Journal Entry 30

January 3, 1977 /Belize City, Belize:

The holidays have come and gone, and now it's back to the old routine. I wrote last week about Christmas in Belize, so now a little something about New Year's. Friday, 31 December, was a full working day, but David, Romi, Jen, her brother Alger, and I took the skiff out to Caye Caulker for a day of fun in the sun. Denton wanted to go but had to catch the bus to Stann Creek at 1:00 p.m. Romi's mother lives on Caye Caulker and occasionally Mr. Miller lets Romi take the Fisheries skiff out there (about 20 miles) to see her. The rest of us went along just for the ride. Caye Caulker is quite pretty, something like San Pedro but not as touristy. The houses on Caulker are spread out, like Placencia. But Caulker does not have quite as nice beaches as either San Pedro or Placencia.

We all brought lunches and picnicked on the sand. After that, Romi's mother invited us in for another lunch: roast beef, rice, and macaroni and cheese. After that, we took the skiff out to the reef about one mile directly east of Caulker for a swim. The reef there was nice, but was not great for fishing. After that we went to a sandbar just behind St. George's Caye to collect West Indian fighting conch for their shells to put in the Fisheries Unit's shell collection. We figured that was enough justification for our trip. I got home about 7:00 p.m., ate and rested for midnight. I woke up at 2:30 a.m., so just went back to sleep-missed the New Year. We went over to David's for New Year's dinner at 2:00 p.m. We had ham, turkey with stuffing, rice and beans, and potato salad.

Today was the first day back to school following the three-week Christmas break. I had been coming home at noon the past three weeks and eating a large Belizean dinner. Well, today it's back to sandwiches at work. I think I have put back one or two of the pounds I had lost, but I still feel underweight. I've been quite healthy the past 2 months; I have a good appetite and no ear infection. So, things are coming along pretty well.

I still haven't mailed home the ceramics I bought for Christmas gifts. I didn't have enough cash for postage. I'll get them off when I know I can wrap them properly. I've had a lot of time to read lately and finished "Marathon Man," "The Great Railway Bazaar" (excellent), and one of the Castaneda books. David told me today that USC beat Michigan in the Rose Bowl; those Midwest teams just don't stand a chance when they come out to California and spend too much time on the Sunset Strip.

For two weeks in December, I got to bring the Fisheries Unit's Land Rover home overnight. That worked out well because for those two weeks the family's car was not running, so I could drop everyone off at work and school. It was good to be able to return the favor (they drop me off at work when it's raining).

[Photo: Alger, Romi, Alan, David and Jen on Caye Caulker, Belize, 31 December 1976.]

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Journal Entry 31

January 9, 1977 / Belize City, Belize:

A couple of weeks ago, David, Denton, and I took the skiff south about 20 miles to Rendezvous Caye. The purpose of the trip was to get some fish for the staff Christmas party. On the way to Rendezvous Caye we dropped off Colin on Sergeant's Caye to study the flora and fauna there. That was about 9:00 a.m. and we said we would pick him up about 4:00 p.m. on the way back. We planned to spearfish over the patch reefs by Rendezvous Caye.

As we were passing Rendezvous Caye we noticed a couple of people waving us in. So, we put into the Caye (about a third of an acre in size) to see what they wanted. It was a fisherman and his family. The fisherman wanted a ride back to the city. We told him we'd pick him up about 4:00 p.m.

We fished all day, and because fishing was particularly good, we kept at it until about 5:00 p.m. We were then about 3 or 4 miles north of Rendezvous Caye. The sun was on the horizon which made it difficult to see and avoid the patch reefs. So, David stood on the bow of the skiff to direct Denton who was in the stern at the outboard motors.

About 2 miles north of Rendezvous Caye we hit a patch reef at full throttle. It jammed up one propeller, and we continued to Rendezvous on one engine. There, the fisherman worked about an hour to try to fix the damaged prop, but he could not repair it. We left Rendezvous Caye in the dark (6:00 p.m.) headed for Sergeant's Caye and then to Belize. The fisherman knew the waters better than we did, so he became our guide.

It was an extremely dark, moonless night and so dark that on the horizon it was not possible to distinguish the sea from the sky. We were trying to find Sergeant's Caye which is only about 50xl00 ft with its highest point maybe l� ft above the sea. About 8:00 p.m. the fisherman pointed out something which he said was Sergeant's Caye. None of us could see it. And then, when we were about 100 ft. from it, we could barely make it out.

We picked up Colin, with apologies, and continued back. The stars were beautiful, their reflection off the water just as bright as their light from the sky, and there was a luminescence in our wake. We had torn a hole in the skiff on the patch reef and had to bail out water the whole way to stay afloat. We got back to the Fisheries Lab about 10:00 p.m. Without the skill of that fisherman, Colin would have had to spend the night on Sergeant's Caye swatting mosquitos and sand flies the whole time.

The Land Rover at work has no brakes, so next week I'm going to drive it (very carefully) about 100 miles to the Mountain Pine Ridge area to the Forest Station at Augustine. They have a mechanic there. Mr. Miller will follow me on the road and give me a ride back. Going back, we may stop to collect freshwater fish for Roger's aquarium. I haven't been into the Pine Ridge yet and am looking forward to it.

Every year on the first and second full moon of the new year, the groupers spawn in the deep water off Caye Glory down by Stann Creek Town. The Unit is going to try to get down there this year at least once to observe and photograph the fishing. We'll have to charter a boat since the Panulirus Argus is still not running. Denton, David, and I are willing to take the skiff, but it would be better to go in a larger boat.

Today is the Super Bowl, and I'm less interested in that then I am in the game this afternoon at the MCC grounds where an English team will play a Belizean team in soccer.

[Photo: Patch reefs inside the barrier reef, Belize.]

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