I've been wanting to update our blog for a couple of days now but we've been flat out busy! I have lots to say, but will keep it short since I need to get outside and do some varnishing and waxing before it gets too hot. But here's the quick scoop.

We crossed the bar on Tuesday as planned with 6 boats and we never bumped but saw 7 feet consistentlly so we were glad we had the extra water under our keel. One boat we were traveling with had to plow their way in which is always stressful. Local tow boats are always waiting to help, for a fee, and whatever damage you might incur in the process. Checking in to Guatemala was easy but time consuming and cost $257, our highest entry fee yet, but now our papers are in order for both us and the boat.

Once cleared in, we all hauled anchor and headed up the river as quickly as we could to get to our marinas before dark. The lush green, high cliffs and jungle sounds were beautiful and the river was so bright green. Locals paddling thin cayucas (homemade canoes carved out of logs) were meandering along the sides of the river and while most of it was undeveloped, there were little Mayan homes along the edge of the water at times. Then the land flattened out a little and there were views of mountains in the distance which I can't wait to explore on some inland travel. Then, you enter the marina zone of Rio Dulce which is full of sailboats, little skiffs, dinghies, a fancy bridge, and a small cowboy town. It's beautiful!

We pulled in to Mario's Marina where we had a reservation and stayed 1 night, but the marina wasn't the right fit for us so we got into Tortugal Marina (we were lucky they had 1 slip left) and this place is like a fantasy land. It makes me think I'm living in a treehouse. The grounds are neat and fun with tons of sitting areas, little boardwalks, kayaks, swimming float, cute docks, pool table, great restaurant with homemade ice cream, nice people and our friends Bob & Maggie on Sea Tryst are here! Needless to say, we feel relieved and very happy to be here. I think the boat should be OK. We have great afternoon breezes, a good view and the docks are sturdy. And.... I have my hose back!

We've checked out the town briefly and it's friendly and surprisingly clean. The walking here is fantastic. The past 3 days we've been out the door at 6:30 with several other boats to walk 5 miles while its still cool enough. The landscape is green and pasture-like with rubber and tea tree plantations too. I was shocked to see a separate pedestrian path on the side of the road.

The marina sets up a large movie screen on Thurs and Friday nights and we all sat on the deck under the trees in Adirondak chairs last night and watched a movie, along with part of a DVD on the Jimmy Buffet concert at Fenway in 2004- wish I could've been at that one! So, we feel like we lucked out and are very excited to be here at Tortugal as well as start trecking into Guatemala where everyone says it is wonderful. I'm not sure how much we'll get to do before we fly home, but there's always next season. We have a lot to do to keep the boat spiffy especially with the incredible sun and heat here, and we also need to prep it almost as you would for a hurricane by taking all sails off and anything extra- it all must go below decks. So, we'll be quite busy doing all that for several more days.

We put some pictures on Picasa, kind of hastily, but at least there's something to look at- mostly of Roatan. I've got to take some of this marina and put them on later today. Hope all is well with everyone, we do love hearing from all of you since it makes us feel a little closer! Thanks!