Belize

[Old Town]

I remember sailing along the reefs of what is now called Belize in the late 60s and early 70s on my family's boat. I was only a young teenager but clearly recall seeing many ballast stone piles all over the place. We dove on them a few times with mask and snorkel but never found anything gold or silver-like. We did find some broken pottery and glass but that is all. This stuff was right on the bottom. We didn't dig and really were not in the treasure mindset then. Mel Fisher had not really made the scene in Key West yet and Spanish gold was not a big subject then.

Anyone ever get down that way? I'd have to look at a chart to name reefs, I don't remember the names offhand now.

OT

 

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[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Old Tom: Please post your many excellent stories in sailing adventures in the Tahiti Ketch. Actually all of your adventures that you can remember, I for one, thoroughly enjoyed them. The true deep water sailors will love them.

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Old Town]

Old Tom: Please post your many excellent stories in sailing adventures in the Tahiti Ketch. Actually all of your adventures that you can remember, I for one, thoroughly enjoyed them. The true deep water sailors will love them.

Don Jose de La Mancha

Don, everything I write like that is in the "Everything Else" section. I just posted about a coast watcher on Hanesavo with a Jap gun.

OT

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Hi, just read it.

Incidentally, I never had a baddy against the Japanese, just the ones that were trying to kill me. In fact in 1943 My parents adopted a full blooded Japanese gal, Mitsukie Nakamura, gad, she was cuter then --sigh. Would that have been considered incest IF ?

I always will get a kick out of my mother stopping me on the steps of the house, trying to feel me out on if I would want to kill her on sight being Japanese he he. I was just back from the Guadalcanal campaign and arriving at home. Even the hairy butted, scroungy jar heads were starting to look interesting, but I did have to draw the line somewhere.

Yes, I remember when the Japanese battle ship pumped Henderson full of 12" shells in Oct. 42.

I would love to fire that 75 mm. I wonder if that equipment is still there? LETS GO my friend ! I am an unabashed firearm nut. Interior and exterior ballistics are one of my forts.

K, more stories my friend, more !

Don Jose de La Mancha

 

[Old Town]

Don, my dad was no Archie Bunker. Far from it. He was a hippie liberal long before it was fashionable. But he did get caught up like most of you boys back then and wanted do as Halsey commanded: "Kill Japs, Kill Japs, and Kill more Japs."

Once home he accepted everyone as he always did. In 1972 it did something to him to be fired on like that in the Solomon's. One shell hit within 400 yards off our bows. He really thought a Japanese holdout was up on the mountain side. It fired an old candle in the old man. That's all.

OT

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Old Town, I certainly wasn't degrading your father, I personally would love to have made some of your trips with him, or have had him with me on my lost Jesuit mines and exploration trips. Only negative factor is that a huge bugger like him, or you, would eat too much, he probably would have demanded 'two' tortillas with his coffee breakfast.

Incidentally a small mortar would be an asset on a ship in international waters. It throws up a discouraging amount of spray, as well as shrapnel from a near miss.

Dopn Jose de La Mancha

 

[Old Town]

We'd eat the mules.

Never got to fire the knee mortar. I don't think it was bigger than 2" diameter. I tend to think a mortar would raise hell with the rigging if you weren't real careful. Imagine tangling a shell up in the canvas and having it drop down on the deck. That would be clever.

OT

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

NOT MY purty, sexy, mules you wouldn't hehehehh. As for the mortar, no different than firing one in the jungle with the overhead foliage.

Don Jose de La mancha

 

[Old Town]

NOT MY purty, sexy, mules you wouldn't hehehehh. As for the mortar, no different than firing one in the jungle with the overhead foliage.

Don Jose de La mancha

We were a ship of sporting riflemen....and women. You have to give the bugger's some reason to get close.

OT

 

[Mackaydon]

Old Town:
You bring back memories. 30 years ago, along with some friends, we flew into Belize. At the airport we watched the Brits train their antiaircraft guns on us from the side of the runway. They thought we were Guats coming in to do some harm. Once that situation was resolved, we eventually befriended the Brits to the extent of being able to man those guns and take some pics. We left them with some Frizbies and as we took off the British soldiers could be seen waving their hats. Thanks for stirring those memories.
Don.......

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

Don, You also have a treasure house full of wonderfull stories also, post em ! Don't be like me. Old Town is starting to write - finally.

I am supposed to be writing them down, along with a huge amount of proven, and semi proven treasures and a few ship stories, including the actual location of your favorite, "Zimmerman's lost Gold", that was to be used to bribe the Mexican gov't to keep the US out of the war in Europe, but disappeared.

However, I simply find it easier to just "do it tomorrow" since I prob. will never go looking for 99% of them since I have more than enough for the rest of my life and my associate's lives right now.

Just this morning, my Tiger bluntly asked me "well buster, what have you recorded / written this morning"? "well not much Luv, maybe a little later luv, I am busy" I responded.

"So I see" she responded "spending all of your time conning and aggrandizing yourself in that treasure hunters thingie." Sheesh ! "Remember you aren't a spring chicken anymore, you are 87, so act your age, and get to typing".

Sigh, wives just aren't as understanding as they used to be. sniff.


Don Jose de la Mancha and beloved mule

 

[truckinbutch]

Ya gotta keep your presence of mind in a critical situation when firing mortars or throwing hand grenades . You aim to miss the overhead cover and hit the objective .
Eating your mule ......Blasphemy ! Better to cannibalize the member of the party that doesn't appreciate the merits of a good mule .
Right , Don Jose ?

 

[Real de Tayopa Tropical Tramp]

HMMM Truckin, hmmm lots of good (?) eating on old town no? Remember I was a guest of honor at a feast of long pig once on Malaita. town's home port.

Don Jose de La Mancha & lovely Mule

 

[billfishbelize]

Old Town,I live in Belize on an island off the north coast and have been finding ballast piles myself. Have just recently found a few cannons on the outside of the reef in 50' of water and debris up on the reef. Tropical storm Matthew has slowed boating down for awhile,i.e. rough seas ,temperature invertions,etc. Would love to hear what reefs you and your family were diving back then! The only one ive ever heard of looking for wrecks around here was Robert Marx. This past year on amberguise Caye,at a place called rocky point, gold and silver coins were being found right on the beach. The word got out and now only the police can get the stuff l.o.l. Capt. Bill

 

[Old Town]

Old Town,I live in Belize on an island off the north coast and have been finding ballast piles myself. Have just recently found a few cannons on the outside of the reef in 50' of water and debris up on the reef. Tropical storm Matthew has slowed boating down for awhile,i.e. rough seas ,temperature invertions,etc. Would love to hear what reefs you and your family were diving back then! The only one ive ever heard of looking for wrecks around here was Robert Marx. This past year on amberguise Caye,at a place called rocky point, gold and silver coins were being found right on the beach. The word got out and now only the police can get the stuff l.o.l. Capt. Bill

I'll have to look at charts I've got. And even then I can't be sure. I was about 12 or 13 at the time. Maybe a few years younger. But I'll look and see if any name jogs my memory. I'll even contact my older sister. She was there and might have a better idea.

I do clearly remember being half way up the mast and looking out on very shallow pieces of reef and seeing the dark stone piles about the size of a very large rug. That's what it looked like to me.

We only dove on them for laughs. None of us really thought of gold then. We were hoping to snag a cannon small enough to haul aboard and plant in our yard at home. We had big ambitions. LOL

OT

 

[billfishbelize]

Hey O T, That would be great! Maybe you will want to visit here again.Hows key West? I moved from the A&B in 2000, havent gotten a chance to get back. Do you know my buddies Capt. Craig and Darrell,they ran the Mr Z charter boat,now its a different boat cant remember its name, Capt. Bill

 

[Old Town]

Hey O T, That would be great! Maybe you will want to visit here again.Hows key West? I moved from the A&B in 2000, havent gotten a chance to get back. Do you know my buddies Capt. Craig and Darrell,they ran the Mr Z charter boat,now its a different boat cant remember its name, Capt. Bill

Craig Eubanks out of Garrison Bight? At least he started out from Garrison Bight. I don't know him personally but I certainly have heard the name. I seem to remember his boat at the Bight in the early 90s. I'm more a sailor than fisherman.

 

[billfishbelize]

Yes thats Craig, They moved over to the Galleon in the 90s. Has the Fisher group been bringing anything in lately. Thanks,Capt. Bill