August 7, 2010 |
| Grab a coffee and have a seat... |
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Fisherman poling across the Rio
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....my apologies in advance this is a long one.
Rio Dulce up to Fronteras
We left Utila around 11:00 for the twenty six hour passage to the Rio Dulce. We set a course heading west southwest in a fresh breeze and sunny skies. The trip was mostly uneventful save for a few squalls later in the day. We had a few with twenty five knot winds and eight to ten foot seas. The auto pilot did an admirable job though it did work a bit harder to keep a true course (extra rations earned for him). We passed the illumination of LaCeiba, Puerto Cortez and Puerto Barrios off to our south as we headed west along the coast. During daylight one can see the mountains of mainland Honduras from many miles at sea. At night time they disappear into the black void leaving no horizon to follow. This is made worse by overcast skies which blocked out all starlight as well. Therefore; these “glowing” cities gave us some orientation while on watch. Around 05:00 the eastern sky awakened with the faintest bit of light. Soon we had a marvelous sky with red purple hews and the silhouette of large billowing clouds (all long before the sun even broke the horizon). We made the mouth of Rio at 08:00 which was four hours ahead of our planned schedule. We crossed the bar without incident and motored to Livingston where we set anchor awaiting the Port Captain to clear us into Guatemala. By this time the sun was up and shining over the very picturesque town of Livingston. We had to wait until 11:00 before the “entourage” showed up onboard (before such time captain and crew are not allowed ashore). There were five officials. Port Captain, Customs, Immigration and two “mystery” guys (they didn’t say or do anything except smile). Once check in was complete we went ashore to sample the sights at Livingston. Yet another great little place. That said; we were on a mission. We wanted to get to Fronteras which was four hours up river and our ultimate destination. We hauled anchor and proceeded up the gorge. This is a narrow gorge with towering cliffs and jungle vegetation. Actually it was the original location for filming of the Johnny Wisemiller “Tarzan” films. We didn’t see Johnny but I sure could see the old black & white Tarzan movies in my mind’s eye! It was very cool! We arrived (mid afternoon) in Fronteras which is the focal point of this area. It is on the Rio Dulce just before it enters into Lake Izabal (very large lake) and just above the Golfete ( smaller lake). By the way…this is all fresh water. We anchored off Bruno’s Marina just at the base of the bridge. We heard some disparaging remarks about Bruno’s which have proven all to be “bunk”. We’ve rented a slip for a month and are loving it here thus far. We can walk to the center of town in five minutes. There you’ll find most anything (foodwise) in the street side market stands lining both sides of the road. The road is actually the Pan American Highway which is the major road north and south through Central America. This makes for some interesting traffic conditions. Chickens, vegetable stands, bikes, buses, cars, buses, pedestrians…all vying for a little space to move (and avoid getting run over). Something you’ve really got to see to believe! It is really inexpensive here. So much so that it’s almost cheaper to eat at any one of some fifteen to twenty local places than to cook onboard (so far ALL have been fantastic). Monday we are taking a four hour bus ride back in to the mountains of Honduras at Copan. There we’ll visit the Mayan ruins and see the local sites. We'll post our Copan trip as well as a pleasant afternoon at the "hot water falls" yesterday.
Pics Here
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August 4, 2010 |
| Safely arrived in the Rio Dulce.... |
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Main street (Pan American Highway)
Frontera, Guatemala
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...after a mostly uneventful passage from Roatan. We are berthed at Bruno's Marina at Frontera, Guatemala. Lot's to post and we'll do so over the next couple of days before taking our land trip back up into the mountains of Honduras (Copan). It's a great change from the island setting of Roatan.
All is well....More soon!
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August 2, 2010 |
| Roatan to Utila |
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Some of the Jade Seahorse artwork.
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Monday Aug 2nd we sailed from Jonesville, Roatan to Utila (the western most island in the Bay Islands of Honduras). We arrived late afternoon, dropped the hook and went ashore. Utila is only eighteen miles west of Roatan and has 6000 residents. It is a unique island community which is a popular destination for European backpackers and young tourist. There are many small cafes and resturants along the narrow paved streets.
Larry bumped into an old friend who took us on an island tour in his 4 wheeler "mule". We got a quick, and interesting, overview of the island and it's people. You'll see photos of his house below; actually it's a horse farm. Quite beautiful!
Another highlight is the "Jade Seahorse". Really hard to describe so you can see more below as well as in the photos.
After a quiet Mexican dinner we returned to the boat, watched a movie and feel into our berths. It was another great day.
More Info on Utila Here
Info on Jade Seahorse
Pics Here
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August 1, 2010 |
| Silence is golden...... |
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Come on.....
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NOT!
What? No phone? No email?
You never call.....you never write!
Too busy? Too tired? Too what?
"YOU" know who we're talking about! We miss you!
We'll be sailing to Guatemala this week and may be without communications for a bit.
See you on the other side.
R2
New Pics Here
Lobster Video Here
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July 27, 2010 |
| Plans cast in "Jello".. |
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Utila beach
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....as mentioned earlier; our plans are as firm as jello so it's good that we don't really have a schedule. We didn't plan on going up the Rio Dulce (Guatemala) like most cruisers do for hurricance season. While the Rio is almost guaranteed to be "hurricane proof" we've felt, all along, that Roatan is also quite safe. Our original plan was to simply head to the Rio for several weeks and then return to Roatan for the balance of the season. Turns out that our visa requirements, along with our plans for seeing Honduras mainland and Guatemala, suggest a longer stay up the Rio. So...we're leaving Roatan next Monday (8/2) and heading to the island of Utila for a couple of days. Then it's a twenty four hour sail to the mouth of the Rio.
We'll have HB slipped in a marina for the months of August, September and October. During this time we'll be taking road trips into the mountains of Honduras and Guatemala. The main attractions are Mayan ruins and many small villages where textile weaving and local art are supposedly stunning.
The Rio is known to be very hot this time of year (one of the reasons we didn't plan on going there). That said; we have installed air conditioning on HB to make sleeping possible. The marina has a pool and good resturant which will help battle the heat. We also know quite a few people (fellow cruisers) who are up the Rio so that should insure a good time.
There should be a bunch to post as we travel up into the mountains.
See you up the Rio!
PS - We will return to Roatan for Nov and Dec. Zach, Amanda and Em are coming for Christmas...should be yet another "hoot"!
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July 24, 2010 |
| Pat goes to school again? |
Saturday June 17th was Lempira Day here on Roatan. Lempira is a national hero. He was chief the Lenca tribe and successful in fighting off the European invaders. He is believed to have been born in 1499. Lempira organized 30,000 fighters into a resistance force to be reckoned with, a force the Spanish could not defeat in battle. There is a long and storied history here with Roatan’s origins at the heart of it all. He is so revered that the Honduran currency "Lempira" is named after him.
The local Punta Jonesville School (52 students grades 1 -6) celebrated Lempira Day at the school. Norma, Larry’s new Honduran wife, is the principal. There is one other teacher at this two room school house. We are anchored about 300 yards from the school. This is same school to which Pat brought a good deal of needed supplies to upon our return from the states earlier in June. She is enjoying the interface with these bright young faces. They are enjoying the “gringo lady” and her good natured involvement. Smiles all around.
There was traditional music, dancing and great food. The parents all brought their local favorites including baleados, quava cake, fresh mango etc. One could hear the music and laughter from a good distance from the school. No doubt the kids were very happy and truly excited. A good time was had by all.
Later that evening we went to another “full moon party” (albeit not actually a full moon day) at the lovely home of Paul and Julie. They’re “semi expats” in that they still have a home/bed and breakfast in Beaufort, SC. They live here about 2 months of the year. We had a nice chat about Beaufort as it is on the potential hit list for “terra firma” locations whenever we decide to return to the states. Nothing discussed has caused us to remove Beaufort from our list!
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July 13, 2010 |
| Summer Doldrums... |
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Camp Bay Beach (North Shore)
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...or at least it seemed that way last week! Lately the wind has been whipping steadily around 15-25 out of the southeast and that makes life just about perfect. Without these winds it gets stifiling hot. We've been sleeping with a sheet as cover and enjoying pleasant days of snorkeling and swimming in bright sun light. We stay busy with errands requiring us to either walk a bit down island or taxi should we need to go further along. The anchorage remains quiet with only five boats here now. There were 30 plus when we were here back in March. Needless to say it's much nicer and much quieter now. We are to pick up our new glasses on Friday and then plan to sail back to Jonesville to reunite with our friends there. Today Don (local Jonesville) picked us up in his truck and carried us to Coxen Hole (biggest town on Roatan) where we did a little shopping etc. A nice lunch and then we where back aboard in time for our afternoon swim. Pat prepared a great dinner of cracked conch and conch salad. Once the dishes are stowed we'll settle into a movie. Looks like tonight will provide another great night's sleep. That's it for now.......we'll be in touch soon.
A couple of new pics here
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July 10, 2010 |
| Yes...there is a July 4th here! |
I caught a little crap for posting our "Canada Day" experience and neglecting our July 4th day. Well...it's simply a matter of timing (as in just not enough of it). So here's some pics from our day spent at Sandy's Oak Ridge home. She is a US expat (from Louisianna (good ole' "southern bell")). A good time was had by all repleate with Sousa Marching Band songs and a version of "Stars and Stripes" to bring a tear to your eyes. As always there was plenty of good food and libation.
On another note; we've sailed a bit westward to French Harbor to be nearer to the commercial area. We had eye exams yesterday and ordered new glasses. We have a few more odd jobs to take care of before heading back to Jonesville. We are planning our trip to mainland Honduras and Quatemala later in July. We'll sail to to Rio Dulce (Guatemala) put the boat in a marina and then take several overnight trips to Copan (Honduran mountain ruins) and Antqua (Quatemala). There is much to see and do up in these beautiful mountains and we are looking forward to a change (drastic) in the enviroment. More later.
Pics Here
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July 3, 2010 |
| Safely back in Honduras |
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Though it's nothing to do about Canada...
It's worn by our favorite Canadian!
Eh Larry?
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Due to complacency, laziness and general debauchery this blog site has been neglected whilst we frolicked here and there over the last several weeks. Hence a new style for this update! One long (boring) entry covering the recent past. It will meander backward in time. Good luck and don’t attempt to operate any heavy machinery during, or soon after, reading this diatribe. See your physician if permanent brain damage occurs.
PS - Pics, Captions and additional "fill ins" soon
Canada Day (July 1)
We went down island to attend our first Canada Day with Larry, Angie (both Canadians) and the rest of the Jonesville gang. Angie arranged for overnight accommodations at the Pirates Den Hotel along with an all day celebration at “Sundowners” (a local West End beach side bar). $10.00 a head with open bar (all day), Hawaiian (in ground) roast pig, free sailing, on small Lazer boats, and great Canadian music. There are many Canadians here; ExPats, tourists and, like us, wannabe Canucks for the day. What a deal! Stumbled back to the Pirates Den to air conditioning and cable TV. Watched Letterman and slept like babies.
Four days ago (Sunday June 27)
Up early to get to Atlanta airport by 7:30AM to make our 9:45AM flight (international BS requirement to be there two hours in advance). Oh well; we had great coffee and nice send off by Debbie and Randy (Pat’s) sister. Went through customs etc. and went to ticket counter. “Say what”? Oh….well OK. We’ll take being bumped to first class “thank you very much”. So off we go (mimosas in hand) luxuriating in the first class cabin. One could get used to this! It was a lovely flight if I must say so myself. Three hours later we had an uneventful (and enjoyable) touchdown in Roatan. After an hour long process we were cleared back in, renewed our visas, retrieved our luggage and headed for the taxi stand. All of a sudden I hear “Hey Randy”. Who the hell is calling me? We were expecting no one. Looking around we soon see Don Cameron (one of our good expat Roatan friends) standing there with a wide welcoming smile and an easy ride home. Things are really going our way. What a difference a day makes. We got back to HB, settled in and headed to the Hole in the Wall for a friendly reception from the Jonesville gang. As the sun was setting we sat back a bit exhausted but very glad to be home. Again we slept like babies.
Five days ago ( June 26)
Up early to get to Baltimore airport by 5:30AM to make our 7:30AM flight (same BS reason as above). Dan and Robin drove us over to the airport and we said our farewell’s at the Delta drop off. We were packing two check through bags each (lots of stuff to take to Roatan). WHAT? Must have been 300 people in line and milling about looking like dear in the headlights. We stumbled around passing by the “self check in” line because we have check through luggage. Tic Toc Tic Toc. We stand there a while only to find out that everyone must do “self check in” and, THEN, go to the back of the line to “check in”! Ok…so we move to the “self check in line” and await our turn. Tic Toc Tic Toc. It’s our turn. We follow the instructions (insert credit card and follow instructions). Step two insert passport (bar code up). Nothing happens. After several minutes of increased blood pressure a pencil necked geek attendant comes over and says we are in the Domestic “Self Check In” kiosk and have to go “over there” to the international kiosk. WHERE DOES IT SAY THAT? Tic Toc Tic Toc. Ok…we go over and work our way through the process and return to the back of the line we were originally in. Tic Toc Tic Toc. One by one every flight (which were now perilously close to being missed) had to be extracted (from the “baton death march like” line) and hurried through check in to make their flights. Tic Toc Tic Toc. Finally we are rushed through and get to the gate barely in time to make our flight. By now we are haggard, exhausted, sweaty and generally pissed off! OK…we’re on the plane and we move out to the tarmac and sit and sit.....and…. sit….and wait . Tic Toc Tic Toc. Then comes the announcement…”we have to return to the gate due to a problem with the breaks”. So back we go. We had to sit in our seats with the shades down to keep it cool (some of you know of my claustrophobia on planes right?). Tic Toc Tic Toc. Eventually we did actually take off at 9:30AM (two hours late) with little or no hope of making our connection in Atlanta. Wala, two hours later, we touchdown in Atlanta only to find that our Roatan flight has been canceled (due to weather they say??). We’re told to “Go stand in the customer help phone line”! So off we go and wait in line. Pick up the phone….“Hello how can I help you?” You can kiss me arse you Delta Dip Shit Prick (or, at least, that’s what I wanted to say). So, anyway, she goes on to tell me there are no flights until NEXT Saturday but their working on it. You’ll have to call back later. To make a long story short; we elected to call Debbie and Randy and stay at their house (there in Atlanta) and work it all out later. That simply leaves us with getting our baggage. Turns out there were two flights to Roatan and both were canceled. That’s something on the order of three hundred passengers (and their luggage). In keeping with Delta’s stellar performance they lost ALL of the Roatan bound baggage and would advise when they found it. In the hope of keeping our sanity we called Debbie to come pick up Pat. Debbie shows up with her grandchildren (Addison and Carter) and saves Pat from this travelers nightmare. I stayed behind to collect (await Delta finding it) our luggage. Three hours later I finally got the luggage, called Randy and asked to be picked up. Late in the day we all arrived at their lovely home. We salvaged the day with a relaxing dinner, great conversation and good wine. We fall asleep in a stupor. Oh yeah…Delta had, by this time, decided to have two new flights Sunday morning for all those who were stranded in Atlanta on Saturday. Through all the BS we had the unanticipated good fortune of meeting with Debbie and Randy (always a sure bet on comfort, fun and family connection). What a day!
Six days ago (June 25th )
We're back at Dan & Robins on Nabbs Creek and it's our last full day in the states. We took the HB mobile back to York yesterday and tucked her away for another year. We spent the night at Zachs. Today Zach, Amanda and John Hutton dropped us off on their way to Fenwick Island. We had a nice visit Friday morning on the new pier. It's always hard to say "good bye". We take comfort that we will all be together again soon and that our video phone calls make the distance apart bearable. They got underway and we were down to only one more tearful goodbye. We spent the day doing a bunch of nothing save enjoying the hospitality which comes naturally with Dan & Robin. We enjoyed another great meal on the new pier, whiled away the evening and, eventually fell back aboard KaChing (Dan & Robin’s trawler (with A/C and TV)) for a good night’s sleep.
Twelve days ago (June 19th)
Today was the 2010 opening day for the Margate Yacht Club. The yacht club has been stationed here at Dan & Robins on Nabbs Creek for, at least, the last thirty five years. Roy Anderson (former property owner) was the "bed rock" of the club. While our membership has dwindled our spirit, and that of the former membership, is alive and well. The weather was perfect with a gathering of around twenty five people. The day is spent spinning yarns, catching up with friends, planning cruises / raft ups and generally enjoying the day and great food. This club is especially dear to Pat and I as we were members back in the mid seventies when we owned an old wooden sailboat "WhiteCap". My parents, Jack and Kit Routson, sponsored us into membership. They were long standing members during those years they plied local waters aboard "Mona Lisa" (their 42' motoryacht). There is a lot of history here and we relish the time we've shared with others. We always look forward to the next event which brings us together again. Safe passages and fair winds gang. See you next year!
Pics Here
Fourteen days ago (June 17th )
Melancholy, bittersweet, jubilation, sorrow, anxiety, joyful, anxious? How does one describe it. We’re down to our last week in the states (last day in York) and our emotions are running high. Time certainly does fly by. Our “whirlwind” tour has allowed us to see many of our family and friends. To say that it was a blast doesn’t quite cut it! We’ve packed quite a bit into just three weeks. Our stay has also provided us with clues to just where we might be heading in the long run. We love it here, in the northeast, and will continue to return. That said, and as mentioned previously, our connection to friends and family is the only thing we really miss. That will never change. Something has, in fact, changed however. Perhaps we should say something’s been confirmed. Two years on the water has taught us that living inland is no longer a viable option for the future. The “urban” pace, northern latitudes (with chilly winters) and massive congestion just seems too “foreign” to us now. Add to it the separation from navitigable waterways and the decision is clear. When we return to terra firma it will be in the US Southeast coastal region. Somewhere from which we can easily “escape” to the Bahamas for the winter months. Somewhere, hopefully, where both Zach and Em are close by. There’s plenty of time to work it all out. It will all come soon enough. In two days we will return to our temporary “home” in Jonesville, Roatan. Funny how quickly one can connect to a place, it’s people and culture when the environment has a natural feel about it. Simplicity, slow paced and beautiful. We’re fortunate to be able to cross back and forth between these two diverse worlds. As is said “variety is the spice of life”.
Pics Here
Nineteen days ago (June 12th)
Lindsay and Aaron get married! It was a beautiful wedding held on the family farm in Glen Rock. Spring Valley Farms has beaucolic rolling hills, pastures, willows, pines and a gazebo looking over a large pond. It is a enchanting location for a wedding. The weather was a bit overcast but that did nothing to dampen the spirits of all in attendance who helped send these two on to this next leg of their lifes journey. For us it was like a reunion. Our dearest lifelong friends were in attendance. Nearly two hundred people in attendance and it's almost as though everyone knows everyone. As always; the food was great, music and dancing, laughter and a strong sense of "family". A good time was had by all. Good luck Lindsay and Aaron! Hope Belize was wonderful!
Pics Here
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June 24, 2010 |
| New Pics for Em.. |
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Jonesville, Roatan
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Our heads are spinning, we're exhausted and ready to return to Roatan. Have not had (or, at least, taken) the time to give much thought to the blog site. We'll catch up next week from the solitude of Homeward Bound! Here's a sampling. I'll caption once I recover. More from the "other side".
Click Here
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2010
Slow Days.......
August (12)