July 16, 2008 Sailing South Inside the Reef

It was time to see more of Belize, so we made an 85 mile trip south to the coastal town of Placencia. This 3 day venture was some of the most fantastic sailing so far of our trip. The first major improvement is that we were sailing behind the protection of the reef, so the waves are small. The second important factor is that there are numerous islands which we could easily anchor at when we were done sailing for the day.

The first day was light wind and although we only traveled at 3.2 knots, we just relaxed and let the autopilot earn its keep. The uninhabited (no humans, animals live there) mangrove island we anchored at looked so idyllic, especially while we enjoyed a fantastic sunset. My idealism wore off a bit as I dashed around installing our screens in all the hatches. Lots and lots of mosquitoes lived on this island and they we happy that the dinner delivery boat had arrived!

Day 2: another fantastic day of sailing. The wind was from the port quarter (behind and to the left) which kept the sails full and we made better speed: 4.5 knots. We decided to anchor in a lagoon ringed by mangrove islands, one of which the cruising guide said had a resort on it. It turns out the “resort” is a seasonal retreat for a wealthy lawyer from Los Angeles. The moment we entered the lagoon the caretaker of the resort (Herman) was yelling and waving at us. We feared we we heading for some unknown danger, so we swung around and made a close pass to the resort dock. Herman just wanted to say “hi” and invite us to come over after we anchored – the way he was waving and yelling, he must be really lonely out there!. Right after we anchored a fisherman (Lewis) that lives on one of the other islands in the lagoon stopped by to see if we wanted to buy any seashells (we declined without explaining how the collection of marine artifacts can damage ecosystems). He did need some gas for his skiff, so we gave him half our dinghy can (about a gallon). Later, at the resort, Lewis wanted to trade seashells for diesel for his generator. I spent about 20 minutes dipping and pouring about 1.5 gallons of diesel into empty water bottles and delivered them to Herman (we declined the seashells again).

We have started to realize that, in many of the places we visit, anyone that can afford a “leisure” boat (not a working boat) and travel on an extended trip without working is really, really wealthy. Whereas, in the USA we may appear “poor” because we live on a boat and don't have a lot of material possessions. Understanding this encourages us to help whenever possible.

Our last day sailing brought lots of wind and rain as a weak tropical wave passed. That helped us average 5 knots under head sail only. Our fresh water tanks ran out just as we arrived in Placencia – no worries, we could fill up for just 10 cents a gallon. San Pedro was the last place we filled up because most of the islands have salt contaminated water and only drink bottled water

Fantastic smooth sailing, lots of easy anchor spots, friendly people, beautiful views, no seasickness – we love sailing in Belize!