Iguanas on the Dock 16:31.29N 88:22.28W
Five Islands
John & Sue
Thu 12 Mar 2015 23:28
We had spent a restful night at anchor due to light winds and the GPS Anchor Alarm. Don't care if you all think I am a wooz but first night at any anchorage, unless it is dead calm, i like to have the anchor alarm set so then i can sleep knowing that if we move further than a preset distance from our extended chain anchored position the alarm will wake me. After a couple of nights i worry less. Anyway, listening to the weather over the previous few days and again on Monday morning, the predicted winds were 25kts gusting 30kts. Not real bad but we decided that we would move around to the Placencia Lagoon for a bit more protection from the wind and waves and possible dragging boats, as there were a few boats in the anchorage. We asked Marla & Eli 'Iguana Dance' if we could tie up to their dock which is located on the lagoon side and is very protected. These guys were still down at Moho Cays so were happy for us to go to their dock. So reference number one to 'Iguana's' on the dock refers to the fact that 'Iguana Dance' is normally tied up at the dock. We negotiated our way around into the lagoon, then into their canal then tied up on their dock with the help of Jose, who had received a phone call from Eli to say we were coming. Either impeccable timing or pure luck. So what should wander down onto the dock about 30mins after we arrived, you guessed it, an Iguana, hence the 2nd reference to 'Iguana's on the dock'.
This Iguana has made a home in the sand just back from the dock and was not too pleased to see us
I went out to take this photo of the Iguana on the dock and he shook his head and let down his neck frill - very scary
Eli and Marla have a great place tucked away in a canal, not too far from town (walking distance). They have a fence, sliding gate, power, water, mango trees, palms and of course the dock. Really lovely. John woke the next morning with the feeling that someone was watching him. He woke me and we both were being watched by a very inquisitive cat peering in our bedroom hatch. I was sure this cat was going to join us in bed, so patted it and sent it on it's way.
Marla & Eli's plot of paradise.
Another sunset from our cockpit
John caught the 10am 'Hokey Pokey' across to Mango Creek (BZ$8) then caught a taxi/minivan into Independence (BZ$25 round trip and he waits for you) with other people. He had to visit 4 departments (Immigration BZ$90, Port Captain BZ$200, Customs & then Agriculture BZ$20 - who did a virtual inspection of the boat from from his chair). Then back to the 'Hokey Pokey' for the 1200 boat ride back to Placencia. Just a word to those who may read this blog and are gaining info for the checking in process for Belize, there was another person being served at another counter in Immigration and the woman official was giving him a really hard time about his wife not being present in the office with him. I did not go with John and he was beginning to think he would have to come back and get me. As it was, the guy that served him did not ask or say anything about me not being present. So just a warning that tomorrow they may require each person holding a passport to be present. So we are now legally here for a month, any longer and you must apply for an extension.
We usually monitor the radio on Ch68 and heard a call from a boat to his home base the 2nd afternoon we were at the dock. The call was from a boat based in the canal just up from us. We had met these 2 guys the day before when they swam up to the boat, introduced themselves and checked us out to make sure we were there with permission, the good neighbour thing. They had taken the boat out to Coulson Cay (not far from Placencia) and one of the guys started suffering from angina. They organised through their home base (wife) to have medical assistance meet them as they came in. John went over to a neighbour and told him what was happening and that they may need help to dock the boat when they came in. Geoff and John headed out to meet them in Geoff's launcha. John climbed on board the moving yacht so he could throw the lines when they docked. Geoff and 2 others were on the dock to catch the lines and tie off. We heard later that he was OK and resting at home. A bit of excitement you don't expect and with a positive outcome.
We caught up with Daniel & Piedad & Nokia who were staying at Robert Grove Marina. Daniel came and picked us up in his hired golf buggy and drove us to the resort for a wonderful dinner. They left the following day for the Islands. We went food shopping, had lunch at the Shak then a quiet night looking up and entering waypoints onto the chart plotter and Navionics for our trip out to the Islands. This is the first season we have used Navionics on the iPad as our backup navigation system. The paper charts out of the Rausher guide are reasonable and give waypoints and heading info and if we plot this info into the Garman Chart Plotter and the Navionics charts. We have been a bit surprised that they appear to be reasonably accurate. We have only driven on land a couple of times so far. We will see how accurate they are out around the Islands when we get out there.
The cat in the hatch returned for several hours and several pats last night and jumped in through open hatches to 'come inside' on numerous occasions. We had to check the boat before we went to sleep to make sure it had gone home home.
Our thoughts were that we would leave the dock today (Thursday) and head out to Wippari Cay, but the winds continued to be quite brisk this morning (18kts) and out of the ENE (on the nose again) and it was overcast. Not great conditions, especially when going to a coral cay and not having good sunlight to see the reefs. So we moved back out to anchor in the harbour with the positive thoughts that at least we get to go to Tranquilo again for those Coconut Shrimp (Prawns).