Belize - least stressful itinerary

[Hungry Eagle]

I know this is probably an oxymoron, but I would like suggestions on easy-to-enter anchorages on our one week charter out of Placencia. We will be on a 45ft catamaran. I have several charter weeks under my belt with the most technical being the Abacos. But given the nature of my crew for this trip, I would prefer an easy sail plan through deeper water as much as possible. I realize that we need a bow watch for much of these waters. Just looking for the easiest sail plan that still gets us out on the islands.
Here is my current draft:
Lagoon Caye
Hideaway Caye
Coco Caye
Southwater Caye
Wippari Caye
Placencia Caye
Any other tips for sailing belize would also be much appreciated!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Hungry Eagle

I know this is probably an oxymoron, but I would like suggestions on easy-to-enter anchorages on our one week charter out of Placencia. We will be on a 45ft catamaran. I have several charter weeks under my belt with the most technical being the Abacos. But given the nature of my crew for this trip, I would prefer an easy sail plan through deeper water as much as possible. I realize that we need a bow watch for much of these waters. Just looking for the easiest sail plan that still gets us out on the islands.
Here is my current draft:
Lagoon Caye
Hideaway Caye
Coco Caye
Southwater Caye
Wippari Caye
Placencia Caye
Any other tips for sailing belize would also be much appreciated!

I used to live in Belize and worked there as a charter captain. A few suggestions:

Get a copy of Freya Raucher's cruising guide in advance. It is still the best navigation guide to Belize. Have it onboard and use it to plan your routes (not the chart plotter!).

Do not trust ANY electronic charts in Belize. They are all incorrect to some extent. The only areas with current surveys are around Belize City and Placencia, due to commercial traffic.

That said...

A good first night anchorage is Lark Caye. It is close to Placencia with good holding and good protection. It is very deep, like 60', but should not be an issue with a good windlass.

Lagoon Caye is a cool stop, but the holding is not very good. It was a better stop when there was a mooring there, but to my knowledge thats long gone. I dont suggest trying to get inside of Lagoon Caye, there is a shallow bar across the entrance and no seeums would be VERY bad that close to the magroves. Good snorkelling around Lagoon and around the fringe mangroves.

Hideaway (Pelican Cayes) is a great stop. Very deep anchorage, but I think Hideaway has moorings too. Entry is a little complex, but go slow and follow Freya's guide (note: one mangrove caye is missing on her chart, but the route is still valid).

....more to follow...

[belizesailor]

Cont...

Southwater Caye. Great stop. Good holding in sand. Excellent snorkeling along the cut. Resorts ashore may be able to serve you dinner with advanced notice. They can also arrange SCUBA diving.

My suggestion for visiting Southwater is to go north up the Inner Channel to about Dangriga then cut across to Tobacco Caye using Freya's route. Give the first charted shoal on her route a wider berth than shown since it extends a bit further north. Otherwise this route is free of obstructions. The depth is relative shallow, but as long as you follow her course line, or even a bit north of it, you should be in at least 6' along the entire route.

Tobacco Caye is one of my favorite stops. Its a little community on a little island. A couple of bars ashore. A few "resorts" too that may be able to offer dinner. Great snorkeling along the cut. My favorite spot to anchor is just north of the caye on the sand flats behind the reef. Good holding in deep sand and shallow water.

From Tobacco it is an excellent day sail, just inside the barrier reef, to Southwater.

Leaving from Southwater is the tricky bit. You can go back the way you came which is the route with the fewest obstructions. Or...you can pick your way thru the shaols and one island group to the West. There is a more SW route out of Southwater. This is the best sailing route, but the charter companies dont normally allow it (without a local captain aboard) and with good reason.

Speaking of local captains. Having a captain/guide aboard is a great way to reduce stress and get to take routes and visit locations normally off limits to bareboaters. Example: the offshore atolls are the crown jewels of Belize and you cant go there without a local captain.

...cont...

[Hungry Eagle]

Thank you! An itinerary with the least amount of obstructions is exactly what I'm looking for on this first cruise in Belize. But I'm also keen on being the skipper and looking forward to the challenge. Thanks for all your time here...much appreciate.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Hungry Eagle

Thank you! An itinerary with the least amount of obstructions is exactly what I'm looking for on this first cruise in Belize. But I'm also keen on being the skipper and looking forward to the challenge. Thanks for all your time here...much appreciate.

You're welcome.

[belizesailor]

...and a few more from your list:

Wippari. Not hard to get to, but some obstructions to be aware of: see Viper Rocks. Used to be private moorings there. Dont know current status. It is possible to anchor, but it is deep and not great holding. Excellent snorkeling around the island.

...

[belizesailor]

Placencia Caye. If you are anchored in Placencia Harbour...then you are there. Tranquilos bar/restaurant ashore. Good snorkelling on windward side, but often too rough to access.

[belizesailor]

"Coco Caye"? Do you mean "South Long Coco"?

[Hungry Eagle]

Hi I was referring to Coco Caye/Thatch Caye.

[Hungry Eagle]

Hi Belize Sailor! We are getting close to our trip. How does the weather look to you for next week? Actually I'm not sure if you are in Belize, but I'm betting you know the weather there better than anyone.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Hungry Eagle

Hi Belize Sailor! We are getting close to our trip. How does the weather look to you for next week? Actually I'm not sure if you are in Belize, but I'm betting you know the weather there better than anyone.

Sorry I missed your post. I was travelling.

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Hungry Eagle

Hi I was referring to Coco Caye/Thatch Caye.

In the past it was cruiser friendly and had moorings. Ive not been there in a long time, but your charter company will know the current status.

[belizesailor]

Please post how your trip went!

[Hungry Eagle]

Sorry for the delay, but wanted to provide an update after our trip;
Belize is definitely a more adventurous sailing destination than the usual cruising spots. The fact that most of the sailing area out of Placencia is "uncharted" made it particularly unsettling for me as the skipper. We were there in December and the weather was not ideal with rain squalls each day some lasting a few hours. Unfortunately, we quickly had to abandon our sail plan and keep to the southern area and couldn't get up to Thatch and Southwater due to the unsettled weather. When I called Thatch they reported that their mooring buoys had just blown away.
So we stayed south and enjoyed two nights of excellent shelter at Pelican (excellent food and hosts at the Hideaway),
one night in high winds but great holding at Lark,
one night in Sopadilla Marina (new Marina and we were the only boat) where we enjoyed a hike to waterfalls at the nearby Jaguar reserve,
and one night in Placencia Marina (the resort north of Placencia village on the east coast)...good bar/restaurant.
We book ended our trip with nights in Placencia Caye...great protection and easy dinghy access to town.
We chartered through Dream Yacht Charter and the service and boat were excellent.
I will definitely return but do so with a more experienced crew and during a better weather month.
Special thank to BelizeSailor on this forum for all his help!

[belizesailor]

Originally Posted by Hungry Eagle

Sorry for the delay, but wanted to provide an update after our trip;
Belize is definitely a more adventurous sailing destination than the usual cruising spots. The fact that most of the sailing area out of Placencia is "uncharted" made it particularly unsettling for me as the skipper. We were there in December and the weather was not ideal with rain squalls each day some lasting a few hours. Unfortunately, we quickly had to abandon our sail plan and keep to the southern area and couldn't get up to Thatch and Southwater due to the unsettled weather. When I called Thatch they reported that their mooring buoys had just blown away.
So we stayed south and enjoyed two nights of excellent shelter at Pelican (excellent food and hosts at the Hideaway),
one night in high winds but great holding at Lark,
one night in Sopadilla Marina (new Marina and we were the only boat) where we enjoyed a hike to waterfalls at the nearby Jaguar reserve,
and one night in Placencia Marina (the resort north of Placencia village on the east coast)...good bar/restaurant.
We book ended our trip with nights in Placencia Caye...great protection and easy dinghy access to town.
We chartered through Dream Yacht Charter and the service and boat were excellent.
I will definitely return but do so with a more experienced crew and during a better weather month.
Special thank to BelizeSailor on this forum for all his help!

Hope you enjoyed your trip overall despite the weather.

Ironically, winter months are peak season, but are not the best weather. The best weather is during Spring months (March-May).