Florida to Belize - REALITY CHECK.....

[Bargain Bill]

Very doable and life-rewarding. For the vessel, I suggest you consider the PDQ34, a twin diesel engine 34' power cat with a shallow draft, good speed, and loads of storage. Easy to operate and very well built.
I owned one for 10 years and would cruise the FL Keys and Bahamas for 4+ months every year. They made about 110 of them and they hold their price well because they are the best cruising boat for the money.

[ben2go]

Originally Posted by Bargain Bill

Very doable and life-rewarding. For the vessel, I suggest you consider the PDQ34, a twin diesel engine 34' power cat with a shallow draft, good speed, and loads of storage. Easy to operate and very well built.
I owned one for 10 years and would cruise the FL Keys and Bahamas for 4+ months every year. They made about 110 of them and they hold their price well because they are the best cruising boat for the money.

I don't see that boat being very comfy for nine people to live aboard for an extended period. Don't get me wrong, those are fabulous boats. I'd have one if their cost of ownership wasn't so high in my area.

[Great Dane]

Originally Posted by belizefamily

Hi! We are new to the Forum, have been living in Belize ~ 15 years and are beginning to look at the idea of buying a boat to travel from the Keys to Belize 1x per year or 2 to visit the Folks and family as they age.

We figure the first step, before we invest in a boat, is to find an experienced captain who would be willing to take my husband or my husband and myself on such a journey so we can get a feel for what it's like. We have not done any boating outside the barrier reef and we gather it is QUITE a different experience and that due to currents it is generally best to travel the long way around...

In fact the more I read, the more it seems like there is a lot of discouraging advice out there about how rough the waters are and with the pirate risk etc... maybe it is an insane idea??? Then again there is actual risk vs. perceived risk.... so that is what we are looking into...

Is it realistic, what are the dangers, and what would it cost us to charter a vessel from Florida keys to Belize or vice versa...… Any help or advice is appreciated...be kind- we know we are newbies and are taking this thing slow, we are pretty tenacious folks who left the USA to carve out a life in the jungles of Belize where we have raised our 7 kids, so challenge, struggle, difficulty, and danger are okay, it is all about understanding the particular challenges and dangers this kind of trip would involve!

Lots of good advice already. Any of the marinas, such as Indiantown, where cruisers store their boats are good places to look for a good cruising boat. Personally I would start looking in Trinidad and Grenada where there are lots of both north american as well as european boats. Then taking your time, go south through the Exumas, Inagua, then a long overnighter to Santiago de Cuba. Mosey along the south coast of Cuba, the people are absolutely wonderful. Then maybe over to Jamaica or the Caymans (expensive!), Swan Island, the Bay Islands and up to Belize. Guns? No! -Bear spray, wasp bombs and flares/flare guns are legal everywhere and very effective.

Gaia II

[model 10]

At the Navy docks in Isla, there are often several triple or quad, center cockpit boats that were caught doing something or other. They go up for sale and then are sometimes caught again.
You could buy two of those.

[J Clark H356]

I planned on making the trip with a friend in 2001 but had some heart problems and didn’t go. The route from Key West is to cross the Gulf stream and head just off the northern coast of Cuba where you pick up a counter current and sail west along the coast until you get to the west end of Cuba. You then head south to avoid the opposing current of the Gulfstream heading through the strait between Mexico and Cuba on the east side. Once about 45 degrees from San Pedro, you head toward the pass at San Pedro. Total distance from the bight at Key West is about 625 NM and at normal cruising speeds (6 knots) in a sailboat would take about 4-1/2 days and use between 85 to 100 gallons of diesel if you motor sailed the entire way in my Hunter 356 and ran the generator full time as we do to have heating and cooling.

You would probable only be able to do this trip in a 40-45 foot catamaran due to the large size of your family. You would have two engines and your fuel burn could be double what mine is. At $3.00 per gallon for diesel, it’s a small cost for a family of 9 for fuel but the cost of the catamaran would be substantial. You will need a boat equipped with a generator and with a watermaker for the trip as a family of 9 will need plenty of water and lots of food stores

Once in Belize, you could stay on your boat if your family is in a coastal city.

The return route leaves San Pedro and goes offshore far enough to catch the stream which runs along Mexico on the west side of the strait. Once clear of the strait, head for the Dry Tortugas and then return between the reef and the Marguesas to Key West. Return route is 575 NM and about 4 days -100hours and on my boat would be about 75-80 gallons of diesel.

While cruising open ocean in a sailboat, you travel 24/7 and have shifts for the crew. With a family of 9 you should have plenty of active crew.

The one problem with boating to Belize and return is that traveling by boat one either finds an appropriate weather window and goes in relatIve comfort, or goes on a schedule and typically the weather is bad when doing the scheduled run. The waters you would be sailing in can be rough given that the winds interact with the current and when they are opposing, waves can build very high in a short amount of time.

Learn to sail, charter a catamaran and see if it fits your family. If so, it won’t save you money, but it will create memories and adventures you family will never forget. I think it is going to be expensive, but fun.