It was good that we planned to do short hops on this section of the coast, as the sea was on the beam causing the boat to roll and be uncomfortable even in light air.

Our first stop was Little Monkey Cay where we saw very little. No villages were apparent from our vantage point and the only lights we saw at night were from the next bay south:the village of Monkey River Town. The anchorage was very quiet after the roll of the sailing day and we had a great night's sleep.

On Sunday, we headed for New Haven where we thought we would encounter some civilization. But we were wrong! Hard Luck Charlie died about ten years ago and no one has taken over his farm/marina/restaraunt. His place is fast becoming part of the jungle again, but you can still clearly see the frame of his old house and the marine railway which in the past lifted boats up to 40' out of the water for repairs and storage.

Hardluck Charlie's

On Monday morning we were up and on our way be 7:00 a.m. Arriving in Punta Gorda at 12:30, we ate lunch and then went ashore to clear out at customs and immigration. Of course, it was another "Experience" of a 3rd world system! The solution to any problem seems to come with a price tag, but again, I guess its much the same the world over and the fine for not having been given a medical certificate when we checked into Belize was not unreasonable. We are after all is said and done, visitors to this country.

The most disappointing thing about Punta Gorda was that the power was off for 5 or 6 hours, so we couldn't get onto the internet! No contact with the outside world!

Normally, a boat cannot risk anchoring over night at Punta Gorda and must go back up the coast a few miles to anchor behind an island. However, we were able to stay due to a low pressure system that was hanging over the area. There was literally no wind!
It rained sohard in the night that the port over the bed leaked causing me to be rudely wakened. After being wakened a second time, I moved to a drier bed!

Bob has since repaired/adjusted that port and I no longer open it, EVER!!!!!

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written by  bobandglennda on March 15, 2009 from Punta Gorda, Belize
from the travel blog: Sailing from Florida to Cenral America
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I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don't know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading. Nice blog. I will keep visiting this blog very often.

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http://www.lyricsdigs.com

written by  Sarah on March 16, 2009

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