WOW’s Caribbean cruise continues (#2)

The motley band of pirates aboard the good ship WOW continue their voyage of discovery and debauchery along the coast of Central America. After three weeks, under the direction of Cpt Dave, 1st Mate Mark, Able Seamen Al and Cabin Boy Graham have reached the shores of St George’s Caye in Belize, scene of a fierce naval battle when the English famously beat the Spaniards in 1789 and now even more famous for the dramatic rescue by WOWs dinghy of 3 damsels in distress, drifting perilously close to the pounding surf of the treacherous reef in a capsized hobie cat.

The Caribbean cruise has taken us from Rio Dulche and Livingston in Guatemala to Punta Gorda, Placencia and numerous Cayes and atolls towards San Pedro on Ambergris Caye in Belize. On the way we have dived in the famous 150m deep Blue Hole of Lighthouse Caye, spotted what could’ve been scarlet macaws in Redbank, engaged in vegetable trade with the Mennonites in Rosedale for some of the freshest cauliflower, carrots and aubergine and hunted jaguars in Cockscomb Reserve. We’ve swum with rays and reef sharks, witnessed a spectacular meteor display and seen enough tropical sunsets and moon rises to keep a poet in business for a lifetime. We’ve seen boobies and frigate birds, flying fish and turtles, bargained for lobster from tiny fishing boats miles from shore and perfected spinnaker gybes, screecher furling and cracked 15 knots on a beam reach to San Pedro

We’ve survived a traumatic crossing of the barrier reef in 2m breaking swells with a 20knot following breeze coming into San Pedro, definitely not for the feint hearted and an even more traumatic encounter with homemade limoncellos proffered by the proprietress of Belize’s leading Italian restaurant. We’ve also survived being boarded by heavily armed coastguards extracting $30 for visiting the Blue Hole

Now we are hanging out waiting for the trade winds to subside whilst sipping Cuba Libres at the Iguana bar in Caye Caulker which the dude from the Port Authority says will be definely some time later this year. Then we will risk recrossing the reef to head northwards towards Mexico where we hope to make it to Cozumel and Cancun to collect intrepidtoo 2 who is joining as our new first mate for the southward leg to Honduras, Panama and Colombia.