Rio Dulce - General Info
- “Entering the Rio” courtesy of Calypso Marina.
Description:
The area called “the Rio Dulce” begins at the mouth of the river on the Bahia de Amatique at the Garifuna town of Livingston.
The small village of Rio Dulce (Fronteras) is 18 miles up the river, past a spectacular steep-walled canyon and the small lake of El Golfete.
Cruiser Highlights:
It is a sailor’s paradise with hundreds of square kilometers of fresh water and countless bays, coves and lagoons to explore.
There are plenty of marine services, provisions, hotels, restaurants and medical services, as well as communications and transport. It is a safe spot in the hurricane season. Beyond this settlement, the river widens to form Lake Izabal, the largest lake in Guatemala.
Entry Notes or Cautions:
The Guatemalan Navy have replaced the Livingston sea buoy which marks the channel entrance to the Rio Dulce. The new coordinates are 15-50.29’N x 088-43.71’W (0.46 nm on a bearing of041 T from the old location).
There are shoals at the entrance, however, there have been reports of yachts with a draft of 7ft making it through (it’s important to stay on course and watch the tide). Deeper draft boats should seek local knowledge before attempting to enter. Securing a local guide can be done very economically.
Security
Be aware that Fronteras is very much a frontier town, with armed guards not only at the banks but at the supermarkets and on the delivery trucks.
A number of visiting yachts have been boarded and some robbed, when anchored at the mouth of the Rio Tatin and, also, there have been a number of incidents in the Rio Dulce itself. October, November and December are typically high theft times. The Guatemalan Navy don’t always patrol the river.
Whilst staying in a marina would appear to be a more secure option, boats have been burgled anchored in front of marinas. Dinghy and outboard thefts continue to occur from boats berthed in marinas as well as those at anchor. In September 2021, items were stolen from a yacht at anchor and which had been left unattended for several weeks and in July 2022 a burglar was thwarted in his attempt to steal from a yacht on a private dock.
Be sure to check the latest Noonsite Security Reports for Rio Dulce as well as the CSSN for numerous reports.
Position:
15°39.71’N, 88° 59.82’W (Rio Dulce – Fronteras).
Last updated: July 2022
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Reported by the Caribbean Safety & Security Net:
DATE: 2018-12-07 02:00
Country Name: Guatemala
Location Detail: Rio Dulce Livingston
EVENT: Theft
HAND: 1
Stolen Items: dinghy fuel tank, fuel line, spotlight and shoes, failed attempt to steal the outboard
SECURED: Not Locked
DETAILS: Overnight while owners slept, items were stolen from their in-the-water, not locked dinghy. Missing in the morning were the fuel tank, the fuel line, a spotlight and flipflops. An attempt to remove the outboard was evident, but unsuccessful as one of the transom clamps was broken previously and required tools to operate, and the other clamp was found in a fully open position.
Dear Rakna,
First of all, thank you for the endorsement of our fiberglass and painting job. For RAM Marina it was a pleasure to host you and your daughter for some weeks. I saw you working really hard by yourself trying to make the good Atlas ready for sailing again. I can totally understand all your frustration and unhappiness for having too much trouble with your engine.
Putting things in perspective however, you bought a boat for US$3000, that had been sitting on the hard unattended for several years. At the beginning you tried to fix the engine by yourself the same way you did all the rest of the work.
There was a point where you couldn’t start the engine and asked for the mechanic’s help. This happened during the busiest season of the year for us, nevertheless our mechanic helped you out. At that point he found that the fuel filter was broken, so we researched and found a used unit in good condition in a local workshop. Only after installation did he find problems with the corroded fuel lines, which he repaired. During testing we noticed a problem on the governor that you said you could fix yourself, up to this point all was ok!
When our mechanic starting the process of finalizing connections to start the engine he found a problem with a pump and here is where the problems started; Again, we found another used unit with the same workshop in town for $600. You indicated this was too expensive and out of your budget, so following your instructions I returned the part to the seller.
This is when you decided to do things on your own, which created a true conflict of interest, however, you were so concerned with getting the Best Price, you approached our worker with a side deal, bypassing the Marina and our protocol. Here is where RAM Marina’s involvement ends!
You took upon your own responsibility to buy the piece direct from our employee for a reduced price (which we only found out about when you emailed us complaining about it). In accordance with RAM Marina’s compliance you had Zero Respect for the Marina and was willing to place the employee in jeopardy of losing his job, however, that wasn’t your concern, rather get the lowest price with total disregard for the personal income of RAM’s employee. We demoted the employee and placed a one year freeze on his salary, but at less he retained his job!
In the same email you requested a special price to come back to RAM. You are always welcome, but please understand that you can’t do business under the table and then complain that we don’t warranty something we never charged you for!
The part in question do not show in any of our bills or work orders, therefore, how could you possibly want RAM Marina to warranty a product that was never purchased or sold from our business? In retrospect, when you left the Marina, the engine was running, allowing you to travel from Guatemala to Belize.
Again, we reiterate our desire of having the opportunity to serve you again any time you may need, but please let’s be honest and in compliance with good business practices. This approach with eliminate any frustration you might be feeling. Take into consideration that RAM Marina as an excellent name and treats all our customers with respect, honesty and dignity. I truly believe if you would have made a better choice in your selection of purchasing, the outcome would have been 100% in your favor. However, by purchasing under the table you are jeopardizing not only the employee, but your integrity as a consumer.
Sincerely yours,
Karen de Lopez
Few months back my boat was on dry standing at Ram marina. I had an engine problem. As I had no time I had to leave my boat there and trust them with the job. Unfortunately, they messed up and I ended up in another service with a 2000usd bill. What made me upset is they charged me for parts that were never installed. Not talk about the service charge what I paid there and the job was not done. When I questioned them the answer was “you could leave so do not complain”. They do amazing bodywork, but do not let them touch your engines!
Looking at heading up the Rio for hurricane season.. going to arrive around the end of June.. question is, does this place fill up or will I be able to find a slip? First time heading to Central America. Thanks.
Posted on behalf of SV Lucky Bitch:
I just want to recommend Ram Marina (Rio Dulce, Guatemala) as a great wharf for hauling out and working on the boat (yourself and together with very good technicians – Chilo, Denis, and good staff: Karen, Richard…) .
I was there for 4 months and had a great time in a nice atmosphere. After my 2 former hurricane shelters (Trinidad @ Peakes, and Spanish Water Curacao) I can enthusiastically say that it only gets better. Third time, good time.
So, if world sailors plan to go to Rio Dulce I can recommend Ram Marina! Say Hi to Karen and Richard, if you go there. Good luck and enjoy!
Sigrid
Posted on behalf of Gail Johnson:
c of the http://www.riodulcechicme.com forum and noticed a want ad for a lancha and outboard motor because one had been stolen. The date of the original post was October 2, 2015. The lancha was recovered but not the outboard.
Posted on behalf of Gail Johnson:
A dinghy and outboard was stolen from Captain John’s Marina on August 13, 2015. A first hand write up can be viewed at the website http://www.riodulcechisme.com, select Rio Dulce Forum from the links on the left side of the page and then select the subject Rio Dulce Forum. There are several posts but one is about the stolen dinghy.
In addition, on the radio net this morning another dinghy and outboard theft was reported. The boat was anchored in Shell Bay which is the anchorage in front of Nana Juana and Ram Marinas.
I have been in Rio Dulce for the past year and I estimate this is the sixth dinghy and outboard theft reported during that time.
Gail Johnson
SV It’s Good To Be
Only One Fuel Dock carries ULSD (Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel) Diesel = RAM Marina & Yacht Club, also the Only Marina with an Operating Waste Treatment Facility with Free Discharge
Actually the Beam for Catamarans is 22’6″ for Hauling at RAM Marina, please review our Website
http://www.rammarina.com plus our Live webcams http://www.rammarina.com/cam_frame/cams.htm. We recently opened our West Marine Product Store the only authorized outside the US, please review;
http://riodulcechisme.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1153&Itemid=1
Safe Travels & Best Regards,
RAM Marina & Yacht Club
Thanks “Iguana Dance” for this recommendation. RAM Marina are indeed listed in our berthing section, however, the extra information you have provided will be useful for others considering their options
RAM Marina
I don’t know why they aren’t listed here. They are by far the most modern facility in the Rio Dulce. They an haul a catamaran up to 21′ wide like ours at least. They are going to do a lot of work on our boat so we’ll let you know how that goes. Karen, the manager at RAM, is one of the most helpful friendly people we’ve known. She’s so busy running this largest marina on the river but still makes time to help with whatever she can. She speaks excellent English and will interface between the workers and the cruisers very well.
Iguana Dance