Belize Sailing Itinerary

Whipray Caye

Whipray Caye is located 4 miles northeast of Lark Caye. Just a five minute boat ride away is some of the best fishing you’ll find anywhere with tarpon, bonefish, snapper, grouper, and more. Whipray Caye Lodge’s open air Sea Urchin Bar and Restaurant serves up a variety of Belizean and American food, mostly fresh catches, and the fully stocked bar serves the coldest beer for miles around. Cruising in Whipray Caye waters is a delightful part of any cruise in Belize.

The day’s sailing

• 1 Hr 24 Mins Sailing time
• 7 Nautical miles

Mooring

Anchoring only (no cost)

Dinghy dockage: No dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, Paddleboarding, Kayaking, Snorkelling

Facilities

None

Discover Wippari Caye

The fishing is world-class in these waters. Taking some time to try your hand at landing the catch of the day is a pleasant addition to the sheer pleasure of yachting in Belizean waters.

South Water Caye

Part of Belize’s World Heritage Site, South Water Caye is situated on the barrier reef on the north side of the quarter-mile-wide South Water Pass. Palms rise skyward from pristine beaches. On the east side of the caye, the barrier reef drop-off is close to the beach, providing an ideal location for some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Belize. South Water Caye yachting is not to be missed!

The day’s sailing

• 4 Hr 48 Mins Sailing time
• 24 Nautical miles

Mooring

No moorings are available. Anchor on the west side of South Water Caye in the numerous sandy patches between tufts of sea grass. Protection is only good from the prevailing easterly winds. If the winds are predicted to shift or strengthen (even from the east), the better anchorage for overnight stays is at nearby Twin Cayes.

Dinghy dockage: Beach the dinghy virtually anywhere on the west shore or near the lodge docks.

Things to do

Watersports, Swimming, Paddleboarding, Kayaking, Snorkelling, Diving, Exploring, Sunbathing, Fishing

Facilities

Restaurants & Bars, WIFI, Dive shop

Marine Reserves – Southern Belize

The wonders of a Belize sailing holiday unfold primarily amid marine parks. In 1996, the United Nations World Heritage Committee approved the Belizean barrier reef as a World Heritage Site, now formally called the Belize Barrier Reef Reserve System. Four of the seven segments of the system within the realm of a Belize yacht charter: South Water Caye, Gladden Spit (Silk Cayes), Laughing Bird Caye, and the Sapodilla Caye. Gladden Spit encloses the Queen Cayes and, like Laughing Bird Caye, is a strict no-fishing zone. These two reserves are closed to bareboat charters. Other areas in the cruising grounds are also designated as marine preserves, collectively encompassing a wide swath of Belizean waters. The undeveloped cayes and the coral atolls are evocative of South Pacific islands, but instead of a long airline flight away, they’re close to home. The extensive reefs, drop-offs, sand ridges, sinkholes, pinnacles, caves, and many other features of the ocean floor teem with colorful undersea life.

Activities
Fishermen plying these waters named South Water Caye for the fresh water wells on the island. The two-story, red-roofed Pelicans Pouch, the main lodge of Pelican Beach Resorts on the south end of the cay, was a convent for the Sisters of Mercy when it was built in the 1940s. The Frangipani House (meaning gray house) is said to have a friendly ghost in residence. At the northern end of the island is the Blue Marlin Lodge, also part of Pelican Beach Resorts. It has a restaurant and bar. Dive excursions are also available. At the center of the island is an educational facility, International Zoological Expeditions, which has accommodations for students studying tropical biology and reef ecology; they also serve breakfast, lunch, and dinner for boaters (dinner reservations required). A path runs down the middle of the caye, making for a pleasant afternoon stroll.

Restaurants
Pelican Pouch, International Zoological Expedition and Blue Marlin Lodge. Dive shop available at Blue Marlin Lodge.

Cocoa Plum Caye (Thatch Caye Resort)

Cruising in Cocoa Plum Caye waters brings you to the northern boundary of the protected South Water Marine Reserve, in the Coco Plum Range of islands. Scenic, remote, and breathtakingly beautiful, a visit to these waters is a highpoint of a cruise in Belize. The beaches are superb, and there’s a restaurant and two bars at Thatch Caye Resort, making a trip ashore even more appealing.

The day’s sailing

• 2 Hr 24 Min Sailing time
• 12 Nautical miles

Mooring

Two moorings are located on the western side of the caye, and two moorings are located on the eastern side, affording protection in all seasons.

Dinghy dockage: Yes dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring,dive shop

Facilities

There is a small marina with a boardwalk for you to enjoy. Water and provisions are available. There is Internet access in the resort’s guest areas. Scuba tank air fills are available at the resort.

Discover

Take a relaxing stroll on the nature paths and observe wildlife such as coatamundis, frigate birds, brown pelicans and iguanas. Enjoying dinner and drinks at the Thatch Caye Resort is a pleasant way to spend a late afternoon or early evening.

Pelican Cayes

Sailing south from Cocoplum Caye in the inner channel and passing between Quamino Cay and Cat Cay enter the protected Pelican Cay Range. Pick up a mooring between Northeast Cay and Northwest Cay and visit Hideaway Cay, one of the best kept secrets in the cruising grounds. Enjoy a freshly caught lobster or fish dinner, and swop sailing stories with the owners. Arrange for fresh homebaked bread for breakfast. Paddle across the sheltered waters on a paddleboard or kayak and find interesting snorkel spots in the range.

The day’s sailing

• 3 Hr Sailing time
• 15 Nautical miles

Mooring

Mooring Bouys. Five moorings at a cost of US$20 per night

Dinghy dockage: No dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, snorkeling, restaurant and bar, kayaking and paddleboarding

Facilities

Restaurant & Bar

Discover

A good option in unsettled weather for a protected anchorage. Deep water anchorage but Hideaway Cay owner will help you select a safe spot to drop the anchor and tie nto mangroves if all moorings are occupied and bad weather is expected. You can also enjoy some food & drinks at the Hideaway Cay restaurant and bar.

Ray Caye

Experience all the desirable traits of a deluxe private island at Ray Caye. Nestled just 25 nautical miles off the coast of Placencia, Ray Caye offers a delightful mix of natural beauty, fun activities, and best-in-class accommodations. Home to the premier Ray Caye Resort, seclusion and leisure take on new meaning at this exclusive little island, which only hosts about 16 guests at a time. The island staff’s warm hospitality will make you feel right at home, even though you’re miles away from ordinary, without a care in the world. From the resort restaurant to the luxurious menu of spa services, Ray Caye is a place unlike any other.

The day’s sailing

• 2 Hr 24 Min Sailing time
• 12 Nautical miles

Mooring

Mooring: 11 moorings, US$25 per night.
Dinghy dockage: Yes

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, dive shop

Facilities

Restaurant, wifi, dive shop, water and ice.

Discover

Lionfish Grill Restaurant is highly recommended for a fine dining experience that is every bit as delicious as it is authentic. Enjoy superior snorkeling conditions all around the caye and onshore, wifi is readily available to accomodate your relaxation needs. Visit the dive shop to arrange for a dive or snorkel trip to nearby Queen Cayes.

Lark Caye

Before an overnight stay at Lark Caye take a day sail to Ranguana Caye. Situated on the barrier reef near Ranguana Pass, Ranguana Caye is the largest of several others that extend southward from Queen Cayes. Cruising in Ranguana Caye waters is very scenic, simply lovely by any standards. The unspoilt white-sand beaches are perfect for swimming, sunbathing, and snorkelling. After a day of exploring head to Lark Caye, a pristine location ideal for snorkelling, scuba diving and fishing.

The day’s sailing

• 1 Hr 36 mins Sailing time
• 8 Nautical miles

Mooring

No moorings balls. Anchoring is recommended.

Dinghy dockage: No dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling,fishing, kayaking and paddleboarding

Facilities

No facilities for yachts are available.

Discover

Snorkeling on the patch reefs near the anchorage is impressive and pleasant. Check out the Ranguana Reef Resort’s small restaurant and bar. Fishing is great in this area, as is diving. Snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing are highly recommended on Lark Caye.

Placencia Harbour

Yachting in Placencia waters brings you to a delightfully picturesque village. A lovely, crescent-shaped beach lined with a long row of palms borders the small town. Beautiful flowers, thick stands of trees, and quaint framed houses on stilts add to the idyllic tropical setting. The people of Placencia are warm and friendly, making your visit even more pleasant.

The day’s sailing

• 1 Hr Sailing time
• 5 Nautical miles

Mooring

No moorings available. The anchorage west of Placencia Caye is excellent when winds are from the northwest to east.The bottom is turtle grass. Make sure your anchor is well set.

Dinghy dockage:Dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring

Facilities

Water, ice, restaurants and bars, fuel, wifi, ATM, dive shops, trash

Placencia Harbour

Situated on Placencia Lagoon, sometimes home of the endangered manatee, Placencia Harbour is both picturesque and quaint. Fishing has been a keystone of the local economy for generations, and it’s still important to the 600 or so people living in the village and the surrounding area. Walking the mile-long, pedestrian-only sidewalk meandering among the houses built on stilts is like stepping back in time, but modernity is making inroads in the form of several luxury beachfront resorts offering numerous amenities, including fine dining. The laid-back atmosphere of Placencia is a perfect way to leave the cares of a busy life behind and ease into a sailing adventure in one of the most serene and beautiful countries in the Western Caribbean.

Placencia Harbour to Lark Cay

To help you find your sealegs, the first day’s sail is not too far. Anchoring in the peaceful Lark Cay Range, your captain will take you to snorkel at one of the smaller cays, before a walk on Ivan’s Cay, where you can swing in a hammock before returning to the yacht for the first evening’s sundowners and dinner.

The day’s sailing

• 1 Hr 48 mins Sailing time
• 9 Nautical miles

Mooring

No moorings balls. Anchoring is recommended.

Dinghy dockage:No dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling,fishing, kayaking and paddleboarding

Facilities

No facilities for yachts are available.

Discover

Snorkeling on the patch reefs near the anchorage is impressive and pleasant. Check out the Ranguana Reef Resort’s small restaurant and bar. Fishing is great in this area, as is diving. Snorkeling, paddleboarding, kayaking and fishing are highly recommended on Lark Caye.

Tobacco Cay

In preparation for your exit of the barrier reef to explore the offshore atolls, you will anchor overnight in the lee of Tobacco Cay, a small barrier reef island with a lot to offer. The sail from Lark to Tobacco will take approximately 3 hours, with a stop for snorkeling off Carrie Bow Cay, home to a marine research station associated with the Smithsonian Institute. From there about five miles of sailing just inside the barrier reef gets you to Tobacco Cay. This tiny island is crowded with palm trees and small fishing shacks belonging to Belizeans who mainly visit the island over weekends or holidays. At other times it is fairly quiet, but there is always music at one or other of the little bars on the island. Snorkeling on the nearby reef is a wonderful experience. For the divers your crew can help arrange a rendezvous dive of the spur and reef formations just outside the barrier reef. Ashore there are two well known lodges. At Reefs End Lodge, with its slight elevation, you can sit and watch the many eagle rays and tarpon which follow the local fishermen. Sometimes drummers are at the resort to entertain visitors with their drumming skills; otherwise reggae music is the order of the day (or night!)

The day’s sailing

• 3 Hr Sailing time
• 30 Nautical miles

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring

Facilities

Restaurants and bars

Discover

Restaurants and bars, local music

Turneffe Islands, Caye Bokel

Exiting the barrier reef through Tobacco Cut your charter takes you northwards towards Turneffe. The Turneffe Islands are fairly close to the barrier reef with many sand flats, a great favourite with flyfishermen. Approaching the southernmost island of Cay Bokel you will be escorted into the anchorage by pods of dolphins racing the yacht. The sail from Tobacco takes approximately 2.5 hours and anchor will be down in time for lunch and a snorkel or dive off Elbow Reef.

The day’s sailing

• 2.5 Hr Sailing time
• 20 Nautical miles

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring, fly fishing

Lighthouse Reef and The Great Blue Hole

Lighthouse Reef, where the iconic Great Blue Hole is located, is about 18 miles east of Caye Bokel. Your first night’s anchorage at this atoll will be at Long Cay where you will be able to use their wifi to catch up on communications and make dive arrangements for advanced open water divers wishing to dive in the Blue Hole. The yacht will pick up a mooring at the Blue Hole the following morning for divers to be picked up and snorkelers to snorkel the edging coral reef. The overnight anchorage will be at Halfmoon Cay, where again there is fantastic snorkeling and ashore, a bird sanctuary with a colony of about 4000 red-footed boobies. An observation platform gives you a wonderful view of the red flowered ziricote trees and nesting grounds for the boobies and frigate birds.

The day’s sailing

• 2.5 Hr Sailing time
• 20 Nautical miles

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring, diving, bird watching

Glovers Reef

A three hour sail from Halfmoon Cay takes you south to the northern part of the Glovers Reef Atoll. This spectacular oval shaped atoll is a great example of a true atoll. On all the outer sides it is steep-to with well defined reefs breaking the surface. The lagoon inside this fringing reef is deep but scattered with patch reefs and coral heads. After a snorkel break and lunch your journey continues south towards Marisol Resort in the southwest cayes. Wifi available here. After dinner you may be tempted to go to shore to enjoy a last cocktail at the bar over the water, enjoying the breezes that blow all the way from the Windward and Leeward Islands across the wide Caribbean Sea.

The day’s sailing

• 4 Hr Sailing time
• 38 Nautical miles

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring

Facilities

Restaurant, bar, wifi, dive shop

Discover

Restaurant, bar

Queen Cays and Ray Cay

Leaving the paradise that is Glover’s Atoll behind, a 21/2 hour sail brings you through Gladden Split, back inside the barrier reef. Next stop is the anchorage at the idyllic Queen Cays to swim with the turtles and nurse sharks before heading closer to the southernmost of these tiny cays in a protected reserve to snorkel all the way around the cay. After lunch you will sail westward to Ray Cay, an island resort where you can again pick up wifi, take a walk ashore and even swim in the pool.

Remember, the itinerary can be changed to suit personal preferences. Crews are flexible but also make sure of your safety, so if the weather is not kind, they will adjust the itinerary. Your experienced crew can take you to many areas where the snorkeling is sublime and the experiences unforgettable.

The day’s sailing

• 2.5 Hr Sailing time
• 25 Nautical miles

Mooring

The best anchorage is off the southern caye. A few moorings are available.

Dinghy dockage:No dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring, diving

Facilities

Restaurant, bar, wifi, swimming pool, dive shop

Discover

Lionfish Bar and Grill at Ray Cay, specialising in serving the invasive lionfish culled from the surrounding waters by their dive team

Placencia Harbour

Yachting in Placencia waters brings you to a delightfully picturesque village. A lovely, crescent-shaped beach lined with a long row of palms borders the small town. Beautiful flowers, thick stands of trees, and quaint framed houses on stilts add to the idyllic tropical setting. The people of Placencia are warm and friendly, making your visit even more pleasant.

The day’s sailing

• 1 Hr Sailing time
• 5 Nautical miles

Mooring

No moorings available. The anchorage west of Placencia Caye is excellent when winds are from the northwest to east.The bottom is turtle grass. Make sure your anchor is well set.

Dinghy dockage:Dinghy dockage is available.

Things to do

Swimming, sunbathing, watersports, snorkelling, exploring

Facilities

Water, ice, restaurants and bars, fuel, wifi, ATM, dive shops, trash

Placencia Harbour

Situated on Placencia Lagoon, sometimes home of the endangered manatee, Placencia Harbour is both picturesque and quaint. Fishing has been a keystone of the local economy for generations, and it’s still important to the 600 or so people living in the village and the surrounding area. Walking the mile-long, pedestrian-only sidewalk meandering among the houses built on stilts is like stepping back in time, but modernity is making inroads in the form of several luxury beachfront resorts offering numerous amenities, including fine dining. The laid-back atmosphere of Placencia is a perfect way to leave the cares of a busy life behind and ease into a sailing adventure in one of the most serene and beautiful countries in the Western Caribbean.