May, 2010

An Island Chain 60 miles from the Honduran/Nicaraguan Border

Honduras

We stayed on board all day.  We are anxious to get back in the water to fish.

Pina and Pinos on S/V Micitre from Italy, invited Gene and Brenda and Sonny and I over for some Italian coffee.   It was very good (and I am not a coffee drinker).  But, she served it with a nice piece of chocolate.

After we returned to Valentina, Sonny was cleaning on the bottom and I washed the side of the boat.   While he was cleaning, a barracuda was nearby, intent in watching him.   So, Sonny asked me to hand him his spear gun.  Barracuda for dinner.

 

Pretty...but looks are deceiving.  They stink to high heaven. We put them in the freezer, and the conch cooperated and came right out, but the horse conch liked his home and would not come out.  So, we soak him in salt water and shake it every day and refill with fresh water.  Someday....

We all gathered on Queen Mary again for music.

After the morning nets, we went snorkeling back to the hogfish spot.   Sonny got three today.

After we got back to the boat, he cleaned the fish and I fried it.   We will snack and eat on it for several days.

It looks like a good weather window tomorrow for our friends to head to Roatan, so we all gathered on Queen Mary one last time.   It is amazing how quick you make lasting friendships out here.

This morning early, we said our goodbyes and waved to our dear friends on Queen Mary, and new friends on Sea Star and Footloose.   They are all three headed back to Roatan.   We opted to head back the other way...to Providencia, then Colombia.  We are not ready to leave this place, so we are going to hang out a while longer.

It is a beautiful sight watching three sailboats sail gracefully off in the distance.   We called them the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria.   We kept in contact with them on the VHF for 30 miles.

Bill on S/V Snow Virgin is coming to the Hobbies from La Ceiba.  We were asked if they could bring us any supplies, so we sent them a wish list.   Our vegetables have lasted pretty good, but we are out of fruit.

We started on our project list.   We emptied our quarter berth to check the voltage and water level in the batteries underneath.  All is well.  Sonny added some water but the voltage was good.

 

Have to rest after our project time.

Today we listened for our friends on the morning nets.   They are near their destination and had a good crossing.

We continued on with projects.  Sonny checked the batteries in the lazarette.   They were all good also.  Just needed a little water.

Our batteries are so important to us.  We have 10 T-105 Trojan golf cart batteries and supply sufficient power for us with our solar panels.   We run our watermaker, refrigerator, freezer, computers, lights and stereo on it without having to use the generator or motor to charge.  Every boat and system is different, but this is working very well for us on Valentina.

Since our friends left yesterday, we are the only sailboat around.  There are two guys on the small island and a local fishing boat with about four guys on board anchored near the island.

We listen on the morning nets to see if anyone is headed this way from Providencia or Roatan.   The weather is settling somewhat, so boats are moving around.    We feel perfectly safe here, but since it is so remote, we would prefer another dinghy to go snorkeling with us when we are not snorkeling near the boat.

We know how Columbus must have felt anticipating ships coming on the horizon.    All you see is water, water.....no ships.

I washed clothes today while Sonny changed the battery in the dinghy.   We have an electric start on our Yamaha 20 hp, and have a spare battery.  So, he put the spare on for a few days to charge it up.

This morning, we heard S/V Snow Virgin, our supply boat, is one day away from being here.   We have not met him yet, but are looking forward to it.   He is bringing us some fruit and vegetables.

We were hungry for something, besides fish today, so I made a huge pot of spaghetti.   We ate a little and took the pot over to Captain Dan's fishing boat.      They were most grateful.   There are five guys on the boat and two more on the island.

Captain Dan is a boat here from Honduras that helps watch the lobster traps on the three nearby islands.   The lobster boats leave their hundreds of traps stacked on the small islands during the closed season, March through August.

It is the rainy season, and we have had splashes of rainfall so far.  We were able to collect about 1/4 of a tank of rain water (25 gallons) yesterday though, so that was nice.

 Today, we just read and hung out on the boat.   I worked on the website and started on some new videos.

We kept watching and calling for Snow Virgin, but were unable to see them on the radar, with binoculars, or reach them on the VHF.

On the evening check-in for the NW Caribbean Net, Snow Virgin checked in.   He was near the Vivorillos and decided to sail up close to the islands and drop his anchor.   After three days out, and no engine, he was ready to drop his hook and quit beating into the wind, waves and current.

Bill was 20 miles away from us, at the Vivorillos so we told him we would sail over there today to get our supplies before he heads back to La Ceiba.

So we prepared Valentina and was underway for the four hour sail to the Vivorillos.

After we arrived, we dropped the dinghy and went over to meet Bill and get our supplies.   He is a Texan also and has been down here seven years.   He previously lived aboard his boat in Watergate Marina in Kemah for 17 years.  Wow....what a small world!

He is leaving early in the morning to head back to La Ceiba.   He will have the wind and waves behind him, so it should be a nice sail.    We are also going to pull up our anchor and head back to the Hobbies.   This anchorage is rolly.

We came back to the boat and enjoyed a delicious bowl of mangos.   They are in season now.... and....absolutely delicious!

At daylight, we could see Snow Virgin's sail come from behind the island.   He is on his way, sailing to La Ceiba.

We also prepared the boat to get underway.  We pulled up anchor at 7:30 a.m. to head the 20 miles north back to the Hobbies.

The wind and waves are on our nose, along with the strong current.  After a long motor, we arrived back at the Hobbies at 1:45.  

Doug and Lisa on S/V Highland Light came over this afternoon.   It was good to meet them.   We had talked on the radio, but never met.   We feel like we have known them forever.   Very nice people.  She looks like she could be my sister.

Doug got a nice one and Sonny snatched one.   We both had fish for dinner.   Another zero dollar day spent in the Hobbies.

We felt good after the exercise, but were tired.

Happy Birthday today to C h a s e our 8 year old Grandson.

Today, the wind is still howling so we just stayed on board during the day.

I made a pot of beans, baked some bread and a Texas Sheet Cake.

The Honduran Coast Guard was in the anchorage today checking all of the boats.   They checked the two local Honduran fishing boats and the island very thoroughly then came to the two sailboats. 

All seven of them came on board Valentina.  They were excited to see down below in the sailboat and asked to see our zarpe.  They were very young, but nice guys.  They assured us there were no problems in the Hobbies and everything was tranquil with the fishing boats. 

Doug and Lisa invited us over for some pizza she was preparing out of tortillas.   Sure!

We are the only two sailboats around for about a 225 miles in one direction and 185 in the other.  

All of a sudden, on channel 72 on the VHF, a man said, "To all the boats in the Hobbies anchorage, that are coming to the big pizza party aboard S/V Highland Light tonight, come in, please".

Sonny was in the shower, and I was laughing so hard....I could not respond to Doug.    We were the 'only' other boat within 200 miles!   After I could gain my composure, I finally responded.   He wanted us to bring some ice.    We had a good time together.

After walking around and taking lots of pictures, Francisco was in the small building cooking some conch and coconut beans and rice.   They invited us to stay and eat with them. 

	This is the cabin they live in on the island.   But, look check out their view from their window.

We were very hesitant, as they do not have a supply of food.  It was humbling to us, for them to invite us to eat with them.   And, the food was really delicious.   Francisco prepared the four of us a nice plate of food and sat and talked to us while we ate.   He said the three of them would eat later.

They mentioned they did not have any coffee or more rice, so we told them we had some we could give them.  So both boats filled up bags of groceries and took back to our friends.

Sonny cleaned half the bottom today in the wind and waves while I made bread and a pizza.

Our friends, Doug and Lisa, on S/V Highland Light, departed this morning for Guanaja.  We are waiting on the weather to settle to head the other way (on the nose, of course).  Going the wrong way....again.

We watched Kenneth this afternoon out fishing near the reef where we are anchored.   He was out for about four hours gathering food for the three guys to eat.

Before he went back to his island, he came out to see us.  He asked us if we wanted four of his catch of the day.  There were four others left for them.  He was so kind, not asking anything in return.  We were playing cards when he came, and we asked if we could trade him anything for our dinner.   He said, "maybe some cards...."   So, I went below and got a deck of cards for the guys.   Very nice guys.

                         So, we did.

As we drove by the island, we waved goodbye to our new friends, knowing they would not be there next time we return.  It is not a glorious job.  We kind of related it to problem kids in the US, sent to a deserted island, to learn to feed themselves.   They do not get much help from others.  The spend four months on the island, guarding the lobster traps, for $250 a month.  Then, when lobster season is open, they go to work on the lobster boat for 8 months.  We sure did enjoy them.

The wind is down to 15 knots, out of the southeast and the waves are 5'.  On the nose......we sure know where the wind is coming from, just look at the pointy end of Valentina.   And, it is not the stern.  ; )

We decided to go ahead and do it.   It is a fairly comfortable ride, or rather....motor.   We have to head east for one day, then we get to turn a little more southerly.  So, hopefully we will be able to sail.

Provisioning while being out so long is a real challenge.   But, it is a good one.   When we got underway, I made a pot of soup out of the leftover onions, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage we had on board since mid-April.   We do OK with keeping vegetables for a while, it is the fruit that we run out of....and, miss.

We caught one nice king mackerel today while underway.

While we were underway yesterday, the only traffic we passed, were two sailboats.   Both of the boats, we had previously talked to on the morning nets.   We knew their position, their destination, their ETA, and we talked to them, as we would be passing each other during the middle of the night.

As the day progressed, we had a total of 8 sailboats and 2 trawlers passed us within 3 miles.  We knew and talked to all of them.  Of course, we are the only ones headed the 'other' way.

Derrick on S/V Keltic Dancer was so close we took photos of each others boat under sail.  He is going downwind....wing on wing.

Cruisers volunteer to be net controllers for the morning nets and also have an evening check-in for those underway.   It is a safety issue and nice to have friends checking our your where-abouts, when it is in the middle of the sea, at night.

So, needless to say, we listen to the morning nets each morning to check on friends.  And, we are most thankful to have them checking on us.

The location we are passing is in Media Luna.  Of the NW Caribbean, this is the area of most concern for cruisers.   There have been several instances in the past regarding 'pirates' boarding boats, mainly to rob them.   So, much caution is taken in this area.   Some boats run without lights, so as not to be seen.   We are not comfortable running without lights, but we will use our lower running lights and not our top tri-color light, so as to only be seen about 5 miles.   We give Media Luna a wide berth of 15 miles, so we are outside the local traffic area.

We had an issue with our batteries while underway.   We were motoring most of the trip, then sailed for about four hours.   When Sonny tried to start the motor, it would not start.  The batteries were too low.  So, he was able to start and run the generator and charge the batteries enough to start the engine.  We will check on that when we get to Providencia.

	By the end of 1670, the well known pirate, Henry Morgan, had obtained control of the island and made it his base for his most famous and victorious attack on Panama City. Legend has it that upon his return, the old captain hid his treasure somewhere on the island. This tale has been the subject of much speculation through the years, while the location of the alleged treasure trove remains a mystery.
Captain Morgan's Head in the channel of Providencia
		Captain Morgan

At 5:30 p.m. all of the cruisers in the anchorage went to a local restaurant for dinner.  There were probably 20 people there.  They prepared a meal of conch, pig tails, yucca, plantains, and a bread.  It was my first attempt of pig tail, but it was just like shredded ham.

Several boats are departing in the morning, so it was good to see everyone before they leave.

After a squall blew through last night, we went in to the island, hopefully to watch the finals of the local softball games.   We walked around, towards the fields, but the games were rained out.   So we just walked around and enjoyed the island.

On Saturday, we ate two very small avocados we bought at the local store and they were......delicious!   We wanted to go back to buy some more to make some guacamole and buy some chips.  So, we went back the next day (Sunday) and they were closed.  We went back on Monday and they were closed from 12 - 2:30 p.m.    At 2:30 we checked, and they were out but the supply ship comes in on Wednesday.   We have to wait.

The local people here are so friendly.   We were talking to one lady who had just come from a funeral.  She said the pianist at the local Baptist church had just played at the morning service and was walking down the steps of the church, collapsed and died.  She was 85 years old and had played the piano forever for the church.   After a good, long life, what a way to go!  When the roll is called up yonder, she'll be there.

We went swimming at a nearby beach today.  It was very nice and relaxing.   We met some local Colombianos vacationing on the island.

We went into town, because it is Wednesday, and the supply boat arrived.   Time for some avocadoes!  We went to the store and no avocadoes.   I asked at the counter, and they said "They are green, will be ready tomorrow!"  So, we will again wait.

The wind began coming out of the west today.   The only place the anchorage is not totally protected.  So, the waves are building and the anchorage is getting rolly.

Tom and Patti on S/V Liberty arrived in the anchorage today from Guanaja, Honduras. We met them in 2006 and have not shared an anchorage since, so it was a good reunion.

Around 10 p.m. the wind continued to pick up, then the rain began.   For two hours, the rain and wind howled.  In the anchorage, we were getting sea water on our deck from the waves.   We saw 35 knots several times.  We were thankful our anchor held.  Only one boat drug during the storm as the anchorage is shallow, but has good holding.

Wow, the strange thing with having the internet on board again....is you get all of the news....good and bad. We heard today where volcano Mt. Pacaya erupted near Guatemala City today.   Four years ago, we hiked up the volcano and saw some of the burning ash.

This afternoon, the cruisers in the anchorage all went to Roland's Restaurant on the other side of the island for dinner.

 

We all jumped in the back of a pick-up (the local taxi).

  It is a quaint local rastafarian restaurant on the beach.  Not fancy...but good atmosphere and good food.

Sonny talked to Roland, the owner who said, "I was born in the willage (village) here on the island.  But, I escaped.  I came to this location 20 years ago and have been building this place ever since.   Everything I used to build this is what has been thrown away by someone else.  I have not bought anything.  I have a young daughter, Estrella del Mar.

Ted and Sonny went to the same hairdresser on the island.  She gives you a cut, color, and visor for $10.

Surprise !

5/29

This afternoon, Tom and Patti (S/V Liberty) went walking with us on Catalina Island.  We were looking for mangoes, but only found green ones.

After listening to the radio nets this morning, we called Tom and Patti to see if they wanted to take the Chiva bus around the island today.   They did.

About 9:30 a.m. we took our dinghies to the dock and waited for the Chiva bus.   It runs around the island continuously, so you just wait for the next one to come.   It cost 2,000 ml or about $1 to ride, or $2 to go around the whole island.

We got off at Southwest Beach where there are several local restaurants on the beach.  We ate a red snapper fish dinner, with salad, patacones, and delicious coconut rice.   It is a typical dinner for the islands.  

It cost 15,000 ml or around $7.50.

The Chiva bus returned so we boarded it for the scenic ride back to our dinghies.  

A fun day.