BELIZE PART I (June, 2016)

Our plan in Belize was to pick up our friend Tom from Colorado and spend a couple of weeks with him visiting the three Atolls and some of the hundred Cays.

OUR ROUTE THRU BELIZE THIS VISIT

SAN PEDRO, AMBERGRIS CAY

We arrived in San Pedro during sunrise after 550 nautical miles of sailing (that’s 4 nights at sea).  We anchored in clear blue water and at 7 feet deep; we could easily see the bottom.  In fact, you can see the bottom at 30 feet.  To the west was the beach front of San Pedro and to our east, breaking waves over the Meso-American Barrier Reef with aqua colored water.  To our starboard, anchored were only three cruising sailboats.

San Pedro is divided by 3 streets, namely Font Street, Middle Street and Back Street.  Ten years ago, the roads were hard packed sand but now, they were upgraded to cobble stones.  This was widely accepted because when it rained on the sandy roads, the rain caused many potholes and mud. 

Most everyone travels by cruiser bikes or golf carts.  There are few cars.  Early in the morning, you can see mothers drive their 1 or 2 children riding side saddle on the top tube of her bicycle to school. 

At the art shop, I chatted in length with the shop owner (sorry, I can’t remember his name, shame on me).  He told us about the numerous plastic jugs full of bags containing cocaine or marijuana washing up on shore.  Once, a local was snorkeling and hit his head on a container.  He brought it on his boat and counted the cocaine bags.  There were 30.  He brought it to the police station.  In the newspaper, it said that 12 bags were found.  The guy that found the cocaine was upset but not surprised as the cops are corrupt and probably took some bags for them to sell.

On my birthday, we were at sea.  A squall woke me up as it was howling with high winds and lots and lots of rain.  I ran around the boat closing all the hatches and ports while Tim was being blasted by walls of rain.  In the corner of my eye, I saw flowers and a card in the sink.  What a way to start my birthday !  We waited until we got to San Pedro to celebrate.  Tim brought me to a very nice waterfront restaurant.  The whole evening was fabulous !

WATERFRONT DINING IN SAN PEDRO FOR MY BIRTHDAY

 We didn’t have to go very far to see plenty of underwater life right from our boat.  I wasn’t in the water 5 minutes and I saw a large crab who stole a conch shell, a small southern ray and a humongous spotted eagle ray that was so close to me, I backed up against the hull of our boat to get out of its way.  Spectacular !

The winds were picking up to 30 knots and San Pedro doesn’t have the best protection or the best holding.  Up at 5:30am, the seas were already choppy which made it uncomfortable.  A  Chilean boat dragged and pinned itself to one of the peers.  A local pulled him off and helped him re-anchor because his transmission failed.  The four women looked petrified and the one man was just screaming after them.  After breakfast, we sailed to a better protected anchorage, Cay Caulker.

CAY CAULKER:

After provisioning, cleaning, topping off tanks, and laundry, a couple of minor repairs, we were ready for our guest. Tom, from Steamboat Springs landed in Belize City and took a 1.5 hour water taxi to Cay Caulker.  Tom, you look so white !  ha ha ha.  First things first, 6 beer bucket for $20BZ (that’s $1.67us a bottle) and street side BBQ. 

TOM OF STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, CO ARRIVING IN BELIZE

Cay Caulker is a much laid back, Rastafarian style island.  There are no paved roads and most people walk, use bikes and some have golf carts.  Cars are not allowed on the island unless you purchase a permit which people use for transporting goods from the barges or for construction purposes.   This island brings you back in time.

MOST PEOPLE TRAVEL BY BIKES

FISHERMEN.  THEY LAUNCH CANOES FROM THEIR SAILBOAT TO FISH

CUTE WATERFRONT

FIXING HIS FISH CAGES

NOTICE THE NAME OF THIS BOAT

THIS GUY MADE HIS BRA FROM PALM LEAVES

AMAZING LONG DREADLOCKS

A FEMALE PIRATE JAMMIN'

Hurricane Hattie came thru in 1961 creating a cut between what’s now called the North side and the South side.  The cut is known as “The Split”.  The only way across it, is by boat or swim.  As we would go by in our dinghy, some locals would ask us for a ride across the split.  At The Split, a well visited bar named Lazy Lizard has a nice dock where tourist jump in the water or just wade and drink local rum drinks.  I didn’t know a Rum and Pineapple drink is called a ‘Panty Ripper’. 

TOM & TIM AT THE LAZY LIZARD

The first people we met at the Lazy Lizard were David & Debbie (sorry if I got your names wrong…too many happy hour drinks) from Arvada, Colorado !  Go figure.  David was in the Coast Guard and they recently returned from 2 years working in Alaska.  How cool is that !  Debbie was a nurse and to boot, it was her birthday the day we met them.  Debbie is my age and David celebrated his birthday a couple of days earlier.  We had such a good time talking with them.  We hope you read my blog, keep in touch !!!

We went on an exploratory dinghy ride thru the mangroves and out behind our boat.  We saw a manatee and several species of birds but no crocodiles which we heard they exist in the area.  Near the Lazy Lizard, several large tarpons congregate and look for a handout.  It’s pretty cool to kayak on top of them. 

CAY CHAPEL:

This lovely cay with a beautiful beach is privately owned by a Mexican.  It boasts an 18 hole golf course and a private airstrip.  Beyonce was once a guest here.  Unfortunately, the manager denied us access to the island so we were unable to see the “prettiest beach in all of Belize”.  It’s such a shame that some Island owners deny us of such beauty.  It’s a nice place to just relax and snorkel near the reef.

Belize has three offshore atolls that offer some of the most sensational diving in the whole country.  They feature far better visibility and are home to a greater quantity and diversity of marine life.  Atolls were formed by coral growing around the edges of steep limestone plateaus.  All atolls are coral rings rising perpendicularly from great depths enclosing a central deep basin lagoon.

Sailing behind the Mesoamerican barrier reef is truly some of the best sailing we’ve had.  We could only wish to have these conditions most of the time; Small waves with 15-20 knot winds at 60 degrees.  Tom certainly didn’t complain along with the fact that we saw numerous bottle nosed dolphins every time we sailed.

MESOAMERICAN BARRIER REEF:

The Mesoamerican Barrier Reef system stretches over 620 mi (1,000 km) from the tip of the Yucatan Peninsula down to Belize, Guatemala and the Bay Islands of Honduras.  Belize’s coastline is home to approximately 80% of the barrier reef.  This Barrier reef is the largest in the northern hemisphere and the 2^nd largest in the world.  Belize also has 3 offshore atolls, several hundred sand cays, mangrove forests, coastal lagoons and estuaries.  The Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1996.  We were lucky enough to be able to visit all 3 atolls but only a handful of Cays.

TURNEFFE ATOLL:

As you near an atoll, the aqua blue water of the lagoon behind the fringing reef is in sharp contrast to the cobalt blue of the deep Caribbean.  Turneffe is the largest of the 3 offshore atolls.  It stretches over 30 miles north to south and up to 10 miles east and west, covering a total area over 200 square miles.  The islands consist of hundreds of mangrove cays.  Turneffe is surrounded by a wall of living reef.  There’s an average of 4 to 18 feet of water in the lagoon so as a sailor, you must wisely choose your path visually.  Some of the islands on this atoll are named;  Mangrove’s Cay, Big Cay Bokel, Coco Tree Cay, Cay Bokel, Crawl Cay, Mauger Cay, Calabash Cays, Blackbird Cay, Soldier Cay, ect ec…As you can see, there are many cays making up the Turneffe Atoll.

We motored thru Blue Creek entrance which was lined with beautiful mangroves.  We anchored between the Turneffe Island resort and the reef.   We snorkeled around the reef and saw a beautiful hogfish which was about 3 feet long.   A walk on Cay Bokel provided Tim with a Clench’s Helmet.  We were the only boat anchored.   Tom and I took turns kayaking around Cay Bokel which was both relaxing and a good work out to paddle back to windward.

CLENCH'S HELMET

"MAN GROVES"

 GLOVER’S ATOLL:

This atoll is surrounded by an incredible wall of living corals.  Its greatest length is 15 miles with a length of 4.5 to 6 miles.  That’s huge !  There are six cays, all on the southeast side.  Glover’s Reef is a splendid example of a true atoll comparable to anything in the Pacific or Indian Ocean.  On all outer sides, it is steep with well defined reefs breaking the surface.  There are over 600 pinnacles and patch reefs that rise to the surface in the lagoon 

We motored thru the Southern Pass which was much easier than we had previously thought.  Tim was at the bow looking for coral heads which were easy to see since the sun was high.    It is the widest entrance into Glover’s reef.

We anchored near the Southwest Cay which reminded me of Mayreau in the Grenadines as there are several palm trees and you can see the water breaking on reefs on the other side of the island. 

The eastern Southwest Cay is where the Isla Marisol Resort is.  It’s rustic with a few cabins along the waterfront.  As we were walking the grounds, we were offered golden coconut water which is my favorite.

My birthday present was a dive with the whale sharks.  The whale sharks are here during the April, May and June full moon phases.  It is said that 3 days before and 7 to 10 days after is the best time to see these majestic creatures.  The estimated life span of whale sharks is 60 to 150 years.

LIGHTHOUSE ATOLL:

We anchored at Half Moon Cay in 5.5 feet of water off the beach.  It’s a narrow island so you can see water on both sides of the island.  The water under our keel is the clearest water I’ve ever seen.  Ok, I know I’ve said this before about other areas however, I’m now convinced this is definitely the clearest.  Tim jumped in and immediately saw 2 rays and a huge turtle.

The island is well kept and groomed by about 10 guys from Belize city.  They work on the island for 30 days then go home to visit with their families.  We were told that the ‘boss’, a women prohibits them to drink any rum or beer at all while they are on the island.   Seeing the numerous mounds of dead palm branches and empty coconut husks, I asked if they have bomb fires.  They said, they’d have one next week.  I said “but, I’m leaving tomorrow, can we have one tonight?”, they said yes.  I told them that I’d bring the beer.  Smiles all around !!!! 

At the bomb fire, we met several people that worked for the National Audubon Society who talked to us about the turtles nesting, 4 so far on this island and their efforts to get rid of the rats on the island.  We also met two men who were from the coast guard.  Every morning they would drive to the Blue Hole to make sure visitors were safe and followed the rules.  They spoke of rescues they performed and how one had to swim over 1.5 miles to shore after their kayak overturned.   I asked if they also enforced the illegal taking of shells in the marine park and one said yes, but for me, he said he’d find a nice shell for me thus making an exception to the rule.  I think this young kid liked me but I kindly rejected his offer.

BEAUTIFUL CLEAR WATER WITH BARRIER REEF IN FRONT OF US

THE LIGHTHOUSE ON HALF MOON CAY WITH AN OSPREY NEST ON TOP

THE ONLY BOAT AT THIS CAY

OLD LIGHTHOUSE THAT CRUMBLED

BABY RED FOOTED BOOBY BIRD 

RED FOOTED BOOBY BIRD

RED FOOTED BOOBY BIRDS ALSO HAVE BLUE BEAKS

THE ISLANDERS HAD NOT SEEN A SAILBOAT IN 3 WEEKS !

HERMITS HAVING AN ORGY

RESEARCHER TRYING TO GET A HERMIT OUT OF HIS SHELL TO SHOW US ITS MUSCLE

HUGE BOMB FIRE 

ENJOYING THE BOMB FIRE WITH COAST GUARDS

There is an amazing amount of tall coral heads with the usual suspects swimming in and around the corals.  I saw a very big grouper which was all white with large black stripes.  I tried to identify this grouper however I found out that many of the larger groupers are difficult to distinguish because of their ability to radically change both colors and markings.    

As we were getting ready to leave our snorkeling area, we saw a 5 foot Southern Stingray eating and digging himself a spot in the sand. 

TOBACCO CAY:

Tobacco Cay is a beautiful, charming, very small cay with full of tall palm trees and several small homes with a few cabins to rent.  There are no bicycles, no motor vehicles, nada…, it’s not necessary at all.  The locals are running out of fresh water due to the drought so they are forced to take salt water showers.  They must go by boat to get drinking water from the mainland.  There is only about 10-15 people living on this tiny cay.

Mike, a Canadian who’s lived in several countries including South Africa is now a resident of Tobacco Cay working as a marine biologist.  We found him at the bar with his cool t-shirt.  Kirk, the barmen wrote a book on barmen etiquette and added some cool recipes (Tom's holding the book).

LOVE YOUR SHIRT MIKE

The snorkeling at the cut is amazing.  Here’s a list of fish I could identify in 1 hour of snorkeling:  French, Gray and Queen Angelfish, schools of silvery fish(I could not identify), Grunts, Hogfish, Snappers, Sergeant majors, Damselfish, Groupers, Sea bass, Parrotfish, Bluehead, Squirrelfish, Lion fish, Goby, Queen trigger fish, Scrawled filefish, Slender filefish, Yellow stingray, Southern stingray, schools and schools of Bleu Tangs and Spiny lobster.  It’s endless….

SOUTH WATER CAY:

This cay is beautifully maintained with mostly small cabins to rent.  Stacy, the barmaid was very entertaining.  It was Tom's idea to do a Cay Pub crawl.  He was definitely on vacation time.

SAILING BETWEEN CAYS

ADOBE TYPE CABIN FOR RENT

CARRIE BOW CAY:

The Caribbean Coral Reef Ecosystems (CCRE) Program is a long term field site dedicated to investigations of coral reefs and associated mangroves, seagrass meadows, and sandy bottoms.  Field operations are based at the Carrie Bow Cay Field Station on the Meso-American Barrier Reef in Belize.

Carrie Bow Cay Field Station serves as a permanent site in the Smithsonian's Tenenbaum Marine Obvservatories Network, a global-scale network of sites which spans latitudes and ocean basins.  For over forty years, research at Carrie Bow Cay Field Station has focused on the topography, origin, geological development, and oceanography of the Meos-American Reef and its numerous islands, as well as the biodiversity, evolution, and ecology of its organisms and communities.

TIM KAYAKING AROUND CARRIE BOW CAY

PLACENCIA:

It took us a day’s sail to get to the town of Placencia and say good bye to our guest Tom.  Placencia has a wonderful long beach so it was nice to get off the boat and stretch our legs.  Along the way, we were given a jug full of coconut water for our rum drinks. 

The town has a beautiful walkway near the beach and several shops and restaurants are along each side the pathway.  The main street is just 1 block from the water.  We bought red snapper and grouper for $6us a pound along with fresh fruit and veggies for our travels to Guatemala.

THE MANGOES ARE PLENTIFUL AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

INTERESTING FLOWER AND BLACK NUT

NICE WALKWAY WITH RESTAURANTS AND SHOPS

IT JUST WOULDN'T STOP !

FACTS & HISTORY:

Belize is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the east, Mexico to the north and Guatemala to the south and west.  There is 8,886 square miles consisting of diverse terrain of which 36% is protected and in addition includes 40 acres of marine reserves teeming with marine wildlife.

Belize is rich with mangrove coastal plains, 185 mile Mesoamerican Barrier Reef and lush Maya Mountains and the largest cave system in Central America.  Belize has the lowest population density in Central America with 15 residents per square kilometer.

Known as the Maya Heartland of the Nundo Maya World, Belize’s history is an intriguing one due to Maya cultural influences.  The Ancient Maya have a legacy that remains intact today and can be traced back to 1500 B.C.E.

Europeans arrived in the early to mid 1600s and later enslaved African people in the early 1700s.  The Garinagu settles arrived in Belize from Honduras after previously being exiled by the British from St-Vincent.  Belize became an official colony of Britain in 1862 and in 1871 became a Crown Colony.  In 1964, Belize achieved self government.  In 1973, the country’s name was changed from British Honduras to Belize and achieved full independence on September 21, 1981.

English is the official language however Creole is a more commonly spoken language.  Other languages spoken are Maya (Kekchi, Ycatec and Mopan), Garifuna and Spanish also.

English:  Good Morning.  Maya: Ma’alob Ki’in.  Creole: Gud Mawnin.  Garifuna: Buiti Binafi

INFORMATION FOR CRUISERS:

(See my blog on Belize PART II for more information).

**** Stock up on provisions, gas, diesel, and water…whatever you need in San Pedro and/or Cay Caulker because there are no facilities in the Belizean Atolls and several Cays.

1.   SAN PEDRO:

Checking in San Pedro:  First we had to go to customs and immigration which is on 2^nd floor of the Scotia Bank across from the airport (and near the anchorage).  You must then take a taxi ($30US round trip) to the south end of the island for the Port Authority. Port Authority and quarantine officer charged us $110US (this depends on the size of your boat and how many days you stay in the country.  Our boat is 38 feet and we stayed 25 days).   

Laundry:  There is no coin laundry.  Nellie’s is a laundry service on Middle Street up from the old Tackle and Box bar on the beach.  She charges $2.50BZ a pound.  She will also line dry any items you want at no extra charge.   They did a great job.

Swimming pool: You can use RAMON’s VILLAGE swimming pool.  Very nice with cool refreshing water.  No charge and I guess if you don’t buy a drink, it would be ok.

Diesel & Gas:  Across from Amigos Del Mar, you can dock there however it is extremely shallow to one side (looked like 2 feet) making it difficult if not impossible to turn around.  Check it out first !  We just topped off our jerry cans. 

Water:  We docked our boat in a slip, with permission at Amigos Del Mar to fill up our water tank.  We saw 5.2 feet under our keel while getting in there.

Dinghy dock:  We asked RAMON’s VILLAGE if we could use their dock and they said yes.

Grocery store:  There are several.  We liked the one by RAMON’S because it was a short walk back to the dinghy.  When you exit RAMON’s take a left, the street slightly turns right and it’s on the corner.

Warning I:  I don’t recommend swimming far from your boat because there are several water taxis and dive boats screaming by at excessive speeds.

Warning II: Anchorage isn’t the best holding. There is three inches of sand on top of rock.  Try anchoring in grass where there could be more sand.

2.   CAYE CAULKER:

Laundry:  There are several laundry mats and some are self serve.  The nicest one I found was Jasmin’s at $2.50BZ a load which is both self serve & service but not the closest to the anchorage.  Some aren’t so nice.

Grocery stores:  There are several grocery stores.  If you can’t find what you are looking at one store, go to the next.   There are at least 6 stores in town if not more.  Fresh produce comes in by water taxi which can be any day.

Anchorage:  Do not anchor too close to the commercial dock as there are several humongous generators that make quite a lot of noise.  Also, barges need room to dock there.

Dinghy dock:  It’s to the right of the commercial dock, behind the 2 gas tanks and the little hut.

Gas, Diesel, Water:  At the commercial dock.  They charge for water. 

Garbage & Ice:  The store beyond the commercial dock sells ice and will take your garbage.  Other cruisers were charges $2BZ, for us, it was free.

3.   CAY CHAPEL:

The island is privately owned and they deny access to cruisers.  We did not find any good snorkeling there however we did not look very hard. 

4.   TURNEFFE ATOLL:

BlueCreek Entrance:  The resort told us to hug the port side when you see the first set of buoys as it’s deeper on that side.   Follow the rest of the buoys which are easy to see and stay in the middle.  When you get near the resort, stay between the reef and the resort and perhaps a little closer to the reef as it’s deeper there.  We saw 4.9 feet near the resort.

Turneffe Island resort: Has a private high end resort. 

5.   GLOVER’S ATOLL:

Marine Park fee:  $10BZ a day for each person.

Snorkeling & Diving:  The Marisol Resort on Southeast Cay does diving and snorkeling trips but their guests come first then if there is room, you may go. 

Marisol Resort (SouthEast Cay):  You may eat at their resort, only if there is food left over after their guests.  $25us pp for dinner.  It’s buffet style, does not include alcohol.  US 1-866-990-9904. Office 011-501-522-0235. Cel phone 011-501-610-4204.  Islamarisolresort.com

6.   LIGHTHOUSE ATOLL:

Entrance to Half Moon Cay:  You must eyeball your way between all the coral heads.

Marine Park fee:  $20BZ pp, per day.

7.   TOBACO CAY:

Sunset Bar:  Kirk, the bar tender will make you burgers or fried chicken if you’d like, just ask him.  A fish dinner could cost you about $25BZ. 

8.   CARRIE BOW CAY:

It’s a day stop only as it can be rolly.

9.   PLACENCIA:

Provisioning:  There are several small grocery stores and fresh fruit and veggie stands.  The local fish market is straight ahead off the main dinghy dock in a small building with a white sign facing the water.

Town dinghy dock:  They charge $2BZ a day.  You can dock nearby at some restaurants for free.