Exploring Roatan with John & Paula Dennis

I have been reminded of my delinquincy in keeping this blog up to date.
On Feb 25th, we watched as Providencia's mountains disappeared in the mist behind us. We were on our way north to Roatan, 450 miles away. We were underway at 0700 hrs after shedding a large chunk of fish trap from our anchor.
After ten days in Providencia, the boat was ready to go, all projects completed, but we could have stayed longer. During our stay, we toured the island by motorcycle, climbed its 1000' peak, 1.5 hours each way in the tropical heat, to gaze down on the tiny harbor below us, seeing Estelle gently bobbing on her anchor. Providencia is an oasis in more than one way. It has an excellent protected harbour in the middle of the S-W Caribbean, making it an excellent stop-over for boats heading north and south. It is also extremely safe. There are no records of boater crime, an unusual claim in this part of the world. And English is as commonly spoken as Spanish. It has a long history of English occupation, both by settlers and pirates. It finally became Colombian about 100 years ago, and today, there are more than a few who are suggesting that they should go back.
In January, the World Court at The Hague came down with a decision on the islands and the fishing rights around them. And it did not favour Colombia. Although the islands remain Colombian, all the surrounding waters have been given to Nicaragua. The decision sent the navies of both countries scurrying out bristling, but all remained quiet.
So when we were there, people were to say the least, unhappy. When we heard the President was coming to address the people, we hustled ashore to watch the fun. The local school band played the national anthem, all four long verses. Then the mayor spoke (at length), the local member of the federal government spoke even longer, and finally, El Presidente arose. He spoke long and passionately, but not a word about the fishing rights dispute. Instead he unloaded a series of promises that puts any of our politicians at home to shame. He promised new schools, hospitals, lower ferry rates, a new marina and more. Then he headed home. But nobody seemed fooled. Politics are the same everywhere, it seems.
Our last day there we dinghied ashore to watch two local baseball teams compete. It was great fun with the game competing with the fans for entertainment value.
So as we watched the island disappear, sailing past Morgan's Head (named after the infamous Captain Morgan who laid in wait for the Spanish treasure ships sailing from Portobelo to Spain) we thought about the new friends we had made during our 10 days there.
Our course was NNW in an ESE breeze of 15-18 knots. We were sailing in company with Swift Current, a Sabre 45 and Camelot, a Catalina 47. With their longer waterlines, they soon pulled ahead. But in the fresh breeze, we romped north at 7.5-8 knots. In late afternoon a large target appeared on the radar. These waters are known to be a bit unsafe, with a bit of piracy against boaters not unknown. So we watched the target with interest as it slowly bore down on us. By the time it was within sight, we recognized it as a Colombian Naval frigate. In addition to the odd pirate (mostly poor fishermen) the waters are also heavily used for drug smuggling between Colombia and Mexico. The navy just passed us slowly then headed off south in search of more interesting quarry.
At 0400, after 21 hours and 156 miles, we reached our first waypoint. I was on watch, so roused Jeannie from her bunk to help gybe us over onto a course due west to pass the Cayos Vivorillos another 54 miles away. On the map, the ocean off Nicaragua, the Mosquito Coast, looks empty, but a closer inspection shows it infested with reefs and shoals out 100 miles. That's why we headed NNW before gybing due west. And the banks make good fishing, so through the night we had to keep a sharp lookout to make sure we kept well away from the boats and their gear.
At noon, we sighted the Vivorillos. They are a beautiful set of cays surrounded by reefs that can provide a beautiful anchorage in the right conditions. But in the fresh south-westerlies, it was wide open. And again there is a question of security. It is not the place to anchor alone. And finally, our weather window was closing. We were racing a major cold front that was due to hit Roatan with 35-40 knot winds later in the week. So we watched the Vivorillos disappear as we again altered course to the north west, this time to keep at least 20 miles off the coast of Nicaragua for the night.
Again the wind stayed a fresh 15-20 with gusts to 25, we romped along until dawn found us with just 50 miles to go. As the sun rose to yet another glorious day, the wind slowly died, leaving us motor-sailing by mid-morning. Our buddy boats were about 18 miles ahead of us, both developed problems. Camelot lost their auto-pilot the previous day, leaving them hand steering in the boisterous following seas, and when they began motoring, Swift Current broke a motor mount, requiring them to motor the last stretch at low speed. So by mid-afternoon we were all safely into French Harbor, Roatan. As we rounded up to our marina berth at Fantasy Island Marina, we recognized Chapter II from our yacht club, in the next berth. Before we had our lines secured, we were catching up with John and Paula Dennis, a warm welcome!
Trip over, 420 miles run in 55 hours, an excellent passage. Plans kind of run out here. Roatan is known for its spectacular diving, so I hope to find time for a couple of dives. We will probably spend 10 days here then off to Belize for a couple of weeks, who knows?