Tales of the Itinerant Sailor
Cruising 2008
The Landlubber's Tale
By
Changes at Rio Dulce
Monday, October 20, 2008:
This is my first experience
with Spirit Airlines, an egalitarian airline similar to Southwest Airlines,
although the flight attendants aren’t quite as laid back.
In fact they were down-right ornery when it came to moving my carryon
luggage around. This might explain
why my computer needed a technical adjustment before I could access the GPS
system aboard the Sirius II.
I am now boycotting Greyhound
buses. (See First
Letter to Greyhound.) I drive a
rental car to Ft Lauderdale to catch the 11:00 a.m. flight.
In Guat City I just make the right bus connection to the Rio Dulce.
There is very little traffic and no road construction.
Everything is running smoothly, too smoothly.
Then the shoe drops.
I discover that this is a holiday--Revolution Day (independence from
Spain in 1821). Only one water
taxi is available. The operator
wants to charge me Q100, double the usual fee, for the ten minute ride to Marina
La Joya del Rio. I don’t think so.
This is only $13US, but it is the principle that matters.
With the help of Steve at Brunos Resort, I am able to track down Garon,
the marina owner, and he comes over to fetch me.
A couple of changes since I
was here last. First, remember that
the location of this marina is just 15 degrees north of the equator.
This is the tropics. The
entire country is mountainous and tree-lined.
A tropical rain forest. And
this is the rainy season. The river
here, the Rio Dulce, is as high as I have ever seen.
The pier leading up to the restaurant is under water.
Only the cleats are showing.
All the rest of the piers are within inches of being submerged.
Water is lapping at the door steps of the cabins.
And it is still raining.
There is a lot of water here. I
almost need a ladder to board the Sirius
II.
Secondly, there is not the
usual report of criminal activity on the daily Cruiser’s Net as was so common
the previous times I was in the Rio Dulce.
It got so that every week there was a report of a major theft from one of
the boaters. The usual target was a
dinghy, especially if it had a nice motor.
Minor thefts included anything on deck that was not bolted down.
When the perpetrators expanded their operations to include the area’s
tourists, and tourism started to fall off, it was time for action.
But the clamp down did not
come from the local police officials, who seemed to be bewildered or
disinterested in these goings on.
Or part of the problem as was the rumor.
The enforcement came from the local drug cartel.
Apparently, revenues were declining.
So goes the rumor. Over the
course of a few weeks, six to eight men were found shot to death under
mysterious circumstance. Men
of questionable character. This is
not intended to endorse any of what might have happened.
Suffice to say, theft and burglaries has come to a virtual standstill
along the Rio.
I am in no great hurry and
take time to chat with the locals as they wander by.
“Where are you headed?” is a common question.
Now I am working under Change
of Plans 14b. The
Sirius II is looking spiffy,
especially for a 30 year-old boat.
Except the sole. That is boater’s
talk for the floor of the cabin, galley, suite, etc.
It is coming apart and looks awful.
Consequently, I have elected to return to Key West to accomplish this
major repair. “Why,” the locals
want to know, “are you taking this boat back to the US when the hard wood you
want to use is grown right here and the skilled wood workers are here, also?”
Good point.
Dennis Compton, an American
expatriate, approaches me with an offer.
We talk. I look at some of
his projects. I accept.
I arrange to leave the Sirius II
on the Rio Dulce until May 2009.
So ends my cruising season.
Summertime Reunions | One if by Land, Two if by Sea |
Cruising 2008: The Landlubber's Tale
Copyright © 2009 Steven Jones. All Rights Reserved.
Contact: siriusii@hotmail.com