Dan and I on Sea Star and the sailboat and crew of Kamaloha left the Hobbies, (Cayos Cajones) on May 28, 2012 toward Guanaja, a 24 hr. sail away, and looked forward to visiting in Guanaja and Roatan- two of the Bay Islands of Honduras. Our plan was to check-out of the country in Utila, and stop to snorkel at Cayos Cochinos, a reserve, on the way. We (both boats) were stepping on the gas, so to speak and wanted to be in the Rio Dulce before some expected bad weather arrived. We both agreed that spending much time in the islands would have to wait. Kamaloha would return to the Bay Islands after leaving the Rio Dulce and Dan and I do not know when or if we will return after hurricane season.
Our boats started off from the Hobbies at 2:45 pm. After some squalls showed up on our radar and although the wind did not read above 20knots.
click for a short clip of afternoon conditions:
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| travel clip Honduras 2012 |
At 1:30 am "Krackle" went our VFH and someone announced, "this is for all you sailboats out there," and some great music was soon playing on channel 16. Now, for those of you who boat, you know that 16 is used for distress and emergency. Since we could hear so clearly, we also knew we had to be quite close to the music sender. Our boats were still off Honduras and we questioned our own common sense in answering! We did though, we chatted with the music maker and for perhaps an hour and a half we were entertained with local music, country western music and the stage presence displayed by a fisherman, who did this to entertain all in the middle of the night. When he signed off it was with the promise to watch for us to ensure we arrived in Guanaja safely, we gotta watch for each other out there. He then mentioned having been helped out there by the sailboat Ithica with Bernadette Bernan on board. He hoped we would get to his place on the island.
I wish to thank Captain Cody aboard the fishing vessel "Snappy" for his offered friendship and concert. Dan and I are sorry we did not look you up- but the night will be remembered and Thanks!
with Kamaloha, May 29, 2012
BINACA TOWN
Go around the last houses and into the harbor
Significant shrimp fleet
We check-in to Honduras near this market at the Port Captains office. I think our time in Honduras cost $6 or both of us. There was no check-in in Cayos Cajones Reef
Homes on stilts
We move out of town to the El Bight anchorage. This is Dunbar Rock Hotel.
Where we again found the Manatee Restaurant, a place known for excellent German cooking; a welcoming place. Snitzel with spetzal was on the menu and delicious.
Next day, on to Graham's Cay after Dan replaced the clutch cylindar on our Raymarine auto pilot, that had failed again somewhere in route. We were thinking we might have to hand steer the boat all the way through Honduras and to the Rio Dulce. Would not have been fun. "Auto" was working again.
Graham's Place Restaurant and Bar where Graham keeps pets like..
Parrots and a macaw
A whole natural aquarium for fish and turtles. Hawksbill, and one Green turtle (rescued) Graham buys them from fishermen who might have caught them mistakenly in nets, and returns them to the sea. In his Seaquarium we also saw lobsters walking in a line, big 'cudas, tarpin, permit and nurse sharks. Grahams is a bone fishing resort. He had a picture on his wall of President Jimmy Carter and Roseland visiting his place. (fishing)
We snorkeled off the point
No pictures but we stopped for a night at Mango Creek Resort, 30 miles on the island of ROATAN to see Patrice andTerry. We had met them in 2010 when our friends on Queen Mary and Footloose performed . They took us snorkeling near their place. I should have had my Go Pro! Colorful and especially interesting, but I made no specific notes.
Sailed on to French Harbor. This is at an iguana preserve near the new marina, Brooksy Point.
Very handsome
We sailed on to the Jonesville anchorage and MacRae's Restaurant
Mac Rae's place, the monkey is a pet. We got there on rib day-yumm.
Around the harbor
We decided to skip West End, Roatan because there was controversy about the moorings having been removed versus anchoring which we heard was no longer allowed, and anyway the weather was speeding us along to Cayo Cochinos. After a rolicking sail and somewhat exciting entry to the Cochinos reserve mooring field, we enjoyed two days there with Kamaloha, snorkeling the 60 ft, deep clear and fabulous reef and dinner at...
Plantation Beach Dive Resort
I have no new pictures from Utila the Island furthest west and closest to the Honduran mainland where Kamaloha and Sea Star anchored next, arriving on a very windy day and checking out the next afternoon to head to the Rio. Check-out was easy and free and by 4:00pm June 11, 2012 we were ready to leave Honduras.
LEAVING FOR THE RIO DULCE When Kamaloha and Sea Star left the Hobbies and arrived in Guanaja we had internet again. We were Rio Dulce bound, so when we heard there had been a problem with a cruiser near Punta Sol, Honduras as they traveled to the Rio Dulce; the boat had been boarded and a grand larceny had taken place, we were of course concerned. The reported boarding of this moving sailboat and robbery could embolden other ladrones. (robbers) Leaving Utila, we decided that we must sail straight through to the Rio and not stop in some places we had in previous years- the beautiful anchorages at Bahia Diamonte, or Escondido or the tourist town at Bahia Omoa where Sea Star had spent two fun-filled days in 2010. We would sail well outside Punta Sol and use no lights in passage for our security.
All went well and after a night of quiet sailing without lights, we arrived at the sandy, shallow bar one must pass over into the Guatemalan entry town of Livingston and Sea Star continued right in. At a draft of 5ft the bar was little hazard for us, unlike deeper keeled boats, who sometimes need to be pulled in by a tug. We had reported into Navimar by VHF so shortly after our arrival the immigration and agricultural inspectors arrived to board, with Raul, the agent who welcomed us and left to complete the paperwork.
Livingston, Guatemala main street
The prolific greens of the 300 ft deep canyon, six miles or so to the Gulfete.
A school for young Mayans
LIVINGSTON TO LA LAGUNA We called friends to let them know we had arrived safely, went ashore to an ATM for quetzales 19.37 = $1 and had lunch while Raul prepared our papers. After the check-in was complete we brought up the anchor and quickly began our meander through the steep, green canyons of the "Sweet River" which is the translation of Rio Dulce. SWEET indeed! We were now in fresh water!
A few hours later we motored into the anchorage near La Laguna Marina, (formerly Texan Bay) and took a well deserved nap before dinner-Chicken-fried steak which was our favorite under the previous management, pleased the marina still served Mike's specialty.
The next morning Kamaloha arrived. We knew the children would love putting their kayaks in the lagoon. Sea Star took a dinghy explore through the beautiful, peaceful laguna to see what birds we could find; looking for the purple gallinule which we didn't see this time, but we did find the Northern jacana walking on the lily pads. We then dinghied over to Bahia Quimega to talk to Tom, the sail maker, about repairing Sea Star's genoa and staysail. Upon inspection we needed to replace our exterior protective sun-shield canvas.
Dan and I felt lucky to have the expertise and services of Tom at his well equipped and convenient sail loft available We dropped the sails down and off the boat at Tom's, then after a lunch visit with Texas Mike at his new place, headed up the river, across the Golfete, past a few marinas; Marios, Moco Point, Monkey Bay to our slip at Tijax Marina. After the fire drill of tie-up with bow anchor deployed, we accepted our Welcome jaimaca drink, and began to relax. Weather would probably not be an issue for the months we would be staying to wait out the hurricane season.
Near La Laguna. Artistic use of old cayuco
We met the nice people just about to purchase this river property
The lagoon at Bahia Quemado
Crossing through El Gulfete in route to the marina section
Dan and I felt like Tijax was the end of our trip, but of course we will move on after hurricane season unlike multiple expats who have settled in homes, hostels, hotels and marinas along the Rio Dulce, in Fronteras and other places in Guatemala. Changes to the Rio? Sure! On the way from Laguna we noticed more and larger motor boats with storage boat-ports and fewer cayucos. More cayucos were under outboard power, with only a few being paddled by the fishermen of the river. Some fishermen we saw were fisherwomen. As time has gone on we also see that we need less Spanish to get by, and pan (bread) is replacing the tortillas in some restaurants-(I'd say that the lack of tortillas is my biggest complaint about progress.)
AT HOME AT HACIENDA TIJAX - next post
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