December 1, 2006
Location: Jonesville Bight, Roatan
Nautical Miles Traveled: 0
We’re still here in Jonesville Bight. After spending the last week weathering out winds up to 40 knots and lots of rain we decided to stay put and get caught up on some projects. More on that later. We had a great Thanksgiving dinner at Hole in the Wall. All the cruisers got together for a pot luck dinner, there was so much food there it was unbelievable. David’s rain catcher is doing great and with all the rain last week we’ve got plenty of water for now. We haven’t run our water maker much because it a lot of time to put out just a little bit of water. We actually have been having some very minor issues with our Pur 40e unit and the folks at Katadyn have been of so much help to get our issue resolved. As a matter of fact the service we’ve gotten from Chris and DeeDee at Katadyn has convinced us that when we upgrade to a larger water maker we’ll continue to do business with Katadyn and purchase their 160e unit. It’ll be nice to make more water quicker. Very nice.
Since we left Guatemala it seems we’ve just been plagued with one break down after another. First the engine’s low oil pressure, then having to replace the dingy, minor water maker issues, major battery issues and now electrical issues. We’re really hoping that we get all caught up as it’s taking a toll on my moral (and pocket book).
The latest problem we’ve had to deal with this past week was electrical problems. We were loosing .5 volts between our batteries and the distribution panel, the panel that distributes power to all the systems on the boat. A half a volt is very significant. So after days of checking this and checking that, making trips all over the island trying to find parts that we couldn’t find, we decided to make due with what we had. Many of the original wire connectors were corroded and causing high resistance in the circuit, this the voltage drop. Two days was spent replacing the worst of the connectors and much improvement has been seen. Unfortunately there are still a lot of connectors to be replaced, and ideally much of the wiring really should be replaced but that will have to wait. The batteries continue to give us problems so next month we’ll order new batteries.
We’ve decided to stay in Honduras through the winter instead of heading on to Panama. We felt it would be better to address all the issues on the boat, especially those that pose a safety risk, before continuing to go south. We have a long list of things we need to make some of these repairs and unfortunately most of which we can’t find locally. So Damon is headed to California at the end of the month to get everything we need and send back on a pallet via a ship out of Miami. He’s hoping to pick up some work in California to pay for al this.
So our list is; new batteries, a lot of wire to replace aging wires, larger water maker, electric windlass and all the installation gear that goes with it (David’s back is requesting this one, but we’ll have to see as it’s the most expensive upgrade), new outboard prop, bottom paint, new battery charger, and lots of little things.
December 2, 2006
Location: Jonesville Bight, Roatan
Nautical Miles Traveled: 0
Yipee! Today was a day of no work and all play. David and I went for a dingy ride today over to Caribe Bight, a beautiful little anchorage. Along the south coast of Roatan the waves and swell can make dinghying to other bights (harbors) uncomfortable and even at time dangerous so the locals have built a canal system through the mangroves which provides a much better and safer way to travel between towns and bights. In a way it’s like Roatan’s own little ICW, but on a much smaller scale. There are no lift bridges or locks, and the canal is only about 8 feet wide. Being so narrow can make it very challenging if you come across another boat headed in the opposite direction.
Throughout most of the canal the water is murky brown from the tannins in the water coming from the roots of the trees in the mangroves but closer to each of the bights the water clears up so much it’s like floating on a glass of bottled water. Absolutely amazing with all the fish, crabs and other sea life.
The waters in Caribe bight was no different as it’s clarity was absolutely stunning. A few houses dotted the shoreline and obviously belonged to some of the rich foreigners that have settled here. In the northeast corner of the bight laid a sunken ship which we hear is great for snorkeling, we’ll have to check that out another day as we didn’t bring our snorkeling gear for this trip. On the west side of the bank the shore line is mostly rocky cliffs with various caves to be explored. There are no services or town here so one should come prepared with enough food and water for their stay.
After returning from Caribe bight we stopped by Revid and visited with our friends Clive and Margo. They are in the process of doing some repairs. Two weeks ago they were anchored next to us and during the nasty cold front that came through they got hit by lightening. Unfortunately they suffered a lot of damage and had to change their plans of going to the Eastern Caribbean. They’ll remain here at least through the winter to make all their repairs. Lightening can definitely be a bad thing.
We’re out of water now so have to run the watermaker more often than we have in the past. We’re actually thinking about putting in at Sandy’s Marina, a little marina in Oakridge that holds about six boats. At least there we can get water, do laundry and maybe work on Bruadair a bit more comfortably. If we go we’ll be heading in sometime this week. Other than that everything is going great and we’re really glad to be here!
December 7, 2006
Location: Jonesville Bight, Roatan
Nautical Miles Traveled: 0
We get small local boats that come by on a regular basis wanting to sell us things like fresh lobster or fish, sometimes even handmade jewelry. But yesterday was a different story. A small dugout stopped us, the young man said he wanted to talk to us. I was excited thinking that we would have some fresh wahoo or mahi mahi for dinner but that wasn’t the case. Instead the young man asked if we wanted to buy a small monkey. I said ‘huh?’ thinking I must have not heard correctly. He said he had a small black monkey with a white face and wanted to know if we wanted to buy it. David and I broke out in laughter as this surely was a joke, he was serious. We politely told him that we didn’t need a monkey. But before he left he said he had a cat for sale, we told him that we already had a cat and didn’t need another. Oh, he said, this was not an ordinary cat, it was a tiger. A what?! Yep, he had a tiger for sale (tiger is a generic term used here in Honduras to describe the local wild cats such as jaguar’s to the gringo’s). Nope, I don’t think we need a tiger we said. Maybe someone else but not us. Evidently it’s not uncommon to find all sorts of creatures for sale on this island. We’re really hoping to find some fresh wahoo again, but we’ll pass on the monkeys and tigers.
December 12, 2006
Location: Jonesville Bight, Roatan
Nautical Miles Traveled: 0
What a week. Two boats showed up a few days ago, Kay and Sonny on Valentina and Arron and Lila on Blow Me Away. They’ve really kept me busy the last couple days as both boats were having some electrical problems. One full day with Arron and another with Sonny was filled with troubleshooting and repairing but now both boats are fairing much better. Two nights ago we had a great get together on Lone Star Love, the night before it was on Blow Me Away, the night before at the Hole in the Wall restaurant. Lots of socializing between work has also kept the two of us busy. And today was no different. David went with Judy, Kay and Lila to a local lady’s house where she makes jewelry. David said it was pretty nice stuff but he was more impressed with looking into the water right there at her house. Besides a variety of snapper and other fish he watched an octopus and an eel.
While David was out on his excursion I was busy finishing up a small job with Arron. But after everyone returned it was time for snorkeling and spear fishing. David unfortunately did not join us as he was concerned about the high sun and getting burned. I went with Greg and Judy, Sonny and Kay, and Arron and Lila. We went out the channel here at Jonesville and headed West along the coast for a few miles. At Half Moon we picked up a mooring ball and tied off, geared up and jumped in the water. I was the only one that did not have a spear gun but it was fun to watch the others hunt. We were snorkeling in about 50’ of water over the coral, and along the shelf (edge) where it drops straight down to 400 feet of water. Amazing! Didn’t see to much here, lots of parrot fish and every once in a while I would find myself in the middle of a school of Bahama Grunts. Big fish. After about an hour here we decided to try another place. Greg caught one grunt and gave it to me. Evidently they’re only ‘okay’ eating, no one else wanted any.
We headed back towards Jonesville Bight and stopped at Caribe Bight. We entered the bight and after reaching the site of a wrecked ship we decided it was no clear enough to snorkel here. So we headed out the channel and anchored our dinghies on the coral shelf (in a sand patch). Wow, the snorkeling here was absolutely amazing. I have never seen such a variety or coral including shapes, sizes and colors. While most of the coral was in the earth tones there was some coral that was purple, orange, red and so many other colors. It looked like a painting. And there was so much fish here, mostly parrot fish but also some small yellow tail snapper, hog fish, grunts, trigger fish and so much more I have no idea what they were. It was magical to be swimming and be surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of small six to eight inch fish with the most brilliant blues one could imagine. Snorkeling along the shelf is a great experience. I would hover on the water surface 20 feet above the coral and slowly ease myself over the shelf, or drop off. It’s erie to see such an underwater cliff, but this is where I found myself enjoying the fish the most. Arron caught a grunt and Greg caught a hog fish (supposed to be excellent) and an ocean trigger, all with their spear guns.
Heading back closer to shore I stayed in 20 to 40 feet of water. Below me was a maze of underwater canyons all made with incredible varieties of coral. I’m not a great writer so it’s just too hard to explain how impressive this all was. On my wish list now is a nice underwater camera, it would truly be great to share these experiences with you all.
Wow, what a long day. But it wasn’t over with yet. David watched as Greg taught him how to clean fish, then Greg gave us all the fish he caught. We’re very grateful and will surely enjoy each of them. Actually, now a spear gun might have to find it’s way on our wish list as well. Of course it was easy to watch them, actually doing it might be a different story.
So the day didn’t end there. I suggested to everyone that maybe we should go out for dinner, I didn’t think anyone would be in the mood for cooking after such a busy day. After getting all cleaned up we all met at BJ’s in Oakridge. While she does serve food it is kind of expensive there. Plus she was closing early today to we couldn’t have eaten there anyway. We walked through Oakridge but only found one place to eat. Tourism has not yet made it’s way down to this town so it’s just a nice friendly little community. No big fancy resorts or restaurants. Since our choices were limited to just this one place we decided to have a seat and see what was available (I’ll get the name later since we’re sure to be back). There were nine of us and as luck would have it there were only nine seats. This is basically a little shack with an L shaped counter and nine permanent stools. After talking with the cook we all ordered dinner. Our choices were tostadas or empanadas. While everyone ordered Greg and I went to the grocery store for beverages. Greg got enough beer for everyone while I got David and I a couple sodas and some bottled water.
It was great to sit around for an hour and a half talking and eating. The food was great. David and I each had one tostada and four empenadas with lots of hot sauce. It was funny, since we all had two counters completely occupied the cook had to open the side door to the kitchen and serve everyone else there. Well, after eating the good food and getting sleepy it was time for the bill. We’re still very surprised. Dinner for David and I was 78 limperas, or $4. That was for the two of us. Other couples ate for as little as $2 for two people. Yep, gotta go back. You can’t even cook for that. Next time I’ll take the camera and get some pictures. Oh, for lunch the menu is expanded to include fried chicken, hamburgers, grilled chicken and more, all for the same low price.
December 13, 2006
Location: Sandy’s Marina, Oakridge, Roatan
Nautical Miles Traveled: 4
Today was a sad day for us. Because I’m headed back to California in two weeks to take back some broken boat parts and return with new boat parts we thought it would be a good idea to put the boat in a marina. So this morning we raised anchor and left Jonesville Bight and made our way four miles east to the small town of Oakridge. Here we took a slip at Sandy’s Marina. So why was it a sad day? Because we really enjoy life at anchor, and our new friends back in Jonesville. But fortunately Jonesville is only five or ten minutes by dingy so we can easily go and see everyone anytime we want.
Sandy’s Marina is a small place, holding about four or five boats only. Sandy is originally from Louisiana but settled here two decades ago. She has a beautiful house that overlooks the Caribbean Sea. On the canal side of her house she built a small little marina, and at $5 a day it’s not a bad deal. No great amenities but we can do laundry here and have access to lots of fresh water. In Oakridge there are two places where we can eat, two great hardware stores and four small grocery stores. Also available here is a fuel dock and taxis if we want to venture around the island. Across the canal from us is a large processing plant where fresh fish, shrimp and lobster is processed and sent to grocery stores and restaurants in Honduras as well as for export. We’ll have to see if we can buy from them and cut out the middle man. Well, we still have to get settled in and I have lots of stuff to start un-installing so I can them back to the US to get fixed.
December 20, 2006
Location: Sandy’s Marina, Oakridge, Roatan
Nautical Miles Traveled: 4
Getting around on Roatan is easy and at time adventurous. Modes of transportation include renting cars or scooters which allow one to go where and when one wants. The taxi service here is very reliable and when the price is negotiated can be inexpensive. Taxis can be had in one of two ways. The primary method of using a taxi is by taking a ‘collectiva’ taxi, this is the cheapest way. This means that you are not the only passenger. You share the taxi with other passengers that are headed in the same direction, the driver dropping off passengers and taking on new passengers along the way. Or one can take a private taxi, but this will cost more, as much as four times more than taking a collectiva taxi. But it is quicker without any stops. Actually, a taxi can be hired by the hour as well and ranges from $8 to $10 an hour. There is a public bus system on Roatan it is the cheapest way to get around. But be prepared, what can take half an hour by private taxi can easily take up to an hour or more by bus. And the bus is filled to the rim with passengers so it can be very crowded. I recently had the opportunity to take a bus from Oakridge to French Harbor. It was a good experience as the bus traveled to many of the small Garafanu villages along the north coast of the island, places where one wouldn’t normally go. Another alternative to transportation is to hire a private tour guide. The folks from Valentina and Blow Me Away joined David and I for a five hour land excursion. We had hired Barry and his mini van for $10 an hour. He took us everywhere we wanted plus had ideas of where we should go to find some of the things we were on the hunt for. He also told us a lot about the island and the people here.
But traveling can also be dangerous as well. Two nights ago two boaters came back from La Ceiba (on the mainland) by ferry. When they arrived to Roatan they boarded a bus to head back to their boat. It was after dark. As the bus was driving down the road a car pulled in front of the bus forcing the bus to stop and another car pulled up behind the bus blocking it in. Armed men jumped out and forced everyone off the bus, made all the passengers strip to their underwear and told them to run down the road. The armed men stole everything including luggage, jewelry, money and passports. I think we’ll keep our traveling to daylight hours. And while this may sound scarey it is not a very common event here. And to say it’s to dangerous here in Roatan would be unfair as carjackings and robberies occur everywhere, even in the U.S.