Experience life on a sailboat in Belize.

When we signed on for the house sitting job in Belize we never thought that we would be able to spend time on a Catamaran sailing ship. We first met Dale through his blog ‘MokaKat Sailing‘. Scroll down to see fun sailing pictures…

Dale was introduced to the former house sitters of Steppingstones Resort at the end of their assignment and wrote about it on his blog. Dale’s sailboat is a 2008 Leopard 40 Catamaran and he and his mom Augie have been cruising the western Caribbean since August of 2013. Nick and I were thrilled when he e-mailed us one day and offered to take us for a sail on his boat ‘MokaKat’ also know as ‘The Caper’. Read about sailing to Cary Caye, snorkeling for the first time and trying out our new underwater camera: Sailing on the MokaKat – Part 2

Ten days into our stay in Belize we were looking forward to meeting Dale and his mom Augie in person.

Dale, his mom Augie and Nick at Steppingstones Resort

We got to know each other a little bit over lunch and then headed over to the MokaKat by dinghy. Neither Nick nor I have ever been on an actual sailboat. We were both awed by the size, layout and efficiency of it all.

There are two bedrooms or sleeping quarters on one side of the boat with a bathroom in the middle, and the ‘Captain’s Quarters’ with a little desk and a spacious bathroom on the other side. A nice sized ‘one butt’ kitchen and seating area is nestled in the middle, with another seating area outside.

The MokaKat Sailboat

Nick and Dale

Augie made an excellent pork chop dinner and we had a very fun evening telling stories. Its very relaxing to be on a sailboat at night while the boat gently sways in the water.

Our first sunset at Monkey Caye on board the sailboat

The next morning we got up early, raised the main and set sail. We were heading to the Placencia harbor. It took us just under three hours to get from Monkey Caye to Placencia in beautiful sunny weather. Look at these gorgeous sails!

The sails are set on the sailboat

We were sailing at about 5 knots most of the time, along the way we even caught some fish.

First Nick reeled in a nice sized Red Grouper. This was Nick’s first catch ever and he was ueber-excited. Dale showed us how to filet the fish and we were all looking forward to trying it when the reel started going off again.

This time we caught an even bigger fish. A huge Wahoo!

A Red Grouper

A Wahoo Fish

Dale is cleaning the grouper

Getting a lesson on how to clean fish

What a fun day of sun, water, sailing and fishing!

We caught and released this reef fish

A Night At Harbor

After the anchor got set at the harbor in Placencia, Belize, Dale offered to give us a little tour of the town. We also picked up a few more supplies for the upcoming days on board the sailboat.

Placencia Village and Harbor

Placencia, Belize, is a tourist town with little store fronts, several bars and restaurants for boaters as well as resorters. The town looked much more appealing than any of the other towns we have been in so far.

The place where we tied up the dinghy was newly redone and so was the walkway. That night Dale, Nick and I went to ‘The Paradise Resort’ to watch the Superbowl game.

We met a very nice couple that are on their way to travel the globe on their sailboat along with their fifteen year old son. Our hats are off to them as they continue on their exciting adventure!

The football game was a blow out and we really were not paying attention to the commercials either. We did win a prize each, Dale a free drink, Nick a beer cozy and I won a plastic beer mug which I traded in for a key chain. We only lasted until just after the half time show before we made our way back to the MokaKat to retire for the evening.

It was an exciting first day of sailing and exploring!

Read about sailing to Cary Caye, snorkeling for the first time and trying out our new underwater camera:

Sailing on the MokaKat – Part 2

Have you ever been on a sailboat like the MokaKat? Leave us a comment below.