America's Great Loop and Beyond
Chronicles the voyages, big and small, of Larry and Jamie McCullough aboard their 59 foot Nordhavn, Coastal Pilot dubbed INDEPENDENCE. Upcoming trips to the Bahamas, The Great Loop and more…
Larry just finished part one of a big project. He put many of our photos and GoPro videos from last years’ Great Loop trip together and published it on YouTube. We hope you enjoy a look back at some of the great moments of last year. Get yourself something to drink, settle in and watch Part One of the trip and don’t forget to turn on the volume. Click on the link below & enjoy!
The Jupiter Lighthouse in Jupiter, FL
We took the Independence to West Palm Beach, FL (26 NM RT) this weekend and enjoyed a nice couple of days at the Palm Harbor Marina. The marina is conveniently located within walking distance to many bars and restaurants that are trying to find their feet again during these strange times. It was nice to enjoy an outside bar and chat with other socially distanced patrons. I would not exactly call any of the venues in and around West Palm Beach crowded, as not only do they have to deal with COVID but it was also over ninety degrees this past weekend. We got on the bikes and spent an afternoon exploring the amazing homes and views of Palm Beach Island, in addition to the famous Breakers Hotel. This hotel was developed by of one of Florida’s great visionaries, Henry Morrison Flagler. Flagler was a railroad magnate and co-founder of the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. He is credited with stimulating the development of the east coast of Florida by transforming the area into a vacationland for million of people. The property has become a must-see icon in this very prosperous area. It was great to get the boat out and stretch our ‘boating muscles’ this weekend. We only have another week left before we return to California and Larry will be busy making sure she is properly waxed and secured in case weather comes our way.
Just a modest second home on the Jupiter ICW…check-out the floaty toys in the pool…
This little boat has more horsepower than the Independence…she must fly!
A quick jont out the Lake Worth Inlet & the ocean was flat-calm
Back on the ICW passing a shipyard prepping to paint a mega yacht. The scaffolding goes up around the boat & then a shrink wrap goes around that.
Mucho mega yachts
I think 007 stopped by for a martini
Biking over Flagler Bridge to Palm Beach Island we were delayed by the 12:45PM opening
Palm Beach Island is very cute and very quiet right now
Touring the island you find the little ‘split-lots’ where the house across the street owns the beach directly in front of their house. This lot was more of a natural setting.
Most of the little split-lots are developed and this one was particularly inviting with its’ tiny pool & beach cabana
Larry in front of the regal entrance to the famous Breakers Hotel.
The entrance to the Breakers Hotel. The architect commissioned to design the hotel was Leonard Schultze, well-known for designing the Waldorf Astoria in New York.
Henry Flagler and his family with early photos of the final version (1925) of The Breakers Hotel. The first Flagler hotel on this site was called The Palm Beach Inn (1895) and was completely destroyed by fire in 1903. It was immediately replaced with a finer hotel and renamed The Breakers. This structure burned to the ground in 1925 to be immediately replaced and rebuilt, with more durable materials, into the iconic property that you see today.
The reception area of The Breakers Hotel
We popped into The Breakers ‘Seafood Bar’ for a drink. A different king of ‘swim-up bar’ with a great view of the ocean and clown fish and eels to keep you company.
The grand hall that leads to the beach
So great to spend an evening with Cait Adams, our friends’ daughter, who has recently moved to West Palm Beach, FL
Nice sunset as we approach Florida. Photo by Larry
After two and a half months away from the Independence it is nice to be back on board. Our flight back to Fort Lauderdale, Florida from SFO was great. We really appreciate that direct flight on JetBlue. We arrived at The Bluffs Marina in Jupiter, FL with plenty of time to put extra lines on the Independence in preparation for Isaias. Isaias is the ninth named tropical storm of the 2020 hurricane season and the name is Spanish for Isaiah (Kyle Whitfield, staff writer for nola.com). The marina was humming with activity as vessels from ‘non hurricane hold’ marinas moved their boats to The Bluffs. Some of these vessels that arrived were around a 100 feet long so they took the extra precaution to set anchor in the marina to avoid swinging if the winds picked up. Initially, the weather reports were calling for a category one hurricane with winds over 70 miles per hour. However, as the storm approached the East Coast it disorganized and thankfully downgraded to a tropical storm (tropical storms have sustained winds of 39 to 73 mph). Before the storm was due to make a possible landfall at West Palm Beach we ran out to take a peek at the beaches and have a quick beer at one of our favorite bars (yes, outside & yes, with masks) here in Jupiter. The kite boarders were having a blast with the increased surf and the beaches were busy with sunbathers. Eventually, the tropical storm brought us a deluge of rain and some gusty winds but happily that was all.
Pretty sunset photo by Larry
Hurricane preparations…more lines, more fenders & remove all canvas & covers
Never too many lines or fenders
Our neighbor First Chapter & Next Chapter have returned from the Bahamas to take shelter at The Bluffs
Crew from two large yachts work to set their anchors in the middle of the channel at The Bluffs
Larry watching the surf at our nearby beach
Kite boarders further down the beach enjoy the enhanced conditions
The surf is a little high but otherwise it is a lovely day at the beach
Back at Guanabanas for a quick beer
Gathering storm clouds over the yacht Northland
Watching the weather on the local news. Initial reports had the storm making landfall right at our doorstep.
Looks a little menacing at this point…we are very happy Isaias downgraded to a tropical storm.
Visiting Jupiter…love this mural someone did in town
Dinner at our favorite restaurant, Calaveras Cantina
Calaveras Cantina table-side guacamole & chips & a flight of Fortaleza
Another favorite place Tequesta Brewing Company is open too. (Mask a Merrill Walker design)
As we left Jupiter, Florida the restaurants were re-opening with social distancing in place and the beaches opened the day we left. Larry & I went out to a couple of the local establishments to bring some much needed life to the economy and how nice it was to get out. We were also able to visit our friends Rich & Connie at their new home in Punta Gorda, which was re-opening too. The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International airport was a completely different story with all restaurants and bars shuttered and only very few travelers about. The flight with jetBlue was very sanitized (wipes & masks), social distanced (empty middle seats) and with a minimum of contact with the crew (no ordering food or beverages), you were left hungry and thirsty but healthy. We have now been home almost two weeks. Marin is a different world when it comes to opening. So as we wait for yet another re-opening it feels like I am watching yet another rerun. It is a good thing we have our overgrown back and front yard to keep us busy and a myriad of other projects as well. Like everyone else, we can’t wait until there is a bit more normalcy and we can freely meet with our friends and family. Until then, good health to all who read this…mental & physical!
A nice visit on a rainy day to the Square Grouper in Jupiter, Florida
I was so excited to eat at my favorite Mexican restaurant - Calaveras in Jupiter, Florida
Thanks for a great weekend Rich & Connie ( & Carly) in Punta Gorda, Florida
A little fun with dogs at Rich and Connie’s new home in Punta Gorda, Florida. Bentley & Rudy were quite happy to see us and Larry was very happy to see Bentley.
It was ‘Love Bug’ season as we crossed from Jupiter to Punta Gorda…yuck! A little local color along the way…COVID-19 humor & thoughts on Mother’s Day.
TSA was nearly empty, the whole airport felt like a ghost town and flight was enjoyably social distanced. We came prepared…Gatorade bottles hold a Vodka Orange nicely as we drink our contraband cocktails at luggage claim prior to going through TSA
Sebastapol, CA provided some fun for a day…Thanks Gilmore’s (and friend) for shaking things up a little!
Don Lorenzo now tends to his next batch of Tequila…should be aged by Christmas!
Post by Larry McCullough
Estimated route and mileage
Roatan was a great place to wait out developments of the virus, the people were very nice, nobody on the Island was reported sick, we had a nice place to tie up, but it was time to leave. We were there for about 6 weeks and the monotony and smoke were getting to me. Like so many Central and South American countries the fields are burned for the next planting season. On top of that, the jungles are burned in the Dry Season to make way for fields to plant. We were over 30 miles offshore and the smoke was so thick you could taste it.
I had been watching the weather reports, especially on Windy.com, a great site. Despite what the locals said, it was always windy on Roatan. The locals told us April was a very calm month to the point people did not like it without the wind. Just our luck the wind would not stop, with wind you get waves, with waves you get…
Gulf stream currents as per windy.com
While waiting in Roatan I looked at several different routes that we could take. When looking at currents and the map it would seem the best way to proceed would be to head north west from Roatan to the coast of Belize. Unfortunately, this route had waves that were substantially higher and it would add a few more miles, but not many. The route we choose and plotted into our Furuno navigation system, took us east from Barefoot Cay, by another Bay Island and then a direct shot north, 15 miles off the western point of Cuba and then, while maintaining that 15 miles off of Cuba, a direct line to Key West, totaling 730 miles.
After several weeks with the urge to leave and no weather window, we were finally getting a spot that looked ok. The forecast would change and then close but finally we got one for a departure date of Wednesday the 29th of April, and yes of course it was windy off Roatan, and as you know, with wind you get waves. Windy.com said they would be 3-foot waves every 3 seconds. Then the forecast changed to 4 footers every 4 seconds with 17 to 18 knot winds. Three- or four-foot waves might not sound like much, and to Independence they are not, they are just uncomfortable when the wave height and the seconds apart are the same or less. It is like a bam, bam, bam as opposed to a nice drive down a rolling country road. This forecast was for the first 50 miles and then once we got further north and east the waves would be smaller and the seconds in between the waves would get larger.
Estimated arrival times at mileage marks with wave height & directions & the boats estimated mph
Weeks prior to departure we filled up the fuel tank to over 1,100 gallons of diesel. I had changed the oil, drained the Racor fuel filters, cleaned the bottom of the boat, etc., we were ready to go, itching to go. At first light, 5 AM local time, we untied the boat and we were off. The channel leading out of the harbor is a little tricky, but we had a “track” on our navigational plotter from when we came in. I had also gone out through the channel in our dingy a few times to get a feel for the channel. When we made the final turn out of the channel the waves hit us immediately since they were coming from the east, the direction we were headed.
Another thing about wave height, and another good thing about Windy.com, the forecast might say, for example “3 foot waves from the east” then you can also click on “Swell” which has three different choices because many times you have swells coming from different directions. When we left, we had a forecast of “Wind Waves 4 feet every 4 seconds, Swell height 2 feet every 6 seconds”. Therefore, we would sometimes get the Wind Wave on top of the Swell Wave for a combined wave of 6 feet. Another thing about forecasters, they are kind of like politicians, there is always more to the story, that being “Significant Wave Height”. “Significant Wave Height is the average of the one-third highest waves thus half the waves will be bigger, and half will be smaller”. Well I don’t know about the smaller, but I do know they WILL be bigger.
Big waves leaving Roatan early in the morning
We were ready though, we slept well it was early in the day, bring it on. We were heading directly into the waves and sometimes the back side of the wave would be very steep, therefore I had to be like a “throttle man” in an ocean racer, if I saw the wave with a steep drop I would pull back on the throttles and turn the boat a bit south so the boat would just not drop off the wave into the trough. This lasted about three hours until we made our turn north to go in between Roatan and Guanaja where we received some protection from swell and wind.
Playing the throttle so the nose doesn’t get buried in the waves
As the day went on and we headed further north east the swells became farther apart but we also picked up a northerly swell to join the easterly swell.
As evening came the wind waves calmed down and the swells were farther apart, it was turning into a beautiful night. It was warm and the stars were out so we decided to navigate the boat from the flybridge. We grabbed some pillows and a sleeping bag and took turns at the helm and taking naps. What a beautiful night it was. I genuinely enjoyed my time at the helm. We were on a direct heading north and there was the Big Dipper pointing to the North Star guiding us to the point off of Cuba (ok the Furuno GPS system was actually doing the work). At one point I saw a big fire ball come out of the sky and it looked like it made its way to the ocean. At 3 AM I saw a flashing light in the sky, the first plane I had seen in the sky for a month, probably heading south to some Central American City I thought. It then turned east, moving fast and low, then turned north, back south again towards us, then east. Thirty minutes later it appeared again. A US reconnaissance plane, probably looking for boats bringing drugs, I thought we will be boarded by the Coast Guard when we are close to Key West.
First sunrise
Dan Hennessey on a mountain bike ride at Lake Tahoe 2010
The sun rose to a great day, lite wind, small swells, coffee.
It was such a nice day, then some terrible news. We have a Garmin InReach which is a satellite tracking-navigational-messaging device that sends our location to a satellite every 10 minutes so we can be tracked by family and friends. You can also send text messages back and forth. A friend, Steve “Gumby” Grant was kind enough to watch our progress and let us know of any forecast changes. Steve made the passage earlier with us from Key West to Isla Mujeres. Early on the morning of the 30th I get a text “Dan H crashed on bike. Does not look good. When you get to KW call. Weather / Route look good”. This could not wait until Key West. I texted Steve right away for details but with the satellite delays it was very frustrating. We soon learned that Dan had passed away on Mount Tamalpais in Marin County, doing what he loved doing, Mountain Biking with his buddies. Dan was one of my best friends. I am not exaggerating when I say that 50, maybe 100 people, have said “Dan was one of my best friends” he was loved by everybody. He was that kind of a guy. You wanted to be around him, funny, witty, lovable. When he would come into a room you would want to go up to him, not so that you could hear him, you could hear him from a mile away, he was loud and oh how he could laugh, with a big smile. I will miss you Danny.
When your out in the middle of nowhere the sea & clouds are all you have to look at
The day went on, life went on, with a big void that will always be there. The weather and seas had been great all day as we passed the western tip of Cuba. We went about another 15 to 20 miles north to stay out of Cuban waters and the waves started to increase. We had planned to stay 15 miles off the coast of Cuba and head north east, aligned with the coast. We choose this route instead of going farther north and catching the Gulf Stream current because winds and waves were forecasted to build and move south the next day. Well the forecast was off by about 12 hours and we found ourselves in some good size seas, rain showers and clouds blocking the moon and starlight. It made for a tough night, diet cokes and M&M’s. Sleep was hard to come by and when you finally felt like you were getting some deep sleep it was time to take the helm. Sunrise was a welcome sight, now we could see the wave that was about to greet us and align the boat a little better. This was the first time I had changed our course or took us off autopilot since Roatan.
Early afternoon on Friday the seas started to settle down and it was turning into a nice day. We started to see many ships, oil tankers that were making their way to Houston to pick up some cheap oil. We also had the “Dole Ecuador” off our stern, a banana boat on the way to some US port. An uneventful day, which was fine. The boat was running great and had gotten covered in salt, salt everywhere from the waves the previous night.
The fatigue was starting to add up. We had never planned on doing long passages with just the two of us, but we had no choice. All the countries in Central America had now been shut down, friends could not join us. We had to suck it up, Jamie did a great job on her helm watches, allowing me to relax and get some sleep. Naps during the day were now essential. In my planning I had thought we would arrive at Key West Channel around mid-night. The rougher than anticipated weather delayed us a few hours. We debated about slowing down and trying to time our arrival at first light but decided to go for it.
We arrived at the Key West Light (the beginning of the channel to get past the reefs) at 2 AM Saturday. For a town that was shut down there were many lights, making for a confusing entrance, that is why you have to trust your instruments and trust those big beautiful screens that show the buoys marking the channel. Once we got in the harbor, we needed a place to drop anchor since we were not allowed to tie up at a dock or get off the boat. We found a small area just off the channel across from downtown Key West. We could not deploy much chain scope due to other boats being so close. We have “Anchor Watch” which tells us if our boat drifts out of a certain yardage area, I turned that on, grab some sleep on the couch next to the instruments and woke to the sun blaring in at 7:30. Along with the sun boats were cruising by and coming within twenty feet doing 30 plus MPH! #&@$#&!
While drinking coffee trying to wake up and clear the fog out of my mind, I notice a Homeland Security Boat off to our side. We had not checked in yet and I thought for sure we were going to get scolded and boarded. But no, they kept going. Then a Coast Guard boat, within twenty feet, here comes the boarding I thought, nope. At around 10AM I used my US Customs and Border Protection “ROAM” app that allowed me to input all the information about the boat, where we had been, and who was on board. Within 15 minutes our arrival had been approved.
No reason to hang around Key West, especially the way the speed boats were coming so close to us. On Sunday we pulled anchor early and went to Marathon where we took on 200 gallons of diesel, told we had to stay on the boat because the Keys were still closed, then anchored just outside the harbor. Monday morning at first light we headed out into the Gulf Stream for a 110-mile ride to Key Biscayne where we anchored with the Miami skyline close by. Tuesday it was 86 miles to Jupiter where we have signed a lease for six months.
The trip from Roatan to Jupiter was 804 Nautical miles or 925 Statute miles. The engine hours were 84 and the fuel burned was approximately 900 gallons which included running the generator 44 hours.
Moving day in Key West, FL
Sunset from our anchorage in Key West, FL
Sunset at our anchorage in Marathon, FL
The Captain keepin’ fit
Lighthouse entering Biscayne Bay, Miami, FL
Waters off Miami
Stiltsville entering Biscayn Bay
Sunset at our anchorage at Biscayn Bay
Transiting the channel to the Miami waterfront
Miami, FL
Miami is a very busy shipping port
A fellow Nordhavn…this is most likely a 57 foot trawler
One of the last cruise ships anchored out in front of Miami…evidently, there were about 8 or 10 a few weeks ago
Entering the West Palm Beach inlet…back to the land of the Mega-Yacht
Best part about returning to the Bluffs Marina at Jupiter is that our friends Eric and Patty (of boat Congrio) are here too. Thank you for helping us dock and especially for helping us celebrate Cinco de Mayo
After sitting on the boat in Barefoot Cay Marina for 6 weeks, we go awol. Borrowing a friends car we head to the West End for the weekend. On our way we stop by the Lawson Cafe to pick-up some beer from Mark, one of the owners of the Roatan Island Brewing Company (RIBC). We had intel that he would be on site filling growlers (or recycled O.J. bottles) with his best craft beers. We lucked out and not only scored some beer but also an invitation to come for a brewery tour the following week. You do not know how excited Larry was for this tour…we had driven by the brewery twice and seeing it closed each time broke Larry’s beer-lovin’ heart. After a nice two-night stay at The Beach House in the West End, where we snorkeled, jogged, and enjoyed the local food and drink we headed back to Barefoot Cay. Not easy considering we had to go through four roadblocks. Evidently, the ex-police Chief was again, flexing some mainland muscle and tightening up on the ‘no-drive’ Sundays. But, Monday arrived and we hopped over the hill to the Palmetto Valley and the 60 acres owned by the Roatan Island Brewing Company. We proceeded to be fully entertained and informed by Mark Flanagan, who gave us a tour and lesson on how the beers are made, followed by a a fabulous flight of his beers…what a special day…thank you Mark! Little did we know that we would be leaving Roatan two days later. We are so happy that we were able to experience the RIBC and it’s tasty beer.
The Roatan Island Brewing Company logo, perfect with it’s mountain biker http://www.roatanislandbrewing.com
The RIBC believes in best practices of environmental brewing, including using recycled kegs from different breweries
RIBC crafts their beer with the local water and specialty grains milled on site. Ater mashing & lautering the worth is then boiled and sent through the whirl pool where the hot wort is then cooled. Yeast & hops are added for fermentation and conditioning for 5 to 15 days. Then you can drink it!
Mark details the fermentation process for Larry
A fantastic chalk drawing of the brewing process
Mark is trying to figure out what he is going to do with all this beer. The RIBC had ramped up production for the height of the tourist season. They do many tours for cruise ship passengers, as well as brewing specialty beer for many of the island bars, which are now closed due to the state of emergency. Craft beer has a shelf life of a few months….Larry, of course, offered to help take a few pints off his hands…
The bar and craft beer selection
All the really cool bars that sell RIBC’s beer, that we’ll never get to see…except for #12…we saw that one
The much anticipated tasting of the flight of “ocho”
Mark drinks his current favorite, Juicy IPA, which Larry & I really enjoyed too. However, it was hard to pick a favorite. It is quite rare when Larry & I enjoy the taste and flavor of every beer at a craft brewery. The RIBC beer does not try to create heavy tasting or high alcohol beer, as most people on the island are looking for a lighter tasting drink. I even enjoyed the beer they made for St. Patty’s day…that green one on the end made with the jalapeno peppers & pineapple!
Loving the sticker selection at the bar wall
Mark is ready to sign up as crew for the Independence! We would be glad to have him. Thanks Mark for a great day at the RIBC.
RIBC’s beer garden
‘Screech’ the brewery cat had been missing for a few days & showed up meowing like crazy during our tour. Mark said Screech is used to employees & tourists paying attention to him 24/7. When the brewery closed Screech didn’t know what to do and ran off into the forest for a few days/weeks. He was skinny & beat up when he returned with a big chunk of fur & skin missing from his neck. After a good meal, water & a lot of attention he took a nap on the brewery floor.
A weekend in the West End…wishing I could have experienced the SCUBA here, but the snorkeling was great
The town dock could use some love
A local wooden sculpture gets a pirate make-over
How can this bar be closed?!?
Let’s just walk a little bit more…who know what we will find…
That goofy smile on my face is due to the fact that I actually sniffed out an open bar (behind the boat)! Cheers to me!
We celebrate with a few short glasses of chilled tequila
Sunset view from the beach bar
A cashew tree
The Beach House at West End is very sweet. We were the only people at the boutique hotel and it was so nice to get a new view. http://www.thebeachhouseroatan,com
We had to make our own cocktails…even though there was a perfectly good bar next door…when will they open up?!?
Sunset views from our room at The Beach House
Our view at dinner each night at The Beach House
Back at Barefoot Cay, we will miss my sweet towel animals…
…and we will miss Edson’s smile the most…
Roatan is raring to get back to work. There are no cases of the virus here and people are tired of the federal government keeping the intra-island businesses shut down, especially the taxi drivers. Last week a special exemption was to be given to the Honduran islands allowing businesses to reopen but, the evening prior to lifting the month long state of emergency, certain individuals on the mainland revoked the exemption. We were told by a friend that this was due to a situation involving the Roatan Chief of Police. Now take that statement and the upcoming story for what it is worth. I do not want to create fake news and I do not have the resources to fact check but it is an interesting tidbit. Evidently, right before the island of Roatan shut down the Police Chief had to go to the mainland. Fast forward a few weeks and the Chief was unhappy about not being allowed back home so he decided to take matters into his own hands. We do know from a report broadcast by the Governor of Roatan that he arrived, illegally, at French Harbor by boat with a few other officers. They were immediately taken into custody and returned to the mainland where they were to be tested for the virus. The Chief lost his job here on Roatan but remains a force to reckoned with on the mainland and is exerting his influence to keep the island in the state of emergency. Whether this is all or only partially accurate didn’t matter to the taxi drivers. When they heard that the island was still shut down they formed roadblocks with their vehicles on the main thoroughfares grinding traffic around the island to a halt. The pressure worked and they were allowed to go back to work the following day. Well, we don’t know how we can form a blockade made of bartenders, but if we could we would do it in a heartbeat…until then we will just have to enjoy our rum drinks at home. Speaking of which, the link to the rum article posted below is well worth a read.
The Roatan Police arriving to the roadblock . Photo by Larry
The taxi drivers used their cars and some local large earth movers to form roadblocks. Photo by Larry
Taxi drivers take action in Roatan! Photo by Larry
More of the taxi roadblock. Photo by Larry
https://www.passagemaker.com/lifestyle/rum-renaissance?utm_campaign=PassageMaker%20Newsletters&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=86425380&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8F2GKLOF4TwHcJ2xnJymGao9GZafA0SO7TrOq6ybR_ybJttDBzqQPThPm59jVIwztSM7T6&utm_content=86425380&utm_source=hs_email click on the link (or copy & paste the link into your browser) to read this fantastic article on rum and it’s history
Here’s hoping we can find rum drinks at a local establishment soon….until then ‘Rum Sundays’ will continue onboard.
Post by Larry McCullough
I will never, ever, ever complain about waxing a car that I own. Independence is 59 feet long, 17 feet wide and 24 feet in height. That’s a lot of fiberglass and it has all been waxed. It is kind of like Groundhog Day with waxing, the only thing on the boat that hasn’t been waxed is my back and that would give too much pleasure to Jamie to go down that path…I am not into that kind of pain.
I have done every project that I can think of with the limited supplies here on Roatan that I can purchase. Before leaving Florida in January I bought extra supplies, like oil (in the last post) and filters for three additional oil changes. Along with the oil changes I have changed all the zincs on the boat. Zincs are a sacrificial metal that deteriorates, hopefully, instead of the metal in various parts of the boat. Zincs can be found in the engine, air conditioning system and the metal below the water line (propeller shaft, rudder, trim tabs, etc).
While we had the Brownie hookah breathing device (scuba diving without the tank) set-up we cleaned the bottom of the boat. It is amazing how much grows on the underside of the boat in this warm clear water. With the bottom cleaned the boat will have less resistance and hopefully go through the water a little bit faster and with better fuel efficiency. Jamie mentions that the same thing would happen with me if I would just wax my back.
The Brownie is all set-up and the various new zincs are ready to go. Top to bottom; shaft, hull, rudders/trim tabs and bow thruster.
Larry begins the two hour process of changing the zincs
The large zinc in Larry’s hand is from the hull of the boat
Hull zincs…new verses old
Rudder/Trim tab zincs…old vs. the new
What’s left of the old zincs from the hull and bow thruster
Larry grabbed some images from the GoPro video. Here is one of our propellers and rudders (with the new zinc). The little fish near the prop is a ‘cow fish’…for some reason they really like our boat.
A photo of the line cutters with a new zinc below
The prop shaft with it’s new zinc and another friendly cow fish
Larry installed some new bow thrusters! This should really help out with future docking. (Image courtesy of Panama Posse post - sometime over the last year - we think…)
As we sit and wait here in Roatan, Honduras for our weather window, we fill our time with the following diversions…
Practicing with the drone we captured some images of the resort at Barefoot Cay and Independence at her mooring.
Barefoot Cay is an island (or Key) and in order to cross the channel you have to take the little boat shuttle that you see in the middle of the picture (on the right). In this photo, you can see Larry & I in the parking lot at the bottom of the image.
This photo really gives you a good idea of how the reef system rings most of the island. In front of the palapa is the pretty blue water where the snorkeling is very nice.
It’s Thursday! Time to go to Eldon’s.
Now we can commute to the supermercado via the tender…soooo much better this way
Homes along the water on our way to French Harbor & the grocery store
Fishing fleets of Roatan
This boat has been aground here awhile. There is a rope swing attached to the bow.
Not very many tall palm trees around, this guy is one of the few
Speaking of trees…Larry just can’t stay out of the garden…even if it isn’t his. Actually, we had permission to trim this tree as the oils (or something) from it were causing stains on the fiberglass decking of the boat.
A late afternoon expedition to one of the neighboring, unoccupied cays of Brick Bay
The mangroves
A beach made of shells
Happy Easter everyone…we miss you all!
We did have an earthquake the other day. Larry & I didn’t feel it while on the boat but amazingly enough there were reports of people who felt it all the way in Sarasota, Florida! Image courtesy of Volcano Discovery
Press Release from the Government of the the Republic of Honduras regarding the orders during State of Emergency
'Hazards to Navigation’, Courtesy of the Panama Posse Fleet Update 2020-04-05
Day twenty-three of the lockdown on Roatan, Honduras and we are still very fortunate to report that there are no cases of the virus on The Bay Islands. The mainland of Honduras (only 35 miles away) is not as fortunate with many cases of the virus and sadly, many deaths. The State of Emergency (SOE) is still in place on the mainland, so it exists here in Roatan as well. The ‘stay at home & curfew’ orders are in place with allowable days of transit being Mondays, Wednesdays & Fridays from 9:00AM to 3:00PM. Only one person from each household is meant to go out to the grocery store, pharmacy, bank or petrol station. This again is broken-down into groupings according to last digits on your I.D. card or passport. So, this past Friday, we went to the supermercado. We were going to walk the two miles but Captain Willy, here at the marina, saw us leaving and was amazingly kind enough to give us a lift there and back. Arriving early, we find the rules are being enforced, as the market officials check your I.D./passport numbers and recommend only one person from each family enter. The National Guard has disinfectant, which they spray on the soles of your shoes and the employees distribute hand sanitizer as you move toward the door. The crowd at the market was well behaved. No one was hoarding and the shelves are stocked, however produce was relatively limited. It appears that the SOE orders are being followed with the exception of social distancing, which really goes out the window on the weekends, as families gather by the water to drink, eat and play. When I see this, I run the gamut of reactions from…”wish I could be them”…”wow, are they crazy?”…but mostly….”I really don’t blame them”. The orders are supposed to end on Sunday, April 12th, but I am not confident that the island will reopen within. It is difficult to separate the law of the mainland from the law of the islands, so we just wait. Wait for our day to go to the store, wait for the virus to peak in Florida and the marinas to reopen, wait for a weather window to make the jump back. Yes, unfortunately, it is looking like we will have to retreat to Florida as the latest news from the Panama Canal is that it will not reopen to boats under 65 feet until the end of May. May is too late for us, putting us too close to the start of hurricane season to transit both the canal and the west coast. Other ideas have surfaced only to be jettisoned due to closures of foreign borders, the dangers of the virus or most of the time, the invalidation of our insurance policy. We are frustrated but we know we are the lucky ones…healthy and safe. So we detail and wax the boat, we ride the exercise bike, we snorkel, read and practice Spanish…and wait…is cocktail hour yet?
Larry is melting away in the 86 degree Fahrenheit temperatures as he is determined to wax the entire boat…top to bottom & all 59 feet
With guests off the island, the iguanas are feeling a bit more comfortable. Too bad this young one doesn’t feel inclined to pick up the brush or mit and help wash the boat
An older, smarter iguana keeps his distance
Friday used to be laundry day but with that now being our sanctioned provisioning day, it was just too much excitement to spend all at once…
…so now Monday is the new laundry day. Who knew she made such a great laundry line?
More excitement, as we joined the first SFYC ‘Friday Zoom Cocktail Party!
A little tender ride on Sunday to French Harbor. We didn’t stop but had to take a picture of Romeo’s where we had dinner the second night we were in town with Chris Adams. Oh such fond memories of dining out…and…with good friends….
Always good to see the reliable Costa arrive each morning…especially when she is bringing in a semi of Cerveza SalvaVida
As much as scratching incessantly at my bug bites gave me something to do, I opted for Stephanie’s (manager at Barefoot Cay) prescription…wear bug repellent religiously and if they still bite and itch cook each bite with your hair dryer set on HOT. Direct the hot blast of air right onto the bite and leave it there as long as you can bare it. The itch magically vanishes…truly! A great web post about the notorious biting bugs of Roatan can be found at roatan.westbaytours.com/what-to-do-about-the-sandflies/
This little guy paid us a visit at the stern of the boat. Like a little UFO he would appear and disappear like a ninja cuttlefish.
Post by Larry McCullough
It has almost been a year now since Jamie and I untied the lines and left Jupiter, Florida on our adventure. In the classic movie Groundhog Day, the ever-lovable Bill Murray wakes up every morning to the same thing happening every day, that day being Groundhog Day. Subconsciously, I think that was what I wanted to escape, tomorrow being like yesterday. Over the last year I must say we have accomplished that.
Not that I/we did not know what we were getting into, but for lack of a better way of expressing it, maybe we did not know the extremes of what we were getting into. From pulling away from the dock last April until I really felt comfortable handling the boat, all 88,000 pounds. There were many tense moments until Jamie, and I became a very good team at the many aspects of cruising. “Many” is the key word! When docking we wear our “marriage savers” (headsets that we wear to communicate via, so we don’t have to yell) to cruising at night and everything in between. Jamie is the perfect mate for cruising (and life). At night when I am dead tired Jamie is ready to handle all aspects, diligently captaining Independence so that I can relax and get some much-needed sleep during her watch.
Keeping busy, Larry sands and re-varnishes all the wood on the boat….
Now after going somewhere around 7,000 miles we are back to Groundhog Day in Roatan, Honduras. Believe me, we can’t complain. During the “State of Emergency” here on the Island we are locked down at Barefoot Cay Resort, it could be much worse. When we were in Belize there were no marinas that we could get the boat into, so we headed to Roatan. Now instead of being anchored out we have an electrical hookup, clean fresh water, a swimming pool steps away, internet, a palapa at the end of a dock to a great snorkeling area, and did I mention the air-conditioning on the boat! But we’re back to Groundhog Day, get up in the morning, grab a cup of coffee, watch the stock market as my heart rate sores, do push ups and ride the stationary bike getting my heart rate up the good way, watch the stock market some more getting my heart rate up the bad way, do maintenance and chores on the boat, maybe go for a snorkel, then enjoy our “Quarantini’s”. Yes, things could be worse.
…and then he changes the oil…
….a very hot and sweaty job.
His work is never done, as he checks Edson’s temperature with his temperature gun, which he uses on the engines. Playing it safe in these times of social distancing
Then a phone call or two to family and friends to help keep us close
Well, we may be on lockdown here in Roatan, but the staff and managers here at the marina could not be any nicer or more accomodating. We are on day eight of what we believe is to be a 14 day quarantine, however, no one is really sure of the absolute duration. The Mainland Honduran government issued a state of emergency a few days ago which meant that Roatan had to follow suit, ceasing all nonessential movement and enforcing curfews. The American & Canadian tourists who have been stranded on Roatan are eventually being flown back to their respective countries. The governor of Roatan, Dino Silvestri, is amazing and has had daily video chats where he gives the status of Roatan and answers questions that you can post online during the chat. He also has developed a website addressing this situation: www.covid19roatan.com where you can listen to his chats and also register for departing flights. The poor man looks exhausted and is doing an amazing job. Our thanks and appreciation go out to all of the hard working people of the government and especially to all of the emergency and hospital workers who are risking their lives. To all my nurse friends...be safe out there and thank you for all you do. We may be treading water here in Roatan, but we feel very thankful for where we are and who we are with.
The very thoughtful management here at Barefoot Cay Resort & Marina (www.barefootcay.com) have given us use of casitas ‘Azul’. We are able to use the cabana restrooms and shower and this is of great convenience to us. Thank you Gary & Stephanie!
Our friend Edson with that killer smile
Noni’s kitchen is still open at the resort, just not the restaurant - to go food only. The crew of the Independence got a night off and decided to have the ‘Local Favorite’ grilled whole fish and it was delicious.
No excuses now…I am practicing every day for a few hours a day
Larry made my birthday very special
Post by Larry McCullough
It has been many months since my last post, mainly because Jamie does such a good job and I am intimidated, but we have gone many thousands of miles. During those miles many things come to mind and that’s what this post will concentrate on.
The crew at the Demopolis boatyard did a great job cleaning the hull of the Independence
Nice to our props were in great shape after all we had gone through (the stabilizers were fine as well)
The Rivers! The rivers after we left Demopolis Alabama were something I will never forget. Hopefully one thing about this blog is we don’t just tell the good things. but we also bring up the negatives. Yes, there have been many times when there has been pictures of us out having a cocktail or two, meeting new people and we fail to mention the hangover that ensued, but there is only so many gigabytes allocated to a blog. But those rivers were something to remember. The Tombigbee and the Black Warrior Rivers were brutal, flood stage for miles, debris everywhere, submerged channel markers, no place to comfortably spend the night. To say that I was happy to be done with the rivers is an understatement. The thought of the wide-open ocean was very appealing. I must say though; glad we dd it, glad we had the experience, glad it’s over and most importantly, glad we had no damage to the boat (see Jamie’s prior post).
Bentley sleeping after playing with ball Larry had given her
Not letting a trying experience go to waste we met some great people who I hope we stay lifelong friends with, Rich and Connie and their great dog Bentley.
After the rivers it was our first night crossing with just Jamie and I. The crossing was going great, beautiful sunset and calm water. Jamie couldn’t sleep so I decided to try to get some around midnight and after a few minutes there were the dam crab pots! 30 miles from shore, unbelievable, so much for sleep, Jamie on the bow with the spotlight. Mile after mile, hour after hour.
Larry, Steve and Jim at ‘Captain Tony’s Saloon’ in Key West, FL
We flew home for the Holidays and while home I kept Amazon and other companies busy ordering filters, spare parts, a pair of spare props, and many other things. Most of them were shipped to our friend Marilyn Bradley whose entry way became packed with boxes. The props which weighed around 150 lbs. each were shipped elsewhere.
The boat was ready to go, to start making our way to California through the Panama Canal. We picked up some friends, Steve and Suzette Grant, along the way and anchored in Everglades National Park, with our new Rocna anchor. It got to be tested that night when a storm came and did not want to leave. Lightening for three hours, I had never seen such a show, especially so close. The things that go through your mind during such times: unplug the handheld VHF radio in case we get hit; the insurance ends at midnight and the new policy starts at midnight, if we get hit…
Off to Marathon, Florida where a year earlier we started the Great Loop, crab pots everywhere, I thought I will never eat crab again. Great time in Marathon, great food, so much for never eating crab again.
Key West was the next stop, were getting closer to the big crossing. Suzette leaves and a college buddy comes aboard, Jim Lennon. We spend time exploring the fine cultural aspects (bars) of Key West waiting for a weather window. It comes, we plan on leaving at 5AM the next morning. I can’t sleep past 3AM, the boats untied and away from the slip at 4AM, good thing. The cruise ships start coming in the Key West Channel at 6AM and we did not want to meet them mid channel in the dark. It turns out we appreciated that extra hour 38 hours later pulling into Isla Mujeres at Sunset.
You just can’t tell by the photo, but the chop was about four or five feet…not too bad at this time
Steve grabbing some sleep after his turn at the helm
Leaving Key West, we had some moderate waves that made for an uneventful day, until I made one of my engine room checks. Before leaving Key West I had checked the Racor fuel filters and drained them to make sure there was no water or debris. They are awesome, as they have a clear plastic casing, allowing you to see any debris or water that has gotten into your diesel tank. At the bottom is a screw that you can undo and drain it of sediment, debris and water. Well, now we are north of Cuba and there are all kinds of debris in the filter. My guess is months of relatively calm cruising allowed growth in the tank along with other contaminants that get pumped in, which were now being shaken loose in the rough water. I knew what had to be done, I didn’t want to try it in these rolling seas, but I had to.
The engine room where you can stand upright
The Racor fuel filter
When mechanics or other boaters see Independence’s engine room, they comment how they love it. I am not experienced like those mechanics, but I must say I love that engine room. You can move around the engines with ease and there’s plenty of room to stand upright. I explained to the crew the game plan: turn off each engine one at a time; Steve would come into the engine room with me, he would turn off the fuel supply to the engine that I would work on and I would unscrew the plug at the bottom of the Racor and try to drain the water and debris. All went well and I had to do this once more to each engine. With diesel engines not all the diesel that goes into the engine is burned, it flows through the engine and back into the main fuel tank. While doing this it acts as both a coolant and lubricant. What also happens is fuel can go through the Racor filter system many times cleaning the fuel. By the end of the crossing the fuel in the Racor was without any visible debris.
The night was relatively calm with the protection of Cuba, once we got into the Yucatan Channel, I was glad the fuel was clean because I did not want to be laying on the engine room floor dealing with fuel and a little screw. As the day progressed so did the waves. When we were within 25 miles of Isla Mujeres a squall appeared with wind, rain and even bigger waves. I could not believe how bad our fuel economy was at this point. We were fighting a fierce current along with the waves and we were only making about 6 to 7 knots. The Stabilizers on the boat had been doing a great job and working very hard with the waves that were coming from our port side. I wanted to get inside the reef, via the channel, before sunset so I put the throttles down even more. Seconds later the starboard engine temperature alarm sounded. I eased the throttles back and it went off. The Stabilizers work off the starboard engine and after 39 hours they had been working hard. In hindsight I should have turned the stabilizers off and let the added speed stabilize us. We made it with some light to spare to find the anchorage and refrigerator for a much-needed beer or two.
Larry and Chris at The Buccaneer, French Harbor, Roatan, Honduras
The new version of the dive boat that Larry & Chris were on twenty plus years ago here in Roatan
We were joined by Chris Adams in Isla Mujeres as Steve and Jim left us for home. Chris was now on his third visit aboard Independence, we love having him. Chris spent close to a month with us as we cruised down to Belize (an overnight trip) and then to Honduras. About 25 yeas ago Chris, I and another friend visited Roatan and went scuba diving. At that time, I bought a nautical map of the islands. I remember thinking “I think I will be coming back here some day in my own boat, I might need this”, it has come in quite handy having it here on Independence.
The map Larry purchased (and has currently been using) when he first came to Roatan twenty plus years ago
Surrendering to the ‘Yellow Jack’…AKA the Quarantine flag (or ‘Q’ signal flag) - Barefoot Cay, Roatan, Honduras
Quaranta Giorni - 40 Days…”Quarantine is the restriction of movement of people, animals and goods intended to prevent the spread of disease or pests. Used in connection to limit disease and illness, and prevent the movement of those who may have been exposed to a communicable disease, but do not have a confirmed medical diagnosis. The word quarantine comes from a seventeenth-century Venetian variant of the Italian ‘quaranta giorni, meaning ‘forty days’, the period that all ships were required to be isolated before passengers and crew could go ashore during the Black Death plague epidemic.” Courtesy of Panama Posse post Fleet Update 2020-03-15
The island of Roatan, 30 miles from mainland Honduras
Currently, we are on day five of the fourteen day lockdown. Technically, we are only supposed to leave the marina if we need food, fuel or medical assistance. That being said, we expand the rules a little and on our way to the grocery store we drive to the ‘West End’ to see the more touristy area of the island. I can only imagine what this handful of tiny streets would be like if all the cruise ships were docked and the hoards of people had been bussed in. But when we arrive the streets are quiet and this sweet town can thankfully be described as ‘sleepy’. We park and have our picnic lunch across the street from our friend ‘Eddy’s’ bar, which is right at the beach. We then walk down the street past all the little restaurants and bars (sadly most are closed) to Half Moon Bay. We snorkel and watch all the pretty tropical fish dart about. Back at Eddy’s we have a beer and then drive back along West Bay toward Coxen Hole (the empty cruise ship terminal) where only the locals are out enjoying the day with their kids.
Many times in the past I have wished we could have spent another day or two at some particularly lovely port but either a pressing schedule or a good weather window takes precedence. The irony is now that we can (or must!) we are not allowed to venture out and explore this beautiful area. It is unfortunate for many reasons, primarily due to the human frailty of the situation, compounded by the economic hardships it is going to place on the people who live here. The better news we heard today was that the self-isolation portion of the quarantine may be over on Sunday and businesses will hopefully be able to reopen but without the tourism life here will be challenging.
Eldon’s supermarket is amazing. The shelves are stocked and they have lettuce & spinach that we can eat!
Happy salad eaters!!! First green salad in over two weeks.
Anna at Mamma’s Laundry made my day and washed & dried 26 pounds (no laundry access for 3 weeks) of our laundry in under 24 hours
On the way to the grocery we checked out the West End
What a pretty little slice of Roatan
Our lunch view at the West End
Our snorkel spot at Half Moon Bay, West End
Fresh Mango, Coconut or Bananas in front of Half Moon Bay, West End
Pretty places to spend time…most, like this place, were closed
Not today…maybe next week…or the week after that…
The south side of Roatan
Coxen Hole. Named for the pirate John Coxon
The empty Cruise Ship Terminal at Coxen Hole
This is what the Coxen Hole Cruise Ship Terminal looks like twice a week during high season. This port has had a maximum of 7 ships docked in one day and I believe they have had a record of 15 ships total when the remainders were anchored out. Screenshot from a travel website on Google
This may not look very pretty but I finally had the time and ingredients to make my curry and if I do say so myself…it tasted lovely…
On the way to the grocery…we spotted the cow that had been tied to a tree across the road…as Larry says, “the grass is always greener on the other side of anything”
As you crest the main road on the way to the east end of the island you come across this anomaly, The Isery was meant to be the hotspot nightclub. It opened on Easter/Spring Break of 2016 and evidently as reported from The Honduras Travel Blog & Destination Guide, by John Dupuis “…the owner had the US DEA after him. So after a grand opening for Easter Week, the magnificent new East End Night Club seems to have run aground, literally…Only time will tell if this incredible construction will come to life again, or become a unique shipwreck in Roatan…”
A view of the reef on the north side of the island above Punta Gorda
The Costa of Island Shipping is a welcome sight every morning from our view at Barefoot Cay. To me, her daily arrival means that I will have lettuce, spinach, avocado, beer and vodka for a few more weeks. If you look closely you can see her ‘yellow jack’ courtesy flag flying below the Honduras flag.
Sunset at Barefoot Cay Marina
Chris, Larry and I depart Placencia for New Haven, Belize (22NM) - a lagoon perfectly situated to protect us from the upcoming weather. The winds are forecast to blow pretty hard and there is no use in trying to make the run to our check out point in Punta Gorda until the weather calms. Three days later we are still at anchor in the lagoon and hoping to leave our unintended ‘socially isolating/self quarantine’ location. On day four we are able to move over to Mangrove Cay about a 9NM away where we can at least connect to the internet to track the weather. The next day the weather has calmed enough to make it to our immigration exit point of Punta Gorda, Belize. We anchor in front of this quaint looking town, put the tender in and run over to immigration and customs to check out of Belize. Back to the boat, tender in place, we make anchor at Lime Cay, Belize (40NM) by 4:00 PM that evening. A very rocky night on the hook allows for little rest before we lift anchor the following morning at 4:00 AM. The passage to Roatan, Honduras is quite nice with only a few rain showers and swells of two to four feet but well spaced. The captain and crew are more than happy to see our escort into Barefoot Cay Marina, Roatan, Honduras (103NM). This little marina is located on a tiny island and has a tricky entrance through a coral reef. Once secure we celebrate another first for the Independence, 14 consecutive days at anchor, the last 5 of which had virtually no landfall. We enjoy a couple beers on the back deck of the boat and then have an amazing local lobster tail dinner at the marina restaurant. The following morning we meet Josh, our immigration agent, who takes us to Coxen Hole to clear immigration and have our biometrics (fingerprints & facial imaging) entered into the system. We learn from Josh that Roatan has an 8 billion dollar a year cruise ship industry, which is about to be suspended, due to the COVID-19 situation. We also start to hear stirrings of border shut downs (Guatemala & El Salvador are completely shut) and possible issues that might affect our transit. With these thoughts in mind Chris decides to make his exit the following day, but in the meantime, we rent a car and tour the north end of the island and see the local sites.
On our way out of Placencia, Belize Larry looks through the binoculars to see if any cruise ship passengers are abandoning ship.
Enough said…courtesy of the Panama Posse post
Sunrise at New Haven’s lagoon. According to our Freya Rauscher’s Belize Cruising Guide this was where “Hard Luck” Charlie Carlson cleared 100 acres years ago. He grew pineapple, cashew, mango and rice. Evidently, he even had some kind of railway connection to his land as there are still old box cars visible. This area is also within the Port of Honduras Marine Reserve. On our second day at anchor we are approached by a ponga with five men from the Belize coast guard collecting park fees. We hand over our payment swiftly as the M16 rifles they had on board were quite intimidating.
Finishing off the last of the Belikin, Belize beer at anchor in New Haven. While in our isolation Chris read about five books, we all used the exercise bike daily, Larry waxed the boat and finished David McCullough’s “The Path Between the Seas”. Not an easy undertaking, as that book had over 600 pages of small print!
Sunrise at Mangrove Cay
Moonset at Mangrove Cay
Chris is now an expert at dropping and hoisting the Rocna 55 anchor
When you have the coffee mug that says ‘Captain’, doesn’t that make you the Captain?
Our approach to Punta Gorda, Belize, where we will anchor and go on land via the tender to get our exit visas
Bye, bye Belize
Our last Belize Cay is Lime Cay. We anchor and overnight at this spot before leaving Belize
Sunrise over the Gulf of Honduras
Gathering clouds before the squall
Exploring Punta Gorda on Roatan’s north side with a local ‘Salva Vida’ and a pretty view
The view from Kristi’s Overlook bar and restaurant looking back over the south side of the island
We sample the local Roatan Brewery’s IPA and Lager at Kristi’s Overlook
A charming home in French Harbor
Meeting new friends in French Harbor. It was great to meet and take a walk around town with Kimo
Michael and Larry comparing muscle mass. Photo by Chris Adams
Thank you Michael & Kimo for a fun afternoon in French Harbor. Photo by Chris Adams
No shortage of TP at Eldon’s supermarket. Also, no hoarding, no big lines - just nice people hoping things will return to normal soon. Photo by Larry
Not a normal pineapple…but it sure tasted good
The little palapa at Barefoot Cay Marina where you can get in the water and snorkel in the shallow bay
Not a bad place to have enjoy a cold one
The snorkel map
A very pretty place…not sure how long we will be here. We were told a day ago that we may not be able to exit Roatan for 30 days (with our boat). A day later we heard that there is a 7 day travel ban and on Monday we were told there is now a 14 day quarantine - no entry, no exit. So the situation is fluid and we really have no idea what is in store for us right now. There are no reports of COVID-19 on Roatan but protective measures are being put in place. Cruise ship entry has been stopped for now, Schools have temporarily closed and the customary hug and kiss are being replaced with waves and smiles. We are fine and will ride this out and hope that we can keep somewhat on schedule for crossing around Nicaragua and entry to Panama. More to come in a ‘Captain’s Post’ in a couple days…
Photo & title sent to me by Jill Williams Gilmore while enjoying the BVI’s
In case you are wondering where Roatan, Honduras is located…we are the blue dot on the map off the coast of mainland Honduras. Map courtesy of Google Maps
This guy was really having a blast on our bow
Finally, we made the decision to leave Puerto Aventuras. After days of intense scrutiny of the weather apps Larry arranges our exit interview with immigration. We are more than ready to go, as we provisioned days ago, and I don’t think Chris has any streets left to explore in this fenced-off and gated village. We leave the following morning at first light and make it out of the narrow channel just fine. This overnight cruise is much further south than we had originally scheduled, as we must take advantage of the weather window while it presents itself. The first day of transit starts nice enough with three foot following swells and playful dolphins. The swells soon build to four footers but are still following and then become a bit larger and more confused through the late afternoon. Finally, the sun sets and darkness comes. There always seems to be a bit of anxiety at these last few hours of daylight as we prep the electronics and cabin for darkness. With building seas and winds the night passes slowly. We all take shifts at the helm staring at the radar screen and looking out to the black horizon on this moonless night. The large swells and stern wind have given us quite a push and we arrive at the mouth of the Belize shipping channel (Buzzard Shoals to the Eastern Channel) before daylight. You might think that we would be very happy to arrive anywhere early on these long cruises, but for once, this is not the case. The channel is thankfully, large, wide and deep but very twisted, which makes the markers a challenge to decipher at night. The moment of commitment comes when Larry has to make the starboard turn driving us into five to six foot swells and chop with a 20 knot wind all at our beam. This was more than exciting and we are all snapped to attention as the adrenaline courses. The captain throttles up the Independence and she takes her lashes as the bow digs deep into the swells and the water, full of seaweed, crashes onto the lower helm station windows and deck. The channels’ twists and turns are thankfully heralded by our Navionics charting system and Larry takes them in measured course not appearing disturbed by the intensity of the situation. To me, this is when Larry is at his best. I do not truly know if it is a moment he would reflect upon and say he enjoyed or daresay would want to repeat, but the intensity seems to suit his character and I am very happy for that. We finally enter the Main or Inner Channel of Belize as daylight, calming winds and seas make the last hour seem like a fever dream. Now we have a moment to arrange ourselves to the fact that we are in a new country and must begin contacting immigration, etc. officials and preparing documents for clearance. By one o’clock we are anchored in Placencia Harbor and Settlement, Belize (250 NM) making this a 30 hour cruise. As tired as we are, we still do a cursory fresh water wash of the Independence and then celebrate our safe arrival with a cold beer.
It is one thing to cruise into a new country and a completely different thing to find the immigration agents, etc. that are to grant entrance into their country without leaving your vessel. Come to find out, you can go ashore to accomplish this task but before we have organized ourselves to this we are paid a visit by a ponga, the ‘Hokey Pokey Ferry’. Evidently immigration and the requisite entourage of Health and Customs had received Larry’s calls/texts (or seen our yellow quarantine flag) and six officials board our boat. Within forty minutes, a barrage of questions/paperwork to the captain and a nice wad of cash we were legal visitors of Belize. We hoist our Belize courtesy flag and put the tender in the water to start our explorations.
More fun
After very little sleep for 25 hours, this is the channel that Larry got to deal with in the dark & with large swells and a 20 knot wind at our beam
One of those large waves scooped up & deposited a flying fish
Thirty hours later we get to celebrate another successful overnight cruise…thank you Chris for your help…we could not have done it without you
I make the captain and crew a Pina Colada while we wait for immigration
Immigration, customs, health and agriculture on the Hokey Pokey ferry. They finished checking in this boat and are headed toward us
Independence at anchor in Placencia Harbor
The pretty Don Quijote sailboat with their mascot Placido
Placencia Harbor, Belize
The channel that runs behind Placencia
Sunset in Placencia
One of our favorite bars where one of our favorite friends, Dillon, works
Bob and friend are loved in Placencia too
My new friend Max
Larry said I could post this if he could have a taste!
My favorite little libraries are here in Placencia too
We take a two day side trip to North Long Cocoa Cay and then the next day to Ranguana Cay (pictured here). This Cay had a sweet little bar and some nice snorkeling.
Larry, Chris and I snorkeled from the boat (way out in the distance) to the bar here at Ranguana Cay. Yes, we do go to extremes to find a good bar! Photo by Larry
Chris bought us lobster tails from the fisherman on this boat
The fisherman’s boat, our two favorite bars and also our favorite restaurant are all right where you dock your tender…so convenient
Looking out to the Independence while enjoying a cold Belikin beer…we move to south from here tomorrow or the next day
The Independence at dock in Puerto Aventura, Mx
Chris, Larry & I depart Isla Mujeres at first light and head through the channel by Cancun back out to the Yucatan Channel and then south. I haven’t been to Cancun for 30 years and as we pass by I can see that it has tripled in size. So many new, massive hotels along the waterfront stretching for miles. Cancun is soon far behind us and we have a very nice seven hour cruise to Puerto Aventura (55NM). The wind is forecast to strengthen over the next week so we will stay put in this nice marina and do some sightseeing for a few days until the weather and seas calm enough to continue our southbound journey.
The sunrise leaving Isla Mujeres, Mx
The Independence at the dock in Puerto Aventura Marina
An afternoon walk along the beach…
…followed by a cruise in the tender along the canals
The narrow and tricky entry to the Puerto Aventura Harbor and Marina
We rent a car and drive an hour and a half to the Yucatan archaeological site of Coba, The city dates from 50 BC to 100 AD but evidently flourished during 600 to 900 AD with approximately 60,000 people and the name translates to ‘water stirred by wind’. Our guide, Pedro, was fantastic and told us that this sight was originally discovered by people collecting the sap from the Manikara tree to make Chicle (later called Chiclets), a natural chewing gum. These Chicle gatherers then told the archeologists (first in 1926) who currently believe Coba to spread 30 plus square miles, have over 6,500 structures and possess a network of limestone roads - one of which leads directly to Chichen Itza.
Pedro shows us a rendition of an ancient Mayan Codex holy book. The Mayan language is not properly understood as the conquering Spaniards systematically destroyed their written language to aid in the monopolizing of the culture and its people. Unlike Egyptian hieroglyphics there is no proverbial Rosetta Stone. Mayans were one of the first cultures to make paper (out of tree bark). They also discovered astronomy and calendar systems (accurately predicting Solar and Lunar eclipses through 2012) and were highly developed mathematicians being one of the first cultures to use the zero.
One of the many uncovered structures at Coba. Pedro mentioned that the Yucatan Peninsula is geologically flat and consists of limestone that was revealed when the sea subsided. Therefore, any rising area is most likely man made and not from natural geological origins.
The Iglesia pyramid stands 80 feet tall. When I came to Coba 30 years ago this was the only major structure uncovered and you could climb up to the top, which you can not do now.
This is a photo of one side of the ‘Pok-a-Tok’ playing field (five have been discovered at Coba). This game (for this size court) is played with two players on each side and is a cross between soccer and basketball. The players had to propel a four-pound solid rubber ball through the small stone ring (shown above). The clincher is, the players could only use their elbows, knees or hips to make the ‘basket’. First one to score wins the glorious prize of giving blood, which is then burned as an offering to the gods. This blood is procured by piercing (via fishbone) the winners nose, ears or genitals…makes you wonder how much they really wanted to win…
This skull was placed on the ground at the end of a second Pok-a-Tok court. I am not sure what its significance is but Chris took a nice photo of it
At each uncovered area in Coba there are ‘stelea’ stone tablets (at least 32 at Coba) that are carved with depictions of rulers and usually accompanied by hieroglyphic texts recording the rulers’ identity and actions. The stones date from 250 to 900 AD.
One of the stelea with a plaque depicting many of the hieroglyphs that were originally carved into the surface
Pedro (who by the way is Mayan) holds pictures of Ahmuzencab, the Mayan Bee God (left), also called the ‘Descending God’ because of the direction he faces; diving downward towards a flower. The other picture is of the ‘Mayan Universe’ with many of its Gods above and below the earth.
About to start our march up Ixmoja, part of the Nohoch Mul group of structures. The pyramid is 42 meters (138 feet) tall with 120 stone steps that are much steeper than they look.
Thanks Chris for taking this picture…what a view
Crew member Chris Adams at the top of the Nohoch Mul Pyramid. The Bee God (or Descending God) diving toward him.
Departing Coba we see the pyramid of the Conjunto Pinturas area
From Coba we drive to Tulum on the east coast of the Yucatan. This amazing walled archeological site evidently served as one of the most important seaports to the Maya during 1200 - 1521 AD. Pictured is the Temple of the Wind God. Perhaps we should have made an offering to the Gods while we passed by…then again, I imagine those fishbones hurt.
Walking toward the temple called ‘El Castillo’ (obviously, not an original Mayan name but one given by the conquering Spaniards). According to the ‘Cruising Guide to Belize & Mexico’s Caribbean Coast’, by Captain Freya Rauscher; El Castillo once served as an important lighthouse that guided boats through a small opening in the reef. '“We placed a pair of butane gas lamps on the benches below the rectangular windows that pierce the wall of the Castillo’s third story. When viewed from offshore, the overlapping light beams mark a natural opening in the reef. Vessels drawing less than 7 feet could be navigated through the cut using the Castillo Tower windows as a range lights”, from Michael Creamer, National Geographic.
El Castillo and the Iguana guard to the left
The beach below El Castillo is amazingly beautiful and was amazingly crowded when we visited on a Sunday afternoon
El Castillo from another angle
The Temple de las Pinturas. I believe this carving is a representation of the god of rain called Chaac.
As you can see it is still windy when we pay a visit to Playa del Carmen
Colorful murals are a great use of a boring garage wall
Tequila shops are one after another on Playa del Carmen’s ‘5th Avenue’ shopping street
We head out of Playa del Carmen after lunch and find the Kantun-Chi Cenote park. We can visit four cenotes today. This is number 1 named Kantun-Chi
This is Cenote 3 named Uchben-Ha. Cenotes are natural limestone fresh water pools that are connected to one another by a network of underground rivers. There are many Cenote Parks along the Riviera Maya and we were happy that the park we choose today was not crowded and is well maintained. You have to shower off your sunscreen and insect repellent prior to entering the water and there is no visible garbage (plastic) to been seen.
The sunrise from our anchorage at Isla Mujeres (photo by Larry)
Jim goes off the to the hospital (photo by Gumby)
Twenty four stitches
After the long crossing and very little sleep it was nice to get a few hours of consecutive rest at anchor in the Isla Mujeres harbor. We have some coffee and then begin the process of getting underway. As we tie lines and fenders, prepping for a tiny transit to the marina, Gumby and I hear a large splash on the starboard side of the boat. I look down from the deck surprised to see crew member Jim in the water below. Evidently, Jim was securing his stateroom porthole and the insect screen fell out into the water and he decided to chase after it...through the porthole...before it sank. After the splash and surprise, I see Jim swim to the stern of the boat and hear some exclamations as he attempts to exit the water. Again, evidently, Jim has filleted his ankle open on the metal frame around the porthole as he exited from hole to the water. This is NOT good. I look at his ankle and although there is very little blood there is also very little skin attached to his ankle any longer. Larry is very calm in assessing this situation and rinses Jim’s gash off, gets him seated and wrapped in a towel. He cleans the wound with hydrogen peroxide and wraps it best he can. We raise the Rocna anchor, which of course will not let go of its shovel-full of mud and grass, but we have to get going because it is blowing at least 15 knots and Larry can’t delay transit in the midst of the other anchored boats. Gumby and I fight the mud off the anchor and secure it, tie the lines and fenders and assist in the Captains’ maneuvering of the boat through the narrow channel and then the following confusion of finding our slip at the marina. Initially directed to one slip and then at the last minute redirected to a different one. Larry does an amazing job backing the boat into the slip. He has already alerted the marina (over the VHF) that we have a medical emergency and will need to get a crew member to the hospital. The marina officials are there at the dock to meet us but we have to go through immigration and customs (and agriculture) as we are arriving from a foreign port. The officials are very nice and it is decided that once the general papers are done they can take Jim to the hospital, but just Jim, and no one else. He gets wheeled-off and we continue the paperwork and boat inspections. After we are legally in the county we raise our Mexican courtesy flag and Larry goes to fetch Jim. He is doing well and has received 24 stitches, a very nice looking bandage and some antibiotics and pain meds...all for $15.00 dollars (however he made a very nice donation to the hospital). We leave JIm by the pool bar and wash the boat and finish the paperwork then join Jim for a drink. Appropriately, we all ordered what Jim was drinking...‘PainKillers’.
Post accident with ‘PainKillers’ in hand, we all feel better
Perhaps the lobsters don’t feel so lucky
We have dinner in town that evening and celebrate Jim’s last night on the boat. What a trooper, never one complaint after all he went through, just smiles, thank yous and thumbs up. After a mini golf cart tour the next afternoon Jim gets on the ferry to Cancun to fly home. Gumby, Larry and I finish the tour of the beaches to the north and then go the short distance to Punta Sur (5 miles) and walk to the tip of the island. We enjoy a few more beaches and find the friendliest bar, at of all places, Playa Tiburon. Great friends were made, great burritos were eaten and few Don Julio’s consumed. Again, we have another crew member change as Gumby departs and Chris Adams returns to the Independence for his third tour of duty.
Did I mention this happened too? A water leak developed from behind the refrigerator and so we had to pull it out again. It turns out the water line had been placed next to a condenser line, causing it to melt and split. Larry & Steve replaced the line and hopefully it will last.
The water ran under the refrigerator and the smallest person on board got to climb into the little hole and clean it up with a sponge and a bowl.
Time for fun. We rent a golf cart and tour the Island
The beaches to the north are beautiful
The murals of Isla Mujeres…Island of Women
The beaches on the east side of the island are spectacular
At Punta Sur the southern most tip of the island looking east
The south point of the island
The south point looking back to the northwest
Looking back to the northeast
Another sweet spot to quench your thirst
Watch out for those killer coconuts!
We found our favorite beach bar. Coincidentally, it has the same name as the city we live in in Marin County, California
Busy Playa Tiburon
Mi amigo Humberto at Playa Tiburon
Larry swaps shirts with his new amigo and bar tender, Jose Lopez
Nice view from Playa Tiburon’s bar swings (they don’t use stools)
Colorful Lucha Libre Luchador Masks for sale on Hidalgo Street
Hidalgo Street colors…
Hidalgo Street, in the center of town, is the place to shop, dine and listen to live music
Adios Gumby, come back and see us soon
We take Chris to Playa Tiburon. He couldn’t miss our favorite place on the island
The plotted course from Key West, FL to Isla Mujeres, MX (328NM)
Am I the happiest person to report that we have arrived in Isla Mujeres, Mexico (328NM)? Well, yes I am! After all the wind & weather at Key West (and beyond) and with all of Larry’s watching and planning, planning and watching we finally decided to just get this crossing over with. It was a very intense 39 hours of nonstop cruising. The Independence did a great job of handling everything that came her way. The captain and the crew were stellar too. Leaving Key West at 4:00AM with the full ‘Snow’ moon shining on us, Larry did a great job maneuvering the turns in the shipping channel and timed it perfectly to avoid the incoming cruise ships. Beyond the channel the wave height was about three feet, ramping up to four and five for most of the next day. We took those waves mostly on the port stern of the boat so it was rolly but not terrible. The current was a bit stronger than we expected and that slowed us down a bit. We all shared our shifts at the helm and napped when we could. Gumby and Jim where awesome and we could not have done this without them. During one of Larry’s engine room checks he came up with a concerned look and told us that we have contaminants in the fuel. He and Gumby then proceeded to drain off the contaminated fuel several times over the next 30 hours and averted any need to change the fuel filters while underway. As night fell Larry again, had done a great job in forecasting that the wave height would drop to three feet at the stern and we would have a very nice night time cruise. That big moon came back up again and the sky was filled with stars. The autopilot and radar systems worked perfectly as we happily greeted our second sunrise. As we moved into hour 27 (around 8:00AM) the wave/swell height began to ramp-up when we lost our wind protection from Cuba. The next 10 hours were spent in confused water with waves coming from many directions at heights varying from five to seven feet. We were also back to fighting a current, now in the Yucatan Channel making slow progress in our seemingly never-ending voyage. Then conditions really ramped-up in the last three hours where the wave height occasionally reached eight feet and it was very difficult to move safely about the boat. We were losing daylight and a squall was moving in on top of the rough water. Larry decided we needed to try and make anchor into Isla Mujeres before nightfall so he put the hammer down on the throttle and did a great job of the final brutal hours of transit. We enter the harbor to Isla Mujeres as night is falling and the wind is blowing quite strong but we find our anchorage and set anchor quickly. Thirty-nine hours under our belts and so thankful to have this adventure behind us. We share a beer with our friends and thank them profusely for being such a great crew.
Larry’s homework never ended…this worksheet shows expected currents, wave heights and winds at specific times during our crossing
The first sunrise
One of the many samples of the contaminated fuel
We rarely deviated from our plotted course except to avoid collision courses with these three ships…#1…
….#2…
…#3…and our first sunset
Second sunrise
Gathering clouds
Second sunset
Entering Isla Mujeres, Mx harbor
The sunrise from our anchorage
We leave Marathon on a nice morning and make it out the mouth of the marina only to have an engine warning light come on. The water depth along this area is uncomfortably shallow as Larry turns off and restarts the engines but the restart is effective and we make it through the shallows out to the Atlantic side to Hawk Channel. Some rolling seas and many crab/lobster pots later we pull into Key West, FL (40NM) in about six hours. Initially, we were hoping to depart Key West the next day for the crossing to Isla Mujeres, Mexico but unfortunately, the weather has changed and it is too rough to attempt the crossing. Fortunately, we have no shortage of things to do and see here on Key West, FL. We have a crew swap now as well, as Suzette Grant sadly departs the Independence but we happily have Jim Lennon return for his second tour of duty.
Exceptionally shallow water as we left Marathon Marina but Larry did an awesome job getting us back to deeper water and out of Florida Bay and through the 7 Mile Bridge channel to the Atlantic side to head south toward Key West, FL. Suzette & Gumby Grant enjoy the view and help watch for the ever-present lobster/crab pots.
Sunset Key with a pretty tour boat going by as we move through the shipping channel into Key West Bight Marina
The sunset from the Schooner Bar
Heading to Duval Street at sunset
Fixing up the old beauties, one at a time.
James Mastin’s “The Wreckers’ sculpture in Key West Historic Memorial Sculpture Garden. Wreckers saved lives and cargo from vessels that had run aground on the reefs outside of Key West. According to the informational plaque, “Wrecking was the islands first economy and the reason for her early existence. In fact, Key West became the richest city per capita in the U.S. during the mid 1800’s due to salvage fees received by the wrecking captains and crews; and ultimately the businessman, lawyers, clerks, packers, dock hands and insurance agents ashore”.
Of course no trip to Key West, FL is complete without some mention of Ernest Hemingway. He loved the fishing here and lived at 907 Whitehead Street for 8 years. He kept the house but moved to Cuba at that time. After his passing the family sold the house and it became a museum.
This picture hangs in the Bar at Sloppy Joe’s on Duval Street in Key West. We have read that Hemingway never set foot in Joe’s but the photo was amazing anyhow. Taken in Peru in 1956 while filming ‘The Old Man and Sea’.
Another must while in Key West is a visit to the Green Parrot Bar, the first and or last last bar on US Highway 1
Above the bar at the Parrot Bar…check out the equipment of the ‘Official’ Jamaican bobsleigh team
Officially the oldest bar in Florida (1930’s), we had to take a peek in Captain Tony’s Saloon. This is where Hemingway spent time and prior to that the building has been a morgue, a bordello, a telegraph office, a speakeasy and a cigar factory.
Inside the bar is this large tree. As one online article reads…’this was the gallows tree once in an open courtyard that was used for judgements and the building was later built around it. At least 75 people were hung here for piracy, along with other transgressors. Ironically, the tree itself is still alive; it extends through the roof, though Hurricane Irma took much of the top, at least six inches of the tree still peak above the building.’ The gravestone is another story…’it belongs to Reba I. Sawyer, a Key West native who lived from 1900 to 1950. Upon her death, her husband found scandalous letters between his wife and another man. The letters detailed their trysts, and how they would arrange to meet at Captain Tony’s Saloon. The widowed husband dragged his cheating partner’s tombstone from the cemetery into the bar, placed it under the tree, and supposedly said “this is where she wanted to be, so this is where she will stay”.’
Elvira’s stone was found the during refurbishing work in the 1980’s when the floor boards were taken up to reveal the bones of between 15 -18 people. Evidently, Elvira killed her abusive husband in self defense and was then hung at the gallows tree and buried here.
The captain & crew at Tony’s
This makeshift vessel carried 24 Cubans to Key West, FL. From Google…’Constructed primarily of 14 steel drums and an 8-cylinder truck engine, the Mariana landed in Key West in August 2015 after a 111-mile voyage from Cardenas, Cuba. It’s passengers, called “balseros” or rafters, were granted asylum after their arrival.’ Article from Florida Keys, by Gwen Filosa dated August, 02, 2019…’About 438 Cuban migrants have attempted to illegally enter the U.S. on the ocean in fiscal year 2018, the Coast Guard said.’
The Key West Custom House is now the Art & History Museum. The building was constructed in 1891 by Williams Kerr. I overheard one of the tour guides saying that it was built to specification of the Federal buildings to the North with 14 fireplaces and a steep roof to allow the snow to fall off the roof
It may be a ‘northerly’ build but the Custom House is very handsome
Not your average bar at Mallory Square
The Whistle Bar and the Bull Bar on Duval Street. Larry, Jim & Gumby are on the balcony waving.
Gumby measures his strength at the Bull Bar…he can definitely lift that beer!
The locals are friendly and colorful
Not finding a lot of history available on this cool building beyond the obvious ‘Founded 1891’
The cruise ship traffic in Key West is constant
So close to Cuba you have a wonderful selection of Cuban Cigars to choose from
Many presidents spent time on Key West at this location, so much so, that it was given the name ‘The Little White House’
The Freeman-Curry House is for sale. It has had only one other owner which I gather was Samuel Filer who built the house in 1865. He was a shipbuilder and merchant.
I love these postcard murals
The Independence in her slip at the Key West Bight Marina
A Key West must is the obligatory sunset photo
I wanted to be on the Tiki Cocktail Sunset Cruise!
A little bit more localish is the Hog’s Breath Saloon
So glad I did not miss a stroll through the Key West Cemetery
The USS Maine Memorial. This Navy ship sank in Havana Harbor in February 1898, contributing to the outbreak of the Spanish-American War. The ship exploded in the harbor killing 268 men.
The grave of Sir Peter Anderson the Secretary General of the Conch Republic. From Google….’The Conch Republic is a micronation declared as a tongue-in-cheek secession of the city of Key West, FL, from the United States on April 23, 1982.’
Ernest Hemingway’s house at 907 Whitehead Street where he lived for 8 years is now a museum. Although he loved Cuba and Florida he loved Ketchum, Idaho too and that is where he is buried.
The ubiquitous Key West roosters that you see & hear everywhere
Just one of the the colorful people of Key West our for a morning ride
This was the second lighthouse on Key West as the first was washed away in a hurricane in 1846. This lighthouse was built in 1848 and is located half a mile inland.
Morning run to the Southernmost Point in the continental U.S. Big day tomorrow as we cross to Isla Mujeres…a 36(ish) hour run…wish us luck!!!