Enroute to the Rio Dulce



We wish we would have taken some pictures during our crossing from Utila to the Rio Dulce (we borrowed this one from online) however, during the overnight portion of the crossing we were otherwise occupied with a storm.  This picture does give an accurate representation of the storm off the coast of Honduras and Guatemala.

In preparation for the 110nm voyage from Utila to the Rio Dulce we checked the weather and the tides. The toughest part, so we were told of getting to the Rio Dulce is picking the appropriate high tide to cross from the Caribbean into the river. With a mean depth of 5.6’ we figured we would not have a problem with our five foot draft, however it is always a good idea to have a fudge factor. After checking the tides we decided that we could make it across on April 4 at 0630 when the high tide would be plus 1.32 feet. This coupled nicely with the weather forecast for the Utila westward to the Rio was: afternoons and evenings NE/SE winds 10-15k, morning winds would be variable and less than 10k. Granted the offshore forecast for Belize and Honduras was: afternoons and evenings SE 15-20k, with the overnight winds kicking up to 20-25k. Somewhere in all of the forecasts we consult there was a mention of “unstable atmosphere which may cause isolated squalls”. Of course this was all for off shore, we would be within spitting distance of the coasts of Honduras and Guatemala, so things looked good for us.

Leaving Utilia at the civilized hour of 0800 on April 3, we even checked the weather once more that morning just because we plan carefully for our crossings. The day was wonderful, we started off motor sailing with light winds from the SE that promptly swung to the SW (first hint of bad things to come, we paid little attention). By noon we are still motor sailing as the wind is almost behind us and less than 10k, oh the wind is now from the NE (hmmm, that’s strange the wind keeps clocking around us, oh well).

Well, in keeping with the photo above the lightening began shortly after sunset and continued well into the following morning. The real fun started about 2130 hours on April 3 (we were later told of a tornado that went through the Texan Bay anchorage at that time) when the winds still behind us began to increase, 10-15k, 15-20k, 20-25k, 35-40k etc…. We reefed all sail, but along with the increase in strength the wind kept clocking around the compass. Fortunately for us we were in deep water, 2,000 feet + and the wind was strong enough to knock down any waves so although an annoyance the increased winds were no big issue. The thunder and lightening were very much an issue, of course what fun is thunder and lightning without rain, thankfully we had our foul weather gear at hand.

Livingston's welcoming committee

Well it took 24 hours but we made it to Livingston, Guatemala tired but otherwise unscathed. The check in process is simple, get on the radio and call Raul. Raul shows up to the boat along with the Port Captain, Immigration, Customs, and the Health Official. Multiple copies of our passports and boat papers are taken and they all leave. An hour later and Raul has our papers to enter Guatemala all set to go. We are officially on our way to the Rio Dulce.

Fresh water! Boto has never been in fresh water before, she runs well. The first several miles up the river takes us to Texan Bay where we drop the anchor in six feet of water and relax. We haven’t been in so shallow water since leaving Galveston Bay. It is simply wonderful to jump off the boat into fresh water, take a bath in the warm water, do laundry and wash the boat.

After a few days exploring and cleaning in Texan Bay we are ready for a little vacation so it is further up the river to Frontera and the Mar Marina. Putting into a marina is always fun, we have AC power which means we have air conditioning, we have laundry facilities (although we still do ours by hand, safer that way) unlimited fresh, pressurized water, a restaurant and bar, movie night, volley ball … you get the idea. We plan to stay put for a week before heading further up the river to explore. We hear of hot sulphur springs and waterfalls, there are Mayan ruins and numerous river arteries to explore, so stay tuned. Well, it looks like we have finally caught up to ourselves, it only took three years.