Jim with Lynn and Althea Young on St George's Cay

As the sun rose behind us, we watched as the depth sounder came to life. Approaching a reef is always a bit un-nerving as you go from ocean depths to "on-soundings" then watch nervously as the depths rapidly drop. And they finally settled out at about what the charts said. And "about what the charts say" is as good as it gets here in Belize. The only official charts (government charts) are such large scale that they are just about useless. We have two others, one paper and one electronic that purport to have more detail, but they need to be treated with caution too.
So with the sun rising behind us, we slowly entered Gladden Cut. The small ocean swell quickly disappeared and in the light winds, we wound our way through the opening. At Gladden Cut, the reef is about 20 miles off the mainland. So we slowly headed for Placencia where we would check in.
After eight miles, we intersected a former track we had taken when here in 2009, so we were able to relax. Passing Laughing Bird Cay, we rounded up and headed west for Placencia. We anchored in the small harbor in company with 10 other cruisers and a few charter boats. As we had made such good time, we headed ashore to check in. That means a short trip in the "Hokey Pokey Water Taxi" over to Mango Creek, where we were met by a taxi waiting for just the likes of us.
Checking in in Big Creek requires a taxi ride, first to Immigration, then Port Captain, and finally Customs. But all was done in a friendly and efficient manner. In fact, among the changes we have noticed is the improvements in the check-in procedure. All is now courteous, efficient, and absent the "extra fees" for which receipts are not given. by 3 pm we were back in Placencia, had an excellent ice cream at the Tutti-Fruti Ice Cream Shop, and back aboard for an early evening.
Next day we headed in to town for a few items, an internet fix and to stretch our legs. The forecast of bad weather had been delayed, so on Friday we headed out to the cays. Our destination was South Long Coco, a cay about 1 mile long. As we arrived we saw three boats anchored closely together, and we soon learned why. Normally cruisers try to space themselves to give everyone some privacy, but at South Long Coco the available anchoring space is tiny. Other than one small sand patch the water is either 70' deep or hard rocky bottom. We made one failed anchoring attempt, but gave up and changed our plans to nearby Wippary Cay. Here the owners run a very small sport fishing operation and a small bar. They also maintain two free moorings. So we picked one up and went in for a "Belikan" and a chat.
Next morning we headed for North Long Coco, a few miles (not surprisingly) north of South Long Coco. We spent two beautiful days here, snorkeling a beautiful coral patch, and walking on the cay.
One of the big changes we have seen from 2009 is the amount of development, both ashore and on the cays. Previously, there were a few resorts on some of the larger cays, but today, most cays have either a small resort or a private home on them, preventing cruisers from landing. South Long Coco falls into this class. But North Long Coco is different. It has been bought by a huge development on the mainland that keeps the cay for owners and guests to visit. But they allow cruisers to land, and are happy to chat. The caretaker is happy to see you too, and is equally happy of gifts of beer and food, we found. So we spent our time snorkeling and strolling the beaches chatting with visitors. By Sunday night, the anchorage had swelled to eight boats from the two there when we arrived.
Monday brought a forecast for three days of strong north winds and squalls, so with the other boats in the anchorage, we were underway heading for cover. After a quick trip through Placencia Harbor, determining that it was way too rolly for comfort, we headed for Sapodilla Lagoon, about 15 miles north of Placencia.
As we sailed north along the Placencia Peninsula, we were constantly gawking at the new development ashore. The change in four years is unbelievable. We had spent some stormy weather in Sapodilla Lagoon in 2009, and enjoyed its quiet tranquility and beauty. It isn't too difficult to get in to if you go slowly. But it has none of the easy markings of coral, so it is go slow. About half a mile off, we were surprised to find the best set of navigation marks in the Western Caribbean showing us our way in.
Inside the lagoon we anchored with five other boats, and found a gigantic development complete with monstrous marina ashore. Luckily the development is not on the shores of the lagoon, but behind it, accessed by a new canal dredged out. Sanctuary Belize is a development of 12,000 acres with 1,450 building lots, of which 400 have reportedly been sold. They have dug canals all over the place, and construction is underway. In the morning we headed in to the marina in the dinghy and were warmly welcomed by the Harbourmaster.
Over the next two days, we walked around, toured the canals by dinghy, saw the "beach" with its elegant hotel tents. There are some beautiful homes already built, but they still have a very long way to go before it is declared a success. Plans include hotels, condos restaurants and golf. We were assured they would have it up and running shortly, but the construction pace looked suspiciously casual. Time will tell. The Bahamas and the Caribbean are littered with abandoned projects similar to this, but it would be a shame to see this abandoned, leaving a huge scar on the landscape.
We left Sapodilla Lagoon this morning, heading north. The forecast for the week-end looks good for an overnight trip up to Mexico. So we're planning to see our friend Lynn Young at his property on St George's Cay, then up to Cay Caulker, where we'll wait to head out on Saturday or Sunday. Just over 200 miles and with the strong Yucatan Current boosting us along, it should be a trip of 36 hours or less to El Cid Marina, where we will spend a few days. We have left lots to see in Belize, so I guess we'll just have to return to this beautiful place, hopefully before too much more development.

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