Livingston Town, Entrance of Rio Dulce, Guatemala

It is known there is a shallow spot at the Rio Dulce entrance between the river and the sea. The shallow spot is about 5.5 feet (1.68 meters) at low tide. Most of the sailors wait for high tide to enter this spot so as not to get stuck on the muddy bottom. Our boat needs 6.5 feet depth (2 meter) to float. To make our boat light, we emptied two water tanks and one fuel tank by consuming them prior. This made ‘Bad Bunny’ float with 6.4 feet depth (1.95 meters) instead of 6.5 feet. We did wait for a night outside of the river and planned to cross this spot during high tide (1.5 feet =0.48 meters higher) around 8am next day.

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Dry Canal, Anchored near Port Barrios in Guatemala

Growing up as a kid, I liked geography and I dreamed of visiting many countries. I believe the journey of my sailing life, in a sense, is not a coincidence but is related to my childhood dream; ‘Traveling’ is in my blood. Why do I dream about it? Truly, I would have a hard time answering, but if I have had to answer; I would say “It’s just me”. There are so many countries in the world that I cannot keep up with all the names. Even though I stop counting the number of countries that I have visited, I won’t stop traveling because it’s just me.

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Sailing from Providencia Island in Colombia to Rio Dulce in Guatemala

This sailing trip taught us lots of lessons. We had all kinds of weather during a total length of 600 nautical miles from February 15 to February 20, 2016. It took 113 hours averaging 5.3 miles/hour. It taught me again that sailing is “The sport of fluid dynamics and geometry. Also the sport of weather.” There are many variables that affect sailing: wind, waves, currents, sail location, wind angle, sail sheet (line) tension, and many other factors. Like any other sport, to be the best like an Olympian, one needs to spend countless time practicing.

Leaving Providencia, we were flying and falling into the rhythm of sailing thinking this is what sailing is about.

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What to Do in Providencia Island in Colombia

An untouched paradise, ‘donde la magia envulve el alma y el Corazon’ (in English: where magic surrounds the heart and soul!)

We have been in the Providencia anchorage almost three weeks. People here are very outgoing, and most speak English to boot, so that I didn’t feel any distance from the locals at all. Safety is another thing I like in this island, no threats at all. It is also a very clean island. Garbage trucks pick up garbage frequently. There are only about 5,500 residents here so everyone seems to know everyone. Both John and I think people who live on this island are very lucky.

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Adios Mosquitoes and Sandflies: Mosquito Net

Zika Virus, Chikungunya, Dengue Fever, Yellow Fever, Malaria… AHHHH, Life in the tropics. When it comes to bug bites, prevention is the best policy for me. Otherwise, once I get a bug bite, I end up scratching my skin leaving ugly scars. Based on my experiences, a mosquito bite makes me itch for about two days and a no-see-ums (Sandflies) about five days. Sometimes, when I spend time in the sea water, I get bites from ‘Sea Lice’ and also ‘Jelly Fish’. These bites make me itch for a while also.

After decades of trying different products, I now use ‘Avon Skin-So-Soft Bug Guard and SPF 30 Sunscreen’ for outdoor activities: hiking,

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Colombia, Providencia Island – Movistar SIM Card

*** My Experiences with Movistar SIM Card (January to February 2016) ***

There are two stores selling SIM Cards in Providencia. Both recommended that I get the ‘Movistar SIM Card’. It cost 10,000 Colombian Pesos (COP) for a SIM card. The setup is simple. A couple of setup problems might be because (1) it is in Spanish and (2) there is no printed list of special code. Regardless, the sales people in the stores are happy to assist the setup.

I use my Sony Xperia smartphone for internet use as a tether hot spot for my laptop.

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Volcanic Scenery, Hiking to El Pico (The Peak) in Providencia Island, Colombia

February 1, 2016: In order to see the island, we decided to rent a scooter for each of us (50,000 Colombian Pesos = US$16 Per Day/Per Scooter). I was a little worried because I haven’t driven a scooter before. It is the main transportation vehicle in Providencia. The road is good and empty so I was ready to learn a new skill, driving a scooter. However, the rental store didn’t let me rent one, a first time scooter driver. I was actually disappointed when we ended up renting a Kawasaki Mule, sort of a cross between a golf cart and an ATV (90,000 Colombian Pesos = US$28 Per Day) instead of scooters.

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My Experience with a Dentist and a Doctor in Providencia Island, Colombia

I consider that I am active and healthy. I also do regular exercise and try to eat smart even in remote islands. However, since I started sailing in June 2014, I have been seeing doctors in each country we stop at. The two main problems I have are: (1) a tooth crown that won’t stay on, and (2) a skin problem on my palms, and soles of my feet that began not long after I started sailing. The two crowns I have are not even two years old. I paid a lot of money for them back in Florida when I was working as a computer programmer.

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Sailing from San Blas to Providencia, Colombia

El Nino, for us, means more possibility of Cyclones in the Pacific. Because of it, we were unsure of our next destination. Finally, we made a big decision postponing going to the South Pacific for two years. That means we are not crossing the Panama Canal in February, 2016. It is disappointing; however, it brought us many options. Looking at a world map, we picked Providencia Island, Colombia for now. Providencia is far away from mainland Colombia. It is near Nicaragua. We read good things about it, especially about the nature.
It is about 270 miles to sail from San Blas to Providencia.

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No ATM, Bring Small Dollar Bills to San Blas/Panama

Panama uses US dollars. I brought lots of small denomination bills before visiting San Blas as we had read to do so in another cruisers blog. It was helpful to buy coconuts, vegetables, and lobsters from the Guna Indians because they usually don’t have change. I still have a plenty of small bills left. Some of them are almost worn-out as they go from hand to hand, and never make it to a bank to be replaced. Some dollar bills might be salty as if they were splashed by waves on the canoes. I sometimes paid after putting the money in a sandwich bag so it doesn’t get wet.

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