A Suspected Guatemalan Sailboat is Grounded Near Sapodilla Cayes

A sailing vessel, believed to be captained by Guatemalan fishermen, ran aground on the reef near Sapodilla Caye in the waters of southern Belize.  The Belize Territorial Volunteers set out to sea earlier today to conduct a routine visit of the area and discovered that the boat had crashed into the reef less than a mile away from the Hunting Caye Forward Operating Base.  While we have not received official information from the relevant authorities, News Five spoke by phone with Wil Maheia of the Belize Territorial Volunteers.  He shared with us what he observed at the site of the landing.

On the phone: Wil Maheia, Belize Territorial Volunteers

Wil Maheia

“Yeah, well as you know, the BTV keeps a watchful eye on the borders and the Sapodilla Cayes which is in the border area, in the maritime area.  So today our destination was the Sapodilla Cayes and, you know, when we got there we were surprised to see a huge sailboat that was crashed on the reef.  So we tried to investigate and we didn’t see anyone around the sailboat, but from people that we interviewed from around the area, we are told that the owners of the boat escaped but we find that very strange and the fact that this boat is less than a mile away from Hunting Caye which is where the military base is at, you know.  We just find that strange.  I am saying this based on what people have told me, that the people occupying the boat escaped with their passports and everything.  I mean that there is no way that that could be possible, being so close to a military base, plus somebody would have had to move them to Guatemala.  Okay, so I mean, the boat is on the reef and, you know, I hope that DOE or some authority, port authority or which authority is responsible, to move it off the reef before more damage is done.”