We arrived in Cancun almost 3 weeks ago. Since leaving Isla Providencia, we have experienced lots - weather (good and bad), deep and shallow water, new islands and towns, Mayan ruins etc.

Our 2-day trip to the Bay of Honduras Islands was rather uneventful, which is a good thing. The winds and seas were 8-15 knots with modest rolling seas. We saw few boats and little sea life along our route. A US oceanographic vessel passed us charting the seas as we rounded the Nicaraguan Bank. We had decided to bypass the Vivorillo Cays as we had been told by our agent in Isla Providencia that it could be unsafe. That information was also supported by Noonsite. We had the option of stopping at the Hobbies Cays to break up the voyage, but were also told to take a couple of bottles of rum and cigarettes to donate to the local fishermen to ensure our safety. On that note, we altered course a little further to the south and decided to make the 2-day run to the Bay Islands of Honduras instead. It turned out to be a good decision as the weather was great, wind and sea were relatively calm

As we approached the Bay Islands, we could see Isla Guanaja looming in the distance. Having spent 2 days at sea, it was great to see land and know that we were almost there. We anchored in 13 ft. of water behind a coral reef at 8:30 am. It was wonderful to jump into the 88 degree water to freshen and waken up. Checking into Honduras was easy - no agents needed and little money to pay to be there.

Guanaja island itself is beautiful. Lots of lush vegetation, few tourists and beautiful beaches and reefs to snorkel on. We dinghied through a cut running through the middle of the island to the north side. There we dropped the anchor and snorkeled in crystal clear water. It was beautiful! We also ran into cruisers we had met before and several new ones. Many of them were spending time in Honduras before heading back to the Rio Dulce in Guatemala for the hurricane season. We are one of the few heading up north of Florida to 'hole' up.

Late afternoon of the first day we were at anchor, we heard on the radio that a catamaran was having difficulty with one engine and was asking about the entry into our harbour. We responded and then continued to watch them in the distance. About 5 pm, they had not yet arrived and they were attempting unsuccessfully to make contact with another boat. Ken hailed them on the VHF. Their second engine had also packed it in and they could not get in. We quickly launched our whaler from the flybridge to give them a tow. It was already getting dark and was somewhat rocky out there. After several failed attempts to get their tow line and almost jettisoning Ken into the water, we had the catamaran in tow and made our way slowly to the anchorage while watching carefully for the reef(s). They eventually anchored in 12 ft. of water with a huge sigh of relief. They had anticipated having to sail in circles all night and then attempt to sail in the next morning in better light. Thankfully, they were able to make repairs to their engines and planned to continue on south to Panama.

We continued on to Roatan and wove our way into French Harbour on February 28th. It was a lovely anchorage, still lots of wind, but we were inside a wonderful snorkeling and diving reef which we took full advantage of. Spiney lobsters abounded in the reef amongst other beautiful fish. We even had the pleasure of watching the mating antics of 2 lobsters. Very entertaining and informative! We spent 5 lovely days here exploring the reefs, eating at several great restaurants and grocery shopping (always good thing!). It was thrilling to finally get to a good grocery store and buy fresh vegies/fruit. etc.

We upped anchor at 1 pm on March 4 to head to Placentia in Belize. The winds were fairly light at 11-15 knots and the seas ran 2-4 ft. from the east (behind us). Although the water was becoming much shallower, it was going to be an easy overnight run to Placentia. There were some fishing boats and freighters along the way as we were passing to the north of Honduras and freighters were heading to and from Guatemala. The only concern we had for a while was a radar target that moved in sync with our navigation. Thankfully nothing came of it as there were other boats in the vicinity that we could have called upon if needed. We later thought it might have been a fishing boat skirting the edge of a reef and just happened to move when we did.

Placentia is a lovely small tourist town with a Caribbean flavour. Smaller, brightly-coloured houses, hotels and tour companies dot the shoreline. We were looking forward to Emmy and Christer Arnesen joining us there in a few days to explore Belize and for the voyage to Cancun.

To check into Belize, we took the 'Hokey Pokey', a water taxi through mangrove islands to a town on the mainland called Independencia. Check-in procedures which quite straightforward, although expensive compared to other countries, even Costa Rica and Belize. The only hick-up we had was the tomatoes from Roatan which we were allowed to keep provided they remained on Bagan. Belizean officials were concerned about the Honduran fly which was wreaking havoc with local vegetable crops.

There were many cruisers anchored in Placentia Bay. When we arrived there were about 25 boats, but we were told that a week earlier there had been almost 50. Many cruisers spend multiple seasons in the Honduras, Belize and Rio Dulce (Guatemala) area. During hurricane season, they head up the Rio Dulce, a hurricane hole. Unfortunately, a boat with our draft of 5'7" needs to head in at high water and low surge to get in safely as a bar runs across the entrance to the rio. Our insurance company requires us to be north of Florida by mid-July, so we are not able to leave the boat in Rio Dulce. I have heard though, that it is very humid there during the summer and boats need a lot of clean-up to get going again for the next season.

While in Placentia, we did the restocking of supplies, got some exercise walking and ate at a couple of lovely restaurants. The water temperature was beautiful, so each day started and ended with a lovely swim. The wind continued to blow though. One night, several boats dragged in a heavy wind. We have learned to use lots of scope and not leave the boat for long periods of time when it is blowing hard, especially at night.

Once the Arnesens had arrived and had acclimatized, we headed out to explore the cays. We quickly realized that boats with deeper drafts like ours are very limited to where they can go and anchor. Charts are unreliable as well, as the sands are constantly shifting. An anchorage that might have had 20 feet last year, might only have 5 feet now. We also had to manoeuver through the reefs during mid-day when the sun was high and behind us to be able to see reefs and shallow water. Sometimes we just crossed our fingers and hoped for the best as depths were very deceiving. Needless to say, after several close calls, we decided to leave Belize a week earlier than we had expected to.

Before leaving, we needed to refuel, but the fuel dock in Placentia had been moved to a location too shallow for us. Ken bought five 5-gallon jugs which he and Christer then dinghied full of diesel to Bagan. It took 2 trips to get the fuel we felt was sufficient to get to Cancun. We headed towards Belize City where we knew the water depths were sufficient for us at the fuel dock at Cucumber Beach Marina. We anchored at Robinson Island, just outside of Belize City after trying unsuccessfully twice to anchor at 2 smaller cays. Again the charts and depths were unreliable. Christer and Ken had dinghied towards shore checking water depths, but decided that there was not enough depth for the scope we needed. We spent 3 nights at Robinson Island waiting for the wind and seas to ease enough for us to to enter Cucumber Beach Marina safely. We had tried a day earlier to enter the marina, but there was too much surge and wind. Fortunately, a space had opened up for us at the marina and we were able to spend a night tied up to a dock, not worrying about the anchor or wind. Our diesel was brought to us by a small pickup truck carrying 200 litre barrels. It took a while to fuel up, but it was a good feeling to know that we now had more than sufficient fuel to get to Cancun. We planned fill our tanks in Mexico, as the diesel is cheaper there than anywhere else in Central America, before we headed to Key West.

After a restful night at dock, we headed to San Pedro on Ambergris Cay to check out of Belize and head to Cancun. To enter San Pedro, we had assistance from a guide we had met 2 days earlier at Cucumber Beach Marina. He led us through the reef to an anchorage with a depth of 9 ft. with a rode of 80' in front of San Pedro. We spent several lovely, windy days there, enjoying the swimming, snorkelling and exploring the town. We even swam with nurse sharks and turtles while there.

The trip to Cancun would require an overnight motor. Christer and Emmy stood a nighttime watch, which was great as it enabled Ken and me to get more sleep at night. We were much more rested in the morning! It was a clear, starry moonlit night with 10-15 knot winds and 4-6' seas. We also had a 2-3 knot current travelling with us, so we made good time (and saved fuel). We entered through the breakwater at the El Cid Marina and Resort in Puerto Morelos (30 km south of Cancun) at mid-morning. The plan was to take some time to do a land trip to Merida and the Yucatan before heading to Toronto to spend Easter with Leia and family and complete income taxes.

Christer and Emmy flew back to Vancouver 2 days later. We were sorry to see them leave as we had had many shared experiences the time they were with us.