Guanaja, Bay Islands, Honduras
Our sturdy vessel plowed through the white-capped seas as we made our way to the Bay Islands off the northern coast of Honduras. The Bay Islands are made up of eight islands and sixty-five cayes with a total of 92 sq.miles. The islands rest on the Bonacca Ridge, a non-continuous under sea extension of the mainland Sierra de Omoa near the southern escarpment of the Bartlett Trough. Our destination was the island of Guanaja, named the “Isles of Pines” by Christopher Colombus in 1502 because of the profusion of caribbean pine trees.
Guanaja’s 9 mile length is sharply defined with steep verdant hills not exceeding 1,300 feet. Waterfalls cascade down into crystal clear pools. Bonacca town was founded by immigrants of the Cayman Islands in the 1830s and now has about 4,000 people residing there. Originally, their wooden rickety houses were built on two cayes- Hog and Sheen Caye, with a total of one km.of land connected to each other by a shoal has since been built up to an incredible 18 km. covered with sand, shell, concrete and the remnants of time. The wind was almost due east and strong but we tucked into the protective bay of the town of Bonacca and after the necessary paperwork was completed with the local officials, our guests quickly scattered into various directions-some to explore the settlement and others to snorkel Guanaja’s pristine reefs and depths. Back on the ship, our chefs prepared a delicious boca or appetizer of guacamole and fresh corn tortilla chips along with our favorite cocktails served by our favorite bartender. A few quick tropically warm showers helped to flatten the rough seas and soon we were on our way again this time to the remote coast of Nicaragua.
Our sturdy vessel plowed through the white-capped seas as we made our way to the Bay Islands off the northern coast of Honduras. The Bay Islands are made up of eight islands and sixty-five cayes with a total of 92 sq.miles. The islands rest on the Bonacca Ridge, a non-continuous under sea extension of the mainland Sierra de Omoa near the southern escarpment of the Bartlett Trough. Our destination was the island of Guanaja, named the “Isles of Pines” by Christopher Colombus in 1502 because of the profusion of caribbean pine trees.
Guanaja’s 9 mile length is sharply defined with steep verdant hills not exceeding 1,300 feet. Waterfalls cascade down into crystal clear pools. Bonacca town was founded by immigrants of the Cayman Islands in the 1830s and now has about 4,000 people residing there. Originally, their wooden rickety houses were built on two cayes- Hog and Sheen Caye, with a total of one km.of land connected to each other by a shoal has since been built up to an incredible 18 km. covered with sand, shell, concrete and the remnants of time. The wind was almost due east and strong but we tucked into the protective bay of the town of Bonacca and after the necessary paperwork was completed with the local officials, our guests quickly scattered into various directions-some to explore the settlement and others to snorkel Guanaja’s pristine reefs and depths. Back on the ship, our chefs prepared a delicious boca or appetizer of guacamole and fresh corn tortilla chips along with our favorite cocktails served by our favorite bartender. A few quick tropically warm showers helped to flatten the rough seas and soon we were on our way again this time to the remote coast of Nicaragua.
