Mast Step Project & Jason & Charlotte come to visit

Hello all,

We are going to step back a bit, not long but just a bit, to when Jason and Charlotte came to visit in December. Wow, once I think of it and the shock I had when I discovered dry rot it seems so long ago! It started small and grew to grand proportions with the dry rot creeping under the mast step. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! The short term plans we had were shot, we went into repair mode. In between the rain with the help of our indentured servants (Jason and Char) we were able to replace the mast step. Now, when I write it like that is seems like--well, no problem, what’s the big deal? This was actually a pretty big deal and yes, indeed, a pretty big and vitally important repair.

This is what we needed to accomplish: 1) build a new mast step, 2) slide the mast off the old mast step onto the new mast step, 3) take out the old mast step, 4) pray to who ever that there is no dry rot under the old mast step, and then last but not least, slide the new mast step back into position without dislodging the mast and sending it shooting through the deck. We decided we did not need to create a hole in the deck for a new hot tub at this juncture in time, so we proceeded with caution.

First, we secured the bottom of the mast with lines and loosened the rigging (some of you may be asking yourselves “why not just take the mast down?” Well, duh, I would have done that but..... 1) no cranes available here in Central America where we are on a river with little to no services, and...2) the dry rot, unfortunately was located at the precise point of the tabernacle system which is needed to assist in lowering the mast. Many thanks to Nutria Marina, for their part in completing this task. The toughest part of making the replacement mast step was locating a piece of wood big enough and strong enough. Nutria Marina made it simple by donating a nice piece of hardwood from their own stockpile. Any hoot--with the new mast step made and everyone’s help, we pulled it off without a hitch. With a little bit of confidence and the help of a good old fashioned hammer and a crow bar, there is nothing one can't do . Here are a few pictures of the before and after.


- Captain Jake

Short stint to Belice

Merry Christmas, And Happy New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well we are in the Rio Dulce and plan to be here for the Holidays. The face lift to the woodduck begins. But before all the work we spread the ducks wings with Rachel (Rae) and took a two week run up to Belice. With only a small delay to fix some dry rot we finally got going and spent two nights in the River (Lago del Golfete). We checked out and in to Belice in one day and spent our first day anchored off Punta Gorda. We didn't venture too far north. The real excitement was our first stop on our way to the barrier reef. At Laughing Bird Caye we dropped the hook and in no time were swimming off the island. Here we saw more Barracuda than I have ever seen. In all we saw 20 or more swimming in packs of 6 to 7. A nurse shark crossed our path next with a whole lot of fish all around. What a wonderful way to start the day. We didn't spend the night but kept moving after we were chased down by the park ranger for money. It turned out the area was a national park and somehow they wanted 24 bz dollars from us. That evening the duck slept at a Caye called Ranguana, a private island.


We didn't stick around long we had our eye on the cayes of Tom Owens. This is where we caught our fish -- a grouper -- we believe. And boy did it taste good in our tacos that night and the next.



Our next fish was caught by rae. I think it was a Bonita. We made fish sticks. Yummm Yummm.



After playing in the water, trying to catch some rays and reading alot, we made our way back to livingston to check into Guatemala. Even with a little rain the transit up the river was another gorgeous trip back to the Rio.







- Captain Jake