So, it’s Thanksgiving in Guatemala, which is cool, because we’re having turkey tonight at the marina, with all the good stuff. It will be a first thanksgiving for many of the cruisers here, who aren’t American, so it will be interesting to see what they think of it.
Since giving thanks is the order of the day, I’m going to update my “many thanks” section on the blog to include all the people that I want to thank for various generosities and acts of friendship over the past year. Their acts of kindness and friendship have really helped me get through a strange, fun, and at times, a very rough year. So watch out for that.
I had to take a trip to Puerto Barrios a few days ago to get my starter worked on and to get a few other supplies. I also had to get a part for my furling re-made by a machine shop. I was lucky to find a machine shop that had the right aluminum to do the job. So that was great. Dan from Yankee asked me to get him a large pepperoni pizza from the Domino’s there. So I did that too, along with a medium one for me, which I ended up sharing with the taxi driver on the drive back to Rio Dulce.
When I got back to Rio Dulce that afternoon, I put the starter back on the motor. It works like a charm now. Only problem is that I found out after we got the motor started that one of my alternators stopped working. I had 2 spares, but they ended up getting a bit corroded while they were in storage, so they have to be rebuilt again. So now I had three bad alternators, UGH!
Anyway, Daniel, the manager at Marios was going to Puerto Barrios yesterday, so he brought my alternator over to that same shop that rebuilt my starter. It’s been fixed, and I’ll have to head back over to Puerto Barrios tomorrow morning to get it. After that, all significant engine issues should be sussed. I’ll deal with getting the other 2 alternators rebuilt in La Ceiba once I get to Honduras. I’ll be there for at least a month so it won’t be a big deal to get it done.
He also managed to get the needed shots for the cats from a vet clinic, who are past due on everything. There’s a veterinarian here at the marina, Heather, from Canada, who will be nice enough to administer the shots to the cats. So it will be good to get them updated.
Lisa from Ohio is flying into Guatemala City on the 26th, so I’ll need to catch an early morning bus to get there to meet her. I’ll be doing a little bit of shopping while I’m there that day as well, since she won’t be flying in until later that afternoon. We’ll spend the night in Guatemala City, and head back to Rio Dulce the next morning. It should be fun having Lisa back onboard Andiamo.
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been hanging out a bit with Sjelle, a pretty cool girl from Denmark, who has been working on her 30′ boat here in Rio Dulce. She’s getting her ready to head out and cruise the Bay Islands this season as well. She knows how to use a sewing machine, so she’ll be helping me get some of my canvas back up to snuff, and I’m sure I’ll be summoned to help out with some things on her boat as well.
So the way things look, I should have Andiamo back together by Monday, in time for a mini-shakedown in Lago Izabal. This will be a good place to test out the sails and the furling before heading out. If all checks out, we’ll head right out by Wednesday the 30th. That’s the schedule right now, and it looks good so far.
So happy thanksgiving to all, and hope the turkey isn’t too dry, and the stuffing isn’t too moist. 
And let’s wish a happy 43rd birthday to my sister Judy!