Diving the crystal clear waters of Banco Chinchorro plus a dinghy-powered arrival in Belize

Alexandra Bevis

It turns out you are not allowed to anchor inside the reef at Banco Chinchorro, as we found out when we were swiftly moved on by the Mexican navy. But we weren’t going to let the crystal clear waters of this gem slip by without a dive! Back onboard, we set off for Belize and lit the braai. Time to eat Ben’s catch from midnight! Paired with buttery baby potatoes. We all breathed a collective sigh of relief as the wind became strong enough to turn the engine off and simply sail. Plus, we were going faster than before! Overnight, the wind died, and we had to motor again. By morning, the water is glassy, with any sign of wind a distant memory. We turn the engine off to refill the oil, and took the opportunity to cool off with a swim. There was another iconic weather update from Ben: “There’s no wind.” As we get ready to motor the final few hours to Belize City, the engine won’t start. Cue much tinkering from Charles and Sam. But it won’t do. So Argonaut becomes dinghy powered. At first we try an in line tow, but that is rather stressful and doesn’t get us very far. Then we try a side by side tow. Much more success! With the dinghy’s engine, we are almost up to the same speeds as with our main engine! Ben highlights that the past three counties we’ve arrived in, we’ve arrived without an engine. It seems getting towed in Argonaut’s signature move. Come nightfall, it is time to anchor.