Lago Atitlan - May 2011

High on our list of places to visit in Guatemala was Lago Atitlan. It lies at the foot of three large dormant volcanoes. It is in our minds the loveliest place in all of Guatemala.



Lago Atitlan

After returning to Monkey Bay, we very quickly got Ariel ready so we could leave it for a few months. We decided to stop in Antigua, our favorite place in Guatemala, on our way out of the country, and then take a three-day trip to Lago Atitlan. In Antigua, we usually stay at Casa Cristina, a small hotel in a quiet neighborhood, just a bit away from the city center. The owner is nice, speaks English, and we were sure she would agree to hold our luggage while we took our trip to Lago Atitlan. Bill and Pat off Mobetah had left Monkey Bay a few days ahead of us for an inland trip to the west coast with Rodney and Katrina off Angelina. We planned to meet them in Antigua and then travel together to Lago Atitlan. They arrived, and we spent a couple of days enjoying Antigua together. We used a travel agent in Antigua to book our transportation to and from Lago Atitlan and to book a hotel in Panajachel.

Our hotel, Jardines, is the nicest we have stayed at in Central America, with a wonderful view of the lake and volcanoes from our room. It was also very close to the ferry dock, so it made it easy to come and go.  Our first stop after checking in was to have lunch at La Casa del Mundo. Everyone that we talked to about their experiences at Lago Atitlan highly recommended staying at least one night at La Casa del Mundo. We decided, since our stay was to be so short, just to have lunch. La Casa del Mundo is situated on its own remote cliff. After the water taxi left us on their dock, the first order of business was the climb to the top. The place is remarkably beautiful, and the view of Lago Atitlan is spectacular. We enjoyed touring the grounds and the wonderful meals. We took a private water taxi back to Panajachel after negotiating down to the public rate.



 

                                                    

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The next day, we decided to visit San Pedro, which is on the opposite side of the lake. The water taxi ride in itself was quite an experience. Firstly, the taxi does not leave until it is absolutely filled. So it is just a matter of luck whether it is a short or long wait. Secondly, the lake will be deceivingly rough anytime after early morning. It is a long ride to San Pedro, and for us it was very rough and very wet. They provided blue tarps for the passengers in front to shield them from the spray, but regardless, we were all dripping. The constant thought is that we will still need to go back later, and it will be even worse.

San Pedro was a nice little village. We enjoyed lunch there and did some shopping. We bought some cushion covers made from a hulpil, which is a woman’s blouse. We know the patterns from the village of San Antonio, also on Lago Atitlan, so we purposely selected those patterns.

Just after returning to Panajachel, again tired and a little wet from our boat ride, we discovered our camera was missing. Norm remembered laying it down while paying for our cushion covers. He had to beat himself to get back on the water taxi for another round-trip ride to San Pedro. They had our camera, but before returning, he felt he owed himself a burger and a couple of beers. Back at Panajachel, the gang was growing concerned by the time he finally arrived back.

While wandering the markets in Panajachel, we ran into Marguerite, a young Mayan girl whom we had met in Rio Dulce. She had come to Rio Dulce to sell their goods, but it didn't work out, and she was sent back. She was on the streets, along with her grandmother, selling their goods.

After returning to Antigua, we spent a couple more days, and then we went our separate ways. We took a shuttle directly to the airport in Guatemala City. Bill and Pat returned to Rio Dulce, as they still planned to spend another month on Mobetah before returning to the United States.

   

April 2011

Before moving on, we need to go back and fill in some missing posts from last spring. Our last entry was from Calabash Bight in Honduras. After leaving Calabash on Roatan, we returned to Utila. Our visas were about to expire, so we needed to stop by immigration to get 30-day extensions. After getting our extensions, we took a chance that our shipment of a new radar and chart plotter would arrive in the next few days, so we crossed to La Ceiba on the mainland of Honduras to be ready to pick it up at the shipyard. We checked into the Lagoon Marina and found that we were the only boat scheduled there that week.



View from the dock at Lagoon Marina, La Ceiba.

Beautiful Marina - no visitors

We stopped in at the Shipyard to find that our delivery was not yet out of the container, but should be within the next couple of days. The marina offers van service into town, with drop-offs at a couple of locations, including a fairly nice mall. We took advantage of that on several different days. The trip is one-way only, so each time we needed to flag a taxi for the return trip. The marina is well out of downtown, and not all drivers know exactly where it is, so a couple of times it was an adventure getting back. La Ceiba is a working town with really nothing at all for tourists. There were very few gringos around; those few we saw were at Expats, a well-recommended restaurant catering obviously to the expatriate population.

When our delivery arrived, it was missing a part. We took what did arrive and made the most of the flat, calm, peaceful creek the marina is on to work on installing the new radome and cabling down the mast. This required about two hours working about halfway up the mast, so it was a perfect place, with virtually no boat motion. We decided we couldn't wait for the last part to arrive and that we would figure out how to retrieve it later. We knew our friends on Angelina were planning to stop in La Ceiba and hoped the package would arrive before they departed. It did, and we were ultimately united with it back at Monkey Bay Marina in Guatemala a couple of weeks later.

We had a very unusual experience while in La Ceiba.  John, the marina manager at Monkey Bay, upon learning we would be in La Ceiba, asked us to pick up a package at a freight company.  We caught a taxi at the mall after riding into town in the marina van.  We gave him the address, and when he arrived there, it was not apparent where the business was.  We eventually found the nondescript warehouse off the road.  Norm provided the package number, and they went off searching.  There was no apparent organization to the mounds of packages.  After about half an hour, they tried to explain to us that they could not find it and instructed us on what to do.  The problem was that we had no idea what they were saying.  Now this is like an Amazing Race episode.  Our taxi driver, still waiting, took over.  We jumped in the taxi, and we're off, totally clueless as to what we were doing.  We actually found it comical that we were the only ones who had no idea what was going on.  By now, we had taken so much of our driver's time that we first needed to pick up his daughter at school.  We then went to the shipping company's business offices.  He motioned us to go inside.  They spoke English in the office, so we were able to sort it out.  They called the warehouse and provided additional information needed to locate the package.  We then went back to the warehouse, and with additional tracking information, they found the package.  Our taxi driver took us to the marina, and we paid him well.

After five days in La Ceiba, we returned to Utila. Norm had started some dental work there before going to La Ceiba and needed some follow-up. Back at Utila, we once again met up with Mobetah and, with them, spent some time exploring, including anchoring at Diamond Cay on the west end of Utila.

Mobetah - west end of Utila

We traveled with Mobetah to return to the river. To avoid an overnight voyage, we departed at 3:00 am so we could arrive at Puerto Cortez on the mainland during daylight hours. Puerto Cortez is a large ship port, but there is a very nice anchorage just off the Navy base. The next day, we continued on and anchored that night at Cabo Tres Puntas, which is in Guatemala and about two hours from the mouth of the Rio Dulce and Livingston.

Mobetah - on Rio Dulce

Our trip up the Rio Dulce was uneventful, with an overnight stay at Texan Bay so we could arrive at Monkey Bay Marina in the morning, well before the afternoon winds. It is tough enough backing into the slip with cross current, but the higher afternoon winds make it virtually impossible.



Ariel - traveling up the Rio Dulce

What's Missing

This is not a story we wanted to tell, but it is too often part of the cruising life.  We discovered yesterday morning that our dinghy, equipped with an outboard motor, had been stolen overnight.  For those not cruising, this is equivalent to having your car stolen.  We are backed into our slip, and we raise the dinghy up on the davits, so we feel pretty safe.  This marina, like all on the river, has had dinghies and outboards taken before, but they were in the water at our dinghy dock or otherwise easily accessible.  This was the most brazen they have been since they had to board Ariel while we were sleeping to release the lift lines.  There have been several thefts recently, and based on past patterns, they are expected to intensify as the holiday season approaches.  They are only interested in the outboard, and sometimes the discarded dinghy is recovered.  So far, no word on ours.

Norm immediately had the Navy called in.  They patrol the river to prevent such incidents and will be notified if someone spots our dinghy.  They were a sight when they arrived, as they showed up in mass, heavily armed to take down the report. 

Norm then went to the police station with John, our marina manager, to file a report.  John speaks pretty good Spanish, which is absolutely essential to file the report.  Even at that, it was a struggle.  We did secure a police report to submit to our insurance company.  Norm is scheduled to travel to Puerto Barrios to meet with the police again.  After that, they would send an inspector to investigate the crime.  He doubts that he will follow through with the visit to Puerto Barrios, as he is certain the time and money expended will not lead to a recovery.

We have ordered a replacement dinghy, which will be put in a container on a ship leaving Los Angeles on October 31 with an expected arrival here in three weeks.  We have been down this road before, waiting on a container so we have proper expectations.  Norm met with the Yamaha dealer here, and if he understood enough Spanish, they can get what we want delivered from Guatemala City one day after we order it.

We guess we will still be at Monkey Bay for Thanksgiving this year.  It wasn't what we were expecting, but we just go with the flow. 

Ready For New Season

We are back in Guatemala, ready for a new season.  We have been back on Ariel just one week, but have already accomplished much.  There is always a lot of cleaning in the tropics, and the summer in particular is very harsh on a boat.  The interior was again just as we left it, protected all season by a dehumidifier.  This was our second time returning, and it was so much less stressful as we are now familiar with Guatemala City.  We were in luck this time, as John, our marina manager, was making a trip to the city, so we caught a ride back in his van, thus avoiding the scheduled five-hour bus ride.  As it was, the van ride, which should have been four to four and one-half hours, took eight hours.  As is typical on the mountain roads in Guatemala after heavy rains, many landslides were partially blocking the road.  We were extremely thankful we were not on the bus. 

We had a wonderful summer, especially our time with our grandchildren and their parents.

Lesli and Thomas - Deerfield Village 

Grandchildren - Thomas, Michael, Evelyn

Michael, Kimberly, Evelyn - Deerfield Village

Evelyn and Michael - Deerfield Village 

Grandpa and Claire - Harris Hill

Grandpa and Claire - Market St., Corning

Grandma and Claire

Last year, just before returning to Ariel, we bought some property just outside Corning, New York.  We actually completed the closing after we returned to Guatemala, so we didn't really get a chance to really know what we had.  In the mid-1800s, it was a farm, as evidenced by the remains of a stone fence around the perimeter.  It has long since been allowed to reforest.  In 1935, a hunting cabin was constructed on the site, and it was added to over the years, so that it is now a small house in need of much improvement.  There was a tenant at the time we purchased, and it appeared she was taking good care of the place, so we let her stay.  It worked well until this past spring, when she basically ran out of money.  We returned in May and started working on the issue, and finally, in August, we had her and her possessions out.

We worked very hard all summer on repairs to the house and correcting some drainage issues with the land.  We discovered that the previous owners had discarded scrap metal along one of our lanes.  We recovered almost 10,000 pounds of metal, which more than paid for the mini backhoe we needed to rent to move it. 



1982 John Deere - A Landlubber's Life

We moved in in August.  We soon found it very comfortable as a summer home, but Ariel is our primary home.

We plan to leave the river soon, first returning to the Bay islands of Honduras, and then we'll see.

Camp Calabash

Several bights with Jonesville toward the west and Calabash, a couple of miles to the east, are linked with canals.  This distance can be covered quickly in the dinghy. While in Jonesville, we went to Calabash Bight to specifically visit Turtlegrass, a new marina.  Mark and Lori have built a marina (for long-term storage) and their home at a beautiful location overlooking Calabash Bight.  They are building a cafe, but are currently prioritizing finishing their house.  Without the cafe, they are not really set up to handle cruisers.  They invited us into their home, and we also discovered that Mark produces pineapple wine commercially.  We sampled some, and it was quite good, so we bought a couple of bottles.  We left with plans to return next season once the cafe was complete and open for business.

Camp Calabash Gang

After leaving Jonesville, we went back to French Cay Harbor to provision and to catch up with friends.  One evening, a group of us was discussing ways to watch March Madness NCAA Basketball when John and Beth, off Up Jinks, suggested that maybe Mark and Lori at Turtlegrass would let us watch there.  The next morning, six boats were leaving French Cay Harbor together, headed ultimately to Calabash.  Ariel and Mobetah already had plans to go to Jonesville, so we stopped there overnight before continuing on to Calabash Bight.  Terry and Sandy on Gambit were already in Jonesville, having just returned from Guanaja, and so we wanted to see them at least one more time.  As it turned out, the whole gang that went on to Calabash came to Hole in the Wall in Jonesville later in the day, so we were all together, including Terry and Sandy and some of the expats we know in Jonesville.  Terry and Sandy had to get to French Cay Harbor to meet friends flying in, but we convinced them to come to  Calabash for at least one night to spend an evening with all of us at Turtlegrass.  So on Thursday, Gambit, Mobetah, and Ariel joined our small fleet anchored and moored just off Turtlegrass.  We planned a potluck dinner, with each boat bringing its own meat to grill.  Mark and Lori opened their home to us and set up two large flat-screen televisions for the games.  It became clear that neither of them was very much into basketball, but neither was at least half the group.

Mark and Lori with Maggie hanging with Mark

Mark and Lori's home

Little did we know that this was the beginning of what was to be known as Camp Calabash.  We began doing everything as a group.  The next day,  Gambit left, and most of us went to Pukies for lunch.  On Saturday, we again planned to watch the games at Mark and Lori's.  We were trying to be less of a burden, so we planned snacks only, but we were all outfoxed by Lori, who prepared a fabulous spaghetti dinner with homemade meat sauce.  Mark called the Reef House and made plans for Sunday dinner for all of us.  The Reef House is a dive operation that serves a family-style dinner after the dive boat returns.  They will accept additional guests if they are notified in advance.  It was a really fun time at a great location with superb food.  

Reef House  clockwise from front - Beth, Marilyn, Leeanne (standing), Greg, David (standing), John, Bill, Pat

Reef House

Camp Calabash continued with a Mexican Train dominoes tournament on Monday.  On Tuesday, our last full day at Calabash, we planned a shrimp boil to be held in the uncompleted and not open for business Turtle Cafe.  Mobetah had the propane burner, and Ariel had the large pot, and together, shrimp boils are our specialty.  We were all feeling extremely indebted to Mark and Lori for opening their home to us and helping us in so many ways.  Bill from Mobetah came in Tuesday morning with printed plans for a picnic table and then convinced Mark to let us build it with some of his spare lumber.  A few of us spent the next few hours constructing what turned out to be a very well-made and sturdy table, completing it just in time for the shrimp boil.  Lori brought down strings of white lights that they had planned to put up around the perimeter of the cafe, so we installed those.  Bill and Pat from Mobetah had gathered all the ingredients for the shrimp boil, and when it was time, Norm from Ariel did the cooking.  We essentially opened Turtlegrass Cafe well ahead of the expected grand opening date.  The shrimp boil turned out well, and it was followed up with an excellent dessert made by Leeanne from Live Sea Lee.  Beth from Up Jinks led a little Kum Ba Ya before we broke up Camp Calabash later that evening.

seated - John, Tom, Yvonne

Yvonne, David, Lisa, Doug

Mark, Lori, Leeanne, Pat, John

A Very Special Place - Jonesville

Jim and Kitty (Dreamaway) are returning to the United States to spend the summer on the Chesapeake and then next winter return to this area via Puerto Rico. As planned, they stopped briefly in Roatan to see friends they had made in past seasons before heading off to Isla Mujeres, Mexico, and then on to Key West.  We had made plans before leaving Monkey Bay, more than a month before Dreamaway, to meet them when they arrived in Roatan.  They were looking forward to introducing us to some of their friends who live on Roatan, mostly expatriates. Jim and Kitty have lived on Dreamaway for about twenty years, most of the time in Kemah, Texas, while they were both working.  A close friend of theirs, Sparky Jenkins, moved from Kemah to Roatan about fifteen years ago, and Sparky introduced Jim and Kitty to the expatriate community.  We left Port Royal as soon as we knew they were here and met up with Dreamaway in Jonesville.   We only got to spend a week with them as they were much delayed with serious boat problems, not on Dreamaway, but on their buddy boat Serenity, skippered single-handed by Paul, also from Monkey Bay.  

End of Lobster and Shrimp Season - Storing Traps

Woods Marina - Larry Woods

Typical canal through the mangroves

Jonesville in Bodgen Bight is a working seaport.  Most of the lobster boats and a couple of the shrimp boats are moored here.  Unlike the lobster boats in the US Northeast, these are constructed very similarly to, if not identical to, shrimp boats.  The shoreline is a wonderful mix of undeveloped land (very rugged), moored shrimp boats, many homes, and a few businesses.  Some of the homes have road access, but many do not, as the hillside behind the homes is too steep for road construction.

Hole In The Wall

The most successful business by far is Hole In The Wall, a purposely rough structure built on uneven piers over the water, owned and operated by Bob, a gringo.  It attracts boatloads of tourists for lunch and, on Sundays, has an all-you-can-eat lobster and steak buffet.  We now know it as Bob's Place, and late in the day, after the tourists have departed, it is a gathering place for expats and cruisers.

Don teaching the puppy (Hole In The Wall)

We are not limited to Jonesville.  There is a series of bights, beginning with Carib to the west and ending with Calabash to the east, all connected by canals wide and deep enough for small-boat traffic.  Here, travel by water is as common, if not more common, than by land.  The nearest town is Oak Ridge, where we go by dinghy to do our major shopping and banking.  For quick items like eggs or bread, Jenny has a little store just east of where we are anchored.  We found propane and fuel in Hog Pen Bight, the next bight to the east.  We were introduced to Gladys, a lady who will do laundry for cruisers.  She does laundry in her home on water days, which are Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  She hangs the clothes on the line to dry.  We are very comfortable here.  There are usually about three or four cruising boats anchored, which isn't many, but our world now includes some expatriates who live here.

We had no sooner arrived in Jonesville, when Dreamaway stopped by to invite us to a luncheon later that day to celebrate Don and Yvonne's thirty-ninth wedding anniversary.  We had not yet met Don and Yvonne, but sure count us in.  Later, we found Don and Yvonne's house and tied our dinghy to their dock, which is on one of the small canals that run through the mangroves. They have a crew cab pickup truck that they brought down from the United States, and so the women rode in the cab and the men in the back.  Our little group included, besides Don and Yvonne, Jim and Kitty (Dreamaway) and their good friend Jim Bates, down to help crew the trip to Isla Mujeres; Dave (Barracha); and Larry Woods and his wife, Norma.  Larry moved down here about fifteen years ago, and Norma is a native of Honduras.  Larry runs a small marina, and Norma is a school teacher.  Norma teaches kindergarten through sixth grade in a two-room schoolhouse with forty-six children.  This lunch was a very special treat in many ways.  The ride over gave us fabulous views of both the south and north sides of the island.  The restaurant, Marble Hill Farms, was fantastic.  It is actually a resort on the north side of the island.  We spend all of our time on the more protected south side.  They have wonderful gardens there, and canned jellies.  They have a jelly tasting table, and the jellies are for sale.  After lunch and a tour of the garden and buying a few jellies, Don took us back by way of a small village on the north shore, Punta Gorda.  This is a village with Black Carib ancestry.  The Black Caribs were shipped here by the British in 1797.  We stopped in there for a couple of drinks at Pearls.

In the year 1635, two Spanish ships carrying Nigerian slaves shipwrecked on the island of St. Vincent. At first, the Spanish, Nigerians, and Kalipuna fought one another, but eventually learned to get along and intermarried, thus creating the Black Caribs.

At that time, St. Vincent was a British colony, and the Caribs tried to establish independent control of the island. The French supported the Caribs, and there were many battles between the Caribs and the British. The greatest battle took place in 1795, and both sides suffered great losses. In 1796, the Caribs and the French surrendered to the British.

The British now had a problem. The Caribs were free men with black skin, and St. Vincent was populated by slave-owning Europeans. The idea of a group of free black men living among them on the island was unacceptable, so the British decided to deport the Caribs. The British hunted down and rounded up the Caribs, killing hundreds in the process and destroying their homes and culture. The remaining 4,300 Caribs were shipped to Balliceaux, where half of them died of yellow fever.

In 1797, the surviving Caribs were shipped to Roatan Island off the coast of Honduras. Along the way, the Spanish captured one of the British ships, which was taken to Trujillo, where the captured Caribs did well. Later, the Spanish captured Roatan Island from the British. The Spanish rounded up 1,700 Caribs on the island and brought them to Trujillo, where laborers were much needed. The Spanish were not good farmers, and Trujillo suffered accordingly. On the other hand, the Caribs were very skilled at farming, so they worked hard and did very well in Trujillo. Some of the Caribs were conscripted into the Spanish army,  where they served with distinction.

Right now, Dreamaway is safely in Isla Mujueres.  We had some good times with them before they left, and we have continued to have good times with our new friends in Jonesville.  We will be leaving soon to go to La Ceiba on the mainland to pick up a shipment of parts, but we will be returning to Jonesville again this cruising season.

Yvonne (In Her Kitchen)

Jim, Jim Bates, Norm, and Dave (Don and Yvonne's Deck)

Enjoying Roatan

We spent most of a month at West End, Roatan, not leaving until after the Super Bowl.  Since leaving West End, we stopped at French Cay Harbor, by far the largest gathering place for cruisers.  French Cay Harbor, with Fantasy Island at the east end, is a well-protected anchorage.  On Fantasy Island is Fantasy Island Resort and Marina.  They very much welcome cruisers and make the facilities available even to boats in the anchorage.  We stopped here to top off our provisions.  Very close by and easily accessible is a store that offers the best provisioning in the Northwest Caribbean.  We didn't need much, but wanted to check it out since we will likely be doing some major re-provisioning next fall.  I will come back to French Cay Harbor and Fantasy Island in a future posting.

Mango Creek Lodge

We are now at Port Royal, actually Lime Cay Bight, anchored off Mango Creek Lodge.  After almost a month in West End and then a week in French Cay Harbor, we were ready to get to some place much quieter and much less crowded.  This place fits the bill perfectly.  Port Royal is well toward the eastern end of Roatan and not heavily populated.  Mango Creek Lodge is owned and operated by Terry and Patrice, Canadians, ex-cruisers who have completed a circumnavigation.  They provide free moorings, run an honor bar inside the restaurant, and if there is enough interest, their staff prepares wonderful meals.  Mango Creek Lodge offers saltwater fly-fishing packages and eco vacations.

One evening, we had five boats moored or anchored off  Mango Creek, and we all arranged for dinner.  With guests on board one of the boats, the twelve of us enjoyed good company and a fantastic meal.

It is a little difficult keeping up with the blog right now.  We are spending four months here in Honduras, moving from place to place.  Our main activities off the boat are snorkeling and socializing.  Aboard, we are both doing a lot of reading.  These activities do not make for good blog material.

Cow and Calf  (Port Royal)

Hanging Out In West End

We are definitely in full cruising mode now. There is nothing like West End, Roatan, to help get us in the proper frame of mind.  Our days typically include snorkeling, walking on the beach, or both.  We have been trying out the restaurants and, of course, getting together with fellow cruisers.

We had a fun day at Slippery Sues, a sports bar that just opened.  For the football playoff games, a couple of the boats negotiated a super deal on drink prices, and they let us bring in our dishes to pass.  Since we were staying for two games, they let us have supper brought in as well.  We had a good portion of the boats from the mooring field there.  We expect to set up something similar for the Super Bowl.

One evening, we had a dinghy drift.  We all just tied our dinghies together and floated around.  We each brought a dish to pass and our own drinks.  It was fun, but we spent a lot of time passing dishes.

The snorkeling is fantastic, and there are so many places to go that it can be new each time.

Main Street through town

Oh What A Reef

The Wrong Side of this One Would be costly.

Arriving in Roatan's West End, the first requirement is to get through the reef.  It's not difficult once the channel markers are located.  The channel markers are about four inches in diameter and about two feet tall.  One was very clearly red, the other we were uncertain about, even questioning if it was a channel marker.  We just kept hoping that Honduras observed Red Right Return (keep the red marker on your right as you return from the sea).  They do, and coming through turned out to be easy, and it was nice to start breathing again.  Behind the reef is a mooring field.  There is no longer any anchoring allowed.  This is a good thing as it protects the bottom from damage caused by anchors and, more importantly, anchor chains, which drag across the bottom as the boat swings.  West End does not look like a typical place to either moor or anchor a boat, as it is exposed to the sea on about 180 degrees.  The difference is the reef.  It breaks down the waves and makes it a comfortable location, unless there is a strong westerly wind.  With strong winds from any westerly direction, it can get very bouncy, and some boats leave and go around to the southern side of Roatan and then return after the blow.

Mooring Field - Ariel in the Center

Reef Not Apparent in Calm Seas

Reef Knocking Down the Waves in a Blow

The most beautiful part of the reef is below the surface.  The Marine Park has placed many moorings, sized for small boats and dinghies, along the reef, making it very convenient to explore.  Sorry, we do not have pictures yet from below the surface.

Bay Islands

To arrive in Guatemala last spring, we traveled in a south-southwest direction along the coast of Mexico and Belize.  Guatemala has very little coastline on the Caribbean side of the country.

Leaving Guatemala just a few days ago, we set a course to the east along the northern coast of Honduras.  Honduras juts into the Caribbean Sea.  The area of water between Belize and Honduras, with Guatemala tucked in the corner, is known as the Gulf of Honduras.

Traveling along the Honduran coast in an easterly direction is usually challenging.  Honduras is at a latitude that places it in the trade winds.  The trade winds blow from the east, so easterly travel is usually directly into the wind.

We were delayed from our planned departure, which was scheduled for right after Christmas, while waiting for favorable wind and sea conditions.  We finally found a window of light and variable winds, which was about the best we could hope for.  Our trip then from the Rio Dulce was without sails (motorboat), and true to the forecast, we had light winds which over our 24 hours of travel were from just about every point on the compass.  The seas were a foot or less, so we were happy with the conditions all around.

About 20 miles off the coast of Honduras is a string of islands, collectively known as the Bay Islands.  If you are a diver,  you are probably already aware of the Bay Islands, as they are a popular dive destination.  Going from west to east, the islands are Utila, Roatan, and Guanaja.  Roatan is the largest and most popular island for cruising boats.  While the islands are part of Honduras, both English and Spanish are spoken, with English being more predominant. The islands were controlled by the British during the colonial period. 

We stopped for a few days in Utila. We had the option to check into Honduras in Utila or Roatan.  Since this is our first time in the Bay Islands, we did not want to pass up Utila.  There were very few cruising boats there.  Utila has a reputation as a party place, and we can attest that the music is loud and lasts late into the night.  We did explore extensively and had a couple of good lunches at a restaurant called Bundo.  It seemed to have the biggest crowd, so using that as the criterion, we were not disappointed.

With heavy winds forecast, we decided to move on to Roatan.  We heard on the morning radio net that there were still three open moorings at West End, so we decided to go for it.  West End is a premier destination for cruisers.  There is no anchoring, so getting a mooring is a must.  The mooring field is in the Roatan Marine Park.  We have paid for 30 days, which is 100 USD.  The daily rate is 10 USD, so you can quickly see our logic.  It is absolutely beautiful here, and we are happy to be here.

On Our Way To Honduras

Departing Monkey Bay Marina

We are the first boat in the New Year to leave the marina to head out for the cruising season.  It is with mixed emotions that we leave.  The good news is that we will see just about everyone out at the islands this winter.  They had a potluck dinner the night before in our honor since we were leaving.

We are on our way to the island of Utila, Honduras.  It will be an overnight trip, so we will need to sharpen our skills quickly.  We will leave Livingston, Guatemala, on Thursday morning and plan to arrive in Utila, Honduras, the following day.