Belize Waypoints

[Rivrrat]

Hello. Does anyone know of or have a reliable list of GPS waypoints for coastal passages, reef entrances, anchorages, and offshore atoll approaches and atoll entrances for the Belize area (between Belize City and Placencia) and offshore surrounds?

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard trhe CF, rat.

How many do you think there are?

You've already started this thread:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...nts-43392.html

[Rivrrat]

I don't know. That's why I'm asking. The charts are disappointing, and Google Earth isn't there yet. Maybe I should spend ten years down there instead of 11 days and publish "A Rivrrat's GPS Guide to Offshore Belize". That's what I need now.

[GordMay]

If you're chartering, both TMI & The Moorings should have decent cruising guides/chartlets.

Sailing the coast of Belize (inside the reef) may be more seat of the pants and eyeball piloting, rather than precision navigation. The GPS is just there to make you feel good. Other people’s unconfirmed waypoints, wouldn’t make me feel all that good.

FWIW: ➥ http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ize-36695.html

Directory of Aviation Waypoints in Belize ~ by Falling Rain Genomics, Inc.
➥ Directory of Waypoints in Belize

The International GPS Global Positioning System Waypoint Registry
➥ GPS Waypoint Registry

Belize Cruising Information ~ The Moorings, Placentia
➥ Cruising Information

[phiggins]

I have about 200 waypoints for Belize and its atols. I have it in an EXCEL (XLS) file and also in a SeacLear SRW and also in GPX file which can be loaded in programs like openCPN or Fugawi. (also in a KML file for Google Earth)

I also scanned most of the charts for Central America and put them in BSB/KAP format. Also created BSB/KAP files of Google Earth for most of these waypoints.

I know the charts and waypoints are fairly accurate because I followed them on my recent trip from Isla Mujeres to Rio Dulce. In fact for the last leg from New Haven to Livingston I followed them in the blackest night only using them my GPS and radar. I have the Seaclear track of that passage too.

If you want any of this, please send me a personel message.

[sck5]

I sailed in Belize a year and a half ago - You can believe the waypoints and charts in Freya Rauscher's cruising guide. In fact, that is exactly what the charter companies will give you. You CANNOT believe the chartplotters or the charts. I had my Garmin handheld GPS and the boat had Raymarine. The Garmin seemed a little better but neither were very good. The Admiralty charts were the best but had many parts that were last updated in 1840. Yes. 1840. So get Capt. Freya's guide and a good pair of polarized sunglasses. You will need them.

[phiggins]

A few people asked for the Belize waypoints in KML format so I've attached them.

Also attached the GPX version of them but had to add a .KML suffix so if you download it, rename it and drop the .KML suffix.

[kevins]

do you have the kap files you created from google earth. I imported the gpx file, wow!!!! that is great!!!

thanks

[phiggins]

They might be in the Belize.zip at Index of /Downloads If it needs a a password to unzip its: phiggins

If I had time I would redo them all using SasPlanet with the Navionics charts. My next version of Ge2kap will allow you to create charts following a route using SasPlanet... Coming soon, looking for testers for it if you are interested.

[kevins]

sure..I can help with testing or developing...let me know what you need..

[phiggins]

On vacation but will send test version when I return in a week. Please send me your email on a PM

[belizesailor]

I'd be very cautious about relying too heavily upon electronic navigation in Belize...Ive seen plenty of boats go up on the reef doing exactly that. At least a few bareboaters (bare-ly-boaters) per year follow their chartplotters and waypoints right into trouble. Literally watched one run aground once because they were too glued to their chartplotter to even look ahead and see the obvious shoal.

Eyeball navigation, and local knowledge, are key in Belize, only use electronic aids for general orientation and then make your approaches slowly with a good bow watch or two. Those big ugly deck houses on cats can be useful for that.

Good quality polarized sun glasses are one of the most important navigation tools you can bring to Belize. I have a pair of Maui Jims (awesome) carefully stowed away for just this purpose.

Plan your approaches for the right time of day so the sun is high and behind you.

Also, the charter companies tend to program significant negative offsets into their depth finders (though this practice is inconsistent) in the hope of keeping guests out of shallow waters. Use a lead line to check the depth near the transducer before leaving the dock. I captained a charter boat last year that had a -5' offset! Pretty useless when piloting shallow waters. My personal preference is to know the actual depth so I can correlate that to charts/local knowldge.

Freya's guide is the most accurate navigation information for Belize. Dont rely, or waste your money, on anything else. NONE of the electronic charts are fully accurate, though some are a little better than others. Georeferencing Freya's charts would provide much better electronic nav than anything you can buy. Ive played around with doing that, but have never gotten motivated enough to digitize them all.

The only area where you can be more confident in electronic charts is around Belize City because there have been more recent surveys there due to commercial traffic.

[phiggins]

I have uploaded a test version of GE2KAP for you test the new functions for SasPlanet including tiling and creating charts for a path and polygon. You can get it here:

http://gdayii.ca/Downloads/Test_GE2KAP.V18.0.1.11.exe

Please read the Help SasPlant Support section on how to setup and use it.

[phiggins]

BelizeSailor,

Regarding your comments about charts for Belize, take a look at the two attachments one is for Placentia using CM93 and the others is for charts created with GE2KAP from SasPlanet using the Navionics charts, The purple line is our actual track. I think I would trust the latter.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by phiggins

BelizeSailor,

Regarding your comments about charts for Belize, take a look at the two attachments one is for Placentia using CM93 and the others is for charts created with GE2KAP from SasPlanet using the Navionics charts, The purple line is our actual track. I think I would trust the latter.

Yes, older CMAP is a bad joke in Belize...like shown in your example, void of detail and even the generalized shore line is way off. Be interesting to know how they got their data...looks like a sleepy CAD operator just connected the extreme end points on a tourist post card. The old (1800's) British surveys were much better than this rubbish (Ive reviewed some of the original old charts and most were actually quite good).

I tested newer CMAP using PLAN2NAV a few years ago and it was much better, but still not as good a Navionics.

Navionics is pretty good, but still has inaccuracies. For example, I tested it thru the infamous "Port O' Stuck" last year and it was WAY off. The local detail was pretty good but its position was shifted significantly...so our track was plotted across dry land.

Notice the very good detail you see on the Navionics chart, even recently built docks. There is an upside to everything...in preparation for cruise ships invading the area, new very detailed surveys have been completed of the Placencia area (Navionics does still get the place name wrong though).