We had left Texan Bay on Friday (the bets were on!) and after spending two nights in Cabo Tres Puntas, we left at dawn enroute to Omoa, Honduras! (No one ever believes us.) The seas were pretty rough, but calmed down quite a bit the further we came to Omoa. There was a a lot of debris in the water, including trash and very large logs. We arrived in Omoa about 2:30pm in the afternoon, but were quite tired and we didn't even go ashore. Sadly we missed touring the fort built in the 1770's.
Early the next morning (Monday) we left to go to Puerto El Condito, an awesome little cove amidst huge rocks at the entrance. We thought we were completely alone, then we saw some natives walking the beach probably enroute to the village in Diamante. If you ever have the chance, stop here, it is just lovely!
Utila is much larger than expected and we arrived at the east harbor around 4:30pm Monday. Once we were certain the anchor was set we headed into town. It is much like the other islands, San Pedro, or Caye Caulker, but it is hilly. It is one of the best places to dive and most of the tourists are there to do just that. Sadly, there are far more Europeans than Americans diving.
Much of Utila is swamp, but we toured the rest of it. Many, many dive shops, lots of tiendas, very few street vendors, a decent amount of restaurants/bars, a few little bazaar type stores. One of our favorite restaurants was Evelyn's. She served us fresh whole fish with rice and vegetable, it was very good and the best bang for you Limpera in Utila, $100 limperas (100 L = $5 US)!
They have a lovely little beach, but it no where compares to Isla Mujeres. There is another beach, but they charge to visit it . . . we passed.
We found a little place called Skidrow Bar. Soon learned that one of the owners is from Pittsburgh, and as it turns out, he (Dave Steffan) went to my High School! He graduated four years after me, his brother two years after. I did not know them, but it was really fun talking about the Burg and he and his wife Trish, knew exactly where I grew up. David and I had spent 40 years of our lives in Pittsburgh and never ran into anyone we knew from our high schools, then we go to Utila and meet someone, too weird! It is a small world! Needless to say we spent a lot of time at Skidrow! We also donated some flags and left "our mark" there!
Bush's Grocery is the best and really the only place to shop in Utila, for you fellow cruisers. They now have gasoline, diesel and metered water. Once the docks are repaired you will be able to pull up and fill up. It is also a very safe place to leave your dinghy while you are touring the island. Checking in and out of Honduras is also very easy to do here.
I took a ton of pics of the Jade Seahorse Restaurant. This place is amazing, it is more of a treat to your eyes than a restaurant. There are mosaics everywhere, bridges, you just have to see it to believe it. I'm sure it is lovely at night too. this is a "must" see. Visit their site, http://www.jadeseahorse.com.
The divers love to party and their music kept us awake most every night. We loved Utila, but the downfall is the anchorage is not very good for holding and the music became annoying after a while.
David rented a bike one day, but he just couldn't find the caves at Pumpkin Hill. It was just way too hot for me. Supposedly there are well preserved markings from Pirates of long ago here. Another time, perhaps.
Be careful in Utila, they have cement streets and between the skooters, motorcyles, golf carts and four wheelers there isn't much room left for pedestrians, and no speed limits!
We've been trying to get our propane tank refilled and after waiting about 10 days here, we are heading for West End, Roatan. It's about 38 miles from Utila.
West End is dive shops and restaurant/bars, very few shops. They also have a lovely beach, and it happens to be at the Sundowner Bar. We watched the World Cup, lazed on the beach and enjoyed cervasas.
Several long time cruisers have told us that without a doubt, Roatan outshines them all for diving! The water is very clear and there are a lot of fish, etc. here. Sadly, I never even snorkeled. David was going to treat himself to a dive on his 59th, but was interrupted by Tropical Depression Alex.
Roatan is nice, but we still preferred Utila. However, we didn't make it to French Harbor or Fantasy Island by sea and so we're told me missed the best of it! Our visit was interrupted by Tropical Depression, Alex. He passed right over us, but it wasn't a worry at all, most rain. We had stronger winds in the harbor in Utila. Even so, when all the boats began to leave after Alex, we decided we had better move back to Guatemala too, or risk another tropical wave.
We did take a van to Coxen Hole one day and another to French Harbor by land. Went to a brand new strip mall and went to lunch at Wendy's! Applebee's was next door and a lot more reasonable that in the US!
It is easy to get propane in Roatan, not so much in Utila.
We had the pleasure of meeting Ted and Joan from Panchita, Steve and Cheryl from Samdalay and John and Sharon from Sunbow in the mooring field. We also met the owner of Changing Spots and his crew member, but can't for the life of me remember their names.
David has hosted the Northwest Caribbean Net on the (Single Side Band radio). The net meets every morning at 8:00 am. At this time of year many cruisers are back home and there are so few boats "out there", so David stepped in to help. It is a way for cruisers to check in while underway or just to talk with other fellow cruisers. For some cruisers this may be the only human contact while they may be under way.
I think the net must have been a Godsend for one single-handed cruiser, Bob Curren. He came on the net one morning to report that his mast had splintered (in the midst of Alex), and that his engine had fouled. He was able to get the fuel line cleared and the engine running again. The net controller asked if he wanted help from the Coast Guard, but he had declined. We later learned that he had hit the reef in Isla Contoy (Isla Mujeres, Mx), and was seen swimming to land. So far no one has been able to find him in Isla Mujeres, but as far as we know he was not seriously injured. Good time Charley sank, however. Too sad.
So as we've learned Roatan requires a return trip. Looking forward to it!
We arrived back in Guatemala on Saturday, July 3rd. This is the best place to spend hurricane season. It has been fun seeing our old friends at Texan Bay, though there are few cruisers still here. Gene and Brenda of Queen Mary arrived yesterday. We have followed them "on the net" each morning and are happy to be able to spend some time getting to know them better.
We hope you have enjoyed following our maiden voyage via the blog. Our plan had always been to leave the boat here and go back to Orlando, but sadly it is so expensive. We are not yet prepared to go back to work. Of course, poverty has a way of changing your mind, but for now, Guatemala is very affordable for us.
There is much maintenance to be done on the boat; that will begin soon . . . maybe tomorrow.
This last leg of our trip to Utila and Roatan took us about 138 miles. All total we have cruised probably over 1,000 nautical miles. Not bad for a maiden voyage, I say! We have learned a lot and are beginning to make a list of the things we would like to add to the boat to make future voyages a little more comfortable for us, new canvas, an easier way to secure the dinghy, more FANS! Then, of course, there is the list of maintenance projects we must do, too numerous to mention. We'll get there!
We don't have a lot of room for company, but if anyone wants to visit, two at a time, works well, just send us an email, newhorizonsblue@yahoo.com. We'd be more than happy to show you around Guatemala!
Stay tuned, we are not yet finished, just taking a little hiatus!
