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Sunday, March 1, 2009: TIME: 2009/03/01 18:31 LATITUDE: 22-56.73N LONGITUDE:
088-39.46W COURSE: 129T SPEED: 7.0 COMMENT: Front came through at 4:00AM this morning. Rocking on
to Isla Mujeres. The front was predicted to arrive at about 12 midnight to 1 AM, but didn't show up
until 4:00AM. Seas were calm and winds were light until the front arrived. Pat could hear dolphins swimming around
the boat even though she couldn't see them. The front brought very little rain which lasted for only about 30 minutes.
The winds didn't pick up until almost 5:00. They have been blowing from the north between 20 and 30 knots ever since
with occasional higher gusts earlier this morning. They are settling down a little bit. Seas are running from
8 to 10 feet. We are spending most of the time below with occasional checks in the cockpit. There have been a
lot of breaking waves so the cockpit is very wet. We can check radar etc. from the nav station below. Thus far
though we have only seen one other vessel on radar and he was never closer 6 miles. The sun is shining and it is still
pretty, but we wouldn't mind the winds & waves settling a bit. The good news is we are finally making good progress
to Isla Mujeres. In fact, we may arrive there about noon tomorrow. There probably won't be any emails until
late tomorrow. We will be quite busy. All is well; and wet, and rolling. Monday, March
2, 2009: High winds and high seas continued through Sunday night and Monday morning. We had winds generally
between 20 and 35 with occasional gusts to about 43. Seas were mostly in the 10 to 12 foot range but for some period
of time they were running 12 to 15. The boat handled it well and we sailed all night and all day arriving at Isla
Mejeres about 4:00 PM. No problem getting into the harbor and it was beautiful on a sunny day. We tried for several
hours to reach several marinas over the VHF in order to obtain a slip. Supposedly they monitor 16 and 13 24 hours a
day. Today, they weren't answering at all. I think many of the people who were previously at anchor, came
in and occupied all of the marina slips before the cold front blew in and all the slips are full. So, we searched for
a place to anchor, and after running aground (softly) twice, we were finally able to get anchored for the night. Both
of us were tired and ready for a good night's sleep. We watched a couple of episodes of "As Time Goes
Byh" on TV/DVD before going to bed. Thanks to all for your concerns and your prayers. We never felt that
we were in serious danger. There were certainly times though that Pat would have preferred warmer, calmer weather. Tuesday,
March 3, 2009: We woke up fairly early. Coffee was wonderful, and I have been sorting through a couple
of hundred emails. We will have breakfast, listen to the NW Caribbean Net of HF radio (news, gossip, weather, local
information), and then e have to go check in with Customs etc. That should be fun. If my parents were still
living, they would have celebrated their 75th wedding anniversary! Dad's been gone for 9 years and Mother
for 7. I can't believe it has been that long. We decided not to get the dinghy down for the three days that
we would be here in order not to have to clean it, roll it up again and get it ready for the trip to Roatan. Probably
a mistake since it was most inconvenient without it. Our Spanish interpreter (Pat) spent about two hours before we were
able to get a water taxi (supposedly prevalent) to pick us up and take us town. Then we started the frustrating process
of clearing into Mexico with the Port Captain, Immigration, Health Department, and the bank (to pay the fees. Immigration
sent us to the Health Department (twice) but never could find anyone there who had the least idea about what we needed.
Actually ended up going to four different offices at the Dept/Hospital. Since it was too late to finish anyway, since
immigration closed at 3:00 PM, we decide to try again on Thursday. We enjoyed walking in town, and a little along the beach,
had fahitas for dinner, and then caught our water taxi back to the boat. We made arrangements for the same boat to pick
us up Wednesday at 9:00AM. Wednesday, March 4, 2009: A big surprise occurred this
morning, the boat arrived to take us to shore at the agreed upon 9:00AM. Fortunately, it only took about two more hours
to finish the paperwork in town. Most of that time was spent at the Hospital/Health Dept. After we finally found
the right location, we still had to wait over an hour for the right guy to be available. After his paperwork was complete,
then it was to the bank to pay the fees, to immigration to clear in, and finally to the Port Captain. We took long walks
afterward to see more of the town and the marinas along the water dock, and the fuel dock where we will diesel up before leaving.
We had a light lunch in town and arrived back at the boat about 3:30PM. In the evening we enjoyed watching several episodes
of "As Time Goes By" before and after dinner. Thursday, March 5, 2009: Pancakes
with sausages for breakfast. We went to town to check out of Mexico and get our Zarpe for Roatan. It only took
about two hours. We walked had lunch, etc etc and went back to the boat about 4:00. Relaxing evening before bedtime.
Not so relaxing after bedtime. Wind changed directions and increased driving us softly aground.. Friday,
March 6, 2009: We didn't sleep well but didn't have any problems raising the anchor and were at the
fuel dock before 6:30AM. They supposedly open at 7:00 but we didn't see anybody until 7:30. We fueled up and
left about 8:00AM. We are currently underway to Roatan, Honduras. Winds are 20 to 25 knots from about 80 degrees.
Waves are generally from the same direction 10 to 12 feet, a beautiful blue and white, white caps. The trip should be
about 3 days. We are currently making 6.7 knots on a double reefed main. It is definitely rolly. Saturday,
March 7, 2009: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DIONNA!!! We sailed all night on a direct course for Roatan so we are
making good time. A little too good for Pat. She prefers it a bit slower during the dark of night. The moon
is a waxing gibbous and that is a very good thing. The winds and waves were quite high but manageable if you don't
mind falling all around the cabin when you try to walk. I wanted to make good progress because I figured the wind would
move around a little more on the nose. That hasn't happened and looks like the sailing will be even better tonight.
Probably, not quite as fast since the winds have slackened off a bit (about 20) and the seas are a bit less (6 to 8). I
saw only one cruise ship on my one of my watches, and Pat saw one tanker. Other than that, we have it to ourselves. Sunday,
March 8, 2009: TIME: 2009/03/08 15:21 LATITUDE: 16-40.94N LONGITUDE: 086-35.36W COURSE: 186T SPEED:
5.6 COMMENT: 24 more miles to Roatan, Honduras. Happy Birthday Ken McCoin!! Wind and waves
died just a bit last night, and it was great sailing all night long. We have been sailing on course ever since we cleared
the reefs on the east side of Isla Mujeres. This may be the longest I have ever been able to sail the desired course
straight to a destination. We didn't see a thing all night except for the moon which is still waxing. The
above says 24 more miles to Roatan but that is actually to the west end of Roatan. After we clear the west end, we have
to turn back NE for about another 18 miles to get into Old French Harbor which is where our marina, Fantasy Island, is located.
I made a reservation this time so they are expecting us. That's a first for me. We hope to be at the marina
no later than 4:00 to 5:00 PM. We will be busy after that so I probably won't check my other emails etc. until tomorrow. Monday,
March 9, 2009: TIME: 2009/03/08 22:30 LATITUDE: 16-21.441N LONGITUDE: 086-26.303W COMMENT:
Arrived safely at 4:30PM 3/08/09 Happy Birthday Carole!! Good Morning from Roatan. We arrived
at the dock at Fantasy Island Marina about 4:30PM yesterday. We couldn't reach anyone at the marina on the VHF,
so we came on in carefully across the harbor. We thought we were going to have to anchor out again as they appeared
to be full; but as we got closer we did find a place to dock; and Gary, the dockmaster, was there to assist us. Gary
and his wife Nicole run the marina from their sailboat. They have only been here a month. It seems the whole of
Fantasy Island Resort changed ownership a few months ago. The new owners apparently didn't even know there
was a marina until Gary told them. So, at his point, the marina needs a little work, but we have power, water, showers,
and the facilities of the resort, i.e. pool, beach etc. The resort is very nice. Verizon apparently has no service
here; so our cell phones and my internet air card do not work. Today's agenda include clearing into Honduras, checking
on a rental car, checking on internet service, and checking on cell phone service. That's a lot of checking going
on and may take more than one day. Pat & I slept wonderfully for 11 hours or so. Now we are having our coffee
on Sun Dream at beautiful Fantasy Island. Tuesday, March 10, 2009: Everything takes longer
than anticipated. We thought we were getting a rental car and a local cell phone yesterday, but it
didn't happen until this morning. The car rental agent called about 10:00AM and said the car was at our resort.
They said the resort wouldn't let them in to get it, so they wanted to know if we would bring the car to them so they
could rent it to us. We picked it up only to discover it had a flat tire which we changed and then limped into town
on the doughnut spare. They cleaned it up, completed the paperwork and drove to Coxen Hole to check in with immigration,
customs etc. We found the place at about 11:30AM but a couple of other cruisers told us the port captain wouldn't
be back until after lunch. So we had lunch and went back about 1:00AM and found the port captain who said to come back
at 4:00PM or tomorrow at 8:00AM. We elected to wait until tomorrow. We did get a local cell phone. Our number
is 504 99651015. You can call from the US by dialing 011 first; but, of course, there will be LD charges. Wednesday,
March 11, 2009: After breakfast and checking email at the hotel lobby, we headed into town and cleared in with
immigration and the port captain. Spanish would be a great asset. I guess I should have sent Pat to more classes.
English is prevalent here, but not with the port captain. I think he is very proud of the fact that he does not understand
English. Oh, well, at least we are finally officially cleared in, have a 90 day cruising permit, a rental car, and a
local telephone. It actually only took until about 9:00 to finish up with the checkin procedures. Afterward
we took a drive out to the West End just to do a little exploring and get the lay of the island. We stopped by the local
grocery store to pick up a few items on the way back to the boat. This afternoon, I will put my dinghy in the water,
and we shall go exploring. Tomorrow afternoon, Dionna, Todd, Kyndera, & Berkeley arrive. It will be great
fun! The weather is gorgeous, sunny, no rain, and the high winds & seas have settled down.
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Thursday, March 12, 2009: We got the dinghy off the deck, cleaned it, inflated it,
put the motor on and went for a dinghy ride in the afternoon. At 5:10PM I went to the airport to pick up Dionna, Todd,
Kyndera & Berkeley. They were right on time and met me in the parking lot as I drove up. They were tired as
a result of traveling all day with two intermediate stops before arrival. They didn't get to see much before bedtime
but were excited to be here. Friday, March 13, 2009 through Wednesday, March 18, 2009: I
think Dionna & family had a great time while they were here. It was very relaxing - just swimming, snorkeling, dinghying,
and kayaking. I have also rented a car for the whole time we are here; so we have been able to drive and see most of
the island. The roads are horrible here with huge chuck holes. Driving on the paved roads is like driving off
road with everyone all over the road trying to miss the chuck holes. Kyndera kept saying she was expecting one of tires
to blow at any minute. Roatan is a beautiful island though with incredible views. We drove to the west
end of the island and visited West Bay which is beautiful. If you love blue, clear water, beaches, and incredible views,
you should visit Roatan. Berkeley loved the monkeys and found the iguanas interesting. Kyndera topped off her
suntan - not that she really needed to. Kyndera said Padre Island Beaches would never look the same. While snorkeling
with Dionna, Todd & Kyndera, we saw quite a range of usual coral fish - sergeant majors, parrot fish, yellowtails, etc.
A few of the more unusual were an octopus and a number of squid. Starfish are huge and abundant. Also, the conch
are very abundant. I keep looking but have not located any queen or king's helmets yet. We got Dionna
& Todd a room at the resort so that we would not be crowded up on the boat. It included meals and drinks.
Kyndera slept on the boat with Pat & I; and Berkeley ate most of their meals with us on the boat. We all ate in
the resort restaurant on Thursday which is seafood night. They were supposed to have lobster but unfortunately they
did not. We went shopping one day in Coxen Hole. Not exactly a shopper's paradise. Only a couple
of stores interested the girls. One was a well known souvenir shop named Yaba Ding Ding. It specializes in hand
made products from Honduras. They have a lot of mahogany products - boxes, trunks, etc. One interesting place
we ate of Jenny's Lusty Lizard Café. The food was good and the place interesting. Visitors write their
names on the walls so we left evidence that we had been there. I left Wednesday morning to take the kids to airport.
Pat stayed on the boat since the car is small. We can fit everybody in without the baggage, but with baggage it is very
tight. They went through customs and immigration before boarding the Continental direct flight to Houston. Jonathon,
Amber, Allyse, Viktoria, and Jillian arrived on the same flight. The kids didn't get to see each other at the airport
because of the different security areas. We got back to the boat & resort about 2:00PM so the kids still
had plenty of time to see the resort. They were surprised that we had booked a room and meals for them, and I think
they enjoyed that convenience. They went swimming in the lagoon, swimming in the pool, snorkeling, kayaking,
all on the first afternoon.
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Thursday, March 19, 2009 through Wednesday, March 25, 2009: The week passed really fast.
The girls were in the water every day and made friends with several young girls close to their ages which they met at the
resort. Amber and Allyse took a bus shopping trip one afternoon. I think they found it to be a pretty scary ride
and the shopping subpar. They didn't get back to the resort until after dark. Jonathon was about ready to
call the Coast Guard. Jonathon wanted his girls to be able to do the Dolphin experience at Anthony's Cay resort,
so we drove over there one morning (also on the west end). They didn't have room at the 12:00 noon showing so we
made reservations for the 3:00PM show. Since we had several hours to kill we drove on the West End (actually a town
name), parked and found a good local restaurant to eat lunch. The dolphin show was a great experience. Pat &
I didn't go in so that we could take pictures; but Jonathon, Amber and all the girls did and they loved it. I have
some excellent video and we purchased some excellent pictures by the resort's photographer. They were able to "hold"
the dolphin, the dolphin "kissed" each of them on the cheek, and of course the dolphin did some of their tricks.
It was a great experience and one the girls will remember. The rest of the week we did more of the same - swim, snorkel,
dinghy, and sun. The girls went crazy over the monkeys. Jonathon found a bed of huge sea biscuits in about
10-12 feet of water. I have never seen live sea biscuits this large before. They were buried in the sand but you
could just barely see the cross on their backs. Since learning how to locate them, we now see them every day.
We wouldn't take any live ones; but we have found a few dead ones with near perfect shell, which we have bleached and
try to bring home intact if possible. Allyse enjoyed the internet connection even if it is slow. She almost waited
too late to really get a tan; but the last day before they were to leave, she was laying out in the sun working on it diligently. I
took them to the airport on Wednesday to catch the same 1:15 PM direct flight to Houston that Dionna and family left on the
prior week. I left them in line about 11:15AM to go back to the boat. Unfortunately, I found out the next day
that they were delayed because of a mechanical problem, and their flight didn't leave until after 5:30PM. Then when
they got to Houston, there was bad weather and they kept them airborne. They were supposed to arrive in Houston about
5:30 and should have been home by 6:30. Instead, I don't think they arrived home until after 10:00PM. That's
certainly not the best way to end a vacation to paradise, but, I think & hope all of them would still say it was worth
it. I ran into Ken & Kelly Hutchinson at the airport with their friends Charlie & Quay Goff. Ken &
Kelly are from Lakewood Yacht Club and they and the Goffs bought houses down here about a year ago at the Parrot Tree Resort
& Marina. Pat & I went to their house last week for drinks before we went to Turquoise Bay for dinner
and a little karaoke (not me)! We had met them at Lakewood but had never gotten to know them very well. They are
great people and have been very gracious to welcome us here. It was actually Kelly who suggested that we stay at Fantasy
Island, and it was a great suggestion. The Goffs are also from Houston.
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Thursday, March 26, 2009 through Tuesday,
March 31, 2009: Well, we have almost a whole week before James & Julie come in. What shall we do?
We could go sailing, anchor in a different spot on Roatan, or even sail to a different island in the Bay Islands. But,
no, we are retired and we are very comfortable here at the Fantasy Island marina. We have power, water, showers, the
dinghy, the beaches, the water, and snorkel gear. Life is good! No sense rushing off and doing anything rash.
There will be time for other islands later. The other day, Kyndera's prediction came true. We had a flat tire.
I changed it and put on the donut spare. About 10 minutes later I forced to hit a chuck hole head on because of the
poor timing of an oncoming car. The donut also went flat. I can't imagine why. Why would a bent rim
cause the tire to go flat? Anyway, I drove it on the flat donut about a ½ mile to the (not a) Texaco station.
I asked if they had anyone that could fix a flat tire. The clerk pointed me to a shelf with the Fix A Flat cans.
I bought two, put the flat regular tire back on, and then inflated it with one of the cans. We managed to get it back
to the rental place who fixed the flat and gave me a new donut. They were gracious and didn't say anything about
the bent rim; but of course I haven't seen my bill yet. A Fix A Flat can is a necessity here. Sunday afternoon,
we went to a most interesting restaurant here that is very popular and well know with the cruisers called The Hole in the
Wall. On Sunday's they do a brunch with all-you-can-eat lobster etc. It is near Jonesville on the eastern
side of the island and you can only get there by boat. So we drove to Jonesville and took a water taxi to the Hole.
It is not much to look at, but it has atmosphere and great food! I understand that B, the owner, sailed in on his catamaran
years ago and after running aground and sinking his boat, stayed to build his house and a restaurant. Gary & Nicole
are the marina managers at Fantasy Island. Nicole went shopping with us one day and showed us where to buy locally.
One great place was the wholesale seafood place. We split an order of frozen lobster tails with Nicole. Our half
was $75 for 11 fairly large (7-8 ounce) lobster tails. Pat cooked the first two in the oven with just a little lime
and butter - great! I cooked two more later on the grill also with lime and butter - even better! I love lobster! Speaking
of lobster, this is the first place I have ever seen live lobster in their natural environment. After finally locating
the first one, we now know pretty much know how and where to look for them. We have actually seen 4 or 5. It isn't
lobster season so I can't catch and keep any. I hope to be able to at least catch one and release it so I can say
I have done it. They always back themselves into a crevice though, where I am still somewhat reluctant to reach in with
my hand to grab them. I asked Gary last night and he said you can grab them but even with gloves, you will probably
get a bloody hand from the spines on the spiny lobster.
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