Guatemala

Beginning at the river’s mouth at the semi-sheltered Bay of Amatique, off the southern tip of Belize, the gorge offers lush green vegetation of teak, mahogany and palm trees covering the high, shear cliffs and extending right down to the water’s edge. Along the riverbanks can be found howler monkeys, toucans, black cormorants and blue egrets. Watching the natives, including young children, paddling their hand-made log canoes called Cayucos up the river against the currents made us imagine a time long ago. The water depths can reach from 20 feet to 80 feet all along this area except for a hairpin turn about three miles into the gorge; it is deep but you must hug the turn so close in that you can almost reach out and grab the tree branches. 

Once you are out of the gorge you find some very large and expensive homes alongside some modest, almost primitive local native dwellings. This can be quite a contrast for first-time visitors. Like any other main highway, there are also several restaurants along this stretch of the river, and about six miles in you can find a hot sulfur spring at the river’s edge. Actually, you will smell it before you see it. There are no signs marking the spot, but you might find a local panga or two tied to the trees with tourists enjoying a soak. An ever-present mist on the water also gives you a hint as to its location. The GPS position is 15.46.44N and 088.48.69W. You can anchor nearby if you decide to make a stop and two good restaurants can also be found right on the water’s edge nearby.

Just as you are leaving the lower stretch of the river and just before you enter El Golfete, you will find Cayo Grande to starboard. Behind the cay is a lovely and well-protected anchorage, which you may have yourself, and there is a restaurant there for dinner (reservations recommended). The local businesses — and most everyone else along the river — monitors VHF Ch. 68.

As soon as you enter El Golfete a series of small bays stretch out to port. The last bay is affectionately known as Gringo Bay because it had been settled early on by a few hearty Americans who built modest homes on the bay accessible only by boat. Cruisers familiar with the area will tell you to stop in Gringo Bay and visit with a local fixture known simply as Jennifer.

Always welcome

Jennifer and her husband came here several years ago and ran their charter boat in and out of the river. They bought a piece of property from a native family who wanted to move inland, so they built a house on the bay that sits out over the river. The husband sought another lifestyle and moved on, and the charter boat is gone, but Jennifer is still there. She makes her living selling her artwork as well as coconut oil and bee honey from her own hives. There are several moorings in the bay just off her house where she baby-sits boats for owners who go away for extended periods of time. She has some tropical gardens behind the house and large ponds, where she raises freshwater Australian Lobsters. She also sells both fresh and smoked roballo, which is a close relative to the snook, whenever it is available. To us, Jennifer is the embodiment of the original frontier woman. Most cruisers make a stop here coming into and going out of the river. Gringo Bay is about seven miles up river from Livingston. Close friends of ours in the United States had asked us to stop in and visit Jennifer since they knew her well and had not seen her for several years. We only stopped for an overnight and left the following day around noon with a promise to Jennifer to return and spend more time.

Fitting in

El Golfete is 10 miles long with water depths of 10 to 18 feet, depending on rainfall — almost up to its shores in most areas. There are many beautiful anchorages and the scenery in almost any direction is stunning. This is the home of Biotopo Chocon Machacas, which is a manatee reserve that covers the entire bay. The reserve also encompasses some 18,000 acres of land on the north side of the bay. Their purpose is to preserve the mangrove swamps and wildlife in the area. You may land your dinghy and visit anytime. The self-guided nature trails are a great way to spend a day. Expect to be asked to make a small donation of about five quetzals, or about 25 cents. The visit is well worth the price. You can virtually pull off to any side of the bay and drop anchor or settle in behind a few small cays along the northwestern shores depending on wind conditions. We rushed through here initially but returned later to spend some quality time.

Continuing across El Golfete you soon enter what is known as the Marina District. The river narrows and marinas are along both sides of the river. Unfortunately, this is about as far as most boats get after they arrive. If you arrive after mid-August, space at the marinas becomes hard to find.

Don’t expect to find U.S.-style marinas here. Almost all are set up for a Mediterranean mooring, or Med-moor, type of a tie up and not conducive to coming and going frequently. They are designed to cram as many boats as possible side by side. The process of getting in and out usually involves a day or two notice, a small boat or two to assist, and retying all your neighbors once you are out. There are no finger piers or pilings, with few exceptions, and the outer tie consists of lines run to something under the water. We could not find anyone to clarify for us just what that something is. Then you are tied in a crisscross fashion to your neighbors on both sides. Plenty of fenders are also required since, depending on where you are, the boat traffic and wakes can be constant and at times excessive. Since we had not been in a marina since Belize City we decided to stop and do some boat cleaning, laundry and a few other projects that are better done at the dock with electricity and water available.

We soon found out that the rates at the marinas here are so cheap we would spend almost as much for fuel, charging batteries and heating water than we would to stay at the marina. So we took the plunge and paid for a month even though our plans were to only be here for a few weeks. But as every day went by it became more and more obvious that a few weeks were not going to be enough, and our stay would most assuredly be longer. We chose a marina that was recommended to us by our friends who were already there. There are several marinas in different locations along this stretch of the river to choose from, and the prices and amenities can vary quite a bit.

A walkabout ashore

After we settled in and became familiar with our new locations, we set out to do some investigating of the area. Our marina sits directly under the large bridge that crosses the Rio Dulce between Fronteras and the small settlement of El Relleno. This bridge was built by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers and completed in 1980. It stands 90 feet over the river. The mailing address for our marina literally translates from Spanish to “under the bridge.” An Internet café is directly across the street as well as the popular Reeds Tienda, a small grocery store that also stocks paint, boat parts and a variety of other products. If they don’t carry it, chances are good they will be able to get it for you in a short period of time. Chici has been the owner and operator for many years and most of the employees are family members.

The walk over the bridge to Fronteras on the other side of the river is a good workout and we learned early on not to do it in the middle of the day when the temperature can be brutal. You can also dinghy across the river and tie up at Bruno’s Marina or the town dock. Bruno’s is the preferred place to leave the dinghy since security can be an issue at the town dock, and the traffic from local boats coming and going can be damaging to small dinghies. This river is a main thoroughfare, and most facilities and homes are only accessible by water. At times of the day the boat traffic can remind you of being on a liquid freeway.

Pistols and livestock

Fronteras is small backwater town that at times reminded us of the Wild West. At first we were a little unnerved to see many locals packing pistols in holsters on their belts. But it soon became the norm and we accepted it. The town is on one of the main roads through Guatemala and there is often a lot of traffic on its two narrow lanes. This includes large 18-wheelers, cars and the ever-present cattle trucks. We were warned early on not to stand behind the cattle trucks or the baptism you might receive could be extremely unpleasant. Many times we were witness to that, and it became obvious whenever these trucks passed through town.

Along the main street there are a number of tiendas or small grocery stores, restaurants, open-air produce markets and variety stores selling toys, pots and pans, and a number of different items. Except for the middle of the day, the town is bustling with people, and every shop and market is crowded. On certain days of the week the produce is brought in fresh and on those days the town becomes even more crowded. You can also find a couple of hardware stores as well as pharmacies and repair facilities in the town, but most are very basic.

They also have a few banks in town complete with armed guards standing inside and outside the front door, and a small room where you can check your gun before entering. After you complete your business your gun is then returned to you on the way out. This is a different world and lifestyle than we have been exposed to for most of our lives but we found it more fascinating than fearful.

In addition, there is a bus station that is a central hub for travel throughout the interior of Guatemala, and to Mexico and Honduras. Later we would use the bus system to explore and further sample what this wonderful country has to offer.

All of this and we have only been in the country for two days. Our heads were spinning, and with the endless possibilities before us it wasn’t long until we wondered out loud just how long we were really going to stay here. By the end of this day we were exhausted and happy and looking forward to what tomorrow would bring.

Haul Out on the Rio Dulce

Our original plan was to come in to the Rio Dulce for about two weeks. We also wanted to do three boat projects while we were here for those couple of weeks. The outboard was not running right so we wanted a mechanic to look at it. The depth sounder, which is an important piece of equipment, was acting up again and probably needed replacement. So if we had to haul out to replace the transducers we might as well paint the bottom, since it has been two years since the last time. We also discovered cracks in the corners of the windshield where it had been bent. We were concerned that they would spread and we would loose the integrity of the whole thing. So we wanted to build a strong support frame for the entire windshield.

Getting the parts and finally getting the outboard repaired only took 6 weeks. So far we have had two people LOOK at the windshield job but not a lick of work on it yet. We began the process of having the boat hauled about a month ago. There are two places to haul here on the river. One is the new Ram Marine on Shell Bay and the other is Abel's on the river itself near to old Spanish forts. We chose Abel's but this is not your typical yard that most are used to in the States.

 
Abel hauls your boat on a rail system. He has three, side by side that offer a wide range of adjustment for just about any size or shape of vessel, either power or sail. ( UPDATE, July 12, 2010, a new 85 ton travel lift and dry storage space is now available. )  We began by setting an "appointment" for hauling us. We were told that would be in about a week. Others had told us it would be smart to check on the status on a daily basis. This proved to be a daily exercise for us for weeks. One of the boats that was already hauled was an extremely large catamaran that was being painted. The other was a charter boat from Belize that was also being painted. Now keep in mind that torrential rains are common here every day. So imagine trying to paint a boat. Both of these were delayed by 3 weeks or more, which meant we were also delayed. In addition Abel gives preference to emergencies. And wouldn't you know someone tried to run their power boat over a reef in Belize.
On a Tuesday we dropped by for our almost daily update and were surprised to find the catamaran had been launched. We were told it would take a day to readjust the rail car from the catamaran. Also the charter boat from Belize was being sprayed so we might want to wait a couple of days for that to be finished. On Thursday we made another visit and the charter boat was still not painted yet. We decided not to wait any longer. So we got the OK to bring the boat over on Friday morning. Finally this was going to happen.

 
Friday morning we were up early and got under way. It is only a couple of miles from the Marina to the haul out. There was a power boat on the rail that was supposed to be gone by the time we arrived. So we just motored around for about an hour or more while they finished installing the cutlass bearings and launched it. The rail car was lowered into the water and the boat towed off by a small skiff. We were then signaled to bring our boat in. We drove in on the railway between four steel beams that stuck out of the water. Two of Abel's employees were in the water waiting for us. Once we were close to center over the car the guys in the water tied lines to the beams to keep us in position. Using only snorkel masks they swam under the boat and adjusted the beams tight against our rub rail. Next they set up the stands to prop up the hull. All of this is done by hand under water. Once they were comfortable that the boat was well supported a signal was given to another fellow on shore who fired up the diesel winch that slowly pulled us by a cable, out of the water and onto the service area. It is obvious they do this many many times. We never felt concerned at any time, but we were absolutely fascinated.

 
Once the boat was high and dry they power-washed the bottom and we began the removal of the old depth and speed transducers. The boat owners can do as much or as little of the work as they choose. We decided to have them do all of the sanding and painting and we would handle the transducers. We did get the transducers out on the first day. but because the bottom needed to dry out, not much else was done. We had taken a room at a small hotel about a block away so we checked in, had a nice dinner at their restaurant and enjoyed sleeping in an air conditioned room for a change.

The next morning the work began in earnest. We had four workman hard at the job of scraping loose paint and sanding. Meanwhile we went about installing the new transducers. The workers were very friendly, hard working and efficient. By mid day they had the boat almost ready for painting. We had also ask them to do a little cosmetic fiberglass work around the stern tube. It was done exactly as we had ask. By early afternoon the first coat of paint was applied and we were delighted with the way things were going. Since the workman usually started early, they didn't get the second coat on the same day. At the same time, we were doing some varnishing in the main salon, since we were off the boat. At the end of the day it was back to the hotel for dinner and air conditioning. If you haven't guessed, we don't have air conditioning on the boat.

 
The following morning the second coat of paint was being finished just as we arrived. We just needed to wait a few hours for it to dry before we were launched. So we did a final coat of varnish. At the designated time the boat and the rail car were released into the water. And I do mean released. As we came out it seemed like we were inched out a little at a time. But going back in seemed like they just cut us loose. But as we slid into the water the railway slowed to a stop. We did a thorough inspection to be sure nothing leaked. And once again the workers went under the boat with just masks and removed all of the stands. we slowly motored off the car and backed into the river. The whole experience was easy and painless. Except for the part were you have to pay for it all. It was quite a unique experience for us and that is what attracts us to this cruising lifestyle. But we have to remember to be patient here. There is the time on your clock and there is Guatemala time. There are days on the calendar and there are Guatemalan days. And they are not the same.

As an additional note, a new marina with a traditional travel lift has opened in Shell Bay directly across from Mar Marine. It is named Ram Marina and has room for storage on the hard, docks including fuel and other amenities. The Rio is constantly changing and new marinas and services are popping up everywhere.

The Jungle Medic

Cruising does not always mean boisterous passages or cocktails on the aft deck at sunset. To the contrary, much of our time is spent exploring the country side and getting to know the local people. This approach for my wife Susan and I has enriched the experience far beyond what we expected when we moved aboard Sea Trek and started the cruising life almost 14 years ago. Beginning in mid April of 2005 the passage from the Florida Keys, down the coast of Mexico, and wandering through the many Cays in Belize has been wonderful. But that did not compare to our fantastic experience upon arriving on the Rio Dulce in Guatemala. We had heard from many sources, of the wonderful work done here by Bryan Buchanan and his wife Riechelle. Bryan is a certified paramedic and has done a residency here with a family practitioner and he has also done some dental training. Both he and Riechelle have been Missionaries in third world countries for several years, the last few here in Guatemala. They primarily travel to remote villages that do not have access to medical care and set up their clinic for the day, but they will offer care and medication to anyone that might need it, including the local cruising community. Bryan and Riechelle are known locally here on the river as The Jungle Medic.

Each morning here on the river at 07:30 there is a cruisers net on VHF channel 69. So when the call went out for volunteers for one of Bryan’s clinics we jumped at the chance, and so did several others. Crew from Nueva Vida, Dragonet, Island Time, Anon, T.O. Sea, Morenga, Balance, Rose of Sharon, Bold Venture, Pegasus and of course our own Sea Trek answered the call. Arrangements were made by Bryan to pick up the individuals at the various Marinas in his van on Wednesday and we all met at Bryan's home just outside of town. The turnout was great and we had 25 volunteers for our "team". Bryan instructed us as to what to expect and how to set up for the clinic. We were all also issued scrubs for the purpose of showing the villagers that we were part of the team and there to help them as opposed to just a group of Gringos. Bryan also noted that this was a very large village by comparison to others he regularly visits and it was also a very sick village. Because he had needed to assemble a large enough group, but until now had been unable, the village had not been visited for almost a year. He generally tries to return every few months to the areas he has covered.
 

The next morning at 08:00 we set out in two vehicles. Bryan's van with a trailer in tow, carrying all the medical supplies, and a Jeep loaned to us by one of the local Marinas. The village was approximately 45 miles away. Once we had left the main paved road the going was considerably slower. After about an hour we reached the village and began to set up tables and the supplies on the front "porch" of two buildings of the school. Immediately after our arrival the villagers began to line up for what proved to be a long day. It had rained that morning and all of the grounds were muddy and it continued to rain off and on several times that day. We all received thorough instructions on just what our assignments were and exactly how to perform them. Once everything was ready and we were sure of what to do the first villagers started down the line.
 

This is not a true Medical Clinic in the sense that most might normally consider. There are no Doctors here most of the time. We had one other certified paramedic and two experienced nurses as part of the group. No one tries to diagnose serious illnesses or treat those that should see a doctor or be treated in a hospital. Those people are told they must go to one of the larger cities for appropriate treatment and Bryan frequently assists them by providing transportation. Our purpose there was to treat the most common problems related to the lifestyles and environment in which these people live. The most significant issues are infections that needed antibiotics, treatment of various types of worms that affected most of the children, and getting everyone some type of nutritional supplement since the local diets are very poor and lacking even the basics. This is indeed simply putting a band aid on a wound but as we saw it does make a difference in their lives and they do respond to it. 

This was a local village of the Kek'chi Mayan Indians. That does present somewhat of a language barrier since none speak any English and most do not even speak Spanish. And add to this the fact that there are over 20 different dialects. The few that spoke Spanish served as interpreters including the village Chief who helped in translating and keeping order as the day progressed. We could usually get the message across using some crude sign language. This village was very near a local tourist attraction so they were somewhat used to interacting with outsiders.
 

Each family was seen as group and at least one parent had to accompany any children. One thing that struck us right off was the lack of men waiting in line. We later found out that they usually won't come because it is not macho to stand in line with the women and children or to admit that you are sick. Many are also out working during the day. The line was very long and there were many children including some very young girls, only teens themselves, with three, four, and five children. These were the ones we were especially there to help. Riechelle kept control of the line and assigned numbers to each individual, but as a family group. The number was written on the back their hands so we could keep track.

Their first stop was at the table of either Bryan or the other paramedic, Mark. They determined the specific needs and wrote that down on a piece of paper with the number that coordinated to the one on their hand. They then moved to the next table, or station, and we would check their paper to see if they needed anything from our station. The paper needed to match the number on their hand since many mothers carried the papers for all their children. Most of the children required worm medicine which was liquid given orally. Next the children and adults were given vitamin supplements. They had been given instructions at the paramedic’s station by the interpreter as to when and how to take the pills or capsules. Next stop was for skin problems as well as eyes, and ears. Any needed antibiotics were applied by the team members. Their last stop was the pharmacy station. Each of the two pharmacy stations were manned by one of the two nurses on the team along with one helper that could at least speak Spanish. Since Susan speaks pretty good Spanish she was assigned to one of the pharmacy stations. Most of the items passed out there were some form of oral antibiotics to treat the infections diagnosed by the paramedics. There was a station set up in the middle of the school grounds at the town water pump. This station was to wash and treat the hair of the children infected with lice. We saw women and children from infants to ages I did not even want to guess.

We had started early in the morning and except for a quick lunch break finished up by mid afternoon. We saw, in all, almost 500 people. Several of us had brought along our digital cameras to photograph our experiences. The children were delighted to have us take their picture and then show them the results on the cameras LCD screen. Except for reflections in the water most had never seen an image of themselves. It was indeed a moving experience and we will jump at the chance to go again. At the end of the day we all had a good feeling inside and knew that we had made a difference in these peoples lives however small it might be. It also showed them that there were people out there that cared about their welfare. This was an experience that we will never forget. And the small space here really can not give it proper understanding.
 

At the end of the day we were all pretty tired but Bryan's offer to take us to the local tourist attraction, which happened to be a nearby waterfall, was too good to resist. We packed up everything in the vans and headed out. The waterfall is just across the river and a little up stream from the village. It originates from a hot spring on a cliff above that has a constant temperature of about 120 degrees. Pools at the top are better than any hot tub. The water fall tumbles into the very cool river below and the temperature difference leaves a mist on the water. You can swim from the very cool water in the river to the heated water as it runs down the waterfall. It is a great experience and we know why the tourists like to come here. This was the perfect end to an unforgettable day. As we were leaving the falls it rained again and we had a very cool drive back to our Marinas. We went to bed that night exhausted but satisfied that we had been able to give something back to these people that allowed us to share some of their beautiful country.

Bryan's clinics are not always conducted by layman. He has a group of Doctors from outside the country that participates on a regular basis and it is not unusual for him to have medical teams booked for a year in advance. He spends some time each year in the US speaking at various venues and is constantly finding medical folks willing to donate their time to this great cause. His funding comes from many private donations from folks that know of the good work he and Riechelle do, as well as a few churches that regularly donate to the cause. But funds are always needed and appreciated. Also many individuals as well as drug companies in the US regularly send donated medicines and vitamins. At the writing of this article Bryan is in the field with a full medical team for ten days.

Bryan and Riechelle also have a completely converted and fitted medical bus outfitted in the US and brought to Guatemala by the US Air Force. It has complete diagnostic, treatment and lab equipment as well as examining rooms. The bus will greatly improve the quality of care that Bryan and his teams will be able to provide these wonderful people. The United States Air Force graciously agreed to fly the bus down on a military transport. You can find out more about the work that Bryan and Riechelle do and see some wonderful photos from some of the villages they have visited. 

The website is http://www.junglemedicmissions.org and should not be missed. If anyone ever has the opportunity to come and visit here and participate in Bryan's clinic we highly recommend you do so. It might just be the experience of a lifetime. And you can sure bank a bunch of good karma. Chuck and Susan

Jennifer On The Rio by Susan

Jennifer Lindeen is a 50 something woman living alone in Rio Dulce, Guatemala in the jungle home that she and her ex-husband built. Okay, so she didn’t go there alone, but the fact that she lives there alone now and survives on a modest income in what is still jungle, to us was fascinating. Let’s backtrack a little about how we found Jennifer and how she came to be at her place in life.

My husband Chuck and I had been planning a trip to Guatemala on our sailboat/home Sea Trek for over 6 years. For a number of reasons we were delayed, but finally got underway and headed South in the spring of 2005 from the Florida Keys down through Mexico and Belize. Good friends of ours from Minnesota/Florida, the Brands on the trawler Freelance, had suggested that when we arrive in the river, we should clear in at Livingston, Guatemala, then make the 10 mile run upriver and anchor in front the house with the red roof located in the third bay on the left. Jennifer and her former husband had rented a home from the Brands in Minneapolis almost 20 years ago. They had stayed in touch and had been reunited on the river about 10 years ago. That stirred our curiosity. A woman living alone in a house next to the river with no roads and a 15 foot open boat as the only means of transportation anywhere? We had to meet this person.

We arrived and anchored in Gringo Bay with another boat with whom we had been traveling. Our first call to Jennifer on the VHF radio was for advice. Kathleen from Nueva Vida had a scary bite on her knee of unknown origin and it was suggested that Jennifer, with her years of living on the river, may have some idea of what it was and how to treat it. Kathleen and her husband Tom went ashore to Jennifer’s house for a consultation. She inspected Kathleen’s knee and advised her to see the Jungle Medic further up the river. We decided to make our social call the next day after Nueva Vida had left to go upriver seeking further medical attention.

Jennifer greeted us warmly to her home and offered us a cup of coffee. Not only was it delicious, she had grown the beans and roasted and ground them herself. Although we knew some of her history, we asked her how she came to be in such a beautiful place and how she fared living alone in what can be a lonely and difficult environment. Jennifer had originally come to the river in the late 80’s aboard a sailboat with her ex-husband. They had been cruising for several years, starting in Lake Superior, Minnesota. They followed the Great Lakes to the Saint Lawrence, the Canadian Maritimes, and down the Atlantic coast to Florida. After some years in the Bahamas, Mexico and Belize, they fell in love with the Rio Dulce. They worked as river tour guides and charter captains for a number of years and eventually built the home that Jennifer lives in today.

 

The house itself is directly on the water in a cove known as Gringo Bay. The area got its’ name, naturally, because American expats had settled there. The first thing you see as you approach Jennifer’s house from El Golfete is the red roofs. The long front porch hangs over the water and runs the length of the house. The inviting couches and low chairs are casually arranged and beckon you to relax and put up your feet. I’ve never seen a prettier view of Sea Trek, our Mariner 40, than from this porch. This is also where Jennifer does her painting, inspired by her surroundings. She used to work out of a cottage up on the hill behind the house, but found it too confining. Now it sits empty, but makes a great backdrop for a photograph. She has a very serviceable kitchen and a large dining room table just steps away so she is never far from her guests. She is an avid reader and books line the shelves above the sitting area off to the left of the galley. There is also a small bathroom off the kitchen. Upon exiting the back door of the kitchen, one makes a left to go upstairs to the bedroom. This is the only screened in area of the house, surprisingly enough. The bedroom also has a cat door for LaVerne, a tabby shorthair, to have easy exit and entry, but occasionally is visited by other uninvited critters. The side of the porch is used for a dinghy dock with convenient steps to enter the porch. Jennifer also has a covered dock for her panga as well as her workers cayucos, hand carved canoes. Because the house is in and on the water, the lovely deck is perfect for afternoon socializing.

There are no roads or power lines and no public sewer or water. The river is the road and a dependable outboard engine is her lifeline. Electrical power to her home is supplied by golf cart batteries which are in turn charged by solar panels on the roof. Fresh water comes from a well on the back of the property, of which there is never a shortage due to abundant rainfall. This is, after all, the jungle. Jennifer’s home in the evening has the romantic glow of oil lanterns as she attempts to conserve power that is not needed. She grows apples and other fruit in the lush gardens behind the house to supplement her diet. When she needs supplies, she has to run 12 miles upriver to Fronteras or 9 miles downriver to Livingston in her boat. Cell phones have reached the jungle and although the service is unreliable, she can still make calls. The VHF radio, however, remains her main source of communication and she generally stands by on Ch. 68 and simply goes by “Jennifer”. She will also answer to “October”, the name of her former sailboat, which is no longer on the river. Recently she has added satellite radio to the house and thoroughly enjoys the programming, especially NPR and good old Prairie Home Companion.

  Any inconvenience Jennifer may experience living here is offset by the sheer beauty of the place.

She has converted the back 40 into a lush garden with Jurassic Park size plants that is full of the most beautiful electric blue butterflies. Chico, her trusty assistant, will gladly take visitors on a tour of the garden to look for these elusive creatures. They don’t seem to like to have their picture taken and I can attest to after hours of stalking them with my camera. There are walkways that meander through flowerbeds, shaded by towering trees and the air is filled with the raucous calls of green parrots and other tropical birds. She has tamed the hill behind her house to a degree and one can walk for hours there taking pictures of the many species of flowers and plants, too numerous to name. At one point, she was even raising Australian freshwater lobsters in ponds toward the back of the yard. I have often gotten off the boat just to wander there alone. A more tranquil and peaceful place I have rarely found.

After 15 years, the spark of living on the river was gone for Jennifer’s ex and soon, he was too. Jennifer decided to stay on in the river after his departure in 2003. She loved it there and chose to stay and do what she could to provide for herself without having to move back to the U.S. Her mainstay is her wonderful artwork – oil paint on thick canvas, primarily of jungle scenes. Her reasonably priced work is beautiful as well as durable. She can also be found in the wee hours of the morning buying “robalo” or snook from the local cayuco fishermen, then filleting it to sell fresh to cruisers in “Gringo Bay”. She also has it available frozen to sell at the swap meet at Mario’s Marina every Saturday morning, where she offers all of her wares. She also sews courtesy flags, grows and sells fresh basil, coconut oil and killer bee honey from her own hives.

Many people come into the Rio Dulce with their sailboats to escape the Atlantic hurricane season. Jennifer will provide boaters with a safe haven in Gringo Bay on a secure mooring. She will then transport them in her “panga”, the aforementioned open boat, to Fronteras for connecting transportation to Guatemala City. She has also become the “accidental restaurant”. People have seen the house on the water with a number of chairs and tables on the porch and assumed it was a restaurant. On one occasion when a boater approached her late one afternoon and asked what time dinner was served, she said, “what the heck” and will now serve meals should weary boaters request her culinary services. We can personally attest to those skills after a dinner of pasta with fresh homemade pesto sauce and items from her garden!

Those are some of the things she does to survive, but the person is so much more interesting. She is a deeply spiritual, sensitive person and has decided to give back to the country and community that has given her a home. She is involved in local neighborhood projects such as sending a 5 year old deaf child to a special school where she can learn sign language and lip reading. She is also encouraging a group of Mayan Indian women who are interested in starting a cooperative to raise chickens by going to their meetings and disseminating information to parties that may be interested in investing in the project. Women in this country are not encouraged to run their own businesses. She also provides employment for a local couple who otherwise would have no income other than what they might earn selling a few fish per day. In a recent email from Jennifer, she had this to say about her current activities.

“I’m showing a lot of property for sale these days, and of course enjoying my new neighbors. The new school year has started and I distributed school supplies for 33 elementary kids whose families were not able to buy them. My goal is to get 100% attendance … no excuses for lack of money. And this year some of my new neighbors and I organized a “basico” (high school.) The local village has never had one before, and only the wealthier kids could go to private schools in other communities. Now there’re 6 teenagers going to a makeshift School in the village based on a radio program that’s broadcast for rural kids. We hired a teacher and are using the elementary school building in the afternoon. Cool, huh? And the little deaf girl is doing great!”

We didn’t just stop one afternoon to see Jennifer. Her little bay is an oasis from the hussle and bussle of the “marina district” of Rio Dulce and we would try to escape to Gringo Bay whenever we could. During one visit in October of 2005, she hosted a “croning ceremony” for women of a “certain age”. At 45, I was told I was too young so I observed. A group of 10 women from sailboats in the marina district spent the day together on the porch overlooking the river, sharing laughs and snacks. Some of the women took a dip in the fresh water river and did their best Ester Williams impersonations. As the day wore on into evening, the tone became more serious and the ladies dressed in sarongs for the ceremony. As darkness descended, we climbed the steps to the jungle garden and lit a fire in the large circular rock pit which had been constructed that afternoon. As each women held a candle and spoke of their dreams for the next year of life, camaraderie developed and we all embraced under the full moon. Afterward, everyone started howling to the delight of Jennifer’s “guard dog” Sandia who joined in with glee. After a dinner of roast chicken, salad and bread, the women spent the night draped over hammocks and sofas, while I quietly motored our dinghy out to my waiting husband and boat.

We hugged Jennifer goodbye before we left the river with a standing offer to return anytime and to keep in touch via email. When asked about herself, she admits, “Yeah, I guess my life is interesting!” Jennifer is a generous soul who seems to have found her place on this big rock we call Earth and that place is the Rio Dulce. She gives a heck of a lot more than she takes and Guatemala and the boating community are so much better for her presence.

Life on the Rio Dulce

Cruising is not really a fitting description of what most boaters do once they reach this beautiful country of Guatemala. The area near the mouth of the Rio Dulce is one of the most popular and safest areas in the Western Caribbean during the hurricane season.

In our research, we had heard some disturbing accounts of security problems on the river. There were tales of theft, intrigue, drugs and even murder in the idyllic setting. Later, we would uncover the true nature of those reports. Most boaters arriving here immediately head for the Marina District. By doing so, they bypass some great opportunities to enjoy the lower part of the river and experience some of the native settlements. 

We did an unscientific survey of the marinas when we arrived, and found to our surprise that around 80 percent of the boats were unattended and basically in storage for the upcoming hurricane season. Their owners had returned home or gone off for extended traveling elsewhere; as cruising sailors, we found this sad. Even the owners that stay aboard during the “season” rarely went anywhere on the boat. Yes, many did the typical inland exploration — as did we — since there is much to see in this beautiful country and we could have spent a lot more time doing just that if we in fact had the time.

Inland travel is fairly easy since there is a bus terminal in Fronteras, the main town here, to anywhere in the country you choose to go. We visited Guatemala City several times, the Lake Atitlan area, Antigua and the black sand beaches of the Pacific coast.

But we have always enjoyed exploring new places on Sea Trek and that is why we have lived aboard and cruised her for almost 14 years. So coming to a perfect and protected cruising grounds such as this and just parking the boat seemed almost sacrilegious.

Caution and common sense

When traveling inland for extended periods of time cruisers should leave the boat in one of the dozen or so marinas for security reasons. Petty theft can be a problem. Some marinas are not as secure as others, so be sure to ask around and get some first-hand advice; we found that unsubstantiated rumors do move up and down the river. It is, in part, those rumors that keep many from exploring any farther on their own. When we first arrived, we were warned not to go anywhere outside the marina area unless we buddy boated.

Even our outdated guidebook, which everyone uses, warns that anchoring in the Gorge or anywhere on the lower river can result in midnight boardings — banditos swinging from the trees down onto your boat from the jungle. In retrospect, we think they saw too many Tarzan movies as children. (Some of the Tarzan movies with Johnny Weissmuller were actually filmed here.) Over and over again we heard about the security issues of traveling alone here. We had to wonder then why so many cruisers came here after all.

From what we determined, no serious crimes have been reported here for years. However, incidents from years back are still retold as if they happened last week. The murder we had heard about was more than eight years ago. Even our embassy warned us about a “non-resident” being killed and a woman being raped. When we pressed, they admitted that it happened five years ago and in Guatemala City, far from the river. We were also told of boats being boarded and things stolen in the middle of the night when anchored off alone.

But then we discovered — after being here for four months — that there was not one incident of a boat being boarded or anything being stolen off any of the few boats that did cruise the river, including ourselves. 

The people that live here seem basically happy and hard-working, but they are very poor. Simply put: you need to use a certain amount of common sense and caution. Lock the boat when you leave and don’t leave things just lying about, especially at night. Boat traffic is heavy on the river day and night and the locals are curious about us, so they often come right alongside the boat as they travel up and down the river. Once we determined that things were pretty safe we began to spend more time exploring and cruising.

Exploring the beauty

Every anchorage on the river — as well as El Golfete and Lago Izabal — is spectacular. Lago Izabal is 15 miles wide and 30 miles long. The average depth is about 20 feet but as deep as 59 feet. El Golfete is a 10-mile-long beautiful bay surrounded by mountains that are covered with jungle. The waters are deep almost right up to the shoreline and you are surrounded by breathtaking vistas. If you are anchored in the right places the jungle sounds at night are fascinating.

This whole area is unlike any cruising grounds we have visited. And because most other boaters don’t leave the marinas we had the entire river system to ourselves, with peaceful anchorages wherever we went. There is one village on the Lago Izabal called El Estor that should not be used as an overnight anchorage. This is a former mining town that has fallen to hard times. Here we suspect you might experience some theft problems, so a daytime visit only is recommended.

There are rivers running in to the entire watershed from the mountains almost everywhere. These are wonderful for dinghy exploration, but be sure and use lots of bug repellent and always keep in mind that you are in the jungle.

Of course there is much to do if you hang around the main marina area. Each morning the day starts off with the local VHF net on channel 68. New arrivals introduce themselves and folks leaving on their boats say goodbye. It is an opportunity to locate hard-to-find parts or sell something you want to get rid of. The local restaurants announce their daily specials and any upcoming social events. Every Saturday morning The Cayuco Club sponsors a swap meet on the grounds of Mario’s Marina – just in case you didn’t sell your stuff over the VHF. Even local handicrafts are sold by local indigenous people.

This is a good opportunity to catch up on river gossip as well as socialize. On almost every holiday some event is going on at one of the marinas, including Fourth of July celebrations and huge Thanksgiving dinners, plus everything from pot luck dinners with everyone invited, including the locals, to Hawaiian Luaus.

Guatemala City is a five-hour bus ride and at some time everyone makes the trip at least once. We made the trip two times and can’t tell you how much we enjoyed ourselves. A private van with a driver can be arranged that will take you to the Mayan ruins in Copan, Honduras or Tikal in Northern Guatemala. Trips to any of the country’s fabulous tourist destinations can be arranged in Fronteras. It does not surprise us that some boaters came here for a visit and have stayed, in a few cases for more than 10 years. Many more come back here year after year and say they never do the same things twice.

We are not sure if or when we might return, but we know that if there is a next time we will spend a great deal more time on the water than tied to a dock. If your plans bring you to Guatemala in the future, consider a long, slow cruise along the Rio Dulce.

Arriving in "The River"

The weather was still holding for us but rain and thunderstorms were forecast for the Bay of Honduras for the next few days. We were also timing our arrival at the entrance to the Rio Dulce to coincide with an astronomical high tide to give us as much water as possible when we crossed the famous “bar” at the mouth of the river. Leaving New Haven Bight early in the morning meant the next high tide would not be until the next day.

There are a couple of choices when waiting to enter the river as to where you might want to anchor for the night. Most folks, it seems, anchor behind Cabo Tres Puntas, which is due east of the river entrance by about 10 miles. The prevailing winds in this area generally switch to the west at night and hold there until about late morning. This means the anchorage behind Cabo Tres Puntas is exposed to swells with a 10-mile fetch, which puts you on a lee shore if things get exciting. Not a situation we prefer, especially since the afternoon and evening thunderstorms can produce winds to 50 knots and some pretty uncomfortable seas.

The second option, and the one we chose, was to continue in along the coastline of Cabo Tres Puntas in a southeast direction into a well-protected bay called Bahia La Graciosa. By avoiding the uncharted shoal on your portside that extends off the tip in toward the bay at the entrance, coming in is easy and the entrance is otherwise very straight forward.

Local sights and sounds

We had arrived at about 4 p.m. along with our friends on the sailing vessel Nueva Vida. This is a couple from Alaska with three children aboard whom we had met in Tulum and had traveled with again for much of Belize. We positioned ourselves in the northern end of the bay for protection from the forecast winds. This bay is beautiful and affords 360-degree protection in just about any weather condition. We found ourselves anchored just off a native fishing village. As we sat in the cockpit enjoying the afternoon, we watched as they strung their nets between trees, and cleaned and repaired them. We also saw a group of natives fishing from a panga just off our stern. They tied the boat to shore and extended their nets out at right angles, then walked them in an arc to the stern of their boat. They were corralling the fish back toward the shoreline and the boat. Once the circle was completed and the nets were right along side their panga they simply reached down, grabbed the fish and threw them into the boat.

These were no small fish since some seemed to be almost as large as the fisherman. And, no, this is not a fish tale. We were totally fascinated and this was our first look at how the Guatemalan natives lived and worked. This area is very remote, with access only by boat. The closest town is Livingston, 10 miles across the bay. Near sunset the fisherman hauled in their nets and headed home. Just as the sun was going down we were treated to another first.

From the jungle we could hear the very distinctive calls of howler monkeys. Many cruisers that had come here before us had told us to listen for them just after sunset and as soon as the sun comes up. This is the time they are most active and vocal.

It was quite an experience the first time and Susan was really excited. She soon had the imitation of their call down, and could even get them to call back to her.

A weather window decision

Our plans were to leave around 5 a.m. the next day to be across the bar on the rising tide. During the night we had become surrounded by thunderstorms, but none drifted over our small bay. By the time we were ready to pull up our anchor they had positioned themselves directly between us and Livingston. The light show was pretty impressive. We talked on the radio with Nueva Vida. They had anchored about a quarter-mile from us and we told them we really did not feel comfortable with the storms out in the bay, and were concerned that one might sit on top of us as we tried to cross the bar.

We waited a couple of more hours, but the storms were holding and the clock was ticking for us. Finally we knew we could not make it to the bar with a good tide so we sat out the rest of the day right where we were. This was not a bad thing since the high tide was a little later and a little higher the next morning.

Other than a few sprinkles in the morning, the storms stayed outside the bay, so we enjoyed this beautiful place surrounded by jungle and flat calm water. We took some time to take the dinghy and get a little closer to the fishing village. The villagers watched us with curiosity and waved enthusiastically when we came by. Later that night they had some kind of celebration and turned on their generator and ran electric lights. They spent several hours playing guitars and singing until about 9 p.m., when the lights went out and all was quiet again in our world.

You really have to experience these kinds of moments to appreciate the feeling that one gets. These are the reasons we worked hard and planned hard to get out here to travel the watery part of our planet on a small boat. But even on this evening we could not imagine that the best was yet to come.

Cutting it close

That night and early the next morning we once again had thunderstorms in the vicinity and you have to see the lightning displays to truly appreciate them. We had encountered this off and on down the entire coast from about Tulum south, but it was obvious that from now on this was to be a nightly occurrence. The plus side in the morning was that the storms were over inland Honduras to the east and were not blocking our path.

So at 6 a.m. we hauled up the anchor along with our friends and headed across the bay to the bar and Livingston. We were making a little better time than we had planned so we slowed down a bit, but even then knew we would arrive well before high tide. If we did ground at the bar we would simply wait a bit for the tide to come up. Nueva Vida draws 6-1/2 feet and Sea Trek draws 6 feet. The bar is reported to be 5 feet at mean low water.

The tidal range here is not very much and is dictated by the depths of the river further upstream. This is determined by the amount of rainfall inland as well as over the river and the two lakes that make up most of the system.

Since our draft is a little less than Nueva Vida, we crossed first and stayed in radio contact to provide them with depth reports. Sea Trek crossed the bar at about 7:45 a.m. with no problems. We were in the Rio Dulce and had met one of our greatest goals for the trip so far.

I can’t describe the excitement we felt at that moment, but just crossing the bar is not all we needed to worry about. The river entrance is very shallow in many places in the Livingston Harbor so our excitement was short-lived. Once again we had a good set of waypoints provided by our friends on the sailing vessel Filia and followed them carefully to the commercial dock at Livingston. Filia has been in and out of the river every year for the last 10 years and their draft is also 6 feet. We have used their waypoints several times in the past and found them always to be extremely accurate. We are well aware that using anyone else’s waypoints should be done with caution, and with careful examination of charts and any other navigational references available. Situations and conditions can obviously change rapidly in the marine environment.

Nautical gymnastics

A sailboat with a deeper draft trying to enter the river system creates an interesting challenge that calls for a technique that can be a bit unnerving. It entails the assistance of two local pangas working in tandem with each other. One panga will attach halyards from the mast head to their vessel and pull straight out from your beam. This heals the boat over far enough to reduce the draft sufficiently to get you over the bar.

At the same time the second panga is attached to the bow with a tow line, and pulls the boat forward until it’s in deeper water. It sounds scarier than it actually is because these fellows do this all the time and are quite good at it. The cost to get you over is usually $100 to $125 (U.S.) for the assistance of both boats.

Once over the bar, the deeper water doglegs straight up river for about a quarter-mile and then makes a turn to starboard toward the concrete municipal dock, the area where you must anchor. We found the holding here to be poor for anchoring, so this should not be attempted in bad weather. It’s also a good idea to leave someone on the boat at all times while at Livingston, unless the conditions are totally calm. Luckily calm conditions were our experience as we finally dropped the hook.

A sincere welcoming

We found the check-in process here to be one of the most pleasant and easy we’ve experienced almost anywhere. The first step is to call the Port Captain on VHF Channel 16. He speaks only Spanish so if no one on the boats has a grasp of the language a call to the Customs agent, Raul, might help smooth thing along. Raul is extremely helpful and speaks English. We are fortunate that Susan speaks pretty fluent Spanish, which has made our travels along Central America much smoother.

Once contact has been made you need to wait on the boat and all of the appropriate officials will come to you. You will be visited by the Port Captain, Customs, Immigrations and Health. Of the four, only Raul from Customs speaks English. Their visit was short and very pleasant. No search or inspection was done. They sat in our cockpit and chatted a bit, collected our passports, gave us a map of the town showing where all of their offices where and told us exactly what the charge would be at each office. This was amazing since it eliminates the possibility of unexpected or unofficial charges coming up at any time during check-in. They welcomed us to Guatemala and expressed a hope that we enjoy our stay. We were instructed to go to shore to begin the process, and told our passports would be in Immigration. The whole process, including a stop at the bank to change our U.S. dollars to local currency, took 40 to 50 minutes.

Once officially cleared in, we were free to enjoy these fantastic cruising grounds. We made a few stops in town to purchase some supplies and returned to the boat. Because of the strong current, poor holding and wakes from the local fishing boats it was decided that we would immediately move up river.

Our first stop was to be a small bay only about 12 miles away and it was still early morning. So, without hesitation, we pulled up the anchor and headed toward one of our greatest adventures to date.