Rio Dulce Chisme Vindicator // Website

News portal and cruisers' forum for the Rio Dulce area. The portal is an excellent entry point to catch news along the river and fish out basic info like weather ... The forums are a fun and easy read. The community there is just as lively and helpful as the people who make it up along the river!

Maya Paradise // Website

We used the Maya Paradise forum to familiarize ourselves with goings-on in the Rio Dulce area before we made our crossing. An active community of cruisers coming and going from the area as well as those who hang on the river long-term.

Lyric // Roy + Debi // Website

Roy and Debi were neighbors of ours in Key Allegro. They left Texas in Spring 2006, headed for Belize and eventually Guatemala with friends aboard another boat. Our continued trip south from Belize is largely due to Lyric's already being on the Rio. We met up with Roy and Debi in February, and finding familiar faces in a strange place helped us tremendously in our adjustment to Guatemala.

Sonatina // Peter + Theresa

Peter and Theresa are a couple of retired Brits who, despite their age, possess more energy than we do! They woke up every morning we cruised together at the break of dawn and went to bed each night well after we had gone to sleep. Their go-get-em attitude and love of life inspired us tremendously, and we hope we get to see more of our Brits before they return to Europe this summer.

Lysistrata // Gary + Leslie

Gary and Les have been living aboard their 36-footer for 8 years, and they also refitted and charter another boat in Europe for a friend. Their winter hiatus this year brought them to the western Caribbean in search of something new -- they usually winter in the Bahamas. This is a couple who knows what it's like to call a sailing vessel home, and they balance their work in the states with their cruising lifestyle beautifully.

SeaYeti // Jim + Nicky // Website

We met Jim and Nic at Mario's Marina while holed up on the Rio. They've made a temporary home here finishing their bachelors' online, in the middle of a lazy cruise from Florida to their future home in New Zealand. They're quite possibly the youngest cruisers (after us) we've met on the Rio, and on top of helping us tremendously with a number of vessel issues have been great fun to hang with.

Sea Dragon // Ric + Kathy // Website

Hooked up with Ric and Kathy over drinks on Ranguana Caye. Their friends Jeff and Nikki were visiting Belize for the first time -- what better way to do it than aboard a beautiful 38-ft CT cutter?! These guys are truly cool people with just the sort of fun-loving, adventurous spirit we try to embrace ourselves. We love runnin' into people with whom we can experience all there is to in a place like Belize.

Altair // Nate + Ana // Website

Nate and Ana showed up at Yoli's one evening just as we were caught up in a conversation with a cruising couple who marvelled at our ability to live the dream so young. Haha! These two "kiddos" cruise on a custom-built steel boat that's seen the world, and their plan is to do take her around again. All we can say is, "Rock on!"