Honduras, Roatan, French Harbour – A protected anchorage and good for stocking up

We left the picturesque anchorage of West End and had a lovely sail over to French Harbour on the south side of the island.  But did not catch any dinner.

Unfortunately West End is open to waves produced in a north-westerly to westerly wind direction.  And it is waves, not the wind, that make an anchorage uncomfortable and even unsafe.  *Remember the bow roller incident.

The ‘guru of weather forecasting’ on the SSB (single side band) radio, Chris Parker, predicted NW to W winds building with a few squalls (rain storms).  So, along with most of the other boats anchored in West End, we all made an exodus for more sheltered waters.

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Mooring and anchoring antics

We had a tangled mess of lines to sort out to get free of the mooring ball.  Everyone warned us that the mooring lines that the park provided where old and unreliable.  For that reason we tied back up lines to the ring set into the sea floor.  As the boat turned the lines had wrapped around the pin and the float line.

But we could not complain as Brett, from s/v Seismic Wave, had a much better mooring horror story.  Just as we were leaving a solo sailor called him up for help getting his anchors up.  Brett is such a nice guy, remember he helped my humans with winching up the mast.  He could not refuse diving down and lending a hand.  The solo sailor had been winding around two anchors set on rode (rope) for a month.  It took them an hour to unwind them.

WORDS OF WISDOM on the subject:

We have always said

‘Just get out there with what you got’ and

‘Keep it simple and stupid’

But if you are coming out cruising, and you have a little money to spend on your boat, do get the best ground tackle you can afford.

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LEAVING WEST END

With mooring and anchor lines untwisted, we headed to the shallow exit channel through the reef here.  We are glad we left early.  Despite the NW winds only blowing slightly over 10 knots (we have no wind instruments) the shallow entrance was quite rolly.  The depth of the entrance is only 2.5m in a few spots.  Our draft (keel depth) is 2m.

With the waves coming straight through the entrance we were close to bottoming out in the trough (lowest point of a wave).  I can not imagine what it would be like to try to get out of the anchorage in stronger winds.  And the winds did build quickly during our passage.

Once we rounded the south-western point of Roatan we had a cracking down wind sail to French Harbour.  It was here we hoped to find much better shelter and comfort to ride out the coming unsettled weather.

Now getting into French Harbour is not easy, nor is it for the faint at heart.  You really have to wind your way around shallow sand bars to get inside the protections of the surrounding reef.

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Way points we used to get in

We did not see depths less than 2.5m (but it quickly shallows either side).

WP1 (entrance) N 16′ 20.944/W 86′ 26.068

WP2 (northerly heading) N 16′ 21.117’/W86′ 26.989′

WP3 (approach to shallow section of the route) N 16′ 21.169/ W 86′ 26.972

WP4 (shallow section) N 16′ 21.223/ W 86′ 26.918

WP5 (shallow sand bars to starboard) N 16′ 21.268/ W 86′ 26.808

Recommended anchoring spot  N16′ 21.260/  W86′ 26.636

We anchored closer to the beach, but in a small deep hole

N 16′ 21.325/ W 86′ 26.378

(See Map page and click on anchorage pin to get details)

There are two Marinas in French Harbour.  Fantasy Island and Brooksy Point.  Both offer a variety of services including WiFi, laundry, free shuttles to the grocery store and social events to both their clients and boats moored up in the anchorage.

Marinas and cruisers monitor VHF channel 71

Cruisers net each morning 8am VHF channel 74

Chris Parker’s Western Caribbean weather forecast SSB 8137

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We managed to get into the harbor without a hitch and anchored up near Fantasy Island so the kayak trip to shore would be shorter.

We just got here and have not seen a lot yet to share with you.  To be totally honest the humans have been fixated on the grocery and hardware store here.  Both of which offer imported goods they have not had access to for a long time.

They are so easily pleased!

Looks like we will be doing some more stocking up for the sail south here.

ANCHORAGE

Before I go on about the stores, I thought I should tell you a bit about the anchorage.   It is pretty.  Maybe not as stunning as West End, nor has it got all the groovy restaurants and tourist shops, But it is a pleasant and scenic place to visit.  You are nestled between two islands, a long reef and the mainland.  Both the islands are private.  One is Fantasy Island, that houses a Marina and ‘all inclusive’ resort.  The other is a day resort for the cruise ships and boasts a few exotic creatures including a pair of lions.  So do not be surprised if the roar of a lion complements the squawking of the local parrots.

The whole area is a protected National Park, so the snorkeling and diving is very good….so I am told.  Poaching is a bit of an issue, but there are supposed to be some very large lobsters in residence.  We see a long row of dive boats, just the other side of the reef, every day.

But the humans have been too excited about the grocery and hardware store to get to snorkeling yet.

GROCERY AND HARDWARE STORE

The other end of French Harbour is a fishing port.  Although offering much better protection from the elements, this end of the harbor is not as scenic.  A few endeavorous individuals have built dockage here, but the enterprises have not taken off.  It is at this end of the harbor you will find best place to tie up your dingy and walk up to the shops.

French Harbour Yacht Club is one of those failed enterprises.  Dockage for deep drafted boats, pretty buildings set on scenic grounds it just never got the patronage it needed to thrive.  Fernandez manages the site while it is closed and is happy to receive and watch cruisers dingys while they shop.  He appreciates a cold beer on your return.

Walk through the well-kept grounds of the Yacht Club and you end up on the main road.  All the shops are to the right.  The big grocery store is only a block away.  The Ace hardware store is about 1km further up the road.  You will pass a petrol station, across from a mall of restaurants, and a frozen fish market along the way.  The propane filling station is right across the road from the hardware store.

The humans took a taxi back from the filling station (taxis run up and down the main road honking at you constantly) to get rid of the full propane bottles and it cost 25 LPs (22 LPs=$1 US).

There is a free shuttle bus to the grocery store on Tuesdays from Fantasy Island Marina.  Fantasy Island also play host to a weekly fruit and vegetable truck, offer cruisers a happy hour each evening and host an open BBQ night.  Brooksy Point Marina has the big industrial laundry machines for $3 US.

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So nothing exciting is happening.  Which is kind of nice for a change.

The weather is shifting from nice and sunny to cloudy and rainy through the day.  It gives the humans a chance to do a bit of stocking the boat up, time to do a bit of research on the islands and ports south of here and time to get a few more things repaired on the boat.

REMEMBER

Cruising is ‘fixing your boat in exotic locations’.

But you know the humans are fitting in a bit of socializing and fun in between!

The fishing fleet moored at the west end of French Harbour

Local home built in the ‘non-touristy’ end of the harbor

You never know what you will see on the way to the shops.  Roatan is a beautiful lush tropical island

I am enjoying being back in the sea

Silly humans lost my favourite toy up a tree.  This is a new one for them as they usually throw them over board!

It did not stop me from guilting them into trying to retrieve it.