Safe Arrival @ West End Roatan
29 December 2016 | West End, Roatan
Susan / mostly cloudy, bunches of afternoon rain, 80 degrees F
We wake yesterday morning to squally weather. After one passed we were rewarded with a double rainbow. I would have posted the picture but darn sailblogs is pitching a fit every time I try to upload it.
The straight forward passage calculation of: nm / speed (nm) = hrs in route does not work for the passage from Tres Puntas to West End, Roatan. We're traveling mostly East, and that is rarely easy in the Caribbean. This passage has the trifecta of winds, seas and current against; straight forward calculation is 20 hours, we plan 24-30hrs. We call ChrisP for the weather forecast on 26Dec and then again on 28Dec, our departure morning. They are consistent: Tuesday's strong E winds (yep, the ones we had in Livingston) abate; Wed N to NE winds less than 10 kts, Thursday light & variable, periodic squalls to 20 kts. Seas 2-4', 8-9 sec interval. Nice forecast for this run, which can be pretty terrible. We are cautioned to be in by Thursday evening because Friday the winds are again strong N / NE.
The first 12nm and the last 12nm were pretty much to forecast, the intervening 100nm, not so much. Once out, we re-encounter the strong ENE, sometimes ESE, winds, 15-20 sustained with gusts to 25kts (two to 30kts) in squalls. Seas: NE 4-5' with wind-driven chop. As we near West End, Roatan the sky clears, the wind drops below 12kts, making it an easy read of water & reefs as we enter the anchorage. But of course it starts to rain as we catch a mooring ball and are totally drenched by the time we're securely attached. We left at 10am Wednesday; arrived 11:30am Thursday; 25 hours. An anchor-down beverage is well-earned. Not the worst of these passages, just not the nice one forecasted.
In the early afternoon we head to Coxen Hole even though it has continued to rain. With the upcoming holidays, the sooner we check-in, the better. The Port Captain takes the usual copies, but also asks for digital photos of Vida Dulce. This is a new requirement. Luckily between Jerry & I we have acceptable photos on our iPhones, which we email to him while sitting in his office. Come back Monday afternoon for your cruising permit, we're told. Isn't Monday a holiday, Jerry asks? No, we're told. Monday afternoon. That done, we're off to immigration which has moved. It is no longer next door to the Port Captain, it is now in Plaza Mar. I wanted to go to the big Eldon's grocery store anyway and Plaza Mar is very close so certainly not an out-of-the-way location. We find the immigration office with a little difficulty (tucked away on the back side of the 2nd floor) and find it closed. A family is also waiting, and from their frustration, has been waiting for some time. Not one to waste time, I head to Elders while Jerry waits. Usually the Captain checks in all crew anyway. I return to find Jerry sitting on the floor, still waiting for an official to arrive. All others waiting and who later came have left. It's 4pm. I leave the groceries with Jerry and head to the ladies room. When I return Jerry is inside the office; we're the only customers so our passports are processed without further delay. Turns out he wanted to see me to check me in, Captains no longer allowed to represent the crew. No fee. That done we catch a collectivo taxi back to West End and are back onboard for a late-ish happy hour.