On Sun, 19 Feb 2017 12:39:56 -0500, wrote:

On Sun, 19 Feb 2017 10:16:29 -0500,
wrote:

On Sun, 19 Feb 2017 08:48:22 -0500, Poco Deplorevole
wrote:

On Sun, 19 Feb 2017 01:00:49 -0500, wrote:

One of the many pleasures of spending the winter in the Caribbean is
the opportunity to see the classic wooden sailing vessels that
participate in the Antigua Classic Boat Regatta. We have been
fortunate to be there twice, once in the winter of 2010 and again 4
years ago in 2013. It's quite a spectacle to see these large old
boats under full sail and racing each other full tilt for bragging
rights at the bar.

Here's a good write up with some pictures:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-38972136

Very nice, Wayne. Thanks.

But...the Mariella is re-varnished every few weeks? That would get old, I'm afraid!

The story right below would be a bit unnerving for Caribbean sailors:

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-37274708

===

Yes, keeping up varnish on a boat is a never ending job and it does
get old. I'm in the middle of yet another revarnish job right now.

The security issues mentioned in that article are very real but
somewhat overblown. There are some known problem areas like St
Vincent and Guatemala that most people stay away from. But the rest
of the Carib is fairly safe if you take reasonable precautions like
keeping your dinghy locked up.

The Cruise ship dropped us off at Santo Tomas de Castilla Guatemala
and we had a pretty good time. They do have a navy base right these so
security may be a tad better than a lot of places.
http://gfretwell.com/ftp/Judy%20and%...a%20marine.jpg

The trick there is to get the navy guys to take you over to the best
western and then you take a hike behind it in the rain forest. I am
not sure how far the trail goes but we walked a couple miles down it.
There are all sorts of tropical birds, plants and monkeys.

===

I'm sure a military guy with an AK-47 does a lot to discourage
run-of-the-mill banditos. :-)