I assume, by a volunteer who worked with these amazing children. I thank him for giving us a glimpse of the lives of the children who participate in Safe Passage.

If you'd like to sponsor a child or make a contribution, contact Safe Passage.

Awash in a Sea of Silver

2008-07-18T18:58:00.007-04:00

I'm awash in a sea of silver, savoring the hours in my studio by the ocean honing my metalsmithing skills so I can take them on the water again next winter with no worries about blowing up the boat. Herewith a few results...

Handwrought silver and

phrenite bracelet

What goes around comes

around ~handwrought and

hammered silver bracelet~

less is more

"Red Dragon" vintage

mah jong piece set in sterling

silver bezel

"Green Dragon" vintage mah

jong piece set in sterling silver

The Not So Secret Life of the Deja Vu Diva

2008-07-16T21:36:00.030-04:00

These elemental silver bracelets are two of my recent creations inspiredby the sea. Each features a Costa Rican beach stone found by Kate at Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean coast. Please contactme via email if you'd like to see more.I'll be posting more designs when my

blog posting frustration subsides.

P.S. That's not my arm. It's a wooden mandrel.

What's in a (Boat) Name?

2008-06-23T09:21:00.010-04:00

Hey, what happened to that other accent mark?

This list has been in the making for a couple of years but I never could seem to get it to the point of being "blog ready". So I put the finishing touches on it while in Belize in April.

Sitting out a weather front , Deja Vu is anchored about 12 miles off the Belizean coast. To be absolutely precise, we are anchored at latitude 17.08.057 north, by longitude 88.04.821 west. Bobbing around in 10 feet of water (considered by some to be a generous depth inside the barrier reef) with 15-20 knot winds from the north. We’re tucked in behind the Colson Cays, a group of several mangrove islands with a couple of local fishing shacks and not much else. But this is the perfect spot for protection from these winds which are sweeping down from the Gulf of Mexico and we may be here a few days until the front passes through.

Since I’ve got nothing better to do today, I’ll share with you a fully categorized and lengthy list of boat names we’ve come across in our travels. Without further suspense, here are 11 (!) categories and the boats that inhabit them. Send me your boat name and I'll add it to the almost infamous list.

Escapist: Slip Away, Changes in Latitudes, Rx-Ta-Sea, Seabattical, Eclipse, Androsian, Sea Change, Sun Dazzler, Beausoleil, Jumbie (island spirit), Beachouse, Island Time, Barefoot, Winterlude, Dolphin, Sun Dog, Tiki, Winterlude, Discovery, Continental Drift

Flying things: Dragonfly, Willet, Sanderling, Kittiwake, Osprey, Hawk, Calidris Alba (sandpiper), Aquila (eagle), Griffin

Mythical/Heroic: Argo, Antares, Dragonheart, Sea Dragon, Aeolus, Polaris, Magic Dragon, Griffin and Ursa Major (our former Peterson 44)

Antares (Valiant 42) at anchor ~ Rendezvous Cay, Belize

Testosterone/Speed-Driven: Wild Horses, Endorphins, Lickety-Split, Infamy, Coaster, Tiburon (shark), Insatiable One, Scud, Hoof Beats Wet Dream (really), Cayuse

Meditative: Namaste, Repose, Sanctuary, Respite, Reverie, Dream Catcher, Tranquillity, Sea Whisper

Windy: Windbird, Wind Quest, Windcrest, Wind’s End, Wind Free, Tempest, Second Wind

Whimsical: Up Jinks, Groundhog, Escargot, Continental Drift, Famous Potatoes (really!)

Hearty: Wooden Heart, Heart of Gold, Angel Heart,

Silly Catamaran Names: Ber Kat, Catalyst, Purrfect, Twiny,

Women (boring but sweet): Wanda Jean, Katinka, Valentina, Helen Marie, Kailani, Ruthi B, Sno Virgin, Bettie, Frances V., Enchantress, Angelina, Waltzing Matilda, Helen Louise, Christiana

Pretentious: Leonore of Sark, Dynasty of Tainan, Ex-Doc

Names that defy categorization: Sea Yeti, Bizim ("ours" in Turkish and naughty child in Scottish where it is spelled "Bisim"), Beyond Reason, Lyric, Capraia*, Steel Magnolia, , 40 Mile, Litbe, Lapis, True Colors, Zeelander (Dutch), Esperanza (Hope), Evergreen (Vermont)

*comment from the owners of Capraia: " I had done a list of all the boats we met on the Rio but by circumnavigators, full timers, half timers and coasters. It's amazing how many great people we are all meeting out there. By the way, Capraia is a tiny island in Italy. We stayed there two nights while chartering out of Corsica while sitting out one of the Med's infamous blows. A cozy place where we met a bunch of German sailors. A few years later we visited their homes in Frammersbach and also sailed together with Capraia and their charter boat above and below Cape Cod.

Caye Caulker, Belize (photo by Sharon Smith)

Free Rice Project

2008-06-14T22:09:00.003-04:00

This is genius! Here's a way to help alleviate world hunger simply by using your brainpower. For every correct answer to the vocabulary quiz you contribute 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. That might sound trifling but your grains of rice will quickly add up as you continue to choose the correct answer in this multiple choice format. The site was created by John Breen, a computer programmer in Indiana with no political, religious or corporate agenda. He just wants to eliminate hunger and poverty...that's all.

Play the game and pay it forward. Pass on this website to all of your friends. So far this month, 105 million grains of rice have been donated. For more information on this phenomenon go to NPR (National Public Radio). Now go play and give.

Yes, There Will Be Blogs

2008-06-04T08:51:00.010-04:00

Camassia in bloom ~ our seaside garden

Our swimming pool

Yes, there will be blogs. I have a file full of unfinished stories and photos of Guatemala, Belize, sailing and random thoughts that don't fit any categories. Hoping for one or two a week but that could be too optimistic. I'm back in my jewelry studio, trying to get started again. Will post photos soon of my handwrought silver work.

The Maine days are gloriously long (it's about time) and I am trying not to be constantly "busy" so I can savor this exquisite part of the world. The garden is getting my attention and it feels good to be digging in the soil again. Watched a seal on a rock yesterday. This morning an artist set up his easel on our (?) lawn and painted a seascape. The lobstermen are tossing out traps just off the rocks. It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood ~even the deer enjoy a day at the beach.

Can you find the deer?

Back on the Lobster Coast

2008-05-26T08:06:00.008-04:00

Sunrise on the Damariscotta

We've shifted latitudes and are back on the beautiful coast of Maine at the mouth of the Damariscotta River. The good ship Deja Vu has gone into summer/fall hibernation on the Rio Dulce in Guatemala where she is expected to safely ride out another hurricane season at Mario's Marina. We are often asked if we will ever sail her to Maine. Highly unlikely. As beautiful as it is, it is a long way to sail for a very short season. We're fair weather sailors.

Returning to the Rio Dulce ~ A Deja Vu Video Moment

2008-05-04T15:43:00.009-04:00

Once again, our tiny Pentax captures a semblance of the exquisite beauty of the Rio Dulce as we cruised upriver in early May. Next year I might bring a real video cam. When I filmed this I'd been up since 3 a.m. in preparation for crossing the dreaded bar at an astronomical high tide. If my speech is slurred, that is my excuse. We crossed without incident and didn't even bump the bottom!

Glover's Reef Atoll ~ Watery Oasis in the Middle of Somewhere

2008-05-02T14:56:00.016-04:00

Kate conducts marine research on a sea urchin skeleton in the shade of a beach palapa

Southwest Cay

Glover's Reef is my absolute, hands down winner for Most Beautiful Anchorage in Belize. Located 12 miles offshore, it is a pristine atoll described as a "coral necklace strung around an 80 square mile lagoon. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of only four coral atolls in the western hemisphere.

One-third of the atoll is protected as a marine reserve and the fish know it. We snorkeled a patch reef with an abundance of sea life and, most notably, a young nurse shark who surprised me as I was swimming around a coral head, not expecting to see this docile denizen of the not so deep. F.Y.I. The Pew Center for Ocean Science recently conducted a survey of the migratory patterns and health of the shark populations of the area with the cooperation of the Glover's Reef Marine Research Station.

View across the spectacular lagoon at Long Cay

Just a handful of boats were anchored at Southwest Cay and when we arrived at Long Cay with our friends, Kathy and Tom, on Jumbie after picking our way around the many coral heads in the inner lagoon, we were one of three boats there~with barely two feet under our keel. For scuba divers I'd heartily recommend the Off the Wall Dive and Resort as the wall dives on the windward side are supposedly fabulous. Even if you just snorkel, this would be the perfect spot for a lazy Belizean vacation. It's an hour ride from Dangriga, on the coast. On a boat, this is a destination only in settled weather, which is exactly what we had.

Cruising with Dolphins on the Barrier Reef ~ Belize

2008-05-02T13:52:00.006-04:00

We have a neat little Pentax Optio digital camera that also takes videos in its own low tech way ~which is perfect for me. Since I've discovered this capability you may be subjected to more home movies. The quality isn't fabulous but at least you can cruise vicariously with us on Deja Vu.

Adventures in Planes, Buses, Cars, Lanchas, Sailboats, Dinghys...and Three Taxis

2008-04-16T13:54:00.003-04:00

Getting Kate to Belize

When our daughter, Kate, decided recently that she wanted to come sailing with us, after spending the better part of a nasty winter in New England, we began to ponder the logistics of getting her here. Of course she could have flown from Portland, Maine, to Boston to Miami to Belize City—a fairly straightforward string of flights (provided they’re on time) all in the same day--maybe. But that kind of itinerary is for people who plan ahead and are willing to pay platinum airfares …and aren’t nearly as resourceful as we are in utilizing almost every conceivable form of transportation known to humans to get her here. Here’s how it all evolved:

Being frugal travelers (especially George), fairly familiar with the way things work in this part of the world, we had recently heard of some incredulously low fares on a maverick airline called Spirit. We were stunned to find a one-way fare for the jaw-dropping price of $150 (including taxes!) from Boston to Guatemala City. (Spirit doesn’t fly to Belize—yet.) Or she could have flown to Managua, Nicaragua for $29 and then spent days on a variety of buses just to get to Guatemala. Not a good option.

One of the reasons Spirit Airlines can offer these silly airfares is that they really want to break in to the Central American market ~and many of their flights depart at god awful times like 1a.m. But if you’re young and resilient –like Kate—it’s irrelevant.

If Kate had been a naive traveler we would never have considered subjecting her to the”Amazing Race” game plan we were hatching. When we told some cruising friends that she was coming they were impressed with her fearlessness as we explained the circuitous route she would take to ultimately get to Déjà Vu which is anchored off the coastal village of Placencia, Belize.

The only leg of this trip that was written in stone was the flight from Boston to Guatemala. Everything else was improvised. Let the games begin.

Day 1: Kate drives to Boston, spends the night with a good friend and departs Logan at 5:30 a.m with touch down in Guatemala City at 11:30 a.m. (Central Standard Time). She clears customs (a very uncomplicated affair), can’t find an ATM that works, borrows quetzals from a fellow traveler and hails a taxi ($9) to the bus station. She pays the $6 fare and endures a 6 hour wild ride through the mountains of eastern Guatemala to the frontier town of Rio Dulce in the steamy jungle. She calls Mario’s Marina on her cell phone (everyone has one down here) as she’s approaching the bus stop and marvelous Marco, the manager of Mario’s Marina meets her in town, carries her bag to the lancha at the dock then delivers her safely ($5) 2 miles downriver to the marina where she arrives in time for a cheeseburger in paradise ($4) and a good night’s sleep in the new casita. ($30)

Day 2: Kate boards the sailing vessel SeaYeti, owned by friend and marina owner, Jim, who coincidentally is about to sail to Belize. In company with Jim’s partner, brother and Shadow the Wonder Dog, she cruises downriver 2 ½ hours to Cayo Quemada (aka Texan Bay) where she dines on Mike and Sherry’s chicken fried steak ($8) and spends the night on board in a tranquil freshwater lagoon.

Day 3: SeaYeti gets off to an early morning start, motors down to the mouth of the Rio Dulce, clears customs ($20) at Livingston, Guatemala and sails to Punta Gorda, Belize, four hours to the north. After Captain Jim clears his crew in to Belize, Kate is dropped off at the town landing where she buys a ticket on the Tropic Air flight to Placencia, takes a taxi ($3) to the tiny landing strip and, with minutes to spare, boards the last flight of the day for the twenty minute trip. She lands safely, hails yet another taxi ($6) and drives to the Placencia dinghy dock (10 minutes) where she is met with huge hugs from her anxious and overwhelmingly happy parents.

Total travel expense: approximately $290

True cost of getting Kate to Déjà Vu: Priceless

We send out our thanks to everyone who had a part in getting here safely ~ Chris Williams, Victor, Marco, Inez, Jim, Una, John and all those pilots, bus and taxi drivers.

Otto Helm Takes Over

2008-04-12T14:36:00.003-04:00

Hey, who's sailing this boat, anyway? George and I were the only ones aboard when Beachouse took this photo of Deja Vu under FULL SAIL. Thanks to our reliable companion, Otto Helm, who never talks back

We're Really Sailing

2008-04-11T13:45:00.003-04:00

Update. Had two great sailing days coming south from Caye Caulker. 20 knots on the port quarter. Sweet. The photo was taken by Sharon on Beachouse, our buddy boat en route. We're in Placencia, Belize and Kate comes in today. She'll sail with us until we get back to the Rio in early May. We're planning to snorkel with the whale sharks off Gladden Spit on the barrier reef next week.

Swimming with Sharks and Rays

2008-04-08T14:35:00.006-04:00

Hol Chan Marine Reserve, Belize

photos by Carlos Ayala of Carlos Tours, Caye Caulker

Catatonic in Caye Caulker

2008-04-08T14:09:00.008-04:00

Caye Caulker is an oasis of “mellow” just inside the world’s second largest barrier reef. The streets (more like wide paths) are white sand. Bicycles, golf carts and feet are the major forms of transportation. There are no mega resorts or swarms of tourists here. It is probably the antithesis of Cancun or Cozumel which makes it really appealing to us.

The cruise ships can‘t come out here because it’s too shallow so most visitors arrive via water taxi or small plane from Belize City, twenty miles to the south. For years, it’s been a laidback destination for backpackers and divers who stay in simple, small hotels. Fancy doesn’t exist out here but internet does. The island’s ubiquitous slogan is “Go Slow” which everyone on Caye Caulker does very well. The island is less than ½ mile wide and several miles long. Speaking of locals, they’re a colorful and exotic mix of Creole, mestizo and Chinese. Native Belizeans are black, white and every shade in between. For those of you who are historically and geographically challenged, Belize is the former British Honduras which declared its independence a mere 27 years ago, in 1981.

We’re parked in the large bay on the leeward side of the cay. Although Belize is twice as expensive as Guatemala, many of the restaurants here are reasonably priced so we are existing on fresh ceviche and conch fritters when not cooking on board or pot-lucking with other boats. A sweet little hotel, the Iguana Reef Inn, allows cruisers to use its wireless for the price of a Belikin beer.

Kate will join us in a few days as we explore a few of the more than 300 cays in Belize. In early May we'll cross the bar and head back to the stable at Mario's on the Rio Dulce.