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I've been traveling down this river so many rocks pop up in my sight. I've got to make some quick decisions should I go left or should I go right. I pray for guidance and protection, it keeps my boat water tight. And I know if I just keep on believin every little things all gonna be alright.                                        Michael Franti, "See You in the Light"

Awaking at 6am, we started the day different than we were previously used to, and what a difference a day makes. We both slept well and enjoyed drinking coffee in our cockpit viewing the anchorage.  At 7am, we weighed anchor and as we motored by Monkey Bay marina, Tami, Thane and Paco, motored by filming us leaving the river.

In 3 1/2 hrs we were anchored at Livingston.  By noon, we had all completed the necessary three stops in order to check out of Guatemala.  We had faxed our zarpe the day before to Raul/Customs, and when we arrived the forms were ready for us to sign and pay 55Q,  to the Port Captain 60Q and Immigration 80Q per person.  A total of 275Q = $37.00.

Time for lunch and beers and wait for high tide.  So far things were going smoothly.  At 3pm,  a squall was threatening and the winds shifted out of the west.  We all decided to make our date with the sandbar on time, so with us leading the way (how did this happen?) we followed our track back on our GPS, and made it over the bar with plenty of water.  The lowest we saw was 6.4ft, we draw 6ft.  With 10 more miles to go before anchoring for the night, we raised the mizzen and threw out the jib. ( A configuration called jib and jigger. ) The westerly wind hadn't let up any in the past hour and if anything had increased to 15-20mph.   The anchorage we were all headed to was exposed to the west, so Aaron & I decided to make an executive decision and head south to a small bay called Bahia La Graciosa, 3 nm further but one that was protected from all around winds.  Sunset was closing in on us as we entered the bay and the waters smoothed out and we just managed to get our hooks down before dark. 

November 3 

Yesterday it rained all day which wasn't so bad as we just enjoyed the relaxing day and the zero day (no money spent).  Today we awoke at 445 am to a bouncing boat as the were winds blowing 25-35+ out of the west with gusts up to 40mph causing whitecaps.  The other two boats, Valentina and Kaijas Song, all monitored CH 17 on the VHF so we all were in contact with one another.  It was still dark and it was a torrential downpour making it hard to see the anchor lights of the other boats.  Kaija's Song dragged anchor when the storm hit and passed by Valentina within 50yds of her.  Sonny shined his spotlight on Kaijas Song and they took control of the situation and managed to reanchor and sit out the storm in safety.  The Firewood Point (the name of the anchorage) net continued thruout the storm.  The winds shifted then more to the south southwest at a steady 30k, sitting in the cockpit and keeping an eye on things, I got the pressure cooker out and made some bean soup, for entertainment later!

 After the storm passed, but still raining,  a get together began on our boat, with Gary & Kaija bringing over 50 conch that a local fisherman had cleaned for them earlier, while teaching them how to do it.  Sonny & Kay brought over a pot of red beans and cornbread.  The galley girls pressured cooked the 50 small conch and then the boys tried to tenderize them even more by taking the mallet to them but they just wouldn't flatten out, they just sprang back for more.

 Realizing that this wasn't going to work, the girls took control and diced and cut them in tidbit pieces, then mixed in flour, cornmeal, veg. oil. salt, pepper, bayou seasoning and deep fried them.  With Aaron's homemade cocktail sauce the conch fritters were an appetizer hit then we enjoyed Kay's delicious red bean soup and cornbread.  Dessert was Blow Me Away's brownies with icing on top.  What a day it was and asleep we were by 8pm.

November 4

At 7am, we were raising the anchor in the drizzling rain headed for Punta Gorda, Belize to check into customs/immigration.  Sonny had checked in with his weather guru Chris, who said today was a go, but be prepared for some squalls.

So, off we all went with Kaijas Song leading the way.   We raised our main and kept the motor on cruising at 6k with the winds out of the north.  We were on a bearing of 316 and the squalls would come and go, gusting wind and rain. At 915, our bilge alarm went off and when Aaron opened the engine door he saw the problem immediately.  The engine exhaust hose had come off spilling water into our bilge.  With the engine off, we threw the jib out halfway to stabilize the boat more and waited awhile for the engine to cool.  Valentina stayed with us the entire time, giving us radio support.  The best we could do sailing was a course of 280, the winds had died down to less than 5k.  We wallowed about while Aaron tried his best to reconnect the hose.  Its not easy to do this smelling fumes, in a closed hot engine room as the boat tosses about from side to side. It took almost two hours to fix,  and during this time our autopilot continued to fail, not enough wind, and at one time I thought we had lost steerage as our boat just rounded up by herself and wouldn't respond to me.  So, Aaron needing a break from the hot engine room, helped us get back on course well at least towards the west and not the east.  At 1100, the motor was back on and we set course for South Moho Cay. It was too late to go to Punta Gorda, (it is a day anchorage as it has no protection from winds,), so crossing our fingers we made our way north.  Upon approaching the cay, it was so small in size providing little protection from the NE and shallows on the south, coral heads on the northwest side.  Not liking this at all,  we consulted Sonny/Kay, and decided to head further north to New Haven, an anchorage protected from every wind but the SW, being only 8 mi further.  At 4pm, we sat happily at anchor in a beautiful spot.  And watching the sunset and the moonrise at the same time, which means it is a full moon according to Aaron, we reflected upon the trials of the day and the satisfaction of meeting the challenge

November 6,2006

Yesterday, Sonny came over to help Aaron with the windlass battery so while the men were at work, I decided to go kayaking, well as soon as I rounded our stern I saw Kay (Sonny's wife) in the water by her boat. I thought what a woman, she is cleaning the side of the boat.  I paddled over to her and realized she needed help back onboard Valentina.  She had just experienced a boat trauma,that is when something falls in the water, like a boat hook in her instance, and knowing how important it is, she had jumped after it hoping to get it before it sank.  She hadnt thought of how she would get back onboard, that is where I came in.  I saved her but the boat hook is on the bottom of New Haven anchorage. Being grateful she released rum n cokes and Kaija came over so it was a girl's afternoon while the men were aboard our boat trying to sort out batteries and engine hoses.  The women had a better time I'm sure.

 So, this morning, Aaron fixed the hose problem on the engine again and the gang decided to raise anchor and head for Placencia.  At 1pm, we motored out of the bay and raised sails enjoying an east breeze.  But, of course, the wind died and the sails flopped and flapped and with the engine on and sails once again furled we motored.  It was a 20 nm journey and on the way we passed jellyfish floating upon the water.  Just before sunset, we hailed Island Link on Ch 16 and here they were waiting for us.  Jeff & Cindy dinghied over to greet us while Kaija's Song and Valentina anchored. 

November 8, 2006

Days just seem to fly by and are full of activity.  We experienced no problems checking into Belize, and as usual no check in fees.  We provisioned lightly and left Placencia with Island Link heading northeast out to the reefs.  With the winds being northeast 10-15, we tacked our way north 20 mi and decided to anchor at Spruce Cay before 4pm. Upon our approach, 3 dolphin swam on our bow wake for over 10min. It was truly special as I tried to capture pictures of them swimming. Jim on Allegro came out to greet us and helped us in the challenging entrance into the anchorage.  This little island is surrounded by a reef with only a slight opening but in deep water to enter.   Once settled in, Tory & Barbara on Litbe invited us over for sundowners.  Information was passed around, between us four boats as to what areas to avoid, where the lobster were, and good snorkeling areas.  That evening in pitch blackness, the jellyfish put on a light show for us.  These little round balls of light pulse thru the water and floated on by.

Next day we snorkeled the reef south and Jeff & Cindy joined us.  Jeff is quite the skilled fishkiller, and with Cindy's help they speared 4 nice size fish. A mutton snapper, 2 hogfish and one grouper.  Dinner aboard Island Link that night was a fresh fish smorgasbord. We had never tasted hogfish before and was pleasantly surprised.  It is now what we look for. 

On the 10th, we motorsailed north up thru the channel and as we sailed by these little islands filled with hotel island resorts or homes but mostly they  were uninhabited mangrove cays.  We staged ourselves for our planned sail out to Turneffe the next day and anchored just inside the reef just north of the cut (a place where you can enter/exit the reef in deep water). The sound of the crashing surf lulled us to sleep.

November 10, 2006

Every morning at 615am,  I turn on the computer, switch on the SSB(single side band radio) and begin to receive weatherfaxes via NOAA in New Orleans for the next 45 min.  I also receive the Caribbean weather forecasts, satellite images, and buoy reports via my winlink software.  All I can't get is the super duper doppler radar. Being a novice meteorologist and armed with this info, I can roughly determine the weather in our area with a 50/50 chance of being right. About the same as those schooled professionals. In Belize, most days are sunny and 88 degrees.  At 8am, I turn the SSB to the Northwest Caribbean Net, a controlled radio program that assists boaters with helpful information starting with emergency or priority traffic then onto the weather, places to see or avoid, items for sell or needing to buy.  Everyone checks into the net with their boat name, their location and current weather conditions.  We keep in touch with other boaters this way also. Since leaving Placencia, Kaijas Song and Valentina have split going each their own way but we stay in touch each morning. 

 This morning, we are headed out to the atolls, of which there are three in Belize.  Turneffe, Lighthouse and Glovers. What is an atoll, you ask? An atoll is a coral island consisting of a reef surrounding a lagoon.  We are not able to visit Glovers because of the shallows that surround it, so our  first stop was Turneffe Reef, the largest of the three which stretches over 30 miles north to south and up to 10 miles east and west, covering a total area over 200 square miles. The weather was forecasted to be good for the next 5 days so we fired up the motor and followed Island Link out the cut.  The winds were out of the northeast at 15-20k and once out of the cut, we hoisted the main and threw out the jib and sailed the 8 miles to the island.  Once in the lee of Turneffe, the seas calmed down some and we tacked heading south along the shoreline.  We decided to anchor on the southwest side while Island Link took the channel thru to the lagoon since they only draw 4ft.  We spent the next three days there and loved it.

 We snorkeled the prettiest reef called Elbow Reef and Aaron and Jeff speared lobster and hogfish. Combining our supply of conch, we dinghied ashore, and with Jeff and Cindy's help, we learned how to clean conch the right way and how to scorch it (cut up in small pieces) for tonights dinner was conch ceviche.  If you don't know what ceviche is it is made by squeezing lime and sour oranges, dicing up tomatoes, green pepper, onion and perhaps something to give it some spice, like a scotch bonnet cut up. ( or perhaps no.) The juices actually cook the fresh conch and you enjoy the best salad the sea has to offer. Okay, lobster and crab salad are pretty good also.

 One day, we had lunch at the Turneffe Reef Island Lodge, a divers resort and dined on pizza along with the other guests.  It was nice to have a change from fresh fish, can you belize it?  The lodge and its grounds are kept meticulous as the natural beauty surrounds you; enticing you into the island life.  This lodge actually runs on island time (an hour earlier than the rest of Belize) so that they have a head start on the day diving before anyone else.  We met Uwe (pronounced You-veh), one of the owners  originally from Austria.  He has traveled extensively (44 stamps in his passport) and prior to running this resort, he was in Indonesia but the tsunami wiped out the place where he was working.  For a weeks stay here, room and board with 16 dives including the Blue Hole excursion, costs $2200.00

Uve welcomed us to take a walk around and even mentioned checking out the little island out south.  But, he said please take something for the dogs to eat as their owner had to go to Belize for health reasons and has since probably died.  So we did. I brought peanut butter and crackers and Jeff & Cindy brought the salty canned ham they didn't like.  It was a very small speck of land, but the owner had built two buildings and decorated them with various items that had washed ashore.  There was only one dog there, so he gladly ate everything we gave him.  We hung out there for awhile, then decided it was time to go and motored away.  Our boat was anchored 3/4 of a mile away and as we were enjoying sundowners, the dog began to howl and swam towards us.  Jeff picked him up in their dinghy and took him back home.  But, being lonely, the dog took off once more for BMA.  I radioed Uwe and told him what was happening, and I quote he said to go ahead and beat the dog and he will eventually return to his home and that the other three dogs were on an excursion.  Well, we couldn't do the beating part, but the dog did eventually turn around and head home.  We felt sad knowing that this dog's fate is dogmeat.

November 14, 2006

Another beautiful day greeted us, sunny and 88, but the winds were not being favorable to sail the 18 miles further west to Lighthouse Reef, and after checking the weather, we knew that a cold front was coming in three to four days.  Turneffe Island provides no protection from the north so we had to move on.  With the iron genny (motor) and just a main, we made the slog to Lighthouse and hooked onto a mooring ball temporarily to wait for Island Link who was actually sailing tacking back and forth, but they eventually gave up and motored in.  We looked down into the water and there were schools of fish, so we retrieved the fishing poles,  placed a piece of conch on the hook, and caught fish. As I remember,  it was like fishing on Highfill Lake, KS, where you catch fish one after another.  I caught a nice size Bermuda Chub and several  yellowtail snappers.

  It was all catch and release fun til we ran out of conch.  We then dropped the mooring and followed Island Link on into the anchorage looking out for coral heads.  Some of the coral heads reached the top surface of the water, and not wanting to ruin our day, we avoided them.  The afternoon session of hunting and gathering began after lunch, and again discovered the underworld beauty of reef life.  We snorkeled for over 2 hours.  Cindy and Jeff were on the western edge of the reef when Cindy encountered a blacktip mako shark staring directly at her.  Time to go.  We dinghied to shore, but the mosquitoes and no see-ums ran us off, so we decided to check out the dead tree halfway submerged in the water.  It was the perfect spot to clean conch and fish and we named it Tree Lanka.

We dined on fresh cracked conch and conch fritters that nite aboard BMA.  It is quite the process, but well worth it.  I use Panko bread crumbs and the breading is so nice and light; Absolutely delicious with some homemade cocktail sauce.

This reef is a popular dive spot and many liveaboard dive boats stay here for several days scuba diving the reef.  Cindy named this ship FUGLY. We agree.

November 15, 2006

This morning we decided to take a dinghy ride and circumnavigate the island of Long Cay, (How long is Long cay you ask? about 1.5mi long by .5 wide) which is part of Lighthouse Reef the smallest of the three atolls being overall 25nm long and 4.5nm wide.   We stopped at a beach and searched for coconuts. And then going further around, we stopped and snorkeled the northern tip.  Jeff, who has lived in Florida most of his life and grew up around water, shares his valuable knowledge with us. He has many thoughts and ponders alot.  He is nicknamed McGyver, after that character on the TV show.  He is always coming up with ways to construct things using natural materials or ways to improve on existing ideas.  We are always learning something more about waterworld the more we are around Jeff & Cindy.  Cindy, is a native Puerto Rican, fluent in Spanish, and has a marvelous energy about her.  We have thoroughly enjoyed spending time with these two and know we will always stay in touch when our paths divide. 

Later in the afternoon with good light, we raise anchors and motor around to the southeast side for protection from the cold front that will arrive here tomorrow afternoon.

November 16, 2006

This morning after the net check in, we head out south and snorkel the reefs there.  Aaron speared his first strawberry grouper, as the name applies it is strawberry in color and spotted. Good eatin, too!  The wind changed direction more to the northwest and kicked up the seas so we headed in.  Our friends Sonny & Kay on Valentina and Tom & Patty on Liberty had decided to make the trip out here from Bluefield Range some 40 miles away and at 3pm, we hailed them on the VHF.  Sonny answered the call, and was still 15 mi away.  Liberty was closer and in sight so we maintained radio contact from then on out til they were anchored.  They were not able to enter the reef on the west side, the winds were more northerly at 25k gusting to over 30 and with daylight fading they had to anchor on the northeast side.  Aaron and Jeff  had made a dinghy trip and sounded the channel down the eastern side of Long cay in order to help them out,  but came across a 5 ft shoal extending from the island out to the reef.  They were not able to make it around the island to where we were in protected waters and had to sit out the cold front passage in rough waters on the northern tip.  We felt bad for them and worried about their safety all night.   Everyone kept the VHF on Ch 17 throughout the nite just in case.

November 17, 2006  Clarence Ralston's 82nd birthday

Happy Birthday to Aaron's Dad.  Rosemary and Clarence live in Emporia, KS, where Aaron grew up.  Our thoughts are with them today.

The cold front passage kept us checking our boat's holding and others throughout the night. High winds and rain caused us to open and shut the hatch. We were holding good, Aaron had put out two anchors yesterday so no worries there. In the morning, we hailed our friends and in a tired and weary voice they answered that they had survived the night, but were looking forward to anchoring by us in calmer waters.  It was still blowing a steady 25k and seas were rough as they slowly made their way around and thru the reef and with relief anchored safely by us by 10:30am.  Knowing that rest was first on their list, Jeff & Cindy and us dinghied ashore and Jeff commenced cracking open coconuts with his machete.  (Aaron has machete envy now.) The green coconuts hold the juice and Cindy poured it into a container mixed with a little bit of rum.  Oh, it was a delicious concoction.  More please.  We brought back some coconut meat and invited everyone over to BMA for a fish fry.  We had fresh grouper that needed to be ate since it wasnt freezing (bummer) in our freezer.  Local fishermen came by at 5pm and sold us 10 lobster for $20, 2 beers and a pack of cigerettes.  Lobster is for tomorrow's dinner. 

 Grating the fresh coconut in with the panko bread crumbs and frying half the catch this way, I had marinated the other half in olive oil, garlic, soy and vinegar (Cindy's receipe).  Cindy brought over lobster bisque and Kay and Patty brought appetizers.  It was a great night in conversation and casual island dining.

November 18, 2006   Marie Highfill's 75th birthday

Today is my mom's 75th birthday and we wish her a very special day back home in Gardner, KS. 

The winds continue to blow.  The forecast says it will blow til late next week, so we are now planning on being here for Thanksgiving.  Not a bad place to be.  The girls are already planning the meal with whatever food stuffs we have onboard.  The fresh veggies are gone, so it's time to get creative with cans.

At 715 am, our generator just quit, just like that.  Oh no bad news that is.  Aaron let the generator cool down and enjoyed his coffee before checking into the problem.  There wasn't any water output out the stern hose, so Aaron checked the impeller, it was still good, and the strainer wasn't clogged.  Jeff came over and dived down and checked to make sure the thruhull  and strainer wasn't clogged on the outside.  No cloggage there.  The next step was to take off the strainer hose and spraying pressurized water thru it, we were able to unclog the hose,  (could of been some turtle grass caught up in there.)  What a relief that it was something simple.

The men are now out snorkeling the reef while the women stay in relishing the quiet and alone time.

The men were successful in their hunting/gathering mode.  No one came back empty handed and they made us women proud.  Aaron brought home two nice size hogfish, more for the freezer!

November 19, 2006

The wind continues to blow and after the morning radio routine, the weather guru says it is going to continue to blow and to blow even stronger in the next few days.

So, what do we do? We make water.  Our boat is totally sufficient, and island to itself.  We installed a Sea Recovery unit,  which converts saltwater into freshwater, before we left Florida that makes 30 gal per hour, but of course, the generator , a Northern Lights 5KW, has to be running to do this.  And its best to be in clear clean water.  We usually run it two times a week for 2 hours each time.  Our water tankage holds 200 gallons.  So, we don't have to conserve water like we used to, which is truly nice.  But we do carry a spare water supply just in case the tanks get contaminated.   The generator is a vital part of our sufficiency.  Our refrigeration/freezer runs on 110v, so it needs to be cooled twice a day.  So when we crank up the generator, an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening, we cool down the refrigerator/freezer.  At that same time, we also charge our batteries.

We installed 2 solar panels that are attached to the top area of our dinghy davits.  Each of these panels are 110 watts, but count on 80% of that, or about 15 amps on a good sunny day.  In this way, we can charge our batteries throughout the day,  which allows us to run the icemaker. The icemaker is one of our favorite things aboard. It sits on top of the counter (15"X14"x17") and  makes a tray of ice every 6 minutes. I know, all the comforts of home, which Blow Me Away is to us.

November 23, 2006  Thanksgiving Holiday   

Here we are in a beautiful island anchorage, safe and protected, and thankful for so many things.  Family, good friends, good health, a good life, and a generator that runs.

Yesterday, the Lighthouse Reef cruisers went ashore to clean up the beach area, made a fire and burnt some trash.  Jeff and Tom made a table out of wood found on shore to set up our Thanksgiving feast upon.  A couple of games were also constructed; conch toss, which is like horseshoes except you throw a conch shell towards the stake.  And conch on a string in which you try to hook the conch which is attached to the end of the string to a small branch on a tree. Truly challenging.  The men being sensitive to us womens needs even made a bathroom area.  It was a fun day getting ready for the Thanksgiving feast. We all carved our boat names on a log to mark the occasion. 

 The women pooled resources and had come up with an exceptional menu; Jeff & Cindy went in early today and cleaned 4 conch and made their excellent conch ceviche to start the day, next was assorted cheeses and summer sausage shaped in the form of a turkey, then onto the main course of chicken on the grill,  (we had ovencooked a whole bird and basted it with a  mixture of kahlua and mango jam), corn, green beans, stuffing,  gravy, potato frittata, fresh baked Hawaiian sweet bread, and for dessert, a pumpkin pie (Patty) and a pecan pie (Kay), the best pies ever made at Lighthouse Reef.  We were all stuffed and happy american turkeys in the middle of nowhere. 

 And who should come along but a native Belizian named Randolph, in his homemade canoe,  who had sailed from Belize City with four other fisherman on a small 25ft boat.  They had been out for 10 days trying to catch as many fish and other seafood in order to save money up for Christmas.  We offered him a plate of food and drink and he visited with us explaining his fishing life.  Octupus is his favorite, when it is skinned properly and cooked up into a soup.  Rockfish is salted and hung up to dry out on the lines of the boat and it gets so tender this way, and to put it in his words, "It is good mon."  At sundown, the no-see-ums came out in full force and we all packed fast and scurried back to our boats.  On the way, Randolph speared a lobster just right off shore of the beach and gave it to Sonny & Kay.  There was just enough time in the day to gather at Island Link for one more drink and to play the game, Pass the Pigs.  This is a game where you have 2 little miniature pigs and you throw them.  Whatever positions they end up in, there are points awarded and whoever has the most points win. Sonny, a real HAM, came up the winner.  It was truly a Thanksgiving to remember.

November 24, 2006

My radio debut as the Northwest Caribbean net controller began today.  Kay had volunteered me as well as her and Sonny to be on the list of alternates to help fill in.  My name being first on the list afforded me the lucky slot on Fridays. And now, Sonny has control on Wednesdays.

Now I am shy and have been coming out of my shell these past 40 some years and having to talk on the radio is not my favorite thing.  As a truckdriver, I hardly ever talked on the CB, only when necessary.  Earlier this year before leaving Florida, I studied and received my HAM license just so that we could get winlink email software in order to  communicate directly from the boat.  I learned alot of valuable info, (morse code for one) and glad that I have my license,  winlink is great.  As we sailed down the Mexico and Belize coast earlier this year, I finally got the guts up to check in with the NW Caribbean net and give our position and weather.  That was another big step for me.  And now to be in charge of Fridays as net controller of the NW Carib net is a huge step.  Everyone says I have a good radio voice, don't know what that means exactly, but if they like it , it's all good.  Except that I sweat profusely and my nerves are on edge the entire time.  Today, the net was 40 minutes long, it seemed longer.  (one of the longest nets ever) lots of fill ins with the weather, and relays which since it is a large area to cover, relays are essential in order to reach everyone.  After the net was over and I had signed off the air, support came in from other listeners giving me a pat on the back for a job well done.  And now, I have six more days until my second run at it.

The generator isnt running properly and the men have all come over to begin the process of elimination and figure out the problem of why it runs irregularly.  Four heads are better than one, and since the winds continue to blow, there isn't anything better to do.  And Aaron & I are appreciative of our friends taking the time to figure out the mystery. Is it an air or a fuel problem? Aaron had changed the filters, and it wasn't the fuel line or the pickup. Checked out the primary filter and it was like tar on the bottom of it, so after cleaning it and reinstalling, the generator runs like a top.  Thank you, Jeff, Sonny and Tom.  Need ice?

November 25, 2006

This is our last day here at Lighthouse Reef atoll and as I look back upon our 10 days here, it has been a very special time.  Being out in such a remote, isolated place was so peaceful and the scenery surrounding us was truly idyllic.  I hate to leave here and only wish to return soon. Many memories were made, sharing time with good friends. Besides the ones mentioned already here's  a few more: the evening get together on Liberty (Tom & Patty) to watch a Jimmy Buffet concert on DVD, the field trip to the island and walking the beach and the interior, gathering coconuts and delighting in the fresh juice mixed with rum, and eating the jelly (the soft meat), kayaking with Cindy, enjoying Aaron's fresh baked cinnamon rolls and the delicious lobster etoufee onboard Valentina (Kay & Sonny).

November 26, 2006

The wind has let up some and is shifting more to the east , with rain squalls passing by, the lighthouse net consensus after listening to the weather was to leave and head for Turneffe (Valentina voted to stay and wait for better weather); so we made the attempt to leave but found ourselves in conditions unfavorable, 20-25k northwinds and choppy seas so we turned around and asked Sonny/Kay if we could come back home.  After anchoring, we started watching LOST, the TV series about an airplane that crashes onto an island and the story of the survivors trials and tribulations.   We got hooked and every evening we would watch an entire CD, four episodes (40 min each). After a couple of hours, Jeff hails us on the radio to bring to our attention that the wind had lessened to 10k and shifted like it was suppose to to the east, so everyone agreed (Valentina also) to try again.  This time was better, the seas had calmed down and the winds were northeast 15k, we sailed the 18 miles to Turneffe.  The anchorage wasnt the best due to the northeast winds and little protection from them, but doable.

November 27, 2006

 Up early and underway by 730, we said our so longs to Liberty.  Tom & Patty are headed back to the Rio and then to the states for the holidays.  Our little flotilla then had a great sail back and thru the reef at Glory Cut and had to motorsail north.  We anchored at Water Cay and Jeff & Cindy dingied ashore to visit a friend who is building a resort on this island.  He wasnt there, so we decided to move to a better protected anchorage and found one at Shag Bogue after traveling 30 miles altogether. I had made chicken tortilla soup underway and invited everyone over for dinner. A great anchorage means great sleep. Much needed after the night before at Turneffe.

November 28, 2006

A beautiful sunny day greets us and on we go to Caye Caulker.  We enjoyed one of the better sails we've had. When we reached Port o Stuck we dropped sails and motored through. Island Link led the way and sounded depths back to us and Valentina.  The pucker factor was rising as the depthsounder showed 5'8" and we bumped a bit but was able to keep going looking for deeper water.

We arrived at Caye Caulker early, 1pm, and while the others went ashore, we stayed onboard just awhile more.  I wasn't looking forward to civilization and all that it encompasses.  I believe it's called the Blues.  The serenity of our lives was just about to be changed and I don't like it.  I am happier just out and away and enjoying nature, our boat, and the islands.   After listening to Michael Franti's CD "yellfire" and a rum and coke or two, we were ready. We met the group at the Lazy Lizard and socialized.

 We ate dinner at the Rasta Pasta with Jeff & Cindy, the last time we ate out at a restaurant was over 2 weeks ago. It was nice to be waited on and enjoying a hot meal with no cleanup duties afterward.  On the dinghy ride home, we stopped by Queen Mary, (Brenda & Gene and Mom) and was entertained by this singing duo.  Brenda plays keyboard and Gene plays the bass guitar.  They both sing and their musical talent and conversation was a fun way to end the evening.

November 30, 2006

Yesterday we followed Island Link north to San Pedro, only 8 miles away.  San Pedro is on Ambergris island and is a what they call a "tourist trap".  Lots of people come here on vacation and the streets are full of white people from the north sporting white skin soon to be red and sunburned, some are covering up their sunburn after their first day of full sun, there are  golf carts whizzing by, lots of restaurants and bars,  street vendors, and young children selling necklaces so that they can buy their schoolbooks.  We spent 3 weeks here back in June and know the place pretty well.  Jeff and Cindy were in the process of preparing to leave on the morrow and sail to Ixcalak, Mexico and on up northwards heading for home in Florida. Sundowners were onboard Island Link for the last time and sadness of the pending departure filled the air. We were given Island Link T-shirts and we gave them a CD of pictures of our time together. The world famous "Chicken Drop" was happening tonite and since Jeff & Cindy had never seen this event, we made our way to the Pier Lounge.  The "Chicken Drop" is a betting game where you draw numbers out of a bowl,(1-99) for a $1 each, and outside is a ring with a net around a board filled with the numbered spaces.  A chicken is then released into the ring and wherever the shit hits, that number wins.  We pooled our money together and took our bets and luckily we came up a winner of $50 dollars.

The nite was still early so we continued the party at Wet Willies.  Aaron had met the owner, Christen and her daughter at the drop, and they had invited us over.  The dance floor was empty when we got there, so since we had our dancing shoes on we made ourselves welcomed on the floor.  The DJ was thankful for the enthusiasm we were displaying and gave us hats and a free lunch coupon.  It was ladies nite, all ladies get in free and given free shots.  I think they were kamikazes. ( Aptly named).  It was getting rather late or early in the morning, whichever way you look at it, so we called it a nite and staggered back to our dinghies.  On the way, we stopped and ate a plate of BBQ chicken, cole slaw and bread that a local was serving up. We had worked up quite an appetite and devoured it all.

Sadly, it was time to say so long to Jeff & Cindy and to part ways for awhile.  We will miss their company, but thoroughly enjoyed the time we shared in Belizian waters. The next day, amazingly, they raised anchor and sailed away with a welcomed east wind and a parting sorrow in our hearts. 

Going ashore later, we ran into Sonny/Kay who had hitched a ride onboard Queen Mary (Brenda & Gene & Momma) for a day in San Pedro.  And what a nice surprise, Kaija is with them also.  We were headed back to the boat with our bags full of provisions so we set a time to meet for lunch.  We had lunch at Carambas, and  devoured a great chicken burrito, and caught up with the latest news with Kaija, who we had last seen in Placencia.  These three then hitched a ride back with us to Caye Caulker.  Gary stopped by with Doc (a sweet rotweiller) to say hi and made plans to get together manana.  Tonite we stay in and rest.