Greetings,

This will be a short update, as I have not been working on the web page updates like I should. This cruising lifestyle really eats up the time.

We are still in Honduras, and are presently anchored in Laguna el Diamonte. To check out our exact location, please see the Where Is Dream Away URL.

We have been cruising around the Bay Islands since our arrival in Roatan. We have gone to the Island of Guanaja, and we are hoping to get back there next month. Most of the time has been going up and down the south coast of Roatan. Really enjoying the island and the new friends we have made. Some of the new friends are cruisers and some are locals on the island. It is a great experience.

Guess what???, our plans have changed yet again. We were going to head west into Belize and cruise there for the month of May, and then back into the Rio Dulce. However, our son, Stacy, and Tina, have decided to fly down to Roatan and visit for a week the first part of June, actually June 5th through the 12th. Another benefit is that my best friend from my Marine Corps days and his wife are also coming along with Stacy and Tina. They are not strangers to our family, as Dale and Karen have watched our two children grow up, and have been an integral part of the family for many years.

Our three month visa for Honduras expires on June 4th. Because Kitty is worried about our ability to get back to the Bay islands, to see Stacy and Tina, if we went to Belize, we decided to stay in the Bay Islands. As it turns out, the charges for an extension of the cruising permit, and the Immigration visa costs for Honduras are almost the same as the costs for entering and departing Belize, we decided to stay in the Bay Islands.

I mean, how bad can it be? These islands are beautiful, very tropical and a good climate. The Bay Islands are a bit more expensive than Belize or Guatemala, but it is a small price to pay.

We left the island of Utila yesterday and sailed to Laguna El Diamonte on the Honduran mainland. It is a beautiful anchorage inside a national park. The anchorage is completely surrounded with mountains and mangroves, except for the very small entrance. As I am writing this (very early in the morning), I can hear all kinds of birds calling to each other. Very beautiful. There are also Howler monkeys in the area, but we have not yet heard them calling.

We have sailed here in company with Nicola and Noel on the Yacht Tantalus. This is the same yacht with which we sailed out of the Rio. We will spend a couple of days here, then Tantalus will head towards the Rio Dulce, and we will sail back to the island of Utila, and then on to French Cay. Then we will be cruising Roatan, and, hopefully, get over to Guanaja again and spend more time there than we did the first time.

We will be back in the French Cay Harbor area on Roatan the first week of June. Once the kids decide where they are staying for the week, we will head there and anchor off or dock at the hotel/resort for the week so we can visit with them.

After the 12th of June, we are not sure what we will do. We may spend more time in the Bay Islands, or head out to Belize and cruise there for a few weeks, or head back to the Rio Dulce. We could do a combination of all three. The good news is the Bay Islands and Belize are each a two day sail from the Rio Dulce, so at the first hint of a hurricane, we can be in the Rio, and be well protected.

It is also interesting to note that the hurricane season for the insurance companies does not start until July 1st!

I will try and get an update out to the web page in May, getting all caught up on our travels to date. I would also like to get some of the projects up on the web page.

Anyway, we are all well and happy, and cruising the Bay Islands. Most of the time we are only an email away, so please stay in touch.

regards,

jimk

Member Seven Seas Cruising Association

WEB page http://www.dreamaway.net