Surprisingly, even with the loud drone of the engine, we were so tired that we managed to doze off and on until around 6 am, I guess it was, before going out on deck and surveying what Mother Nature had in store for us on this last, long day on the water, as we made our way back from Rio Dulce to Placencia, Belize. Captain Simon was not a happy camper, as the winds had been gusting up to 30 knots (on our nose again as the winds had shifted around to the northeast), and he was concerned that conditions would deteriorate further once we got out of the calm river and into the sea.
The anchor didn't set the first time Clive tried, but the second time, it did. Big relief! Barry volunteered to go with Clive in the dinghy to shore with everyone's passports to check all of us out of the country.
This was the only day we didn't pull a bunch of food out of the fridge and have lunch together. It was every man and woman for him or herself, as it was tough to move around the boat, and everyone's stomach had a different tolerance level for the motion of the ocean. Ruthie actually spent most of the afternoon in their cabin reading, and I went to our cabin a couple of times to nap briefly. Keeping my eyes closed and lying down seemed to help a lot with the queasies.
Barry started feeling bad and was standing out on the side deck watching the horizon diligently, hoping to keep from being sick. He had not joined the rest of us in taking the motion-sickness medication in the morning, a big mistake. He did take some at this point, but it was too little, too late. I was passed him a few crackers to eat in hopes that that would help, but when Simon had to turn s/v Hope into the wind to take the sails down, the boat motion slowed dramatically, and that was enough to put Barry over the rail. Good thing he only had crackers and water on his tummy! After the fact, he was able to lie down and rest. The waves and wind were easing off by this point, and I started feeling much better myself as the afternoon wore on.
Bruce took the first evening shift, Chunky and Ruthie generously volunteered for the "o-dark-thirty" shifts, and I took the 4:30 am to 7:30 am slot. I figured this way I could hit the hay early and also catch the morning sunrise as we sailed up the Belize coast. Barry and I were in bed by 9 pm, if not earlier. It's hard to even remember after a day like this!
Stay tuned for Guatemala Cruise Day 5: Return to San Pedro