Other Northern Cayes
St. George’s Caye
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This small caye, nine miles from Belize City, is shaped something like a boomerang, with its open ends facing the mainland. The caye is steeped in history and was the first capital of the British settlement (1650–1784). It was also the scene of the great sea battle between Spaniards and British settlers. Today, the small cemetery gives evidence of St. George’s heroic past.
St. George’s Caye is far from commercialized—on the contrary, it’s very quiet, with mostly residential homes and their docks. There are several upscale accommodations with full-service dive shops here, plus the vacation homes of quite a few of Belize’s elite. Check St. George’s Caye Lodge (tel. 877/517-9365 or 501/220-4444, www.gooddiving.com, from US$168).
The Gray Lady
In all good myths and legends, the details are often sketchy, but facts are usually delicious. In the legend of the Gray Lady, it is said that Henry Morgan often roamed the waters of the Caribbean, frequently off the coast of Belize City. In his wanderings, Henry brought his fair lady with him, a very independent miss. It’s easy to imagine that lovers occasionally get testy living in such close quarters aboard a caravel. And though Henry and his lady usually kissed and made up, one lightning-slashed night, just off the coast of St. George’s Caye, they were unable to settle a nasty argument — something to do with the seaman standing watch the night before? He was the captain after all; his word was law! The lady ended up walking the plank into the stormy sea, gray gossamer gown whipping around her legs in the angry wind. Since that fateful night, the lady in gray has been roaming the small caye of St. George trying to find her blackguard lover. Don’t scoff; some islanders will speak no ill of the Gray Lady, and on stormy nights they stay safely behind closed doors.
Turtle Pens Turned Swimming Pools
In the days when pirates roamed the high seas for months at a time, they had regular stopping places: Islands with abundant supplies of water were probably the most important. St. George’s Caye was a favorite spot to pick up giant sea turtles. The seamen built large square pens (called kraals) at the end of wooden docks and would keep the captured turtles there until they left for the bounding main. Several turtles were taken on board and fed, kept mostly on their backs and out of the way (they would live that way for a month or two), until they were slaughtered for their meat. Often, turtle was the only sweetmeat the crews would eat for many months.
Over the years, the pirates dwindled, and St. George’s Caye became the unofficial capital of Belize. Many more homes were built along the waterfront, and kraals became “crawls,” swimming areas for people. Today, many of the bright-white wooden houses still have these small “pools” at the ends of their docks.
© Joshua Berman and Avalon Travel from Moon Belize, 7th Edition
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