Cayos Cajones (Hobbies), Honduras April 15-25, 2010
Sea Star’s re-visit to the Colombian island of Providencia was social but quite restful. We had left Roncador Banks at 6:00PM Thursday, April 8, 2010, making our arrival at the anchorage in 16 hours after an easy sail of 90 nm with ENE winds at 10 to 11 knots. As usual there were other cruisers there. When we arrived , m/v Dream Weaver and others had arranged for a typical Colombian meal at our favorite restaurant along the walkway- Rey’s, where we were served an abundant fish dinner including conch, two kinds of root vegetables, salad and both corn meal and wheat rounds served in a tasty fish-based gravy. A great time was had and we did try new to us foods!
Our cordial re-introduction to Isla Providencia included meeting cruisers on some new boats; an IPY 40, Dragonfly, with whom we spent a chatty afternoon and Deb and Dennis of WC Fields, a Morgan, whom we had listened to on the various radio nets but remembered from Bocas del Toro, Panama, among others. Dan attempted to convince the other boaters who like fishing and snorkeling to travel with Sea Star to the Hobbies or “Cayos Cajones”, small Honduran reef-ringed islands- as we didn’t really want to be that far away from land without another boat- but plans had been made by others for faster trips, to the Bay Islands of Honduras and beyond, than we wanted to take. I wanted to stay in Providencia until somebody else was available to go, but we got a just right weather window.
Dan and I sailed out of Providencia at 6:15AM on Thursday morning with a great forecast that suggested enough wind for a sail with the seas calming considerably; promising to provide great weather for swimming near the reef when we arrived. That’s important, too.
The Hobbies, as well as the Vivarios Cays are no more than large sand spits 190nm from Providencia and east of the Bay Islands of Honduras to whom they belong. At about 1:30PM on Friday we were scanning the horizon expectantly, waiting to see islands of the Hobbies rising from the ocean behind breaking reef as we were close to where the charts showed the coordinates for the Cays. We saw nothing for a long while, then a bump showed ahead of us and some more bumps to the left and with our binoculars they formed into two separate islands, and then a third. We moved closer and saw a sandy, rocky island with hundreds of Brown Bobbies and Royal terns and Frigate birds flying and swooping low over the water. As we passed by the small bird island we could see another small island behind the first where large birds circled overhead. This second island showed some height, what looked like a few boxy dwellings, and a long, fringe reef of maybe two miles where the waves were breaking showed white froth along most of its length.
By now we could see that the second small island had about ten palm trees, a tiny building, and an obvious landing spot where two large unmotored Cayucos were tied- and the island was basically covered from front to back with what we had thought were probably dwellings but turned out to be thousands of lobster traps piled neatly about ten traps high in huge piles on the tiny island. Three islands around the Hobbies were piled with the out-of-season traps. Each island had one or two paid caretakers looking over the expensive equipment.
Looking far out beyond the islands to the deeper Caribbean beyond, the colors were amazing; colors we had missed after swimming in the San Blas islands and our months in Cartagena-deep, dark blue and brilliant white rolling onto the reef and beyond, slightly lighter blues and blue-green showing under the water the brown of the inside protective reef, huge splotches of darkened spots where there could be either grass or coral lurking and finally the lightest blue with the sun shining through it, showing the coral heads and finally the safe sand in which to anchor.
Then, when Dan and I were preparing to anchor, the sun went under cloud and a bit of rain came, clouding the sky and making it difficult to determine exactly where to motor safely. The next time the sun reappeared we made our way forward as close to the reef as we dared and dropped the anchor. Hooray! The sun of course came out again and our 30+hour trip was completed. We were the only cruising boat at this absolutely gorgeous anchorage and we couldn’t wait to explore. The crystal clear warm water felt great on our tired bodies, cooling us just a bit and with the anchor checked we could go back aboard for a bit of sleep.
We certainly did not have to worry about being alone at the Hobbies: the day after we arrived, Kaye and Sonny on Valentina, Texans currently spending their time in Cholon Bay, Colombia near Cartagena- sailed in with a whirl of exuberance and pointers on snorkeling spots and spearfishing. We were invited to their boat for a cocktail and while we were chatting Kaye and I saw sting ray jump straight up out of the water about four feet high with a huge splash! Our adventures had begun, and together we visited the caretaker of the closer island to say “hi” and walk around a bit. Our walk took us behind the one room dwelling and we were in a Brown Booby and Masked Booby rookery! The birds screeched and flew down at us and after a look around the four of us went for a first snorkel together.
While visiting a second island Dan was quite surprised to see some migrating song birds.(We are after all in the middle of Caribbean Sea) He grabbed the binoculars and identified the Baybrested Warbler, Magnolia Warbler and Yellow Warbler on the small island!
Even more amazing was our walking forward on Sea Star to check our anchor, and scaring a male Rose Brested Grosbeak from our bowsprit! He re-landed and allowed a “proof” picture. This reminded me of the gorgeous orange and black Black Burnian Warbler that flew aboard during the passage, but only stayed a few moments AND a Reddish Egret (we think) which spent a good part of a passage night aboard our solar panels! Bird survival is amazing and we hope they all do survive, but most likely they were off course and not long for the world.
The Hobbies seemed to have great promise. Dan was determined to take a few fish with his spear gun. He didn’t have a chance to try spearing at Roncador as he was still wondering how his knee would take the swimming, but now it felt better. We had read an internet log by Sonny and Kaye about the last time they visited the Hobbies in 2007. Their enjoyment of the place, the various fish they speared and the fun they had had assured us we would like the place, too.
A day later Kaye and Sonny’s good friends on a CSY named Queen Mary with Brenda and Gene aboard along with their friends Doris and Tom on Footloose motored in after dragging fishing lines from Roatan in the Bay Islands with fish for all. Queen Mary had brought in a 40+ pound King Mackerel, a Wahoo and “a couple a tunies.” Footloose had caught mackerel and tuna fish coming in too.
The next day a sailboat heading to Texas, Skalliwag” with Scott, Dave and Deb pulled in just about at dark after radioing in to Sonny, whom Dave knew, for waypoints.
We- all ten of us went to a secret spearing spot recalled by Queen Mary. It proved to be a place with great coral formations but the visibility was not terrific. I glanced around to realize one young girl from Skalliwag and I were the only “swimmers” in that group. We were under the water with eight hunters with spearguns! I basically just wanted to get out and let them do what they had come to do.
In my mind, there is a huge difference between snorkeling for beauty and easy relaxation, and the stalking of the sea creatures—sometimes, as what happened with Gene on QM, the larger predators try to deprive the hunter of his catch! He jumped up on top of a coral head and whacked the reef shark with his spear tip. His rational? He wanted the fish- and he wanted to break the cycle of the predator looking for spear fishers and grabbing their fish. I wonder if that fish will remember Gene’s psychoanalysis the next time he goes out to hunt struggling, bleeding prey! These fisher couples are heavy duty and love the chase and the hunt as much as the taking of fresh fish for free.
Skalliwag however, needing to return the boat to Texas, left rather quickly after a full day of snorkeling, but didn’t miss a get together for supper on Sea Star with Kaye and I providing the supper, and then one of the most fun nights I’ve had while cruising: live country music played on Gene and Brenda’s boat by all the other boats( except Sea Star, who did try to sing along.) It seems that the cruisers on the other boats knew each other and had been coming together whenever possible to share their considerable talents and love of music. All of them sporting their Texas style and drawwll, except the Footloose couple who were from Michigan.
Brenda from Queen Mary plays the keyboard, an instrument about five feet long which she told me “lives on their bed” and has a special set-up in their cockpit. She selects the songs from their two huge binders of music, selects a background beat and leads on keyboard from the “800” or so tunes they have played professionally, displaying her beautiful smile and mellow but strong, competent and energetic vocal accompaniment to Gene’s raspy singing and base guitar. The two of them certainly fill the air and boat with country music: Reba, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Willy and others I didn’t know being from Massachusetts. Friendlier and more generous people would be hard to find anywhere and here we all were in the beautiful anchorage.
As the air was filled with the music of the two guitars, keyboard and harmonica and the audience tapped their feet and sang along, Brenda and Gene would stop singing and encourage their friend, Sonny, to “Take it Sonny!”
Sonny, with no music in front of him, plays a mean harmonica and appears to be following all the presented songs, even ones he has never heard before-by ear, then he wails out a great solo! What incredible talent! Their newest addition has been Doris from Footloose who plays acoustic guitar. That night we saw that Dave who was crewing Skalliwag can play more rock- style guitar. Dan and I were thrilled to be invited on board when they gathered after a hard day of snorkeling and spearfishing- this group of people have considerable talents in those areas, too.
The entire group of boats loves to fish by line, spearfish and eat all kinds of shellfish and we have those abundantly available here in the Hobbies. It is just as important to all of us that none of our catch be wasted- so we share what we have and use as much of the fish as we gringos feel comfortable eating.
Queen Mary and Valentina were at the Hobbies with another boat three years ago. They told us their best fish story about the spearing and fighting of an 83lb Jewfish. Brenda made it clear that all the flesh was carefully filleted, cooked and eaten there or frozen and eaten later saying “ If you’re going to take a fish like that it is your responsibility to use it all up.”
In our best Forest Gump manner we are having fish tonight and every night for dinner, using cunning and creativity to keep the recipes fresh.
So Dan and I are looking forward to yet another group dinner- tonight on Valentina. There will be artichoke dip (our contribution), fish and lobster grill (Queen Mary), salad (Footloose), cake (Valentina), and good company. I really can’t think back a week ago and recount our fabulous fishy dishes- usually the highlight of a cruising day, but I’ll give it a shot.
We’ve had two meals and have frozen some fish speared by Dan- soon pictures will accompany this section. His first was a very respectably-sized hog fish speared on a close-by shallow reef within five minutes of leaving our dinghy on our second snorkel at Hobbies I will admit if he does not, that I was very frightened that a predator might contest the placement of the fish in our dinghy rather than its belly, so we swam with the struggling fish back to the dinghy as fast as possible! When back at the boat Dan got a lesson in fish cleaning from Sonny, who congratulated him heartily on his first conquest, saying, “Well, given my choice hogfish is the best eatin’ fish eever!”
Dan’s second conquest was MUCH larger, an eleven pound dogsnapper who really gave him a tussel, trying to flee as Dan swam for the dinghy. The very alive snapper pulled the opposite way for awhile until it tired. I jumped into the dinghy to pull up the fish, almost knocking it off the spear, but when it was safely aboard the two of us just stared at this beautiful, golden, orangey- peach colored fish- then dinghied back to the boats to show it off- and clean it for supper.
The list continues with tuna fish kabob with coleslaw-noodle salad and cheese puffs, a tasty meal provided aboard Footloose, as well as another meal of conch cerveche and cracked conch. Tiny, fried fish cakes were a lunch provided by Valentina one day while at one of the two reachable islands around here and visiting with its caretaker, who provided us each with a drinking coconut and fashioned a spoon from a smaller piece of shell so we could eat the soft flesh inside. Beer batter fish chunks of Wahoo, tuna salad made with fresh tuna and smoked King Mackerel were sun downer snacks.
We scored lobster from a local one morning for rum and a peanut butter sandwich and had the crowd over to Sea Star for lobster and hogfish. Queen Mary shared their King Mackerel with all of us after marinating it in two different sauces and smoking it. The absolute best meal to me was the rich creamy fish, conch, shrimp, lobster chowder made by –again Queen Mary, provided for our supper with leftovers given for lunch! Can’t beat that. My chicken enchiladas went over well for one dinner, but I felt funny for not serving fish!
I don’t know how long we will stay on this reef. Provisioning for vegetables and drink mixers didn’t go too well in Providencia, but with the main course provided from the sea we are not starving or feeling any lacks as yet. The weather had been great-calm seas on the reef for four days, but the trade winds rebuilt and increased next week. We all got together for another one of the fabulous sunsets we have encountered at the Hobbies and decided to hunker down behind the reef for the next four or five days of probable windy weather, so we moved in as close to the protection of the island. Luckily we did not feel wind over the protected reef or the high waves resulting of more than 27-29kn; less than forecast.
After the four day blow we decided it was time to move on as the weather improved. After a 35 hour passage of 170 nm from Hobbies to the Island of Guanaja, Honduras we arrived today,May 5, 2010, checked into the country and need rest desperately.
Pics at the Hobbies
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