What if you could embark on a journey across the world with your loved ones on a boat or a luxurious yacht of your own? You can picture yourself cruising through the Western Caribbean and Belize on a motor yacht, exploring concealed inlets and private beaches on a sailing catamaran, all while your captain and crew attend to your every need. Chartering a boat can also offer the opportunity to be your own captain, allowing you to sail along the stunning Belize Barrier Reef and hundreds of cayes, following your desired route for the day.
Belize is a fantastic cruising destination that offers endless possibilities for exploration. With hundreds of miles of reef, dozens of cayes, and three offshore coral atolls, you can spend weeks cruising the area and still only encounter a few other boats.
To the south lies Guatemala’s Rio Dulce, which is the ultimate hurricane hole in the region. It is vastly different from Belize in every way possible, offering a unique cruising experience that feels like entering a completely different world.
Difference Between A Yacht And A Boat
Although many boating enthusiasts use the words “boat” and “yacht” interchangeably, the two terms are actually quite distinct. A yacht, for example, is a larger and more luxurious recreational boat or ship. The term “yacht” has Dutch origins and originally referred to a light and fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to capture pirates. In contrast, a boat is typically smaller in size and can range from a fisherman’s boat to a sailboat.
Yachting In Belize – What To Expect
A yacht charter vacation in Belize promises an unforgettable cruising experience with year-round balmy easterly trade winds ranging between 15 and 22 knots, providing calm waters for sailing behind cayes and reefs. The passages are short, and navigation is primarily line-of-sight. It’s advisable to plot courses and pay attention to the charts due to the numerous reefs. Keeping a good bow watch and reading depths based on color changes is also important, particularly due to seasonal changes in sandbars. Even captains with basic skills in coastal navigation can enjoy a Belize yacht charter, and both experienced and novice charterers are drawn to the area’s beauty and unique character, making it one of the best snorkeling and diving locations in the Western Caribbean. Year-round temperatures range from 74°F to 84°F.
A Belize cruising vacation focuses on the superb onboard experience, scenic anchorages behind palm-fringed or mangrove-lined cayes, and fantastic snorkeling and scuba diving in some of the clearest waters you’ll ever see. You can also explore local cuisine and Belizean culture by visiting restaurants on the cayes. However, a Belize yacht charter can offer much more than that. Many guests choose to extend their adventure by taking guided dive excursions to the Great Blue Hole, a geological wonder located within Lighthouse Reef, or sightseeing tours of the Mayan ruins inland.
Anchorages In Belize
If you’re planning to cruise to Belize in your own boar or yacht, there are several anchorages available among the cayes and coastal villages. However, there aren’t many opportunities to refuel, so it’s best to plan accordingly. You can find marinas in Belize City, Ambergris Caye, Caye Caulker, Caye Chapel, Moho Caye, Placencia, and Punta Gorda.
The Belize Barrier Reef offers calm inshore waters without the crashing surf or large swells of the open ocean. It’s also a stunning sight to see as you approach. However, it’s crucial to stay well clear of the reef as there are numerous coral heads dotting the water on the inland side of the reef.
When anchoring, bottom conditions are crucial to consider. There’s mud around Belize City and river mouths, sand around the many cayes further offshore, and grass beds near the inshore cayes. Anchoring in coral is frowned on and should be avoided. If there’s no other option but to anchor in sea grass, make sure the anchor has dug in properly and that you’ve allowed sufficient rope for tide, wind, and wave conditions before leaving the vessel.
Belize, formerly known as British Honduras, is located on the Western Caribbean Sea and shares borders with Mexico and Guatemala. Its main highlight is the impressive 175-mile long barrier reef, the second largest in the world after Australia’s Great Barrier Reef. The underwater scenery here is renowned for being among the best anywhere in the world.
Between the reef and the coastal strip, you’ll find countless uninhabited islands and cays. This is what makes Belize a popular cruising destination, offering numerous secluded anchorages, exceptional diving opportunities, and excellent fishing. Many people choose Belize as an alternative to the crowded Eastern Caribbean. It’s important to note that several navigation lights or marks in the area are either out of order or missing, so it’s advisable to avoid navigating at night. Even during the day, caution should be exercised when navigating the barrier reef area.
When it comes to yachting facilities, Belize has limited options. Belize City provides some repair facilities, good provisions, and a limited supply of hardware, but there is very little yachting equipment available. Due to frequent thefts from boats and lengthy administrative procedures, most boat owners now prefer to avoid Belize City if possible. A new boatyard has been established in the Placencia Yacht Club.
If you plan to explore the interior, which is another major attraction of Belize, a more convenient and secure place to leave your boat is the newly built Cucumber Beach Marina, located just south of Belize City. It has been suggested that this marina also serves as a good base for visiting Mayan sites in Guatemala, such as Tikal.
Entry Requirements For Pleasure Craft
To charter a yacht in Belize without a skipper, you’ll need to fill out an application for a temporary Certificate of Competency and submit it along with a color copy of your passport and a clear head-shot picture. Your application will be forwarded to the Belizean Port Authorities, and the Temporary Certificate of Competency and Disclosure is required for all bareboat charters in Belize.
Belize has implemented a new system called SailClear for Pleasure Vessels that enter our territorial waters. This system is a regional vessel Pre-Notification Arrival System, and is accessible for free through the website sailclear.com To comply with this new system, the master or agent of the vessel must input their voyage data on the website at least 48 hours before arriving in Belize.
The Belize Port Authority has two classifications for pleasure craft: Large Yacht means a vessel measuring fifty (50) feet or more in length and/or ten (10) feet or more in width. Small Yacht means a vessel measuring less than fifty (50) feet in length and / or less than ten (10) feet in width;
If for any reason the master or agent is unable to submit the voyage data through SailClear, they will be required to provide the information upon arrival in Belize. There are four locations with Kiosks where this can be done: Fort George Hotel Marina (formerly the Radisson) – Belize City, Old Belize (Kukumba Beach) Marina – Belize City, Amigos de Mar – San Pedro Ambergris Caye and, Roberts Grove Marina – Placencia.
Arrival Formalities
Advance Notification: When entering Belize’s territorial waters, it is mandatory for all yachts to establish contact with the Belize Port Authority. This can be done either via VHF on Channel 16 or by sending an email to vto@portauthority.bz, providing a “Notice of Arrival” (NOA).
Failure to notify the Port Authority in advance of check-in may result in fines for yacht owners. Make sure to include copies of passports and boat registration along with the notification. Ports of Entry: Foreign recreational vessels are permitted to enter all ports of entry in Belize.
In Belize City and Big Creek, the Customs and Immigration offices are located near the Port Control office. In Punta Gorda, all these offices are situated together in one building near the dinghy dock. However, please note that Punta Gorda is an open roadstead and is only suitable during settled weather. It has been reported that high clearance fees are charged in San Pedro. More Information for Pleasure Vessel Owners and Masters at Belize Port Authority
Areas To Explore
If you’re considering hiring a yacht for your Belize sailing adventure, there are two main sailing areas to explore. The first is inside the barrier reef, an approximately 140 square nautical mile area where the seas are sheltered from the swells of the outer Caribbean. Although the area is poorly charted, you can still rent a bareboat or join a flotilla sailing group to explore this shallow sailing area. To go on a self-directed cruise, you’ll need an RYA Day Skipper or ASA 104 Bareboat certificate. The primary charter bases are Robert’s Grove Marina and Laru Beya Marina, both located on the Placencia Peninsula.
If you’re interested in scuba diving at the Great Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef, you’ll need a local skipper on board to navigate you safely beyond the Belize Barrier Reef. Underwater obstacles can make navigating this area challenging, and the water is deeper, allowing larger yachts to navigate these waters. However, even a 12-meter yacht can run aground on a subsurface coral head that isn’t marked on the charts. A good source of current events for cruisers in or headed to Belize can be found in the Belize Cruisers Net Forums: https://www.facebook.com/groups/168838740437612
Marine Reserves
Cruisers often find themselves confused and frustrated by the multitude of Marine Reserves in Belize and the fees associated with them. This section aims to provide some clarity on the matter.
One of the primary sources of confusion is a lack of understanding of the location and boundaries of the marine reserves. A map that clearly shows the location of each reserve would be incredibly helpful for cruisers.
The best map, which includes all of the protected areas, including the Marine Reserves, is produced by PACT (Protected Areas Conservation Trust). When you pay your clearance fees in Belize, a portion of those fees go towards the PACT fee, which is then used to fund the various protected areas. Each of these areas, whether on land or sea, is typically managed by a separate entity, although some entities may manage more than one.
Best Time To Charter A Yacht
If you’re planning to charter a yacht in Belize, the best time to do so is between November and May, which is the sailing season. During this time, the weather is settled, and temperatures range between 25-35 degrees Celsius, making it the perfect escape from winter.
Although March and April are cooler, the sailing is still enjoyable, and Belize is a tropical country, so you can expect warm temperatures year-round. For those looking for a unique sailing experience, August and September are said to be the best months. However, it’s important to note that many yacht charter fleets will not be available during this time due to hurricane season, which runs from July to October. If a hurricane is approaching, your holiday will be canceled, and it’s best to avoid the region altogether as there’s no high ground to seek refuge. With storms becoming stronger each year, it’s not worth risking your safety.
When sailing inside the barrier reef, you’ll encounter calm waters and balmy easterly trade winds year-round. Although passages are short and primarily line-of-sight, referencing charts and plotting courses is necessary due to the many reefs in the area. It’s best to avoid Tom Owens Island as it’s difficult to navigate. If you plan to sail outside the barrier reef to Glover’s Reef, Turneffe Reef, and Lighthouse Reef, you’ll need a local skipper.
In Belize, trade winds blow consistently along the coastal cayes for most of the year, providing excellent cruising conditions.
Belize As A Super Yacht Destination
Belize is taking steps to develop the country into a superyacth destination. At a recent roundtable in Belize sponsored by the Tourism Board and BOAT International Media attended by nine charter brokers and managers, key areas to be developed were pointed out. Currently, Belize has inadequate infrastructure to accommodate superyachts, and there is no specific marina dedicated for this purpose. All the delegates unanimously agreed that improvements in this area would be necessary to attract superyachts for extended stays.
All of the attendees were positive about the potential that Belize has to attract superyachts in the future. “There is a lot of offer everybody,” said Denison Yachting’s Rose Jolis. “The trip has been incredible, the people are very inviting and very warm. Of course, there is the reef, which is the main draw for boats, but it is also easy to travel around the country to see archaeological sites, explore up rivers or even go fly fishing.” Another attendee added “You need a clear charter permit, a process that is not overly bureaucratic and a simple registration. You also need an easy way to pay taxes owed and a receipt.”
Another delegate stated that having clear charts and anchorage information for captains was critical. “I had a captain that did have a successful charter here last winter,” explained Casey Noble from Ocean Independence. “However, he told me that having a local dive master on board was the only reason that they knew where they could anchor without getting fined.” And, Burgess’ Charmine du Plessis added that she thought the lack of marina was putting Belize behind other destinations such as Panama and Costa Rica. “Having a state-of the-art marina where you have the infrastructure is hugely beneficial,” she added. “Boats want to know that they can come in, they can provision, and get guests off the boat for land experiences.”
On 29 June 2023 the Belize Cabinet announced that it was taking steps to develop Belize as a yacht and super yacht destination: “To further assist in the protection of the environment and to ensure that standards are implemented for the licensing of marinas, Cabinet approved the drafting of regulations for marinas and for amendments to the Harbours and Merchant Shipping Act. This is for a provision for the creation of regulation of marinas which shall include but is not limited to, the creation of new and existing marinas.
“Cabinet also approved the establishment of a subcommittee of the Maritime Technical Committee to create legislation for the development of nautical tourism, in particular, the pleasure yachting and super yacht industry in Belize.”
Superyachts frequent Belize but rarely make the news. Superyacht Samadhi belonging to New York hedge fund billionaire Daniel Loeb had an encounter with the Belize Barrier Reef in 2020.