SailingKnitter

Hummingbird Nest

Yesterday, Jonesy woke me up with a gentle pat and softly told me that we were heading off to a new spot here on the island of Roatan - Yipppeee! I love spontaneity! He had listened to the morning side band radio cruiser's net and heard that the weather would be great for a day trip and that there were 4 mooring balls available in the Roatan Marine Park at the west end of the island.

So, after a cup of coffee to get the old brain engaged I secured some loose items in the salon area and closed the ports (windows) on the sides of the boat and got ready to sail.

We had a great 3-hour motor-sail and, with the help of friends, managed to pick up a mooring ball (a floating ball at the top of a heavy chain which is secured in the sand with a long (4 foot?) "sand screw". Anchors can destroy the reef environment so the Marine Park has set up these moorings. We paid $100 US for a month on the ball.  We can literally fall off the boat into some of the best scuba diving and snorkeling in the world.

But sometimes being spontaneous has it's drawbacks. We had sent our laundry out and wouldn't be able to take delivery 'cause we had left. Ooops. No biggie, we radio'd a fellow cruiser and asked them to pick up our laundry after it was dropped off at the Cruiser Green - outdoor gathering area in the marina. We'll get it in a few days maybe. Good thing we don't wear much clothing.

So, how about these iguanas? Big enough for you? Do you see the human's foot in the top of the photo? Right there in French Harbor where we were anchored for the past few weeks is Sherman Arch's Iguana Farm.

We took a stroll there and were "greeted" by a mass of hungry monsters. All throughout Central America we have caught quick glimpses of these ancient beasts high up in trees or marching across fields, but never so many in one place! And these guys were not afraid of humans, but were instead coming out to us. That's because part of your entry fee to this area is the chance to feed the iguanas. We were handing out taro leaves and they were munching away on the leaves right out of our hands. Isn't Jonesy brave?

So today we took the dinghy ride over to the West End village which is a funky Scuba Dive town. We checked out the restaurants, paid our mooring fees, got our "Lion Fish Killer" permits, and perused a few little grocery shops. After eating lunch on the boat, Jonesy checked out the internet (which has been down all throughout the islands for a few days and is back up) and I snorkeled with 2 friends from the sailing vessel Interlude for about an hour. Wow! and Double Wow! The fish were amazing! And tomorrow is another day in paradise.