Hello, friends!
We are on the move again... and yes, I am sorry we have not been keeping better contact re. our movements. I have been struggling with updating the blog chronologically (as in going back 6 months and doing each post individually) vs. doing one post with a summary and bring you all up to date with where we are at right now - literally and figuratively.
Over the last few of days I have tried the chronological option but it's taking so long, especially with the mostly slow and unreliable connections we have here in Central America. So, the obvious choice now is to do a roundup of the last 6 months and then I guess I can elaborate on each happening as time and wifi allow.
While still in Belize, working for Belize Saling Vacations, we received the phenomenal opportunity to star in a few ads for the launch of the new Kia Rio, which was shot on Jeju Island, in South Korea. When we returned we spent some time in Guatemala travelling and working on Melody in preparation to sell her and start working in the superyacht industry. While we were in Guatemala, Rufus had the opportunity to crew on a delivery of Phaedo, the Gunboat 66 that had just won the 2015 Transpac race, from Hawaii to Newport Beach. While Ruf was away I helped out with the BSV charter boats in the marina where we were staying, keeping an eye on them and doing some work on Melody as well.
Not long after Rufus' return from Phaedo we received a job offer on a private super yacht. Within 36hrs we moved Melody from one marina to another, hauled her out onto the hard stand, packed and boxed all our personal items to be shipped, put her up for sale and left for Newport, Rhode Island to join our new yacht!
We worked as 1st Mate (Rufus) and Chef/Stew (me) as part of 4 crew on 109ft sail yacht. We spent 3 months in the US and then delivered the boat south, to St Maarten, in December. We hosted the French owner and his family over December and early January, sailing the BVIs and St Barts for New Years. We returned to SXM in January and after a lot of thought, careful consideration and detailed financial calculations, we decided to return to Melody and complete our circumnavigation this year.
On February 7th we flew from St Maarten to Guatemala City to start the next chapter in our sailing expedition around the globe. Two weeks in Guatemala were spent cleaning Melody up (she took a bit of a beating during the rainy season in Guatemala) and of course, as always, doing the necessary maintenance and a few more upgrades!
An extra solar panel, new shade covers, a new inverter and one hardcore industrial sewing machine later we left Guatemala and sailed south, for 7 days, to Bocas del Toro off the coast of Panama.
So that's where we are right now: anchored in front of Bocas Town, in Panama, reuniting with special cruising friends and planning the next leg of our trip through the Panama Canal and into the Pacific!
July 2015: saying goodbye in Guatemala before Rufus left to Hawaii, to crew on the Gunboat 66 Phaedo
August 2015: Julia & Flo, friends from S/Y Tun
Melody on the hard in NanaJuana Marina, RioDulce
Fronteras, Guatemala
fixing travel bags for the trip to our new job in the US
Tracie & Steve from S/Y Saga Sea
September 2015: aboard S/Y Aventura in Newport, RI, as crew
Aventura's 44m air draft
Adrian takes over my galley and makes us dinner :)
one of the mansions on the Cliff Walk in Newport
Rufus helping the Doyle team to fit and test the new sails
this is what a $200,000.00 new custom mainsail from Doyle looks like
146ft in the air, at the top of the mast
aerial view of Aventura as Rufus keeps an eye onme from the bow seat below
December 2015: Aventura under way on delivery to St Maarten in the Caribbean
Engineer, Captain and Mate considering sail configs on the delivery from Newport RI to SXM
our view in the BVIs
Jan 2016: the boys doing chores on charter, while boss explored St Barths
Captain taking us through the bridge in St Maarten
Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee - also known as Adrian and Rufus
exiting the lagoon on the Dutch side of St Maarten
view of Fort Louis Marina from the fort on the hill
Feb 2016: one of our last days in SXM, at Grand Anse beach
Feb 2016: back in Guatemala, at NanaJuana Marina, making new floor boards for the master cabin
fitting some of our new shade covers
servicing the genoa furler before we set sail
leaving Livingstone in Guatemala, southbound to Bocas del Toro, Panama
this was Ruf's first real catch after the tuna off the SA coast in 2012
this guy hitched a ride and even came inside the boat to say hi
my watch spot when we weren't beating to windward...
March 2016: blogging in Bocas :)
