Not a lot of rain overall, but usually it is drier this time of year so the showers over the past few days must be bumping the annual rainfall in Belize totals for January slightly higher. Typically January is drier in northern Belize and gets more rain to the south. Average temperatures for January run  low of 70.0 degrees to a high of 80.0 degrees.  81.5F and 28c Current San Pedro Belize temperature courtesy of San Pedro Weather Live – if you want a visual from South Ambergris Caye area click on link to see their weather station webcam.

Between out of country server issues and local internet slowdown  Storm Chasers Belize webcam on taco cam page has been a bit sketchy lately.  I hope the  internet gods are smiling upon us and the kinks get worked out asap. Sorry for any inconvenience to your Caribbean Sea viewing pleasure.

Unfortunately my foot still not quite ready for beach walks or aquafit class at San Pedro fitness club, I did make it to Legends Burger house and town yesterday. I am ok with that because tacoboy just had a coffee break in our pool and said the water was shockingly cold. I need to get some bike repairs done first as well,  Dicks beach cruiser needs a tire patch and so does Cindy’s. Luckily Zac had the patch kit and tire levers and Dennis is willing to do the repairs. All of the above happening on Belize time

I will leave you with a couple of canal pictures and a street shot from San Pablo area.

Sunflower street Canal

Walking to my friends house

San Pablo Canal

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Today’s San Pedro weather report comes from Dennis while he was visiting on his lunch break. He said it is hot enough to get ripe fast and was on shirt number two. He also noted, the Caribbean Sea is super calm making it a great day for swimming, snorkeling diving, fishing outside the reef boat rides. I will add a tacogirl travel tip – Don’t forget to pack sunscreen and a shade option on days like this and drink lots of water or coconut water to stay hydrated.

Listening to Moves like Jagger, I never get tired of this song. Totally agree with Michele in Playa Adam Levine is super hot in the video. I am bummed I did not get to see the Kinnon crew more but I was following doctors orders and resting as much as I could at the time. Thankfully what ever I had did not turn out to be pneumonia. Cindy still fighting her battle as well. Anoyne on island or mainland Belize have similar health issue right now? [Started as a cold and ended with no energy for too long]

Check out Michele’s recent Belize trip review – Best BBQ in San Pedro? Estel’s on the Beach!. The family blog is  Life’s a Beach and it’s about observations on life and Real Estate From Rob and Michele Kinnon in Playa Del Carmen, Mexico.

Pedro’s Hotel is now featuring live music Friday nights with Gino and the Shackshakers. The band w ill be be shaking their groove thing on Friday the 13th. Cindy’s  seriously strong rum punch will be on tap and the weekly food special $1 wings. Don’t miss a great party.

Hibiscus flower flowers

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In This Issue Santa at Holy Cross, Fundraising Success, Boat Parade, Presents for All, Santa with Children. What an expression of joy there was on each child’s face when golf carts driven by Santa and his merry elves pulled up.  Every child received a package, individually named and wrapped for them and Santa was incredible, laughing, joking, high five-ing and individually greeting each child and making them feel special. It was so much fun to see the children playing with their gifts afterwards.

We’d like to thank Krista from Reef Village for doing a fantastic job of gathering presents, as well as all those who responded to our appeal.

We’d also like to extend a huge thank you to the Town Council and Mayor Elza Paz for also bringing great gifts to every child at the school.

Dear Supporters of Holy Cross Anglican School

On behalf of the staff and students I want to thank you all for the generous support you have given Holy Cross this year. It’s been a tough year with many ups and downs, but thanks to your faithful and generous support we have been able to continue to provide an excellent education to 420 of San Pedro’s children. Thank you so much for helping us do this.

Fund Matching Campaign a Huge Success
Once again we are humbled at the generosity of our supporters and want to take a moment to thank you one and all for making our fundraising event a huge success.

At last count, just over $35,000 had been raised, which, after matching is just fantastic – thank you all SO MUCH!

The better news is that there is still time to give.  We still have $15,000 or so of funds are still waiting for your donation to match up with, otherwise they’ll be sent home cold and alone on new years day.  You can prevent this terrible tragedy by clicking here to donate, or sending a check made out to the Holy Cross Education Foundation at 7550 Corporate Way, Eden Prairie, MN 55344, Attn Brian Ostenso, Chairman.

Thank you!
Christmas Boat Parade
December brings the annual lighted boat parade which brings many fun entries.  Holy Cross has a tradition of doing well in the parade and this year was no exception.  Thanks to the huge effort by Mr Freddy Holy Cross won the best boat in the religious category. Well done!  Read More on Holy Cross School Blog.

If you’re planning a visit soon, please bring some Christmas Lights – any shape and size – to help us do even better next year.

Volunteers Make a Difference
Two groups of volunteers spent time in our classrooms and really showed that anyone with a heart and some passion can make a difference.

Amalia, founder of Nature Explorers International, spent a fun filled week teaching the children about their natural environment, knowing that when kids are interested in their environment they are much more likely to take care of it.  Read More on Holy Cross School blog.

Then Peter and Helen Wall, of Spiritual Fruit Ministries brought the message of Jesus to all the children in Std’s 4, 5 and 6 through an inspirational video.  Many children responded to the message and teachers have a great curriculum to follow up with in the new year. Read more on Holy Cross School Blog.

Thank you so much for all the time you spent with the children. It is truly a blessing.

That ends the news from Holy Cross this year. We now look forward to three weeks well earned holiday before re-opening the doors in January.

On behalf of Holy Cross I’d like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year.

Sincerely,

Lydia Brown
Holy Cross Anglican School

p.s. Don’t forget to like us on facebook.

Pictures above from  Holy Cross blog and facebook page.

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Aids Awareness Dinner at tonight – Three Course Meal at Crave. $65.00 per person with a portion going  the Belize AIDS Commission. You will also have a chance to win some good prizes at the raffles and auction, both ongoing throughout the night.

This Saturday Dec 3rd  marks the  6th annual San Pedro lighted boat parade. We had a great time last year and watched the parade from Coral Bay Villas with good friends and a poolside shrimp boil at the beach. This year’s festivities include the wonderful viewing of the lighted boats, Santa visiting the docks with goodies, face painting, DJ Debbie providing the evening’s music. For more information please go to the official  San Pedro Holiday Boat Parade website fr more details. [while looking up past boat parade posts I found a great one from Dec 2010 Coconut Leo climbing palm trees at Exotic Caye.]

Aids Awareness boat from 2007 San Pedro Lighted Boat Parade

For those of you looking to do something different this could be it -  Bill Yim, Party Caricaturist from Hong Kong, is on Ambergris Caye and doing 3 shows nightly at Rendezvous Restaurant and Winery. Rendezvous is approx 3.5-4miles north of town. If you are feeling ambitious, you can walk there on the beach in under 45min.  If you prefer a ride, the Coastal Express water taxi is your best option.  [A few minutes walk from Captain Morgan's dock]

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I will leave you with a brief update from Forrest regarding the National Championship Regatta story & results and their delay. I know he meant for it to go to press only but I found it amusing and wanted to share it with you. It has been interesting to hear different peoples versions of what they did during the power and water outage, or how it affected them.

An ALL DAY and ALL NIGHT power outage in San Pedro that began early Sunday Morning and lasted until Monday afternoon prevented us from collecting all the information we needed from various sources to promptly provide you with what you may need to tell the story of the regatta. I lost a day and a half.  I am just getting it all in now and should have something decent for you very shortly.

Best, Forrest Jones, Press Officer, San Pedro Sailing Club

Forrest's Hobie

2011 Belize Optimist Class National Championship Regatta For sailors age 8 – 14.

Regatta Date: Saturday, November 12, 2011
Regatta Location: Caribbean Villas Hotel, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize.

Qualifying Races 38 Children from around Belize were selected by their trainers and invited to sail in the National Championship Regatta . Each race consisted of two laps around a regulation Olympic triangular course.

With only 19 boats available, the 38 divided up into two groups and the finals consisted of 5 races.

The spreadsheet PDF below shows how each skipper finished in all five races. The worst finish for each skipper is tossed out, so only his or her best 4 races count. Any examination of the Finals spreadsheet will tell a story of determination and endurance. After surviving a qualifier, the sailors dueled one another for 5 more races. They sailed under grey skies, in chop, and in the face of gusting, variable, winds that became very strong for the last two races. Some skippers who placed well in the early races encountered fatigue, faced difficulty concentrating in the late going, and lost their edge.

Heart is what all of these sailors showed the crowd, and at the end of the day, 4 of them showed endurance as well as especially fine seamanship and sailing skills: Although he finished out of the trophy places, Sea Scout Joshua Potts, skippering boat 25, missed 3rd place by only 1 point, while outdistancing his nearest competitor for 4th by a full 11 points. It was another Sea Scout, Joshua McKenzie, in boat 25, who edged Josh Potts out to win the 3rd place trophy. Only 4 points separated Joshua McKenzie from the Second Place finisher, San Pedro Permit team leader David Puc in boat 3, Palo Alto.

The Belize National Champion The Belize Optimist Class 2011 National Champion sailed to a very quiet and very efficient racing-clinic victory. His final score was 2 points less than perfect, and that is no mean feat. His coaches say, “Hmmm…. He was our dark horse.” So, Belize, meet your National Champion: Alexander Rhaburn, age 11, of Holy Cross Anglican School, San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye. Alexander sailed to victory in boat 23 sponsored by San Pedro Weather .com. In his best 4 races he took a very convincing 3 Firsts and a Third.

A photo of Alexander and one of him after winning the last race below. For visuals, we have relied on spectators to post their photos and videos on the San Pedro Sailing Club Facebook page. As of 8:45 am, Tuesday, Nov. 15, the photos that appear on that page are those posted by Amanda Syme and by professional photographer Jose Luis Zapata (610-4267). Courtesy would require that you ask Luis’ permission to use his. Rebecca Coutant of San Pedro Scoop gave permission the photo of the fleet below. For 69 more photos, go to amateur photographer Peter Jones’ facebook page, who gave me permission to use them, knowing that I would release them to the press.

Respectfully submitted,
Forrest Jones, Press Officer, San Pedro Sailing Club

San Pedro Belize Optimist Regatta data pdf

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Last Sunday, Maria Novelo from Love Television visited the San Pedro Sailing Club’s Youth Training Program during preparations for this Saturday’s National Championship Regatta. Here is her superb video and
commentary, which aired yesterday.  (Regrettably, the club’s Press Officer’s remarks aren’t quite as polished as Maria’s; he needs to lose the “ums”  and “ahs.” ) Still this is a nice preview to this Saturday’s National
Championship Regatta.

In the video above you will see 7 boats competing. On Saturday there will be 19. The spectacle will be well worth attending, and a crowd of about 200 is anticipated, half of them supporters from the mainland.

Respectfully submitted, Forrest Jones, Press Officer San Pedro Sailing Club.

I was going to bring my computer to Dick’s house yesterday so I could blog from there, but decided to go old school and use pen and paper instead. We hung out and chatted about life, the new paths we are choosing continuously and getting in shape. Dick is going for 6 pack abs as well, I need to find mine again not been to the pool this week and missing Eileen’s aquafit class due to a bad cold. Figures I get sick right when I have house to myself for a week.

We caught sight of the new Belize coast guard boat across the canal. It looks super cool and like it could handle rough weather. Dick snapped a few pics on his new kodak waterproof camera so I could use them for blog.

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As a public service, please do what you do so well when you provide the public this kind of information in a way that prevents mishaps.  Nineteen of them is a whole lot more than usual!

In other news….
As you may deduce from above, the mainland is promising to bring 12 boats to the Nationals, adding to our newly augmented fleet of 7.  Therefore, we will have 19 boats racing each other throughout the day. Very colorful.  Instead of giving you a brief recap of what our skippers did this weekend, I invite you to watch it on Youtube video posted above. The video, courtesy of Michael Davis Photography, will win hearts.  The young lady with one of Michael’s cameras mounted in her boat for much of the video is Samantha Velasquez, age 12, of Holy Cross Anglican School.

Respectfully submitted,  Forrest Jones; Press Officer, San Pedro Sailing Club [610-4550]

Formal Notice from Port Authority to Mariners regarding the Optimist National Championship Regatta this Saturday.

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It is very chilly this morning, enough to be wearing a jacket in the house, I can see how a fireplace could be very handy here at this time of year. I opted for stretching at home and extra hot shower over the pool this morning.

I am still working on the piece I am writing, feels like have hit word count 50 times by now as I rearrange and expand on what I  have already written.

I will leave you with Belize Sailing News courtesy of  Forrest Jones, Press Officer, San Pedro Sailing Club.

Youth Sunday Sailboat Race Results; October 16, 2011

Place    Skipper                          Boat Sponsor
1st         Mitchell Sersland       Palapa Bar and Grill
2nd       Beverly Medrano       Sanpedroweather.com
3rd        Morgaine Jones         Caribbean Villas
4th        Zulema Ayala              Ambergris Lakes Villas

The tale of Sunday’s races was one of coping with a wind that kept changing direction radically and in unaccustomed directions, 45 degrees or more towards or away from the South. When it shifts so as to point the boat away from the buoy, there is nothing one can do. Young skippers try to correct by pointing their boats back on the course they had before the shift.  That results in sailing too directly into the wind and stalling.  The skippers who best understood this did the best on Sunday, but even some of them stalled when trying to round buoys.  None the less, it was excellent practice and experience for all.

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Chubby & Capri – Why Don’t You Love us Anymore?

Imagine growing up with your family and loved ones around you.  Imagine the security of knowing that you’ll be cared for and loved into your old age, that someone will be there for you to make sure that you are able to enjoy your final years with comfort and care.  Now imagine being elderly and your family moving away, just abandoning you and leaving you behind.  Wouldn’t you wonder why they don’t love you anymore?

Chubby & Capri are two gentle and loyal cats.  They were born in 2000 and spent their entire lives with their family, who apparently cared for them and loved them all of that time.  As all responsible pet owners know – pet ownership is a lifelong commitment.  Sadly for Chubby & Capri, their owners were not responsible.

Chubby & Capri had no idea that when their owner left that they would never come back, but that is exactly what happened.  Their owner left them in temporary care and then they just said they weren’t coming back.  For over ten years, Chubby and Capri had a family that loved them and then, that family abandoned them.

Poor Chubby & Capri.  It’s not their fault. They are very good cats – a bit overweight, but lovely and sweet.  Now, during a time when they should be enjoying their ‘senior’ years, they are homeless and probably wondering why their previous owners don’t love them anymore.

They are currently living at SAGA Humane Society, where the staff are trying to keep them comfortable and happy, but it isn’t the right place for a pair of older cats who’ve spent their whole lives as family pets. Chubby & Capri need someone to come into their lives to restore their faith in human beings.  They need someone who truly does understand that pet ownership is a lifelong commitment. They need someone who will love them truly and forever.  Chubby  & Capri have already gone through so much upheaval that SAGA Humane Society believes that it would be best to keep them together.

Please give Chubby and Capri a chance to show you that love lasts a lifetime.  If you are thinking of getting a pet, remember that cats and dogs live well over ten years.  A good and responsible owner understands this and makes sure that their pets are cared for, especially when they are older.  Pets are dependent on us and should never have to wonder why their owners don’t love them anymore.

If you can give a permanent and loving home to Chubby & Capri or to any other animal in need, please call SAGA on 226 3266 and they will be more than happy to help.

Ladies and the Champ casino fundraiser

SAGA Humane Society is pleased to announce that Monday August 1, Captain’s Casino at Captain Morgan’s Retreat will be welcoming the 2011 Costa Maya Beauty Queens, Reigning 2010 Queen Gabriela Asturias and Poker King Badih “Bob” Bounahra in a Casino Night and Cocktail party for the benefit of SAGA Humane Society.

Guests will be treated to a night of glamour and gambling from 7pm-10pm for a $20 BZ entrance fee.

CAPTAIN’s CASINO PROMOTIONAL TICKET VALUE $10US TO USE FOR PLAY

FREE DRINKS FOR ALL PLAYERS- Cash bar available

FREE APPETIZERS– Mini Pizza, Shrimp Cocktail, Beef and Pork Sliders

¨ RAFFLE DRAWINGS
FREE BOAT TO CAPTAIN MORGAN’s arrive FIDO’s DOCK @ 6:30, 7:30, 8:30PM
FREE RETURN TO TOWN ON COASTAL EXPRESS

We look forward to seeing you there.

Please join the Ladies and The Champ Facebook invitation to see who is coming and stay updated before the event.

Saga Pasta Cook off

SAGA Humane Society would like to thank to all our entries for Cook-Off Pasta, Attendees, Donors and The Tackle Box Bar & Grill a great event July 20, 2011.  Your support, efforts and talents help make our Cook-Offs a success.  Proceeds support and benefit SAGA Shelter Animals until they can find Forever Homes.

SAGA has the pleasure to announce the top prizes for Cook-Off Pasta.  1st Place was awarded to Handmade Spinach Fettuccine with smoked fish, avocado and basil tomato salad made by Anna & Gunter – Mathieu’s Deli.  They received an Ipod Shuffle.

2nd Place was for Gnocchi with bacon, mushroom and Gorgonzola cream sauce, served with Three Cheese Bread made by Sharon Metcalfe.  $75.00 Gift Certificate courtesy of El Divino Restaurant at Banana Beach Resort.

3rd Place was Fettuccini and Broccoli in Chicken Flavored Sauce entered by Ingrid Lima, sponsored by Pampered Paws.  She won a Glass Pitcher with Glasses Set.

Gourmet Mac n’ Cheese-  Chap Ross sponsored by Kim Bierman Chicken Pasta with Veggie Medley-  Bill Nelson & Georgia McClennan Chicken BBQ Pasta- Carolina Gonzalez Really Awesome Mac n’ Cheese- Lori Purdy Lobster Fra-Diavzo with Penne- Bruce Pickering Seafood Chipotle- Tackle Box Bar & Grill Shrimp Creole Pasta- Mel Spain

Raffle prizes donated were : $50.00 Gift Certificate  to Pampered Paws for a full groom, $50.00 Gift Certificate to Saga Humane Society,  Bottle wine.

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Of course I snapped lots of Belize City pictures and will be posting more later in the week when I finish editing. Will write more about my travel adventure as well – have to process my thoughts it’s been a big day on so many levels.

San Pedro Belize Express water taxi to Belize City

Belize City Harbor

Heading to Tropic Air Municipal Airport

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