A New Stamp in the Passports

We are now legally in Honduras after a fishless four day Caribbean adventure. We did catch some things - a sad state of the seas - we caught a large piece of polypropylene line and a plastic bag (that looks like it held ice at one point). Early on Sunday, we came into the reef system at Guanaja - the small southeastern most of the Bay Islands. It was a busy Sunday in the harbor off Guanaja Settlement (the town) - also called Bonacca. Lots of water taxis zipping about - very fast and with little effort to dodge other boats and anchored vessels. There is another town on another cay nearby and the taxis seem to shuttle folks back and forth. There is a large shrimp boat fleet here as well. They were in dock both for the upcoming Semana Santos (Holy Week) and because it's a big moon. There was one boat, named "Mr. Gibson" which came into the harbor in the afternoon, then left later that evening. We find that funny, because Dave and Lorna "Gibson" will be joining us here in the Bay Islands next week, it seems that they already have "connections."

Today, Monday, we did the legal duty of going to immigration and the Port Captain. Finding a place to tie the dinghy is a challenge here - as the big "water taxi" dock - where you are supposed to be able to tie for a short time - was packed with large shrimp boats. Together with the incessant zipping about of the water taxis there was no room for a dinghy. We were waved into a fuel dock and told we could leave our dinghy there which we did and then headed to find the necessary legal authorities. It was an easy and inexpensive entry. Friendly, though not overly conversant authorities, gave us 90 days in their country for the whopping total of $6. That's a bargain!!

We're stamped in and then did a bit of cruising around the town which is quite a busy place. Lots of small tiendas and veggie stands. The boat for fresh stuff arrives tomorrow - so other than a few tomatoes and cukes - there was little fresh fruit or veggies to be found. A power outage on the island earlier also meant the fresh bread wasn't quite ready. We went and stood for an hour in line at the bank to get some of the local currency - the Lempira (named after an Indian). You get a fair amount of "lemps" (as they are called) for a dollar (19 L per $1 US). But then again a loaf of bread cost 35 Lempira and a kilo of shrimp (2.2 lbs) cost 1800 lemps.

So after a quick tour through the town, we wanted to head to a different anchorage because a big weather front is headed this way this afternoon and evening. Winds are predicted to be at 30 knots out of the northwest and where we were anchored near the town - we didn't feel comfortable. So we wanted to head to a place called El Bight - a little more protected from the northwest and better holding.

We pulled anchor and headed carefully through the reefs to El Bight. There are about a dozen boats anchored here already and with a big blow coming - giving everyone plenty of swinging room is critical. We found a spot - and dropped the hook. We're a bit on the outside with not a lot of wind protection - but hopefully we'll hold. Some friends from Chapter Two and Chrisandaver Dream (the British couples we did a barb-b-que with on Providencia) are also anchored here.

So we are settled in a new spot, legal, and ready to start exploring a bit over the next few days. We'll stay on Guanaja for a few days and then before Monday, head to Roatan to meet Dave and Lorna.

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Day Four - Underway

We are safely anchored off the little town of Bonacca. A very tightly packed islet where most of the population of Guanaja, Honduras lives. We had a very long night. After no wind and motoring for 12 hours, we tried sailing again and then the wind picked up and we had to try and slow down. We never, never approach a new harbor in the dark.

We made it, but it was yet another rolly and tough night for sleeping off watch. We will clear in tomorrow and send more details about the Bay Islands of Honduras soon. First order of business. . . rest.

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Day Three - Underway

After a Thursday 0600 departure from the lovely Isla Providencia, we sailed and sailed and sailed. The winds were good at the beginning though the seas were about 6 to 8 feet and confused. It was great to sail and we didn't burn any fossil fuel. We made good time. Then it slowed to a just over 3 knots for much of the second night. The moon was very bright and up most of the night - and the skies were clear - sunny in the daytime and star-filled at night. We originally were planning on stopping at the Vivarillos - a protected reef area that is almost halfway between Isla Providencia and the Bay Islands. But we arrived there in the dead of night and decided to continue sailing. About 0200 on Saturday morning, the wind simply died and we were barely ghosting along at 2 knots. We decided that we needed to power up the engine and make some headway. So we finally succumbed to motoring. The weather report predicts better wind for the remainder of the trip - so as soon as there is enough breeze - we'll put the sails up and shut the engine off.

We've been dragging a line - but we were going so slow - no luck fishing. We did however, lose a lure. Bummer. We did catch one fish - A good sized flying fish flew right into the cockpit - and started smelling up the place. Of course, this always happens in the dark!

With the engine on, we're charging the batteries, making some water and doing a bit of laundry.

Multiple day passages gets you into a routine. Day one is usually getting the sea legs back and getting used to the motion of the boat. It also means getting used to sleeping in shifts - three hours on and three hours in bed. The first day it was so rolly - there was little sleep to be had. After awhile, you're body does adjust to the watches, the sea motion, and you get into a rhythm.

All is well - you can check our passage with position reports on the "where are we page" on the website.

We should get to Guanaja by Sunday afternoon.

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New Highs on our Wedding Anniversary

Yup, he tried to kill me on our 13th anniversary! El Pico challenged us - and we took the challenge. We had arranged the tour with a guide and transportation to the base of El Pico. At 7:30ish, together with some other cruisers (from the boats: Sea Horse, The W.C. Fields, Nilaya, Ruby Slippers, and Honah Lee) twelve of us climbed into the back of a pick-up, driven by Elvis(turns out he is alive and living on Providencia), and headed around the island. Elvis stopped at a few spots to point out island landmarks. This place is quite beautiful - with things painted in bright colors and lots of tile work.

We got dropped off at the base of the highest point on the island and were met by our guide, Suckey. (Yes, our guide was Suckey!) His niece, Sophia (about eight years old) also joined us together with the woman from the tourist bureau Chrysanthea. So we figured with Chrysanthea in flip flops and an eight year old - how hard could this be? Suckey, with a jug of water and a machete led the way (stopping by a small hut on the way through the town for a swig of homemade rum, which he claimed was "for the blood"). The crew started up a path and interesting flora was pointed out along the way. There is this very wierd thorny bush with lovely fragile fernlike leaves - but the thorns are quite deadly looking and they harbor a mean little ant with a vicious bite. This was how the Brits often tortured some captured Spanish - tying them to one of these trees and letting the ants have a feast until they "talked." There was also a colorful little berry that is used for making bracelets, necklaces and art. There were lots of different tree varieties including noni, yuccas, mangoes, birches, cotton, and a sweet plum. The cotton tree is used as a filler for pillows. As we made our way up a path that got steeper and steeper, we walked along lots of rocks that would be covered in water during the rainy season. The rocks were a bit of ankle twisters, but we trekked on. The eight year old was like a little goat - running ahead and then waiting for Chrysanthea. The flip flops were not such a great idea!

Luckily it was a cloudy day - otherwise the heat may have been too much. The humidity was quite high and it was a workout. It was hard to look around you, having to look at your feet and the next step - so you didn't trip on a rock or stump. We passed an area where someone was trying to conserve the native plants, many of which got destroyed in a hurricane a few years back. There was an area where they had all these tiny black plastic bags filled with dirt and sprouts of mango, sweet plum and some other native trees. They get seeded and then given to folks to plant in their yards or lower on the mountain during rainy season. Quite a cool project.

Anyway, we kept moving up the hill like a trail of ants following Suckey. Finally, we broke through the dense woods and started to see some remarkable views of the island. As we got to the peak, it got quite windy. The overcast day didn't make for the best photographs, but it certainly made for a bearable hike. We sat at the top of El Pico on the rocks and took in the islands view and a chance to rest. As we were resting, two more groups of climbers showed up. Apparently, El Pico is "the" thing to do. Then, we reversed and headed downhill - which in some ways was even more difficult.

On the way down, because it had gotten warmer, we saw some of the islands very colorful lizards - they are this very bright blue with a colorful stripe down their backs. They are poisonous(should you choose to eat one). They are cleverly named "Blue Lizards" (a name even we could remember).

We made it back down the hill - hot, tired and sweaty. The hikers (in typical cruiser fashion) instantly sought out a tienda for some cold beers. We had a very tasty cold one and then loaded back in Elvis' truck for the ride back. He went a different way - so by the end - we had been around the entire island. We stopped by a woman's art studio - she's the one that makes all the fabulous tiles seen on the island.

Once back, several cruisers decided to try to a small local restaurant for lunch. We enjoyed a big "typical" feast of soup, meat, rice, and slaw. It was tasty and not expensive.

We headed back to the boats and could not move the rest of the day. We had planned to head out for an anniversary dinner - but decided we didn't even have the energy to get the dinghy in the water (we got picked up in the morning by a fellow cruiser to "dinghy pool" into the dock for the morning trip.) So we had some leftovers for dinner after a much needed swim/shower. It was an early night for the crew and today -we are surprised we can move.

It was a great hike with great views and a good adventure. Now, we wait for weather to head to Honduras. It's been very windy with some cold fronts coming through. We have guests coming to Honduras in early April - so we need to start moving relatively soon.

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Musica Typical

On Friday night, Old Providence put on a big show for the island's guests. Mr. Bush, the maritime agent, told all the boats that this was for them and attendance was just about mandatory! It was a great event in the town park near the dinghy dock. Young children in traditional (or as they call it "typical") costumes did some dances and were quite good. Two different groups did different types of dances. The live band was quite a combination of traditional instruments including a "horse jaw" (teeth and all) that was played like a cow bell - but had an interesting rattle from the teeth. There was a washtub bass; a rhythm guitar, a mandolina, maracas and a wood block. The gentlemen in the band also sang and it was quite fun. A really funny song about Matilda spending all a man's money in Venezuela was great. Mr. Willie B, the mandolina player is quite famous in these parts - he even has CDs and was quite good. Michael hunted out some cold brews so we could have something to drink while being entertained. The town set up all these chairs for the "guests" - with Mr. Bush tossing the local kids off the chairs when more gringos showed up! It was great because most of the cruising boats showed up- and there are now about 18 in the harbor. There were also some tourists who are on the island who came and enjoyed the festivities. The last dance number by these eight young girls grabbed some men from the crowd to dance - with Capt. Michael being the first one picked. And we all know how he loves to dance!!!

After about 90 minutes or so of music and dance, they put up a sheet against a building and projected a documentary (in Spanish) about water conservation. It seems that March 22 is El Dia de Agua (Day of water). Then, they showed a bunch of public service announcements about water conservation and then the "Planet Earth" series (all in Spanish). It was an interesting night.

On Monday, we have put together a hike to El Pico - the highest point on the island. We have a guide and it's up to twelve people (gotten a little larger than we anticipated). We'll get an early start and hopefully make it up and back - with some good photos and a few "colorful lizard" sightings.

We'll let you know how it goes. Today (Sunday), we'll snorkel some caves and get laundry done.

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Hiking, Snorkeling, Socializing=?ISO-8859-1?Q?=85?=and Boat Projects

It's been very pleasant in Providencia these past few days. We moved the boat a bit closer to town to try to eliminate some of the roll in the anchorage - and it seems to have helped. It's a very shallow bay - we're now anchored in about 8 feet of water! Luckily the tides are only about a foot.

We've done some exploring around Santa Catalina. There is a well maintained trail around the island that takes you to a Fort (that was built by the pirates), Morgan's head (a naturally carved stone sculpture that resembles a man's head - one that supposedly looks like the pirate Henry Morgan) and to the spot labeled "Morgan's Treasure" (though we're thinking if it's labeled "treasure" it wouldn't still be there!). The trail is up and down hills with some incredible views over the turquoise waters and reefs. The island is filled with palm trees and exotic plants. The trail is really well maintained with bamboo handrails in some areas, hawser handrails in other areas, a bamboo bridge, trail markers with info on beautifully painted tiles - just a really lovely hike. We saw some very colorful lizards as well - one that was a bright royal blue.

We also have walked around the "big" town Santa Isabel on Providencia - it's about three streets. There is a small internet café - but it very slow; two bakeries, a hardware store, two small groceries, two banks and the administration buildings. We haven't yet tried any of the several small restaurants. The town has a small hospital and several churches. One bridge, called "Lover's Lane" connects Providencia with Santa Catalina. It is made of wood colorfully painted. In the center you climb up about 8 steps and then down 8 - that is the bridge opening for small launches and dinghies to get through. The area is well maintained, very clean and lots of outdoor art - metal sculptures and nice tile work.

We've also snorkeled in a few places. The reefs on the outside of the harbor (the leeward side) are remarkable. More barracudas than we've seen - some in schools and few very large ones stalking the reefs alone. It seemed every time you saw a nice big fish - there was a barracuda protecting it. This reef's quite healthy and it was a fun afternoon exploring.

The next day we went by dinghy through the lover's lane bridge and around the corner to "Crab Cay." This was recommended to us by the very helpful man in the tourist's office. He said it was great snorkeling. It was quite a dinghy ride - and unfortunately the reefs were not very healthy. There was a lot of fish - but the reefs were covered with algae and all brown.

So we stopped at a few more spots on the way back and one was terrific if you got on the outer edge (the deep side) of the reef. It had a remarkable collection of fish and some healthy coral structure. We saw all kinds of critters lettuce sea slugs, fingerprint cyphomas, flamingo tongues, flame helmet shell (alive), damselfish, angel fish, hamlets, basslets, parrotfish, beautiful true tulip shell, file fish, porcupine fish, cow fish, queen trigger fish, shark, all types of snapper, colorful coral fish - so many things. We also saw a soldierfish with an isopod attached. (this is a weird parasite that attaches to the fish's head - kinda weird looking). It really ended up being a great spot because of the fish and critter variety.

Last night, we were invited to a "barbie" on the beach with two other boats. They are British boats and one (an IP) had caught quite a bit of fish - so we enjoyed grilled jack. The funniest part - was the grill on the beach. There was a concrete grill - it had rocks inside and we put coconut husks in as the cooking fuel, As the fire heated up - the fire started to explode - first small pops sending out ash, then it progressively got to be bigger and bigger explosions. It started to send out the hot coconut husks and then the rocks from the bottom of the grill. It was dangerous anywhere on the beach as this fire belched out hot rocks and wood bits. One rock was sizzling hot and Mike from the boat Chapter Two got a hot bit on his head that started to burn his hair. We'll have to show a rock to one of our geologist friends to see what made these rocks explode. It was weird. The fish, potatoes and garlic bread finally got cooked and we enjoyed a feast and good company staying on the beach past dark to enjoy a very starry night. We negotiated our way back to the boats via dinghies well after "cruisers' midnight."

A few nights earlier we got invited about "Genesis" with a great German couple and enjoyed a few night cocktails and conversation with them. They had a rough trip here and are awaiting parts for a broken engine and headsail foil. It's nice to start to get to know some folks here.

And between all the hiking, snorkeling, and socializing - we are getting some stainless polished, fuel tanks filled, the bottom cleaned, cooking done, cleaning, practicing Spanish and small repairs completed.

We still want to hike to "El Pico" and rent scooters to get around the island. More boats are arriving daily and the anchorage is getting filled. Mr. Bush, the agent is counting his money!

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Legal in Colombia

Providencia is geologically located off the coast of Nicaragua (see the dot on our "where are we" map, but is politically part of Colombia. Yesterday, we saw the "agencia de Maritima" Mr. Bush (no relation to what he calls "that crazy gringo"). He met us at the tourist office, we walked to his office and then we waited for the Port Captain to clear us in. He arrived, did his paperwork, then we walked to the Immigration office to get clearance. We are now all official, the yellow flag is down and we are set for a few weeks on the lovely island of Providencia.

The island is topographically stunning - it is volcanic in origin and has lots of hilly terrain. Yes, we will be climbing hills! There is a smaller island, Santa Catalina, attached to the larger island by a foot bridge. Several other smaller islands on the windward side are part of a National Park. The entire island, along with its sister island San Andres, were made part of the Unesco Seaflower Biosphere Reserve in 2000. This includes the two islands and a surrounding 300,000 square kilometers of marine area - about 10% of the Caribbean Sea. The objective is conservation and environmental protection of an ecosystem with great biological diversity.

The waters surrounding the island are that beautiful Caribbean turquoise, and coming in, we could actually see the bottom clearly in 30 feet of water. There are many coral reefs and there is supposed to be a rich underwater life here - so we will definitely spend some time in the water while here.

The hills also have many hiking trails. In the center, the highest peak is called "El Pico" which we are going to tackle. It is supposed to have quite a vibrant lizard life. The towns are small and have little bakeries, groceries and even an ice cream shop or two. We had a scoop yesterday after clearing in - and it wasn't the tastiest we've had - but it was ice cream. We may also rent a motor scooter and zip around the 17 sq. km. island.

The island is populated with almost 5000 residents, mostly from mainland Colombia. Traditionally known as Old Providence, there is quite a history for this small out of the way island. Dutch colonists made there home here in the 16th century and then were thrown out by the English who effectively colonized the island. They brought in Jamaican slaves to cultivate tobacco and cotton. The Spanish were a little miffed at the Brits success - so they did what they normally did in 1635 - invade! But they were not successful.

Because of its strategic location, the island provided convenient hide-outs for pirates waiting to sack Spanish galleons bound for home laden with gold and jewels. In 1670, the legendary pirate (of rum fame) Captain Henry Morgan, called Providencia his home base. From here, he regularly invaded Colombia and Panama. Legend has it that his treasure is still hidden on the island. Maybe we'll find it and can continue cruising a few more years!

Colombia laid claim to the islands. Nicaragua fiercely disputed that claim. A treaty in 1928 settled the claim which confirmed Colombia's sovereignty over the island. Nicaragua continues to press the issue at the International High Court of Justice in the Hague. Every so often, Nicaraguan boats get into the maritime space and the Colombians send in the navy and submarines to "saber rattle." It looks like at this point, the islands will remain Colombian.

After a good night's sleep (though there was a bit of a roll in the harbor), we'll probably go to shore today and walk around a bit. It will be a slow and easy weekend for the Astarte crew after the passage. Then we'll start exploring in earnest next week.

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