Author: kk42sealife

Daniel Johnson’s Sloth And Monkey Hangout

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We couldn’t leave for Providencia without spending time with our British friends, Richard and Jan, who are circumnavigating on s/v Morpheus, so we made sure to save time for a day of fun. In the morning, we made our way to Daniel’s Johnson’s Sloth & Monkey Hangout. Daniel’s had been on our radar since we found out it existed, but they were closed for renovations on our first attempt at a visit.

Jan, Richard and I set out on their dinghy, while Scott stayed behind. We had decided to pay an agent to check us out of Roatan on a weekend, and he didn’t want to miss the man returning with our passports and exit papers.

Daniel’s “Hangout” is actually located behind his house. His brother, Luke, came out to give us a tour and introduce us to the animals. Daniel started with just a few animals as pets, and has expanded to include several varieties of rescued animals as well. The cages are very large and kept meticulously clean. It is also obvious by his way with the animals, and by their behavior, that Luke, Daniel and their family truly care for them.

We began with the coatimundi, or jungle raccoon. Their long, narrow nose balances their long, straight narrow tail. They definitely resemble raccoons, and we learned that they are more friendly. However, because of their sharp nails, we didn’t interact with them.

After stopping by the raccoons and agoutis, we were lead into one of the monkey cages. The three young monkeys were immediately smitten with Richard.

These little guys were not quite as old as Cheeky, our youngest  Fantasy Island monkey. They climbed all over us, and were very adept at unsnapping the back of mine and Jan’s hats while trying to remove them.

When monkey play time was over, we headed for the cages that held macaws and parrots. We were able to feed both types of these beautiful birds. The macaws were a bit heavy, like holding Howard on my forearm!

Luke pointed out several sloths sleeping, un-caged, in the surrounding mangroves (obviously, they are too slow to escape!). We saw two adults…..and a baby!

Sloths are naturally nocturnal, and are only awake for an average of four hours a day. Fun fact, they only poop three times a week, so that four hours is predominantly used for eating. Each evening, Luke and his family hang clusters of leaves from the trumpet tree for the sloths to munch on when they awake.

Many of the sloths at Daniel’s have been brought there by people from the mainland, who have rescued them from harm. Daniel’s Farm now host school groups, educating the children about sloths, and their non-threat to humans

It was now time to do what we’d really come for…hold a sloth!! Luke went into the mangroves along the water’s edge, and helped Snow White down for us to hold.

He placed her on each of us in turn, in a bear hug hold.

She seemed perfectly comfortable to be held, and turned her head to check us out. Sloths have an extra vertebrae in their spine, similar to an owl, allowing them to turn their heads 180 degrees in either direction.

Her fur was coarse, but not scratchy, and we didn’t even feel her “toes” on our back. She has such a sweet, “smiling” face!

When we’d each had time with her, Luke took Snow White back to here perch in the mangroves. He was careful to make sure that she had a firm hold before letting go.

In a sloth’s flash, she had assumed her previous position, and was sound asleep. Would she even remember us when she awoke for dinner?

Of course, there was only one thing to do after an awesome, but hot and buggy day with the animals….bobbing! This time, we stayed in our own back yard, spending the afternoon in the water off of the beach at the resort.

We stayed in the water, drinking and talking, until thoroughly pruned, and then headed off to meet the others at the pavilion. We took advantage of Pizza Inn & Bojangles delivery, and had an easy, yummy and “healthy” dinner of pizza and chicken, before parting ways and heading to our boats.

Our time with the monkeys and sloths was awesome, and the four of us had a great day together. We again have to say good bye to new friends, hoping to share an anchorage or marina again somewhere down the line. To quote Billy Joel, “Life is a series of hellos and good byes, I’m afraid it’s time for good bye again.” How true these words are in the cruising world…Cheers mates!

Here are many more photos of our day at Daniel’s Sloth and Monkey Hangout.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

Our Last Days On Roatan

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As I’ve mentioned, we returned to Fantasy Island to prepare for our journey toward Providencia, and eventually Panama. Scott was finally able to repair our refrigerator with only a few slight snags along the way. Things were pretty disheveled for a few days, but well worth it to finally have normal cooling and freezing on board…hurray!

We rented a car, to visit Eldon’s for a fill up on cold and frozen foods. Luckily, I remembered that Howard is soon due for his rabies shot. Since I’d much rather take him by car, than by dinghy and cab in Panama, I searched out a vet on the island. Dr. Soto, at Animal Kingdom, was great. He saw us with less than a day’s notice, and was very good with Howard, despite my cat’s “sassy-ness” (If anyone happens to be cruising in Roatan, and are in need of a vet, I’ve included Dr. Soto’s information in my photos).

Howard pitched such a fit that I think only half of the vaccine actually went in, the rest running down my hand. Nevertheless, I left with paperwork that shows Howard’s rabies vaccination is good for another year, which is most important to customs officials. The charge for our entire visit was 13.00 U.S.!! At home, the vaccine runs 60.00, in addition to the cost of a vet visit…so Animal Kingdom’s price was a great surprise! Howard was not as impressed or happy as I was about this.

Even thinking about the whole experience stressed him out.

Now that Howard was set, we focused on the rest of our pre departure errands. We first grabbed a quick lunch at Bojangles. They are the only U.S. fast food-type place on Roatan, and we were surprised that they beat out McDonald’s. Pizza Inn also shares the space. Apparently, it’s also in the U.S., although we’ve never seen one in our area. After our chicken lunch, we made stops at the marine store, Ace Hardware and Eldon’s, for a final “fill up.” I’ll miss that awesome American item-filled store!

Next up was the Megaplaza Mall (I think “mall” is a stretch”). There are several useful places here…two phone stores, two banks, a pharmacy, several clothing stores, a few food places, a second hand store and a place much like Walmart, which had everything from furniture, to electronics and appliances, to housewares, to toys and mattresses. We found some shorts for Scott at one of the clothing stores, and scored a 4.00 salad spinner at the second hand store!

We also made a stop into the pharmacy. They operate differently here than in the U.S., in that everything is located behind glass cases. You ask the counter person for whatever you need, there are no off the shelf items.

After we’d run all day, it was time to make some popcorn for the cruisers, and head to the pavilion for Friday movie night. The movie of the night was Captain Ron, a favorite of Scott’s (I’m learning that it’s a favorite of most cruisers). It was a fun way to unwind from our whirlwind day. Here a a few more photos.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

Monkey Business On Fantasy Island

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There are many animals and birds that roam the property of Fantasy Island Resort, but the monkeys are definitely the stars of the show. Until recently, there were seventeen monkeys on the island, but they were so mischievous toward guests that the owners had to relocate all but three (the rest have found good homes). Cheeky is a male, and the youngest of the three.

Lucy and Ethel are older females, and Scott and I have yet to tell them apart.

Mischievous is definitely putting it lightly. These three rule the island, sometimes with an iron fist! They will open hatches, climb into boats and take things. Scott and I witnessed one of the girls come out of a sailboat with an entire canister of powdered coffee creamer. She proceeded to climb to the roof of a nearby building and pour the creamer down her throat, her mouth covered in white powder. We’ve also see them slide down electric wires like they’re vines, and dig at the electrical boxes. It’s a wonder they’re still alive.

Most mornings, you’ll find them in the resort’s lobby, stealing whatever breakfast they can from the guests and wreaking havoc in general. Always on a quest for fresh water, they’ll drink from the cooler in the lobby, leaving the knob up and the water running when through. The same goes for the showers in the dive area, they’ll turn the shower on for a drink and then leave it running.

At happy hour, when cruisers gather in the pavilion, the monkeys usually appear for peanuts, climbing from person to person searching for their nutty treats (Scott always keeps some handy in his pocket).

If you’re not careful, they’ll help themselves to your drink to wash down the peanuts. I left a glass of wine unattended for a second, and turned to find it in Cheeky’s hands. He also managed to get a hold of margaritas that were left over from Cinco de Mayo, which made for an interesting and hyper evening.

If the monkeys take something from you, the best way to get it back is to trade for it (except for liquid, which they immediately drink, or dump on the ground). Just demanding it back is unsuccessful, and met with much attitude and noise. Everything is “child proofed” in the pavilion, with locks on the refrigerators and freezers, glass and utensils cabinet and tv.

Lucy will seek out a man she fancies, and stick like glue to him for days. Our friends Kevin and Jeff each told us of their experience with her on separate occasions, and we’ve seen it first hand with Steve, the dock master. For days, Lucy followed Steve from his boat to the office, running along rooftops and across tree limbs. If she couldn’t  make her way inside with him, she’d sit outside and bang on the door to get in. When Steve spent time in the lobby, using the internet, Lucy would lay on him like clothing. One morning, he went to his stateroom to make the bed, and found Lucy sitting on it!

All of the monkeys tease dogs here at the marina constantly, working them into a frenzy.

They have learned to bark like dogs, and Lucy even tried to pick poor Libby (Steve’s dog) off the ground. I think she would have succeeded, had Steve not intervened. We frequently see Cheeky chasing the agoutis and peacocks around as well. No one is off limits.

Cruisers here are used to the monkeys antics, and are always ready for a surprise “hop-on” when walking the grounds, or while sitting in the cock pit. Scott and I had a visit up on the flybridge, while we enjoyed cooler weather outside. They tried to use our paravane rigging to climb over to us. When Scott blocked their attempt, Cheeky showed his frustration by throwing coconuts down from a nearby tree. Lucy/Ethel successfully persevered, and joined us on board.

Here’s some video:

Resort guests are usually surprised and often afraid of the monkeys’ in-your-face interaction. While bobbing in the water with Richard and Jan, we witnessed all three monkeys descend on some tourists who were sitting on the beach.

We went to help, and found Cheeky up in a tree with a tube of sunscreen in his mouth. He immediately realized that it was less than tasty, and threw it down onto the sand below. Ethel/Lucy had obviously done the same, as we spied another tube on top of a beach bed frame. A bag of chips had been ripped open and left for dead on a nearby beach lounger, obviously not their favorite flavor.

We then spotted a girl whimpering with fear, while Cheeky curled his tail around her neck and grabbed her face. He meant no harm and was just saying hello, but she was terrified. Jan went over to intervene, and Cheeky quickly jumped to her, just in time for another guest to hand him a sugar packet! In a flash, he’d ripped it open and gulped it down…great, added energy. Thankfully, they lose interest quickly, and were soon off on their way.

Howard hasn’t escaped the monkey’s attention either. They have recently noticed him through the windows of the boat. The girls were especially interested, and came in for a closer look, getting pretty worked up when they make eye contact.

We were surprised at how Howard kept his cool during the interaction. Here’s video of the monkeys eyeballing Howard through the pilot house window:

We’re going to miss their daily antics. It’s been such a treat to interact with them up close, whether we want to or not! Here are many more monkey photos.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

A Waterfall Hike On Guajana

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We planned to hike up to a waterfall located on the north side of Guanaja. Getting there involved taking the dinghy along a canal that cuts through the island, then traveling down the north coast to a spot near the start of our hike.

As usual, the winds were blowing more than we’d have liked. They pick up in the afternoon in this area, and blow until early morning. Having stronger winds than normal to start with, we set out early, wanting to be back to the boat before they picked up even more in the afternoon (the Aluminum Princess is definitely up for that kind of ride, the passengers (especially this one), not so much).

We made our way through the wide canal, and around to the north side of the island.

We’d been told that boats can tie up to the pier at Bo Bush’s Green Flash Bar while hiking to the falls. Once I saw this cool-looking place, I decided it was also going to be a spot for my post hike reward beer!

We walked the beach, until higher water sent us into the trees. A wide path had been cut in the palms, mostly likely for horses.

We made our way farther into the woods and started our ascent. The path became more and more tricky for me. My legs and reach are shorter than Scott’s, so I had to find different ways to follow it. We stopped several times, as the air was thick with humidity. The farther along the trail we got, and the higher we went, the less breeze we could find. It was a suffocating, sweaty go, and we planned to cool off in the falls.

Eventually, I had to raise the white flag and surrender. Climbing in the heat and humidity had made me nauseous and light-headed, so I plopped down on a rock, managing to find a bit of a breeze. I could make out the falls through the trees, and that would have to be good enough.

Scott continued on, and came back soaked, so I assumed he’d taken time to swim in the falls. He’d wet his shirt in the water, but it had dried and was re-soaked with sweat by the time he got back to where I waited. Viewing the falls through photos he took was good enough for me.

We made our way back to the beach, climbing down the rocks and making our way through the trail. Soon, Bo’s Green Flash Bar was in sight, and I could taste my reward beer (reward for not passing out!).

Since green flashes aren’t common at 11:30am, we had the place to ourselves. Stephanie, the bartender, served us with a smile and told us about her family and the north side of Guanaja. We enjoyed a beer and great views through every window.

The winds were already increasing, so we resisted the urge to linger, and climbed back into the Aluminum Princess. Once through the canal, we bounced our way back to Sea Life. Luckily, the ride wasn’t as bad as expected, but we were still glad to have made an early exit from the north side of the island. We jumped in the water to rinse off our sweat, and then sat up on the bow in the swift breeze…poor man’s air conditioning!

A weather window appears to be opening for us to start our journey toward Panama, so  we raised anchor, said a second goodbye to El Bight and headed back to Roatan.

Before leaving, the fridge will be repaired while we are plugged in, as cooling the unit back down will take a decent amount of power. We’ll also do a final grocery run, to stock up on refrigerated and frozen foods, once we’re back to 100% cold storage. Hopefully, there will be time to squeeze in an outing before we shove off for Panama. Here are some more photos of our waterfall hike.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

Birthday Celebrations

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The weather on Scott’s birthday wasn’t the best, and since we’d had such a great time at Mi Casa Too on our first visit (great food and free champagne for the owner’s birthday), we planned a return trip. It’s just so darned inviting!

Before heading up the hill, we stopped in at Manati for a quick drink and a hello. When we arrived, a birthday party was in full swing for Paisley, who made the permanent move to Guanaja two months ago. We were welcomed in, and soon realized that making it up the hill probably wasn’t going to happen. When Shawn arrived, (the owner of Mi Casa Too, and the place wouldn’t be the same without him there) the decision to delay a night, and stay at Manati was made.

We spent time chatting with the expats in attendance, as well as Klaus and Annette, who own Manati. Gus, a cruiser from South Africa, received my vote for best dressed. He and Sally have decided to stay here and buy property.

The canine guests enjoyed the party as well. Simba even came in a party dress, although I don’t think it was her idea.

Eventually we said good night, thanking Paisley for sharing her evening with us (she’s the brunette with long hair in the photo below). When I woke for a bathroom run at 3am, the music was still going strong!

We left Sea Life the next night to head up the hill, this time with no stops along the way. Once again, we climbed the million steps up to the house, and once again it was worth the climb.

Shawn was there to welcome us. We opted for seats at the bar this time, and he played the role of dj. While Shawn chose songs ranging from salsa, to reggae, to classic rock, to rap and country, the large tv behind the bar showed music videos for each one. It was more than entertaining, especially when the locals sang along to their favorites!

After great food and fun, we said goodnight and made our way back down the hill. It was a nice way to “extend” Scott’s birthday a bit!

Here are more photos of our birthday celebrations.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

 

Shopping Day

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Once a week, supply boats arrive from mainland Honduras, delivering food and supplies of all kinds to Bonacca, the main settlement on Guanaja. If you remember, Bonacca (or the cay (key) as the locals call it) is a small cay off of Guanaja that is home to roughly 6,000 people. Here’s a neat before and after photo of Bonacca, that shows how much the cay has changed over the years.

“Shopping Day,” as it is referred to here, is a big deal, and we have been told by many local expats here about going to the cay for the day. Since we haven’t yet visited Bonacca on actual shopping day, it was on our list during this visit to the island. However, strong winds were going to make for a very “spirited” ride, as Scott likes to call it. As we hemmed and hawed about making the trip, we were invited to go with Hans, and some others on his sailboat…… shopping day here we come!

On Thursday morning, our ride approached. Hans towed a skiff behind him, that would be used to drop off trash and get fuel while in town.

We prepared for a quick “touch and go,” as Hans pulled alongside for us to get on board. Unfortunately, I didn’t scurry fast enough, and as the boat pulled away I didn’t have a firm footing. My choices were to either slip into the water, or do a back bend over  Sea Life’s side rail. I chose the latter, channeling my inner yogi.

There wasn’t a way for me to get a firm footing, and slide back onto the side deck, and I couldn’t reach anything with my hands either. So there I was, bent backward over the side rail, hanging on while Hans made a second pass (of course, Scott was upset that I had the camera with me during all of this!). It felt like 15 minutes, but eventually the boat came back alongside, and Scott grabbed me into a upward position so that I could get on. The day was off to an eventful start.

There were seven of us on Hans’ 23′ sailboat, so we were a friendly bunch, sitting in the cockpit and on the bow. We had a smooth sail, and arrived at the cay in under 30 minutes.

Hans has a dock that he uses in town, but it was full when we arrived, as was the second place he tried. We headed for the main city pier, and tied up in front of one of the supply boats that had just arrived.

It was quite a site on the pier, as the two large supply boats began to unload. Many locals work the pier for the day, helping to off load the boats, and deliver the supplies to stores in town. Since there are no cars, golf carts, scooters or bikes on the cay, all of the supplies are loaded onto flat beds, and rolled through the streets, to their destinations in town. The scene was like ants attacking food, and then scurrying away with the crumbs.

As we headed into town, Hans arranged for some “shopping cart” help (a man with a wheel barrow).  We turned and made our way down the main street, dodging carts loaded with produce.

I expected everyone to head to the stores, but realized that it would be hours before things on the pier would be delivered. Instead, we followed Hans and the others to an open air bar on the main street. Before long, the tables were full of expats, drinking and chatting.

Some had lunch at the bar, which is sold from a cart on site, and others headed off for a restaurant. We bought a really cheap, and really good lunch from the cart. You choose either fish or chicken, to go with side dishes (beans, rice, slaw, etc.). Scott managed to talk his way into getting both!

Ok, so we’ve eaten, chatted and had drinks. It was time to shop…right? I got up to head for the stores, and was told that they were closed for lunch until 2pm. Huh?? Then why did we get here at 11:00?? And where was the “shopping cart” guy during all of this?? I realized that this was just as much a social event as a shopping trip. Most people only go to town once or twice a week, so shopping day is a chance for them to see each other, spend time together and talk. This was all fine and good, but by 2pm, it’s stinkin’ hot!

I needed very little in the store (we had already stocked up on canned goods and other things in Roatan), and had come mostly for fresh bread and produce. However, we had come with Hans, who needed to stock up, so it seemed we’d be in town for most of the day. Good thing the beer was cold and cheap…we ordered two more.

To kill some time, Scott and I decided to walk and see if the man who bakes bread had any ready to buy. This is where we go to buy bread…welcome to cruising.

Unfortunately,  it would be another hour or so before the loaves were ready. We asked the man to hold two loaves for us, and made our way to one of the produce stalls. They were still unloading things, but we were able to buy what we needed.

After more socializing, and much, much sweating (the breeze that we enjoyed in the morning had shifted directions, away from the bar), we went to get our bread. It was still hot from the oven, and we left with open bags of both wheat and white.

It was now suffocatingly hot in the bar (where many people still gathered, did they even need groceries?), so we waited for Hans back at the main pier. There was a great breeze on the upper deck, where we watched the ants still hard at it at 4pm.

There were just four of us on Hans’ boat for the sail back, as the rest of our group rode in the skiff. The winds were blowing in the 30s, and as we rounded the far side of the cay, the boat was heeled far over. My short legs had trouble reaching the port side cockpit bench, which we had to stand on for balance, so I was keeping grip with my toes. I am by no means a sailor…give me my roll-ly pilot house anytime!

As we crossed the channel, waves began to break over the bow. We weren’t heeled over anymore, but it was now a wet ride. I took this photo just before I put the camera away, notice Scott  hanging on. We got that spirited ride after all!

As we approached Sea Life, Hans lowered the sail, making it much more easy to climb aboard! He then headed off toward his pier.

We’d done shopping day with the locals and survived. I think in future, I’d go for morning socializing, and stick to the quick in and out of Friday morning shopping! Here are more photos of shopping day.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

 

 

 

Captain’s Corner – Refrigeration And Windlass Repairs

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So the refrigeration issue in detail for those interested:

The failure was the result of a determined calculated risk during the refit.  I decided to save $4k and leave the 30+ year old 12VDC air cooled thin plate evaporator systems for the fridge and freezer.  The reason being, we had redundancy in the form of a 120VAC water or air cooled holding plate system for both.  Also on board is a 120VAC/12VDC Engel that can operate as either fridge or freezer.

To keep the fridge going on 120, the issue became the amount of generator run time to rely solely on the holding plates.  Instead of an hour or two every other day, it was two to three hours per day.  To top it off, now I had excess solar coming out of my ears (edited for television) because the 12VDC fridge and freezer weren’t running due too the holding plates being cold.  But I couldn’t run the holding plate compressor off the inverter, utilizing the excess solar due to start up load.

Well, you know how it goes….the fridge compressor locked up.  It is an old Danfoss BD2.5 (the predecessor for BD35) with R-12.  I decide to replace the entire system due to age than to just replace the compressor and deal with all the refrigeration work, oil and compressor compatibility.  It also allows me to upgrade to a BD50 multi-speed compressor system.  I hope to see a difference in energy consumption is this warmer climate or at least, better performance.

While both boxes are empty I will also seal and caulk the lower moldings as they have started to weep a little condensation when the doors are opened and closed.  I had not thought to do so during the refit, and they have been cold ever since.

Hopefully the freezer compressor hangs on for a few more years!

The windlass:

I originally was going to replace the unit, but after days of very large hammers, pry bars, saws and eventually a cutting torch to disassemble the thing to remove our pulpit for deck repairs (when the teak decks were removed by previous owner, they skipped this area due to difficulty), I realized the genius of the extremely heavy, yet simple engineering, that requires only basic parts I can have machined anywhere in the world if needed.  So many less parts, gears, seals etc. than a horizontal style.  Did I mention the unit weighs a few hundred pounds?!

The issue at hand was when the top nut is loosened a multiple spring pad pushes the top drum up, which is keyed to the main shaft allowing the clutch pads to slip, letting the un-keyed wild cat to freewheel.  This was not happening, because the top drum had some shaft corrosion causing friction to overcome the spring pressure.  This is one of the reasons that I demolished the original windlass during disassembly.  Lesson:  disassemble windlass periodically and lubricate main shaft,  a very simple process, due to its design.

Here are some windlass photos.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

Returning To Guanaja

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We made our way back to Guanaja, to pick up our refrigerator parts that have been delivered to Graham’s Place, and spend more time on the island. After a short visit, we’ll return to Fantasy Island Marina, where Scott can fix the refrigerator and cool it back down while we’re plugged into shore power. We paid for a month’s slip rental Steve, the dockmaster, was nice enough to let us split our time, leavnig for Guanaja, and coming back to our slip when we returned.

With head seas forecasted, I was not looking forward to the six hour trip. We only had a three hour ride from West End around to French Harbour, but the head seas made it a nasty go; a repeat made me cringe. Thankfully, the winds were much calmer this time, and aside from having to cool Howard down we had a good run back to beautiful Guanaja.

The forecast calls for strong winds this week (surprise), so we tucked back into El Bight. It offers more protection for us, than if we anchor off of Graham’s Cay. We were surrounded by the familiar sights of Manati bar and Han’s place.

Monday morning brought pouring rain (not called for), a beautiful rainbow and then more stormy clouds. It was neat to watch them settle down onto the mountains around us.

By mid morning, there was a break in the weather, so we jumped into the Aluminum Princess and headed for Graham’s Cay to pick up our parts and grab some lunch. It was just a quick 20 minute ride, and the sun came out to greet us as we arrived at Graham’s Place.

However, not two hours later, as we were finishing our yummy fish sandwiches (mine blackened and Scott’s fried), I noticed the sky darkening again. We paid our bill, jumped back into the boat with our boxes and set off for El Bight. Within minutes, the seas went from calm and clear blue to threatening grey. We made our way through an angry chop back to the boat, amidst building white caps. As usual at times like this, we were glad to be tucked into the Aluminum Princess.

Once aboard Sea Life, we unpacked our boxes in the cockpit. Corrugated cardboard is a favorite place for cockroaches to lay their eggs, so we bagged it up (unbeknownst to Howard, as he can’t resist a box) and set it out into the Aluminum Princess. Our parts now wait in the saloon, until they are installed.

The process was costly (2,000.00 in total: cost of parts, shipping to Miami, shipping to mainland Honduras, customs fees, and shipping to Guanaja..plus a tip for Alex, the manager at Graham’s, who was such a great help to us), but took just under two weeks. All in all, we can’t complain, especially since Defender was great enough to refund Scott the cost of his first order to Mexico (minus the shipping). It seems that they are having such a problem with Mexican Fed Ex customs that the parts will just be written off as a loss. Their customer service is fantastic!

In the meantime, our windlass had decided to give us attitude as we came in to anchor from Roatan, so Scott spent a day taking it apart and repairing it. Thankfully, no part ordering necessary! He promises to do a short Captain’s Corner post on the repair soon. Once the windlass was back together, he fixed a problem with the valving in our shower fixture in the guest head. Because why be bored?

The heat and humidity are in full force (86 degress, with 70% humidity by 8:30am), so we do our best to move as little as possible. Howard doesn’t quite understand the heat. He’ll get a wild hair and have a crazy session in his latest play area, an Ace Hardware bag. The thing has been torn almost to bits.

Exhausted and hot, Howard will splay out for a nap in his Africa basket taco. If his breathing gets consistently fast,  we’ve started placing a cold, wet towel on him. It seems to work well at cooling him down (with great success on our trip here from Roatan). I’m shocked though, at how much he’s starting to tolerate it.

Once cooled down, it’s into a good, deep sleep.

Last night we visited Hans’ place, catching up with the regulars and enjoying some pizza. We’ll stay in Guanaja for a week or so, before returning to Roatan. Here are some photos of our trip back, and the last few days.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

 

 

 

 

Lawrence The Lion, And The Zoo At Little French Key

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After tying up our dinghy on Little French Key, we noticed a sign for the zoo, and headed there first.  All of the structures were large, clean and well maintained, housing a variety of birds, ducks, geese, deer, monkeys and goats.

The owners have also rescued a jaguar and lion from a traveling circus on mainland Honduras. The jaguar is now in a new, larger enclosure at Frenchy’s 44, a restaurant across the water which is owned by Little French Key (we heard that he wasn’t happy downwind of the lion), so we headed off to see Lawrence the lion.

At first, second and third glance, this poor lion seemed to be in sad, sad shape. Lawrence was rescued in June of 2014, and I’d have expected him to look better, two years after being rescued. He hobbles around terribly, his left eye had definitely been affected by some trauma or infection and the skin on his face is also very splotchy. (this photo is posted on Lawrence’s cage. I missed it when we were there, so I borrowed it from my friend Elizabeth’s blog)

I seriously questioned the term “rescue” here, so I did quite a bit of digging to find out more information about Lawrence. I stumbled upon a brief Youtube video, with a keeper explaining his history.

Lawrence was kept in a 4×6 foot cell for the first four years of his life (he’s now 6). The close quarters allowed him no room to move around, and as a result he has an arched back, and also leg pain from being declawed (hence the hobbling).

He was only 150lbs when rescued, but as of last year he was up to 420lbs..hurray! His fur was pale, and his mane wasn’t full (first photo). These things need sunlight to grow and be healthy, and in the photo I took (below), his fur and mane definitely look better. I couldn’t find out what caused his eye to look as it does,  but did find out that he’d had surgery for a cleft palate.

Unfortunately, Lawrence’s early years have left permanent scars. However, I feel that he has truly been rescued and is now leading a better life. No cat that is sad and unhappy would nap like this, letting it all hang out (I borrowed this one too).

Howard can attest to that!

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”

 

 

 

Our Day On Little French Key, Roatan

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We teamed up with our British slip neighbors, Jan and Richard, for a day on nearby Little French Cay. The private island resort  caters to cruise ship passengers and other day visitors (although they now offer a beach house for overnight rental). I “borrowed” another aerial view. Fantasy Island, and our marina is in the upper right corner of this photo.

The island has several bars and restaurants, beaches with lounge chairs and covered beds, kayaks and paddle boards, massage services and a small zoo (more on that in my post about the zoo). You can also sign up to snorkel or ride horses in the water.

After tying up the dinghy, we wandered through the zoo, and around the rest of the island. There wasn’t a cruise ship in port on the day we visited, so there was plenty of room to roam. The grounds are immaculate, and they’ve spent a lot of time achieving a tropical destination feel.

We eventually made our way to a restaurant that sits over the water, and settled in for lunch.

With full bellies, we ignored the “wait an hour after you eat to go in the water” rule, and changed into our swimsuits for some “bobbing,” a new term taught to us by Jan and Richard. Bobbing involves standing in the water, waist deep, with a drink. Dipping down into the water up to your neck may be required, for cooling purposes, while chatting with friends. Here is an example of bobbing…

Unfortunately, our lunch and bobbing area was surrounded by sand and mangroves, which we have learned are a haven for sand fleas. We all left covered in bites on our backs and shoulders, with itching on our legs catching up later. Up until now, I had been doing a terrific job of keeping this from happening, dousing myself in bug spray whenever I’m outside. Stupid sand fleas.

It was still a great afternoon with our friends. Here are some photos of our day on Little French Key, and a few random ones as well.

“Shells Sink, Dreams Float. Life’s Good On Our Boat!”