Don't lick Red Frogs
16th – 31st Dec 2024
The busy anchorage closest to Bocas Town was in stark contrast to our previous cruising grounds. We had only seen a handful of other cruisers in Belize and it was a rarity to share an anchorage. Bocas Town anchorage is swarmed with Panga boats, who tear between the anchored boats causing a racket and chop. Having dropped Ben and Alex ashore for a few nights in a hotel after the long passage, Charles, LV and I quickly departed to find a quieter spot to drop the hook. A couple of miles west, a message pings though from Adam on Nanuka, a fellow Guern, who has sailed with his partner Liv from Guernsey to Panama over the last two years. They had seen our arrival in Bocas and invited us to join them at a floating bar that afternoon for a beer to catchup.
We pulled into an anchorage off Old Bank, on Isla Basimentos and quickly donned free diving gear to check the anchor and snorkel on the nearby reef.
Cooled off from our snorkelling session, and having narrowly avoided one of the chaotic pangas running me down, we zipped across the bay by dinghy to the floating Bar. Arriving later than intended we caught to last of the live music and had a few drinks under a stunning clear starry sky. Adam and Liv had already headed back to Nanuka and we soon invited to their floating home, a beautiful and welcoming Rival 41c. Purchased in the UK, Adam and Liv had painstakingly prepared her to become a full time world cruiser.
After hours of conversation, tales of boating misadventure, laughter, and several beers later we had a lively moonlit dinghy ride back to Argonauty with cheers of excitement as we got flighty over swell rolling in the exposed channel back to the Old Bank anchorage, dodging floating coconuts.
For more about Adam and Liv’s adventures aboard Nanuka, please visit their great blog over at ecosailingdiary.com
Red Frog
Smaller than a thumb
The following morning, we pulled anchor and motored west down the tranquil Bahia Honda inlet to Red Frog Marina, as I brought Argonaut alongside the pontoon, noting how much stronger the prop wash was now the prop pitch had been increased back in Belize, we were welcomed by friendly marina staff.
We tend to prefer sitting on anchor over marinas, but after the recent offshore passage we had a mountain of laundry to run ashore and being alongside provided a good opportunity to tidy and deep clean Argonaut. We soon discovered Red Frog was more than just a well serviced marina. With access included to private oceanside beaches, 4 bar/ restaurants and trails to the jungle. As you may have guessed, Red Frog takes its name, as you may have guessed, from their vibrant inhabitants. Strawberry Poison Dart Frogs, are native to the Bocas De Toro archipelago, and curiously are different colours on different islands, a consequence of rapid evolution. No bigger than the end of my thumb, they pack a poisonous punch and secrete poison through their skin strong enough to kill a human. We soon got our eye in for spotting these tiny amphibians.
After an afternoon hiking the island trails and bodysurfing at Playa beach, we retired to the bar with infinity pool for a cocktail and pizza, it truely felt like a snippet of tropical paradise. Walking back at night with a high output torch I intently scanned the tree canopy, on the hunt for one of the areas slowest natives. The torchlight catches a three-toed sloth, hung peacefully from an overhanging branch. We slept well that night, excited for what the coming weeks of exploring the archipelago could offer. One of the following evenings, Ben and Alex joined us in Red Frog and we took pleasure in sharing the highlights the island of Basimentos and Red Frog had to offer. I think it's safe to say Ben would vouch for the great value for money offered by the Double Gin and Tonics in the infinity pool, particularly when one came foul of a rougue volley ball.
Not quite ready to call it a night, Ben and I called in on Salina, a bar/ restaurant in the middle of the island, which backed onto a travelers hostel. After a few games of pool, we sat for another servesa. Cups were soon being arranged into a triangle on the other end of the table and we were challenged to a game of beer pong by fellow travelers. Some miners Aus, others from Europe and the States. We fiercely played a few rounds into the night, only pausing to go wildlife spotting with the barman. No sloths this time, but a curious Opossum peered back at us from from the bushes.
Cueva De Mercilagos
The following day we slipped the mooring lines to head further east. I'd got wind of a cave to explore and after trading some messages with the land owner we were to be collected just after lunch.The journey to the entrance was equally enthralling, a tight winding river with sloths in the surrounding trees which hung low over the water. Arriving at a primative landing, we were led to Batman Justiliano’s traditional cabana on stilts where we were given helmets with torches whilst his pet parrot relentlessly talked at us. A muddy 20 min hike took us to the entrance, and with helmets secure and torches on we were told not to fear the bats who would soon welcome us.
It soon became apparent LV had slightly different caving expectations, having seen my earlier photos of crystal clear Cenotes in Mexico in the months prior. This was not that, the ceiling was adorned with hundreds of jostling bats and with some flying back and forth over our heads, the water was a chocolate brown and flowed steadily past us. Shrieks of excitement, (probably more like fear) echoed through the cave with reciprocating laughter. After 20 minutes we were told now was the time to leave our cameras and bags, as to progress further we would need to swim, climb and traverse some extra challenging sections.
After helping each other up a steep ascent with a precarious crack below to fall into, Ben and Charles turned back with alarmed looks on their faces. “Right, we’re turning back, quickly!” They had been greeted by a cave dwelling whip spider, which despite its aggressive looks, thankfully posed little risk to humans. With some encouragement we pass by carefully and continue to fumble our way through the muddy coloured water and take turns to swim through the deeper pools. We arrive at a another pool, complete with rushing waterfall. We launch in one by one and opt to turn out all our headtorches to fully experience the inky blackness. This is peiced by Ben’s dive torch from below rhe coffee coloured waters. There was one final challenge, to climb a waterfall into an upper chamber. After various attempts I found a successful way up and once sitting in the waterfall, I was able to coach some of the rest of the crew up with a helping hand or two.
La Loma
The following day, we had a less arduous activity planned. La Loma is a chocolate farm nestled in the jungle on Isla Basimentos. The farmland was managed by only a couple of individuals, and we were educated on the many species that they tended to in addition to the Cacao trees. After sampling the chillies being grown, and shedding a few tears, we were spoilt by a close up experience with a mother sloth and it’s baby slowing climbing through a low canopy. The baby reciprocated in our intent staring contest, appearing to becon us with its three toed limbs.
After spending a morning walking the grounds, we were led up to the Farm’s restaurant, an off grid octagonal building with wrap around balconies that overlook the surrounding tree canopies with views across Bahia Honda where Argonautl lay at anchor. Here we were shown the cacao harvesting process, sampling the cacao at various stages. The tour also included lunch which comprise of solely vegetables and fruits, grown in the ground of the farm. For dessert, cacao and nut balls with chocolate cookies of course.
Monkey Island
The weather was being somewhat unseasonal, so looking for a potential rainy day activity, we plotted a route to Coral Caye, west of Basimentos. There were two options, one in theory more guaranteed than the other. Navionics charts sounding suggested we could scrape through the shallow shorter route so we proceeded with caution and posted Ben in his happy place on the bow as a visual depth sounder.
It was a beautiful narrow passage and other than a few squeaky shallow moments we got through unscathed. The remaining route to Coral Caye anchorage, was a snaking route between many mangrove islands and shallow reefs.
Liv and Ads joined us that evening for a braai tucked in an anchorage in the mangroves near Coral Caye and we played card games into the night. We moved anchorage 8 miles across the bay to Monkey Island the following morning. Here, we ran into the owners of Pinnacle, a catamaran from Jersey who I'd been in touch with previously. Richard and Stef kindly invited Charles and I aboard for coffee and we met their young family whilst the rest of Argonaut’s crew nursed their sore heads from the games and beverages the night before.
A short dinghy ride later saw us greeted by the excentric French-canadian owner of Monkey Island. Francine introduced us to Capuchin, Mantled Howler, Squirrel and Tamarin monkeys who called two islands with a rope bridge home.
Christmas 2024
A rainy Christmas Eve
Christmas eve we spent on anchor south of Solarte, where in true Argonaut form we braaied and had many one too many rum punches. We traded Secret Santa gifts that evening, with a mix of useful and comical presents.
With our fellow channel islander friends on Nanuka and Pinnacle, we decided to congregate at an anchorage near Red Frog for Christmas day. The weather was decidedly British, starting with heavy rain. As this burnt off towards the middle of the day, we ventured ashore paying a token 5 dollars a head to the friendly Red Frog staff for the privilege of visiting again. We strolled across the island to a surfside beach, and shook the hangovers from Christmas eve with body surfing and being dumped on the sand by heavy sets. From surfing we played a fierce game of boules before retreating to the boats to continue with food preparation for the evenings communal dinner.
Liv and Ads joined us aboard Argonaut and we indulged in a truely great spread of food including fresh lobster a local had offered us from his dug out canoe just hours prior. As darkness fell we played various games into the night and became increasingly merry as we tried to dent our generous beverage stocks.
Dolphin Bay
Feeling less than awake on boxing day, we haul anchor and set course or Dolphin Bay further inland. Entering the bay we hook a corner and drop the pick for some free diving and a cool off. I’d clocked wreck on the chart and after some searching the Leopard 48 catamaran loomed out of the murk. Diving down I pass under the cross beam which is already starting to feature corals and be consumed by nature.
Satisfied after some physical excursion, we move to another anchorage and all quickly crash in to afternoon nap mode. The following morning we move anchorage again further south. With Alex, LV and Charles, off in the dinghy to find snorkeling spots and the sea mirror calm I pump up the paddle board and venture along the coastline between the mangroves. Reunited by lunchtime on Argonaut we journey ashore to stretch our legs on a property known as Wonderland trails. We arrive at a dock with two Pangas, but after ringing the bell with no response we trek into the jungle, soon discovering crocs are not a versatile as we like to think. Alex and Ben turn back, with LV and I persevering, ultimately the trail diminishes and becomes too flooded to continue so we back track before darkness descends. As we close in on the house near the dock we hear lively voices and are soon shouted at from up the hill and welcomed up to their cabana by Mia and Barrick. They are a South African couple, so excitable words of Afrikaans are soon exchanged with LV. Barrick offers us a beer and tells us the tale of acquiring the land and the process of making the trails available for visiting cruisers such as ourselves. Tame hummingbirds frequent the veranda, and Barrick tells of the Jaguar he recently caught on one of his camera traps in the nearby forest. Mia generously invites us to stay for dinner but we are overdue back to Argonaut for curry so we vow to try return one day and spread the word about the fledgling Wonderland.
Diving with hammerheads, white tips and an otherworldly underwater experience at Kicker Rock.