This marina is located 9 miles up an estuary whose entrance is ringed by breakers and shoals.
Our navigation guide warned that a pilot boat is a necessity rather than an option, so it was imperative to the safety of our boat that we contact the marina for a guide. For hours I called, trying to reach the marina by SSB and VHF radio with no success. Our cell phone had no service and our Inmarsat satellite phone gave me the annoying British voiced message, "Your balance is below the limit, please top off your account." before disconnecting my call. This was especially frustrating since we had loaded $300 in airtime onto the phone just a few months prior and had not used it, saving the phone for emergency use only. Turns out that Inmarsat charges $15 per week for the privilege of owning the satellite phone, so all of our money was taken by their fees. I hope anyone reading this will decline to use the services of this company, as I certainly wish we had decided to do when we first purchased the boat!
Running out of options and daylight, we eventually reached the US Coast Guard via the satellite phone, the only number that still worked on the unit. I explained our situation, provided our location and the phone number for the marina, and they were more than helpful in making contact with the marina for us. Quickly we were contacted via VHF (turns out the marina had neglected to turn their radios on that day!) and sent a pilot boat and escorted through the breakers and shoaling entrance to the estuary.
Along the way we passed some unusual sights. Buildings made to float and some that were floating but not intended to do so.
Once tied up to a mooring bouy the port officials were brought out to the boat and clearance was a simple matter of filling out a few forms. Everyone was friendly and the fees for the mooring were inexpensive, $45 for the first day, which included the service of the pilot boat, and only $17 for each day thereafter.
Other boats moored at Barillas marina.
Barillas marina is located in the middle of a vast plantation of bananas, sugar cane, and other crops. It is guarded by armed men and sports a small compound for the guests consisting of an office (air conditioned), restaurant, shop, showers and laundry facilities as well as such luxuries as a swimming pool and hammocks strung up amongst the shade trees. The marina has seen better days and the guide book mentioned a travel lift and marine boat yard that no longer exist, but the people are friendly and helpful and the wifi is the best we've had in ages, so no complaints here!
Mooring boys are strung down the estuary next to an old shrimping fleet originally brought down from Texas, now being cut up for scrap.
A neighboring cruiser told us to look closely for a frequent visitor on the top of an overturned and mostly submerged boat just a few hundred yards away. Do you see what I see?
Crocodile rests on the wrecked hull of a fishing boat.
He is estimated to be about 10 ft long.
Guess we will keep our swimming limited to the pool!
I've since learned that this crocodile has a name...Pana. It means "my buddy" so we hope Pana will be a good neighbor and not try to eat our dinghy.
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