♫On the road (boat) again. Just can't wait to get on the road (boat) again♫!

We spent the better part of five months ashore in Orlando visiting with family and friends. It was fun, exhausting (trying to keep up with our boys), expensive and disappointing too. It seems as Orlando is suffering more economically than other cities. There are whole strip malls closed down and the unemployment rate exceeds the national rate. Both David and I attempted to get part time  jobs, but it just didn't happen for us. All that being said, if you have $$ you can certainly get some “steals” in the real estate market right now.

Anyway, we are happy to be back on the boat; a change of scenery is always good for the soul. We flew into San Pedro Sula, Honduras. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as we would have liked. We had made arrangements with Hotel Villa Nuria for a shuttle, but somehow they left us behind. (When we finally arrived we learned they had picked up another guest, but left before we connected.)

If it weren't for the kindness of a local, we may have been in a lot of danger. San Pedro Sula is no place to be at 1 am in the morning especially out side the airport security. A man approached us and offered his phone (I guess we looked pretty bewildered. The Night Manager at Villa Nuria didn't seem to understand our peril. So the man offering his phone also offered to drop us at the hotel. We were a little concerned to accept his offer, but the alternative seemed to be worse at the time. He was accompanied by his sister-in-law, two nephews and his brother. They were headed to Tegucigalpa. Luckily we incurred no issue and gratefully thanked him for his kindness, he refused our $$ gesture, but we insisted. It's so nice to know there are still some good samaritans out there!

As we were checking in at Villa Nuria, David determined that our Visa card was missing (here we go again). We had had a drink on the plane. I saw the Flight Attendant scan our card, tear off the receipt, wrap it on the card and place it on the table next to David. Not sure, but we think when he tipped the table up it may have slid into the sleeve on the back of the seat. (When we had left for Orlando in August we had just missed the shipment of our Visa that had been sent Fed Ex. Luckily, we were able to pick up that card and Wells Fargo has graciously activated it for us; O happy day!)

We got settled in our room and slept a few hours. We were up early to take the shuttle to the bus station where we boarded a bus to La Ceiba, Honduras. We thought it would be a nice alternative to flying into Honduras; although we didn't see very much on the bus as we got some much needed sleep. What I did see reminded me a lot of Guatemala; rolling hills and valleys, livestock roaming close to the road, the mountains in the distance, and of course, a lot of poverty stricken Hondurans.

In about three and a half hours we arrived at the Gran Paris Hotel; which had been recommended by fellow cruisers. It was very nice and the staff very courteous and English speaking. The rooms were clean and comfortable.

We walked around the town a little. Supposedly La Ceiba is a “party town” and it was busy. There were a good many “unsavory” looking characters so we didn't venture far. We had dinner at “Pizza Hut”. We really wanted to see the beach, but were warned by Hotel personnel that it was not safe. I was too tired to do much else. We watched a couple of playoff games and turned in somewhat early.

Early the next morning we took a taxi to the ferry en route to Roatan. Again, there was some confusion about our arrival date, but we worked it out and Mark from Turtlegrass Marina eventually picked us up at the ferry terminal.

Though we were warned by Mark and Lori, I, personally was not prepared for the condition we would find the boat. Every surface, including our cushions in the salon were covered with mold! Apparently they had had a lot of rain, like five days straight and that coupled with the humidity made it a petri dish!

I have had to throw out pillows, sheets, clothing, canned goods, herbs and spices, etc. David's tools are rusty and corroded. I had to wash all clothing and linens left on the boat, even if they were in plastic bags and wash all the teak and vinyl bulkheads, clean out all the cupboards, hanging lockers and storage areas. After two weeks it is finally beginning to feel comfortable again.

We bid farewell to Mark and Lori and Calabash Bight on Sunday, January  28th and headed to French Cay Harbor. It felt so good to be on the water again. We put the sails up, well at least for a little while. It turned out to be a squally day, so before long we were dodging raindrops. Then a full blown squall was upon us. We got hit with a gust a wind that nearly took our whisker pole; it totally tore one strap to shreds! So we just hunkered down for a while and waited for the weather to calm down so we could enter the harbor. Lady H and Sound Effects answered our calls on the VHF and helped to direct us to the new channel markers.

We dropped the anchor and settled in. After awhile we got the dinghy down to search for the new Brooksy Marina, the talk of the town. I had been sick, and confined to my tasks on the boat for five days and I was anxious to get off the boat and see old friends.

Mike and Lilo whom we met about the time we both received bad fuel from Fantasy Island are the new owners of Brooksy Marina. They had left Fantasy Island and went to Panama. Ultimately, they sold their boat, but not before they had to replace their Perkins engine due to the damage from the bad fuel.

They returned to Fantasy Island, and after attempting to collect what it cost for his new engine, was labeled an “unwelcome customer” and told to leave the property. So they purchased the property across the canal from Fantasy Island and opened a marina.

It is very nice and most importantly is very “cruiser friendly”, which Fantasy Island is not. I personally gave Mike a “high 5”! I think it's a great thing. There are only 3 boats left at Fantasy Island! Revenge can be sweet!!!

Brooksy Marina is technically a “club”, as they have incurred difficulty getting a liquor license. For $15 US per week you get free wifi, showers, washer and dryer, and discounted beverages. They also serve hotdogs on Tuesday, order Pizza on Thursday, Fridays is appetizer night, Saturday is the run to Eldon's grocery (also offering a 5 % discount for purchases at Eldon's that may be used toward your bar tab at Brooksy); and also Saturday evening is the Potluck. Mike and Lilo are very nice people and very anxious to make your stay comfortable. So if you're headed to French Cay Harbor, be sure to stop by Brooksy Marina.

Besides that another resort has opened a new restaurant around the corner from the Iguana Farm, Frenchy's 44. They are getting a lot of business from the cruise lines, and taking more business away from Fantasy Island. They have two restaurants, one on the west shore and the other on the east shore. If necessary you can take their ferry to the east shore or just dinghy on in. We had lunch there. It was very nice and the help are English speaking. David had a fish sandwich and I a steak sandwich, both $8.00 US. We would recommend it.

Brooksy Marina hosted a Superbowl party for the cruisers. Way to go Giants! So happy they won!

Apparently, 48 Hours Mystery aired (on Superbowl Sunday at 10pm EST) a story about Don North.  He was a long time cruiser and was killed after he had taken on a crew member (a stranger to him) in Panama.  Many of our fellow cruisers knew him though David and I did not.

It has been good to see some old friends and make some new ones.  We have learned of a lot of changes on the Rio Dulce.  Sherry and Mike no longer own Texan Bay; and now it has been sold again to our old friends Maurits and Mavis!  How cool is that?  Honah Lee has opened a marina around the corner from what was Texan Bay.  A lot of "gringoes" are buying property in the Rio Dulce, for obvious reasons.  We're hoping at some point to go back to the Rio, just not sure when that will be.

For the time being while we continue to do odd jobs on the boat. If all goes well and we are able to get the generator fixed, we would like to go to Guanaja, Cayos Cochinos and then who knows. We have friends going to Cuba and then possibly Panama in early March.   So we'll see how it goes!

Stay tuned!