With a bit of rough weather on the way we decided to move around the island and stop in at the marina we visited last season to see friends and sit out the rain.
There is only one fuel dock here in Roatan, so before moving to bays further on we swung in to fill up. It’s located at the far end of one of what I hope is the dirtiest bay on the island. It’s sort of the classic fishing port, full of freshly painted fishing boats pulled up right alongside rusty hulks that sank in their spots. Meanwhile, the locals have continued to expand their shacks way out into the water with waste pipes running right into the water. Good reminder that Roatan isn’t all fancy hotels and pristine dive sites.
As we cruised past this spot Ali didn’t say, “Ewww, gross.” Instead she said, “Oh, look at that milk truck. That would be a cute camper.” Just a small reminder of why I love her.
Snorkeling off the beach around Fantasy Island marina. This particular swim was depressing. Literally hundreds of plastic bags were scattered amongst the coral and tangled up in the turtle grass. The condition of the Caribbean, in general, depresses me. There’s just a fraction of the wildlife I’d expect, and everywhere I turn is plastic waste.
I’ve got myself into an ugly cycle with these spreader lights. When the original lights crapped out I went searching for new ones. Everything “marine” was ridiculously expensive, so I decided to try these cheap $20 lights. They work great, but they don’t last. We got one season out of the first pair. I’m trying one more set, but will probably end up buying quality replacements next season. Going cheap on boat parts always seems to cost more in the end.
In addition to the kids’ friend Lilly (on the boat next to us), the kids were excited to visit their monkey friends again.
Pretty much everyone else here hates the monkeys because they come aboard and steal things out of their cockpits. Our boat is picked up, though, and there isn’t anything on deck that a monkey could carry off. Plus, Ali would never dream of chasing away anything with fur. So while other boats are spraying the monkeys with water, we are happily calling them over to play. Now they just come up to the door on their own to see what we’re up to—like a neighbor kid coming to see if you can come out and play.
12 Comments on “Monkeying Around”
Know those guys well. If you could find their stash house with all the loot they have acquired, that would be something.
Ha ha! I wonder how much stuff they have. On the neighbors boat he was drinking out of Coke cans, the humming bird feeder, teasing the dog. And then when a pelican landed near us, he was jumping and hissing at it. It was fun to see him free to do what he wanted, not in a zoo.
At least the monkeys aren’t building a nest in your engine like the squirrels or roof rats do here. We have about 40,000 acorns in our front yard and someone is trying to store them all inside my engine compartment.
Oh my! He did try to come in through a window, and I wasn’t about to see what he was going to snatch or leave for us.
Your monkey friends are adorable! Very depressing about the ocean pollution, though. I hate that a lot. The Caribbean is so beautiful, it is really a shame to see what is happening there. 🙁
The little bays where the locals live, not where the tourist cruise ships see, is a real sad sight. We were wondering why the government hasn’t hired a few local launchas to clean up the garbage where the cruise ships come into the bay. Charge the cruise ships a fee, as it is most likely caused by them anyway.
That white step can looks identical to a 64-65 GMC that I owned in the 70’s. Had a compound low gear that took me anywhere. Had cut out back right wall to have enough width for a bed.
Go make an offer!
Awesome! I’m sure there would be no problems getting it running again. 😉
Really sad to read about the trashed reefs! We were diving there 2001-2005 and it was spectacular-clean and clear, 100+ ft of viz, lots of reef life, corals & critters. Boo hoo. Love that you & your kids enjoy those mischievous monkeys! Happy New Year!
Yes, it seems the oceans have changed drastically in just a few years. Sad.
I just ordered these awesome looking spreader lights online, thinking they’ll last longer than the original lights’ VW headlight-looking design of the 70s. Then I read your post, zoom in to see your new lights have the same white cooling fins and exact same stainless mount as my new lights. So…I guess I’ll be climbing the mast again next year, too!
ha ha, sorry. 🙂