AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Chat Area XALOC the adventure continues!

XALOC is on the way to Bocas from Rio Dulce....

The behind the scenes work for the final leg of Izzy's journey on the catamaran XALOC began April 2, when Izzy flew from Panama to Guatemala, where XALOC has been docked since last July. Since coming to the river, XALOC has undergone quite a bit of repair work, including engine work, a new propellor, replacement of toilet hoses, replacement parts for the water maker and the second refrigerator, parts for the windvane, and most importantly - the repair of the holes and leaks that nearly caused XALOC to sink in stormy weather between Cuba and Mexico. Added to that is a new captain's chair. And a new port replicator (so that the GPS and the SSB radio can be connected simultaneously) as the original one seems to have disappeared.

Izzy brought with him a new crew member, Orlando, the assistant chef from Hotel Las Delfines in Bocas Town. The remaining crew members, Gerry and Galvino Ack, arrived on Sunday, April 13. Gerry is very happy to hear that he will no longer have to sit on a bucket while steering. And the auto pilot is working perfectly too!

Tuesday, April 15 - After provisioning, XALOC is finally off. The weather reports look favorable. First to Livingston, to clear out of Guatemala and make a few final purchases. First stop on Wednesday afternoon is La Ceiba, Honduras, for a rest after 24 hours of sailing.

Wednesday, April 16 - Izzy reports that he caught a tuna around 10:30 AM and its destined for tonight's dinner. The weather has been great, and continued good weather is forecast through the weekend. Everything is working properly! The plan is for the next stop to be one of the Bay Islands. After that, a straight shot east out to sea before turning south, next scheduled stop is San Andres, and from there, to Bocas!

Friday, April 18

I missed Izzy's call this morning because I was at the local $.75 per hour high speed internet cafe (Belizeans eat your heart out!) so he left me a voicemail: XALOC sailed from La Ceiba to Castilla in the Bay of Trujillo yesterday. This morning at 8:30, XALOC left Castilla heading for Guanaja, the outermost of the Bay Islands, to clear out of Honduras.

Everything on XALOC is running smoothly and Izzy feels ready to head east and then south east to round Cabo Gracias a Dios. Getting around Gracias a Dios has a reputation for great difficulty, hopefully the weather will cooperate.

Guanaja is the last land stop for at least 7 days, next stop will be either Providencia or San Andres. With four on board, XALOC will sail day and night. So far, so good.

That trip sounds fantastic. Making me dream.

Good to hear, they are sailing again. Wishes for the best of wind and luck, with calm seas.

I don't know of XALOC, but this sure sounds exciting!

Dob, you can read of Xaloc May 2002 at:
ambergriscaye.com/xaloc/

thanks Chloe, totally cool! now I can follow along. Please update often!

Friday, April 18:

XALOC checked out of Honduras at Guanaja. Izzy had planned to check out at Castilla, but when the crew arrived, they were told that the harbor master had gone to the beach, it being a holiday. They were advised to check out at Guanaja, so they headed out, getting there at 3:30 PM, just as that port's harbor master was taking off for the beach too. It was a quick clear-out!

XALOC is heading for the Cojones Cayes (yes that really is the name!) and from there, to round Cabo Gracias a Dios. XALOC is now heading directly into wind and waves, but they are mild and low, which is good because bad weather
can make this part of the journey slow and unpleasant.

Once they round the cape, they will proceed south to San Andres. Izzy hopes to reach San Andres
by Sunday night, if the weather continues to cooperate. The plan is to spend a day or two there and then head straight for Bocas, hopefully arriving by the end of next week.

Izzy reports that he and Gerry are teaching Orlando how to cook Belizean style (more habanero, more pepper, more garlic, more onions, etc.) and he will return to his chef job with new gourmet skills. The crew is eating
well, lots of fresh caught fish tacos with rice and beans.

All the repairs continue to pay off, everything is working great. The water maker is pumping out water and the crew are getting freshwater showers. The only problem is the satellite phone is not charging in the cradle as it should be, so Izzy has to take it off and charge it with the cigarette lighter charger.

Saturday, April 19:

Izzy called just now to relay the first "OOPS" event of the trip (what journey is complete without at least one "OOPS" adventure?) - early this morning, a steel bar that is part of the structure that George built to hold the wind turbine and solar panel suddenly snapped in half, threatening to launch the turbine and panels into the sea. Luckily, Gerry saw it, yelled
for Izzy, and together, they managed to pull the panel and turbine up. They were able to jury rig the solar panel with lines and straps so that it is still up, but the wind turbine is now de-activated for the duration. (George: bring your tool box!)

The crew took a break from fish and had chicken, which had been prepared at Mario's Marina and frozen) with rice for lunch.

Izzy reports that XALOC is now approaching Punta Patuca. There is no wind but the waves are short and choppy and the current is strong (and, of course, in the wrong direction) So the sails are down and XALOC is motoring chuggily towards Cayo Cajones. The crew will sail through the night and should reach Cayo Cajones early tomorrow morning, then start turning south. XALOC will
probably arrive at San Andres around Tuesday.

So you are the Susan of Izzy and Susan. Super!
I read the chronicles of the first trip. Fantastic journey! It sure beats the way I am spending Easter. Clear skies and calm seas for the XALOC! Thanks for the update!

Thanks Susan for giving us the update.