{"id":44292,"date":"2020-07-16T17:02:02","date_gmt":"2020-07-16T21:02:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/?p=44292"},"modified":"2023-05-06T17:46:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-06T21:46:43","slug":"a-stop-in-tobacco-caye-belize","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/story\/destinations\/sailing-tobacco-caye-belize\/","title":{"rendered":"A Stop in Tobacco Caye, Belize"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\"overwater <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Our view from our anchorage off the north side of the island included these \u00adcolorful overwater cabanas.<\/span>\n Amy Flannery<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

Cruising from island to island inside the world\u2019s second-largest barrier reef, off the coast of Belize<\/a>, is pretty darn sweet. The easterly trade winds blow steadily while the reef keeps wave heights to a minimum. There are dozens of islands to explore, but Tobacco Caye is the sweetest of all. This 4-acre caye (pronounced \u201ckey\u201d) of coconut palms and brightly colored dwellings, perched in crystal-clear water on the tip of a southern section of reef, packs a lot of personality. The friendly, enthusiastic residents give the island a special vibe that keeps us coming back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

On our recent visit, after we anchored our Morgan 38, Mary T<\/i>, in a sandy patch off the northwest tip of the island (16\u00b0 54\u2032 02\u2033 N, 88\u00b0 03\u2032 78\u2033 W), my husband, Kenny, and I hopped into the dinghy and headed over to the Reef\u2019s End Lodge restaurant, a major hub of activity at the southern tip of the island. Guests of the lodge, cruisers, fishermen and groups of snorkelers converge at the docks. We snorkeled from the dock to explore the reef, and then returned for a meal in our wet, salty bathing suits. The conch ceviche and conch fritters were the tenderest I\u2019d ever eaten. Dane, the Belizean chef, told me: \u201cI just love to cook. It\u2019s my passion, especially desserts.\u201d All their cocktails are made with natural ingredients. The pi\u00f1a colada with fresh coconut milk and their Painkiller are my favorites. While we sipped on cocktails, stingrays glided through the shallows below, and frigate birds with 8-foot wingspans circled just above the roof in hopes of a handout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Reef\u2019s <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n The restaurant at Reef\u2019s End Lodge offers delicious tropical drinks with a view.<\/span>\n Amy Flannery<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

P\u00e4r, the Swedish owner of Reef\u2019s End, couldn\u2019t be friendlier. On top of running the lodge, he manages a dive operation with guided tours of the reef and outer atolls. Like everyone on the island, he always has time to chat. He said he searched on three continents for a tropical paradise where he could live out his dream before stumbling upon Tobacco Caye. He knew almost immediately that it was the right place. \u201cThe island just has a good vibe,\u201d he said. \u201cThere are no boundaries. You can walk through everyone\u2019s yard. Everyone basically gets along, and we all help out one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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RELATED: <\/b>Belize: The Other Caribbean<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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P\u00e4r\u2019s American partner, Lily, gave me some of her delicious coconut ice cream with chocolate chips and then offered to pick up groceries for us on the mainland. They make regular runs in fast launches and are happy to pick up food or medicines for cruisers. When they acquire their watermaker, it will be made available to cruisers, which is great because there are few venues for fresh water in Belize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"P\u00e4r <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n Owner P\u00e4r and his partner, Lily, are the hosts and were fun to chat with.<\/span>\n Amy Flannery<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

On the other side of the island is the nonprofit Tobacco Caye Marine Station, dedicated to educating people about the reef. It works with groups of students who come for one to 10 days to learn about the ecosystem and biodiversity of the marine environment. The young British couple in charge, James and Zara, couldn\u2019t have been more enthusiastic about their jobs and the island. Their Belizean snorkel guide, Dylan, truly sparkled as she waxed about Tobacco Caye and \u201cher reef.\u201d She had visited the island as a little kid and was thrilled to get a job on the caye. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\nThe friendly, enthusiastic residents of Belize\u2019s Tobacco Caye give the island a special vibe that keeps us coming back.\n\n<\/p>\n<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n

At the Sunset Bar, another busy hub, I spent time chatting with Kirk the bartender. He is quite the mixologist and makes a plethora of colorful cocktails with catchy names like Hurricane Kirk (watch out!) and Fouled Anchor. His recipe book, Kirk\u2019s Belizean Island Drinks<\/i>, is for sale at the bar and on Amazon. \u201cIt gets five stars,\u201d he told me. Kirk used to tend bar in clubs in Belize City, but he says he much prefers Tobacco\u2019s laid-back feel, which makes sense given his easygoing, gentle manner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

\n\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\"Reef's <\/div>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\n
\n View from Reef’s End Lodge.<\/span>\n Amy Flannery<\/span>\n\n\t\t\t\t <\/figcaption>\n <\/section>\n\t\t\n\n\n\n

I asked Kirk which resident had been on the island the longest, and he suggested I talk to Colin Bradley, whose family owns the Windward Lodge.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The Bradleys have been on the island for over 100 years. I asked Colin how the island got its name. \u201cThere are two explanations,\u201d he said. \u201cThe first one is that the British colonists tried to grow tobacco here. The other, more-likely explanation is that the British used this as a trading post for tobacco.\u201d He told me that in his grandparents\u2019 day, there was a church and a school on the island, and that most of the residents were fishermen. Now there are about 25 part-time residents working in the hospitality industry, and only a handful of fishermen and boat captains who live on the caye year-round. I spoke to one fisherman who said he catches just enough fish to eat and a few to sell to the Windward Lodge. \u201cI\u2019m not trying to get rich,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

The island still attracts many Belizeans on weekends and holidays, in addition to the international crowd. Even though visitors outnumber residents, Tobacco Caye hasn\u2019t lost its authenticity. It still feels real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

Amy Flannery and her husband, Ken Kurlychek, are currently hunkered down in Roatan, Honduras, and awaiting the \u201call clear\u201d to sail <\/i>Mary T home to Chesapeake Bay. <\/i><\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Friendly residents and charm galore keep cruisers coming back to this tiny island off the coast of Belize.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":29567,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"BS_author_type":"BS_author_is_guest","BS_guest_author_name":"Amy Flannery","BS_guest_author_url":"","hydra_display_date":"20200716","hydra_display_updated":false,"_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":"162","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"Friendly residents and charm galore keep cruisers coming back to tiny Tobacco Caye, off the coast of Belize.","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","arc_story_id":"U5QM5XS3XBGFJECPGA2LKGHEMY","arc_website_url":"story\/destinations\/sailing-tobacco-caye-belize\/","custom_permalink":"story\/destinations\/sailing-tobacco-caye-belize\/","arc_subtype":"right-sidebar","arc_exclude_from_feeds":false,"sponsored":false,"sponsored_label":"Sponsored Content","sponsored_display_label":false,"sponsored_image":0,"post_right_rail":true,"post_right_rail_ad_1":true,"post_right_rail_ad_2":true,"post_right_rail_ad_3":false,"post_right_rail_ad_4":false,"post_right_rail_recirc":true,"fixed_anchor_ad":true,"post_top_ad":true,"post_off_ramp":true,"post_taboola":false,"labels":false,"apple_news_api_created_at":"","apple_news_api_id":"","apple_news_api_modified_at":"","apple_news_api_revision":"","apple_news_api_share_url":"","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_is_hidden":false,"apple_news_is_paid":false,"apple_news_is_preview":false,"apple_news_is_sponsored":false,"apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":"\"\"","apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[162],"tags":[207,196,284,205,1389],"acf":[],"apple_news_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44292"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=44292"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44292\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29567"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44292"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44292"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cruisingworld.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44292"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}