I am going to Guatemala 8-20 to look at a cheoy lee 44 ketch for sale,will be driving from Guatemala city to Rio dulce any advice where to stay?Also the boat is 1981 Robert Perry design,I am 67 yrs. old and will be sailing to Key West then Bahamas and USVI,is this a good boat for the trip?Any advice will help as i am a little new to blue water sailing.THANKS

Take the bus - don't try to drive. Plus you will have fun. I stayed at Texan Bay They have some limited accommodation. They are down at the end of El Golfoette (not the right spelling) and have a web site. They have just changed owners so I can't speak for the new owners. Theh would come up and pick you up in their launcha or you could take the river launcha.
Hope this helps

Is that Gioconda? The Perry designs seem to be some of the nicer Cheoy Lees. From the pics Gioconda looks pretty nice. Choose your surveyor carefully. I'd also get an idea of how prices in Rio Dulce generally compare to prices stateside. Rio has a reputation as a place where cruises end -- so you may want to look for a bigger discount there (or not). You can never do too much research (google the hell out of the boat and current owner for starters).

Check out noonsite.com or world cruising routes for best times and routes from Guatemala to the US. I assume you will have crew? With a capable crew, and the right time of year / route, I can't imagine the boat (properly equipped) is not capable of doing that trip in style.

Good Luck - looks like a nice choice.

Beware teak decks.

It is an easy run in non-hurricane season. The Yucatan Current is in your favor and the trades come from the East (sometimes a little North.)

Enjoy it.

Stay at Brunos at the bridge when you get there, get a room. take the direct bus. take at taxi from the airport to the bus station. Try and land in Guat city in the morning. If you land late. take a collective taxi van to Antigua for the night, get a room and take the mornig bus from there to the Rio. It takes 5 hours. go first class. Texan Bay is nice but it's way out in the middle of no where. nice place to get a slip once you buy the boat. I've run from there and Key west back and forth more times than I can remember since the late 80's.

Hello,

I'm from Canada and looking for information on the Cheoy Lee 44 which is still for sale in Rio Dulce. I think you saw this boat, what is your opinion about this boat? Thanks.

Have a nice day,

Oliver

Luck would have it, I will be in Rio Dulce tomorrow! Where was the boat Marios?

A Cheoy Lee 44, the name is "Gioconda".