Sail With Winterlude
  • Commuter Cruiser. The resource for part time cruisers.
  • Available Now! The Boat Galley Cookbook!
  • Learning About Photography
  • Alaska Live
  • Jan's Top 10
  • Commuter Cruiser Off Season 2013!
  • WL Updates Fall 2012-Spring 2013
  • Winterlude Updates Here!
  • Day By Day 2011 Refit
  • "Refit" SW Florida 2010
  • 2009 - 2010 Colon, Panama to Florida
  • Annapolis to SW Florida
  • 2004 - 2005 Cut The Dock Lines! NW Caribbean
    • Goodbye Burnt Store! Off to Marathon Key
    • Waiting For Weather: Marathon
    • Our First Crossing: Dry Tortugas to Isla Mujeres>
      • Handbasket I
      • Handbasket II
      • Handbasket III
    • Isla Contoy and Isla Mujeres
    • Weather In Isla
    • Culebra Cays, Bahia de la Ascension, MX
    • San Pedro, Belize
    • Lamanai, Belize
    • Drowned Cayes & Belize City
    • Reflections On Cruising From Lighthouse Reef Atoll, Belize
    • Lighthouse Reef Atoll Con't
    • Tobacco & Colsen Cayes & Bluefield Range, Belize
    • Rio Dulce, Guatemala
  • About David & Jan
  • Life Inside Winterlude
  • Outfitting Winterlude
    • Getting Ready to Cut the Dock Lines
    • Changes Cruising the Western Caribbean
    • What Works & What Doesn't
  • Catamaran Hotel & Resort, Rio Dulce, Guatemala
  • Hurricane Charley
  • 2001-2004 Getting Ready Adventures
  • Tiger Cruise: US Navy
  • Lessons From The Bay Islands 2005-2006 (incl Robbed in Utila)
    • Robbed In Utila
    • Easting To Guanaja
    • Lucky Enough ... Jonesville, Roatan
    • One Particular Cut

What A Cold Front or Norther Looks Like! 

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We're still at Lighthouse Reef, Belize-don't remember if we told you about our day from hell yesterday?  The norther came though mid afternoon-but in the AM, a dive boat came out & dropped off snorkelers right behind where Wasabi & Winterlude were anchored.  Apparently that's the Half Moon Caye Wall.  Anyway, a ranger boat came by & told us we couldn't anchor there.  Now keep in mind, we're on the south side of the island, protected from all
sectors of north wind, it's already blowing 20+ with a big swell & this guy wants us to move.  AND he's insisting we come INSIDE the reef, to the north side of the island.  We explained & explained about the norther & how dangerous it would be for us to be on a lee shore during a norther, all for naught.  So Winterlude upped anchor & came inside.  Turned out alright, we anchored in about 6' of water over sand & the sand turned out to be VERY good holding-but still we were 1/4 mile from the island  lee shore, not safe.  Luckily, our buddy boat, Wasabi, was able to pick up a liveaboard dive mooring outside-they have a 7' draft and could not have gotten inside, too shallow.  They spent the norther on the empty dive boat mooring.  Unfortunately for them, the roll was rail to rail sideways & they were MISERABLE all night, a 2nd night of no sleep.  Inside here, once the wind switched to the NE, a little before dark, so we were protected from the reef, and our two anchors held us nearly motionless, we got a good nights sleep, even though we weren't expecting it.

Today was absolute south seas paradise!  In the morning, we took the dinghy & went exploring-went in to the island, hiked a bit, walked the beach, talked a guy named Rooster, the lighthouse keeper, into letting me climb the lighthouse in hopes of a picture perfect pic of Winterlude at anchor here-and I did climb the lighthouse, unfortunately, the palm coconuts were exactly at the wrong angle & I couldn't see Winterlude.  BUMMER. 
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Lighthouse on Half Moon Caye
Then we hiked to the other end of the island & climbed the bird observation tower &  saw baby boobies-these were red footed boobies, not the blue ones we saw in the Sea of Cortez!!! But the fuzzy white babies are very, very cute, altho they aren't very little!  :)  Then the bugs chased us back to our dinghy & we came back for lunch.  About that time, Brian & Lisa were dinghying in to pay their park fees (it was $10 BZ per person for as long as we want to stay-that's $5 US for each of us-what a DEAL!!!) -- we all decided we'd snorkel the reef over by their boat after we had lunch.  But first, David & I put the Airline together & used it for the first time (other that the quick test run we gave it outside Marathon just to make sure it worked) -- David cleaned the bottom of the boat & I watched the conch & crabs crawl all over the sand under our keel.  It was WONDERFUL-I think I'm going to LOVE the airline!!!  :) 

Then we went snorkeling-LOTS & LOTS of fantastic coral, colorful sea fans, etc., but not as many fish as I had hoped, altho' I did see a French Angelfish.  But as David says, that's just one spot & there are dozens more to explore!   :)  Not sure what's up tomorrow - Brian & Lisa want to dive the Blue Hole (well, if Lisa can find her heavy wetsuit, the water's a bit chilly) -- they have tanks for us if we want to go with them.  We're not sure we want to try it-you have to get down 50' below a thermacline before the visibility gets better & then supposedly all there is to see are stalagmites & stalagtites.  But we'll see... we're not ruling it out yet either.
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Rooster, the Lighthouse Keeper's House on Half Moon Caye, Belize -- there are only two "residents" on Half Moon Caye -- Rooster & the Belize Audubon Society representative -- the Audubon Society guy collects the park fees & also cares for the island & the bird sanctuary at the other end.  They spend 2 weeks at a time & then trade off with another Audubon Society person.
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