Lots of Chain

We're stuck in the sand in Roatan. We have a lot of chain out on the anchor as it has been a squally, windy few days with a few more days ahead. We were in Port Royal - on the western end near Mango Creek Lodge and made the move to the eastern end of Port Royal yesterday (Monday). It was just a short motor that we handled between some squalls. We think there might be a bit less chop in the water as we can get closer to the reef for protection - less fetch. But last night we did anchor watches through most of the night as the winds got very gusty and we were pulling good on that anchor chain. There seems to be a low, a trough and a tropical wave all converging in some fashion in the Caribbean and creating lots of squalls throughout the area.

The wind has kept us on board with a short snorkel break at one point. It was a good snorkel though the visibility was a bit dodgy with all the silt kicked up from the wind and waves. But it was good to get in the water and see some fish.

So what do you do on board when you're stuck? Michael has been re-sewing and re-engineering some of the canvas covers - extending them so they cover more hatches and perhaps we can keep windows open below them. We are prepping for a hot, rainy summer in Panama. We've been doing some boat cleaning and baking. Barbara baked bread the other day from a cruiser's recipe that almost took over the oven. It was kind of like the blob - it kept growing and growing and sliding over the top of the bread pan. It was weird looking but tasty.

We've played some dominoes with some other boaters (for the few days before the winds really started kicking up) and had a wonderful potluck with other boaters. We're both reading a lot - Michael's now tackling Benjamin Franklin's Autobiography and Barbara's reading Stieg Larrson's series - "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" and "The Girl Who Played with Fire" (which Michael had just finished) She also just finished Three Cups of Tea (an inspiring story).

We're in an area of Roatan (and have been for more than a week) where there are no stores so we're living off our supplies. The last of the fresh fruit and veggies are gone (and our tomatoes haven't yet started to produce red things). We have hoped for local fishermen with a fresh supply of fish - but it seems the winds must be keeping them in port as well.

Getting to the next island - Guanaja (where we cleared into the country) is our destination. But it is taking us quite a long time to make that 30 mile trip because of the weather. We're hoping to spend some time there and then start heading south again. We'd like to explore several of the anchorages, especially one called Michael's Rock which is supposed to be incredible (plus the name!) We'll see.

We may be anchored with lots of chain in Roatan for awhile.

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