Where the Water Isn’t Always Clear, but the Lessons Are

Arriving in Utila Honduras

After all the excitement of saying goodbye to Rio Dulce and finally hitting salt water again, the ocean wasted no time reminding us of who was in charge. The swell and more importantly, the direction of that swell, was to put it mildly rather hectic. We were hit on the side which is about as comfortable as sitting sideways on a washing machine. Anyone even mildly prone to seasickness quickly became very acquainted with the “green monster” Thankfully that is never me 🤣

It was only a day and night sail, so the torture was short lived. A small mercy, especially since Michael was only sailing with us briefly. One day of sideways punishment was more than enough.

We arrived in Utila in day light, this is always a win, avoiding the dreaded nighttime anchoring. Honestly, I would have hated that. After 6 months of not sailing, we were a bit rusty ……. Or so I though, as it turns out, the skills came back easily, much like riding a bike, if that bike weighs 30 tons it’s the same thing.

Next came the usual dance with customs and immigration. Paperwork, stamps, waiting, more stamps, only to discover we were allowed a grand total of 10 days in Honduras, mmmm mild surprise. The good news this could be extended for 30 days. Fortunately, Michael’s visa was no problem as he was only here for a few weeks.

Why only 10 days you ask? The CA-4 Agreement, shared by Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Nicaragua. These countries operate under a combined border and immigration system, allowing travellers to move freely between them, much like within Europe. Unfortunately, our time in Guatemala meant we’d already used up most of our allowance. Thankfully, the extension would give us just enough time to enjoy the Bay Islands before moving on.

The Utila Experience

Arriving in Utila itself was actually quite pleasant. Several boats had made the same journey from Rio Dulce including our buddy boat Dilly Dally that joined us 24 hours later after having their own boat issues, that turned out to be less of an issue than it seemed to be at the time, so some small fixes allowed them to successfully depart the Rio. At one point we were six boats on anchor in the bay, all familiar faces. One of the joys of sailing is how often you reconnect with people you’ve met before. There are only so many routes and next stops, so paths cross again and again over time.

We did manage to eat rather well in Utila, thanks to two particularly memorable restaurants. The first was a BBQ style place run by a man, his wife and their daughters, who also live on the premises. Either they make an excellent living, or they have very consciously chosen quality of life over work, as they’re only open Thursday, Friday & Sunday. Frankly, I respect the commitment to both family and limited opening hours.

The BBQ grill itself was positioned halfway inside what can only be described as a chaotic garage, which did cause me to pause briefly and reassess my relationship with food hygiene. That said the food was genuinely excellent and, most importantly, we all survived. The meat (for those who indulged) was prepared exceptionally well. In fact, it was so good that we went back a second time, during which Michael enjoyed a fantastic crayfish, clearly unbothered by the garage grill setup. Must be the South African in him.

The other stand out restaurant should you ever find yourself in Utila is The Pelican. We had heard whispers and rumours, about their Pad Thai, and I am happy to report that it was, in fact, truly delicious. The Pelican is also only open a few days of the week, making it another restaurant that requires planning, patience, and possibly a calendar reminder. A quick peek into the kitchen also helped greatly with my peace of mind, as everything looked reassuringly clean, allowing me to fully enjoy the Pad Thai without silently questioning my life choices.

After about a week of exploring Utila, enjoying cocktails, dinner and beautiful sunsets with fellow cruisers, we came to a surprising conclusion, that the local islanders didn’t seem particularly friendly. This felt unusual, as our experience so far has been the exact opposite almost everywhere else. We never stayed long enough in Utila, to truly understand the vibe, but there were a couple of factors that made us move on sooner rather than later.

One big issue was the water quality. Sadly, huge amounts of garbage wash in from the mainland. Something the islanders have no control over as the streets and the island itself is clean. This is something that is genuinely heartbreaking to see. Large patches of plastic and debris floated into the bay and the beach at Pumpkin Hill is totally covered in plastic. Giving Eric and I a real reality check on just how vulnerable our oceans really are.

Only on a few days did the water clear enough for us to jump in for a swim and enjoy the clear water. On one of those rare days, we decided to take a dingy ride to find somewhere to snorkel and accidentally stumbled upon a beautiful reef, nearly mounting it with the dinghy in the process. Thankfully Michael was stationed on the bow and spotted it just in time. What we found beneath the surface was quit stunning, healthy, natural reef growth, easily the best we’ve seen since starting this journey in 2022.

This was a powerful reminder that no matter how unpleasant or disappointing things may seem, there’s almost always something beautiful waiting to be discovered. Sometimes, you just need to look a little harder and go and find it, because it is always there, waiting for you.

On the 8^th of January, with very heavy hearts, we had to say goodbye to Michael. We waved him off on a ferry bound for Roatan, where he would catch a flight back to Guatemala City, spend two nights there, and then continue the long journey back to Sweden. Always the hardest part of these adventures, goodbyes never get any easier, no matter how often you do them.

Up the Mast

Before leaving Utila, there were a few important tasks to tick off the list. One of them involved Arzum ( Dilly Dally ) bravely heading up our 77ft  mast to see if she could replace the wind instrument at the very top. As it turns out, we are still dealing with the aftermath of the lightning strike that caused far more damage than we originally thought. Unfortunately, this mission was unsuccessful, she simply couldn’t reach the very top. So, for now, we’ll be sailing without functioning wind instruments, which is less than ideal. Realistically this will probably only get fixed when it’s time to outrun hurricane season again. Until then, we’ll be judging the wind by the highly scientific method of how my hair is blowing together with a wet finger in the wind.

Salon Roelofsen

Speaking of hair, that brings us neatly to the next challenge. In these remote parts, there is absolutely no sign of a salon capable of giving me a truly decent colour. Thankfully, when we left Port Owen in February 2024, Charné from Timeless Hair in Port Owen had the foresight to send me off fully equipped with hair colour, mixing bowls, and brushes, just in case of an on-board emergency. And let me tell you emergency day arrived with enthusiasm. My grey roots had become impossible to ignore, and my hair had turned a rather alarming shade of orange.

Enter Salon Roelofsen. My multi-talented husband stepped up, brush in hand, gloves on and worked the magic. Proof once again that sailing really does require a very wide skill set.

Loud mooring ball discussions

Finally on the 11 January, it was time to leave Utila and make the short-day sail over to Roatan Island. The passage only took a few hours, delivering us to West End Mooring Field, where we picked up a mooring ball.

Now, mooring balls are not something Eric and I have much experience with. In fact, we have only done this once before and I could barely remember how we managed it then. Captain Google, was promptly consulted for guidance. Armed with online wisdom we proceeded to have a rather loud debate about how this should be done.

What is Next

Many people have been asking what the plan for this sailing season is, I have started to hold off on telling to quickly because our journey changes constantly.

Right now, as you know we are in the Bay Islands of Honduras, and currently on the Island of Roatan. As mentioned earlier we have a total of 30 days here as per immigration which means we need to leave the country by the 11 February, when we will head back to the Cayman Islands for a quick luxury provisioning stop, you know those creature comforts that we don’t get in the more remote and developing countries.

If you like,  you can read about our last trip to the Cayman Islands here. There after we intend to head off to Cuba, a destination we have been to by air about 15 years ago, so we are really looking forward to seeing it from a cruising perspective, for now we are monitoring the situation in Cuba, specifically the chikungunya virus a mosquito born virus, which is currently overwhelming Cuba since Hurricane Melissa a few months ago.

We have been travelling and sailing in South and Central America and the Eastern Caribbean since 2024 we have been living in an environment surrounded by yellow fever (we are vaccinated) and dengue fever. Chikungunya is one we are totally unfamiliar with and of course the concern that the medical systems are severely overwhelmed right now. For the moment we continue to monitor the situation and will keep you all updated as our plans evolve.