Day 6 Geoff's Cay.
The next stop on our itinerary was snorkeling at Geoff's Cay. We set sail at 7am but spent several hours spinning around in the low wind. After an hour of tacking back and forth a mile from the island, we dropped the sails and drove in.
Geoff's cay is a small sandy island with a dock, a few palm trees, and a few structures put up for shade. We anchored in the eelgrass and spent some time diving around the boat collecting conch shells. I picked up one with with the swollen tentacle of a dead conch inside and as I held it out to Brian a small lobster darted out of the opening and up my arm.
While we gathered our equipment and loaded the dingy to visit the island three motorboats drove up and unloaded 100 tourists onto the dock. The island was suddenly crowded with people and noise. I thought we would be lost in the crowd but a man approached as we tied our small dingy to the dock and asked for $30.
The tourists were split into groups led by snorkel masters and were followed by one of the motorboats as they circled the reef. The insistent whine of the motor followed us as we swam. We started around the island counter clockwise from the dock and they swam the other way but when we met on the other side we had to pick our way through the huge group. In the outer distance we could see the crumbled ruins of 3m coral broken by boat props.
The island was in every respect the stereotypical tropical island with white sands, clear water, and a few palm trees. The effect is ruined when you add a hundred tourists.
The snorkeling around Geoff's Cay was the best we saw in Belize. It was as picturesque as you imagine diving coral reefs to be. Bojana and Ricky had the only working waterproof camera and they took a few pictures. I would have taken a hundred more.
The coral was bright and sun dappled and we were surrounded by fish. Some fish had frowns and puppy dog eyes, and others looked like they were smiling. Some were shy and others would swim up to peer into your mask. I lagged behind as the others swam around and Amanda came back to meet me. I spotted a large striped fish hanging in the shallows and I brought it to her attention and she held me back when I tried to swim closer. It was a barracuda.
It was hard to snorkel without weights. I tried to compensate by clinging to the bottom but this was tiring. I looked for some rocks to carry but all I could find was coral and nothing heavy enough to be effective. It was fun to dive down and look into crevices or holes in the coral. It was like diving in an aquarium.
We took our time circling back to the dock. It was crowded and loud as I sat in the shade underneath and had a beer. When they decided to head back to La Espirit du vent Amanda and I stayed behind. We wanted to swim back to the boat and see what there was to see in between.
There wasn't much. Away from the white sand, the ocean floor was a carpet of sea weed with few fish. Back at the boat they said we'd just missed the spotted stingray.
We had to drive to our next waypoint in the low wind. A pod of dolphins accompanied our boat as we set out for Robinson Point Cay. This cay is deserted and only notable for a sunken barge along the western side of the island. It's sunk in shallow water and is a good site for diving.
It was getting late when we arrived and I was feeling chilled after a long day so I stayed on board while Ricky, Bojana, and Brian swam out to the wreck. I figured I could dive it the next morning. I watched through my binoculars as they frightened off the flock of cormorants perched on the rusted frame that stuck out of the surface. They said it was infested with fish and rays.
Amanda had a sunburn on the back of her legs, arms, and butt from swimming on the surface around the shallow reef. She napped and I read Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness on her kindle.
Before the sun set the sky grew overcast and the wind got gusty and erratic. We heard thunder in the distance.
Then clouds thickened to obscure the stars and the wind died down leaving us adrift and quiet in the pitch black outside our deck lights. There was no separation between the sea and sky and with the engines off and no wind or echoes, it was like we were floating in outer space.
We played bananagrams and cribbage.
Sitting on the trampoline at the front of the boat you could just make out the silhouette of the trees and hear the distant crickets. Damselfish sparkled under the surface.
Ricky complained about his growing ear infection and scratched at it with the arm of his sunglasses.
The Storm
The storm arrived at 1am. As the first gale started to blow we all went up on deck to stow the clothing hung out to dry and comment on the lighting dancing on the horizon. The wind rattled the ropes making the hull creak and flex. It had changed direction and was blowing from the North, pushing us directly towards the wreck.
We hoped the anchor would hold and I remembered Freddie complaining about how thin the metal was where it attached to the chain and how it was only a matter of time before it broke. I also wondered what would happen if our mast was hit by lightning. We went back to bed.
At 2am we heard the sound of an boat engine over the roar of the wind and we gathered on the deck to watch another boat drive past. It was going into the wind in the high seas and gale. He went past us towards the island about 300 yards upwind and seemed to be setting anchor. We went back to bed.
At 3am, urged out of bed by the rhythmic knocking of the main lines against the mast I went on deck and saw the other boat about 20-30 feet from our side, rocking in the surf between us and the island. I woke Amanda and asked her to wake the others while I looked for a light. The seas were still high and the hull creaked and groaned.
My first concern was that we'd lost our anchor and were drifting but I could still make out the rusted frame of the sunken barge behind us. Then I was concerned they were going to collide with us and I considered getting into the storage holds at the front of the boat to bring out the bumpers. The seas were so high if we touched one or both of us would have sunk.
I shined my flashlight on their boat but we could see nothing through the driving mist. A moment later, they started their engines and drove away north to the sound of their anchor winch pulling up chain.
We watched them go until their anchor light was lost in the haze and wondered what had happened. Did they slip their anchor? Did they just not see us? Brian mentioned pirates and we laughed.
