Western Caribbean Cruising

Guatemala to honduras

Editors Note:  I'm thrilled to present another series by Sharon Kratz from s/v Rose of Sharon.  In this series Sharon lets us tag along on her and Joe's journey from Guatemala thru Honduras, Columbia and to the Panama Canal. 

by Sharon Kratz, s/v Rose of Sharon

“They knew better than to do this kind of thing,” Emy would say to our tearful daughters. “Sharon always said ‘Safety First’ was her motto.” She sighed. “I can’t believe they’re dead, but it was such a stupid thing to do.”

That’s exactly how it will be, I thought to myself. You do something dangerous and stupid – if you survive, it’s a story. If you die, everyone remembers you died doing something stupid. We’re going to be remembered as two of the dumbest people on the Rio Dulce, second only to that twin-engine airplane pilot who tried to fly under the Rio Dulce Bridge. His last words on the radio were probably, “¡Oye, Bubba! Watch this!”

I squinted and tried to see through the torrential rain, through the heavy, wet darkness. A cayuco edged near the shoreline, seeking safety in the tangle of jungle. The Rio Dulce Navy Patrol boat zipped past us, lights on and sweeping the water, then they shut off all their lights to investigate something under the cover of darkness. Maybe us.

I continued my discussion with myself. Great. If we don’t get hit by a lancha, we’ll get busted by the Navy.

We were in our groceries-laden dinghy that was also seriously filling up with rainwater, crossing Guatemala’s Rio Dulce at night with no lights, no flashlight nor any kind of flotation device onboard. We were just feet away from the site where several members of one family were killed, less than a month ago, when two speeding unlit lanchas ran into each other at night.

Joe steered slowly across the river and then our dinghy hugged the relative safety of the river’s shore. I smiled. Cheated death again. “There’s the opening!” I pointed to a break in the foliage.

“Are you sure?” asked Joe. “If you’re wrong, we’re going to be picking bugs out of our hair for hours.”

“I’m sure,” I returned. “I can see it.”

Joe nosed into the opening and then we were out of the river, dinghying across a small cove toward our boat.

The owner of a nearby hotel and marina had given us a hearty “Good luck!” and a flashlight for our dinghy-trip into one of the worst storms we’d seen in ages. “I can’t believe you lost Steve’s flashlight,” Joe said as we carefully hauled our bagged groceries onboard.

I had dropped it getting into the dinghy. We stripped out of our wet clothes in the cockpit and high-fived. Then, laughing, we hurried inside our snug boat, out of the weather and grateful once again to be at a dock and not “out in it.”

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Sailing up the Erie Canal

on s/v BlueJacket

Our friends Sue & Geoff, s/v BlueJacket, are currently making a trip from the Chesapeake Bay to Newfoundland to Nova Scotia and back to Rhode Island.  I've been enjoying their Trip Logs and Videos.  I think you will enjoy it too. 

Recipe of the Month

For some reason I've been thinking of pot lucks this summer.  That brought to mind one of my favorite potluck finds ...

King Ranch Chicken

by Tami Gilliam, s/v Heart of Gold

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or you can use a whole chicken cooked in the pressure cooker, then deboned.)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 2 tbls butter
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 10 oz cans ROTEL Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies
• 1 10 3/4 oz. can cream of mushroom soup, undiluted
• 1 10 3/4 oz can cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• 12 corn tortillas, cut into quarters
• 2 cups cheddar cheese, shredded

Sprinkle chicken breast halves with salt & pepper, place in a 13x9 lightly greased baking dish and back at 325° for 20 minutes or until done.  Cool and then chop coarsely.

Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat; add bell pepper and onion, sauté until crisp-tender.  Remove from heat and then stir in chicken, tomatoes and soups.

Place 1/3 of tortilla quarters in bottom of a lightly greased 13/x9 baking dish, top with 1/3 of chicken mixture then sprinkle with 2/3 cups of cheese.  Repeat layers 2 times, reserving last 2/3 cup of cheese.

Bake at 325° for 35 minutes, sprinkle with reserved cheese and bake 5 more minutes.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Yeilds:  6-8 servings.

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Be sure to check out the two new galley articles:  Provisioning at the Winn Dixie & Grocery Shopping in Isla Mujeres.