Happy Birthday to Me!

At Anchor
New Haven, Belize

We left Texan Bay Marina yesterday morning at 9:45, aiming for New Haven in southern Belize. The weather wasn’t all that great, overcast with some showers, but it matched our mood at saying goodbye to the Rio Dulce.

The cruise downriver was a bit like a farewell parade, as some fish were running that brought out the Mayan cayucos by the dozen.

Crossing the corner of the Gulf of Honduras wasn’t too bad – certainly it wasn’t as placid as our arrival last March – and it came as a shock to the system of Mary Margaret von Stripenfurs, the seasick pussycat princess. Part of the securing for sea ritual is making a circuit of her “deposit” sites, trying to keep things tidy for obvious reasons. When we finally dropped anchor in New Haven at 2:45 in the afternoon and shut down the engines and generators, she glowered at us until the food dish was lowered at 5:30.

After the obligatory anchor dram and nap, Ole made me a birthday dinner featuring huge pork chops (from the Casa Guatemala orphanage store) braised in herbs and apple juice, with garlic mashed potatoes and fresh green beans – followed by a beautifully conceived Norwegian cream cake, caffe lattes made with the stovetop machine and cognac. Great celebration!