The "Old Corps"

In the United States Marine Corp, your Gunny will tell you, life is divided into two distinct segments: the "Old Corps" and the "New Corps." Everything was better during the time period of the "Old Corps" which ended, interesting enough, the day you enlisted!

I relate this piece of trivia as I think that the cruising life can be divided into the "Good Old Days" and "Now." Of course the "Good Old Days" ended the day you set sail. You are asking yourself "why does he bring this up now?" In the good old days it cost $7.95 US to check into and out of Belize. Now, depending upon how long you stay it costs between $100 US and $300 US per month. This lets you stay in the country. If you have read anything about Belize you know that one of its most famous attractions is the Blue Hole on Lighthouse Reef. Cruisers in the "Old Days" would go out and anchor, snorkel, perhaps SCUBA at the Blue Hole. Now it is a National Preserve. This means it now costs $30 US per person per day to anchor in the same place that was free in the "Old Days." Since you can't really appreciate the Blue Hole from sea level, and since the SCUBA diving isn't that great (there are very few fish other than sharks living in the hole) and since anchoring around the hole where the snorkeling is pretty good still costs $30 US I have decided to take a pass and dive the rest of Lighthouse Reef. It is free (except for Half Moon Cay and its red-footed boobie population. That costs $10 US per person per day.) It is truly sad that so many places now charge a fee.