Guatemala again…2025

Francesco and I motored up river, although we could have sailed, because I wanted to arrive at Mar Marine around sunset.

We arrived on time, and although I had to move the boat the next morning, I began to acquaint Francesco with every aspect of the Wildbeast. In reality, this is likely to take two or three days before we agree on common ground to proceed with the administrative activities.

The feature photograph above is an old photograph taken of the bridge over the Rio Dulce.

I spent a total of ten full days including a Sea Trial acquainting Francesco with every single detail of the boat. I thought this was excessive, and not without some disagreements about the process. However, Francesco is a fabulous guy and an experienced sailor, and I’m pleased that the Wildbeast will ultimately go to a great home. Catherine, friend and yacht broker, agreed to guide us through the paperwork, starting with a Purchase Agreement and followed by a Letter of Intent which was accepted by Guatemalan Customs. A deposit was then paid and a formal out-of-the water inspection completed and accepted. The notarised Bill of Sale had to be adjusted for a couple of errors which could have caused future problems, and the process is close to completion when a Bill of Sale and the boat keys are exchanged for the cash balance. The sale should be complete in the final week of March. I will then formally cancel the UK boat registration and Francesco will register the Wildbeast under a Polish flag and under a new name…SY Lila! The photograph below was taken during the formal, and fabulous, Sea Trial on the Rio Dulce.

I have moved into a room in Mar Marine to allow Francesco to move onboard and begin some of the work he wants to complete…even though the boat still belongs to me! My biggest task now is deciding what to take back to the UK…and certainly will not need so many shorts and t-shirts. I should be ready to fly back to the UK sometime in April.

There was a slight glitch in the deposit of the final payments. It is now resolved but we lost a week in closing the deal. Meanwhile, I travelled by bus to Flores, and will visit the Mayan ruins at Tikal.

The photograph above is one of many sunset shots I took on my first evening in Flores.

The Sunset Tour of Tikal was awesome. I hadn’t realised that the Mayan ruins are so widespread, but still only 20% of the original site. The remaining 80% will remain overgrown so as not to disturb the jungle vegetation and its wildlife.

The photograph above is just one of the many temples of Tikal, and the one seen on the Sunset Tour.

The sale of the Wildbeast is now final and complete, but Francesco’s ongoing war of attrition has continued, and even though the boat is officially his, he is still pressing for me to do tasks that he wants done! So I have broken all ties to force him to take responsibility. However, the Wildbeast will be officially renamed, Lila and re-registered under the Polish flag and so truly ending an era. I wish Francesco, Giorgio and Lila many happy adventures!

 In the meantime, I’m now officially homeless for the first time in my life! It’s April Fool’s Day, and my flight back to the UK is booked for Monday 7th April. But first I will take a trip down Memory Lane to stay a night in Cayo Quemado later this week.

The photograph above is Castillo San Felipe on the Rio Dulce.

Last night I finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, which is the 350th book I’ve read in my eleven years of seafaring. I will start reading North Woods by Daniel Mason but I’m unlikely to finish it before I leave Guatemala next week.

In the hotel & restaurant, La Isla Dulce I just chilled out and chatted with the owners, Douglas & Darija, and Chloe joined us with her newly expanded family of four for homemade ice cream.

I’m back in Rio Dulce for my last weekend in Guatemala, and I’m so looking forward to new adventures involving a narrow boat and a backpack!