The Definition of Cruising

We are still in French Harbor, Roatan, Honduras.

The definition of cruising is getting your boat fixed in exotic places. With that goes special challenges depending on how critical the repair is to safety/comfort/progress.

As I write, a fellow sailor on his 52 ft motor sailer, Jim on Against the Wind, is off the coast of Mexico headed for Isla Mujeres, but he has torn his headsail and his engines have quit because of a blocked fuel line and/or filters. We heard him on the Single Side Band radio this morning and he was getting encouragement from the network of sailors in the area, but the Coast Guard "has no assets in the area at this time." We expect he will be okay. The winds are not "supposed" to get stronger and the current is in his favor, so even though he is moving at only 2 knots, if he stays offshore and away from the reefs I'm confident that he'll resolve the problem and be safely underway shortly as he fixes his own problem with help and encouragement over the radio.

I alluded to problems on Grace and Viva in an earlier post. Grace had fuel problems so went to La Ceiba as we stood near by. We helped them into the harbor with our dinghies in the dark. They have decided to have work done on their boat there in addition to just fixing it. They will return to the USA (by plane) for a while in the meantime. Bob on the catamaran Viva (he is known as Viva Bob) needs a motor mount replaced on one engine and a starter solenoid on the other. He was able to sail to La Ceiba with no engine needed and to anchor in the harbor with his crippled engine used lightly. These were not safety concerns, but could have been. Pearl S. Buck and we were standing by to help these boats and they will get fixed in La Ceiba. The problem for both is obtaining the parts. It has been ten days and Viva Bob still has not gotten the parts he needs, but he is no doubt making the family of the taxi cab driver, Javier, happy as he tranports Bob to and from the city of La Ceiba for entertainment.

We have a problem similar to one we had last year at this time: our battery bank is not charging like it should. Last year, I borrowed a very good, but discontinued battery charger to "equalize" our batteries. This process made them like new. I have been trying to find that same charger and finally got one on eBay yesterday. As I am typing, I am waiting for email replies to solve the shipping problem and get the unit here without having to pay 300-400 USD for shipping alone and having items tied up in customs for weeks. This is an issue that needs to be fixed before we continue to a new location. A resolution will be found within a day or two.

The key board on my laptop is slowly failing. I have no 4,5,r,f,g,or b any more. The solution was to buy a stand alone keyboard that plugs into my USB port. The downside is that it is in a Spanish format so I need to look at the US Keyboard while typing on the Spanish keyboard to find the correct keys. The upside was that the keyboard costs 150 Lps (limpera) or $7.50 USD. Bryan on Pearl S. Buck is trying to buy a single side band radio. He thinks he has found a good source, for a good price, in the United States. The shipping is so expensive that he is researching the cost of flying back to Miami and picking it up in person. So far, the differential in cost is about $60 and the differential in time saved may be several days, maybe even weeks! Maybe he will pick up my charger as well? His situation is not critical, but the radio is a safety consideration, in my opinion. Jim, on Against the Wind, is surely glad he has his working for him. With a single side band HF radio one can reach hundreds or thousands of miles instead of the mere 20-25 miles with a good VHF radio.

Aside from Jim, the rest of us can wait for solutions in paradise. We have it "so good" here in the tropics, but you don't realize the convenience of being in the US where goods and services are not only reasonably priced, they are available conveniently too.

Dorothy, Bryan, Barb and I had dinner with friends of Dorothy's from Texas. Andy and Joyce have a house in Roatan at the Parrot Tree Plantation and we all went to a nice restaurant together in Andy and Joyce's vehicle. Andy and Joyce are amazing people and I will do a blog entry on them later.

Yesterday the four of us hopped on the bus to Coxan Hole and then the van to West End and had a nice relaxing day seeing the sights together. This is not a bad way or place to wait for things to arrive from the US. We are meeting interesting people and enjoying the winter season in a way very different from many of you. We will suffer through it!

Until next time, be well!

J&B