Tropical Island Boats Anchorage

The view sweeps in from above, looking down the length of a narrow island where the land barely holds its own between two stretches of brilliant water. Caye Caulker floats into focus through a haze of tropical light — the lagoon side glowing in every shade of turquoise and jade, so clear you can trace the shadows of the moored skiffs right down to the sandy floor beneath them. A dozen or so slender wooden boats rest at anchor, their hulls coloured in blues, whites and teals, scattered across the water in easy clusters. Tall palms lean over a thin ribbon of pale shore, their deep green canopies jostling together above a handful of bright, small structures. The sky above is a wide, luminous blue, carrying just a whisper of lavender near the horizon.