TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums General Caribbean Sailing Belize

Hi everyone, not sure if this is the right forum, but I've scoured TTOL and don't see much info on sailing in Belize. We (husband, wife, 2 teen-ish kids) are going to be there for a week in early August and are exploring cat charters. If anyone has sailed there, I would love to hear advice on how to maximize a few days of sailing. Any suggestion on charter companies, must-see sailing stops, lessons learned, precautions or recommendations otherwise? We have sailed with Moorings a couple times with decreasing satisfaction each time so I'm interested in other reliable, local operations. If anyone knows of other sailing forums like this one where I can learn more about sailing in Belize, I'd be interested in that too.

I appreciate any advice you can offer.

Thanks.

My sailing experience in Belize is too dated (2003) to be of much help; we'd used TMM (they were terrific) but they are no longer operating in Belize. I will say a few things:

- The cayes are arrayed N-S, and the winds are principally easterly, so you'll be beam reaching when there is enough wind to sail, which is awesome;
- The people are lovely, and English is the principal language, so you'll never have any issue in the towns;
- This is not a super-beachy destination. The offshore reefs (which make Belize an exceptional dive destination) prevent a lot of sand accretion. The main attractions are diving/snorkeling and enjoying nature.
- The cayes are marshy and mangrove-y, so you many suffer from a lot of bug bites.

I'm sorry you're having disappointing experiences with the Moorings. I'm just back from a non-Moorings charter, and with the exception of TMM in the BVI a couple of years ago, I'm finding that charter companies are raising prices but are becoming indifferent to the people who pay those prices. The boats are turned around so fast that except for the most screaming of issues, that boats go out in mediocre condition.