Utila beach

....as mentioned earlier; our plans are as firm as jello so it's good that we don't really have a schedule. We didn't plan on going up the Rio Dulce (Guatemala) like most cruisers do for hurricance season. While the Rio is almost guaranteed to be "hurricane proof" we've felt, all along, that Roatan is also quite safe. Our original plan was to simply head to the Rio for several weeks and then return to Roatan for the balance of the season. Turns out that our visa requirements, along with our plans for seeing Honduras mainland and Guatemala, suggest a longer stay up the Rio. So...we're leaving Roatan next Monday (8/2) and heading to the island of Utila for a couple of days. Then it's a twenty four hour sail to the mouth of the Rio.

We'll have HB slipped in a marina for the months of August, September and October. During this time we'll be taking road trips into the mountains of Honduras and Guatemala. The main attractions are Mayan ruins and many small villages where textile weaving and local art are supposedly stunning.

The Rio is known to be very hot this time of year (one of the reasons we didn't plan on going there). That said; we have installed air conditioning on  HB to make sleeping possible. The marina has a pool and good resturant which will help battle the heat. We also know quite a few people (fellow cruisers) who are up the Rio so that should insure a good time.
 
There should be a bunch to post as we travel up into the mountains. 

See you up the Rio!

PS - We will return to Roatan for Nov and Dec. Zach, Amanda and Em are coming for Christmas...should be yet another "hoot"!