Exploring the Bay Islands: Scuba, Waterfalls, and Bonfire Nights with Friends.

After 102 days up the river in Río Dulce, Guatemala, Connor and his family sailed a 162-nautical-mile passage aboard Sailing Big Lost to reach Roatán. Arriving in Honduras, the crew faced an unexpected change in official clearance logistics when local authorities separated administrative departments across the island. Rather than handling both entry procedures by dinghy in Coxen Hole, they hailed a taxi to complete border immigration in Coxen Hole before driving over to Sandy Bay to clear with the Port Captain.

With official entry stamped, the crew focused on outfitting the catamaran for extended diving throughout the outer cays. The catamaran had come equipped with dive gear from its previous owners, but every buoyancy control device aboard was sized medium or larger. To ensure eleven-year-old Maddie had gear that fit her properly, they visited the Crusty dive shop on the West End to secure a dedicated extra-small BCD.

Roatán Tank Fills and Freight Logistics

Preparing to cruise remote Guanaja without an onboard dive compressor meant securing filled scuba cylinders in advance. The crew took the dinghy ashore at Half Moon Bay in Roatán to haul their tanks to Mayors store. The shop offered a substantial discount compared to standard island rates, prompting Connor to explain, “Mayors will fill your tank for $4 each each which is a screaming deal as most other places on the island charge $10.” With all 8 cylinders filled, the family grabbed breakfast and readied the boat for an eastward transit.

Motoring in calm conditions toward French Harbour, the crew stopped to collect air cargo forwarded to Roatán through Tropical Air. Ordering parts shipped to Honduras had proven faster and cheaper than attempting delivery into Guatemala, leaving the terminal holding 20 packages filled with overdue vessel spare parts and birthday gifts for Maddie. Loading the boxes filled both the car and trunk of their taxi. Because the shore run consumed most of the afternoon, the family anchored overnight behind Rose Cay on the eastern reef of Roatán rather than attempting to navigate the coral barrier of Guanaja in dark conditions.

Guanaja Anchorage and River Trail Hike

Dropping anchor at Guanaja, the family found the sheltered roadstead completely empty. Soon after, another cruising family sailing down from Oregon arrived to share the anchorage, giving Maddie and the children aboard buddy boats an opportunity to explore together. To stretch their sea legs, the crews organized an excursion ashore to reach a freshwater waterfall cascading down from the island ridges.

The trek followed an unmaintained boulder strewn riverbed where scrambling over slippery river stones proved necessary. As Connor recorded during the ascent, “the trail is not very well to find but we’re following the river and winding our way there.” While the first group reached the pool below the cascade for a swim and freshwater rinse, the adult men went missing on the lower section. After a period of concern that someone had suffered an injury on the slick rocks, the missing crew finally arrived; they had fallen into conversation and walked right past the trail turnoff.

Diving Coral Formations and Provisioning Bonacca

Submerged along the barrier reefs of Guanaja, the crew conducted multiple dives across dramatic underwater architecture. Massive coral heads, spur and groove buttresses, and cavernous swim-throughs flanked the outer reef drop-offs, presenting larger physical coral structures than the crew had encountered in previous Caribbean waters.

Heading ashore for supplies required running the dinghy through an inland passage to Bonacca, the densely packed cay settlement built just offshore from Guanaja’s main island mass. Streets on the small cay consist of narrow pedestrian alleys and sidewalks elevated directly over water. Cruising chores meant lugging heavy refuse bags to disposal points, procuring dinghy fuel, and stocking produce. Fresh market supply boats arrive on Thursdays and Sundays, but the crew managed to gather staple vegetables despite arriving mid-cycle. The excursion also involved nursing a temperamental dinghy outboard motor that required repeated fuel pump priming—a lingering issue that had persisted since paying $500 for a repair in Guatemala.

Afternoons wound down at the Green Flash Bar, where cruising crews gathered along the dock over drinks while children swung in hammocks and watched reef fish swim beneath the planks. While resting at anchor, the family waved farewell to fellow cruising vessel Spirit as she weighed anchor to begin an offshore voyage toward Providencia, Panama, and the South Pacific.

Tropical Storm Preparation at Fantasy Island

Weather forecasts tracking across the western Caribbean indicated an approaching tropical storm heading toward Roatán and the Bay Islands. Shifting into storm defense mode, Connor and the crew relocated the catamaran to Fantasy Island Marina. Securing against heavy surge, they med-moored the stern to reinforced concrete dock pilings while running bow bridles out to 3 mooring buoys in the basin.

To reduce windage across the catamaran’s superstructure, the crew removed deck paddle boards, stowed exterior cockpit cushions below, and unzipped the custom canvas isinglass enclosure panels fabricated during their stay in Río Dulce. Hoping to retrieve serviced dive regulators from West End and complete departure customs before the squall hit, Connor drove to Coxen Hole. Severe street flooding blocked their path through town, forcing the crew to abandon local clearance and plan a future passage to Utila to clear out of Honduras before sailing toward Isla Mujeres, Mexico.

Frequently Asked Questions