Roatan is home to diverse ethnicities and cultures including decendents of Garifuna (those of African and Carib Indian decent who survived or escaped the historic slave trade), Hondurans from the mainland, and whites from the US and Europe who now live on the island both seasonally and full-time. Check in was stream-lined, simple, and most amazingly of all, Free!
We spent a few days in Coxen Hole, the capital of Roatan, attempting in vain to get some errands done. The island is constantly out of power and even ordinary provisions are often our of stock. After a few frustrating days of roaming around the town searching fruitlessly for an internet cafe with electricity, a functioning ATM, or even canned beans...., we decided we were much happier hanging out on the boat, while awaiting the arrival of Steve and Myra (Graham's dad and "step-mother").
Steve and Myra arrived safely in Roatan. The following day, March 29th, we headed east, giving them a harsh introduction to the strong (30 knot) trade winds and high seas of the Northwest Carribean. The wind and waves were at our nose, and we began trying to beat our way to Calabash Bight (also on Roatan). Shortly en route Steve commented, "It feels like we are riding a bucking bronco through a car wash," as the waves crashed over our bow and streamed down the deck. We were torn as to whether or not to motor or to keep sailing. In the midst of making this decision, Steve (while leaning over the rail and barfing his brains overboard) said, "Don't make your decision on my account. Blah.... I'm fine! Blah...." If this was not reason enough, our extremely slow progress convinced us to turn on the engine. We were impressed by Steve being such a good sport, despite feeling so ill, as he refered to this experience as "Bolemia Bootcamp." Myra, on the other hand, was complete soaked from head to foot and happy as could be. She must have natural salt in her blood.
Myra soaking up the salt
Upon arriving in the calm and protected waters of Calabash Bight, on the eastern side of Roatan, we had the pleasure of catching up with our friends, Mark and Lori on sailing vessel Aeolus, who we'd first met in the Dry Tortugas, and met up with in Isla Mujeres, Mexico and then again outside Belize City. Mark and Lori have recently moved to Roatan and intend to do some extended cruising through the Carribean while keeping Roatan as a home base. They are starting up a bed and breakfast, as well as providing some general services to cruisers. Anyone interested in learning more or possibly visitin the area should check out their website, http://www.turtlegrass.net/. Mark and Lori were amazing hosts, taking the four of us on a tour through the mangrove passages that line the eastern side of Roatan.
Lori
Mark
The wind and waves had only slightly subsided, but on April 2nd, we motored eastward towards the Pigeon Cays (two small islands surrounded by an elaborate system of coral reefs lying between the islands of Roatan and Guanaja). The Pigeon Cays made for a rough one night anchorage from which we then continued to the island of Guanaja. The approaches into the Pigeon Cays and Guanaja were excellent examples of why it is important to approach land in good light and to trust your vision more than following the inaccurate charts for this region. If we had followed the charts, we most certainly would have run aground on hard coral reef, lying submerged only a few feet below the water.
Guanaja
Guanaja isa large (4 mile x 11 mile) island, 90% of which is protected and undeveloped land. Extending beyond Guanaja is a large coral reef encompassing a number of smaller islands with great snorkeling and well protected anchorages. At one of these smaller islands, named Josh's Cay, we were accompanied by a very friendly dolphin that swam circles around our boat. Much to our surprise, he was still there the following day. He was easily identifiable by 3 white scars on the left side of his dorsal fin. He was far from tame, but for some reason had a tendency to stay near our boat. After having him accompany us at 3 separate anchorages, we named him "Tag". As soon as Myra laid her eyes upon Tag, she was in love. We think if she could have, she would have brought him home.
Myra on "Dolphin Watch"
Tag
Steve and Myra were excellent boat guests. They adapted well to the slow pace and simple living, enjoyed relaxing on the boat and swimming in the warm Carribean water. We were soon headed back to Roatan. Our sail westward was beautiful and pleasant with the wind and waves abaft. Oh my, what a difference it makes! To our delight and especially Myra's, we were accompanied by numerour dolphins, playing at our bow. Goodbyes are hard, but soon that time approached us as it always does. The hardest thing about cruising has been missing family, as well as saying goodbye to those friends we've met along the way, simply not knowing when we will meet again, but hoping it will be soon.
Steve adapting to the cruising life
After Steve and Myra left, we went back to Calabash Bight to spend time with Mark and Lori. We enjoyed having time to relax and enjoy their company while waiting for a good weather window to continue eastward and return to Guanaja. With Mark's help, we were able to fix our wind generator. Amazingly we were even able to find the bearings that we needed in Coxen Hole! Our appreciation of their generosity can not be put into words.
From our experience with Steve and Myra, we had learned not to fight the strong easterly trades. We decided to wait for them to ease in intensity or for a northerly front to come in, temporarily shifting the wind direction. On April 24th, the eastern trade winds were light, at 10-15 knots, and we set sail. This time we anchored for one night behind Punta Castillo near the city of Trujillo on mainland Honduras. The following day we sailed to Guanaja. The sailing was extremely pleasant and idealic. One of our favorite things about Chandrika is how easily she sails. Especially when sailing close-hauled (very close towards the direction of the wind), she often sails herself. Even without using an autopilot, we have often let her sail for hours without touching the wheel. Unfortunately, however, she does not sail very close to the wind. We have discovered that this problem is not from her hull design, but rather from her improperly fitted genoa head sail, which is too large and the clew too high for the boat. This sail also presents us with problems in stronger winds (20-30 knots of apparent wind), as we do not have an appropriately sized working jib.
We arrived in Guanaja on April 25th and spent the next few days relaxing, hiking in the mountains on the island, and visiting our dear friend Tag.
April 2008
