Belize 03/01/07 Blogs - life aboard Defiance

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After The Storm - Belize 03/01/07 to 03/04/07

March 01:

I am getting into the swing of the windscreen now and have the position of everything fixed and am cutting new wood.

I am getting help more regularly now and the never ending task of sanding the huge aft areas continues unabated.

I have finally sat down and attempted to deal with rescheduling my return flight due to an ear infection. Over two hour’s long distance and not one of the promised numbers or referrals worked. Pain in the behind.

March 02:

The vehicles are dead and I am trying to progress things as Charlie is chasing his tail on a dozen different projects. Del Mar is the local lumber yard that is only 5 or 6 Canadian blocks away. The selection is commercial but with only rack during so selection is critical.

There are three basic native woods that I use.

Cabbage Bark = is an extremely hard wood that works more like steel and stands up forever. All the aft cockpit floors and trim are Cabbage Bark.
Santa Maria looks a lot like mahogany but is more resistant to submersion in water so it is preferable for underwater repairs.
mahogany is cheap $15.00 US for a 7 foot 2X6" but it takes quite a bit of time to select you plank as there is a lot of nasty stuff as they trim right into the bark and getting full dimension impossible. Rough sawn is a very accurate statement. The guys are friendly and helpful even though they are little use in ripping as they are working with a 7" blade on a 1" saw.

Another day and I got the rough trim for the windscreen fitted. Then I managed to start to lay out the custom settee berth which was proving to be an interesting challenge. Carlos and Miguel sanded, then sanded more, then more again and so the day went.

March 03:

Ten days left to departure. Today is my day off and hopefully a little tourist sightseeing.

There is a peace to the mornings as one of the workers paddles by feeding the shrimp in the early morning light.

The day started like so many others here with the Charlie’s final vehicle running trying to BBQ itself. All this proving the gas attendants think none too quickly as the rising plumes of smoke did not bother them. It was only when the horn started to blow that they got Mr. Charlie. I should have known this would be more than a tourist trip as Charlie started talking about Mennonite mechanics as we left the highway and started to climb towards the hinterland.

He did point out the traditional old shipyard where sail era vessels would seek shelter from hurricanes as we sped by. The deeper we drove the more horse drawn wagons there were, all making good time and well adapted for the roads. The Mennonite’s here really have the buggy thing going for them. No insurance and no taxes. Given the required ranges they traverse the horse and motorcycle wheeled buggy are an excellent solution.

Of note was the care that the Mennonite woodchucks care in drying their woods. As we drove along there was one after another neat farm with a long section of fence where rough sawn planks were stacked and turned in the sun to dry.

Not unexpectedly we ended up hanging around this less than exotic Mennonite farm equipment shop for almost two hours. To note other than listening to Kim and her sister roar in Creole my only diversion was watching some young lads castrating young steers next door.

It was after 16:40 before we even began to leave Mennonite country and I could already see a bad end to the tourist adventure. Turning off the main Northern Highway on to the old road was on reflection a poor choice. The road quickly deteriorated with huge pot holes littering the path. The jungle closed in close around as we wound our way along the broken path carefully. The sun was dropping lower and lower announcing the end to the day and nothing but a broken track in front of us. Ever so carefully Charlie guided the Mercedes through the track occasionally dragging across low spots.

Kim and her sister were big time girl “at it” in the back seat, the rising tide of Creole and laughter did little for my mood as breaking down there would not have been good. It is low jungle but is apparently quite alive with large wildlife.

By the time we reached the Mayan Ruins it was pitch black and the place was locked up tight. There was good news as a roadside store had cheap cold beer which helped a lot.