For the near future, our boat home will be on the Gloriamaris currently berthed in Progresso, Mexico. She is a 50ft Prout Catamaran that has been in service for 35 years. We are taking over for the retiring Tom and Lilianna. They put in 16 years and traveled extensively throughout the Caribbean, moving the Gloriamaris to the vacation locations as the owners requested. We wish for Tom and Lilianna's new ventures in retirement to be fun and fulfilling.
Currently the Gloriamaris - named after a rare shell - is in need of her annual check up, with thorough inspection of all systems, rigging and sails, cleaning and interior painting and an overall reorganization of her ships stores. Lists are being made of repairs and or replacements needed. After the work is completed, and a sailing trip taken with one of the owners coming down in October, we will be sailing her to Rio Dulce Guatemala where Leap is currently berthed. We will be happy to have the two "girls" together. Once there, the Gloriamaris will be hauled for her annual bottom cleaning, inspection and bottom painting.
So we start again on another boat project. The owner has asked us to do a deep cleaning which we feel is well advised after so many years in the tropics. We will be doing this in stages starting with making room to work. Next, scrubbing everything, prepping interior painted surfaces for new paint, then sorting and reorganizing every item onboard.
Off boat storage is not conducive to keeping things critter free. Boxing up items and hauling to a storage closet invites cucarachas and ants, to name just a few critters, to take up residence in your things and then when you move the boxes back to the boat the dastardly pest hotel comes along to check out the new digs and sets up housekeeping.
So, we have elected to move the belongings port to starboard and then reverse the contents starboard to port and as a final sorting measure, put everything back into its clean and freshly painted assigned space.
There is an amazing amount of cargo that can be stowed in a 50 catamaran!
Every berth in the starboard hull is full.
Mid-ships berth - lots of things to sort through
Above-The hallway is stuffed with all the mattresses and carpet.
Below - the main salon, now full of everything from the galley which is in the process of being sorted then moved into the starboard hull.
More galley items
The saying goes: A picture is worth a thousand words, but truly, these pictures do not fully show the amount of stuff and puzzle planning we had to do to get most of the items to fit into one hull.
We have a limited amount of time to do an interior refit. Hopefully, a new cabin sole or some type of new flooring, galley stove, and new cushions and upholstery for main salon settee are on the wish list, all to follow the cleaning, painting and sorting. Time, or lack of, dictates much of what will happen.
We have hired two local fellows, Rousell and Joshua to assist us. Rousell acts as interpreter and Spanish tutor and they both help with cleaning, sanding, painting and whatever else is on the ever growing list. They are pleasant, well-educated and hardworking and we are so glad to have found them. Higher education does not always translate into success in Mexico - so these two young men report - and in the current economy finding work in their respective fields is tough. Rousell is a Professor of Languages, and Tour Guide to Mayan Sites. Joshua, has a degree in Business Management and is a song writer.
Because the boat is in such disarray we are staying at a cute little hotel here in Progresso, the
Nicte-Ha. Our view from the balcony.
Our suite with kitchenette
Seating
Table for Two with the ubquitous Caribbean plastic chairs ( Karen wonders if it is a redundant phrase as she has used it in past posts; ubiquitous plastic chairs? I say, it will be a reoccurring theme. What do you think?)
The hotel is very clean, with very good wifi and reasonable with a monthly rate of $575 this time of year.
A bit of weather moving across the other night. A view from our balcony.
As mentioned above, one of the owners is coming in mid-October for a dive vacation. We will be setting sail for Arrecife Alacranes, a cluster of reefs, approximately 65 miles north and a smidge east of Progreso. Weather permitting we will stay anchored there for a few days while the owner dives then head back to Progreso to drop him off at the airport. Then winds and weather permitting, we will head south to Belize then on to Guatemala and Leap.
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