BACK IN FRENCH CAY HARBOR, ROATAN

To get away from here for a few days, we sailed to West End last week so I could fulfill that need "to shop"!  All better now!  While we were there, the winds changed direction from easterly to westerly, and was blowing @ 15 knots.  The West End is not where you want to be for westerlies as the seas can get pretty rough.  So we set sail to return to French Cay Harbor which is @ a 3 hour ("tour") sail.  The winds were @ 12 - 15 kts with the waves 3 - 4 feet.  As soon as we rounded the corner to the southern coast, the seas were flat and no wind...... so we motored!  (Sure hate using up the gas.)

One reason to return here is that we are having a new hard top made that will not only better protect us in the cockpit but enable us to collect water, like a sistern, plus it will replace the canvas top on there now.  The tropical sun does much damage to Sunbrella, as we folks from Florida know oh so well.  Monday is the scheduled start day and should only take a week.  Let's just see how it goes since they are on island time down here.

Weather report - HOT and MUGGY!

Next week I am taking a Scuba Discovery lesson.  It is a four hour session for the newbie to determine whether scuba diving is for them (me) or not.  A fellow cruiser is a Master Diver (his wife is my yoga instructor) and he will be introducing me to the sport.  Never, I repeat never, in my life did I ever think I would scuba dive, other then when I was kid and played Sea Hunt in the bathtub -(somebody please tell me you did that too!!!)  There is a LOT of equipment necessary - like skiing but heavier.  Paddy just replaced his gear and wants to dive more, so with the gorgeous destinations we have planned, I need to give it the all American college try to enjoy the fun underwater!  It is fun though to snorkel above him and enjoy the tickle of the air bubbles - like taking a Perrier bath....................oops!  I'm in the tub again.
Will keep you posted.

Tonight we are going to the marina for a pot luck and dance------------ I'll be wearing my party flip flops. 

Have a great weekend - here are some photos!

Namaste'

Interesting "yard art" by the outside lavatories.

The Queen in her garden!

Outside showers at Frenchy's.

Evening cocktails on the bow.

Life of Sailors!

Just wanted to let you know that it's not all "fun and games" living on a sailing vessel.  Typical day:  starts out with yoga or a walk and/or run, load up the dinghy with garbage for the drop off, grab recycle grocery bags for our trip to Eldon's (local market - not quite Publix, but close!), drop off food scraps at the Iguana Farm, tie up at the shrimp boat docks, walk to market, shop, bring everything back to boat, then find a place to put everything (my biggest challenge of the day!)!!! :)  Let's do some waxing, and we need to transfer the fuel.  Forgot the laundry ......we can do that tomorrow. Now we're hot, so jump off the stern for a dip in the Caribbean to cool off.  Now it must be time to read a book or play on the computer.  (did I tell you I'm addicted to Mahjong??)  Oh boy, now it's cocktail hour - oh, it's only 2:30?  Oh well.  Thinking about you!  Wish you were here!

Gasolina dispensed via garden hose and funnel from 1 gallon whiskey jugs.

Waterfront living in Oak Ridge Harbor, the Venice of the Caribbean.  Water taxis everywhere!

Sunset at Los Cayos Cochinos, great snorkeling in the fans garden next to the cliff on the right. 

Salva Vidas at Frenchy's island...................

We recently had a decadent day...... a local gal, Flaca, came to the boat and gave us both pedicures and I had my hair trimmed.  Cost - men's pedicure 400 lempiras, women's 350 lempiras, trim 100 lempiras.  Total 850 lempiras, or USD $41.50 plus tip.  Then we celebrated our re-newed feet with champagne!!!! 

 

 Jill and Ray Thomas at Frenchy's 44, French Cay Harbor, Roatan

Frenchy's 44, looks like paradise, right?  It is and they have the best Monkey La-Las!

 Turtle Grass Shack, Calabash Bight, Roatan

 Venice of the Caribbean - canals from Calabash to Oak Ridge.

Le Chat Beaute - in all it's glory!

We have been very busy the past 5 weeks.  Paddy's friend, Larry, visited for 3 weeks from Seattle.  Went zip lining and toured an Iguana farm.  Also had a bad storm come through The West End - we were rocking and a rolling for @ 30 hours!  It was NOT fun.  Jill and Ray Thomas, from Crystal River, were here for 2 weeks.  Lots of food and alcohol consumed, sailed around the southern coast of Roatan, plus to Los Cayos Cochinos, islands @ 18 miles south of here.

Updates - Mom is still in Cypress Cove and when you asked her how she's doing - you'd think she was training for the Boston Marathon.  Obviously not, but she is improving.  Thank goodness.  Kerry has been very attentive - and thank goodness for that too.

It's starting to get hot here!  Paddy's having some boat work done here so could take up to 3-4 weeks.  Then off to the Rio Dulce to "park" the boat for hurricane season.

Since things change often.....................my new motto is:  "Plan" is a four letter word written in the sand at low tide.