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


  

Guatemala

Guatemala

Tuesday 25 June - Tuesday 3 December 2013

WOW that is a LONG time for us to be in the “same” place. Spending 23 weeks in Guatemala was a very different experience for us. The Rio Dulce, a fresh water river & lake, is where we kept the boat during this hurricane season, at Mario's Marina. The area is very beautiful surrounded by green mountains, a tropical jungle, hot, & humid with a lot of rain. Now we know the hurricane season is the rainy season, but even the locals were commenting on this being an above average year for rain fall. That combined with not being in our usual blue water jump in and swim environment was an adjustment for us. 

The marinas of the Rio Dulce are spaced out along the river, many like ours, not having road access. The main town servicing the boating community is Fronteras AKA Rio Dulce Town, on the north side of the only bridge across the river. It is a bustling little town with shops lining both sides of the small two way street. At any given time the street is filled with people walking, bicycles, motor scooters & bikes, Tuk-Tuk's, cars & vans & buses, & all size trucks. When one of the larger vehicles stops for whatever reason the opposite one lane becomes a two lane, it is an amazing site with surprisingly very few accidents. The one BIG 2500 sq foot supermarket along with many small tienda's (shops) and multiple fruit & veggie stands would be where we would provision for the season. In the beginning hunting the different shops looking for what we needed was always a day's adventure. We had a great variety of fruits & veggies to choose from for extremely low cost. Even eating out for lunch and or dinner was always a pleasant surprise on the low cost. With the exchange rate of 1 US dollar equal to 8 quetzales (Q), a meal was $5-10 excluding drinks. 

There are a lot of boats kept here on the Rio Dulce during hurricane season, however most of the owners leave and go back to their home countries for a good deal of that time. That or make plans for land tours of other parts of Guatemala. Guatemala is a big country compared to all the Eastern Caribbean Nation Islands we were use to visiting. From our little remote area off the Caribbean side all the way to the Pacific and north to Mexico it has a lot of different sights to see, most of which take several days at least. There are a few local day spots to see, some easier to get to then others but all involving several means of transport. We managed to do a few, but not as many as we would have liked due to timing issues. 

There were several boater events that we took part in, dinghy poker runs, a 4^th of July pig roast, several movie & trivia nights out at the different marinas hosted on different nights, music jam sessions, cruisers pot luck dinners, card & domino games, boaters re-sale / swap meets. These were all great fun, many also provided free launcha (boat taxi) service. Launcha's are the local wooded boats used up & down the river, many able to hold up to 12-14 passengers and many with an awning overhead. We could & did use our dinghy at night a few times, but taking a free launcha made the trip back to our marina a much nicer & safer trip.   

We took several “road” trips, the first being to Guatemala City shortly after we arrived, as my passport was going to expire in 4 weeks. Guatemala city is a SIX (6) hour bus ride from the Rio Dulce. We used the Litegua bus line, nice buses like a Grey Hound bus w A/C and seats that reclined. But 6 hours is still a long time to sit on a bus!! After a few days touring Guatemala City we went to the city of Antigua. A beautiful old city with cobblestone streets, that use to be the capital of Guatemala before 2 earthquakes destroyed much of the city in 1773 and they moved the capital to Guatemala City. It is now a UNESCO world heritage site and they are trying very hard to preserve these beautiful old buildings. The weather in both Guatemala City & Antigua is totally different than on the Rio since they are in the mountains at 5000 ft (1500 m). Cool temps and NO humidity which was a welcome change. We stayed at a lovely B&B El Montanes, and had a great time walking the streets of Antigua seeing the sights and finding good places to eat. We went out to a coffee plantation to do a zip line and also did a sunset hike up Volcano Pacaye. After a week we went back to the boat on the Rio. 

We signed up to take Spanish lessons from a local lady, Rita, who works at a marine service company as well as being the fire chief, a teacher and a mother of a 2 year old. A very accomplished young lady !! Steve & I had private lessons 3 times a week for an hour then changed to 2 times a week for 1 ½ hours for a month. She was a great help, we are still practicing and learning on our own, a small improvement for me and a big improvement for Steve. 

Guatemala, like many countries, has a 90 day limit for people to stay in the country. When we entered the country we filed for an extension for the boat since we new we would be here longer then 90 days. But there is NO extension for people, you must leave the country for at least 72 hours every 90 days. I was going to be flying to Texas to visit family for September but Steve was going to have to leave sometime in September to extend his Visa. 

So we put a road trip together to go to Copan, Honduras. There were several other people here in the marina in a similar situation and who also wanted to see Copan, known for its magnificent Mayan ruins. We got 6 more friends to join us, making it cheap to hire a private van to take us over (5 hr. drive!) and pick us up a few days later. Vicki & Bob from S/V FoxSea, Saundra & Charlie from S/V Island Sol & Marie & Steve from S/V Saben all went along. Another quaint cobble stone street village. Also at 5000 ft, so still warm but not as hot & humid as the Rio, another delightful change. We stayed at Hotel Don Udo's, and had a great time exploring the town and its many restaurants. The main ruin site is Copan Ruins, we hired a guide to walk us through and were glad to have the help in explaining the history as well as leading us around the place. We came back a 2^nd day on our own to see the museum, and 2 other ruin sites near by. We went to the Macaw Mountain Bird Park & Nature Reserve, where they help release the birds back into the wild and then to a Zip Line. It was one of the better ones we have been to, and we have been to a lot (8). Just zip lines, no obstacle course here, but they were long and fast. One was so long that they grouped us up in 3's so we had enough weight to get us all the way across. We went to some hot springs up in the mountains, about an hour ride by van on very bumpy roads, different pools fed by the hot springs so you could find the right temperature for you. It was another fun adventure and everyone got their passports stamped to be able to stay in Guatemala for another 90 days.

Once back in the Rio, I had a few days to get ready before flying back to Texas to visit family. My flight was leaving Guatemala City at noon on Thursday, so I had 2 choices either catch a bus the day before & spend the night in the city OR catch the 3 AM bus leaving the Rio Thursday morning to get me to the city in plenty of time to get to the airport. I chose the 3 AM bus, which only takes 5 hours since it does not make as many stops. We left the boat a little before 2:30 for the dinghy ride into town along with Bill & JoAnne from Ultra with their dinghy and a suitcase I was bring back for them. We knew we could not go to our usual dinghy dock as it has a gate to the street that gets locked after 10 PM. So we went to another dinghy dock with street access and found out that it too had a locked gate up by the street ! This gate had a 3' x 2' opening, just big enough for us to climb through one at a time and pass the luggage through and get to the bus station with time to spare. 

My 4 week visit turned into a 6 week visit due to health issues with my parents. I was very thankful to be there to help in their time of need, a very small pay back for the many times they have helped me. The early part of the visit was a lot of fun being with family and visiting friends. I even got a weekend trip out to Phoenix to visit one of my brothers, his wife and my nephew. Hanging out & playing in their pool with my nephew was great fun. The shopping was overwhelming as usual !! It was wonderful visiting with friends & catching up on all the changes in everyone’s lives. So glad to be able to re-connect in person, even if it is just once a year. The love & support from family & friends old & new means so much to us.

Meanwhile back on the Rio, Steve had a list of boat projects to do. We had a small water leak in the generator so he found someone to come work on that. They decided to take the generator OUT to work on it, which was a job in itself. We were communicating via emails and Skype, BUT he did not tell me how sick he was feeling. Since there was not much I could do, and I was worried enough about my parents he decided not to tell me he was sick. Luckily Willena on S/V Kajan Diva, a nurse, saw how sick he was getting and dragged him to a local doctor. Long story short he got there just in time, Doc put him on the right medication, had him stop all alcohol & caffeine and he started to recover. He is now feeling great. Steve had ordered paint for a bottom job, and once he was feeling better got the boat hauled out and the bottom painted. Back in the water and back to the marina in 3 days, glad that was done while I was gone. On his way to the haul out facility he found our cockpit chart plotter was no longer working. So once back at the marina he had to find someone to come work on that, turned out to be the same guy working on our generator. Later he also found the radar was not working. Not so easy to find the right person to work on these special problems in the Rio. Guillermo and his crew are great, but being the only ones in the area, their time is spread very thin. You can find great workers, but things can take a LONG time to be fixed, add that to the language barrier, it makes the Rio a challenging place to get work done. 

I arrived back in the Rio 7 PM Wednesday night October 9^th, Steve met me at the bus station and we loaded the 3 suitcases plus a carry-on and a backpack into the dinghy and headed back to the boat. Steve had prepared dinner so we had a nice meal as we caught up on all that had happened over the last 6 weeks. This is when I learned of him being sick. The next 2 days were spent unpacking all our goodies I brought back AND repacking as we would both be catching the bus on Sunday back to Guatemala City to spend the night before catching an early morning flight out on Monday. This time we would be flying to Baltimore MD, renting a car to drive to Dewey Beach Delaware for the wedding of his son Sean. 

Neither of us had ever been to Delaware and were glad to see this cool little beach town, just down the street from a Tanger Outlet Mall in Rehoboth Beach. Not that we really needed to do a lot of shopping, but there were several things I was unable to find when I was home. Steve was glad for the opportunity to do some shopping, yes it is exciting for us to go to a Home Depot. When you have very limited shopping it is always a nice change to have variety & choices. Sean & Carrie and some of their family & friends started showing up Wednesday and it was great to see them again. The next couple of days were spent enjoying beautiful cool sunny days and visiting with Sean & Carrie and other wedding guests. The wedding took place on the beach on Saturday, the one day it rained, but it stopped long enough for the beach ceremony to take place as planned. It was a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple. We spent a few more days there before heading back towards Baltimore staying one night near Bethesda to see our friend Gina, who works in the area. Then the last night at a hotel near the airport to catch an early flight out on Thursday. 

Our flight back to Guatemala was through Houston with an 8 hour layover. My sister Carol picked us up and we went by to see my Mom and Steve's house before going to have lunch with my Dad and one of my brothers at my parents house. Re-packed our carry-on(s) as we had a few more things delivered since I had left, plus I had left a few things behind. Loaded up again, Carol brings us back to the airport to catch our evening flight back to Guatemala. Spent the night at a hotel in the city before catching the 9 AM bus back to the Rio and the boat & hot humid, rainy weather. Still good to be back home unpacking and putting things away again. 

While we were gone we had some workers at the marina take our companion way stairs out to have them sanded and re-varnished and the boat waxed. Now we had to get the generator back in with the replacement parts we'd brought back with us. Took a few more days to get that finished and brought back to the boat, but it sure looked good, all clean and shiny. Original leak fixed then discovered another one on the exhaust elbow, which was easily removed and brought back to the shop to weld. Another few days and it was all hooked back up and running. The same guy is working on our Ray Marine chart plotter & radar, but they are NOT fixed yet!!  

 

Halloween costume party here at the marina. Then Bill & JoAnne S/V Ultra return from their 2 month vacation to Turkey, Greece, Texas & Florida. Have a couple of catch up dinners with them, filling each other in on what has taken place over the summer. A couple local activities, a hike at Tijax Marina and trip to Auga Caliente / Finca Parsiso a hot springs waterfall.

 

Made plans for another week land trip, to Antigua again (1^st time for Bill & JoAnne) and Lake Atitlan. We stayed in a different place in Antigua this time, one we heard of from friends Jody & Stephen on S/V Blue Pelican. Lovely little home of an expat, where she rents rooms for only $22 a night. Hiked the volcano again this time doing the morning hike. Which is the better one as you have more time to spend on top, not having to worry about it getting down before it gets dark like the first one we did. Full disclosure, I had been having chest congestion so after a short time hiking up the volcano I could tell I was going to have trouble breathing. So this time I rode one of the horses up. It was a beautiful day and we had some great views, and an easy walk down. The famous hotel Santo Domingo, also an old monastery and museum, also has a place up on a hill that we heard was a great place to have lunch with beautiful views. The hotel offers a free shuttle up & down so we got a ride up. The views and food were great and to our surprise they had a zip line up there also! It was late in the day and they tried to get us to come back the following day, but we convinced them to let us do it so we got in another zip line adventure (#9).

Thursday we headed up to Lake Atitlan, a 2 ½ hour van ride. Here we stayed at Hotel Utz Jay (means beautiful view in Mayan) in the main town of Panajachel, just a block off the main street and a few blocks from the waterfront. A beautiful lake surrounded by three volcanoes as the backdrop. A vote was held on another volcano hike, and lost 0-4. We had a beautiful day for our lake tour seeing 4 of the villages along the lake, all still having a strong Maya culture showing in their traditional dress and the goods they sell. We took the slow ride along the shore line to see the sights. In between the villages are some fabulous private homes and villas. The lake water has risen quite a bit over the years (50 ft!) and some lake front property is now submerged, a problem they are trying to address. Sunday we caught the early van back to Guatemala City, Steve & I were to catch the bus back to the Rio Dulce. Bill & JoAnne stayed in the city so they could go to the embassy on Monday to get pages added to their passports.

Thanksgiving week !! Hard to believe. We learn our marina was planning a pot luck dinner with the marina supplying the turkey's and stuffing and the boats all bringing a dish to share. It was a great feast. Talked to most of our families via Skype and once again realizing how much we have to be thankful for. An added bonus was a cool front came down we had lows of 68° & highs of 78°, no humidity with some cloud cover but no rain. So we had really nice weather for a few days, don't get to say that to often in the Rio Dulce.

December is here, many are making plans to leave, and we want to be among them. Looks like a good weather window during the first week of December. During the week Steve had been trying to contact and communicate with Guillermo, the guy fixing our chart plotter & radar. As I mentioned above he is the only one who does specific boat repairs so he is a very busy guy. A stressful couple of days trying to get him back to the boat to finish up, finally late Tuesday afternoon he arrived. Radar fixed, chart plotter returned, still not working thinks now it could be a problem with the HSB cable. We have our equipment back we can proceed with our plans to leave. 

Wednesday we fill jerry cans with gas for the dinghy and get some fruits & veggies, won't see these low prices for a while. Last load of laundry and straighten the boat out for Thursday morning departure.

Link to Pictures;  https://plus.google.com/photos/103931849054358791487/albums/5953380027531331217?authkey=CPO_7dG36ajIUQ

May have to cut & paste this link ??

Another week in Roatan

Another Week in Roatan

Sunday 16 June – Sunday 23 June

Week starts off with cloudy skies and we have rain most of the day on Sunday and Monday. A wonderful shrimp piazano (sp?) dinner on Ultra. Tuesday the sun is trying to come out Steve takes the dinghy to go for a haircut while I get a taxi to take me to La Pina Spa. A beautiful spa located at the Pineapple Villas. Have a wonderful massage and get my haircut at their salon. Tuesday night, along with several other boats, we order pizza and ate it on the marina deck. Then Ultra showed us all a movie. They set the screen up on their deck, plugged the projector into the outlet on the dock and we sat in the lawn chairs watching the movie outside, so glad the rain stayed away.

Wednesday Steve is working on upgrading his PADI card so he won't get a hard time when he goes to rent tanks. Darren from the dive shop put him in touch with Jana an instructor. In between lessons he puts a coat of water proofing on the bimini. I went snorkeling with Bill & JoAnne over to Lobster city. A 3 minute dinghy ride from our marina next to Little French Cay is a very shallow area where there are 100's of lobsters. All part of Roatan's marine park so they are safe. This place is amazing, under EVERY little rock ledge there are several huge lobsters. You would be hard pressed to find this many lobsters in such a small area anywhere else. They are out just walking around, and some even come out to greet you to see what you are doing. Even got to see a moray eel this time. That night our HH gets rained out half way thru so we quickly run to the porch in front of the now unoccupied rooms by the dock. Steve gets done with his night wreck dive just in time to join us for a drink as we are finishing up. Steve had made a delicious Thai Beef Massaman stew the other rainy night, and we had plenty left over. Just needed to make rice so Bill & JoAnne joined us for dinner. 

 

Thursday, Steve goes with the dive boat and his instructor to do 2 more dives while I take the dinghy and go with Bill & JoAnne to do one dive from the dinghies. Jana is working hard getting Steve all he needs for his upgrades and found the tests he needed to take. So we were pretty sure he would be done so Friday looked to be a free day so we made plans for a car rental. Steve worked hard completing all the questions while I made a salad for a joint dinner on Ultra that night making plans for the following day.

Friday morning the rental car was delivered at 9. Jana came by then also to review Steve's answers, he missed the section on navigation so he had to finish that part up. WOO HOO he passed, only missed 2 questions, so now he has his Advanced Open Water certification. So by 10 we were on our way in the rental car. Since we did not get to see much of the east end of the island we went that way first. The rental car was delivered with not a whole lot of gas so I got a little nervous especially when we could not find any gas stations on the map out east where we were. We missed the turn offs to Jonesville & Oak Ridge two places that showed they had gas and wound up out at Paya Bay. Enjoying beautiful sites along the way. Went thru the village of Punta Gorda on the way back to the main road. Then stopped at Cal's again for lunch before passing by our marina on the way to French Harbor and a gas station. We had a Hyundai Accent and I know they get good gas millage but some of the “roads” we were on got very steep and were gravel with a lot of holes & bumps so not the best conditions for fuel efficiency. But now we had enough gas to comfortably drive around and make a few stops at supply places. Both Ultra & us had a list of a few things we needed from hardware stores so while we had a car and could easily get to them that was added to the sight seeing. We make it back over to West End and this time spend a little more time in the shops. Have a drink as the sun sets, then watch as the streets get busy at night time. Find a street vendor for some good cheap dinner then head back to the marina.

Saturday we get up early to use the rental car to bring the dinghy gas cans to the gas station to fill up then go to the grocery store to load up all before 9 when the rental car agent is due to come pick the car back up. During our island tour on Friday, we learned about an event going on Saturday night at the Parrot Tree Plantation and had stopped by to ask about it. They were calling it Noche de risa AKA Laughter night. So for a change we thought it would be fun, so I announced it on the morning net to see if any of the other boats would want to go. We had a good response and said we would work on how we would get there. We tried to get Fantasy Island & Parrot Tree to give us free transport it is not that far and they do it for people going to the airport BUT not for us. We got Parrot Tree down to sending a van for $5 a person, then JoAnne negotiated a better deal with Hyde tours for only $3 round trip per person. We had 8 people going but then at 4 another boat came into the marina, and even though they just did a crossing from Caymans the couple wanted to join us, letting their teenage son and daughter stay on the boat in the safety of the marina. We were picked up at 6 after a short HH on the marina deck then went to Parrot Tree, for the other 6 joining us their first time to see this beautiful property. The set up was great and they had a Mexican food buffet for $6, the only thing we did not think of was that the “show” would be in Spanish! Not sure how funny the performers were as the Spanglish speaking people were not laughing very much, but at least they understood what was being said. We all had a good laugh about the fact that we could not understand what was being said and enjoyed a night out at another beautiful spot.

Sunday we are getting the boat ready for a Monday departure. We have Bill & JoAnne over for dinner as they celebrate their anniversary. Steve will go check out first thing Monday morning then we will do an overnight trip to Livingston Guatemalan to check in to the country that we will spend hurricane season in.

link to pictures;  https://plus.google.com/photos/103931849054358791487/albums/5892814479161421121?authkey=CPLYrsGE4Zz_8QE

Roatan

Roatan
Saturday 1 June - Saturday 15 June

We left Cayman at 8 AM Saturday under cloudy drizzling skies with 15 + knot winds. We put out full sails and turned the engine off as soon as we cleared the mooring area and the rain even stopped. Once out of the lee of the island waves & wind started to quickly build, 1 reef in the genoa. By 10 the skies were lightening up as the sun was trying to come out, never quite made it but at least the skies were a brighter gray with blue spotted around. The day passed with 2 more light showers and one 5 minute downpour. Winds a steady 16-20 knots 4-6 foot seas on the beam some just forward some just aft sailing along at 8+ knots with a reef in both main & genoa. The wave rhythm was such that you had to have a really good hand hold at ALL times or you could go flying off balance in a second, not so much uncomfortable but very tiring. As the sun set the winds increased 20-24 knots, so we put a 2^nd reef in both main and genoa. When Steve came on for his watch at midnight we put the 3^rd reef in both sails to try to slow us down this also made the boat more level, still heeled over but not as steep, still did not help me sleep.

Quiet uneventful evening, the following day was a little brighter with just scattered clouds but the waves were a little more confused coming from different directions sending spray into the cockpit every once in awhile. We kept the 3 reefs in both sails since we were making such good speed we were going to arrive too early (dark) if we went any faster. The waves got back into a steady rhythm but still continued to spray the cockpit with salt water every so often. We have 1 corner in the cockpit that stays mostly dry, usually my spot ☺, but I stayed down below and let Steve stay up in the cockpit for the day. Not that it was all that more comfortable down below being tossed around as the boat spiraled down the waves, still unable to sleep just braced in trying to read. Kept checking to see if Steve wanted to trade places for a while but he said he was OK on deck. We rearranged the aft quarter berth for sleeping the 2^nd night and had some dinner in the cockpit. Steve went down below and had a good rest, waking at 1:30 saying he slept great and even I could maybe get some sleep back there. I just do not do good on short 1-2 night passages and sleeping. I awoke after an hour as we were passing the island of Guanaja (wah-NAH-ha) then got right back to sleep for another hour until Steve had to turn the engine on to motor thru a cut where there was no wind, no way to get back to sleep with the noise from the engine. The boat was flat so I tried to go back to sleep up front in our berth, but then we started crashing into waves as we made our way to the south side of Roatan. Unable to sleep, back on deck by 5:30 to 6:30. Still a ways to go along the south coast of Roatan in flat calm waters, now slow sailing again so Steve had me go back down to try to get some sleep and I managed 2 straight hours of sleep. Final approach to the harbor we contact the marina to get better directions in and see how we will dock to get lines & fenders ready. Tied up to the dock by 9:30 where we learn it is actually 8:30, now on Central America / Central time. Glad to learn the correct time as soon as we got here ☺.

After Jerry the dock-master and net controller got done with the 9 AM cruisers net he came back to see if we were settled in. Not good, no power from the electrical outlet. Another boat using an outlet from the same pedestal had power and we showed we had a connection just NO amps coming out. An electrician was called for. In the mean time Steve tried to wash down the boat, first the spigot broke off when Steve tried to remove the hose attached to put ours on, I found the control line and shut the water off. With the use of the dive shop's vice, he got the old fitting off and glued it back to the PVC pipe and was able to get a very weak flow of water before it stopped all together. I stretched my legs by walking the grounds of the resort. It is a very beautiful place, BUT the hotel and all the other amenities that go along with the resort facilities are ALL CLOSED for the season & some renovations. So no restaurants, bars, WIFI, TV, etc etc. The grounds and beaches are beautiful and the dive shop is open. Darren who runs the dive shop is very friendly and willing to work with us to do some dives when my brother arrives. We did get the electrical connection working thanks to Pedro so AC on the boat, but no water for that day. With A/C I was able to clean the inside of the boat and got our salty clothes & sheets sent off to the laundry. Steve got a taxi to go to town to clear us in. Jerry from the marina hosts a HH a few nights a week, that night only us and the one other occupied boat at the marina were in attendance. We had talked with Elaine & Bob on M/V Mar Azul during the day, they had been in Roatan for the last month so had plenty of tips to pass on. All in all not a bad day for our first day in Roatan. And a wonderful full nights sleep !!!

 

Tuesday June 4 another partly cloudy day, Still NO water, owner is down here and we talk to him and he is working on getting it back up, the marina has one of the near by hotel rooms available for showers & toilet facilities BUT with NO running water that is of no use also. With all this going on they are offering a discounted rate of only $20 a day with electricity & water included so still a good deal. We forgot about the 9 AM cruisers net on the VHF so missed that then did a few things around the boat in the AM. Went to see if laundry had been returned but not back yet we did not want to wait around all day for it so got the dinghy in the water & motor mounted then went to explore the surrounding area by water. We had walked the grounds of the island but now wanted to explore the surrounding water ways. We stopped by Frenchy's 44 for lunch, we can see their WiFi signal but needed a password. After lunch as we dinghy around we see 2 new boats coming into the area, I recognize one of them as friends of S/V FoxSea the visibility is bad so we go over to say HI & tell them where the deep water is.

As they anchor we explore the area a little more, stopping back by their boat at anchor and filling them in on what little we have learned on the area. We tell them about the HH at the marina so plan to see them there later, they and their buddy boat inform a few other boats at anchor so we have a big turn out for Tuesday's HH, BUT the marina does not do it on Tuesdays !! We had missed the net so were not sure of the days, we all had a good time visiting the boats at anchor just went back and brought their own drinks in. All 4 of the other boats at anchor (S/V FoxSea, S/V Saben, S/V Panache & S/V Loafer's Glory) are also headed to the Rio Dulce, so we had a lot to talk about. Most important is that high tide will be on June 21-24 so that is when we want to be in position to cross the sand bar into Livingston. Jerry the dock-master lent us his phone WiFi booster so we could connect to the internet that evening. We had been trying to reach our buddy boat Ultra on the SSB radio with no luck, so they had emailed the marina to check on us. Jerry let them know we had arrived safe on Monday morning but was thoughtful enough to let us send a message to them also. 

 

Wednesday we have water !!! still NOT much pressure but we get the boat washed off in the morning. We had a broken zipper on part of the bimini that Steve had fixed with an electrical tie. On the trip here, luckily right towards the end, the tie broke so we took down that middle section of the bimini. There is an awning & canvas repair shop listed with the marina info sheet so we called to see if maybe they could fix it, if not Steve would put another electrical tie back on. They came out right away and said they could get it done either the same day or by the next. We thought we had to take another section of the bimini off but he said no need since it was just the box on the zipper that was broken he could just replace that one side, good news for us. My brother Walter was scheduled to arrive at 12:15 so at 12:30 I called to see if he was thru customs. Turns out he was still in Houston !!!! His passport expires June 26, and Honduras will not let you into the country if your passport expires within 6 months so the airline would not let him fly. Instead he drove to Houston (from Austin) to go to the passport office to get a replacement and rescheduled his flight for Friday. Another HH hosted by the marina making plans for a dive on Thursday.

Thursday we rent tanks from the dive shop and all meet over by our boat at 9:30, after the net, to load the dinghies up with our gear. Another Steve in our group from S/V Saben had checked out some of the dive buoys so knew which one we wanted to go to to do our wall dive. All geared up and in the water when Bob noticed an air leak. We had 2 snorkelers with us also, so He and Larry went back to try and get the leak fixed while the rest of us dove a great dive with Jacques from S/V Panache snorkeling above us. Back to the boats to wash the gear down and lunch. After lunch Steve & I took the dinghy to explore what was in the other 2 bays and the mooring balls down past Coco View the next resort east if us. Snorkeling is pretty good right out in front of Coco View and the moorings on the reefs to the east look to be good future dives. Another marina around the corner from us Brooksy Point, had pizza night so we met the other boats over there for a pizza dinner. Ann Marie & Larry from S/V Loafer's Glory are leaving Friday to continue west to the Rio Dulce as they have plans to fly home for a couple of months.

Friday we are up early to defrost the fridge, then Steve gets things prepared for dinner so we can do another morning dive and then be busy with my brother when he arrives in the afternoon. Load up the dinghies with dive gear and get underway to do another dive, this time a little east of the marina. We put in at one dive mooring and went along the wall to the west to the next dive mooring. Jacques can't dive due to an ear injury so swims on the surface above us then brought the dinghies down to us at the 2^nd mooring when we were done. A few of us still had a little air left (800-1000 lbs) so we stopped at the wreck in front of Coco View to get down for a better look as it was 40+ ft deep so when we snorkeled it the day before could not see much. Two good dives with one tank of air pretty good.

Back in time to get cleaned up and wash down all the gear, have a snack as we waited for Walter to arrive. Once he got here we took him over to Little French Cay for lunch. While waiting for our food we had a tour of the grounds where they keep Birds, monkeys, deer & even 2 jaguars. The baby jaguars (4 months) came to the main land Honduras with the circus and for some reason they could not keep them. The owner of Little French Cay worked with the government to insure he would have proper cages for them and got permission to keep them along with the birds and monkeys and deer he already had there. Visitors & Cruise ship passengers come here via a boat from Frenchy's 44 restaurant on the main land across the way but we just took our dinghy over and as long as you buy a drink OR food they are happy to have us there. On this day there were only a hand full of others on the island. Afterward we stopped by Arches iguana farm, also very close by. Apparently iguanas were starting to become scarce on the island so he put some on his property to keep them safe and lets them run wild. A strange place, with 100's of iguanas, chickens and a few monkeys he also helps save green turtles. Friday was a big HH at the marina, a big catamaran came into the marina with several people on board. One was Marco the manager of Mario’s Marina where we are heading to in the Rio Dulce. It was a nice surprise to meet him and be able to talk to him, and confirm he was still saving our spot.

Saturday we had arranged with Darren the dive master at the marina dive shop to do two dives with our group of 7. The winds had picked up a lot over the last two days so taking the dinghies out was not an option plus one of the dives was a little further away. With the rough seas even the dive boat was being tossed around quite a bit, for us used to being on boats is was no big deal BUT for Walter is was not so fun. He did great and managed both dives without getting sick even if he came real close. Between dives the captain took the boat inside the reef in calm waters whenever he could on the way to the next spot which helped out. Walter was glad to get back to the marina on solid ground. Showers & lunch on board and he felt much better. Walter & I went over to Brooksy Point marina to do internet while Steve made a dish for the marinas pot luck dinner that night. A fun time with great food. I tried to explain to Walter that it is not always all fun & games & happy hours but I don't think he believed me.

Sunday we had a group of 11 to do an island tour from 9-3. When we got back Walter wanted to go back over to the beach at Little French Cay while Steve & I went to Brooksy Point to do internet. Picked Walter back up just as the sun was setting, then stopped at Frenchy's 44 for dinner.

Monday we had a group of 6 to go ZIP LINEING. They have 5 or 6 different outfits here on the island, we went to Caribe Sky, since they were open and gave us a good deal. No obstacle course but the zip lines were long and fast !! so we all had a fun time. Monday evening another marina HH where Flur (Dutch name) from True North treated us all to some 23 year old Ron Zacapa Guatemalan Rum to finish the evening off. After we finished that bottle he brought out a 7 year old bottle of Flor de Cana, needless to say we all slept good that night.

Tuesday we had decided to take Walter sailing to give him a better experience of what our life is more like. 20 miles south of Roatan is a group of islands called Cayos Cochinos. These 13 little islands are a marine natural monument, a biological preserve with a coral reef research institute working with the Smithsonian Institution to do reef studies. I gave Walter some sea sick medication so he was good to go and we had a nice fast sail over. We went to Cochino Grande and it was just beautiful with some great snorkeling near by. The winds & waves were too strong to go over to the other near by island so maybe next time. Spent a lovely evening on a mooring with the stars all around a quiet night in a secluded anchorage is how most nights are spent.

Wednesday a morning snorkel then lunch before leaving to head back to Roatan, arriving back at the marina at 4:30. Wash the boat down then over to the beach to meet up with the on going HH that had a change of venue from our usual spot by the docks. Get caught up on upcoming events and tell about our trip then back to the boat for dinner. It's going to be a busy weekend, they are even opening the hotel for some events and for a large group to stay here.

Thursday early morning rain showers, followed by beautiful sunny skies as Walter packs up for his 1:30 flight back to Houston. Walter had asked Flur if he could get him some of the 23 year old rum and he did dropping it off at the boat for him to pack away. With the resort being busy getting ready for people they turned the WiFi on, still can't get it on the boat but up in the lobby we can. Walter had talked to our taxi driver on Monday after the Zip Line and arranged to be picked back up at the marina at 11:30 to go to the airport. 11:45 NO taxi, so we asked Darren at the dive shop to call and they were NOT on the way so Darren's friend that was there talking to him agreed to take Walter to the airport. So he got his ride to the airport and made his way back to the states after a fun 6 days in the sun. Steve had already gone up to the resort lobby to get WiFi, after Walter left I did the same. That night we had a group of 9 go to Cal's restaurant. The food was GREAT at good prices, with a beautiful view and breeze. A place worth more then one visit for sure.

Friday we did another 2 tank dive with the dive boat. At 35$ a dive with a 20% discount since we are staying at the marina it is a good deal. The weather was a little more settled so seas were much more calm. We can see why this island is known for it's diving as the reefs are very beautiful with a lot of sea life. Back to the boats so nice to have the marina water to wash down our gear. Lunch on board, then I went over to Brooksy Point marina to do some laundry, they have 1 washer & dryer cruisers can use. Steve had help to go up the mast and replace the wind-vane that had fallen to the deck a while back with the replacement that Walter had brought down for us. When Steve came down he saw that Ultra had arrived !!!! We had talked to them on the SSB radio that morning and they were going to come to Roatan on Saturday but decided to head over on Friday. It was so great to see them again. Just in time for HH at the marina where we get caught up on what we have both been doing.

Saturday mornings Brooksy Point marina provides a van to go to the grocery store. We had 13 people from 8 boats going and were wondering how we would ever get our groceries back. But the grocery store had it all worked out and had a small delivery truck to bring all our goods back while we went back in the van. We had a big down pour just as we were loading the truck so waited around until it stopped. Back to the dinghies at the marina and to the boats to unload. Ultra talked to Jerry the dock-master and we figured out a way to fit them into the marina. We moved one of the unoccupied boats, then had lunch during another rain shower, before helping Ultra come into the dock at 2. Afternoon was spent putting away laundry & cleaning the boat, putting it back together after moving stuff for Walters visit. Steve making a German potato salad for the nights pot luck dinner. Rain held off and we had another great dinner by the dock. Just as we were finishing the winds picked up so we got everything put away then just a small shower. The resort was putting on a party for the big group they opened up for so we went down there and watched the Garifuna dancers then a bonfire on the beach to end the evening and another great week in Roatan.

 

Link to pictures; https://plus.google.com/photos/103931849054358791487/albums/5890151488501822625?authkey=CMTE64eg5Z2B6AE