3-25-14
Calabash Bite, Roatan, Honduras
sunny and breezy
We have decided to take a trip up east to Calabash Bite and Turtle Grass Marina. It was a short 7 mile trip motoring into the easterly trade winds. The coordinates that we got from Turtle Grass Marina's blog were right on and we entered the bite from outside the reef heading straight for their first red buoy with reef on both sides of us. Once past the next red buoy (keeping both to our starboard) the depth of the water deepened and we headed for the mooring ball close to the Marina docks. Lori and Mark, run Turtle Grass and on this our first visit we found that Mark was in the states and due back in a couple of weeks. Lori was very helpful, giving us information on the bite and the mangrove cuts that we came here to see. She was also gracious enough to pick up some supplies for us in town.
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| dock to Turtle Grass Marina |
It is nice being on a mooring ball instead of anchoring, so we were able to get a good nights' sleep and there was a great breeze blowing through Island Sol. The next day we took the dingy and the cut from Calabash to Panndi town, the next small bite heading back west. Small shacks on stilts lined the bite and children were swimming near their homes. Across the bite we entered the first of the mangrove cuts, this one being fairly short and brought us out into Oakridge, a larger and more populated bite. Most homes and businesses are along the water way here and we stopped into BJ’s for lunch. BJ is a local with quit a history as it seems. Her husband told us that she is the woman in Jimmy Buffets song….”there’s a woman going crazy on Caroline Street…” and I believe it. The food is good and on Friday we returned to a live band of expats for more food and beer.
Passing on through Oakridge we went through Silent Springs, another bite, and then got into much longer mangrove cuts through the island. It was almost magical, with the trees enclosing us overhead and with the mangrove roots on each side, sort of like out of a Lord of the Rings movie. When there were cuts from the reef into the mangroves the water was really nice, blue and clear. It amazes me that people can live right on the reef and the Caribbean Ocean, what do they do in a storm?
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| Island Sol from Lori's house |
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| mangrove cut our of Panndi Town |
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| The Banditos @ BJ's |
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| School "boat" |
Before we left Calabash, Lori invited us to her home for happy hour and we got this great view of the bite and Island Sol floating peacefully in the harbor. Thanks Lori for you gracious hospitality. Also, to Mrs. Coralu for doing our laundry while we were there, laundry service via launcha.
