Hurricanes??

When Pam and I decided to write a blog we hoped it would keep friends informed in what were are doing and hope we could stay away from religion and politics in doing a blog. The news is not easy to get down here in the Caribbean so I go to the internet news on the computer sometimes with about one third of it Trump bashing and the rest almost like it’s some ones opinion on things, not the facts. English specking radio down here is mostly religion 24/7. Pray and pay with the send us money. In the news now its about Florence and to us it’s sad. We built our boat in Southport NC and we feel sorry for the people there any where Florence is making trouble for them. Our first time dealing with a hurricane was there in Southport just below Wilmington. We were there working in the nuclear power plant living on our other sail boat before we built Pamela Ann. We anchored the boat out in the CP&L canal and left it there with the evening news still saying direct hit possible. Winds 175mph, sea surge 26 feet. We drove to a motel north of Wilmington leaving our boat there in what we thought was harms way. There they said the hurricane was going on south according to the weather people. Remember working in nuclear power plants, by now we had lost most of our respect for the media. The next morning daylight our boat was fine when we came back and the wind maybe hit 50mph. The locals there said we were not in a hurricane even if the wind hit 50mph and it was the outer bands of Hugo. I was learning. The next time we rode out a hurricane the eye hit us and I knew then why the locals had said Hugo didn’t hit us. This time the wind screamed for hours and every thing that came loose went vertical with the rain. We learned something else too, people think you are crazy if you ride out a hurricane in a 26 foot sail boat, (another boat we were living on at the time, building Pamela Ann) The adventure of it was great, our first time in a real hurricane riding out the storm but then we found out the police can become impossible to deal with if they know your staying on a boat. In all we road out 5 Hurricanes there in Southport over the years. Four on boats. Not Hugo. In one instance the chief of police said we had to leave our boat Pamela Ann and I said “No this is our home.” This brought on treats of the law and a fight with lots of yelling from every one there. Pam telling him to call the city lawyer before he laid hands on us, we wasn’t going. It had gone to that point. He came back still yelling saying, “Wear damn dog tags so we can identify your bodies.” Why would we decide to stay? Like I said we felt like we could handle the storm on our boat best. I told the chief this and I told him doing us “great bodily harm” to us to get us off our boat to keep us “from harm” made no since. I was mad enough to fight to stay on our boat and he would not take his badge off before he tried dragging me off that was clear so now if I was wining the fight could he shoot me and maybe Pam. In Florida we did 7 more. One time there we were already pulled out in a boat yard painting the bottom. I ask to be put back in the water but wanted to stay in the lift well. There was some boats around us in the yard I felt wouldn’t made the storm. A sailor came to us visibly trembling asking our advice. He was anchored in the canal and said all he owned was his boat. We pulled Pamela Ann out and let him in the well behind us and some what beside us. A tight fit but we made it. Wind hit 103mph but being in the canal no sea surge. In New Orleans we did two more hurricanes. We were on our way to Louisiana when the eye of Katrina hit Past Christian, Mississippi (“not New Orleans, “remember that and the outer bands of the storm caused the levy failure and the flood in New Orleans.) “Politics and the media at it’s all time worse.” We were there on the north shore of New Orleans for Gustau and Ike riding out those storms on our boat. A friend stayed with us this time on our boat not his. The Pamela Ann is a steel boat. Back here in Belize we road out the last hurricane to hit here, Earl. Same story people saying thing that were not true. We told people here what we thought would happen and tied up our boat like we wanted and sleep through most of the storm. This is what we do to get ready for a storm. Check the tracking “most important.” The circulation of the storm is counter clockwise. If it is coming from east to west and the eye passes over you the first wind will be north. in the eye it’s clear and comb and past the eye south. If you are on the south side of the storm the wind will be westerly the north side is the worse with a sea surge from the sea and stronger winds starting from the east. If you know all this you can tie your boat up for the storm and knowing the way the wind is going to blow is the key. Now what is it like to be in a Hurricane? At first it starts to rain and the wind starts to blow getting harder quick. The first hour it’s not too bad some times coming on slow. It has to do with how fast it’s traveling. If it’s slow moving it seams like it will never be over. Hour after hour of screaming wind and raining harder that you think possible. You have to stay put where your at. You can’t walk in wind over 100MPH Pam and I crawled one time from the dock the boat we were staying on to the marina building and back crawling behind the dock boxes. The wind would slack a little and we would make it behind the next box, like I said a little adventure in life is good. Again we are sorry for the people the hurricane is hurting and our view of the media hasn’t changed much watching the Wilmington news person swaying having a hard time standing up to the wind with two people walking along with no trouble at all behind him. Here in the Caribbean there is very little trouble with the police saying there “ we are here to protect you, from yourself” and if you don’t let them protect you they will harm you until you do. But the politics is about the same.

This happened in Southport, NC. Hurricane Bonnie

Right now we are safe at the dock in Belize. Hoping we don’t have to deal with any more hurricanes.

Back in Belize

We are finally back in Belize. We had a friend help us set our depth sounder back at our slip in Guatemala. I’m not good with computer stuff and setting the depth sounder takes computer stuff skills. I truly believe it’s as close as we can get it now. Why am I tell this? It’s the bar at the mouth of river at Livingston going out into the ocean. They say it 5 feet and 5 inches at low tide. We draw 6 feet, we always try to cross at high tide. The last 3 times we crossed we hit, always made it across but we hit. One time twisting the boat one way and then the other we slide on across motors turning sand. It may be a 100 feet across at the lowest point. It’s a bit scary too, being you are out in the ocean when you hit. Then there is always the chance if some one helps you, you will get scammed. On a trip going in last time we were going there to clear up our passport and leave our boat at our slip in Guatemala flying to the states. You can only stay in these countries a few months and they make you leave. They make money this way too. Going in a boat came out from the city dock with two men waving and screaming we were going to lose our boat we were out of the channel. I checked my course and just went on in. They kept running in front of us saying we needed to follow them in. Pam and I both telling them to go away. When we got to the bar we bumped a little but made it over still on my course. The same course we always use. As we stared to anchor they were still there screaming we needed to anchor where they said. For years now we have anchored were we were when we come in. I’m telling them to just go away. They were telling us in English they saved our boat. Remember we changed nothing coming in and definitely didn’t follow them in or I’m sure we would have been aground the way they went. How they wouldn’t leave so I told them I didn’t need their help and was going to the Port Captain. They left saying we needed to pay them money. That day we checked in and when we were leaving the city dock where we left our dink there they were telling Pam they saved our boat and we needed to pay them something. Pam gave them $20 Belize, that’s $10US and told them to go away. With me saying why did you do that ? With them saying they didn’t want Belize money with them being there in Guatemala and it wasn’t enough for saving our boat. By now I was having a little fit on the city dock and they left with the Belize money mumbling cuss words in Spanish. Now this time as we were waiting to go out I saw them leading another boat in and when they came by our boat telling me they would lead us out if I was leaving. They didn’t recognize me I guess and now as they were coming back I was having another good old southern boy cussing fit them telling them I was leaving but if I come back and have trouble with them again I’m going to the port captain for sure. The people on the boat they leads in came by and said they drew 4 and a haft feet and was glad to give them 25 US to help them in , remember low tied 5feet and 5 inches . There 4 feet 6 inches so they can come in any time there want and it was high tie too. They definitely didn’t need them. A days pay for a worker there is less than $15 US so they are making out with what they are doing in about 30 minutes time screaming you going to lose your boat with out our help. As we were pulling our anchor the officials came by going out to the boat that just came in and the boat they were using to go out was the boat the two pirates are running that are telling people coming in and going out they are saving there boats by guiding them in and out. The Port Captain was now in the pirate;s boat with them. On the way out our depth sounder showed the water at 6 foot 3 inches as we made it over. Now to get to our anchorage. We always anchorage the first night out about 11 miles after crossing the bar. Now our problem was grass every where. We made a detour one time well over a mile to just get around a big patch of floating grass. Storms at night are common this time of year but the next day we made another anchorage just before they came early and the next day it was so stormy we just stayed in the anchorage and left the next morning sailing wet all morning going on. Getting here to our dock just after noon. You read in the magazines about sailing the worm waters of the Caribbean and how easy it is. We are not magazine sailors and it took 4 days to sail 51 miles but we made it safely here and the Pirates of the Caribbean maybe are the people that say they are there to help you. Maybe just helping you out of your money telling you they are there saving you and your boat then bring the Port Captain out to your boat like they are the good guys.

More grass on this trip

New product in Belize

Doctors?

Sorry for the late blog. The internet is poor here in the Western Caribbean and the power has been off. I usually don’t talk about personal problems like having a cold or something but maybe some people wonder what it’s like to get sick here in Guatemala. I had a small skin cancer removed off my back a few weeks ago and for some reason I have had and ear infection with vertigo. The two are not related I’m sure. Getting better now but what is it like to go to a doctor here? The one I like here in Fronteras, you go to his small clinic and out front is some bench seats to set on in the shade to wait your turn. Inside you most of the time need to ring a bell and this brings a nurse. There is always the language thing. Me saying my Spanish is poor and the nurse saying her English is not good but Spanglish and serenades always seems to work. One thing to mention here is educated people here pride themselves with speaking a second language and it’s always English. I believe the second language internationally now is English around the world. Seeing a doctor is maybe $25 US most places. The doctor checked the thing on my back that itched terribly and tells me it looks like a small volcano and need to be removed soon, The deal is struck. Q1100or $150 US? for the surgery, the test to make sure all the cancer is gone and the flow up. I lay down on a table. He put a local pain killer around the sore. This done then a slice that looks like a small red slice of citric fruit is removed. Bigger than I thought. From the time I went in less than 30 minutes and I’m walking out and it’s over. Ten days later the results are back from Guatemala City and there is no cancer spreed he is telling me. The doctor says “no hay problema” you live now. I have said in most of our blogs that you can not live here cheaper than rural USA if you live like Americans do but the one exception is doctors. Maybe one thing is you can’t sue a doctor here like you can in the US. You don’t need a prescription to buy most medicines. Way back an eye doctor prescribed contact lens for me in the US and said the problem I had sometimes improved with age. It has and I don’t wear glass or contacts any more and being here as my eyes improved I just ask for what I thought I needed and they would sale me what I wanted. Back in the states it would be go see a doctor every year even if I liked what I was wearing before I could even buy more contacts. How good are the doctors here? I think if you break your arm they for sure can set it and it may cost you a hundred bucks total for every thing. I cut my finger off and they sewed it back on in a hospital. The doctor here saying no when I went in, surgery, hospital so I went to a specialist and when it was all over less that $900 US and remember I didn’t cut it, I cut it off. I wear the pin they put in the bone in a favorite hat now. I don’t think all these countries have good doctors but Guatemala has close ties to the US and most people that are very sick leave Belize and come here to see a good doctors. I have never been in a tough man contest but like all men I feel like I can hold my on but in Mexico I passed out on the street and they took me to a hospital. I was sick. Pam said I was scaring her to death. There they said I was no Mexican and not to eat ceviche made with barracudas. I had made friends with the local fishermen and they would uses any thing like the knife they cut bait all day with and just squeeze lime juice over the ceviche. I think you need to let it set for at least one hour before you eat it. Any way I lived and it cost us $35 US for four hours in the hospital the ambulance the doctor and the medication. By the way if you ever get a stomach infection think what you want to you won’t be a tough guy long. Maybe seeing a doctor here is very high priced to the people here if you make your living fishing in a dug-out-canoe. Sadly if nothing goes wrong in the next few days we are leaving this simple place and trying to go on the Belize with our boat.