3 Countries In 7 Days

Mima Has Landed

Three countries in seven days; hiking 2000 stairs, snorkeling with giant tarpon, Marshall being robbed, what a ride but we have finally arrived in Guatemala, our new home for the next three months. Before I get ahead of myself let me tell you about the past week and our continuing adventures.

If you recall my last article the kids had just finished their Scuba certification in Roatan, Honduras. After going on a couple dives together we left the Island of Roatan for Utila, the last of the Bay Islands. We spent 4 lazy days on Utila and enjoyed our time their very much before heading to the mainland of Honduras on our way to Guatemala and the Rio Dulce. Our sail to the mainland was not one. What I mean is that for the first time we experienced a west wind. What direction are we heading? You guessed it, west. Now in fairness to all the true sailors out there we could have tacked all over the place and sailed all the way to our destination but I have never claimed to be a true sailor. So we motor sailed and after 8 hours arrived at Puerto Escondido, Honduras.

The anchorage is part of a Honduran national park and we were greeted upon entering the anchorage with the fragrant bouquet of jungle flowers and the roar of Howler Monkeys. It was good to be back in the jungle again. The following day all three boats in our little flotilla (S/V Dream Odyssey, S/V CToy and S/V Mima) headed to shore to hike in the forest. I had not been on shore more than a couple of minutes and a pair of Plain Chachalaca (Google this one) came to check us out, very cool. Our real objective however, was a hike up 1000 stairs to an overlook we had heard about. We found the trail and were off. This is a rugged coast line and the stairs were necessary as it seemed that we were going straight up.

After 653 stairs, yes we counted as it kept our minds off our burning legs, we reached the top. It turns out that the remainder of the 1000 steps is on the way down the other side so down we went. After a quick rest stop we were back off up and over the ridge as we were only an hour away from sunset. After a total of 2000 stairs and a couple miles of trail we were back on board the boat. The jungle was beautiful here and perhaps the most pristine we have yet visited. Amy commented later after seeing plastic debris along a lonely stretch of beach and in the water, "I can see why it is so important not to litter." That lesson alone is worth the trip and we certainly hope we can play an active role in preserving what is left of our pristine jungles and forests.

The next morning we left for the Sapodilla Cays in Belize, country number two, after spending two months in Honduran waters. We eventually want to visit Honduras again and explore inland. The eight hour trip to the Sapodillas was uneventful with the exception of Marshall landing a nice King Mackerel. The Sapodilla Cays are the southernmost group of islands in the barrier reef of Belize. The primary reason we came here was to get a better point of sail for our trip to Guatemala and to break up the sailing legs so as not to require any overnight passages. After searching around for a while for a good anchorage big enough to hold all three boats we settled in close to Hunting Cay and realized we were sitting in a truly wonderful spot.

We quickly launched the dinghy and our time snorkeling revealed that we were in the middle of an aquarium. Abundant fish, crabs of all sorts, lobsters, conch the list goes on and on and all were here to greet us. Dinner was sushi from the Mackerel we had caught and we all went to bed tired but excited to be in a new country.

The next day found us snorkeling once again and we even did some fishing from the dinghy. While trolling through the reef systems we noticed a number of large Tarpon feeding on a school of minnows. We threw a few lures at them with no luck so we dropped the anchor and put on snorkel gear and quietly got in the water. What we saw before us was the most amazing scene I have ever observed underwater. In just 12-15 feet of water the reef was literally bursting with life. A large school of minnows were seeking refuge close to the reef and all the big dogs had come out to feed.

Observed from 30 feet away the scene was mesmerizing but then I swam directly into the minnows. They completely engulfed me and my visibility was reduced to mere inches. As I floated motionless on the surface without warning the minnows would part like the Red Sea and here swimming directly at me was a 5 foot long Tarpon or a school of Yellow Tailed Snapper or little Tuna and on one occasion a Grouper tipping the scale well in excess of 100 pounds. Add to this mix a few larger Tuna, Barracuda, Dog Snapper and all the normal reef inhabitants and it felt like someone had set us in the middle of the greatest fish tank ever conceived. It was truly awe inspiring and I hated to finally get out of the water.

Dinner that night was a fish fry on the beach, compliments of Greg and Barbara on S/V CToy, and a truly memorable day had come to a close. We were enjoying ourselves so much we decided to stay another day and do some more fishing and snorkeling. Little did we know that tomorrow Marshall would be robbed of one of his dearest possessions? To be continued……

Fair Winds and Following Seas, the 4Wheelers

200 Days Afloat

200 Days Afloat-Dreams Considered and Realized

"Dad, I went down 40 feet and saw the cutest little flounder," exclaimed Amy as she ran toward me from the dive boat. For five days, Amy (12) and Marshall (10) have been completing their Junior Open Water Scuba Certification. They are now certified and enjoying all that Scuba has to offer, not to mention the cute little flounder.

For the last month we have been living in and experiencing all that the Bay Islands of Honduras have to offer. The people and the islands have exceeded our expectations with abounding friendliness, wonderful fishing and snorkeling, not to mention many beautiful anchorages. Our slower than normal pace of travel has also provided the time to reflect on our journey so far, and as we approached our 200^th day cruising I found my mind and heart dwelling on dreams. Not those that come and go through the night but those that stay with us through life and provide direction and energy to our endeavors.

To many it seems, dreams reside as a vague notion, an indistinct vapor that appears and then quickly are gone without a trace. To others dreams burn with a white hot intensity and they become powerful motivators for action. But what are dreams and where do they come from, and perhaps more importantly, how do we respond to them throughout our lives?

In recent days I have become increasingly aware that many of the experiences we are now involved in cruising are the fulfillment of dreams started as a child for me. My childhood was one of great and varied experiences. I fell in love with the sea as a child living on the islands of Jamaica and Trinidad. In fifth grade I told my mom I wanted to be an ornithologist, and I have spent the rest of my life fascinated by birds. My favorite television programs as a kid were "Jacque Cousteau" and "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom," or any show having to do with wildlife, the sea, or the natural world around us. Now I sit here on board Mima with the sea all around me and wildlife in every direction. This truly is a dream come true.

If the last 200 days have been the maturation of dreams held since childhood I am becoming more convinced that I need to dream more, and of the responsibility I have as a parent to encourage dreaming and risk taking in order to accomplish them. This notion also convinces me that the dreams I have, although uniquely mine, are the composite of all the forces that played active roles in my upbringing. My father and mother chose to leave the comfort of the United States in the early 70's to live in Trinidad and Jamaica. They were following their hearts but simultaneously instilled in mine a deep love and curiosity about other cultures and places. My grandfather invested untold hours of his retirement to show me the wild places and to love them. A university professor, and now dear friend, took my curiosity about birds and cultivated it into a deep and abiding passion for everything that flies.

If life is experienced at its highest by the fulfillment of dreams, I have few greater tasks than to model for and cultivate in my children the desire to dream and the confidence to attempt them. The diversity of stories told by cruisers about how they embarked on their own voyage has reinforced in my mind the reality that if the dream exists, and alongside it the courage to attempt it, those dreams that are today vague and indistinct can be sharpened and honed into a burning passion that provides direction and energy to an endeavor.

What does all this mean to a family from Idaho floating around the Caribbean? What stops us from stepping out and claiming the life we want for ourselves? I continue to ask those questions but I am reminded daily that living a life based on dreams is far more worth living than accepting the corporate or societal norm. We are wonderfully and uniquely made and we are best served, it seems, living like we were designed to live. Not to fill the mold or expectation of another but to embrace with confidence those dreams residing within each of us.

What will the experience of cruising around the Caribbean mean to Amy and Marshall in the years to come? We can only guess, but I grow more convinced daily that by living in response to dreams we weave into the tapestry of their lives diverse, challenging, and unique experiences that will create a platform upon which they can begin to dream good dreams and muster the courage to attempt them.

Until next time, dream well and fair winds.

The 4Wheelers

Guanaja

Guanaja-Island of Charm

Las Islas de la Bahia, Honduras, the bay islands are comprised of three major islands and numerous cays. Guanaja, Roatan and Utila lie just 20-30 miles off the northern shore of Honduras are much more Caribbean than Central American, so much so that the locals are quite adamant about the fact that they are "Islanders not Spaniards". When approached from the east, Guanaja is the first island encountered in the chain.

Guanaja is clearly the island visited least by tourists and even many yachtsmen choose to bypass the island in favor of the more developed Roatan. Isla Guanaja was discovered by Christopher Columbus on July 30, 1502, on his fourth and final voyage of discovery. Columbus was met by large dugout canoes carrying 25 Paya Indians in each and was quickly welcomed ashore. Columbus found excellent water and he noted that he had, "never tasted water of better quality." Guanaja was so covered in pine trees that Columbus initially named the island, Pine Island.

Sadly most of the pine trees that covered Guanaja were destroyed by Hurricane Mitch in 1998. Guanaja has recovered well but evidence of Mitch still exists over much of the land, most notably trees with the bark completely blown off them. Mitch sat over the island for nearly two days with sustained winds in excess of 200 m.p.h. In spite of Mitch the island is doing well has regained much of its beauty and was a great deal of fun for us to explore.

The only real city on the island is Bonacca which is actually located on a small cay a half mile off the main island of Guanaja. Perhaps best described as the Venice of the Caribbean, Bonacca is home to over 6,000 people all living on less than 100 acres. There are no streets and certainly no cars or scooters. In fact, even bicycles are prohibited. Everyone walks along sidewalks and paths with many of the homes and businesses being on stilts out over the water and 3 stories high. Just about everything you might need can be found in Bonacca if you are willing to look or ask. The locals all speak English so it was easy to interact. Remember they are "islanders not Spaniards."

We spent a few days anchored off a little island with a resort on it called Graham's Place. Graham's island paradise is a haven for anyone wanting to just hang out and enjoy the sun, beach and snorkeling away from the hustle and bustle of more developed island resorts. One of the highlights is his animals. Amy wrote in her journal, "Graham's place rocked, we got to swim with two nurse sharks, twenty sea turtles, twelve groupers (including a two hundred pound goliath grouper), bone fish and, many more exciting creatures. The turtles would swim right up to you and look at you with their adorable eyes while you pet them on the head, and the way the 5 ft barracuda looks at you makes you want to faint. The grouper was so big you could feel the water being pushed by his tail when he swam." If you are looking for a little getaway next winter check out www.grahamsplacehonduras.com.

The island is also home to several small waterfalls. The most beautiful of which is most easily accessed from the north side of the island. After a blustery sail we anchored in the lee of Michael's Rock on the north shore and enjoyed 4 days of solitude in this beautiful anchorage. The snorkeling and diving is great and the hike to the waterfall was great fun. We had forgotten how tired you can get walking up a trail. Apparently we have found our sea legs but I am afraid we have lost our land legs in the process.

In total we spent twelve wonderful days enjoying Guanaja, what a groovy/funky/beautiful little island Guanaja is. The islanders were welcoming and very enjoyable to interact with and made us feel right at home. The expat community redefined the word "diversity" and is a constant source of good laughs, information, and stimulating conversation. If you are sailing by or looking for a secluded getaway check out Guanaja.

Fair Winds and Caribbean Rhythms, the 4Wheelers

Stranded on a Deserted Island.

Life Lesson Learned Stranded on a Deserted Island

After a fast and furious sail we arrived in a group of Islands known as Banco Vivorillo. Located off the northeast coast of Honduras, this small group of islands and surrounding coral reefs are home to thousands of birds and visited only occasionally by people. We had heard much about these islands and the wonderful abundance of sea life and we were glad to be here and anchored.

The following morning after our arrival, once finished with her school work, Amy asked if I would take her to the islands to photograph some of the birds and check out our new island home. I was glad to oblige her and off we went. For the next two hours we photographed and explored two of the three islands. It was a thrill to watch Amy get excited about the birds and photograph them. We compared the size, composition and location of the various nests as well as the size, color and number of eggs per nest. We just had a great time the two of us marveling at God's creation.

With two islands down there was just one left to explore. Off we went to check out the western most island. As we approached this mound of coral rubble with a few low lying bushes masquerading as an island I knew we were in for a treat. We were greeted by 4 Masked Boobies all lined up waiting to be photographed. We hurriedly pulled the dingy up on shore and for the next hour took literally hundreds of photographs of Brown and Masked Boobies and Magnificent Frigatebirds.

All my life I have read of explorers and adventurers that upon discovering new lands also discovered local fauna with no fear of man. I have dreamed of being in a place just like this for decades. We walked freely among adults and young and seemed to be nothing more than a curiosity to them. As Amy and I walked around the bottom end of the island I was keenly aware that a lifetime dream had just been realized. As I raised my head from the birds and looked out to sea my dream in a moment was turned into a nightmare. Two hundred yards off the shore I could see our dingy floating out into the ocean. In our haste to see the birds we had not tied off the dinghy and as the tide rose it carried our dinghy away.

I immediately made for the water and began to swim. As I began to swim I consciously told myself to settle down, breath smoothly and settle into a groove. Having done a few distance swims and run a couple of marathons I knew this would be a marathon swim but continued to crawl toward the dinghy. As the minutes went by and I continued to swim I felt that I was not making any progress toward the dinghy as it was moving too. I began to realize that I had a choice, return to shore or go for the dinghy. If I swam much further I was afraid I would not be able to make it back. I was tired and I knew from our charts and could feel in the water a strong current. I finally decided that today was not a good day to drown and return to shore, exhausted.

As Amy and I stood watching the dingy on the horizon we placed three sticks in line pointing to our last sighting of the dinghy and worked our way around the island. Once on the other side we were still about two miles away from Susan and Marshall onboard Mima. We found the remnants of an old tarp and made a flag and began to wave it hoping they would see and come investigate. Two hours later and still waving the reality of nightfall was settling in and I decided I needed to act. I gave Amy a kiss and promised her that I would return and made her promise me that she would not try to leave the island herself under any circumstance. I set off walking across the barrier reef to try and get as close as possible before I began to swim. I should point out here that I had no shoes and although I have swam a mile twice before this was a lot further. To my surprise I was able to walk well over a mile on the reef before I began my swim. I should also mention that it was Amy's idea to walk on the reef to get closer to the boat and end up more down current. What a smart girl she is.

As I got closer Susan realized something was wrong and heard me yelling help. I was hoping she would pull anchor and close the distance to reduce my length of swim and then we would go get Amy. As I swam and swam and Sue stood there watching I was furious. Why aren't people helping? She got in the water and began to swim toward me with my fins. Upon reaching me I asked why she had not come to get me and she informed me that once again the engine would not start. Let me tell you it was like someone stuck a knife in me. My little girl is all alone on the island and I am so tired of fixing this boat. I put on the fins and got to the boat as quick as possible.

Still no luck starting the motor and we were busy talking about what we should do. There were no other boats around to help and we tried the VHF radio to see if we could contact a boat we knew was on their way towards us earlier that day, all to no avail. So Susan packed a dry bag with water, granola bars, portable VHF radio, flashlight, snorkel gear and some clothes and got in the water with a boogie board to swim back to towards the reef to walk to Amy. Our plan was for her to get to Amy and then walk together across the reef again and swim to the boat. I did not think I could do it again and I had to figure out the motor.

I was able to get the motor running by the time Sue got to the reef to begin her walk across, with shoes, to Amy. She assured me via the portable VHF radio she was alright so I said I was going to run and see if we could find the dinghy and then get back to her and Amy. This entire time I could see Amy through the binoculars waving our flag just as she had been told. Quite the girl. I wondered what she must have been thinking seeing Mima motor away from her since she probably couldn't see Sue on the reef walking towards her yet.

Marshall and I made a beeline for the far side of the island and with the three sticks lined up (the ones Amy and I had set up) off our stern we were pointing due West, 270 degrees. We put the hammer down on Mima with Marshall at the helm manning the autopilot and monitoring the engine. I grabbed my binoculars and climbed the mast to the first spreader. I knew that at 8 knots we would close the distance fairly fast, but would we be able to see the dinghy? We had less than an hour of light left. We stayed on course and as the minutes passed I began to doubt we would find it. As I was beginning to calculate how many more minutes we would continue before turning back to get the girls before dark something on the horizon caught my eye. It couldn't be, but as I watched through the binoculars I was able to get a compass heading of, you guessed it, 270 degrees.

Within a couple of minutes I confirmed that what I thought was a just an abnormality in the water's surface was our dinghy. We came alongside 10 minutes later and retrieved the dry bag from the dinghy and tied her up and we were off, back to get the girls. The dry bag contained my Zeiss binoculars, digital telephoto equipment and Amy's camera gear, which along with a new dinghy and motor would have not been fun to replace. We easily made our way back, anchored, and retrieved the girls while watching a spectacular sunset. There were lots of hugs and kisses that evening and only energy enough to have PBJs for dinner.

Wow, what a day. The rest of our time in the Vivorillos was spent snorkeling, getting to know a couple of local fishermen and enjoying a really beautiful place. The silver lining to all these events are the lessons learned in the process. As I sat with Amy waving our homemade flag I asked her what the worst case scenario was. She correctly identified the uncomfortable prospect of spending the night on the island and the loss of our dinghy, motor and dry bag gear. Being at sea is teaching us to ask what the worst that can happen is. If the answer to that question is acceptable then we proceed, if the answer is not acceptable we make whatever change is necessary to get to an acceptable solution. I have also been trying to model and teach myself and my family the concept that if money fixes it, it is not a problem. Perhaps an inconvenience but not a problem, this was a perfect example. Sure, spending the night on the island would have been uncomfortable and we did not want to repurchase all that could have been lost, but we were all safe. "You are right Dad, a terminal illness is a problem not a lost dinghy" said Amy.

Then there was Sailing Life Lesson #78; don't take short cuts. If there is ever a master who will make you pay for taking short cuts it is the sea. I knew better, but in my haste I took a short cut, and it nearly cost me dearly. This gave me the opportunity to apologize as Dad and Captain to my crew. Then there was Sailing Life Lesson #79; if you screw up, recognize it and move on to a solution. I was just sick about my poor decision to not tie off the dinghy, and yet when I had to act to resolve the situation I did, not to be a hero, but to do the right thing and be active in solving the problem. In hind sight, my decision to walk the reef and swim to the boat not only meant we did not have to spend the night on a pile of coral, but also that we got our dinghy back. Once again our family discussion revolved around the reality that we all make mistakes but do not let them immobilize you. Maybe when this is all done I will write a book, "What the Sea Taught a Dummy".

The next day I did what any self respecting captain does, slept in, cancelled school and we all went snorkeling and spearfishing.

Until next time, fair winds and following seas, 4Wheelers