Bay Islands

Guanaja

Thursday, March 15, 2012 (well it’s really April 11, but we’re getting closer) we have dropped our anchor in Sandy Bay, Guanaja one of the Bay Islands of Honduras. A sail of 150nm from the Vivarellos taking us 29 hours. We are ready for a nap. Upon arriving at Guanaja we first head to the Settlement to check in. The Settlement is the main town of the island; actually the Settlement takes up most of a smaller island a stones throw off the main island. Way back when the folks that settled here set up their settlement on the smaller island to give themselves a sense o safety and protection, from then the name stuck. This is one of the centers of the Bay Islands fishing fleet and not a location to spend a night at anchor, there is far too much boat traffic. We quickly drop the dink and head into town to visit Immigration and the Port Captain. The Port Captains office is at the town dock, however before visiting him you must first find your way to the Immigration office (bring copies of your passport as well as a copy of your zarpe from the last port of call, two copies of each should do it). From the Port Captains office head up the alley to the “main road” and hang a right, keep walking until you find the Immigration office on the right; it’s a five minute walk. Also, be sure to have the entire crew come ashore, otherwise a trip back to the boat to gather them up will be required. After finishing up with Immigration, we head back to the Port Captain for our entry papers at a cost of US$ 10.

sunrise Sandy Bay

After so much stress we stop for a refreshment at a local establishment and catch up with some cruisers who call Guanaja home. It is from this group that we learn of the anchorage at Sandy Bay, a short hop east of the Settlement. After nearly two months of rockin-n-rollin at anchor or underway we have found PARADISE. With not a ripple across the bay and a clear night sky we crawl into the v-berth for a good afternoons/nights rest. The evening proves to be cool requiring the addition of a blanket to the bed, allowing for a wonderful twelve hours rest.

fishing fleet

Our first order of business is to resupply the fresh water tanks to allow for showers and laundry. For this we head into the Manati Bar and Restaurant, a short few hundred yards off the stern of Boto. Claus and Annette run the Manati and offer fresh water at their dock gratis; of course we felt the need to be hospitable so we joined them for a nice liter of Bavarian Dark beer and some onion pie. Claus and Annette are from Germany and have been in Honduras and the Bay Islands for a couple of decades; however they still manage to import some of their favorite gastronomic items from the fatherland.

chillin' at La Giralda

With water topped off and chores done for the day we are ready to relax, but first a visit from the folks at the La Giralda resort (www.bayislandhotel.com). They’ve stopped by in their run-about to invite us to the Friday Night bonfire complete with coupons for a free drink and to offer us a complimentary bag of ice. The folks at La Giralda know how to get our attention. Guanaja is quickly becoming one of our favorites.

the local highway

a side street

We mentioned the resorts run-about, this needs further explanation. Other than the pedestrian walkway on the Settlement, the island of Guianaja has only one road. That road is a one mile stretch between two of the villages on the north side of the island, otherwise there are no roads. The primary mode of transportation is water craft, followed by foot power.

beach combing

While the south side of the island boasts most of the population, if heading to Guanaja we suggest spending some time on the north side as well. Although the north is fringed by coral reef a nice clear day with good visibility makes it an easy trip. We take the 20nm trip around the island to drop anchor off Michaels Rock. Here we find excellent hiking and snorkeling as well as simple beach combing. The north side offers a great expanse of white sand beach in and of itself worth the trip. Of course we also went for the waterfall (well more of a junior waterfall, but fresh cool water none the less).

With a week’s rest behind us it is time to carry on heading west to the island of Roatan. The weather these last few months have been ideal for sailing, actually using the white hankies that make us a sailing vessel. The trip to Roatan is no exception; we cover the 30nm in five hours sailing downwind in 15-20k of breeze.

the falls

Bubba at the falls

Our first stop is Jonesville Bight. As we approach to cut into the bight the wind calms down as does the swell allowing us to make out the channel through the reef quite easily. The cut requires us to put a little “English” on our entrance in order to avoid the shoals to either side, of course just as we make our turn to head through the cut the wind kicks up to 20k pushing the swell over the reef making for a fun filled surge into the anchorage. We make it through with the depth rising to ten feet before dropping off again to fifty; always have enjoyed entering a new anchorage. Jonesville is a nice introduction to Roatan, a little busier than Guanaja but not quite so much as French Harbor. Next up for us is French Cay Harbor, for those heading this way make your way into French Cay Harbor rather than French Harbor, the later is primarily commercial in nature. There are some buoys in French Cay however we opt for our anchor as a known quantity. There is a beautiful marine park off our anchorage which offers some nice snorkeling and there is always the resort ashore for volleyball, BBQ, WiFi, Happy Hour, Pot-lucks (reminds us of the Bahamas).

Jonesville Bight

Jonesville school bus

After three years cruising we rarely just go sailing, actually we never do. However, we met a couple from Colorado at the resort who expressed an interest in sailing so we invited them aboard. With little forecast for good wind we head out of the anchorage for a few hours tour. To our surprise the wind picked up we shut off the engine and just sailed for two hours with now destination in mind, just following the wind. What a great day we had, just enjoying the sea and sun. Odd how even life on the water can become routine after a while, it was great to be reminded of how much we enjoy being on the water.

the end of a day sail

Once again we are off, this time to Utila the last and most westward of the Bay Islands and our jumping off point for Guatemala. Although we had planned on staying in the Bay Islands for a while longer the weather window for heading west is too attractive to pass up. Planning a few days stopover in Utila before making the overnight passage to the Rio Dulce we bid Roatan farewell on March 29. If asked and we were, to rate the Bay Islands we would have to put Guanaja first, Utila second and Roatan third. Keep in mind that the three islands have very different environments. Guanaja being remote and relaxed, while Roatan offers more of a tourist/city destination (however keep in mind this is still the Caribbean) and Utila is somewhere in the middle.

While on Utila we manage to take in a few dives with the folks at Parrot Dives while also enjoying some very good meals ashore. The Driftwood Grill on the west side of East Harbor offers Texas BBQ. As the bar/restaurant is owned by a couple of expatriate Texans the dry rub ribs are the real deal. However, the fish sandwiches are awesome.

Diamond Cay

With a good weather forecast and the urge to get going again we relocate ourselves to the west side of Utila and an anchorage behind Diamond Cay. Once again we have to thread the needle between reefs, this time we were able to follow a couple of dive boats through the cut. After the music and parties of East Harbor, the anchorage at Diamond Cay is a welcome respite. We’re able to get a good night’s rest and are off for Guatemala the morning of April 3. With a forecast of NE/SE winds in the afternoon and evening of 10-15k and light and variable in the mornings we figure to have a nice days sail on Tuesday the 3rd, likely having to motor the last 10-20 miles on Saturday the 4th of April. Ah, the best laid plans….