Why are some humans cast on a life of adventure; cursed with a desire to explore, experience and exceed? We, three so cursed friends are embarking on a new adventure. It is not the rare or challenging route that we are taking, but the method of travel that has raised more then a few eyebrows.

In brief, we will be sailing from La Ceiba, Honduras along the coast of Belize and Mexico. The final destination will depend on the boat. Will be make it to Cuba? Will be make it to Miami?

The first goal is to minimize cost and time to get a suitable sailboat in the water. While many people have spent years and thousands of dollars on a sailboat, we believe that the same, if not more, fun and excitement can be had with vessel built in a couple of weeks with a couple thousand dollars. During the next several days the boat, people and route will come together to form means and the motive of this tale.

The characters involved in this adventure are Anna Richter, David Crane and Jeremy Crane. The following is a brief Bio of each and some personal ratings that we found funny: Sailor Rating [(1)ballast/(5)professional], Professional Rating [(1)office clerk/(5)forest fire fighter], Adversity Rating [(1)Barbie/(5)Abraham Lincoln]

Anna – 26, USA
Currently Living in – Las Mangas, Honduras, finishing her peace corps service helping with local education, environmental and social causes.
Attributes – Adventure loving athlete, capable swimmer, calm and reliable. Engineer by training.
Destination – Michigan.
Sailor Rating: 1 – doesn’t know what ballast is.
Professional Rating: 5 – extended peace core term in the middle of nowhere
Adversity Rating: 4 – loves the jungle

David – 26, Canada (my brother)
Currently Living in – Montreal, Canada, working and loving life.
Attribute – Highly capable sailor with adventure in his blood. Engineer by training.
Destination – Quebec.
Sailor Rating: 4 – Crewed in boat across the Atlantic, skippered in many races
Professional Rating: 3 – varied employment
Adversity Rating: 3 – know to carry out some crazy acts

Jeremy – 28, Canada
Currently Living in – La Ceiba, Honduras
Attribute – Resourceful and capable athlete and mechanical engineer. Referred to as a good companion in trouble.
Destination – The next adventure – MBA school.
Sailor Rating: 3 - Significant dingy racing experience, ocean windsurfing and kiting, good crew.
Professional Rating: 4 - Primarily key pusher that is often found climbing towers and hauling materials
Adversity Rating: 4 – Has frequented many uncomfortable places

The boat:
As of yet the boat exists in each of our heads. Each one of the characters has a different vision of what the craft will entail. We have agreed that it will be a proa design with Cayucos (dug out canoes) for hulls and the wind as our primary means of propulsion. Various designs have been considered and designed, but due to financial and time goals the product will be very basic.
The first task is to find hulls and a mast. With these components in had, we will head to a friends beach to fill out the remaining design details including sleeping space, steering, centerboard, backup propulsion etc.

As it appears that building a main hull from scratch will take too long and cost a lot, I have been searching for Cayucos to use as a base. A cayuco is essentially a dug-out canoe that varies in length, type of tree and quality.

After searching extensively for along the coast near Ceiba I finally found on a friends island in Cayos Cochinos. I have been waiting for several days for a price.. its not looking good.

In the mean time I just made a trip to Guanaja with my friends Tony and Hope. Sailing there on Tony’s speed boat was a blast. After stirring up trouble for the weekend I came away with an old 30hp motor, good pictures and some much needed rest.

Canada day was long! The start of the month meant we needed to be out of our house. We had set the goal of finishing all carpentry work so the boat could go to our fibreglass friend’s shop. After the 3 consecutive 16 hour days of work session we still were not finished. Fortunately our eternal supporters at Honduras.com who were moving into our house suggested we stay a little longer to finish.
The procession of the 2 hulls and all materials headed out after lunch. It was a huge relief. With clean up and moving we didn’t get to sit down until after 9pm. There were fire works in the distance, it could have been some fellow Canadian, some kids playing.. or gun fire.
Today we hoped to fiberglass the top of the main hull with the though that we might be done early. We ran out of resin and at still weren’t done at 9pm. No more needs to be said then DETAILS.

Soy Zenia, la persona que estoy asesorando a estos jovenes para que sea un mejor resultado y el trabajo sea todo un exito, espero que su aventura sea de lo mejor.

I´m Zenia, the person advising these kids so that their boat is the best and all the work is a success.  I hope that their adventure is the best!

Jeremy’s 29th birthday did not leave breaking from our ‘the day after next we can get the boat in the water’ goal.  We spent the day glassing the sides of the boat.  As most things involved in constructed a boat, I had no idea how much fiberglass work would have to be done.  It is sticky and leaves you feeling like glass is stuck everywhere in your body. We are lucky to be in the fiberglass shop with a woman, Zenia, who is quite good, helping us along and making sure we have a pretty boat.  It is a fun place in the La Ceiba hood with whole extended family running around. 

So we ran out of there to meet with some good friends for a birthday dinner.  While waiting for the food to show up, the conversation naturally turned to the boat.  It took a dirty turn tonight though.  Some things were said and decided that make me question the trip with the Crane brothers.  It had been predetermined from previous debates with our friends Tony and Hope that I would be the best one to eat if we found ourselves in a desperate situation.  Apparently, Jeremy and Dave are just too skinny and any meat they have would just be too tough.  I was chosen the one with the most meat and the best meat as a mostly healthy vegetarian eater. The decision was made official by our friend David, who made us draw straws.  I drew the short one…  

So it has been a constant theme of our work on this boat to say ¨the day after tommorrow we will be sailing.¨  It began with ¨in two days from today¨ fading down to one and today we hope that our words come true.  Dave and Jeremy are out at the Shipyard putting the finally touchs on.  I just picked up a heavy 2 x 6 and carried down the street to the mall, where I am waiting for a cell phone shop to open (the first one didn´t survive the first test in the water).  We will then call all our anxiously awaiting friends to come out and see how she does.  Our friends, Joe and Michelle, will be watching out for us this afternoon from boats, planes, and helicopters.  By the way, can someone pick up a couple lifejackets?? 

It is late in the afternoon, later then desired as always, and we are preparing our vessel for the water. We have given up testing the sail today and settled on a motor and water test in the harbour.

Gathered at the La Ceiba Shipyards with us are several friends whos opinions of us vary from ‘crazy fools’ to ‘insperational’. Among the ranks are our constant supporters Joe and Michelle Haller, fountain of advice Tony Stone and friends Ricardo Flores and Carlos Martinez.

At the launch ramp, a few hundred meters from our work area, I am preparing the outrigger (ama and yakas) for the launch. Watching with a mixture of interest, disbelief and scorn are a group of fisherman from the other boats in the area. Their opinions that are mostly shared amongst their group in Gariffuna, but frequently peak to questions about the exact purpose of mission or the origins of our design. I can only imagin that they vaguely recognize the main hull as the type of cayuco they sailed at their home villages, and the ama as the small fishing vessel they use for lobster fishing.

With all the lashing in place, Arturo slowly backs the traller with the main hull into the water as we support the attached yakas and ama. When the boat starts to float, Dave and I climb abord. Anna ops to let us take it out first this time. Her first experience has left her with a little more caution.

The boat moves easily away from the ramp with paddles, but I am eger to try our newly repaired and mounted motor. After a few more pulls then I apprechiated, and a few jeers from the shore, it starts!

After picking up Anna, Joe and Michelle at the dock, we have a highly successful cruze around the harbour, venturing as far as the edge of the breakwater. Due to the number of passengers and the stinging rain, we decided against exiting into the waves at this point.

While we only ran the motor at low speed due to it’s recent overhaul, it performed very well. We may need to get a larger propeller, but we will do some more testing first. Stay tuned for photos of the journey!

Yesterday we prepared everything to go sailing this morning. David finished a new rudder, I rigged the sail, Anna mounted the Bow Spurt.. all that´s missing is the water.

¡VAMOS!

The harbour water is said to be dirty. Probably because people like us always end up swimming in it.

We’re messing around on the docks waiting for Atruro to return so the four of us can take the boat out and test it in the waves. The wind is raging. It’s too big to test our sail for the first time, but motoring in the waves should be exciting. If all goes well, we’ll head out tomorrow mornng’s early glassy water, hoist the sail and wait for wind. If all doesn’t go well, we’ll be fabricating the rest of our blogs.

The boat-building is still going well, but slow as mashed beans. We’re doing our first sail-test tomorrow in the early-morning calm. It gets crazy windy here in the afternoon. That means we’re still in Ceiba and unfortunately haven’t yet had the opportunity to taste Guatemalan prisons. But, I do have ringworm, yaaaaargh!