The Life and times of the Sailing Yacht KaijaSong and her happy crew Kaija & Gary. 15 years sailing the Caribbean & South Pacific on their round the world adventure.
First Stop Negril….not for the faint of heart…or the bashful! – HOLD ON THERE LADDY….PUT YOUR PANTS ON.
I had heard of Negril, from a previous visit to Jamaica in the 70’s. I heard it was a wild a crazy place.
We had arranged to meet up with Luis and Sophia (Sv Fruko), whom we last saw in Cuba, here in Negril, because it was the first landfall coming east for us from Cayman. It also made life easier for us in a country with strict quarantine laws as the chances of meeting any officials was remote.
We arrived after an easy passage with half of the trip able to sail in favorable conditions and the rest was an easy motorsail. The anchorage is a large bay protected and enclosed on three sides exposed only to the west making it a safe anchorage. However, the east and north winds do get into the bay and it is common to see whitecaps…a great place for solar panels and wind generators.
Bloody Bay is quite developed by resorts on all sides and is energetic with its abundance of happy vacationers engaging in all manner of water sports. The setting and the beautiful beaches are appealing and the bay settles in the evenings for beautiful sunsets.
We were met by Luis and Sofia who have sailed from the Port Antonio to meet up with us. It is always great to be met by friends and familiar faces that already have the lay of the land. Luis friend was associated with the Club ‘Breezes’ very graciously provided us with full access to this beautiful exclusive club tucked away in this rather remote place called Bloody Bay.
At this point I can only use the expression we learned in Cuba…”it is better to see with your eyes than hear with your ears”…as in, I’m not sure I can do justice to how pleasant and plush this experience was. If ever you want to get away from it all in an all exclusive facility in one of the most beautiful places on the planet…you might consider this place. There was nonstop buffet including champagne, the beaches are white and covered with bodies in various states of blissful embarrassment :o) (I do believe they should have a weight limit on thong’s…but that’s just my humble opinion.) This is not a place for the faint of heart when it comes to dealing with the human form in all it’s varying sizes colors and description. And for those of you who enjoy that voyeuristic streak in you there is Club Hedonism II on an adjoining acreage….we wandered thru and were struck with the abundance of beautiful pools and shaded plush lounging areas with a view to the sea that is breathtaking…not that anyone might notice with all the other local ‘scenery’ to digest. The Piass da Resistance was an evening Toga Buffet Party. An assortment of cuisine of delectable delights to meet every desire, (the best roast beef was outstanding, as was the chocolate mousse), the mounds of delicious delicacies was eye boggling and mouth watering. And if that wasn’t enough, it was outshone by the assortment of dress that showed up… you had to see for yourself to believe it…ranging from the ridiculous to the sublime. My oh My…! Keeping in mind that some of them must have believed the basic premise of a Toga party is…what can you cover with a table napkin…only one!...in some cases couples needing to feel matching in their finery arrived in the latest of shower curtain ensemble…however, hmmmmm…..there were those for whom this experience was obviously not their first and arrived in appropriate apparel for the evening experience….My oh My! Handsome and Beautiful in their comfort…I can only say it is the best excuse for keeping fit I can think of!. Thank you!....My oh My…I’m a gonna pay for that!. I should say that this was a ‘clothing optional’ dress party’…in other words, you could either wear a Toga (provided at the front door) or remain in your street clothes…we chose the latter option, thank you!
There are some days when it is definitely better to be a landlubber!
Our passage from Cuba to Grand Cayman was one of those days.
The trip started out easy enough, with not near as much wind as forecast and so pretty much a motor sail...and all was well till 3:30 am
It was a beautiful full moon and just about the hour when your physical resources are at their low after pretty much being awake since 6am the Sunday doing your normal routine, but also preparing for a long passage.
Kaija was off watch and Doc was asleep at my feet, the motor was purring along with sails up and we were doing 6.5 kts in light winds and reasonably calm seas...then I heard the motor revs decline slightly then it became normal...a couple of minutes later the same thing...I thought I would slow the revs a little and when I did, the motor died.
OK..not the end of the world...just gonna take a whole lot longer than planned to arrive in Cayman as our speed dropped below 3 kts with 35 miles to go...meaning we would be another 10 - 11 hrs but should still make it in daylight.
I checked to make sure we had fuel in the raycor and the bowl looked clean...the engine had been running for some time and way too hot to work on, so I was forced to wait for it to cool.
About 4:30 (after beseeching the great Master of the Wind and Waves) the wind started to blow, and blow and blow...(sailing can be a whole lot of nothing or a whole lot of too much oh, and if you are gonna pray…be specific…what we needed was 15 kts from the NNE, what we got was 25kts from ENE) and now we had wind...with a double reef in the main and a full head sail we started picking up speed nicely up to about 7kts...but with wind comes waves and the seas started to pick up....no problem...I figured to wait until we were in the lee (west side) of Cayman in the last 4 mile leg to Georgetown (where the water would be calmer and by then the engine cooler) to sort out the engine.
As we approached Cayman I radioed to the Port Captain and explained that we were coming in under sail and had no auxiliary power (and we needed a mechanic ASAP) and would be dropping anchor (there is a strict law prohibiting anchoring and we were supposed to grab a mooring ball to protect the sea bed). Another cruiser (SV Jupiter's Smile), heard the call and suggested that we alter course to more protected waters from the coming weather front as Georgetown in an open weather stead and can dangerous in a heavy blow. The Port Captain instructed me to alter course to the more protected waters of North Sound as there was a heavy NW Weather Front arriving.
The only problem is that the North sound was now on a heading that took us ‘head to wind’ or beating (they call it that for a reason)...but we altered course, tacking back away from the island to make the cut. Unfortunately, in all the confusion, the waypoint numbers written down did not correspond with the North sound entrance, putting us directly on the reef. By this time it was blowing 25 – gusting 35 kts and the seas were big...as we approached the waypoints we realized we were heading on the reef and I started praying big time...(I don't suggest leaving praying as a last resort, it's always good to have a little practice under your belt) but pray we did as we were now dangerously close to the breaking reef on a lee shore being pushed by wind and waves to an almost certain bitter end. Kaija finally spotted what looked like the cut and I headed for it...at this point, I'm on the radio asking for assistance from anyone for guidance into the Sound and received a call back from the DOE (Dept of Environment) telling us that there was not enough depth in the cut we were heading for and that we needed to head farther east to the next cut...and so with only seconds to spare and barely enough headway we tacked away from the island again to set up the next approach.
Then, the lower shroud/stay stud (that piece that holds the stay inside the turnbuckle) on the port side snapped......(it is these stays that are holding up the mast)...needless to say...praying went to begging
While trying to keep as much pressure off the rig and still make headway...and with the DOE boat and the Harbour Security boat close by we made it thru the cut and into the quiet shallow waters of the North sound...and now with the headsail furled we made our way across the sound (with the shallow water alarm going constantly) and into Governors Creek to the Cayman Island Yacht Club Basin.
Oh and as if we hadn’t had quite enough for one day… I forgot to mention that during the radio communications by Harbour security, I was asked for the vessel particulars and number of souls on board. I responded with the correct info and said was had a pet dog on board. At this point Harbour Security said "we were under strict quarantine and if the dog stepped ashore they would "put him to sleep" and Welcome to the Cayman Islands". …all in one breath… Needless to say, at that point, I was a little less than happy to be here. (Reed’s almanac states that ‘ALL PETS WELCOME IN THE CAYMAN…what’s with that…????)
But alas, we were met in the basin by Jay and Barb SV Jupiter's smile, the Harbour Patrol came aboard with guns and attitude and we're quickly taken under Doc's spell and quicker than we could blink...they made the calls and arranged for customs and Immigration and Dept of Agriculture (for Doc) arrived and with a lot of fun banter checked us in to Cayman and said Doc could come ashore (altho they have a strict prohibition against Rottweiler’s and could not give us the official document, the DoA guy gave us his card and his blessing and said if we had any problems to contact him.
Also, Hosea, a Philippine mechanic was standing by. He's a mini Mc Giver and soon discovered that the PID pump (primer fuel pump) had failed and blocked the fuel to the engine. I had a new spare on board, but as usual the hose fittings were in different places, so he left with parts in hand and returned with it re- fabricated to fit
So...the Maker of the Wind and the Waves looked after us...we landed safe...altho do have to admit that after 5 years of doing this...season six has seen more than it's share of excitement and equipment failures...all the more reason to get back to Trini for some major work and overhaul of the ships systems.
KaijaSong with Doc and Kaija aboard spent a couple of relaxing, albeit busy weeks in the Cayman Island Yacht Club while Gary returned to Vancouver and then to Tampa to visit with family and friends.
Kaija enjoyed making new friends who supplied her with a bicycle to use and Dexter with his assistant Simon of Fantasy Tours who took her out to Stingray City known to the locals as ‘the sandbar’ where she got to swim with and feed the large stingrays resident in these waters. Needless to say she was thrilled.
We have met many wonderful people here in Grand Cayman who have been very helpful to us. But this is not a place to come for boat repairs as everything must be imported to the island and as a result…the prices are almost beyond belief. So, with repairs to KaijaSong complete we depart here with new friends and empty wallets en-route to Jamaica to meet up again with our friends Luis and Sofia S/v Fruko. Needless to say, we are looking forward to a very uneventful trip and will update the blog upon our arrival.
Till then, keep reading and following along, we sure enjoy hearing from y’all.
After departing Cayo Siju we made a short stop in Ensenada Los Barcos. This is a large bay open to the southwest but offers good protection and a safe anchorage.
We spent one nite anchored at Cayo El Navio amongst numerous dead heads and debris in the water and no place for Doc to find dry land.
We motored thru the Quitasol Pass, with excellent navigation markers en-route to Cayo Campos. Our friends Byron and Denise S/v South of Reality had visited here a year ago and we found it difficult to believe our eyes when viewing their pictures showing the size of the lobsters found in these beautiful waters. As they say in Cuba, it is better to see with your eyes than to hear with your ears, and it wasn’t long before the local fisherman were alongside offering us their daily catch…the lobster here are huge!
We spent the next month enjoying the beautiful beaches, long paths to walk and quiet moments sitting on the beach while Doc played with the monkeys (Macaco Cangrero), the iguanas and the fish in shallow beach side waters. Well, it wasn’t exactly playing, more like chasing, but once again, the locals had the advantage of ‘home court’ and he would come back panting hard after many a chase with nothing more than a smile on his face.
It wasn’t till later in our stay that we met Frank and Melo, two of the local park wardens who resided at the fish camp on the north side of the island. They were taken with Doc and it wasn’t long before they were offering to show me how to catch Langosta like they did. Melo was quite a handy guy, and besides spending almost one entire day helping me tear down my outboard and re-building the carburetor, he fashioned a beautiful stainless Langosta gaff out of stainless wire we cut out of one of the monkey cages. Then he showed me how to use it.
One beautiful morning Melo and I and our friend Luis S/v Fruko gaffed 32 lobsters during two shallow water wreck dives. I wanna tell ya…It just doesn’t get much better than that and is about as much fun as you can while dodging the rather large Moray eels that weren’t too happy about our being there.
After eating lobster almost every day, in every kind of recipe including my favourite, Pizza, we once again prepared for departure to Grand Cayman with our freezers full to bursting with lobster, many of the tails are the size of my forearm…Again I say…it just doesn’t get any better!!!! WHAT A WONDERFUL LIFE!!!!
All in all, the people we met during our two months on the south coast of Cuba were some of the friendliest and nicest and most generous of spirit we have ever encountered. We left Cuba with wonderful memories, new friends and about as much lobster as you can carry.
This anchorage is a wee bit tricky to get into from the north as you need to negotiate a few sticks in the very shallow water to pass into the anchorage. Altho the sticks are easy enough to spot, following them directly is not the way to go…it requires a bit of dog-legging to work your way thru into the south side of Cayo Siju. There you will find wonderful long white sandy beaches and a small cabin inhabited by the ‘park rangers’. There are three rangers at a time, exchanging weekly with a second set of fellows. The ones we met first, Daniel, Gerry, and Yariel. The second shift was Daniel, Louis and Ramon. We were there during the period of cold fronts coming down from the Gulf of Mexico and it was clear that these guys were not prepared for the in-climate weather. We had collected spare blankets and pillows and were happy to see them put to good use. Talk about making friends for life. They could not have been more generous with their time and again more Longosta…these ones were getting big. Kaija made a birthday cake for my birthday and we shared it with the guys and enjoyed long daily walks on the beach and collecting shells. It wasn’t long before they were collecting shells for Kaija and came by daily for their visit with Doc who did his best not to chase their pet Iguanas…not always successfully, but in the end it was all fun as those big long lizards can really move on their short wee legs when they need to. Doc had fun, lots of exercise and we all shared a lot of laughs.
After spending a couple of weeks in this picturesque place we left with our freezers full and 6 new amigos. This is a great life!
We departed El Cid Marina the morning of Dec 24th on track to fulfill our goal of arriving in Cuba on Christmas day. The winds were stronger than forecast and the seas were lumpy. We had a strong current pushing us north and in order to keep on track we were forced to motorsail which is not all bad as it keeps the boat on a direct course and a steady speed and therefore the ride is much more comfortable. The first part of the passage was quite uneventful and it wasn’t until the wee hours of the morning that the alternator warning light came on. This was a new alternator installed in Mexico. The engine was hot and seas were large and so we did not attempt any repairs under way. It was only after we landed at Cayo La Vigia and the motor cooled that we found our new alternator still in place, but barely as the only thing holding it there was the belt. Talk about dodging a bullet. We were able to re-install without much trouble.
We found this anchorage very comfortable in all sorts of weather, albeit the water was just barely deep enough for us. It was here that we had our first encounter with the local fisherman who hailed us one morning from less than 50 ft asking for assistance. We were able to get their problem sorted out with the aid of our engine start battery and their gratitude was evident as they left us smiling and a gift of a dozen lobster tails.
After enjoying a wonderful Christmas with decorations, Turkey and all the trimmings we spent another few days here and discovered the Cuban method of Lobster fishing which entails placing long netting in shallow water with traps set every 100 ft. which has the affect of corralling the Lobster, from there it is an easy pick-up.
We met a number of other fishing boats who were equally willing to share their bounty for trade with small items such as hats, soap, candy, cosmetics for the wives and girlfriends, items that are scarce and hard to come by for the locals in Cuba.
We departed this quiet anchorage and sailed a few miles east arriving at a wonderful anchorage between Cayo Real and Cayo Siju.
We have been out of touch for the past couple of months enjoying the south side of Cuba and the Mucho Magnificente El Grande Langosta (verrrrry large tasty Lobster)
KaijaSong is in Grand Cayman with Kaija & Doc aboard. Gary is in Tampa visiting his dad.
We will be setting sail within the next few days for Jamaica but not before updating the blog with our latest adventures and pictures so please stand by and re-visit us soon.
We send along our Very Best Wishes to all of you for a Wonderful Christmas Season remembering the Greatest Gift of all was His life for Ours.
May your New Year be filled with the Joy & Happiness that comes from knowing the Maker of the Wind and the Waves.
From Papa Bear 'Gary', Mama Bear 'Kaija' & Baby Bear 'Doc'
Please view our special Christmas Greeting by clicking on the link below or copy and paste the address below into your Web browser's address line: http://www.original-cards.com/pickup/dec23-christmas-604367412.html
This is a fine Marina located adjacent to the El Cid Resort here in Puerto Morelos. We visited here on our first trip south, just after they opened and decided it was a good place to sit and wait for our weather to go to Cuba. The angle of sail from here is slightly better than from Isla Mujeres it offers convenient amenities like laundry and power to help get things done. There is an ATM in the Hotel complex (US$) or you can take the 30 minute walk into Puerto Morelos. They now also offer mooring buoys (6). While it is close enough to Cancun for a quick daytrip, the town offers a completely different laid back feeling of an old Mexican village…which is exactly what it is. The staff at the Marina were very helpful, Doc enjoyed the long walks by the beach, and it was a great stop along the way. The rates here in the off season (June – Dec) are negotiable.
More details can be obtained from Armando – dock master at agutierrez@elcid.com.mx or www.elcid.com
This is a great stop while traveling either way – to or from Belize. The Marina sits in the middle of a large upscale residential complex. There are stores a plenty, restaurants galore. This is also home to a very successful dolphin breeding program. They also have manatees and for a small fee, you too can feed them. The marina is side tie or med tie and a very reasonable rate of $20 per day for sailboats. You can contact the very helpful office manager “Gabby” in the office at
One of the residents and restaurateurs we met was Gringo Dave. He’s a real personality and runs a nice restaurant along the promenade. Aside from his many business partners he enjoys the company of his two dogs, Yoda and Scruffy.
Our neighbours on the dock were Lani and Mads of m/v Dauntless. We enjoyed spending time with them, had a lot ‘o laughs and ate some good food. The area surrounding the Marina offers a plethora of dining opportunities. Besides owning their beautiful 80’ Lazarra Motor Yacht they also own our Sister ship – Corsair, and we thought we had enough to do owning one boat. They spoiled Doc and made our stay in Puerto Adventuras a fun filled memory. What fun we have meeting so many interesting people…It’s All Good!
Here's an excerpt from our latest adventures in the past month..
We were waiting for the immigration officer to arrive in Utila for our check-out and a weather window to leave for the first leg of our trip to Cuba, Lighthouse Reef, Belize.
..We had waited for the right conditions...they were good... winds 15 - 20 SE, swell 5 ft on the starboard quarter...we departed Utila on a beautiful warm day at 3pm with lots of time to head SW around the Cays before turning NW for the 78 mile leg to Lighthouse course 334, anticipated arrival 6 am.
...Kaija's watch...it’s 12:02 am,it's a beautiful star lit nite... reef in the main, reef in the headsail, doin 6 1/2 ... PERFECT...i'm down below, asleep...I am awakened by that shrill screaming of my name sending a wave of terror over me as I catapulted into the cockpit...hit by 42 kt squall and 80 degree wind shear up the butt and back in less than a minute.....bout took the rig down...totally out of control double suicide jibe...blew out traveler car, mainsheet...and vang so I had no control of the sail..I tried to start the engine to gain control - the solenoid froze up..sucked out all the power on the boat (did not know it was Solenoid at the time)...lost all power...lights, instruments... ...lost “Otto” (autopilot)...so dark I couldn't see the sails...flying blind holding the wheel ….that was in the first 60 seconds....the next hour was one hour from the dark side!
We are fine, the boat and rig took a tremendous beating and came out ticking...I’m convinced we could have lost the rig and would have if the boom had made contact with the stays...lucky for us, our beautiful stainless steel boomvang made contact with the corner of the granny rails at the mast and thwarted an almost sure disaster.
We've had a good rest and still loving the life...tho not so sure why in those wee moments of horror... and alas, altho my bones ache, nobody got hurt...the traveler car can be replaced...the vang...has a dogleg bend in it at least 1 1/2 inches, made by Mark Garhauer STILL WORKS......incredible!!!
I checked the rig, and amazingly strong, only needed to pop out a few rivets on the stack pack and a couple off the mainsheet blocks on the boom...but an easy fix today as the wind continues to blow 15-20 SE...perfect to take us north...
They say all's well that ends well and what doesn't kill ya makes you stronger...well, we are well and after the repairs we are stronger. It was the 1% sheer terror that accompanies the 99% sheer boredom...that is if you don't count all the 'fix it' time on the boat......cause it's always something!
Life on the boat is always affording an adventure like the one we shared on US Thankgiving in the company of two other vessels, a turkey with all the trimmings and more deserts than should be allowed at one time. It was another Dark and Stormy night…and with a break in the weather we took off for the turkey and promptly ran out of gas. We were .sittin out a Norther.. it had been blowin like stink all day...white water sideways... along with s/v Knotts Gypsy crew Dave and Nora...English and Scots...funny...anyway...during a wee break in the downpour, we make a run for it...pick them up and head to third boat South of Reality, Byron and Denise, who have the turkey...half way there, the engine quit and the squall returned....the four of us ended up on a deserted small island (Diamond Cay) a private island (for sale 1.3) standing in the water up to our knees, soaked with downpour...doing jumping jacks in a squall trying to signal our friends with the turkey to come save us...it took a while, but what a lot of laughs and fun was had by all…We surely gave Thanks for so many things but especially the good friends we’ve met along the way.
Man o man...what a life!
Meanwhile, after departing Lighthouse Reef we had one of the best sails in our five years afloat. The breeze was fresh at 15 – 20 knots out of the Southeast with a slightly following sea. We left after a hearty breakfast at 10 am in good light to see our way thru the reef, and after the first 70 miles we were on the west side of Chincharro Bank when the current kicked in. For the next 30 miles we got a push of a knot, then it picked up to 2 and we were doing a very comfortable 8 – 9 knots over the bottom…all thru a starlit nite (with sails reefed and a preventer in place) we covered the 200 miles to Puerto Adventura in 27 hrs.
We have had three fun days eating out and watching the dolphins play and shopping in this mega complex of beautiful condos and yachts here in the harbour basin. We are now tucked safely Puerto Adventura, what a place...
We depart here tomorrow and continue our journey to Cuba and all them lobster waiting to come home for dinner :o)
We have been given the chance to live our dream and we are, Life is good, and we give thanks each day to our God in Heaven for his wonderful grace and mercy.
We send along our very Best Wishes to all of you for a Wonderful Christmas Season remembering the greatest gift of all was the gift of His life for ours. May you have a New Year filled with much joy and happiness.
This was a girl’s trip away from the boys and boat chores for a few days of girly fun in the sun exploring a visit to the past of Mayan Culture.
Kaija and Denise (of S/v South of Reality) provisioned up for the boys and headed off on their Great Copan Escape.
The trip started early in the morning from Utila via the local little ferry to La Ceiba
Then we were boarded on the luxury Hedman Alas Bus Line – you can purchase first class seats for $5 more – one way trip was $30. They give you large seats, food and beverages.
This was a girl’s trip away from the boat and boat ‘duties’ for a few days of girl stuff and Denise and I had looked forward to this getaway adventure and were in heaven for this trip. We saw groves of palm trees, for palm oil, orchards of oranges, fields of peppers, and all were being picked manually and then carted off by ox powered wagons.
The town of Copan Ruinas is small and beautiful, the people generous.
During the end of corn season, end of November, the children of a small village near Copan sell dolls made of the corn husk. The colours are all natural and hand died.
All the money goes back to the one village to help their local economy. The dolls were about $1 to $2 each and the children smiled a lot.
One side trip took us to the Hot Springs about 2 hours from Copan. The scenery was beautiful and the water was hot. One of the pools even had natural mud to give yourself a facial. The Hot springs were an all day visit to enjoy the water, as well as some of the Mayan replicas put into place.
For further information on the bus line go to www.hedmanalas.com or info @hedmanalas.com.
If you are looking for a great place to stay – this is it.
2 blocks for the City Square, in the heart of everything
She has a restaurant on the second floor, great and reasonable food, and offers a tour guide service - par none. One stop shopping here.
We stayed in a room just off the courtyard and had our own Keys to get in and out of the complex. There is TV, movies, shower (hot), one double bed, and warm hospitality. You may be visited by her two wonderful dogs, San Deigo and Lolla.
Here you will find a great many tropical birds that have been rescued, donated or bred in captivity. It is a wonderful program and they are looking for mates for the GREEN Macaws that they have. I had never even heard of Green Macaws – but they are gorgeous. The funds come from people visiting, buying souvenirs, and also they grow the coffee beans for Miramundo coffee here. It is picked, roasted and packaged on site.
Juan was our tour guide and a wealth of knowledge.
We did our in town travel with Gustav, our Tut-Tut driver (Tut- Tut 04). He was always there when he said he would be and was even willing to drive us all the way back to San Pedro Sula. That would have made milk shakes of us or if you remember that old commercial with the lady on the treadmill with the belt around her to shake things loose, that is how it was. The roads were original cobble stone and no stop signs. One stop that we made was to Hacienda San Lucas. We had met the owners’ son and daughter-in-law and their son Yax the day before at the Hot Springs. This is a unique bed and breakfast with a great view of the entire valley. You can get further details at www.haciendasanlucas.com.
Its 63 steps and two thousand glyphs tell the history of the royal house of Copan. The stairway is the site of the longest known text of ancient Mayan civilization
The site is one of the largest in Central America and the pieces that have been unearthed and preserved are wonders not to be missed. The site has also built a museum for some of the pieces and to give you the history here. One unique piece is the Rosa Lila, it is located under Temple 16 and represents the best preserved stucco building in the Maya civilization. It is replicated in the Museum at the archeological site.
Altar Q, right hand picture, depicts the 16 members of the Copan Dynasty.
The ball court, bottom picture, is the second largest found in Central America. This game was a 3000 year old Mesoamerican sport that may have originated with Olmecs and thought to symbolize a struggle between day and night deities or the battle between the gods in the sky and the lords of the underworld.
We are back in Jonesville. This is a special treat as we are invited to share in Lady Yvonne’s (Don and Yvonne) 65 birthday bash shared with their friend Glen and Ana, being Glen’s birthday as well. This will be the first party at the new Casa. It was a beautiful setting, the weather cooperated, and the new deck over the ocean was alive with guests, live music (Kristofer and friends, of which Gary has become one) and some of the tastiest eats you ever partook of, thanks to Anna’s excellent buffet and Yvonne’s suburb Chocolate Birthday cake.
The evening was a total bash and complete success with kids and Piñata’s and Candy. While Kaija and group were Congo dancing, Gary blew his lips off with the band, least that’s how it felt the next morning. Harmonica is tougher than it looks folks, you try it!!…although I must say, Glen made it look easy and can also sing and serenade a fine melody.
While here we were able to re-acquaint ourselves with Ed and Julie of S/v Spirit of Free Radical...actually Canuks with not one beautiful boat...no no...they have two. They charter and know these waters well. We needed some sail repair work done and Julie is not only equipped with the proper tools, she did good repairs to both our headsail and dingy cover. They have a website www.svfreeradical.com and can be reached by email at svfreeradical@gmail.com
Kaija has taken one last trip to town with Senor Don to pick up final provisions and Gary’s new spear gun which has arrived from Florida (we hope) (a big yahoo and yippie I eh to bringing home da filets :o). Hunting is not permitted in the Bay Islands but is in many places along the Belize reef. With some sadness in leaving old and new friends here, we look forward to our departure to Utila to meet up with our friends Byron and Denise s/v South of Reality. The girls will leave shortly for their excursion to Copan Ruins and upon their return we begin the next leg of our journey…north to Cuba!!!
Barbareta is a good sized private island and a small piece of paradise. This is a return visit for us and Kaija longed to return to the Pigeon Cays located about two miles offshore. There is the saying…that…”you can’t go back”…the first thing we noticed was the heavy equipment driving back and forth on what only three years ago was a small horse path (where Gary and ‘Doc’ met some of the herd and developed a friendship with one of the crippled ponies and enjoyed our daily walks with him…)…now there is an active party of workers along with a new herd of cows grazing the private airstrip and lazing in the heat by the newly constructed hanger. So much for progress!...
And for Kaija, we made our way out to the Pigeon Cays…as we remember, a grouping of three small island cays. Unfortunately, her favorite, the smallest was gone…taken away by the seas and nature in only the past three years.
The Piece da Resistance, was the arrival of Hurricane Ida. When it comes to hurricanes...the best remedy I know is distance, so be weighed anchor and sailed 50 miles east to the west end of Utila where we were tucked in safe and sound.
Jonesville is becoming like home away from home. We really enjoy coming here to visit with Don and Yvonne s/v Usquaebach, should say formerly, as they are only days away from moving into their beautiful, new home. Situated on the ocean, with a view you cannot buy, in a new home designed and built by Senor/Capt Don. We enjoyed watching the progress as the new windows, doors, lights, plumbing, and electrical are installed. They hope to be in by Christmas 2009 and what a wonderful gift that would be to them. Don & Yvonne hosted a Halloween Party for the local children and what fun they had trying to get the biggest handful of candy. Halloween is not a ‘known’ holiday here in Roatan, but this is year three of the Don and Yvonne Hallowed Party and it is fast becoming a tradition.
By the way...see the two shots of the gecko and the fly bottom left and center...they were there, and they are real!! Way to Go Mr. Gecko, excellent photos Kaija...we are so easily amused.
French Harbour has three anchorages, the old port, the French Harbour anchorage, and the French Cays Anchorage which is home to Fantasy Island. This is the anchorage used by most cruisers. With reasonable closeness to many of the cruiser friendly amenities it is a convenient stop.
Somehow this anchorage and us have not got off to a good start. When we first arrived in Roatan 3 years ago, we came into this harbor and we did not like to look of the entrance, and even with charts and guide books decided to pass it by. Well, we thought we’d give it another try. Unfortunately, the weather did not help us. We found ourselves in the middle of a squall, and radar telling us more was coming…trying to beat the storm into the harbor. We lost!...missed the mark ( a 2 foot black stake in the water), and slid up on the shoal! Not a happy moment. We lowered the dinghy, and with the assist of a local boater (thank you stranger) we managed to slide KS back into deep water. They say that All’s well that ends well, so after spending a couple of days in the French Cay Anchorage in heavy squally weather we departed back to the safety of Jonesville.
Port Royal is an hold pirate’s hideaway, with a good deal of nooks and crannies to hide ‘the loot’. This applies to pirates of old as well modern day. We have found a small anchorage by a private island with its own runway that is mostly deserted. It’s a wonderful spot with beautiful clam shaped sandy beach with enough shells to keep Kaija happy, enough distance to amuse Doc and gin clear water to amuse the Capt. We don’t spend enough time here, but when we do it’s a good opportunity to get in the water and clean the bottom.
East Bay Utila is one of the diving capitals of the Caribbean. It is an open anchorage to the South and West and one needs to gauge the weather in determining whether or not to anchor in East Bay. In either of those cases, there is a surprisingly good anchorage in the West Cays behind Diamond Island. We always enjoy our stops here as the food is good and Capt Rob of s/v Carmelita has kinda taken up residencia in the anchorage. He is always fun to talk to and if you need anything, he knows where it can be found.
This is one of the waterway crossroads thru the reef in and out of Belize from the east. As we approached this small island we were met by a large pod of frolicking dolphins and Doc was in Love…if he had his way…he’d be over the side and swimming along with his buddies. Ranguana, albeit remote is close enough for a quick day sail there to enjoy its beauty with a small restaurant and bar to quench the thirst. We had planned to spend the night with an early morning departure but after a few hours the winds increased in our favor and we decided to do an overnight passage back to Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras. It was a beautiful starlight sail Southeast to Utila.
We really enjoyed our time spent with Ron and Lindy. They are one of only two couples living on this remote island. They are part of a larger development of some 600 lots of which we are told 80% are sold. It is interesting that of all those buyers, only two are year round residents.
Just a quick note here, our first sighting of a lion fish in the coral reef on the west side of Long Cay. They are a beautiful creature, but there is controversy over their inhabiting the waters of Belize.
We took the boat over to Half Moon Cay one Saturday with Lindy and two of her guests, Doug and Kaye from Seattle. We had a fun time dodging the coral heads and it was helpful to have the local knowledge that Lindy brought along. As it was, we managed to hit the only coral head in the anchorage within a hundred feet. While the rest went to enjoy Half Moon and its Red Footed Booby Bird population, Gary and Doc stayed with KS and enjoyed swimming and cleaning the bottom waiting for the tide to rise us off. In due course, it all came to pass and a fun day was had ending in laughing and libation at sunset in the anchorage.
This is a return trip to one of our favorite stops. We checked in at Big Creek with our friends Doug & Rayene s/v Kristiana and renewed acquaintances Vicky and Jim s/v Allegro and with Barb & Torry s/v Litbe. Barb and Torry are now Captain and Mate working for Moorings Charters on the sailing catamaran Double Eagle.
After enjoying a few days of all the amenities the this once sleepy little fishing village turned enterprising small town which offers, including our favorites, Wendy’s for Fried Stuff Jacks, TuttiFruiti for homemade Gelato (some of the best Ice cream on the planet), we departed June 8 for Wipari Cay, Cary Cay, Queen Cays and Little Water Cay. These small islands mostly offer mooring balls for easy anchoring and lovely places to snorkel. Queen Cay is in the reserve and there is a charge of $10 per person per stay. During our visit here we met ‘Kate’ a charterer on the Tradewinds Catamaran who enjoyed spending time with Doc.
After a few days out on the reef joined by our friends Barb and Torrey, we returned to Placentia preparing Kaija for her annual trek home (to the land of stuff) to visit family and friends and bring back boat parts.
During Kaija’s absence, Gary and Doc made fast friends with the owners of a newly constructed home on Placentia island with its own private dock and a thatched palapa (cabana) with two wonderful easy back chairs where Gary spent a couple of hours each morning and afternoon reading while Doc frolicked in the water with the dolphin family resident in the anchorage. The property manager, Pepe (given name Solomon) along with Cotton (given name Linden) and workers Mark and John made us feel right at home and soon we were joined by Pepe’s 6 year old son Roger and Rottweiler puppy Oso. Neither Roger nor Oso could swim so the lessons began. With the aid of a long yellow noodle which Roger named ‘Champs’ it wasn’t long before he & Oso were busy swimming and treading water.
For those of you lucky enough to visit Placentia we highly recommend the following, Tommy’s for Chinese food, Wallen’s for wholesale case lots as well as regular groceries and in particular, canned New Zealand Butter, and concentrated fruit juice Squash (they accept credit cards), TuttiFruiti (Tizy & Lorenzo for the best Italian Ice cream made daily), Placentia Office Supply for high-speed internet and other office needs, Boson’s Chair, Paul and Lisa offer laundry service and internet as well. There is also a Swiss Baker on the ‘sidewalk’ along with The Barefoot Bar for excellent live music, and Le Thatch for a variety of excellent meals. The ‘veggie’ truck comes three times a week and offers a great selection of veggies, fruits, pork chops and cheese. Placentia is also the home to Marie Sharp’s famous hot sauce which comes in many levels of heat and we do mean ‘HEAT’.
For those who may be interested in original Belizean wood carving in either Rosewood or Mahogany there are many artisans here in Placentia. Kaija found a lovely carved turtle bowl she had been seeking for some time from Leo the Carver on located across from Sunrise on the Sidewalk.
The anchorage is quite large and now that the Moorings have moved there base and fleet around to the Lagoon, removing some 30 boats, there is ample parking for all. Due to an earthquake centered just north of Roatan Honduras on May 27th registering 7.4, the fuel dock here was damaged beyond repair, however one can still jury jug from the adjacent Shell station or go into the canal by Hokey Pokey taxi or to Roberts Grove Marina back in the lagoon.
Belize is a cruisers paradise as well as a backpackers haven. Having the second longest barrier reef in the world makes for wonderful isolated cruising stops and there are many inland places to see.
These cays are part of the marine reserve park and Lime Cay houses a number of small cottages. Unfortunately the anchorage was somewhat rolly due to north winds and as it was out of season, the cottages and facilities were closed. However we did enjoy watching a beautiful pair of Osprey but did not enjoy the many thousands of sand fleas/noseeums…so cruisers beware!
The next morning we motored the short distance SW to Sapodilla Cay which is a very small uninhabited island but did provide dinner on the hook with a nice Cero. After an hour or two of gunk holing we ventured north to NE Sapodilla Cay and finding a small sandy patch dropped our hook and enjoyed a couple of wonderful days of good snorkeling on the south east side of this island where you can see many many good sized fish that are cruiser friendly as they are in protected waters.
This is a 40 mile sail west from Utila and brings you to mainland Honduras to a protected anchorage. This is some of nature at its best with excellent walking trails and is part of a national park. To view the Howler Monkeys requires an early morning walk as they tend to bring guided tours throughout the day encouraging the monkeys to find alternate hangouts (no pun intended). There are no fees to anchor and in very rough weather it is easy to tuck around the corner into Laguana El Diamante which is an excellent hurricane hole in time of need. This a shallow body of water completely surrounded by high hills and mangrove trees.
Utila is the dive capitol of Honduras with one of the many dive shop claiming more than 4000 dive certifications in a single year. Needless to say the diving is spectacular. Also, a certain times throughout the year one may even be lucky enough to encounter one of our planets largest creatures, the awesome Whale shark.
This is a very laid back little island on the west end of the Bay Islands of Honduras. We were warmly greeted by an old friend Rob, s/v Carmelita who has taken us roots in this quaint little island. He has made friends with many of the locals and is a helpful source of information to any and all cruisers that come his way.
Another friend we met in Roatan, Vern, has found a niche market by providing a ‘water taxi’ service on his catamaran to and from West End Roatan to Utila daily. This enables a direct trip to and fro reducing travel time and expense that would normally require you to take the ferry to La Ceiba from Utila and then back to Roatan and vice versa.
We enjoyed some wonderful days down at the Western Cays and happy to report that our young pelican (see previous Utila entry) was now flying but still working on his takeoffs and landings. We particularly enjoyed the small island that he called home along with his momma and papa and couple of aunts and uncles. We highly recommend a stop here for any cruisers who seek good snorkeling rest and relaxation.
We enjoy returning to Jonesville, in part because it is a fine safe anchorage, but mostly to see our friends Don and Yvonne, S/v Usquaebach.
We have already had the occasion to join in two of the Full Moon parties which is a monthly event hosted by different couples. It is a fun way to see some very exclusive properties and meet and mingle with the other Island gringos.
One of the traditions here on Roatan is the annual trek to Camp Bay Beach for Saman Santa (Easter Holiday). This is a long sandy stretch of beautiful beach and clear blue water that goes from empty to holding hundreds of families all laughing and singing and dancing and eating…it is quite the party and we had a blast.
We also enjoyed Easter services at the local Methodist church where a number of the young children we have gotten to know participated and put on a truly lovely service enjoyed by a packed house of very proud mommas and papas’.
During our month long visit we enjoyed house/dog sitting for our friend Randy French s/v Svea. His female dog Boots and Doc (approx same age) became great little walking buddies and daily would climb the hills with Gary for grooming and exercise, chasing the local free range chickens into involuntary flight and resting with as Gary took time to get caught up on some reading while they all enjoyed the beautiful ocean breeze and incredible vistas. The two dogs frolicked and played like the puppies at heart they both are. When our friend Randy returned from his Panama Canal cruise it was time for us to cut the lines and depart for Utila.
We arrived back in this lovely island hideaway where there are mooring to pick up, a local dive resort and some beautiful beaches and snorkeling the wall right off the boat.
We missed seeing our friends Laurie and Hoss of Eagle’s Nest as they were at their home on the mainland.
We enjoyed three restful days before heading north to Roatan this time to house/dog sitting for Randy and Boots. We will be here until early May.
This is a new stop for us. It is terrific. Our first nite was a wee bit exciting being Saturday nite and the wind was howling and the bands were playing while at least one boat made its own way from one end of the anchorage to the other. The owners found their boat at about 2am, on the other side of the bay.
This is a funky little dive down, boasting more dive certifications than any other place on the planet, 4200 certs in 2008 by one dive shop. Needless to say, the diving is excellent. All around the island there are numerous dive markers making it easy to tie up and dive the wall.
Utila is an international backpackers/dive centre and it is a young crowd ready to party.
One of the must see while in Utila is the Jade Seahorse. This restaurant/lodge has to be seen, to be believed. This comes from the mind of a verrrrry interesting man with boundless energy to make it all come alive. We also think he has the finest men’s room on the Island.(b p – Jade Seahorse)
Kaija and Cindy did the island trek to Pumpkin Mountain a round trip hike of 6 hours…a fun way to see the locals and the other side of the island which is not accessible without considerable difficulty.
Gary hopped the local ferry to La Ceiba. This was a quick (if not always dry) ride in a 60’ multihull fast cat. You are there in an hour and it can either be smooth and uneventful, or bumpy and be careful whom you sit next to…if you know what I mean…getting caught downwind of a blue water novice with an upset stomach is not something you want to ever do!
After a few days of this excitement we moved with our friends Rick & Cindy to the small cays located on the southwest end of Utila. This place is outstanding!!!!
The water is clear and warm (80 degrees) and the settings are straight from a post card. The reefs and the coral are alive, vibrant and full of fish unlike anything seen by us so far.
Snorkeling is terrific and shallow calm waters.
A highlight of this stop was having our own wee island for Kaija to shell on, Doc to play on and to our delight a Pelican family was raising a newborn little Pelican in the only tree on the island that would hold their nest. It was fun to watch the rearing process. Another wonderful first and memory made.
