Adventures with David & Gail

Sweet water! - After clearing in and getting our stuff, we pulled out of Livingston around noon and headed up the Rio Dulce through the Gorge. This is the entrance into the Rio and is about 10 miles long and 100 yards across. With river current flowing against us, it took a few hours to motor through this gorgeous waterway. It is called the Gorge because there are 300 ft high cliffs on either side through most of it. Following the guide books we were able to navigate through the shoals without any problems. The area is quite pretty and we enjoyed the peaceful ride. It was the first time that WD had been in fresh water as far as we know and she seemed to like it as well.

We also enjoyed the various birds that were all along the way. We had some golindrinas that decided that our headsail furler would be a good place to start a nest. They were not too happy with me the next morning when they came back to work on it and I had removed the twigs they had left!

The Gorge endsand widens out into the Golfete which is a small lake. The rigger we had contacted was at the first bay as you enter the Golfete called variously Texan Bay, Burnt Key or Cayo Quemado (which means Burnt Key in Spanish). We anchored just outside his shop, went in and made arrangements with him for the next day, and then David got some much needed sleep!

Our mainsail had jammed coming out of Bocas del Toro six weeks and 830 miles ago and this was our one chance to possibly get it fixed before we get back to Miami. Tom and Damian showed up early and we were pleasantly surprised that we were able to get the mainsail out and down in about 45 minutes. When the sail jammed, we had snapped the inhaul line. To replace it, the sail had to come off, the furler mechanism had to come out and a new line installed. Without going into all the detail, all the work got done, plus some extra work like repairing the spinnaker tack ring that broke during the last crossing, quickly and at a very reasonable rate. We definitely recommend Cayo Quemado Sails if you need that type of work done in this part of the Caribbean.

The next day we motored the length of the Golfete into the beginning of the Marina District. This is another narrow area of the river but at least ½ mile wide that has about 10 marinas of various sizes. Many cruisers leave their boats here for hurricane season as it is a well-protected area and out of the normal hurricane zone.

We, however, were not yet headed to a marina. Our friend Carmen from Miami is from Guatemala and her brother has a house on the Rio Dulce near the entrance to this area. We had made arrangements to meet Carmen there and with the help of cell phones, using our new SIM chip, we found the correct house and anchored just off their dock.

Now, I should say house does not really describe the property. It has multiple open air buildings with thatched roofs that can sleep 24. There are multiple outdoor sitting and eating areas. One of the favorites is the sunset watching area called La Punta. This is also a nice area for swimming.
All of the buildings have been hand built and the wood work is exquisite. Additionally, her sister-in-law is an artist, so there are murals on many walls and our understanding is this is a living work of art that she is constantly adding to and changing. I can't really do it justice, so check out the pictures. We tried to capture some of the unique qualities of this wonderful home.

In addition to the buildings, the grounds are filled with tropical plants. Ginger, heliconias, water lilies and numerous orchids, bromeliads and air plants that were just beginning to bloom! Not to mention the palm trees and other trees covering the property.

And we have to mention the toys! We picked Carmen up from the bus in Fronteras in a small panga, but that was just the beginning. The next day we had a small center console at our disposal. However in the morning, we took the kayak and paddle board out for a tour around the houses nearby. There are also wind surfers, kite boards, jet skis, an 18 ft. sailboat, a larger center console, and a large motor yacht! All the toys you would want at a lake house!

After our morning excursion and a short swim, we took the center console out to further explore this area. We drove by Castillo de San Felipe, the fort at the end of this narrow area leading into Lago Izabel. We went a few miles up the lake past a very nice resort. There was a large fire and we checked it out from a distance. Then it was time to head back to the house.

We had a late lunch of fresh shrimp and then the girls went for a swim while David showed her brother Wildest Dream. We had cocktails on the point while watching the sunset and a lovely dinner with some neighbors on the patio rounded out the day.

The next morning we moved Wildest Dream to RAM Marina where she stayed while we went into Guatemala City. And that is the next story.