Island time
The past couple of days have been filled with scuba diving, snorkeling, monkeys and gatherings.
Mycah set a new record at the Tiki Hut here, in limbo. She cleared 26″. When she was doing it she resembled one of those little yellow rubber men that you can bend in crazy positions.
We gathered for dinner with most of the marina folks at a place close by that just opened and needed support. They served hamburger plates and we conversed until 11pm. The creatures made friends with the owners kids, and their daughter invited the girls to join her and her family at a local sushi restaurant last night. Danny and I had fun chatting with several of the people, and we especially had fun watching the creatures interact with everyone. It always amazes us at how well they get along with everyone of all ages, and end up being the life of the party.
Our sweet friend, Debbie, has spent lots of time trying to teach Jonathan and Aidan how to dance. She is so patient and such a beautiful person.
The monkeys have continued to love the attention we are giving them. Yesterday one of them was hanging around the boat and stole a can of bug spray. Danny had to trade it for an almond to get it back. They also broke into the Tiki hut and broke a wine glass and took off with a bottle of rum. Mycah coaxed it from him, and when he climbed onto he shoulder, she took the bottle away and walked over to nearby trees for him to play there instead. The baby curled up in Mycah and Emma’s arms at different times yesterday.
Since I’ve been here before, I knew where there is an airplane wreck and a ship wreck to dive, and I took Danny diving there on Thursday, and Jude and Mycah yesterday. I’ll be taking Jonathan and the twins today. The airplane is at 45 ft and is pretty broken apart. The visibility was poor because the water was really stirred up from recent rains.
The ship wreck is in pretty good condition still. The bow rests at about 75ft and the stern at about 85ft.
Jude and Mycah are so fun to dive with, because they are so goofy. At one point I turned to check on them and Jude was giving Mycah a piggy back ride. Another time they were hanging upside down. I took several pictures of them, but they didn’t turn out. It’s definitely time for a new underwater camera. I have the first generation GoPro, and it just doesn’t cut it!
Yesterday evening, shortly before sunset, I taught a young couple in the marina, the Discover Scuba Diving course. They were curious what scuba was like and have snorkeled a lot, so I sat with them on Tanda Malaika and taught them the basics, introduced the gear and how it works, then took them diving close by while Danny snorkeled above us. They loved it. One of the things I love about teaching is watching others feel the magic that I have felt while diving. There’s simply nothing quite like it. When we surfaced, the sunset was gorgeous and cast an orange glow over the water.
Depending on the weather, we are planning on leaving Roatan on Monday morning after checking out with the Port Captain in Coxen Hole. We will sail to Isla Mujeres, Mexico and it should take 2 – 3 days. Yesterday Mycah asked me, ‘You know those days when you have a whole bunch of exciting things planned, and you’re so excited and it’s just an amazing, beautiful day?’ I told her yes, I do, and she said, ‘I feel like those days are my life right now. I’m loving everyday with my best friends, experiencing exciting and beautiful things.’ Cruisers have mentioned several times to me, how unique our family is, in that everyone on board is passionate about travel and sailing. In family cruising, there are usually one or two people that aren’t too thrilled and would rather be somewhere else, but the Tanda Malaika crew love what they do – including all the hard work that it involves.
Adventures of a Tribe 