PHOTOS —>> Hobbie Cays, Honduras  OR  here:  https://goo.gl/photos/FRSKnqZnmnnwq6AT6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hobbies Cays

was our destination after Providencia. These cays are a part of the Honduras Bank. They are found about 50 miles off the coast of the northeast Honduras coast. The Hobbies are uninhabited and rarely do people visit.

 

 

 

Our plan was to leave Providencia after lunch on Wednesday, in order to be able to buy fresh produce in the morning. However there was no fresh produce in the stores – it was due in on Friday. So off we sailed following our friends Anne and Colin on Landfall towards the Hobbies. Our other friends, Steve and Anna on Bad Kitty were set to leave the next morning.

This passage was a 2-night passage taking us passed the Quita Sueno banks to our east heading north-northwest passes the Nicaraguan Banks and cays. Overall it was an excellent passage for most of the time. We were sailing in seas of 4 – 6 foot seas with winds that were normally 15 – 20 knots.

 

 

 

 

The sky and sea are the brightest mixes of blue and dolphins were playing alongside the boat for over an hour at one stage. We had a rolling following sea of which we were surfing at approximately 6-knots. Life was good, weather fine, but we would be in the Hobbies too soon, early hours of the morning. We were traveling way too fast and would have reached the cays by 01:00 so John, who was on watch, had to slow Aeeshah down, which, is not easy. He hove to and basically we were drifting for several hours off shore.

Finally at around 06:00 we could see well enough to make our way around and through the protecting reef of the Hobbie Cays and into what we hoped would be a calm anchorage. Now before we went in the seas/swell were as said 4 – 6 feet with white caps on top and wind was blowing up and over 20 knots.

 

 

 

 

 

So I was very skeptical as to whether this would be a calm secure anchorage out in the middle on nowhere, 50 odd miles from the nearest land. Once we rounded the reef and drew closer to the little island/cay and into the shelter, the swell disappeared and we were left with a good anchorage with a fantastic breeze.

 

 

We arrived at 07:30 Friday, and stayed until 08:00 on the Monday, in what was one of the most idyllic spots we have ever been privileged to visit. The water in the Hobbies is crystal, turquoise, blue. The bird life around is wonderful. The peace and quiet with just the sound of the surf on the reef is lulling, soothing.

John went for a rest as he had been up much of the night while I tidied up. Around 10:00 Bad Kitty showed up and then an hour later Landfall arrived.

Our first day there John and I went ashore the little island/cay. From afar it had looked as if there were fortifications or some sort of Monrovian structures, (as Colin described them) across the low-lying isle. However I guessed they were pots of some sort, which they proved to be crab or lobster pots, by the 1,000s stacked up.

 

 

 

 

 

 

We managed to anchor the dingy in the shallows close to the island and wade shore. The isle was covered in sea birds of every type nesting and roosting. Where there weren’t pots there were Boobies, young Frigate birds, gulls, sand pipers just so many types of sea birds. We followed the shoreline around mindful not to disturb the nesting birds, which would just sit and look apprehensively as you passed. The young frigates were standing up straining to look for the adult birds for food.

The Boobies and terns were swooping in to feed young. It was amazing!! Unfortunately the pots were defiantly interfering with the birds. With pots stacked 10 high and at least 15 deep it formed a huge mound like structure.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We dinged around to the shallow reef and walked around and out to the reef line. The barrier reef stretches for miles. Again it was amazingly wonderful! Gorgeous to look at! The colors were wonderful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

That night the wind started to blow quite strongly and weather moved in. However we were all safe in the anchorage. We had winds up to and over 30 knots for most of the night and all the next day. Nobody ventured out that day; we hunkered down and did odds and ends.

The following day – Sunday – dawned brightly. The winds had dropped, but the seas beyond the reef were still roaring, so we decided to stay another day. Bad Kitty felt that as they have a catamaran they could go ahead and sail to Guanaja.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along with Anne and Colin we headed out to the barrier reef. There it was low tide and we left the dingy in the shallows.

 

 

 

We all enjoyed exploring along the reef a ways, Anne and Colin walked to the island via the reef line and John and I had a wonderful snorkel. We both agreed it was the best snorkel we have had in ages. There were so many fish of different types, hogfish which we never see anywhere but Bermuda, beautiful reef fish, I saw a massive sting ray and Barracuda, the shallow reefs were full of life.

We all had a wonderful late morning early afternoon adventure with nobody around for many miles.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John and I were very tempted to stay in the Hobbies, but plans were beckoning and the weather was good so off we set for Guanaja.

 

“Nothing ever goes away until it teaches us what we need to know.” ― Pema Chödrön

“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. And the most you can do is live inside that hope. Not admire it from a distance but live right in it, under its roof.”