We have started the last couple of days with breakfasts of granola, yogurt and heaping plates of watermelon, pineapple and cantaloupe at El Tortugal, eaten shrimp ceviche at noon and tostadas while playing trivial pursuit at night. (Our team – with Aubrey and Judy (Velada) came in second!) By Friday, it was time to go shopping for our own goodies in the markets along the main street of Rio Dulce (also known as Fronteras) so we can load Madcap with the same kind of delicious provisions.

I can remember being a little hesitant about it last spring, but this year it seemed easy to just get right into it. There are many little shops and stands – some carrying the same stock, but the quality varies a bit as does the variety. There is always some young boy or girl happy to bag whatever we point at, and we’ve learned to say hoy or manana to indicate whether we want our papaya or pineapple ready to eat today or tomorrow. With our colourful bags filled with chard and lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber, green peppers, onions and garlic from one shop and papaya, pineapple, canteloupe, mandarins and bananas from another we took a load to the lancha at Bruno’s dock. A trip to the bigger grocery store netted bags of rice and beans (always – rice and beans!), honey, canned milk, eggs, and a couple of packets of soup mix. For meats, cheese and yogurt, we crossed the river to the Casa Guatemala store behind Backpackers restaurant. They used to come around to the marinas a couple of times a week but that has changed and now we go to their store. The little store by Bruno’s carries beer, wine, and North American type products. I found quinoa and rice noodles there, and the nut man near the dock had bags of delicious roasted cashews and almonds, pistachios and candy coated peanuts and roasted lima beans that both of us have taken a liking to. And I always have to purchase warm tortillas from smiling senora who will pull them from under layers of cloth in her basket, or off her griddle right there on the sidewalk.

We got new sim chips for the phone and the TiGo stick (for internet connection) and managed to get triple time on the phone (210 minutes for 70 Q – just under $10) from Eller at the Tigo store where the girls beckon in the young men – and even an older gringo! Eller speaks Engish and will install the chips and add the time so it’s our pick of the internet shops.

With the shopping done, it was time to say good-bye to the folks at Tortugal and head down to Cayo Quemado. We felt almost like locals as we came down river in Casey’s lancha, “Kilgore Trout” on Friday. These local boats are really lovely – sleek and colourful and able to handle lots of cargo – in our case, all our luggage as well as bags and bags of produce and groceries. The fishermen and marinas all use them and we see occasional families, although the women and children are more often moving about in dugout canoes. With our 15 hp outboard it took about an hour and a half to make the trip – against the wind that blew up for a bit, causing the breaking waves to soak us and making us remark that, yes – we really were back to cruising life.

We were delighted to see Madcap in beautiful shape. Casey’s men, Che, Bilo and Nicholas, varnished all the woodwork inside and out over the summer and it just gleams. The decks were spotless and the inside smelled as fresh as the day we left. We left a dehumidifier on, and that along with the boat being open for their work kept it dry and airy. We have new chaps for the dinghy and will investigate solar panels now that we are here. The only casualties of the hot, humid summer were some charts and papers in the chart table at the nav station. It is about the only locker in the whole boat that is un-ventilated and we had forgotten to prop it open. Our clothes, linens, books were in excellent condition.

We’ve spent the days since our arrival here cleaning out lockers and replacing the things we want in them this year, filling water tanks, checking out all the lights and motors and systems. So far, it all looks good. The only difficulty here is the spotty internet connection and rare cell phone coverage. If we could manage to get up at 5 am it is reported to be better, and it improves in the neighbouring bays. We’ll go back up to town on Monday to get a few more supplies, visit the bank and get on the net for a bit. It’s a wonderful feeling to be back on board – to end the days with a light breeze and soft skies as we sit in the cockpit, and to start them with bird songs and brilliant sunshine and hot café con leche.

… and here we are at Bruno’s, connected to the world. We even picked up a couple of hitch-hikers as we passed Gringo Bay. Manfried flagged us down as we went past to see if we had room for passengers. No problema! And so Angela and her little redheaded son, Parker, climbed aboard for the trip. They had been visiting for a few days and were on their way back to Rio Dulce to catch a ride to Antigua where they live and run an Adventure Tour Company. I love this life!!