Having finally arrivered in the Roques we were full of anticipation about the diving and the reefs and the sheer magnitude of the beauty of the islands. We were not disappointed. The water was calm and clear inside the reefs with a large variety of fish and other marine life. We would spend a couple of hours snorkeling in the morning, then lunch, a cold beer and a mid day siesta. About 2pm it was time to get back in the water for a couple more hours before the light began to fade. Even here there is dead coral and areas of bleached reefs. Happily there are still many reefs and patches of coral that are alive and well and that appear to be trying valiantly to recover. We moved from the anchorage behind Isla Buchiyaco to one a few miles north in the middle of a cluster of reefs and shoals opposite the north central entrance thru the outer reef. A small sand island rose out of the clear waters and afforded us some protection from the wind. One of the international attractions here is the "Bonefishing". The bonefish is a prehistoric critter that feeds in and lives on the shallow grassy flats that surround many of these islands. The bonefishing in the Roques is purported to be some of the best in the world. Well heeled fishermen arrive here, fly rod in hand, with the avowed purpose of catching a record size bonefish. The fish are not edible, though great fighters, and so are released unharmed after measuring and weighing. Tomorrow we will move again to a new anchorage.

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We pulled the hook at 10pm in an inky darkness that hid everything but our three boats as we had our running lights on. Three islands of reality in a dark and seemingly empty world. Relying entirely on our GPS we slipped out of Cayo Heradura and began the night crossing to Los Roques, 85 miles away. It was a reasonably calm night with benign seas and a following wind and current. Dawn arrived uneventfully, the best kind, and soon the low lying islands of Los Roques began to appear on the horizon. We worked our way down the reef to the opening that would allow us safely inside and slid easily on through. Within 20 minutes all three boats were safely inside the reef and anchored behind Isla Buchiyaco, the first little mangrove island north of the entrance. With a feeling of elation I realized we were finally in the Los Roques. Something I had been looking forward to for almost a year.

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The next day we moved fromLos Palanquinos to Cayo Heradura, a horseshoe shaped island that provides perfect protection from the northeast tradewinds, good holding in deep sand and sits on the north west corner of isla tortuga. That makes it the perfect jumping of place for a run to Los Roques which are 85 miles west. We hung out for 2 days and then at ten o'clock at night we pulled the anchor and all headed out for a night crossing to Los Roques.

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