Letter from the Indies - Cuba, Cayman, Honduras
by Andrea and Ian Treleaven on 15 May 2009
Carnaval Grand Cayman.JPG Ian & Andrea Treleaven
Andrea and Ian Treleaven, Antipodeans cruising in the Caribbeanon their yacht Cape Finnisterre, continue their tales, gladdened by the sight of the Southern Cross constellation, which appears on the flags of both New Zealand and Australia and signals their still distant homecoming.
Our 18 hour overnight sail to Grand Cayman Island from Cuba was heightened by the sight of the Southern Cross on the bow in the night sky. It’s a great feeling; we are now on the home run.
Cayman was never on our
radar but it turned into a very pleasant stopover. In the middle of nowhere, this small flat island sits surrounded by pristine waters which are the clearest we have seen anywhere. Buoys can be picked up free of charge to protect the coral and towering behind us are up to seven cruise ships visiting daily, including some having been diverted away from Mexico.
The day we arrive is the Batabano Carnival Parade with colourful costumes, loud reggae music and locals having a lot of fun. This is the one time of the year the very religious locals let their hair down and 'show a bit of skin'.
Cayman is full of expats from
every corner of the world plus a mix of Caribbean colour from other islands.
The Caymans are made up of three islands with Grand Cayman, Georgetown, as its capital. It was another discovery by Columbus but how he stumbled onto it is any ones guess and it never achieved anything until it became a tax haven in the 1960s.
Now home to over 700 banks, it is also home to over 70% of the world’s hedge funds. At least you know they are comfortable while they lose all our money. There is no
income or company tax but the tax on all goods is very high to compensate.
Expecting Seven Mile Beach (it's actually only 4 miles) to be lined with high rise apartments, we are pleasantly surprised to find building restrictions limit developments to five stories only.
The stylish resorts are few in number and in my opinion this is one of the nicest Caribbean Resort beaches we have been to. After the austerity of Cuba it is good to spoil ourselves with lunch at the Ritz Carlton poolside bar.
Considering Grand Cayman was devastated by Hurricane Ivan in 2004 they have made an amazing recovery. No one was prepared for it as they had not experienced one for over 80 years.
Continuing to make friends with fellow sailors, we meet Yaron on his small catamaran in Cayo Largo. A German expat doctor on Grand Cayman, he often embarks on a quick sail across to Cayo Largo (135nms away) for a long weekend.
After sailing back together he invites us to his beachside house with his wife and young
family for a BBQ lunch. It was nice to feel home comforts again. They love it so much they will never return home.
Swimming with stingrays is a must and quite a tourist attraction. On a shallow sand bank in North Sound, huge stingrays over a metre wide interact with humans in their natural environment.
Too shallow for us to take the yacht, we join ‘Red Sail’, a 60 foot catamaran, out to the sand bar. My nerves are at a high as the first thing I do is step on a ray’s razor tail that slides its way out. These huge creatures swim in and out of
our legs and one takes a fancy to me as I snorkel. Coming up under me, as if to take me for a ride, I miss my beat, gulp in sea water and can’t get away fast enough. An awesome experience; they are harmless and in fact they seemed to just want a cuddle.
Our last big sail of the season is a two day 350nm passage to the Bay Islands on the north coast of Honduras. The weather window is excellent with 15 knots predicted from the east. Weaving our way out between the cruise ships, the gennaker is set and stays up for the next 24 hours...nice. Then it starts to blow and under reefed sails we have a very fast run to
the Bay Islands.
During the sail we have two stowaways onboard. Several trips this year we have had birds lost at sea land on us and come for the ride. Unfortunately they are usually very tired, dehydrated and don’t survive. This time they are two beautiful gold finches and no matter what I did for them they both died.
Our land fall is the island of Roatan. Slowing down so that we arrive in daylight we once again have to enter a bay surrounded by a coral reef that falls off to very deep water quickly.
The dog leg channel into French Cay Harbour as the
full moon disappears and the sun rises is out of the ordinary. Poorly marked with sticks taped with faded red and green we weave our way into the very sheltered harbour behind a reef. We later learn that all the other cruisers request assistance to be guided in by the marina manager.
The Bay Islands of Honduras are a very special destination. Marketed as a diving haven it is renowned as one of the best in the world. All the resorts are basic and cater specifically for the diving fraternity, novices and experts alike. The largest fish
in existence (up to 40ft), the whale shark, is often spotted here. It is also an idyllic cruising ground with many sheltered bays behind reefs. Although part of Spanish speaking Honduras, the majority of the locals speak English as the British used the pirate haven to relocate troublesome slaves of St Vincent and Jamaica.
It is a very laid back area and when we try to check into the country we find that the port captain is away from the island for a week and the immigration office is closed. No one has a clue what to do so we just smile and agree.
West End, on the north western corner, is protected by a low reef and here we find the mecca for diving and snorkeling. Why is it so good apart from the green crystal waters? The topography is interesting with sheer drops, there’s no current and lots of healthy coral swarming with fish. We snorkel and even though it’s deep we can see very clearly.
Ashore on the sand road are many bars and restaurants; some out on stilts over the water. There is a Thai restaurant where we celebrate my birthday.
Next stop Belize.
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