The Rio Dulce may be surrounded by Guatemalan jungle, but since waterway travel is the only way to get around (no roads to a lot of villages) there ate lots of marinas and docks....for tourists and locals. Many of then have restaurants. You can hear howler monkeys in the nearby trees while visiting Monkey Bay Marina. Texas Bay Marina is in a secluded lagoon with lots of liveaboards who decided there's no point going any further. We're now docked at Mario's. Again, lots of liveaboards who gather for Happy Hour everyday, 4 to 6 pm. Drinks are 8 quetzales ($1 US). A favorite is rum and pineapple juice. We'll be here a few days. Cold fronts are swinging by every three or four days. Winds 25 to 30 kts for six or eight hours before things calm down. Then it's back to Happy Hour.

The big landmark on the Rio Dulce is the bridge. The river is huge and so is the bridge...with major lakes on either side. Lago Isabel, for example, is 30 miles long and in places 15 miles wide. Vertical clearance at the bridge is 90', but be careful...power cables hang down below the arch.

Fronteras is more a village than a town A main street crowded with vehicles, pedestrians, shops and vendors...and nothing else. The grocery store is adequate, sort of, but most important...it has an ATM machine that works. You don't spend a lot of time in Fronteras. Just do your thing then back on the boat

Windward is parked in a marina called Nana Juana with palm trees, swimming pool, and a manager who speaks English. But the real bonus (within walking distance of the marina) is a Raymarine technician who knows auto pilots inside and out. Mine quit because of a corroded electro-magnetic solenoid that is beyond repair. So we're here for awhile waiting for a part to be shipped from the US. Not easy. It goes first to Guatemala City, then here by truck. On the other hand, this is not a bad place to be stuck for a week or so.

The Rio Dulce is absolutely spectacular!! El Golfete is one of the major lakes on the river and our first anchorage here. But the gorge leading upstream from Livingston is breathtaking. A special blog on that later. Rio Dulce is fresh water, in places 3 miles wide. A lot of cruising boats come here....and never leave.

Out of Puero Barrios at 3am to catch a high tide for the approach to Livingston. Entering the Rio Dulce at anything other than high tide could be bad news. A half mile wide shoal with less than 6 feet of water guards the river entrance. Minutes before the shoal Windward's autopilot simply quit. Hand steering with the depth sounder reading 6 and 7 and a tail wind of 15kts made it interesting, but we got across without a bump. Anchored in 12' off Livingston.