Anchorage· Snug Harbor· Other Caribbean

Snug Harbor Anchorage (Mamaraga / Playón Chico)

9° 19.6′ N · 78° 15.3′ W

A deep, landlocked mud anchorage among mangrove islets near the village of Playón Chico (Ukupseni), with turtles and dolphins in the bay, a beach on Yauala and a scheduled airstrip for crew changes in the east.

Belize Barrier Reef

Practical

Position 09°19.580'N 078°15.269'W, 13 m mud (SY Balvenie 2012, listed under Mamaraga). They went NE past all the islands and shallows, then turned back south to enter; the 2 m shallows were not visible under cloud, and there did not appear to be enough water for a yacht between Yauala, Apaidup and Mamaraga. Sat out two days of torrential rain and lightning here in comfort. Anchoring permit $10 for 30 days (2018). Canoes sell fruit, veg, fish and Kuna bread; stores, a health clinic and scheduled flights at Playón Chico (Ukupseni, 09°18.7'N 078°14.0'W per Wikipedia). Diesel was once bought from a Colombian trading boat that came in. SV Wild Fox anchored further south at Iskartupu, good holding off a small hotel dock. Charts east of here toward Colombia are 'dangerously inaccurate in places'.

Best for

A secure hidey-hole and crew-change point in the eastern comarca

Nearby