Hello LCYC members!
Many of you will remember Rene and Michael, but we have been gone so long due to COVID (3 years) that several members will not know us...
Introduction
Michael has been a long-term member of the club and Rene has been around more than a decade. Michael has been commodore of LCYC twice and Rene severed as the secretary for years.
When Rene and Michael come back in the summer from their journeys, they take on regular duties as well as goose and tourist patrol. (live-in security guards) You will find them on their boat, “WindWeGO” at the dock in Lagoon City Yacht Club. The boat is a Clipper Marine 30 and is usually docked on the corner, beside Private Dancer. But they have not been home for 3 years, so the boat was absent from the dock.
Our Blue Water Adventure
In 2016, when they both were retired, Rene and Michael decided that the cruising life was for them. So, they sold off their worldly possessions, left LCYC and headed south through the North Channel and down the river system in the US from Chicago. In Mobile Alabama, they welcomed the ocean breezes and water but kept heading south. They enjoyed seas off both coasts of Florida and manage a season at the Bahamas. For hurricane season they traveled to Fort Myers, just in time to survive hurricane Irma as she came whirring through just 20 miles away. Fortunately, there was no damage on the boat.
Eventually they traveled from Florida to Mexico. The furthest south they have been is Guatemala, where they hide from hurricane season. You can find them hanging out in Belize and Guatemala, when they are not in Lagoon City. So far, they have had 6 delightful years living in the sunny south or in the summer at Lagoon City, always on a boat.
If you have never been on an extended cruise, you fantasize about sunsets, snorkeling, and sun downers. Unfortunately, no green flash.
After hitting the reality, you realize that the saying about cruising. It is coping with fixing your boat in foreign locations with make do parts.
Since Rene and Michael are now close to the North American continent, they can usually get parts, but the wait can be long and the expense great.
The last 6 years, thank goodness, have been a bit of both glorious vistas and repair issues. Yes, they have had their challenges with modifications and upkeep on the boat, but there have been some wonderful experiences as well. But rest assured, cruising is worth every provocation.
Today as Rene writes this report, they are enjoying South Water Cay, just off the coast of central Belize. Michael is cooking breakfast and Rene is enjoying the balmy weather, listening to the ocean as it breaks over the nearby reef. The reef in Belize is the second longest reef in the world. Belizeans work hard to protect it and refurbish the area by planting coral where damage has occurred.
Here is South Water Cay as seen from Sea Mist. A lot of cruisers and charter boats visit this island as it is very close to the reef.
And these are some shots from the island looking over the close snorkeling area and back to Sea Mist on anchor. Today, Rene is going to the island in the distance to go snorkeling. That small island is part of the reef.
Last night as they enjoyed happy hour on South Water Cay with some friends, they watched a bull shark chase a Spotted Eagle Ray. The ray escaped and came to shallow water close to shore. Michael was quick enough to get a photo in the crystal-clear water.
Rene and Michael will be in Lagoon City this summer (2022) and are ready to share their adventures or answer any questions about live aboard life.
For all of you interested in chartering, there are charter companies in Belize.