Honduras has a reputation for piracy. Any sailors heading south, to Panama for example, will steer well clear of the Honduran coastline and Nicaragua too. Luckily for us sailors this means going via The Bay Islands: Utila, Roatan and Guanaja. All between 25km and 50 km off the north coast of Honduras. Here is spectacular diving and snorkelling. Reefs are teemed with fish, coral, sponges, rays, sea turtles and whale sharks. Being a child growing up in the 70s, I still have a fear of sharks; something I am working to overcome. We feel incredibly safe here. The locals speak English and Spanish. Another colony once under British rule, along with French and Dutch who raided Spanish ships. The history is interesting of pirates and changing powers.

Utila: Known as the party island has many young back packers and divers from all countries. Checking in is the easiest here. Both customs and immigration are on the same street, next to each other opposite the ferry terminal. The staff are helpful and supportive. Prices are clearly displayed: no fleecing here. A couple of known dingy docks are Mango Tango, amazing food here (tempura firecracker prawns-a must), and the coffee shop at the Utila coffee brewery. Both have reasonable WiFi. There are Grocery stores along the high street. There’s a bit of rubbish lying around which is upsetting. The locals do the best they can, but it’s believed that the plastic etc comes from other countries. The wind and tide dumps it on their island. Again confirming that we all play a part in recycling and avoid using plastics altogether.

Rio Dulce, a tucked away 'Emerald Jewel' . Hardly known by European sailors, Rio Dulce is the perfect haven to avoid the hurricanes. The only hurdle is crossing the sand bar. We draw short of 6 feet and were fortunate not to touch going in or out. The advice is to use the afternoon high tide and, if possible, a spring tide. If you have concerns the agent Raul can arrange a tow and haul over for those vessels with deeper drafts: quite a sight.

You will check in at Livingston. I recommend using Raul Services at your agent. Checking lasts around two hours. Once completed you will travel upstream in fresh water. The Rio Dulce, a truly majestic 10km treat! Totally jaw dropping. The river meanders its way through the jungle (where the original Johnny Wisemuller Tarzan film was made). At 91 metres high the gorge is home to huge numbers of white egrets, parrots, monkeys, pelicans and other wildlife.

El Golfete is where most yachts hang out. It is a lake surrounded by marinas, boatyards and anchorages. We chose RAM marina to have our work completed. Richard, the owner, Karen the boatyard manager looked after us incredibly well. Our boat had a refit: hardtop built and a new colour.. RAM has the biggest spray booth in Central America it even accommodates masts. The labour throughout Guatemala is much cheaper than in Europe or the States. Materials on the other hand are costly as they need to be imported.

We stayed in accommodation whilst we were here. Temperatures soar into the 30s. Living on the boatyard with reflected heat from the concrete and no wind would be unbearable. An inland trip to Antigua and Lake Aitilan is highly recommended. A 10 hour bus trip from Fronteras but definitely worth it.

Pepper was on the hard in RAM boatyard for 17 months; we did spend 10 months back in UK. To keep a level of fitness and develop relationships I ran a yoga session every morning. We left RAM marina and our good friends Donna and Charlie with a tear or two. The sad farewells are not unknown by sailors.