16:16N 86:36W

 

We’re back in Roatan after spending three days and nights in the remote Cayos Cochinos archipelago....just off the Honduran mainland.  What an amazing spot.  Crystal clear water, fantastic snorkelling (apart from the stinging noseeem jellyfish...ouch!), pristine white sandy beaches and just gorgeous islands. 

 

We arrived thinking we’d spend one night....ended up staying three!  One day we motored over to one of the inhabited islands where 200 people live in some of the most basic accommodation we’ve ever seen.  The island is no bigger than two football fields.  Locals fish for a living and cook over an outdoor communal open fire.  Two communal toilets are all we saw.....the primitive huts certainly didn’t have any facilities.  There was no running water or electricity.  The people were delightfully friendly and we bought two crayfish for dinner which were as sweet and delicious as any we’ve had in NZ.  Sometimes the crays over here have a different texture and are not as good....which we always blamed on the warm water, but these were fantastic.

 

We had a wonderful sail there and back – beam reach in winds of about 15 knots and flattish seas – just perfect.  Now in the so called West End of Roatan which is ghastly.  Full of tourist resorts so lots of fast boats, deck chairs, high rise hotels....not our scene at all.  But the snorkelling is nice which makes up for it.  Weather has turned a bit yuk – overcast and drizzly – not the kind of visibility for spotting coral, so we’ll wait until it clears before we head to Utila.