Guatemala 2022

I had high hopes of sailing from Belize to Guatemala but it would always be difficult with a maximum 4 knots of wind!

There is a sand bar across the entrance to the Rio Dulce at Livingston, and the only way across is take the sea buoy to port side and head 225° while watching the depth gauge. Once across the bar and into Livingston harbour it’s time to drop anchor and wait for the delegation of officials to arrive to clear the boat and all crew into the country.

I stayed for two nights and then set off at sunrise to explore the amazing gorge of Rio Dulce, in the header photograph, and arrive 22nm upriver at Fronteras. Although Guatemala is firmly inside the Atlantic hurricane zone, Fronteras is considered hurricane safe as it’s so far inland. I’ve only just realised that Fronteras is now affectionately known as Rio Dulce, and many boats stay here for the season. I am booked into Seabatical marina, seen here in the photograph, and will use it as a safe base for a trip to the UK and some Central America land travel, and to complete a list of jobs in readiness for a Pacific crossing in 2023.

I have a flight booked to arrive at London Gatwick on the first Wednesday in July, and my first priority is to set the Express Passport renewal process in motion, and then a Boys Weekend in London with Alec & Elliot.

The boat is clean and tidy, my bag is packed and I have my ticket for the midnight bus to Guatemala City, so my last July evening in Guatemala is at the Backpackers Hostel alongside the Rio Dulce Bridge with a Gallo beer or two.

Just before midnight, friend Rob took me over the bridge and into town to the bus station. I stood with many local people waiting patiently when I realised I had left my jacket (complete with passport and mobile) in his car! So I ran back over the bridge (complete with luggage) back to Seabatical marina where I still had just enough breath to shout for Rob, who then took me back into town where the bus was waiting. I’m now in Guatemala City airport….thanks to Rob!

It is now six days since I landed at London Gatwick airport and began enjoying the glorious English summer weather of 2022. I’ve had a Boys Weekend in London watching three Wimbledon finals in outdoor locations, including the Ladies Final on Regents Canal in the photo. I have sent my chart plotter to Raymarine for repair, and I’ve been shopping down Oxford Street. But the biggest challenge has been to organise a UK passport renewal in a time of high demand…the standard process is taking up to 12 weeks, so I opted for the high cost express service which requires an interview at one of a number of UK locations. It seemed impossible to get an appointment online until I was offered….Belfast!

Ireland has been on my bucket list of travel destinations for too long. I look forward to visiting both Irish countries and returning with a new ten year passport.

My passport interview went fine but my new passport, along with my old passport, will be posted to my England address so I won’t be able to visit Dublin….I will just have to visit Dublin another time.

I have enjoyed Belfast…I did a city walk called A Walk with Terror which filled in some the gaps in my knowledge even though I grew up watching the news items about the Irish Troubles. The tour guide had an obvious bias, but was very interesting and informative. I then visited the Titanic Experience built in the yard where the Titanic herself was built.  Then I took a coach trip along the Causeway Coastal Route to the Giant’s Causeway and along the way visited Carrickfergus Castle, Portaneevey in the photograph looking across the Irish Sea, and the Dark Hedges made famous in The Game of Thrones. It was a fabulous day trip among some beautiful scenery.

Tomorrow I will fly to East Midlands Airport to spend a few days in and around my home city Nottingham visiting friends.

This was my longest stay in Nottingham which gave me a chance to look around my hometown of Beeston and Nottingham city centre itself. I used the recently built electric tram system to travel between Beeston and Nottingham, and I just had to go see another Nottingham boy, Robin Hood!
I met two guys, Ady & Steve, who I did my apprenticeship with from 1970 – 1974. A group of friends from Bramcote Hills Technical Grammar School have been meeting for many years and especially while I was visiting the UK, and this was the first time we met for a mid-week lunch because we’re all retired now! Finally, I met a guy, Malcolm who I worked with at Van Leer during the 1990’s. Altogether, there was some reminiscing, much retirement planning and some discussion about ailments, aches and pains!

I stayed in Nottingham for an extra day because of national rail strikes before travelling to Hull, a trip which now includes a night on the town with Marvin and his gang. Marvin is not his real name….it’s his second Facebook account when his main account is in Facebook prison! My main task in Hull was to order boat stuff from my best friend Kildale Marine but the highlight of my trip was to sit in Humber Dock pub on Hull marina to watch the England Lionesses beat Germany in the Euro Women’s Euro 2022 Football Final at Wembley

The image here was downloaded from the internet for the world to see!

It’s now 1st August, and tomorrow I will travel back down to London.

The weather is fabulous and London is the greatest capital city in the world. I have a myriad of little tasks to complete and friends to meet and an Instagram photograph to find and post! In reverse order, I found some pretty scenery around Little Venice and posted the photo  here.

As well as a couple of breakfast chats with my eldest son, Alec I caught up with sailing friends Vic & Clare , Cynthia, Alice, Suzy and Jan…and an amazing day at Windsor Castle with David & Lindsey who were, themselves travelling to the UK.
Amazingly, of all the boat stuff I need it is the crazy price of South Pacific island courtesy flags that is causing concern, and so I may buy some white flag material and fabric paints..…and last, but not least, I now have my new ten year UK passport in my hand!

 I’m nearly ready to return to Guatemala!

I have returned to chilly Hull…while it was 30°c+ in London earlier this week it is just 18°c in Hull. I have spent many hours in Kildale marine organising parts to take back to Guatemala, and as one part is long I bought a ski bag to carry it, and other parts, and realised that I needed yet another bag. So I went to Blacks to buy a 70L backpack. While I normally organise air travel through travel apps, especially Kiwi.com, I’m using a recommended travel agent to organise the trip “home”….I have a suitcase, ski bag and backpack with a total weight of 55kg, there are no direct UK to Guatemala City flights and airlines have different baggage rules. 
Meanwhile it’s great to be back around my old home, Hull marina, seen here in the photo, and to visit the Minerva pub and catch up with friends Alan Bayston, Deanna and, of course, Marvin and the gang. However, all good things must come to an end and I expect to be back in Rio Dulce next week, the last full week of August.

It is now my last full day in London and the UK….and it’s raining! There’s an official drought and hosepipe ban in London but the entrance to the Bakerloo line at Paddington station was closed this morning because of flooding! There are no direct UK flights to Guatemala City so I’m flying Avianca airline via Bogota, and Colombia demand a negative PCR test result. I’ve just taken the test near to Covent Garden and, fingers crossed, I’ll get the negative test result by midnight tonight.

I’m now the proud owner of a negative PCR test result and the hotel will store my luggage until I need to travel to Heathrow. At the final moment I decided to damn the cost and take an Uber to Heathrow because the thought of walking to Paddington station with 55kg of luggage was just too unpleasant! At Heathrow I was first in the queue to check in which took longer than usual because of the ski bag, but with all three bags checked through to Guatemala City I was free to go into the Business Class lounge….have I forgotten to say that I booked Business Class? It is expensive but it’s not my money, it’s the Boy’s. They’ll just get less at the end! The advantages were the baggage allowance, the airport lounges at Heathrow and Bogotá, and seat 1A which transformed into a bed at the touch of a button. Aurora Airport in Guatemala City was very efficient…just a few minutes to get my luggage, and although Customs wanted to see inside the ski bag they were quickly satisfied with my explanation and the boat documentation I had with me. So I was soon in the taxi with Otto the driver, and 23 hours after leaving London I snoozed for most of the five hours back to Seabatical marina in Rio Dulce.

 I’m now back “home” and I’ve already joined other cruisers at my first Margherita Monday!

While I certainly wouldn’t buy nor read any UK newspaper as politically opinionated, fear mongering trash is not my scene, it is easy to use free news Apps to see what’s headline news. In September, the world was already struggling with interlinked financial crises, energy cost hikes and the continuing Russian invasion of Ukraine. The covid pandemic is now yesterdays news, despite some countries ongoing difficulties….real or perceived. Meanwhile, the UK ushered in a new Prime Minister, as Queen Elizabeth II invited Liz Truss to form a new government on Tuesday 6th September, as seen in the photograph taken from the internet. Then, as you will already know, on Thursday 8th September 2022, Queen Elizabeth II passed away, aged 96, to end 70 years on the throne. While I write I remain shocked and saddened, and I’m busy planning to fly back to London just to immerse myself in the ethereal atmosphere of her funeral…quite probably the most significant national event of my lifetime.

My return to London began with an awful 13 hour bus journey instead of the usual 6 hour trip, and then my two night Airbnb booking in Guatemala City was reduced to one night because of an error somewhere in the booking process. However, I did witness some of the Guatemala Independence Day celebrations in the old town of Zone 1, and I was able to book a night in another apartment very close by and then take a quick Uber to the airport in the morning. The flights to Gatwick via Cancun were uneventful thankfully and I used my early morning arrival to spend some time in St James’s Park. By the afternoon London was becoming incredibly busy in the Buckingham Palace area.

The predicted time for the queue to see the Queen lying in state was fluctuating wildly and thought I may not be able to take part until very late in the evening when it was down to 12 hours…so I set the alarm to leave early morning to start queuing at 7am. The underground train from Swiss Cottage to Bermondsey quickly became packed with fellow “queuers” all wondering whether we were doing the right thing! I soon got to know Wendy sitting next to me and Lauren sitting opposite, and we walked to the start of the queue…and then spent the whole day together like long lost friends. We then got to know the people around us, and the 9 hours 40 minutes of queuing passed far easier than I had ever imagined.

The photo here was taken from the live cam in the hall, and my experience of viewing Queen Elizabeth II lying in state will never be repeated, and especially as we witnessed the changing of the guard and then the arrival of US President Joe Biden and his entourage. We decided to complete our special day with a bottle of English Chapel Down sparkling wine…as served at William & Kate’s wedding in 2011.

Again, despite tiredness, I was up early to go to Hyde Park to watch the funeral being shown on six big screens. An estimated 150 thousand people were in the crowd who held a perfect two minutes of silence followed by a beautiful round of applause. 

The pomp and ceremony, sadness and sorrow, and reminiscing and joy was everything I needed and wanted. Thank you ma’am!

Over the next few days I went to Southampton International Boat Show, Sir John Soane’s museum in Lincoln’s Inn Fields, lunch with my eldest son, Alec and then on my last day in London, had my iPhone stolen in Waterstones cafe in Trafalgar Square….followed by a mad dash to Apple Covent Garden to block the account, buy a new iPhone 14, download my data from the iCloud and get a new mobile SIM from Vodafone Covent Garden.

The journey back from Covent Garden via Heathrow, Mexico City and Guatemala City airports and a bus ride to Rio Dulce took about 34 hours….and I still haven’t finished reading The Count of Monte Cristo, although I did pass Page 900. Only 300 to go!

”….a light yacht, cleanly and elegantly shaped, was slipping through the first mists of evening. Its movements were that of a swan opening its wings to the wind appearing to glide across the water.”  
The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas

I’m now back in Seabatical marina with my endless list of stuff I want and need to do before leaving Guatemala at the end of the hurricane season. Hurricane Ian has just devastated both Cuba and Florida, and I realise the beauty of Rio Dulce, a hurricane safe haven in the midst of the Atlantic hurricane zone.

It is now early October, and it’s Central America’s turn to be threatened with Tropical Storm Julia which is currently north of the Colombia coast heading west to Nicaragua, and forecast to land as a hurricane. The remnants of the hurricane will travel inland, to include Guatemala, bringing huge rainfall and consequential flooding to Rio Dulce. The water level rose less than anticipated but still caused power cuts, flooding to local housing and displaced wildlife from its normal habitat…which is probably why I found a gray four-eyed opossum foraging around inside the boat and eating an apple!

The lettuce won!

One of the most exciting things about Guatemala is that I’m not in the UK while the third Prime Minister in six weeks has just been announced!

It is now November which should be my last full month in Rio Dulce as I hope to leave sometime in December as the hurricane season ends. But at this very moment Hurricane Lisa is hurtling towards Belize, far enough away to cause Rio Dulce just some cloudy days and a drop of rain. This is the boat in Seabatical marina.
I’m waiting for a dinghy and batteries to arrive from the US, and in the meantime I hope to fly to Costa Rica for a yoga & surf retreat on the Pacific coast. I have also bought a ukulele which ought to sound as nice as it looks in the right pair of hands….one day it may just be me!

I have decided to continue sailing in the western Caribbean in 2023, as I seemed to be rushing to get down to Panama and into the Pacific without visiting the places I had wanted to see before the pandemic stopped the party. So I will sail through to mid-year and then leave my boat in Cartagena, Colombia to do some land travel around South America before heading through the Panama Canal at the year end.

Just a few days ago Hurricane Nicole hit the east coast of Florida, and now there’s no forecast storm activity in the Atlantic hurricane zone. Boats have already left Rio Dulce heading to Mexico or the Bay Islands of Honduras. I will stay through to December, and in the meantime I’m flying to Costa Rica in a few days time.

A seven hour bus trip to Guatemala City, a pleasant night in an Airbnb in Zone 4 and an incident free 75 minute flight found me in San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. I had booked three nights at the Selina San José hostel which itself is a fabulous place to stay, but I found the city to be most underwhelming.

Next is a six hour shuttle to Santa Teresa on the Pacific coast where I had booked Pura Vida Surf for six nights including six yoga classes and four surf lessons. Although it has rained heavily every day the surf lessons with Santa Teresa born, Allan have been fabulous and I’m looking forward to my final lesson today. Yoga classes are taken at Believe and Nautilus resorts, both of which have extensive seven day programs from dawn till dusk. I learn something new from every new yoga instructor, and sometimes just how tough yoga can be!

All good things must come to an end and I was soon in a taxi taking me to Tambor Airport which is actually a desk outdoors and an airstrip for twin engined light aircraft. The short takeoff and 25 minute flight over the Gulf of Nicoya was exhilarating, and we were soon landing at San José Airport. But I had been unable to book my preferred flight out of Tambor, and now had an eight hour wait in the airport….so I watched two World Cup football matches! The flight back to Guatemala City was uneventful and I booked an Uber to take me out of the city to Antigua Guatemala where I had booked a room at the Purpose Hostel, arriving late evening.

Antigua Guatemala is a fabulous city with a history and location to match. Surrounded by volcanoes, one of which regularly puffs out fire and smoke, the city has retained its cobblestone streets and old buildings which hide the shops, bars and restaurants inside. It would be quite easy to walk by Starbucks without realising the interior beauty that the worlds biggest coffee store chain has created, sympathetic to the centuries old city of Antigua Guatemala.

The weather was beautiful, and I was able to wander the streets photographing the sights until I had completed my usual task of creating an Instagram post, and unsurprisingly, with six photographs.

I found two yoga studios where I was able to try for the first time both classical Hatha and Yin yoga classes. I found a bar to watch more World Cup matches, including England vs Wales, and I decided to book two further nights which allowed me to take a day trip to Lake Atitlan, a stunning location as shown in the photograph.

I had booked a shuttle bus from Antigua to Rio Dulce which picked me up at the hostel at 4am to ensure we missed any rush hour traffic in Guatemala City, even though it was Sunday. There were two Canadian couples on the bus who were backpacking around Guatemala and heading to Rio Dulce for a few days. The journey took just six and a half hours including two rest stops and a delay at some road works. It was a record bus trip for me!

 It’s now December and I’m back in Rio Dulce still waiting for parts to be delivered from the US and the UK, and a list of small jobs to do.

The boat batteries arrived earlier this week and are fitted, and the parcel from the UK is on its way to Guatemala. More importantly, Christmas Day dinner is booked for a group of us at Dreamcatcher Eco Lodge.

We had a great Seabatical Christmas Eve party. Christmas Day dinner was fabulous. New Year’s Eve at Sundog with boat-buying sailing friend, Dave was a great way to end the year.

The fireworks at midnight were loud, and the first sunrise of 2023 was cloudy!