16:06N 88:16W

 

Our 2012/13 Caribbean season began as the last one ended, with a bump.  Yeap...that darn sandbar at the mouth of the Rio Dulce bar got us again!  Let’s hope the rest of the season is smooth sailing. 

 

We had a fun five months off the boat – three months in New Zealand working and catching up with friends and family and two months spent travelling in Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala including three weeks of total immersion Espanol in Antigua. 

 

We got back to Bandit late November, antifouled and polished and splashed and headed over to Tortugal Marina to work on those endless jobs that go hand in hand with cruising.   Tortugal is a gorgeous place to be with great facilities including a fantastic open air bar over the water which catches the afternoon breeze.....not that we had much time to sit and enjoy it, we seemed to work from dawn ‘til dusk.  Our target was the high tide of December 10 but as usual....things conspired against us.  On a test run to Lago Izabel we discovered our turbo charger had seized.  Despite being told it was a “three to five day” service to get the thing to Guatemala City, repaired and back......it took nine.  Hmmm nothing like GMT (Guatemala Maybe Time). 

 

We filled our days provisioning, putting sails back on, getting systems up and running and constantly cleaning inside and outside (five months of accumulated grime).  Oh we did fit in a few social days with David’s distant relatives Wendy and Peter who have a magnificent complex on the river......amazing house, pool, boats etc. 

 

Finally our charger arrived and we got it installed in record time and headed down to Livingstone on the afternoon of December 14th, hoping the tide would still be high enough for us to cross safely.  As the high tide was in the dark we booked a pilot who could guide us.  The channel here is unmarked and unlit and strewn with fishing nets.  Despite guiding us through the deepest part of the channel we ran aground.  The Rio Dulce is unusually low – about 10cms below normal  – and we needed those 10cms.  Bandit is full to the brim with provisions along with the odd cayuca (dug out hardwood canoe).  A stressful hour and we were through and anchored on the other side of the bay by 10pm.  We fell into bed and slept like babies.

 

Next day we motored up to Lime Cay – the southernmost Belize Cay.  There was not a breath of wind and the only exciting moment was catching a big barracuda.....which we let go.  Not sure whether we will head from here over to the Belize mainland to clear in or head for Roatan in the Honduras Bay Islands.  We will keep an eye on the weather and make our minds up tomorrow.  Have had our first swim of the season in the 28degree water.....and it was every bit as good as we remembered it.