Guanaja ,Honduras

Graham's Place, in Guanaja is a rest stop.


Sailing from Port Antonio, Jamaica to the Bay Islands of Honduras, was gentle. The winds were not adequate for sailing with their piddly 2-9 knots. We left the harbor with reefed main expecting some drive from the wind, as hilltop dwellers with radios told us the evident swells foretold wind. Nah! ................................."Hilltop dwellers!!"

Joking of course, any help is appreciated.


Dorothy raided the freezer for Flank Steaks and chicken and we cooked up a bunch on the grille outside, then portioned it down for small containers as " Mini-Meals on Keels". Fine tuning the body without overfilling the tank.


Motoring west, we rarely got to feel any breeze on our sweating bodies with the exception of night time squalls that came of the Jamaican North Coast. On radar the cloud formation paralleled the coast and on radar was 20 miles long and 4-5 miles thick. Tons of rain plus winds generally in high twenties (apparent) reached 33 a couple of times. Since we were sailing west and the winds from this were coming from the SE, we sailed off with it in our reefed Main Sail, getting a good shower and a nice push. True wind speeds probably were above 30 thru the first hour or so, as we were moving along at 8-9.
Speaking of sweating, I have found the suns intensity to be extreme on this trip.

Third World Countries solution to disposable products.. When you don't want it, abandon it.

We normally spend our time below in the saloon, as others would spend theirs in the cockpit. Usually nice breezes below with opened hatches and ports, privacy, 90+% UV protection from tinted Storm Windows, but close in sailing usually dictates cockpit time. From the middle of the first day of travel on this last leg from Jamaica to Honduras, I spent most of my day watches inside, using the instrumentation, Auto Pilot etc. and once a half hour or so, would pop into the cockpit for a look see. Daytime, with radar and all else, I had as good a grasp on things as any trawler or ship would have and I too was then able to stay out of the sunlight/weather. Nighttime, I spent inside and out, choosing locations by gut reaction and breeze necessary to feel comfortable. The pilothouse configuration has been a real pleasure.

OK, getting back to the flow here, the next night motoring along, I had some fun playing with radar as a tool to avoid these bowling balls of showers and squalls. Tracking them as targets, then adjusting our heading and course over ground to let them slip by port or starboard.. Well, that worked until 2 of them decided to join behind us. So much for plans!

Also got to play a bit with current. Yes out here and specifically for this conversation, the Cayman Trench has currents that effect your travel. On the charts, it indicates 1-2 knots of current at times. Weather effects this to a high degree. I believe I was getting about a knot boost for a good portion of our trip west, but when my charts showed bottom contours that might slow or speed us up, I tried to use them. Dang if it didn't make a difference. Its like water in a stream. Deep water runs the fastest and shorelines or bars cause friction that slow the flow. Rocks in a stream force the water around it speeding up the water between them and slowing it close to them. I found that even in water 5000 meters deep, two seamounts feet high, gave me a nice boost between them. About 3/4 of a knot.

Arrival in Guanaja, the eastern most of the Bay Islands had to be delayed a bit as I wanted to enter the reef cut, just south of the NE Cay on the eastern reef. I had gone thru this 20 years ago in good light as a crew member on Flying Cloud, a 36 Toshiba/shoal draft, but was concerned as I now had fewer brain cells upstairs and more keel downstairs.

Food arrives daily via flights from the sea. Usually Flying Fish of course, but tonight, Squid!


Much better food is available! At Grahams place and elsewhere worderful food atmosphere and service is the norm.

To increase my odds of success without heaving to, I decided to run off or should I say motor off to a downwind entry point at Guanaja Settlement about 5 miles further. This would give me better light by less than an hour, but the piloting was easier using surface points for navigation rather than visual of water depth alone. All went well and all tools were used; idle speed, radar, depth, chart plotter with boat position tracking along nicely and with apparent accuracy, triangulation, polarized sunglasses on both of us, and a printed chartlet in hand.

Clearing in to Honduras was easier than I remember from the past. The Port Captain was friendly and helpful. Both gents in the office spoke English well enough to cover my terrible Spanish. The Immigration officer at the next location, seemed to enjoy using his English. A 2 minute ceremony took 20 as he tried to ask a million questions.

Dunbar Rock

It was all good tho and I enjoyed our bi-lingual car wreck. We got thru it laughing and shook hands firmly. This looked like it was going to be a good trip.

After the legal proceedure of Clearing In with officials, I dingy'd back out to Memory Rose, anchored off the settlements west side to retrieve Dorothy.

VENICE? No.
Guanaja Settlement is built over an island only HALF its size. Yup, most of it is on stilts, out over the water. Waste water, both black and grey, flows down tubes, pipes, gutters and thoths to canals; leading effluent to the bay.

With passport stamped, she was now cleared to enter the town so we went in to grocery shop, eat lunch, buy beer and get some local Limperes(cash) from a little banking storefront. Little in size, but outside, there were 2 armed guards with automatic weapons/flack jackets, hand guns etc.? frisking you with a metal detection device, and one inside with a shotgun similarly suited up with flack jacket etc.

Waterfront of The Settlement

There had been a robbery a year or so ago and the bad guys got away.

Lunch at the "Fish Pot Restaurant, was a great choice." Met "Tompy" the owner/proprietor, a fun loving chap born and raised there.



His name comes from his bowed legs and a nickname for his unusual walk cause by bowed legs and maybe being a bit 'top heavy'. The kids had named him that as a child and he lovingly holds on to it with pride! He told us where to have a fun time on the outer reef.. a place called Grahams Place. He was right. Graham's Place is a rarity. The guy is originally from the Cayman Islands but now spends his time slowly developing his island on the reef into a fun spot of good food, drink, relaxation with a very low key atmosphere.

FISH POT RESTAURANT IN GUANAJA SETTLEMENT. GROUPER LUNCH WAS DELICIOUS!

The food is excellent. He offers cruisers free water, free ice, free use of the island to swim, snorkle or explore. Washing clothes tho is $10/load, and internet was $10/day or $2/hour. Typical cruiser, I used my Eugenics wifi booster to sit aboard and surf, anchored out a 1/4 mile or so.




Everything about the place was pleasant. Even the dogs came to say hello and goodby; no barking just tails wagging. We visited the 'next' island owned by an American developer, only to find the owner gone and the 4 watch dogs barking like crazy

Landed the Avon anyway, as the caretaker had invited us over, the previous evening, and in a few minutes had the dogs playing and loving getting petted.



The caretaker was apparently gone, but the dogs did not act like watch dogs, but pets.. even trying to swim after us as we left. As we veared west, they swam west, east, they swam east. I had to yell to them to go back. They DID!! (Sure glad the owner taught them English!)







At anchor off of Graham's Place



Visited Brick Point, a gorgeous location on Guanaja where years ago we met a couple, Bill and Maureen Miller. They have split up and the property sold to a developer putting in 170 homesites/marina etc... a golfcart community. Sigh.




Moved on to Roatan after a few days and now in Jonesville, sometimes referred to as Bodden Bight. Good harbor, one grocery store, 4 or 5 watering holes, 2 wifi links. Only a few boats were anchored here, one being "CRAZY HORSE", the big square rigged trawler of Peter Schmit and his wife Barbara . Will move west, as soon as the wind dies a bit. Winds have been 15-25 but last night a solid 30. The seas outside are still steep and breaking so will chill out.



We will be trying to leave here in time to sail over to the Rio Dulce river in Guatemala by the 13th of June to catch a high tide for crossing the bar.

remember you can enlarge any photo by just....CLICKING ON IT!




CRAZY HORSE