Waterfall at Michael Rock
11 March 2014 | Michael Rock, Guanaja, Honduras
Beth / sweaty, tired and happy

We had one last meal at Manati (luscious stuffed chicken and German potato salad), one more rambling conversation with John (Mermaid) - the most madcap "character" we have met on this journey - one more quiet night at anchor with the sprawling white hotel that covers Dunbar Rock on our starboard and the shoreline of the main island on our port - and then we headed out of the harbour. A farewell toot of the horn from Pi and a blow of the conch from Mermaid sent us on our way down to the corner and back up the other side of Guanaja to Michael Rock.
We could have visited by dinghy - through the canal and along the coast - but we had heard that it was a nice anchorage in settled weather and we wanted to try it out. The wind blew us along on two tacks and by the time we got up to the cut in the reef, we had 20 kts of wind broadside. I was sure we would go in and come right back out again but just as the captain predicted, the reef cut almost all of the swell, and the really not very high rock blocked most of the wind. We were glad to have waypoints to go in there although the water was so clear that the shoals were easily visible and in good light it is very clear where deep water lies. And it IS deep! We saw 35 feet most of the way in and around the rock to our anchorage on the south side. It is grassy there and hard to get the anchor set - we never really did. We nosed in to a depth of 20 feet, dumped 120 feet of chain on the bottom and pretty much stayed there.
Many lanchas were pulled up on the beaches when we got there midafternoon on Sunday. Families were gathered to play and picnic until 5ish when they all departed, leaving us alone in this lovely little spot. The water was so clear we could see the bottom 30 feet down. The stars shone brightly and the quiet was somehow even quieter than in other places with more boats.
As we were repositioning the next morning, making one try to reset the anchor, the Outlandish dinghy came flying up the coastline. Matt and Renee had come through the canal and were all set to find the waterfall. Perfect timing!
We dinghied out around the Rock (actually two forested rocks with a pretty little beach between them), to the Island House where we tied our dinghies and started our search. First order of business - order lunch for later! Next step - follow instructions to walk up the beach a little farther, cross a stream and find the trail on the right. It was an actual trail for a while! Narrow but visible and so pretty as it followed the gurgling river. And then just where we saw a dry gulch on the right and wondered if this was it - Matt took the lead and we scrambled for another half hour up, over and around boulders in the riverbed.
And what a reward we found! The lovely waterfall tumbled gently down a cliff to flat boulders where we washed off our sweaty bodies, reveled in the coolness and took lots of pictures. We worked hard to get there - filled all our senses with the joy of this glorious natural area - and then eased ourselves back down over rocks, tree trunks and cool water to the flat trail again. We were a tired and happy foursome as we climbed the steps to the Green Flash Bar for lunch and sodas. My grilled shrimp were the best - the others thought their fish was a bit overcooked - and the fruity spicy sauce for the rice was delicious. When I asked, the lady said it was Tiger Sauce - bought in Tampa Florida.
We donned masks and fins to take a little snorkel around the coral heads off Michael Rock before calling an end to the day's activities. Outlandish's dinghy (with best waterfall buddies ever) disappeared around the corner to the canal and El Bight. We retired to Madcap's cockpit for naps before waking up for dinner and another quiet evening with our books and headlamps under the moonlit and starry sky.
Was it necessary to spend the 4 hours to come around here and anchor in order to enjoy Michael Rock? No. Are we glad we did? Yes. It's a lovely place to be in settled weather. We could easily have stayed another day, but the wind looked to be right for a westward sail back to Roatan so it was anchor up at 8 the next morning - and a farewell to Guanaja for this year.