On the ride back, the navy circled El Tigre so we could get a view of the entire island, before ending up back at the base. There, the captain invited us to a fantastic seafood lunch of grilled fish, langoustines and shrimp in garlic sauce at the officers club. We learned over lunch that the Captain was born on the Island, in Amapala, which had been the main port of entry to Honduras before it was closed down in 1979 and the port relocated to San Lorenzo on the mainland. Amapala had been a bustling international port town when the container ships offloaded there and this is still evidenced by the unique architecture, broad streets and well laid out plan of the downtown area.

After lunch, the captain again invited us to take a land tour of the island and our first stop was at "cueva siren" reputed to be used as a hideout by famed buccaneer Francis Drake. Legend has it that some of his pirated gold is still buried on the island. After circling the island, which only took about one hour with another stop at a lookout, we were delivered back to the pier where we asked the Captain to wait briefly while we ran out to the boat to get him a thank gift as a token of our appreciation for such a comprehensive tour all morning. We gave him our email and have decided to return here next year as not only the reception but the cute town and several anchorages offer further exploring and kayaking in the future.