Hurricane Season August 4th 2008

In Honduras you lose track of time.  Temperatures change very little as months roll along. What does change though is the weather patterns.

At this time of year from June to October we start getting Tropical waves coming through the area every few days. These waves start in Africa and by the time they hit the Caribbean they can become nasty. Winds increase and rain falls.... and maybe a hurricane. Julie spends a few minutes each morning checking weather... just in case we have to head for the Mangroves... and tie up our fleet of boats.

The first part of July found us a little burnt out from working so steady on Spirit of Free Radical. So time to play a bit...

We took off down island towards Jonesville and "The Carnival" which is all pirate themes.... On the way we stopped by to see "Sponge Bob". They call his gas station "Sponge Gas" and his bar "Sponge Skank".

Now this bar is totally local and only locals go there. It sits on stilts over the water and if anyone sits down hard in their chair the whole place shakes. The only way to get here is by boat. Beers roll out and the stories spew out in a sing song accent. There is no pricing structure, so you just pay what you think you should. Some guys bring their own!

Soon after  Luven arrives on "Hurricane Eyes" and joins the fun. Jake has come along for a ride as well. We managed a few adult beverages then it was off again.... on the "Sea Calf" towards Oakridge and Jonesville.

Is is possible to travel for miles inside the reef by small boat. Indeed most of the traffic on this end of the island is by boat and most islanders can't drive a car. They don't need one.

Small canals have been cut where the land interferes with the boat traffic allowing one bight to connect to the next. Along the way it is possible to pick up groceries, gas, propane, visit the bakery and get your laundry done. All from the Dinghy. Our next stop was Oak Ridge and "BJ's Backyard Bar".  A great place to visit on Saturday and order Carmen's famous pork ribs. Yum.

We arrived here to find the place full of "Gringos" enjoying their Saturday afternoon with Carmen and BJ. Everyone telling tall tales. We caught up on the local gossip and then moved on...

Our arrival at Jonesville was greeted by the ever present docked shrimp boats. JJ one of our local friends is a Captain on the biggest one here. He and his dad both work the Shrimp Banks.

We tied the dinghy to the small dock just inside the shrimp boats and took a walk down the "Main Drag". The main theme for the carnival was "Pirate Day" and everywhere pirates were partying. There was local food (iguana, beans and rice) and even a parade!

After watching the parade and visiting with all our friends we decided to go over to the "Hole In the Wall Bar" and catch up with Harry and, Bob & Dwain. It was a short dingy ride around the corner and we arrived in fine form to one of the more famous bars on Roatan.

Bob built this bar overtop of his sunken trimaran. Later he built his home into the side of the cliff and business took off.

Before dark, though it was time for us to head home. The drive home is definitely not safe after dark with many unlit little boats out there with drunk drivers.......so home we went after a fun day!