Late one afternoon, after a full day of working on boat projects, we finally got the email we had been desperately wishing for. Kim could take a week off work, Brian was feeling well enough to travel, the Kaufmans were coming to visit! Leap unfortunately wasn't an option, partially because of the very real threat of sea-sickness, but also because the Kaufmans appreciate the finer things in life (real showers, real beds, real bathrooms, room to move around, those kinds of luxuries). We went back and forth on rental places, and they finally settled on a little out-of-the-way house on Brick Bay.
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| Could be worse. |
They arrived with a checked bag full of board games and an intention to play them all over many late nights in paradise. We were overjoyed just to have a whole week of hanging out, since Kim is usually too busy running her company to really take such a chunk of time off. Unfortunately, she wasn't really able to completely relax in Roatan, since she had to spend some time prepping for a conference in Banff immediately afterwards. Kim is becoming quite the jet-setter!
We went first to check out Brick Bay, and see if we could anchor Leap close by for the whole week. We didn't much relish the idea of paying for dockage at a marina, or leaving Leap unattended in French Harbor at anchor. Unfortunately, the closest protected anchorage was a defunct marina with no security. There was no way we were going to leave Leap there unattended while we went adventuring during the day. We had no choice but to anchor back in French Harbor and figure out another option. We had hoped to get this all sorted out before Brian and Kim arrived, but the weather and the batteries had pushed us two days behind schedule and we had to make the best of what we could do.
They arrived on a Saturday afternoon, and drove up to Roatan Yacht Club in their rented pickup. We checked out their rental house, got them acquainted with the local driving habits, and stocked up on groceries to feed Brian's voracious cereal habit.
The Kaufman's first full day on Roatan just happened to be Super Bowl Sunday. They drove over to Roatan Yacht Club, and we had a delightful afternoon tailgating on the back deck of The Gloriamaris. The Parents had pulled in to the yacht club to work on various projects, and since they were paid through the month we had a great meeting point for starting our daily adventures. We watched the Super Bowl in grand style from the top deck of Roatan Yacht Club, and settled in to island vacation mode (a real departure from boat vacation mode).
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| We spent more time watching the view than the game. |
The Kaufmans had rented a truck for exploring the island, and we were determined to make use of it! We had only seen West End, the airport, and Temporary Cal's Cantina by boat or by cab. We piled snorkel gear into the truck, and set out in search of a good spot. Right away, we decided to take the gravel road that heads over the central spine of Roatan. It wasn't a route any taxi would have taken us on at any time, so of course we had to see it first thing. Much delighted hallooing ensued as Brian valiantly drove over washout cuts and past steep jungle dropoffs. FarCry references occurred more than once. We made it none the worse for wear, and ended up on a seldom-used track on the north side of the island. I had Google Earth open, and saw what appeared to be a delightful beach at the end of a track nearby. The track turned out to be a road built for a development that never got off the ground, and we passed several signs advertising the land for sale. The road finally ended in a little clearing with a forest of poured concrete foundation poles, sand, trees, and little else. We climbed out and went for a delightful walk on a completely deserted beach.
The strand between the turtle grass flats and the beach was thriving, filled with all manner of crabs and gorgeous little fish. We decided the small sand bowls in the turtle grass flats must serve as nurseries for all manner of reef fish. We were enthralled for the entirety of our hike, and spent more time staring into the water than admiring the tropical scenery.
We had to spend the first few nights in Leap, since she was still in the anchorage and we already felt we were leaving her unattended too long each day. If it wasn't for our friend and anchorage neighbor Johnny, we wouldn't have left Leap for more than a couple hours each day. But, this meant we also weren't taking advantage of the suitcase full of board games.
The Sargasso Fiasco
I still had high hopes for the plan of pulling Leap into Brick Bay canal and securing her to the dock in front of Brian and Kim's rental house. When we pulled Leap into Brick Bay the next day, however, the conditions had taken a turn for the worse.
This is sargasso weed, in Biblical Disaster amounts. It had piled into the bay overnight on the strong southeast winds, and it was there to stay. The mats of weed were knotted together, and 6 inches deep in most places. We tried to launch the dinghy and cut a path for Leap.
This had less than the desired effect. Bryna powered Leap back out of the weed, and we anchored in the bay in open water. We tried for several hours to cut a path and scout the entrance to the canal, to no avail. The weed was too thick and the canal entrance was silted up. Leap would have to head back to French Harbor anchorage.
The thing about sargasso weed is, it stinks. Brick Bay became a virtual outdoor compost heap. And it's not just the plants themselves. Feeder fish try to reach the surface and are trapped, flopping around on top of the mat. Crabs that normally live on small oceanic floats are trapped on the surface, and everything is slow-baked in the sun. It's a tourist's worst nightmare, short of explaining that the toilet is broken in a language you don't speak. I know, because during this trip I experienced both. But that's a story for another time.
For the next three days, the entire coast of Roatan was engulfed by rotting sargasso weed. It was especially bad in the tourist-heavy parts of town, where day-laborers worked around the clock to clear the beaches.
We would later discover the reason for this natural disaster, which I dubbed the Sargasso Fiasco. Sodium nitrate and sodium phosphate are frequently used to help clean oceanic oil spills. These chemicals boost populations of hydrocarbon-metabolizing bacteria, but they are also potent plant fertilizers, and they have been dumped into the Gulf of Mexico en masse in recent years. Oil spills in the Gulf destroy entire ecosystems, and the after-effects choke beaches and reefs throughout the western Caribbean.
Island Touring
We made the best of it. The Parents were essentially suffocated out of the Roatan Yacht Club basin, and wanted to get off the Gloriamaris. They took over Leap out in French Harbor anchorage, and we stayed with Brian and Kim for two nights. The Parents were back on their own boat for a breather. Meanwhile, we were free to explore the island to our hearts' content.
Brian has driven the entire island of Roatan. Over the Kaufmans' last few days, he drove us from the easternmost point to the westernmost point a car can reach on the island. We drove on roads that may have been horse trails 10 years ago, passed through little villages far off the tourist track, rattled our spines in potholes, found places where 8 mph was too fast, and had a blast.
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| Paya Bay Resort |
We went from Paya Bay Resort and Camp Bay Beach on the East side, to the West End and Sherman's lobster park on the West side and French Harbor.
We saw the entire island in a single week, found deserted beaches, had rowdy evenings of board games, saw a green flash sunset, snorkeled, hiked, and relaxed in porch hammocks. We only wish we could have had more than one week.
Here's Kim playing with the GoPro.
Next time: Begone, foul boat carpet!
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