Honduras, Roatan to Guanaja – A visit to the back side of Guanaja – Michael’s Rock anchorage

This blog update has been brought to you by the magic of radio waves using a single side band radio (SSB). You will have to wait for us to find some internet before you get the pictures to go with it. You will just have to use your imagination. There are still places on this earth where you ‘just can not get a signal’.

THE SHORT VERSION

We kissed all our friends goodbye, lifted anchor at French Harbour, Roatan, sailed over to the next island Guanaja (pronounced Huan-na-ha) and anchored there.

THE LONG VERSION

LAST STRONG BLOW BEFORE WE GO

We rode out another northerly blow in French Harbour, Roatan. Thankfully it was not as ‘eventful’ as the last sequence of strong winds. All the boats that had experienced anchoring troubles moved. They either moved into the Marinas or out of the main anchorage area into the mangrove corners. A couple of boats, fearful of getting hit by dragging boats again, opted to move into the more protected older section of French Harbour hoping to for a better night’s sleep.
So it was not surprising that no boats dragged and we all got a restful sleep. We woke early to spot our neighbours kayak trying to escape over the reef. Fearful the still strong off shore winds would soon have it ‘out to sea’ I sent one of the humans off to retrieve it in our kayaks, with a stout pair of shoes on. Our neighbor was so thankful he gave us a signed copy of his book.

FAMOUS NEIGHBOUR

Our neighbor is very interesting and eccentric fellow. Not that most of the cruising lot are not. John is the extreme! Extremely fit, extremely intelligent, extremely energetic and animated and extremely crazy about sailing. Disillusioned by Vietnam he has been hacking around the Caribbean since 1969. He now sails a very historical wooden boat, with no engine, that does not leak any faster than he can bail it out. You have to be in a certain ‘frame of mind’ to read his one published book Little Fish Big Pond by John A. Smith.

GETTING OUT OF FRENCH HARBOUR, EASIER SAID THAN DONE

With the northerly winds slowly calming down we really should have used this wind direction to sail further east. You see, boats do not sail directly into the wind. And guess what the normal trade winds are? You guessed it, easterly. But we had our reasons for not setting off.
First, we needed to say goodbye to a few people. A surprising number of boats we spent the summer with were in French Harbour riding out the windy weather. Some were hanging about, while others were heading off in different directions to us. North, to the Cayman Islands or even Cuba. We hoped to see many of them when they eventually headed south, but we had company to pick up, so we were off ahead.
Second, it looked terribly bumpy out there. Who wants to head out in rough seas after a strong blow? Not me. Especially when there is an excuse for a good drink up instead.
Third, the anchorage we wanted to head to was on the ‘rarely visited’ north side of Guanaja. This anchorage would be unprotected if the winds were still blowing strong from the north. And in the end we were wise to wait a day.
So we waited a day and the winds settled. We got everything on the boat strapped down for the passage. We even finally got the outboard off the dingy (It kind of got ‘seized’ in place because the human’s left it on all summer). All looked good so we lifted the anchor.NOT! The anchor did not want to come up. When we rolled in the chain it just got tight and the boat frozen in position. After riding out two strong blows our anchor was truly buried deep. We were stuck! What were we going to do? When it seemed that patience was not going to work, we had to start thinking of something else to do. We could try and dig it out. At 12m down, that would require dive gear and an extra hand on board. Or we could try and use the boat and engine to wiggle it out, but we would have to take the weight off the windlass (winch for the anchor chain). We decided to start with the easiest option. We use the anchor bridle (hooks onto the chain and ties onto the cleats) to take the stain off the windlass, but we still had to be gentle. Any pushing and pulling would now put undue strain on the newly welded bow roller. We gently drove the boat forward and side to side. It took a while, and loads more patience, but the anchor finally dug itself out and came free. We were not going to drag anywhere in those last few blows!

FINALLY ON OUR WAY TO GUANAJA

Finally freed from the sea bottom we were free to make out way to Guanaja. Information on anchorages on this island is limited. Like most of the western Caribbean, it is also poorly charted. You need to use cruising guides and local knowledge to get into anchorages safely. Thankfully we found one cruising guide and a cruiser who had been there before. The cruising guide gave us general chart of the area and a few key way points and the cruiser gave us some pointers on his favorite anchorages and some transits to use in avoiding reefs. Both highly recommended the north side of the island for beaches and snorkeling. So off we went.
In the lee of Roatan (sheltered by) we had smooth sailing and were joined by pods of dolphins. Once in the channel between the islands the seas were still stirred up from the recent storm and running strong. I cannot imagine how rough the seas would have been even a day before. This did not deter the fish below, and we caught our first fish of the sailing season. A beautiful iridescent green mahi mahi (also called dorado and dolphin fish). Yum yum!
As we approached the reef I could see the tension in the humans as they dreaded the task ahead. Threading through a reef entrance and around coral heads is not an easy task for them. But now that the sky had filled with a haze of clouds, it had just gotten harder. They had a way point for the entrance to the reef cut. They knew they were to aim for the tallest mountain to pass between the reefs, but inside things were going to get interesting without good light. Normally, if you have good overhead light, coral shows up as light brown patches. But with an overcast sky, all the water looked cool and dark. The humans had been told to use two white poles, set by locals, as a safe transit through the coral to the anchorage, but how many locals had a 2m keel to worry about? Yipes!

MICHAEL’S ROCK ANCHORAGE

A couple of shallow spots, and a wide berth around Michael’s Point itself and they made it in safe and sound. We anchored on the back side of the point. The anchorage is stunningly scenic. Rock cliffs, sandy beaches and towering mountains. A bit like the Saints of the Eastern Caribbean, but with hiking trails up to waterfalls. The crystal quarts and metallic mineral mica run in veins through the rocks here making the beaches appear to be sprinkled with tinsel and stars.
Now, we were told that the best anchorage is right off the beach that separates Michael’s Rock from the mainland, but we found the sand here a bit shallow for all but fair weather. The winds had not set east yet, so the boat circled its anchor and the last of the north setting swell creped over the reefs and made the boat roll at times. This is why you do not want to come here while a north wind is still blowing. But we knew the forecast was for south easterly winds and the anchorage would soon be a mill pond.
I loved having the freedom to run on the beach again. Free to chase sticks and coconuts. Few people live on this side of the island and even fewer boats visit it. Besides our companion boat ‘Bellatrix’ we had the place to ourselves.
The humans had a fuel filter to change, but then I sent them off snorkeling. They said the coral and fish life here is excellent. Even a few lobsters, but it is a Marine Park here, so no poaching. Strong south easterly winds were predicted so the humans moved the boat closer to the mainland and off the next beach along. Here they found some deeper sand for a better hold.

WATERFALL HIKE

Confident the boat was secure the humans left me behind again and went off in search of waterfalls. They were warned that the 40 minute hike included some scrambling, so I was not invited. The trail reminded them of the waterfall trail in Dominica. You felt like a great explorer trying to follow the twists and turns of the trail. They even found clear evidence of the regular passage of a very large snake. Someone had marked trees and rocks with regular white crosses, so when in doubt you had only to search hard for a white smudge somewhere. Near the end of the trail the valley does ‘bottle neck’ and there is some scrambling over moss covered boulders. This section was not really dog friendly, but not that technical for a fit individual in sturdy shoes they do not mind getting wet.
There was a last stretch of scrambling over boulders and they came to a lovely waterfall with shallow pools below. A great opportunity to rinse the sea water from their hair and cool off. In fact there are lots of pools along the way to cool off in as you go along. No need to come back hot and sweaty. Speaking of hot and sweaty, they ran into a group coming up as they exited. A whole camera crew, guides, a navy escort and a group called ‘The Explorers’. They seemed to be very surprised to find my humans wandering the trails of the jungle in bathing suits and sandals.
Lucky for the humans there is a little sea side bar along beach on the way back called ‘The Green Flash’. Here they found ice cold ‘refreshment’ and a bit of history about the place.

NO BODY LIVES ON GUANAJA

Ok, that is not exactly true anymore, but it is close.
There are a few adventurist types with lonely homesteads dotted around the island. Two small villages have also sprouted up on the south shore, but the majority of the inhabitants actually live on a small cay rather than the island itself. With a strong fishing heritage and evil sand flies on the mainland, it only made sense to the original inhabitants to live there.
Lucky for us, the locals tell us, the strong winds have kept the biting flies away. Even so, it gives us another reason to sail around to the other side of the island when the winds ease.

WHAT IS IT WITH THE STRONG WINDS?

North America is getting some nasty cold fronts. They are sucking all the air up from the Caribbean right now. After a bought of strong north westerly’s, while we were in Roatan, we now have strong south easterlies in Guanaja. The reason we are anchored on the back side of the island (north side). You would think that the towering, vegetation covered, volcanic mountains of the island would block all the wind for us, but instead it creates its own phenomena. Anchored not far from the beach we have lovely flat water, but instead of complete shelter from the strong winds we instead get weird gusting as the winds find passages around and between the mountain passes.
Last night was the strongest predicted winds and ‘boy oh boy’ there were a few serious prolonged gusts. The worst started after 2am. I had made sure that everything was strapped down, but the wind really did try and rip everything it could off the decks. We also had a lot of chain out to help act like a shock absorber. We are expecting a similar pattern again tonight, but not quite as strong.

WHAT NEXT?

We are forever ‘slaves to the wind’.
We are searching through weather forecasts and predictions looking for that elusive ‘perfect window’ to get first east, around the end of Honduras, and then south east to the San Blas islands of Panama. We have company coming in a few weeks and they will be greatly disappointed if the boat is not there to meet them. There are lots of islands to visit along the way, but every stop we make mean costly check in fees and waiting for the next weather window.
It looks like a ‘wind window’ is opening up next week and it may last a full 5 days. It starts off a little blustery, but eases. This may just be the opportunity we are looking forward to get all the way south. Before we go we need to stock up on fuel, water and fresh veg. All hard to find and more expensive in the San Blas.

THE OTHER SIDE OF GUANAJA

After these strong south easterly winds blow themselves out, we plan to sail around to the other side of the island tomorrow. This is where we can pick up everything we need and see the main village on Bonacca Cay. There is a well protected anchorage just off the mainland, called El Bight, and we will ‘swing around’ there, hopefully get some internet, and do the last of the planning and preparation for the run south to the San Blas islands. Also means you guys will get some pictures.
But you already know what a handsome dog I am!

For you ‘yachty’ types I will also add charts and way points.