Partido Time

A St. Helene couple dance political candidates for the National Party look on from their campaign posters ( photo credit Tom Leopold ), Bay Islands History, Bay Islands Politics, Bay Islands culture

When I first came to live on Roatan in the mid 80’s national politics was considered by Bay Islanders in much the same way a football game was , Blue ( National Party –Partido nacional ) versus Red ( Liberal Party – Partido Liberal ) ……….” So and So is a big blue ( or a big red […]

Churchill , Guinness , Helene and Geckos …….degrees of separation

Lord Moyne and Winston Churchill on MY Rosaura in 1934 ( 5 years before the start of World War II ) when Churchill was merely the MP for Epping and Guinness in the House of Lords. Roatan Bay Islands History

This article is not about  ‘Mike’ Mitchell-Hedges but he always seems to makes it to the beginning of any story about contemporary Anglo-Bay Islands history. Probably because this enigmatic adventurer brought excitement to any venture he was a part of. Nobody knew the real Mitchell-Hedges nor could anyone vouch for the veracity of his tales […]

Freediver History

Lobster diver with spear, M J Harper's Author's Blog, Bay Islands History, Roatan culture

The Bay Islands popularly ( mistakenly )are associated with Roatan , Utila and Guanaja ; I say mistakenly because the Wyke – Cruz treaty ( 1859 )refers to the “the Islands of Ruatan , Guanaca , Elena , Utile , Barbarete and Morat “. The remotest and indeed the most isolated of these is Elena […]

Bay Islands History ‘thumbnail’……..

A Spanish map copying Royal Geographer , Thomas Jeffrey’s map of 1743 of Rattan using the same ( mispelled ) place names . The map description gloats over the victory of Field Marshall Matias Galvez’s ( Governor of Guatemala ) victory over Colonel Dalrymple’s meager force during the Battle of Port Royal on the 16th March , 1782, Bay Islands History, Roatan History

 I was recently asked by my chum and fellow scribbler to write him a brief history of the Bay Islands as a foreward to his new book ‘Life On Roatan’ ( LifeOnRoatan.com ) and he thought it came out quite well . I enjoyed writing it anyway !  Reading about History can be tiresome and end up […]

Coxen’s Hole or Port MacDonald ?

Colonel Alexander MacDonald and his contingent outside the Spanish commandants office in Port Royal ( likely Fort Augusta ) after having lowered the Central American flag and raised the Union Jack in August 1838. Roatan Bay Islands History. Coxen Hole Roatan

I am currently having a crack at writing a book about the History of Roatan , Helene and Barbarat . After all , ever since living here for some 35 years the history ( especially the British part of it )has intrigued me. There is so little known about it or documented anywhere locally for […]

Horatio Nelson in Rattan

Historical portrait of Horatio Nelson, M J Harper's Author's Blog, Bay Islands History

It is a little known fact in these parts that the illustrious naval career of that hero of Albion , First Viscount Admiral Horatio Nelson , whose statue sits above a 170ft high column in central London is inextricably linked to the Bay of Honduras ( Belize Cays and Rattan ) and the Mosquito Shore. […]