Boater Tragedy in Belieze
 

Thread on stranded boat rescue progress (or deliberate lack thereof):

http://www.renegade-cruisers.org/bb/...pic.php?t=1656

The owner/victim's "after action report:"

http://www.renegade-cruisers.org/bb/...c8e67c53289baf

Cruising in Belize, anyone?

Al
s/v Persephone

Albert P. Belle Isle wrote in
:

http://www.renegade-cruisers.org/bb/...postdays=0&pos
torder=asc&start=90&sid=0fbbb9b92f80c705b6c8e67c53 289baf


Ah, web browser based text messaging....Sure makes you appreciate usenet,
doesn't it.

I have a ham radio friend in Belize who is a marine scientist. I've
forwarded the news to him to alert them. They have several power boats
used in the research on those reefs. He's lived there for years.....

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.

Good on ya Larry!
"Larry W4CSC" wrote in message
...
Albert P. Belle Isle wrote in
:

http://www.renegade-cruisers.org/bb/...postdays=0&pos
torder=asc&start=90&sid=0fbbb9b92f80c705b6c8e67c53 289baf


Ah, web browser based text messaging....Sure makes you appreciate usenet,
doesn't it.

I have a ham radio friend in Belize who is a marine scientist. I've
forwarded the news to him to alert them. They have several power boats
used in the research on those reefs. He's lived there for years.....

--
Larry

You know you've had a rough night when you wake up and you're outlined in
chalk.

Albert P. Belle Isle wrote in
:

Thread on stranded boat rescue progress (or deliberate lack thereof):

http://www.renegade-cruisers.org/bb/...pic.php?t=1656

The owner/victim's "after action report:"

http://www.renegade-cruisers.org/bb/...656&postdays=0
&pos
torder=asc&start=90&sid=0fbbb9b92f80c705b6c8e67c53 289baf

Cruising in Belize, anyone?

Al
s/v Persephone

I just got back from spending most of this cruising season in Belize,
which is where I've spent the majority of the past 3 seasons. I'm also
a network controller for the NW Caribbean cruiser's net which meets at
1400 UTC on 8188.0 Mhz USB on a daily basis. I never heard anything
about this, and based upon an e-mail inquiry to some of the other
controllers, they didn't either. The only potnetial reference that we
have to this is a mention by S/V Conch Quest on June 22 that stated that
"2 boats were wrecked on the reef near Xcalak." I know of at least 5
boats that passed between San Pedro, Belize (Ambergris Cay) and Xcalak
during that period and none of them reported anyone requesting any
assistance via the VHF or SSB.

I will also state that during my 3 years of cruising in Belize that I
have had very few fishermen or otherwise approach that boat. I
certainly can't make the same statement for other Caribbean islands. I
have never been asked for "whisky, pot, cocaine, or cigarettes." At
most I've been asked if I wanted to buy fish. Belizians are some of the
most respectful people that I've met anywhere in all of the Caribbean.

I also wonder who the Belizian's were that denied the Mexican's from
assisting Choupique off of the reef. Belize has no one patrolling their
reefs or borders. There are only customs and immigration staff at San
Pedro and they don't have any boats. The area that he descibes is
rather remote, being less than a mile from the Mexican border and about
15 miles from San Pedro. I can't imagine who would be there to keep the
Mexican's from assisting and to monitor the situation without offering
to provide assitance.

The bottom line is that something is wrong with this report. Perhaps
this happened, but I suspect that this is far from the full and correct
story.

-- Geoff

On Tue, 05 Jul 2005 08:39:21 -0500, Geoff Schultz


The bottom line is that something is wrong with this report. Perhaps
this happened, but I suspect that this is far from the full and correct
story.

-- Geoff

Thanks for your comments and knowledge about this country. I have
heard good things about Belize and Costa Rica, middling things about
Honduras and horrible things about Guatamala. My impression is that
Belize is (for the area) a quite poor but not overly corrupt place
that is trying to capture a bigger share of the scanty cruiser/tourism
market, and this report of vulture-like behaviour is disturbing.

Let's hope a fuller story emerges. In my book, one of the worst things
you can do is to deny aid to a seaman in distress. Personally, I have
no problem condemning an entire country based on the actions of a few
of its citizens: there are pleasant and law-abiding places to go
aplenty still, and life is too short to worry overmuch about getting
robbed on a reef because officialdom is too corrupt to do their duty.

R.