Unspoiled islands shimmer in the sun like hundreds of little pearls in a setting of iridescent blue Caribbean. Some have never felt a human footstep. Coconut palms sway in the breeze across white beaches, extending an invitation that few yachtsmen can refuse.

Full of protected anchorages, the clear waters average 75 to 84 degrees. Easterly winds blow 12 to 20 knots from February to June; six knots the rest of the year.

The famed Belize Barrier Reef stretches 185 miles north to south, with 175 tropical cayes (pronounced "keys") for boaters to explore. It protects the inner channel, where marine life flourishes, as rare birds soar above exotic cayes. Postcard anchorages tempt cruisers from Ambergris Caye south to the Sapodillas. East of the reef are three of the hemisphere's four magnificent atolls - rare necklaces of coral around shallow lagoons. With so many fish and corals to explore, snorkelers and divers will not want to leave the water.

PRIVATE VESSELS
Those who skipper their own boats should arm themselves with detailed charts and a GPS. The best charts come in the Cruising Guide to Belize & Mexico's Caribbean Coast by Freya Rauscher. Follow the directions, stay alert, and steer clear of dangerous coral heads. Mono­hulls with keels should have a depth meter to help navigate in the many shallow seas.

Check in at the Belize Port Authority, with offices in Belize City and Big Creek. The office monitors channel 16. Captains who arrive at San Pedro, Dangriga, or Punta Gorda should also contact immigration.
To protect various marine species, seasons have been established by law. Conch are not harvested between July and September, and lobster are not taken between Feb­ruary 15 and June 14.

CHARTERING
Charter operations in Belize City, Am bergris Caye, and Placencia provide both crewed charters, with captain and maybe a chef, and bareboat charters, so skippers with experience can pursue their own itineraries inside the reef. Cruisers must hire local captains to venture beyond the reef to the atolls.

Companies will provision yachts and deliver food on request. Full provisioning means eating all meals on board. Split pro­visioning means planning to eat some meals on the boat, enjoy some on the cayes, buy fresh fish along the way, and cook one's own catches.

MARINA FACILITIES
Find marinas, supplies, food, water, and cruising information in Belize City, the principal port for immigration and customs. The Radisson Fort George Hotel & Marina offers eight slips, plus fuel, water, complete shore hookup, 24-hour security, garbage disposal, laundry, deli, and a great dive operation. The Princess Hotel & Casino provides more slips, deep­water access, and a breakwater. Cucum­ber Beach Marina monitors channel 16 and provides repairs, fuel, dockage, and the popular Sibun Bite restaurant. Verify depth before pulling up to a fuel dock.

Some favored cruising areas include:

Ambergris Caye. With the most de­vel­oped and diverse shops and restaurants, Ambergris Caye has plenty of fresh water and seafood, but cruisers may want to bring their own imported goods, such as dehydrated foods and seasonings, since they may be pricey here. Lagniappe Pro­visioning provides custom provisioning (www.lagniappe-belize.com). TMM Bare­boat Vacations, the oldest such company in Belize, charters 20 modern catamarans and one monohull, 35 to 46 feet, many with air-conditioning and water makers.

Caye Caulker. From this fishing village of quaint inns, guest houses, and home-cooked food, Raggamuffin Tours offers day and overnight sailing excursions from four to seven days, with great snorkeling and fishing along the way. Nearby Caye Chapel has a first-class marina and scenic 18-hole golf course.

Belize City. On St. George's Caye, an historic island eight miles east of Belize City, find scenic anchorages, private homes, and a restaurant at St. George's Lodge serving island fare. Moving south, the snorkeler's paradise of Goff's Caye also makes a great spot to swing a hammock over the sandy beach. Bluefield Range provides a lagoon anchorage and plenty of fresh fish. Aubisque Luxury Yacht Charters operates from Cucumber Beach Marina in Belize City, with adventure and honeymoon packages aboard a 47-foot sailing catamaran.

Dangriga. At the commercial pier, with depths of 10 to 15 feet, boaters can stock up on fresh water, vegetables, and bread. Fifteen miles northeast of Dan­griga, Colson Cayes offer corals to view while snorkeling and a shallow lagoon to explore by dinghy. To the south, Tobacco Caye is a fun anchorage with great snorkeling, bars, restaurants, and dive shop. South Water Caye, right on the reef, offers dining and a chance to top up the water tanks. It is as far south as most yachtsmen go in a week from Ambergris Caye.

Placencia. Find dockage, fuel, and supplies in this charming holiday village. The Moorings, a full-service vacation com­pany with a base here, charters custom catamarans and monohulls for sailing the southern cayes. TMM also has an operation in Placencia, complete with eight hotel rooms. Belize Sailing Charters is based here as well.

The gods of cruising scattered dozens of idyllic cayes offshore from Placencia. Sixteen miles northeast of town, tarpon and snapper swarm the waters off Tarpum Cay, a good place to catch tonight's dinner. A little south, swimmers, snorkelers, and divers love the beachy Laughing Bird Caye National Park. Buttonwood and Little Water cayes offer good lee shore to anchor in any wind. Snorkeling around the three Queen Cayes is as good as it gets, except perhaps for the superb reef-top Ranguana and Tom Owens cayes, which also offer good anchorages.

In the famed Sapodilla Caye Marine Reserve, Nicholas Caye provides the best all-weather anchorage. From there, ex­plore Hunting and Lime cayes, everyone's image of exotic South Pacific islands. A short dinghy ride north, find Northeast Sapodilla. The Moorings and TMM have joined forces to install mooring buoys throughout the southern cayes.

Beyond the reef. To explore the outer atolls requires a local captain, who can lead cruisers out to the spectacular wall diving, snorkeling, and fishing sites there. See the Atolls and Outer Cayes story for more about this paradise.

Just 25 miles south of the Sapodilla Cayes, boaters clear in and out of Guatemala at the port of Livingston. Sail inland on the Rio Dulce, which twists through a six-mile gorge of towering 300-foot limestone cliffs. Welcome to the location of the original Tarzan movie, where real-life Maya people paddle their dugout dories on the river. Stop at a local restaurant and choose tonight's dinner from a trap on the dock.

For information on the Belize Charter Association, formed by Cliff Wilson of Aubisque, Paul Steel of TMM, and Frank Gagliano of Belize Sailing Charters, call Steel at 226-3026 or Wilson at 608-5300.