LEG 3.5
Belize and Roatan(area) – July2nd – July9th
AH BELIZE! What can I say to express how off the charts, unbelievably, totally Caribe, stellar beyond compare, scuba diving crazy, Belize is? They even still have pictures of the queen on their money. GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!
I loved it, and I think the crew did too. The atolls and reefs off shore are amazing. I think Dr. Dyan said it would take ten lifetimes to do it all. The people in Belize are so nice and laid back, and coupled with the fact that most of Belize is absolutely not touristy at all, you get pretty close to paradise in my book. Hard to believe it’s so close yet feels so far away.
Just beware the sand flies.(they will eat you alive)
Botswain’s Mate Tatoo(aka Bjorn) had some good planning on meals. We did fun excursions on various little cays, got a a few dives in, learned all about the Boobie Birds, and we all got to snorkle the BLUE HOLE! We even drove the Big R up into it!(and the Blue Hole isn’t nearly as big as it looks in pics)
The dive at Lighthouse Reef was simply one of the finest dives I’ve ever done. The reefs in Belize are healthy, and more variety of fish than Hawaii. Going to be hard to leave, and I’m still not sure that we do. Belize is the perfect place for a boat like Reliant. In fact, of the 30 boats in Old Belize Marina, two others are Lagoon 500.
A couple of squalls rolled through, but we were out of the way of the worst of them thanks to the atolls and reefs. Weather off shore was otherwise pretty nice considering the temp and humidity. The effects of the tropical waves persisted until our last two days.
There were a few naggy issues with the boat, outside of the previously reported repair list from leg 3, but thanks to Bjorn I’m trying to not over react. Radar is off to Raymarine, AIS is here in LA being serviced, another new prop is on it’s way, and autopilot solutions are in process. Tank senders are in hand, as well as vent loops for the bilge pumps.
(side note, someone at Lagoon should be strung up for putting the Bilge Pump thru hulls at the water line, and without anti-siphon breaks! Very uncool, and very dangerous!)
Gina get’s the best of crew award for the biggest smiles and for keeping the love going. Was great to watch the kids have so much fun in the water, but now I know why some animals eat their young! 😛
Special thanks to Matthew and his dad in Old Belize Marina. They are working on some special upgrades for Reliant, and are going to help with prep for leg 4.
Reliant is currently docked inside Old Belize Marina, just south of Belize City.
Leg Complete!