San Blas, Panama

San Blas, Panama

Wednesday 7 May - Wednesday 21 May

Wednesday morning we went into San Andres one last time to try to see if we could find an unlocked dongle, a USB connection for WiFi via phone line that is used down here in Central America. Mine was “unlocked” in Providencia, but not sure if it will work with Digicel the main carrier in Panama, but no luck finding one. Back to the boat, take outboard motor off the dinghy and secure dinghy & motor for passage. Do internet one more time since we will be several days without. We would be traveling with Bill & JoAnne on Ultra, but they were still talking to people back in the states about repairs for their auto pilot, so we had time for lunch before leaving. On our way out the channel their engine overheated, so we pulled over and anchored. Steve said it sounded like the same problem we had coming back from Cayos Cochinos with the raw water impeller going, and sure enough it was. Ultra had to wait for the engine to cool down before the repair could be made, so we just rested in the cockpit waiting for them.

By 4 PM we were underway for our 240 mile trip, with 15 – 18 knot winds in 3-5 foot swells on the beam we put out full sails and took off going 7-8 + knots. Ultra was behind us and we were checking in via the VHF radio, their auto pilot was partially working, but they had some hand steering in-between Bill resetting and getting it to work again. After our 4 AM check in we were getting too far away for VHF range, and they could not turn on the SSB radio for fear it would cause the auto pilot to stop again. For Thursday, the winds were predicted to die down and be more behind us, slowing us down, so we thought we would be in range again. Wind speed & direction stayed the same plus we had a 1 to 2 knot current pushing us south, so it was really hard for us to slow down. At first we put in one reef in the genoa, no difference, then another reef plus one in the main, slowing us down a little. As the evening approached with no change in the wind and seas we realized we were still going to fast and would arrive in darkness, NOT what we wanted to do in any area never mind one surrounded by reefs. Just a very tiny amount of genoa sail out and 3 reefs in the main finally got us to slow down, only now that we were going slow at 4-5 knots and not cutting thru the waves the boat was rolling from side to side a lot more, not the most comfortable motion to be in. Late Thursday evening we made VHF contact with Ultra again they were now only about an hour or 2 behind us.

Friday morning at 6 when I came up on deck, daylight was giving us our first glances of the approaching Islands. When I looked at the chart plotter and saw we were heading for the Holandes Channel I asked why we were coming in that way. For the first time in 4 years Steve miss read the guide book / charts. There are 2 entrance channels to Porvenir, one the San Blas Channel is the one to use while the other is for local knowledge and under good light and calm seas. Steve thought that applied to both channels so played it safe and had us coming in the Holandes Channel a few more miles east. It worked out very well as we would have had to try to slow down even more for a daylight entrance thru the San Blas Channel. This way we got the scenic tour sailing back up past the East Lemmon Cays, thru the Eden Channel and past the West Lemmon Cays arriving and anchored at Provenir by 9 AM. Ultra was already there so came by our boat at 10 to pick us up to go into customs to clear in.

As we were checking in we met 2 other couples on the 2 power boats out in the anchorage who had arrived the day before, coming thru the Canal from the Pacific. We also met Nestor, a local Kuna, who spoke very good English as well as Spanish and helped with some translation during check in. Check in was easy but costly, $100 per person for our 90 day visas and $193 for the boats year cruising permit, then $20 for the boat and $10 more for us for the Kuna's. All checked in, a 10 minute walking tour of the whole island and we all were ready for a cool drink. Not much on this island an airport, big nice restaurant, small hotel and some of Panama's Navy personnel. We met back up with the group from the power boats and had a good time visiting and exchanging information. Nestor also joined us and gave us all some local history. Nestor lives in the Kuna community on the island Nalunega right behind where we are anchored. From our boat it looks like one small island but it is actually 4 really small islands. He invited us all over to tour his community / island and serve us dinner that night but we decline for another night so we can rest up from our 2 day passage. After returning to the boats we swim to the reefs close by the anchorage to snorkel and cool off. A nice relaxing evening on the boat with a good night sleep.

Saturday afternoon we, along with Bill & JoAnne meet up with Nestor for a tour of his community on Nalunega. Needing Digicel data cards and minutes for internet we find one of the little stores that sells them and buy what we think we need. This island and the one next to it Wichubhuala are the bigger communities in this section of San Blas, having many families living on them where most of the others will just have 1 or 2 to 5 or 10 families per island. There are also many islands with no one living on them. Nestor’s community is 95 % wooden huts with dirt floors, but very clean. They have a few small stores and a restaurant next to the dock where supplies are brought in, a school where children go to the age of 14, then they would need to go to the main land for further education. We enjoy seeing this totally foreign way of life up close and personal, and agree to come back later for Nestor's family to make us dinner for $5 a meal. Back at 6 for dinner where Steve & JoAnne go back to the store to get more cards to add minutes to the sim cards we bought earlier. We have fun interacting with Nestor's family and enjoy a very nice meal before heading back to our boats. We had two great days of weather but Nestor said the rain would be coming. That night it poured for a few hours giving the boat a great wash down.

Sunday we have sunny skies for our big move 30 minutes away to the Lemmon Cays, and anchor between Tiadup, Miriadup and Naguarchirdup with 6 other little cays nearby. Yes they have some really strange names for the cays. In the Kuna language dup or tupu means Island. We take our dinghy and pick up Bill & JoAnne to snorkel the reef of the south side then go by to see the other islands stopping in at Naguarchirdup AKA Elefante. This island has a bar and restaurant that serves the cruising community as well as the many backpackers that come thru the area. Bill & JoAnne come over to our boat for dinner and we unsuccessfully try to get the Bauhaus charts onto their I-Pad NOT as easy as it was for us to put them on our Android.

Monday sailing an hour further east to the East Lemmon Cays, an even nicer group of about 10 islands, sand banks and reefs spread out. There are two SSB radio nets down here, the SW cruisers net at 8:15 AM on 6209 and the Panama connection at 8:30 AM on 8107. The 6209 channel deals with boats south of Roatan to Colombia so we had previously made contact with a boat we had met in the Bahamas back in 2011, Nirvana Now, and knew they were in the area. The net on 8107 deals mostly with boats anchored here in the San Blas, since the area is so spread out the VHF radio used in most other places does not work as well for the whole area. As we pulled into the East Lemmon anchorage we passed Nirvana Now and yell hello, after setting the anchor called them on the VHF radio to talk. We made plans to go to Banedup, to meet for Happy Hour at the local bar on the island. Bill & JoAnne also join us as Randy & Dawn have a lot of local knowledge to share with us. They have been here, on & off as they went back and forth to Canada, for the last 3 years. We have a great time catching up, leaving as the rain starts making plans to snorkel the near by reef on Tuesday afternoon.

The rain that started lightly Monday night kept up heavily all thru the night and into Tuesday morning. We had discovered a diesel / oil leak with the generator so had that mess to clean up and then try to find the leak. Bill & JoAnne had been working on their own problem with the heat exchanger on their engine so the 1^st part of the day was spent on boat chores and since it was still partly cloudy glad to delay the snorkeling. By about 2:30 the sun was trying to peek out, so along with Randy & Dawn from Nirvana Now, Steve & I went to snorkel the reef by Nuindup. Back to the boat, we still had the generator leak but Steve was too tired to mess with it that night. Steve was fearing the worse problem and Randy said he could come by the following day to help diagnosis it. To take his mind off the generator problem, Steve made a delicious pork, sweet potatoes, apples & green beans over rice dish for dinner.

Wednesday Randy & Bill came over to help Steve find the leak, and luckily it was on a filter that we did not even need. Once the problem was found Randy & Bill went back to their boats to work on their own projects. Steve was able to remove it and had the right size hose connector to join the hoses, easier said than done, but as always after a few choice words and time he fixed the problem. During the afternoon we had our first encounter with a San Blas veggie boat, and were very impressed, they had a great selection & a wide variety. There are NO stores on 95% of the San Blas Islands, and the ones that do have them are VERY limited to what they and far between, so access to some fresh veggies is a real bonus. Glad for leftovers for dinner that night and think we have the generator problem fixed.

This is the rainy season here in Panama. Thursday it started to rain at 4 AM and stayed cloudy and rainy all day long, so no chance to go explore the other islands and reefs, just a lazy day on the boat. Friday late afternoon the rain stopped. We had dinner over on Ultra, discussing options to get internet service straightened out. JoAnne's sim card is not working and we need an extra one for me, having only bought one for Steve's tablet. We are very fortunate to have internet at all where we are so I know we should not complain, but the way they have it set up is not easy to deal with. After buying a sim card you have to by prepaid minute cards with a scratch off code # to enter to get credit. Problem is not all the cards work !!!

Saturday we have a beautiful sunny day to sail BACK to Porvenir. Steve goes over to pick up Bill & JoAnne at 9 AM, no sense taking both boats so they join us leaving Ultra at anchor. JoAnne baked some Banana nut bread and it was a lovely sail with just the genoa up doing 7 knots, arriving at 10:30. Steve, Bill & JoAnne go back over to the island of Nalunega to see about internet cards while I stay with the boat. Took them a little longer than expected but 2 hours later they get back to the boat and we pull up anchor to head back to the East Lemmon Cays. A little slower trip back but still able to sail with just the genoa. Arrived back by 2 and were able to re-anchor in our same spot. Steve brought Bill & JoAnne back to their boat and we all had a quick lunch before heading out to visit one of the islands and do some snorkeling. JoAnne brought her spear and we saw and she killed 8 Lion Fish. We are used to spotting Lion fish under ledges, but down here they are just out swimming in the open. A great day, until after dinner we found another diesel leak with the generator and had trouble getting the internet cards to work. Life in paradise comes with a lot of problems.

Sunday another cloudy day with a few rain showers on & off through out the day. Ultra leaves the anchorage to head down to the Holandes Cays while we choose to wait another day hoping for better weather.

Monday we have a sunny day as we leave East Lemmon Cays to head over to the Holandes Cays. Wind too much on the nose so we motor with just the main sail for the 2 hour trip. The Holandes Cays are another group of about 20 islands behind a 7 mile reef, most uninhabited, they are also the furthest from the mainland so the waters are known for their clarity. We are anchored by 11:30 near Ultra & Nirvana Now who are out snorkeling. We snorkel the anchor and a near by reef before seeing rain heading towards us, back on the boat to close up all the windows. A nice passing down pour that is over in about 30 minutes. Ultra & Nirvana Now back on their boats for lunch call us to say they will be going back out to snorkel again after lunch and we join them. A great afternoon snorkeling seeing several nurse sharks up close and personal, and checking out the 2 closest islands.

Tuesday, another partly cloudy day, the plan was to go snorkel other reefs in the area.

Steve had a bad night with chills & fever again and it looked like his infection was coming back. We made the decision to go to the island of Nargana that has a big Kuna community with a clinic, trying one more local option before going to a major hospital in Panama City. Talk to Bill & JoAnne to set up check in time on the SSB radio to let them know how we are doing, and get underway by 11 AM. We have a nice sail over to Nargana and are anchored by 1:45, put the dinghy down and go over to find the clinic. Our guide book has a small map of the small community so we knew where the clinic was and that they close at 3. Steve checks in and shows his passport for ID, and it is just a short wait until we see the doctor. She speaks very little English, but Steve had translated his problem to Spanish and had his papers from the doctors in San Andres & Providencia which were both in Spanish. He managed to get across the problem and she brought us in to see another doctor, so she could consult with him. Steve had brought along his tablet which has Google Translate, so the doctor was typing in what he was recommending for treatment and we got to see the English version. Both doctors were very impressed with this and downloaded it to their phones. In addition to pill antibiotics Steve will get 5 days of IV antibiotic, twice a day, we start the first one that afternoon. It's a male nurse who administers the IV, and his hands are shaking so badly he misses the vein on the back of Steve's right hand and has to stab him a second time. He leaves the needle in his hand with a cap on it, and bandages it so it won't come out. Steve is grateful that he doesn't have to find a vein again, but having a needle poking out the back of his hand really limits what he can do for the next 5 days. The lab was already closed so no blood test or urine test could be done until the following morning. Back to the boat shortly before 5 PM, just in time to talk to Ultra on the SSB radio to let them know Steve has seen the doctor.

Wednesday, cloudy windless day, we are up early to go to the lab at 7 when it opens. Even though we get there a few minutes early, the lab guy is packing up to go visit other islands and tells Steve he will need to come back the following day. Steve gets another IV dose of antibiotic and we are back to the boat by 8, scheduled to go back at 4 for another IV dose. On our afternoon visit the doctor, via the Google translate on her phone tells us the lab tech will not be back until Monday, as he is visiting a lot of islands. Steve still has 3 more days of IV treatment so we will stay around here and hopefully our next 2 weeks in the San Blas will be much better than our first two weeks.

Link to pictures;  https://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/SanBlasPanama?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCPfXpMmqnbuhiwE&feat=directlink

Link may need to copy & paste ??

San Andres Isla, Colombia

San Andres Isla, Colombia

Wednesday 16 April – Wednesday 7 May

We watch the almost full moon set and the sun rise as we get ready to leave for San Andres Wednesday. Anchor is up at 6:30 and we are heading out the channel by 6:45 raising the main sail, then turn south and put out the genoa sail and turn the motor off. It is slow going at first but by 7:30, as we clear the lee of the island the winds pick up and the sails fill in and we have a wonderful day of sailing. By 2:30 we can see San Andres but we still have an hour to go south to enter the channel and turn north towards the town and anchorage. The island is surrounded by a reef(s), with many wrecked vessels along it. We are anchored by 3:45, behind Dream Catcher who has been here a week and Ultra who had left earlier in the day and had arrived shortly before us. We call Rene with the Serrana Agency, who we have to check in with, and go with Bill & JoAnne in their dinghy to check in. Stopping first at Dream Catcher to find out where the “marina” is to meet Rene. We had been talking to Bruce & Gina on the VHF radio as we were approaching and they had invited us all to dinner so we did not have to cook after our long day at sea. Great to have such wonderful friends. Another boat we knew from Roatan, Kokopelli with Linda & JD were about an hour behind us and they also joined us for dinner.

We could tell as we were miles offshore and even more so as we approached the anchorage that this Island was a lot more “built up” from the ones we had been use to seeing. Buildings and hotels more than 6-8 stories high, don't laugh we have not seen buildings more than 3 stories since flying back into Guatemala City in October. When we went to check in, the marina is off the main road that is a 4 lane divided road with traffic lights!! Bruce & Gina confirmed this at dinner, especially after the quiet island of Providencia, this island is a busy one. All kinds of stores to shop in with a very active visitor population, duty free shops and hotels and restaurants.

After a good nights rest, we went into shore to see what was around. The section by the marina is filled with a lot of small local shops. A large supermarket, not like Eldon's in Roatan but great for us to re-stock the things we have used up since leaving Roatan. The “Centro” “Downtown” area, just a ½ mile up the road, on the north east section of the island is filled with hotels and the more expensive duty free shops. Our timing was not the best or maybe it was, as all the shops close from noon to 3:30 for lunch. Still got to see a few and enjoyed the walk along the sea wall and amongst the shops.

Good Friday was a beautiful partly cloudy day, always grateful for a little shade when we go Island exploring. Steve & I had seen a sign in town about a music festival at San Luis Playa, so along with Bill & JoAnne & Bruce & Gina we went to see if we could find it. We got on one of the local buses that run around the island, asking first if there was a festival. Unlike Providencia where almost everyone spoke a little English, here most do NOT. JoAnne & Gina our Spanish speakers got a yes answer to us going to a festival at San Luis. Once the bus started thinning out with passengers I think the driver started wondering when we were getting off. A couple who spoke good English got on and helped interpret between the driver. It was explained that a whole section of the island is referred to as San Luis, and whatever festival we were looking for could be any where along that couple mile long stretch. So we got off the bus and started walking down the road along the waterfront. We had a fun day seeing the places along the road and beach as we walked but never found the music festival. We did find another sign advertising it right in the area where we were, but NO time indicated so we figured they meant a night time festival, not during the day. At one point we were walking by a beach with a lot of debris on shore. JoAnne found a sea bean right away and that started the hunt, they were everywhere, an Easter egg hunt island style ! After collecting 50+ sea beans we convinced JoAnne to move on as she vowed to come back another day for more treasures. She did and wound up with 3x as many after Bill & she spent 2 hours combing the beach, she will be making a lot of jewelry with these.

Saturday afternoon into the central downtown area in search of some specialty items that might be found amongst the stores. JoAnne found a Bullet blender like hers that had just broken at the same price she had paid 4 years ago back in the states. We stopped by the beautiful Sunrise Hotel to have a drink at their bar and get their WiFi signal code. Steve had brought along his tablet so he could keep busy while we were shopping and now was downloading some things. We have the Tigo internet on the boat but it is not as fast as the hotels WiFi. A game he downloaded was taking a really long time, so Bill & JoAnne & I walked down the street a little seeing the quiet deserted day time places start to come alive during the night. Restaurants all setting up their sidewalk tables, and filling up with people starting their nights out. We grabbed an appetizer at one of the places then went back to collect Steve who's download was almost done.

Easter Sunday, Gina on Dream Catcher had the idea to do a picnic lunch. We are anchored close to a little cay so we went over for a shared lunch then went out to swim & snorkel the reef. Another great day on another beautiful island with great friends.

Monday, we went to town to see a doctor. Steve had finished his antibiotics given to him in Providencia on Friday and had started to feel bad again. We wanted to try and not have him get as bad as he was with early intervention. The doctor said since he had just stopped taking the antibiotics she wanted to wait a few more days to get another sample so the lab could determine what kind of bacteria it was and what would be the best treatment, that or she could just give us another antibiotic not being sure it was the right one. Steve opted to wait a few more days for the test, in hindsight, and after talking to Bruce (a urologist before he retired) when we ran into them at lunch at Miss Celia's restaurant, maybe not the best decision. Maybe ?? if Steve had started on another stronger antibiotic right away he could have avoided several days of not feeling good.

The next few days were spent doing boat maintenance projects with short trips into town, and just relaxing on the boat. Got our portable depth finder out to plot the way into the fuel dock to be able to bring the big boat in to fuel up. Had to med-moor to part of the fuel dock where we had just enough depth. Bruce & Gina make plans & leave for Bocas del Toro, Panama on Wednesday. By Friday afternoon Bill & JoAnne & I are ready for some beach time. Steve, in the morning, had gone back in to give a urine sample but was still not feeling great. Instead of bouncing around in the dinghy out in the sun he stayed on the boat to prepare dinner for us later that evening. Taking the dinghy over to check out the ship on the reef and little islands, Haines Cay & Rose Cay behind us. The many different shades of blue water here are just beautiful, hope the pictures show some of it. We have a fun afternoon playing in the water and start to leave just in time, as the many party boats that we see around ALL start showing up at the same time !! One minute we had the waters almost all to ourselves the next 100's of people start getting in, glad we were ready to leave. Back to the boats for showers before a wonderful diner prepared by Steve.

Saturday, Steve feeling OK, we go in with Bill & JoAnne to a few stores and then lunch back at the great local restaurant Bruce & Gina had told us about Miss Celia's. Steve had gotten a call from the lab that he would have to come back in Monday to re-do the sample. The whole story of giving a urine sample is a blog in itself which I will try to get him to write up. For now he just has to do it again. Sunday dinner on Ultra, talking about options of where to go next. Monday morning Steve submits another urine sample, now we just have to wait until Wednesday for the results.

Tuesday night after dinner Steve started to feel much worse, he had a bad night, chills & sweats, aches and headache again, Wednesday morning he is feeling even worse. We go into the lab to get his results and call the doctor to see where to meet her. Turns out it is her day off but she will meet us at the clinic. The infection is back and she gives him a prescription for some stronger antibiotics, one a one time dose and the other to take over the next two weeks. She also gives him another shot of the steroid to help with the headache and help him feel better right away. UN-official diagnosis Bacterial Prostatitis. Back to the boat where Steve naps most of the afternoon. At 3:30 I go into town with Bill & JoAnne for a little shopping, while Steve reads & rests on the boat. By 6 when we return he is feeling a little better.

Wednesday May 1 AKA May Day a holiday here, like Labor Day back in the states, so when we went in to town at 3:30 just about everything was closed up so no grocery shopping for us. Good to walk around, Steve still weak having good days and not so good days, giving the medicine time to do its work will take a little while so the next few days are just a few boat chores and taking it easy.

By Monday Steve is feeling much better, so we go do the grocery run to stock up and get ready to leave. Tuesday we call Rene to tell him to get our departure papers ready, as we will leave on Wednesday for the 2 + day trip to the San Blas Islands of Panama for a short visit. We will just visit there until the heavy rains & lightening start then move to Bocas del Toro to wait out the worst of the rainy season then go back to the San Blas to spend more time exploring there. 

Link to Pictures;  https://plus.google.com/photos/103931849054358791487/albums/6008640552932869169?authkey=CN-1_4rOpZDHFw 

Providencia Continued

Providencia Continued

Sunday 30 March – Tuesday 15 April

Sunday night Steve started to feel really bad, and went to bed early. Had a bad night of aches & pains, severe headache and fever & chills. Monday he woke still feeling bad, mostly a really bad headache. By noon we decided to go into town to see the doctor at the local hospital / clinic. Doctor was a very nice young lady, spoke very good English, looked like she was 16 years old, but very competent. They gave Steve two IV bags of fluid as he was dehydrated, took blood for testing and urine sample found he had a urinary tract infection so gave him antibiotics for that. Finally left at 5, walking back to the dock we saw Bill & JoAnne & Bruce & Gina and told them what the Doctor said and that Steve was feeling a little better. Tuesday he woke with another horrible headache, JoAnne brought us a wonderful lunch of veggie burgers, but Steve could not even eat. We went back to the hospital / clinic again, this time a different doctor not so good with her English but she had a friend visiting to help interpret. She gave us an RX for a steroid, to be injected to help with the headache. We stopped by Dream Catcher to talk to Bruce, a Physician, to check on the drug before taking it, then Bruce came over to give the injection.

Steve was able to eat a little that night and had a good nights rest and woke up Wednesday morning feeling great. Feeling great but not wanting to over work himself, he spent the day catching up on internet and cooking. I got to give him his second shot to boost the recovery, and hiked back up to drop off another load of laundry. We invited Bill & JoAnne & Bruce & Gina over for dinner to thank them for their help & support while he was sick.

Thursday into town to see what the stores had. They get a few different supply ships several times a week so you have to keep checking back to see what they have.

Friday another hike to pick up laundry. Then a small gathering at the beach close to the anchorage for sun-downers with several of the boats at anchor.

Early Saturday Gina's brother Kelley and nephew Blake arrived. Along with the many items they brought for Bruce & Gina, they also had our watermaker part along with a few other things we ordered as well as things for Ultra. So wonderful to have family & friends visit and be able to bring boat parts that can be hard to get. Saturday afternoon Steve put the watermaker back together and reinstalled it, a slight leak so he would have to work on it again the following day. But by 4 we were ready for a break, so along with Bill & JoAnne we went over to Santa Catalina Island to do the short hike out to Morgans Head. Stopping to talk to Bruce & Gina who had been out on motor scooters touring the island with her brother & nephew. Gina had been in contact with a dive shop, and we were going to join them on a dive on Monday.

Sunday working on the watermaker leaks, and cleaning out the fore-peak where it lives and had leaked salt water, then bolting it back into place. One project done, at least for now. Sunday night we, along with Bruce & Gina, Kelley & Blake went over to Ultra for Pizza night. JoAnne had made the pizza dough and we all brought toppings to load them up with. They were delicious !!

Monday the dive boat arrives first to Dream Catcher to pick 4 up, then to our boat to load us & our gear in then to pick up Ultra, 8 divers with driver Alex and dive guide Jim head out. They have a LOT of gray reef sharks here. Glad to be in a group and told they are not aggressive sharks. Unless you spear a lion fish and hold it out for them to come get & eat which Jim did. They swim pretty close to you but don't really seem bothered by us swimming in their water. After the first dive we go back to the shop to switch out tanks and do our surface time, before going back out for the 2^nd dive.

Tuesday, Dream Catcher had an early departure to go San Andres to get their guests back for a Friday flight. We will either catch up to them in San Andres, another Colombian Island 60 miles from Providencia or in Bocas Del Toro Panama.

Next few days doing small boat projects, reading, going into town, just enjoying our beautiful surroundings.

Thursday night dinner on Ultra, talking about weather window to move on. Places like here make it hard to move on.

Friday night we go with Bill & JoAnne to a local's house. Jaime, a cameraman, that filmed their interview with Kattea, the hostess of a local show called Cool Land. A small get together that we enjoyed before stopping at a restaurant in town that was open before going back to our boats.

Saturday we climb to the peak again. Just the 4 of us this time, so we found a ride there in the back of a truck. Did not stop for as many pictures this time. Bill & JoAnne had a flag that they wanted to put up on top. We had a picnic lunch on top then signed the flag and Bill hung it on the pole before making our way back down. The guy we got a ride from lived down the street so he said we could come find him or ask someone to call him, but when we got down another taxi car was driving by so she brought us back to town. A nice swim off the boat then a quiet night to rest my sore knees.

Sunday we took the dinghies to go snorkeling on the east side of the island. The winds are still pretty strong so the ride over was a little rough & wet. The outer reef kept most of the waves down but it was a speed snorkel as we drifted with the waves, current and dinghies. Bill & JoAnne had announced earlier in the day about another cruisers get together for sun-downers over on the beach again getting to know a few more of our temporary neighbors.

Monday woke to rain, around 11 semi clear skies so we went into town with Bill & JoAnne to see Mr. Bush to let him know we would be checking out on Wednesday. Stopped at the store to get some things for dinner, making it back to the boats before more rain came. Cloudy skies the rest of the day with light showers through out the day. Steve decided to cook since we were stuck on the boat and we had Bill & JoAnne over for dinner.

Tuesday we get our departure papers and get a few more provisions as we will be arriving in San Andres the day before everything closes for the Easter Holiday. Clean the prop & anchor chain and snubber line so we will be ready for an early departure on Wednesday.

Link to Pictures;  https://plus.google.com/photos/103931849054358791487/albums/6006727877463942209?authkey=CJrirKry8v-tRw

Providencia, Colombia

Isla Providencia (AKA Old Providence) and Santa Catalina Island, Colombia

Sunday 16 March – Sunday 30 March

We arrived to Providencia around 3 PM Sunday afternoon, greeted by JoAnne & Bill who were out snorkeling as we were coming in the channel. Informing us the agent Mr. Bush, who you have to use to check in, was thought to be off island and that dinner would be on their boat that night. We tried to hail the Bush Agency on VFH 16 a little after 4 once we were anchored, and were glad we got no response. Cleaned up the salt water from the dodger and hand rails, sorry we had just missed the short rain storm that we could see cover the island as we approached, it would have given the boat a good rinse.

Over to Ultra for dinner along with friends Gina & Bruce on S/V Dream Catcher and Hinnerk & Kinga from S/V Paulinchen. It was a great way to be welcomed to the beautiful island of Providencia.

Monday morning we tried to check in, calling Mr. Bush several times on the VHF. The Port Authority answered us and said they would also try to reach him and call us back. Since we were “stuck” on the boat not being allowed on shore until we could check in, Steve decided he would make dinner for the group that night on Ocean Star. After lunch and still not hearing from either we tried again to reach the Bush Agency, still no answer. This left us not knowing if he was back on the island, and if we should try to go check in. Bill & JoAnne were going into town, so they said they would stop by his house/office and check for us. They called us back and confirmed that Mr. Bush was still off island BUT his housekeeper Adella could help us get our paper work started.

We wanted to get checked in since there was a planned hike on Tuesday with a group of cruisers that we wanted to go on. We met B&J at the dock just before 3, and they showed us to Mr. Bush's pointing out the different stores & bakeries along the way. We had a nice visit with Adella as she has lived on the island over 20 years and had lots of stories to share. Finally the port authority guy showed up and took some of our information. Customs & Immigration never made it so we left our passports with Adella to have them stamped the following day. Even though we had been told by other cruisers that we might have to leave our passports at the office, and that this was a common occurrence here, it was still a strange feeling leaving our passports behind. We were told we could come ashore as we wished and that the rest of the paperwork would be completed by Mr. Bush. Picked up some SIM cards for the local phone company so we can get internet, and back to the boat by 5 to finish getting dinner ready. Good thing it was a main course salad, with minimal cooking required. Another fun evening.

Tuesday one of the boats Baros with Linda & Hans, who have been to Providencia many times so know the island very well, were leading the way on a hike to the Peak. This was the 14^th time for them to do the hike but a first for Shirley & Tom on S/V Rio Nimpkish, Hinnerk & Kinga on S/V Paulinchen, Bill & JoAnne on Ultra and us and we were glad to have their knowledge of the island and the trail.

We met at the town dock at 9 and caught a van taxi to the park entrance to start the hike by 9:30. Stopping along the way to read the park signs about the local flora & fauna and take pictures we reached the peak 90 minutes later, and were rewarded with spectacular views. Rested for about 30 minutes up on top enjoying the views before starting down. The heat of the day was bringing out all the lizards and we spent some time trying to get a good picture of one of the many Blue Lizards we saw. They are skittish little guys but their bright neon blue coloring makes them a sight to see amongst the green & brown of their landscape. Once we were all down our “guides” Linda & Hans had us go over to Southwest Beach for lunch at Restaurante Divino Nino and a refreshing swim in the ocean. A huge fish platter was had by all and not much went uneaten. Too full to go far we walked down the beach to Richards Beach Bar for another drink to enjoy while we continued the conversations. We were joined by Laura & Russel S/V Luturna II who also know a lot about the island as Laura is from here. Called the taxi van driver, Nelson, to bring us back returning to the boats by 6 after a great day.

Wednesday tried reaching the Bush Agency on the VHF to see when we needed to come in and finish clearance. No answer until later when another new arrival entered the harbor and called in. They were told to come in then and we were told to come in at 4, freeing the day. We have limited internet with only Steve's tablet, the Movistar SIM card would not work in my Tigo USB stick, so trying to get caught up on some emails. The watermaker was started, and a few minutes later we got the system fail alarm, so Steve shut it down. After lunch we went to the fore-peak where the watermaker lives to see what the problem was and discovered another small problem – a container of Stabil (a gasoline additive) which is greasy leaked so we needed to clean that up before looking at the watermaker. Mess cleaned up and Steve gets to the watermaker and it is NOT good. A hole was blown out of a crucial fitting. No clue as to how it could have happened, not going to be an easy fix if at all possible. By now it is time to get ready to go see Mr. Bush to finish our check in. Stopped by the internet place to check options to get my computer connected to the internet. Finished our paperwork with Mr. Bush so he can clear us and the boat into Colombia, and getting our Passports back. Back by the internet place to drop off my Tigo (Honduras Internet) USB stick so it can get unlocked to be used by Movistar the internet provider here.

Thursday morning I picked up Shirley so she could show me where Alitea, a woman on island that does laundry for the cruisers, lives. NOT an easy home to find, climbing stairs and hiking a path we finally get to her house, and she agrees to do some laundry for us. A quick stop at the internet store to pick up my now unlocked USB dongle and back to the boat to see if it works and to get laundry. I can't get dongle to work so go back in with my computer and Daisy at the internet store fixes it. Back to the boat and internet now working on my computer. Need Steve's help to bring our 2 loads of laundry in, and climb back up again to Alita's house. Steve continues working on the watermaker problem, finding how to take it apart and finding a replacement part. Luckily friend Gina on Dream Catcher has her brother coming to visit in 2 weeks so we will be able to get the part brought in. Join most of the other boats in the anchorage 8 out of 10 for happy hour drinks at the Bamboo Bar on Santa Catalina Island.

Friday Steve & I met up with JoAnne & Bill, and Gina & Bruce at 10 to rent motor bikes to tour the island. We rented from the grocery store, $25 for the day, no deposit, no form(s) to fill out, only Bruce showed an ID and we drove away. We had a great day circumnavigating the island on its main road and exploring many of the side streets of the tiny island seeing the beautiful beaches along the way. Lunch back at Southwest Bay, opting for smaller dishes this time, before continuing on around the island. After a full day we turned the bikes back in by 5:30, no one wanted to be riding around at night and no one thought they would come back in in the morning to go for a ride. Steve & I made another hike up to pick up our laundry before heading back to the boat for the night.

Saturday few jobs on the boat and in to town to pick up bread (they have two good bakeries here, not like the French islands but pretty good) and to hike back up to the laundry house to pay as she was not there the day before when we picked it up and her husband did not know the cost. You need to look at the pictures of the TRAIL to the house for laundry and think about that next time you do laundry at home. Bruce & Gina hosted a group dinner of Lasagna for 8 on Dream Catcher, we brought garlic bread, Ultra brought a salad, and Paulinchen brought Baileys liquor and pastries for desert to go with a desert Gina made.

Sunday, lazy day spent relaxing on the boat.

Monday was a holiday on the Island , but no one could tell us what holiday. Some stores said they would be closed and some were open, not much different from any other day that we could tell. At first we had heard that maybe they would have one of the island horse races that we had heard is a fun event to see. But Linda from S/V Baros found out there was a Black Crab Festival & Cat Boat Racing on another beach. Black crabs are small land crabs that migrate to the sea once a year to lay their eggs, then go back to the forests. She made the announcement on VHF 16 to see who wanted to go, 8 out of the 10 boats did. So Steve & I along with Linda & Hans from Baros Shirley & Tom on Rio Nimpkish, Hinnerk & Kinga on Paulinchen, Laura & Russel Luturna II, Bruce & Gina on Dream Catcher, John & Lucy on Mate, and Bill & JoAnne on Ultra, piled into Nelsons taxi van again to go over to Manchineel Bay for the day. We had stopped by here the other day when we rented motor bikes, but it was a different scene today. Full with people, and vendors set up selling food & drinks, watching the locals set the sail on the Cat Boats is always a sight to watch. Another great day hanging out on a beautiful beach. 

 

Tuesday 3/25 was Bills B-Day so there was a big party planned onboard Ultra for that night. Russel & Laura had left to sail over to San Andres so that just left 7 boats / 14 people for the party. Good thing they have a big Trimaran, so we had a wonderful night filled with great food, drinks and fun. We even all sent off messages in a bottle, supplied from B&J's left over wine bottles.

Wednesday everyone was moving a little slow so not much was done. Since our watermaker is broken and we are waiting on a part to fix it. Bill & JoAnne were making extra, so we went over and got another 25 gallons in 5 gallon jugs to put into our tanks. Paulinchen left late in the day to sail over to San Andres and then on to Panama.

Thursday easy day, Steve worked on cleaning off some of the rust spots on the boat. When we were in the boat yard where they are grinding and welding on other boats small little shavings wind up on our boat when mixed with salt water make little rust spots that need to get cleaned up before they get worse. Cleaning up requires rust remover, a toothbrush and a small pick to dislodge the metal specks. Tedious mind-numbing work.

Friday morning it rained for the first time since we arrived, it did not last long but it came down heavy and gave the boat a nice rinse. It cleared up in plenty of time for the days planned activity of hiking & snorkeling. Over on Santa Catalina Island (the little island next to & connected to Providencia by a foot bridge) is one of Pablo Escobar's homes, OR what remains of it, which is very little. The home is on top of a hill that the main path has long since been overgrown. Bill & Joanne had been over to the beach and saw that it looked like an easier path up from the beach. So along with Bruce & Gina and John & Lucy we all took the dinghies around to that side of the island. The path was in much better shape then what we expected. And even though there is not much left of the house you can tell how impressive it must have been back in the 1980's. Just the logistics of getting the material to these islands and then to the top of the hill with no road access would have been a major ordeal, but then he sure had the money to pay for it. It was very interesting to see, back down to the beach for a picnic lunch then snorkeling on the way back to the boats.

That night we planned to go into a pizza place in town. Shirley had gone by the day before to make sure they would be open and ready for 10 people. So after meeting at the town dock, stopping at the “corner” for a beer then going up there at 6:30 we were very surprised to see it closed ! Some how she forgot to mention that she might be having surgery that morning and might not be feeling well that night and might be closed. There are no other dinner places in “town” so Shirley knew of another place called Martins that is good with good prices. But we had to try to get a taxi for 10 people to get there. None of us knew Nelson's #, so we stopped by the internet store and Daisy helped us. First she called the restaurant to see if they were open then made the reservation then called to find us a taxi. The first taxi to show up Jerry in a nice van but only 7 seats, we tried to tell him we did not mind squeezing in (we are all VERY use to overloaded vans) but he said no he could not do it. By this time we are all very hungry, so he says he can call his cousin Larry who has a truck to come get us. We negotiate a round trip price over the phone and a few minutes later Larry shows up. A nice 4 door pick up with bench seats in the bed, we all climb in and he brings us to the restaurant where we all have wonderful meals. The restaurant calls him as we are checking out to come and bring us back. On the way back we mention the horse races again and he says that there will be one on Saturday. He stops to ask a friend on the way to confirm and we are told yes it will happen on Saturday afternoon around 1. We have his card if we need his truck for another big group, not sure who will be going at that time.

Sunday morning John & Lucy on Mate head out for Roatan. Bruce & Gina have boat projects to work on before guest arrive. Linda & Hans have friends that have just arrived so want to spend time with them and help them check in. Shirley & Tom said they were going to rent a motor bike for a ½ day and ride over seeing a few more things before they leave on Monday. Steve & I picked Bill & JoAnne up with our dinghy and walked down the street from the dock. Under the “tree” locals with motor bikes hang out and give each other and tourists taxi rides. We negotiate another fare and hop on 4 different bikes to be driven over to Southwest Bay arriving around 12:30. Shirley & Tom arrive a little while later, and the places along the beach are filling up. Confirming that yes there will be a horse race that day maybe around 2. We enjoy another great lunch at Restaurante Divino Nino. Finally see one guy walking a horse down the beach, and that horse is ready to run, just a beautiful animal. We had been told that only 2 horses race together at a time, it's a narrow beach. We were also under the impression that several different races could take place on the same day, just not on this day. The 2^nd horse finally shows up and they go down to the starting line past Richards Bar. They have several people around warning unknowing people to be aware that a couple of horses will soon be tearing down the beach and if you are in the way you will get trampled. The 2 horses come running around the bend and down towards where we are watching from, fly past us and down to the other end of the beach. We are not sure which if either won ?? Apparently / maybe one of the horses turned to wide and pushed the other too far into the water? Both horses continued to the end and then a LOT of people from both sides who had been placing bets were following down the beach doing a lot of yelling. Unable to understand all that was being said and by which side we never did know the final outcome. We still enjoyed another fun island event. Went to catch a ride back to “town”, our motor bike guys said they would be around but we did not see them, so we flagged down a car passing by and asked if they could give us a ride, negotiated a price and the 4 of us fit in the back seat of a Buick La Saber. We had a very slow (but safe!) ride with very loud music back to town. Most of the time the driver's hands were clapping or eating iguana that a passing motorbike handed through the window. Dropped Bill & JoAnne off at their boat picking up 5 more containers of water.

Sunday another relaxing day on the boat, enjoying this beautiful anchorage that has a wonderful breeze blowing through it almost all day, every day. Not a bad place to be stuck waiting on parts, glad for the extra time to do more exploring of this unique island. 

 

It has been a great two weeks in the island of Providencia, where we passed our 4 year anniversary. Cruising in our floating home, Ocean Star, we have traveled via the sea to 24 countries plus the US Virgin Islands & Puerto Rico. Lost count of how many different islands and cays / keys we have been to. It has been a remarkable journey so far one that we hope to continue. A lot of hard work mixed with a lot of fun and exciting adventures and many really wonderful friendships formed along the way. So thankful to be living this lifestyle and for the love and support from family whom we miss dearly everyday.

Link to Pictures; https://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/ProvidenciaColombia?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCLTpvPTC6-WdhgE&feat=directlink

 

Return to Roatan AGAIN

Return to Roatan Again

Friday 7 March – Thursday 16 March

As the sun was rising Friday morning in Guanaja and we were getting ready to leave we noticed the bilge pump going off more frequently. Normally our bilge is very dry, and we had noticed after the passage from the Rio and during our time in Roatan that it would go off intermittently. We did several searches / inspections of all the thru hulls and found NO leaks, so we contributed it to running the A/C, which drains into the bilge. But now after not running the A/C it was going off even more. We inspected the thru hulls again, and this time found the leak in the starboard forward head sink drain. The bronze thru hull was cracked between the hull and the shutoff valve. We had had a similar problem with the second sink in that head on the port side back in December 2012, so knew it could easily turn into a major problem. It was an easy decision to return to Roatan where we knew we could get hauled out and have it repaired. As we got close to French Harbor we called Jerry the dock master at Fantasy Island Marina to get the phone # for the ship yard. Jerry called them for us and explained our problem and they said they would be able to haul us out that same day.

We arrived back into the Harbour shortly after noon, lunch time for the ship yard. Jerry let us tie up at our old spot at the dock, until they returned from lunch, this gave us a few minutes to have lunch also. By 1:15 the boat yard had a crew moving a big barge out of the way so we could move into the slip with the travel lift to get us out of the water. It is a slow process, making sure the straps are in the right place and then slowly lifting the boat and moving to land, then resting the boat back down on chocks so it can “stand” safely on land, so we didn't finish until 3:30. I called friends, old neighbors from Kemah, who have a second home in Roatan to see if they were still in town. They were and offered their assistance in whatever way we needed. Friday after Steve removed the leaking thru hull, he showed it to the yard manager who said he would go see if he could find one if not he could have it made. He couldn't find any on the island or the nearest mainland town, so we had 5 made so we could replace all of the similar thru hulls. It was late Friday afternoon, and the machine shop promised to make them over the weekend to be ready Monday morning. We spent a quiet night on the boat, with a meal we had made for our overnight passages.

Saturday morning Autie & Janie came to pick us up to get us out of the yard. Steve had a short list of things he would need to do the repairs so we made the rounds to the different shops looking for and getting all but one, a 1.25” deep socket to remove the remaining thru hulls, but a call to the boatyard manager at home confirmed he had one we could use on Monday. We also made a stop to top up another weeks worth of internet. Autie & Janie took us to lunch at Gio's in French Harbour, a place we had heard about but had never been to then back to their house in Parrot Tree Plantation for a relaxing afternoon in the pool. They again graciously offered for us to stay at their house but Steve did not feel comfortable leaving the boat unattended in the yard. They lent us one of their cars to go back to the ship yard for the night. Plans were made for Sunday afternoon since no work would be done in the yard.

Sunday morning Steve ran to Ace Hardware and started to get things ready for Monday before Autie & Janie came by at 11:30. They took us over to Sandy Bay, near West End, to go to Blue Bahia for lunch. Another great restaurant with a great location on Roatan. A stop at Sundowners Beach Bar in West End for a beverage where we also picked up some DVD movies. Then over to Fosters in West Bay , all new spots for us to see. Heading back via Coxen Hole stopping at Gio's 2^nd restaurant location for dinner. On the way back the car died, alternator problem, got a taxi to jump us and being a diesel made it back to the boat yard. Janie used their 2^nd car to lead Autie who used our spot light as a headlight to get back to their home in Parrot Tree. NOT your typical day in a boat yard !!

Monday was a working day for Steve, once we decided he did not need my help, I went over to the Pineapple Resort for a massage. We had made plans to be picked up at 5 to go to dinner with Autie & Janie at a friends house. One of their friends Steffie opens their lovely home up on Mondays to serve dinner to a group of their friends. A great venue for them all to get together.

Tuesday Autie & Janie wanted us to go out to Mango Creek Lodge in Port Royal out further east on the island. They had bought the place about a year and a half ago and wanted to show it to us. We had met the managers Doc & DeDe the night before and had been hearing a lot of wonderful things about the place. Tuesday morning we got another thru hull put in, BUT Steve said there was still too much work to be done for him to go. Another weather window was coming up on Thursday and he wanted to be sure the boat was back in the water and ready to go by then. So when Janie came to pick us up at 1, only I went & Steve stayed to work on the boat :(.

Autie had taken their Martinez runabout boat “Patrona” out to Oak Ridge earlier, so now Janie & I were driving there to meet him at BJ's bar & restaurant. BJ's is the “parking lot” / pick up point for anyone going out to Mango Creek as there are no roads leading there. We also met up with Michelle who is a massage therapist on the island and was going out to give two of the guests massages. Loaded up the boat with our overnight bags and we were heading east by 1:45. A ride thru Oak Ridge Harbor, then thru the mangrove cut to Calabash Bight, out past the reef then back in thru the reef at Port Royal. Arriving at Mango Creek Lodge (MangoCreekLodge.com) 45 minutes later. Mango Creek Lodge is an all inclusive Eco lodge, with 5 cabanas over the water for guests. It also has a main house along with staff lodging and a wood shop. They do all of their own wood work for the resort and it is very impressive. A tour of the grounds then a short rest before dinner. One of the guests had a birthday that evening and Janie & DeDe's were coming up, so they decided to have a little celebration dinner. Lobster tail, steak, asparagus, & risotto, followed by a champagne toast and 3 different cakes and a chocolate pie !!! Just a wonderful lovely evening the only thing missing was Steve of course. I had called him right before dinner and he had a very productive day getting all the repairs done and was just cleaning up glad he still had a meal already made and waiting.

Wednesday easy lazy morning for me while Steve was finishing up in the yard. The yard takes credit cards but the card machine was at a different location so Steve had them stop by the grocery store on the way to pick up a few last things. I went for a little boat ride with Janie & Autie seeing the bays further east, then back to the lodge to pick up our bags and head back by 11. When we got to Oak Ridge and the car I called Steve and he was already being launched, and was just tying up at an empty spot at Fantasy Island Marina until I got back. Janie & I also stopped at the grocery store for a few more things before going back to the marina. Said good bye to Janie, not able to thank them enough for all their help. Jerry the dock master stopped by and said we could stay the night at the dock for no fee and come to happy hour at the palapa hut one more time. It was hamburger night also but we had not made reservations and thought they were sold out but Jerry said they had room for 2 more. Steve went for a swim and relaxed on the beach for a few hours while I cleaned up the boat from all his work. Stowing everything away for our early departure the next morning. It was a good turn out for happy hour and hamburger night, so we had a good time seeing friends one more time. Steve also cooked a steak to make a steak salad for when we were underway the following night.

Thursday we were under way by 6:45 AM, motor sailing in calm seas with light winds. Later in the day the winds were even less and more on the nose so we were just motoring. As we were approaching Guanaja we talked to friends Gina & Bruce on Dream Catcher who were just leaving Guanaja to head to Providencia also. We kept in touch via the VHF radio for a while but then they turned off to go via one route while we planed an overnight stop at the Hobbies Cays. We arrived there around 11:30 AM Friday morning. A nice little stop, able to snorkel and rest some BUT not really worth it. If Steve had not been working so hard over the last few days it would have been easier to just keep going. We had a nice swim and a very restful night and made another meal for our next overnight passage before taking off early Saturday morning.

Saturday started to leave at 7 AM, when the engine did not sound right, shut her down then Steve bled it again. Started up again and tried to rev the RPM's in neutral, but they did not increase. Shut the engine down again one more bleeding and Steve checked the pressure of the fuel filters and noticed they were off. So he changed the filters and she started back up sounding like she should. Underway by 8:15, motor sailing out of the reefs surrounding the Hobbies Cays then we were able to shut the engine down and sail. We had good winds 15 – 20 knots and 3-5 foot waves on the beam for most of the way. The water off Nicaragua where we were traveling with no land in sight is only about 100 feet deep, which just seemed really strange after sailing ½ mile off Roatan and being in 1000's of feet deep water. It was a good 3 day passage and we arrived in Isla Providencia, Columbia 3 PM Sunday March 16.

link to pictures: https://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/ReturnToRoatanAGAIN?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCN2_vbOn-Kq3_wE&feat=directlink

Return to Roatan

Return to Roatan

Thursday 5 December – Thursday 6 March 2014

We were glad to be leaving the Rio Dulce to be heading back to the clear blue waters of Roatan. After a lot of last minute preparations, we finally left the dock at Mario's marina at 3:30 Wednesday afternoon saying goodbye to friends still there and headed down river for 1 1/2 hours to stop in Texan bay for the night. Under way by 7 AM Thursday for the short trip further down river to Livingston to check out with customs. Cleared out and crossing the bar by 10 AM. We were a little concerned as this high tide was not going to be as high as the full moon tide we came in on but we had a new set of way-points for a deeper channel and had no problem getting across the ½ mile wide low water bar.
 

Motoring in flat seas with no winds all day until sunset, then the winds started to build and continued to build to 20k on the nose, the waves were building also so we just kept motoring (bashing) into the wind and waves. It was going to be a long night ! At 1 am, an hour into my shift the engine alarm went off so I shut the engine off. That got Steve back up on deck fast, he quickly concluded it was a fuel problem. We were ½ full in both tanks, Steve believed that with all the bouncing into the waves the engine got air in the line. So we put up the sails, since we now had plenty of wind, and altered course to get us heeled over to move all the fuel into one tank. Once the fuel was in one tank Steve closed it off and bled the air out of the engine. By now it was 2 AM so we decided to continue sailing through the night even if it was a little off course and save the fuel and motoring for the next day. At 6 AM when Steve came back on deck we tacked over to get back on course, on this new course we had too much sail out so went to reef in the genoa sail and the furling line got jammed ! Could not roll the sail in or out ! The plan was to turn on the engine get the boat pointed in a calmer direction to drop the sail to the deck of the boat. Well the engine just kept stalling, Steve bled it a few more times but still no luck. He managed to get the sail down and tied off on deck as I tried to keep the boat from bouncing around with no engine and no sails in 5 ft.+ waves. Steve bled the engine again and again, each time it would last a few minutes longer but would keep stalling. With the engine going we would stay on course for a short time until it died and Steve would have to go down below to the HOT engine and bleed it again as the wind & waves rocked & rolled us. As we neared the west end of Roatan the engine was staying on longer and we were just hoping it would not stall as we had to enter the harbor between the reef. As we approached French Cay Harbour and Fantasy Island Marina we tried to reach the marina on the VFH, just in case we had trouble, but I had the wrong channel # so no answer. We made it in safe & sound and put the anchor down and relaxed. Later friends Jody & Stephen from Blue Pelican saw us on the way back to their boat and stopped by to say HI and told us the correct hailing channel they use here (72). 
 

We had reservations at Fantasy Island Marina but we wanted to get fuel before we docked and when we talked to Jerry the dock-master he told us that would not be available until Monday so we told him we would stay at anchor & come in on Monday. Saturday AM we fixed the sail furling line, then went to the re-opened Roatan Yacht club had lunch then caught a taxi to Coxen Hole to check in at customs but no officials showed up at customs after lunch so after waiting 2 hours we went back to the boat. Monday as we went to the fuel dock the engine stalled once, threw down the anchor again and bled the engine again. Friend Stephen from Blue Pelican came along side with his dinghy in case we stalled again. We made it to the fuel dock and filled up both tanks, one more stall as we were ready to leave the fuel dock. Another bleed then we had to go out the Harbour and around the reef to another entrance to go to a slip around the back of the island & we made it without stalling. Steve went to check in with customs, making our return to Roatan official.

Tuesday Dec. 10, my Dad was arriving via Princess Cruise Ship so we planned to spend the day with him. He had made good progress on his recovery from his back injury, but was still using a cane. I rented a car and we picked him up along with his friend Barbara, who had joined him on the cruise. We had a wonderful day showing them the island and the boat. It was so great to see him getting around better as the last time I saw him he was still in the hospital. 
 

Roatan has a busy cruising community with a lot of activities going on. So the next couple of weeks leading up to Christmas were busy with Pot Luck dinners, movie nights, social happy hour gatherings getting to know new boats arriving and reuniting with friends we had met in the Rio and other places. Along with a few boat projects, snorkeling & kayaking we kept busy. Christmas Eve we had a huge party at our marina, a pot luck that the marina provided the Turkey & Ham and a white elephant gift exchange. Christmas day another big pot luck lunch at the marina next door and another white elephant exchange followed by some great live music with Brion James. A very merry 2 days of celebration.

Christmas day we also moved to another slip up on the west side of the marina, a better location and closer to the palapa hut where all the marina activities take place. Now it was time to get ready for my brother Stephen's visit.

Stephen arrived December 30 around 3 PM. We got him settled on the boat & unpacked checking out the goods we'd bought and he brought down for us, another Christmas. We took a walking tour of the marina and resort grounds, followed by a dinghy tour, followed by dinner on board with friends JoAnne & Bill from Ultra. Tuesday New Years Eve Day we started out snorkeling at lobster city, then stopped at Little French Cay and visited the all the animals they keep on the island followed by a drink and a dive off their “high” dive, then a stop at Arch's iguana farm before going back to the boat to get ready for the New Years Eve party. The Fantasy Island resort along with several other marinas & restaurants were putting on all inclusive parties for $$$. So several of us cruisers decided we would do our own party at the marina's palapa hut, once word got out about bringing your own food and drink the more people got involved. We got an order of lobster tails and grilled them up along with steaks or whatever else you wanted and had a great party with great dance music. Fantasy Island put on a great fireworks show that we walked down to the beach to watch, but we could also see fireworks from Little French Cay and other parts of the island. New Years day we went snorkeling then gathered at 3 for some fun beach games. Thursday another beautiful day so we were making the most of the good weather and went snorkeling again down by Parrot Tree Resort and had lunch down there, dinner on board followed by a live jam session with a few other cruisers down at the palapa hut. Friday the weather turned bad as predicted and we had rain on & off most of the day. Steve & Stephen got out between showers to run a few errands. Saturday we had rented a car to tour the island, the weather was cloudy with a chance of more rain so it was a good day to be in the car. The rain held off for most of the day but the views of the reefs were not as beautiful without the sun. We went over to West End, with the winds out of the west, West End was not the usual tranquil beach street scene. The waves were crashing onto the beach and the spray was going all the way across the street. Just a few people out walking around in most in sweatshirts instead of bathing suits. Sunday a nice break in the weather as Stephen was getting ready to leave, we had the first pancake/ taco/ Bloody Mary breakfast here at the marina, it was a great hit and a great way for Stephen to end his visit. 


Monday another front blew thru bringing more high winds and rain.  Tuesday we had a big group scheduled to go to lunch at Temporary Cal's Cantina but with more bad weather predicted most opted not to go, especially the boats at anchor. The weather stayed calm during the day as 12 of us went and had a great lunch. Early Wednesday morning the storm hit hard wind & waves in the harbor had boats at anchor dragging and the boats at the dock putting out extra fenders & lines. It was all over by noon, so we had a good happy hour that night everyone glad no serious damage was done. 

Saturday January 11^th , my sister Carol arrived for a visit. She had a whole extra bag of more stuff we'd bought online to bring us, so I met her at the airport. Back to the boat and settled in, another Christmas seeing what she brought for us. Then a walk around the island showing her the resort and marina. That night we had an Asian Pot Luck dinner planned at the palapa, and we had another great turn out with wonderful dishes to try. Sunday another Bloody Mary/ Pancake / taco breakfast, both a great welcome for Carol's visit. We had good weather so after breakfast we left to go snorkeling, first to lobster city then down to Parrot Tree, then stopped at Little French Cay to show Carol the animals, then a stop a the Iguana farm before heading back to the boat at 4, a fun filled day. Carol & I spent Monday morning at the resorts beach then we took the dinghy down to the Roatan Yacht Club, a great restaurant with a beautiful view of French Harbour, for lunch. Tuesday we rented a car to tour the Island. Carol & I started off heading east to see some of the sights out that way while Steve took care of some boat problems. Carol & I stopped for lunch at Temporary Cal's before heading back to the boat to pick up Steve to head over to West End. A much nicer day to visit West End, then we went over to West Bay to watch the sun set and have dinner. Wednesday another good day for snorkeling and using the dive plane, lunch on the boat followed by an afternoon back at the beach followed by dinner on Ultra with JoAnne & Bill. Thursday Carol was on a flight back to Houston.

Saturday long term marina residents Floris & Judith from S/V True North threw a party to celebrate their wedding. The weather was not the best but the party was great, the actual wedding took place a few weeks earlier with their family on a beautiful sunny day on the beach. They thru this party to celebrate with their marina friends, another fun night of food, drink & dance.

During the next week we got several dives in, renting tanks from the dive shop and going out in the dinghy to different dive spots. Then we helped our Australian friends celebrate Australian Day with some more fun beach games and of course a game of cricket. The few times I had glanced at the game on TV it looked boring and we knew it was a slow strange game. We did have a lot of fun playing it on the beach, but I can definitely say I would never want to watch a real game played with official rules !!

We had to have some repairs done to our arch. Thankful we found the problem before being out at sea and having it break apart !! We moved the boat over to one of the shrimp docks, since all the shrimp boats were out. This allowed us to back into the dock and also side tie so the welder could have access to the arch. The arch is only 2 years old and we were very disappointed that it was showing cracks at most of the joints and one had broken. We had 2 reinforcement bars put in and 8 gussets at joints to ease the load and re-welded all the joints. Hopefully this will prevent further damage, they did a little polishing but after it rained rust showed up right away. Steve spent another 3 days really polishing the places that were re-welded and now it looks great. 
 

Still a lot of activities / gatherings / events going on thru out the weeks, some during the day some at night. It seemed we were always on the go, we were grateful for the days or nights when nothing was going on. Still in a “dead zone” for Wi-Fi at the marina so when we need to do internet at anything other then a snails pace we have to go up to the hotel lobby

With the arch repaired we were able to leave the dock to go over to Cayos Cochinos, a group of 10 small islands that are all part of a protected marine park. The nature conservancy works with the locals to protect the reefs and tries to get them some income generating projects. Cayos Cochinos forms part of the second largest barrier reef system in the world known as the Meso-American Barrier Reef System and have been identified by the Smithsonian Institute as one of the key sections of Barrier Reef to preserve. In 1993, the Honduran government designated these cays and surrounding sea a Marine Biological Reserve. There is a Eco dive resort on the main Island that used to be a pineapple plantation. One island has a Garifuna village community that welcomes tourists from private yachts or brought over from the main land, and you can have lunch there. We had a great sail over and enjoyed 6 days of perfect weather and some great diving and snorkeling and hiking, then another great sail back.

 

When we returned and just after we entered the Harbour and got around the reef we heard a noise come from the boat. Not sure what it was, we continued through the anchorage and were close to the marina when the engine overheating alarm went off. We were in a good spot so we turned off the engine and put the anchor down. Steve surmised it was the impeller, and he was correct. So we had lunch and waited for the engine to cool off before he could change the impeller. That done we started the engine up and all looked well so we headed into the dock, as we were approaching the dock smoke / steam was coming out of the engine room. Secured to the dock Steve found that the cooling water discharge hose had come loose so he went on to fix that also. Luckily we had left overs for dinner, so dining on the deck Sunday evening was easy to do.

Tuesday Bill from Ultra had a dentist appointment and we were going to make another run to the grocery store as it looked like a good weather window to leave over the next few days. Steve has one ATM card he uses to get cash, when he went to use it it was declined. Not an unusual event down here with ATM's, so he tried another one and was declined again, that was unusual. When we got back to the marina he went on line to check with his credit card company and found out there were 3 small charges they thought were suspicious so a stop was put on the card. They were not his charges, all 3 less then $50 total, two made on the mainland. So now he had to deal with getting a new card sent here, and we could not leave as planned. We got the information of a shipping company to use and got that info. to his credit card company. But the credit card company did not get it mailed out as fast as they said they would so we are waiting on the card to arrive and the next weather window to head out.

While we were waiting we got in another dive and had a few more fun events going on, so not a bad place to be stuck for a few extra days, Fantasy Island Resort & Marina is one of our all time favorite places.  Another bonus of our time here in Roatan was that two neighbors from our old neighborhood of Lazy Bend back in Kemah have second homes down here.  We were able to meet up with both Kelly & Ken and Janie & Autie for short visits with both.  


Our 90 days will be up on March 9^th which should give us just the right amount of time to get the credit card and check out for the next weather window to head out. Which looks like it will be this weekend.   We have to travel east for about 200 miles before we can turn South to make our way to Panama, so we are looking for calm seas to avoid bashing our way east.

Link to Pictures;  https://picasaweb.google.com/103931849054358791487/ReturnToRoatan?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCN-W6Jr-0dCo-QE&feat=directlink