 |
Murray adjusting to
Vermont in December |
We have left the warmth of the Rio Dulce
for the chill of Vermont. While Atalanta
is on the hard for her “make-over” we are in Colchester to celebrate the
holidays with family and friends. Richard stepped off the plane in Burlington
wearing shorts. He traded those for long pants the next day and one day later
it snowed and he needed to add boots to his wardrobe. Murray wasn’t all that
excited about being in the snow. However,
it’s lovely coming back to such a beautiful place and to have a home here we
can call our own.
 |
| Preparing Atalanta for paint |
RAM Marina in Guatemala offers a rare opportunity to have high quality work done at a cost significantly less than in the USA. Atalanta has not been repainted (Awlgrip) since 1989 so she will have Stars and Stripes blue reapplied to her hull and off-white on the cockpit
and coachtop.
Much time consuming preparation is involved including sanding, scraping, repairing fiberglass, and refairing so it is a 6-week job.
 |
| Rio Dulce |
We left the Rio Dulce as crew on our good
friends’ Moody 47, Argosea. After
completing the checkout process in Livingston, we made a two-day/one-night
passage north to Cay Caulker, Belize where we waited for the strong northerlies
to abate. Then it was off to Cozumel for a couple of nights followed by a
kickass sail across the Yucatan Channel to Puerto Morelos. We settled Argosea into her slip at Marina El
Cid where she will stay while Tony and Anne are home for the holidays in Great
Britain.
Our thanks to Anne and Tony for
a safe passage, delicious meals, and good company.
Puerto Morelos is home to a small
restaurant, Tacos.com which we believe serves the finest tacos in the world and
we managed to get to eat there 3 times. We
also had fresh ceviche on the beach and margaritas made with lots of fresh lime
juice. This is not the place for us to stay if we want to lose weight!
We return to Guatemala on December 30 and
will need several days to put the boat back together and shop for provisions. Then
we anticipate sailing north to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, the Dry Tortugas, Key West
and the Exumas. We will arrive in
Charleston, SC by April 15 and then Atalanta will find her way back to her old
mooring in Bristol RI. We will spend the
summer in Vermont, sailing in New England waters, and planning our next
adventure.
We wish you the happiest of holidays and
hope the spirit of the season fills you with joy.
RAM Marina in Guatemala offers a rare opportunity to have high quality work done at a cost significantly less than in the USA. Atalanta has not been repainted (Awlgrip) since 1989 so she will have Stars and Stripes blue reapplied to her hull and off-white on the cockpit and coachtop. Much time consuming preparation is involved including sanding, scraping, repairing fiberglass, and refairing so it is a 6-week job. 
