In our first year we traveled 2,268 nautical miles and never did more than an over night passage. In our second year we’ve covered 9,100 nautical miles, and have done many multi-day passages including a 22 day, three thousand miles Pacific crossing.
When I started outlining this blog we were anchored just behind a large reef which protected us from the ever increasing ocean waves but not from the 25 to 30 knots of wind screaming over us. We were in a remote spot miles from any form of civilization. With the sounds of crashing waves over the reef and the howling wind around us we got on with our daily routine. We were pretty 
confident that our anchor was set well in and we were reasonably secure under the current condition. A year ago I would have been very, very, very unhappy.
The following morning we decided to move to another anchorage as we wanted better protection if conditions changed for the worse. We set sail in nearly 30 knots of wind, slamming into huge waves, tacking side to side, fighting currents, avoiding reefs, exposed rocks, small islands and blind roller waves. As we approached our destination we had to carefully negotiate our way through gaps in the reefs to the protected anchorage behind a small island. Always tricky in strong weather. This is also the place where less than a month ago, a couple we knew ran into the reef and sank their boat!
A year ago I would have been scared witless sailing under these conditions and would have completely panicked at seeing all the breaking waves and swells approaching our anchorage. Now days we just do it. Our time in the Tuamotus and the Society Islands taught us a great deal about entering dangerous gaps and passes into atolls and reefs. So we were aware of possible hazards and confident about our approach.
Although we’ve grown as sailors we never underestimate the dangers of the wind, sea and sailing near land. We check the weather daily, never over rely on our charts, always take visual clues, are aware of tides and current and we generally side on caution. If we become too complacent we should quit sailing.
Another big difference for most of the second year is that we’ve had a crew member on board with us. John our eldest son joined us in Panama last December and crewed with us until we reached Tahiti in June. Two weeks after John returned to England, Ben our middle son joined us and will be staying with us until we reach New Zealand. Having a third person on board has been extremely helpful especially during long passages. Sharing shifts and watches between three people during passages allows for longer sleep, more free time and keeping ones sanity!
Having said all that, I would say that we only spend about five percent of our time out at sea. Most of the time we are safely anchored off some beautiful or interesting place, exploring the land and enjoying new sights and cultures.
This leads to the highlights of our year. Once again there are just too many. What I’ve decided to do is make a list of the countries we’ve visited in chronological order and briefly mention some of my favourite places and moments which I can remember at this moment.
Columbia: The historic port of Cartagena, one of my favourite cities. The old city is considered one of the most beautiful on the American continent and I agree. Charming little squares, medieval style narrow streets, wonderful Spanish colonial architecture and its amazing city wall. It is also considered the safest city in Colombia so we were not too worried about being kidnapped and felt reasonably secure wandering the streets. One of the highlights during our stay there was being invited to the Colombian Navel Officers club by Derek & Martha a lovely couple we got to know there. We tried sailing on little Sunfish boats for the first time, had a wonderful lunch at the club house and explored the old fort which was exclusively inside the club’s compound.
Caribbean side of Panama: We spent Christmas and New Year in the beautiful San Blas Islands. Our time made more special by having our two sons John and Sam and also Annie (Sam’s girlfriend) joining us.
On our way down to the Panama Canal we visited a couple of ex cruisers who have rescued and adopted four sloths. Holding and cuddling those sloths kept a grin on our faces for a long time.
While waiting for our slot through the Panama Canal we went up the Chagres River for few days. Taking our boat up the serene river, banked by lush jungle was magical. We explored many side streams and openings looking for an elusive waterfall we had heard about. Every night we were serenaded by howler monkeys, a cacophony that kept poor Annie anxious and awake most of the night. Finally finding the waterfall on our last day, a little gem, where we swam and washed in the clear pool under the falls. Unforgettable!
Panama Canal: Transiting the Panama Canal on our own boat was an awesome and unique 
experience. John, Sam, Annie and myself acted as linesmen while Steve was the helmsmen. Being part of the process inside those gigantic locks was fascinating. Entering each lock level, watching the massive gates shut, controlling our boat and keeping it away from the walls as the turbulent water rose. Then at the top, spending the night on a 
tranquil fresh water lake. The following day, motoring through lakes and man made channels, seeing with our own eyes what man has achieved. Finally reaching the other side and descending down the locks to the Pacific. Amazing!
Panama City: Although I wouldn’t say that Panama City was one of my highlights it was certainly a momentous place. Sam and Annie left us there to return to the States and college. Except for the old city its a pretty horrible place. However it’s a mecca for bargains and cheap shopping so was the perfect place to provision for our Pacific crossing. We spent days filling our boat up with excellent cheap wine and beer, dried goods, cans and luxury treats, snacks and gifts for children in the remote Pacific islands. With a much lower water line, we happily left Panama City and headed out to explore the waters of the Pacific for the first time.
Pacific side of Panama: Our first stop was the Las Pearlas islands, another set of beautiful islands. Considering these islands are only fifty miles from Panama City, they were surprisingly unspoilt and non commercialized. It was here we really learned how to anchor in tidal changes of up to 20 feet. What depth to anchor and the consequence of letting out too much or too little chain. At one place, we anchored at high tide only to find rocks popping up around us as the tide decreased. John slept up on deck keeping an eye on how near we got to the rocks as the tide went down. Fortunately there wasn’t any large boulders under us and our chain was just short of reaching the nearby rocks. Not our best anchoring moment.
Journeying along the Panamanian coastline we stopped at many remote and isolated anchorages. The coastal stops were not as nice as the islands but all were new and interesting to us. One of the most beautiful anchorages we’ve visited was off the Secas islands. Definitely in my top ten.
For Steve and John, probably the most memorable event along this coast was catching nine fish in one morning. This was never to be repeated. As we left the coast of Panama the fish left us too. Since then on most passages, the catch has been zero.
Costa Rica: This is the country where we had the most difficulty checking into. It took a day and half and a lawyer to finally clear us in. Having said that, once we were in, we really enjoyed our time here. Costa Rica is famous for its Eco tourism and fabulous national parks. Ella, John’s girlfriend joined us for a two weeks vacation and we explored the coast and nearby national parks with her. We saw plenty of wild life, especially monkeys and colourful exotic birds.
Later, Ben and his girlfriend Jess joined us for their Spring break. With them we explored the inland cloud forests and the area around the volcano, Mount Arenal. We also had a lovely time visiting with Jason Bell my ex colleague from Solomon Schechter Day school, who is now living and teaching just outside the capital of San Jose.
The Doldrums: During our 8 days crossing from Costa Rica to the Galapagos we had to avoid many squalls and a water spout (tornado) before we hit the doldrums. In the doldrums we had absolutely no wind, the air completely still, the ocean totally flat as far as the eyes could see. It was like floating on a clear blue silky mirror so utterly mesmerizing and beautiful. At Sunset, the red sun reflected itself over and over again on the mirrored ocean, turning the water into molten metal of gold, purple and red. Absolutely awesome and the most memorable sunset so far.
A migration of turtles passed us causing continuous ripples and patterns on the smooth water. At first we thought they were floating coconuts and then realised that they were humps of their shells. We must have hit their migration highway as hundreds passed us for hours going in the opposite direction.
Crossing the Equatorial line: Once we cleared the doldrums our next milestone was crossing the Equator. Keeping with tradition we placated Neptune by throwing gifts into the sea. We didn’t dress up as many sailors do but instead we placed our boat over the imaginary equatorial line and swam across the Equator. To complete our celebrating we each had a glass of bubbly, the only alcohol we allowed ourselves during the eight day 
passage.
The Galapagos Islands: I would not describe the Galapagos as being beautiful. Dramatic is a better description with interesting basalt formation, long white sand beaches and striking lava flows. Most of the vegetation are cacti, bushes and small trees. For many people, including us, the unique fauna and marine life of the Galapagos is what we’ve come to see. And we certainly saw them. Giant tortoises, lava lizards, land and marine iguana. We scuba dive and snorkeled with hammerhead sharks, white tip sharks, sea lions, penguins, rays and turtles. A once in a life time place to visit.
The Big Pacific Crossing: Three thousand miles and twenty two days out at sea. It’s difficult to explain what goes through ones mind. Steve, John and I wrote a daily blog during this passage. Here is the link to these blogs if you interested in knowing a little of what was going through our minds while floating in the middle of a vast ocean. http://aboarddignity.com/blog/?cat=37&paged=9
The Marquesas: How can I describe to you the thrill of our first land sighting after more than three weeks out at sea? I just can’t!!! Our landfall was the island of Fatu Hiva, a true paradise, with spectacular jagged mountains, open plateaus and lush deep valleys. We anchored outside a small village nestled in a fertile valley. The village was perfectly immaculate with each house surrounded by a profusion of tropical flowers and fruit trees dripping with oranges, grapefruit mangoes, papayas, breadfruit, bananas and more. Not only a paradise island but with a Garden of Eden too. The locals were full of smiles, children running over to chat to us, everyone welcoming and friendly. Throughout the Marquesas this was typical, with beautiful places, immaculate villages and friendly people.
On the islands of Ua Pou, Steve and I each had a Marquesan tattoo done as a rite of passage. Tattoos are something I didn’t really approve of but Marquesan tattoos are very unique and special. We found an excellent local artisan called Kina who worked on our tattoos from his front porch. His house was up a hill, surrounded by a lush garden and a lovely view out to sea. Being in such lovely setting helped nullify the discomfort of being tattooed. The theme of my small tattoo was the waves and seas of the Marquesas with intricate motifs and symbolic meanings. Steve’s larger tattoo was a manta ray with a staff of life, again with detailed symbols. After finishing our tattoos, Kina invited us to share a delicious lunch with him. Before we left he insisted on picking us fruit for from his garden. We walked away with two gorgeous tattoos and two huge carrier bags full of tropical fruit. Just wonderful!
Tuamotus: The Tuamotus are an enormous arc of coral atolls. A true atoll is formed of unbroken circular reefs with an interior lagoon. Fortunately for us, many of the large atolls have one or two broken opening in the reef forming passes for boats to enter into the protected calm interior. These inner lagoons are stunning with turquoise clear waters and fringed with islets of golden sand and palms trees. However great care has to be taken entering and exiting these atolls. The current flowing in and out of these passes is very strong. During mid tide and bad weather, whirlpools and standing waves form in the pass making it very dangerous to enter. So timing for slack tide and careful eyeballing the pass is a must.
Our first atoll entrance was pretty nerve wrecking. We were going at six knots, the counter current was four knots, so we were moving at only 2 knots and trying to keep away from the eddies that was to our port side. The water was so clear that the bottom looked a lot shallower than it really was. I think I held my breath all the way through the pass.
My favourite atoll was Fakarava. It had the best scuba diving and snorkeling we’ve ever done. The water was crystal clear, the coral life was immense and colorful and marine life abundant. Drift diving through the south pass was incredible. We saw dozens of sharks which wasn’t that many as many other divers saw hundreds. Fortunately these white and black tip sharks have no interest in us humans. No other snorkeling or diving sites has measured up since. We say we’ve been “Fakarava’d”.
We also visited a black pearl farm, the main industry in these atolls now. Fascinating to learn how they grow and harvest the pearls. Steve bought me a necklace with a lovely single black pearl for our wedding anniversary.
The Society Islands: Arriving in Tahiti after months of being in remote and undeveloped islands was a bit of a culture shock. We saw more cars in five minutes than we’ve seen since leaving Costa Rica. We spent nearly two hours in a supermarket just looking at all the things we could buy.
In Tahiti we joined the Rendezvous rally. This ended up being a three days fun packed event for us sailors. We met up with many old friends and also made many new ones.
After the rendezvous John left us to return to London and the rat race. Since we had two weeks to wait before Ben joined us, we traveled down to the south coast of Tahiti. Here we discovered the beautiful unspoilt part of Tahiti. It was also the perfect place to launch ourselves out to sea to view the total eclipse of the sun that we had been anticipating for some time (four years in fact). We were able to sail out far enough to view the total eclipse for a full minute. Even though some thin clouds went over for part of the total viewing, it was still an incredible experience.
After Ben joined us we set sail to visit the rest of the Society Islands. Each one was beautiful and on each one we had our little adventures.
Ben celebrated his twenty third birthday on Bora Bora, considered the most beautiful island in the world. Even though 
it’s quite touristy now with a number of upmarket resorts, it’s still pretty damn stunning. O
n Ben’s birthday we climbed up to the top of Bora Bora. A challenging climb with ropes to help get up steep rocky surfaces and a long a ridge that dropped off on each side. The view at the top was brilliant and well worth the effort.
The last island we visited in the Societies was Maupiti, the most remote and unspoilt. Here we swam with these amazing giant manta rays. They must have been more than eight feet wide. Have I mentioned how often we see dolphins and whales? They often escort as we approach land, as if they’ve come to welcome us. Each time is just as thrilling.
Cooks Islands: The passage from The Society Islands to the Cooks Islands took us four days. This was Ben’s longest time out at sea (so far) and he managed very well.
After more than twelve months of being in either a French or Spanish speaking country it was wonderful to arrive at an English speaking place. Dealing with immigration and custom was a pleasure and we could read every sign and information posters.
The most extraordinary island we visited in the Cooks was Palmerston Island. The inhabitants of this island are all descendents of William Masters an English man who settled in Palmerston with three Polynesian wives. The island has been divided up for the three branches of the family, each branch being descended from one of Williams’s three wives.
Two of the families vie to host cruisers who arrive on the island. They feed their guests, give tours of the tiny island, offer laundry and showers and generally make their visitors feel as welcomed and comfortable as possible.
We were hosted by Edward and his family. Our six days at Palmerston were fantastic. We got involved in many of the daily routines and activities of the island. Ben and Steve went fishing and sea bird catching with Edward and his two sons. Ben learned how to husk coconuts properly, while I listened to Edwards’s mother tell stories of old times gathering copra and life on Palmerston when she was a girl. We help pluck and prepare the sea birds caught. Only Ben had a go at wringing one of the birds neck to kill it. We went to church with the family and had a special Sunday lunch of chicken and sea bird that we caught and prepared the previous day.
In exchange for their hospitality we offered them goods that we had on board. Since a container boat only visits Palmerston once or twice a year, they were thankful and in need of almost everything we could offer.
We gave them them fresh fruit and vegetables (much appreciated), tin food, dried goods and any treats we had to spare. We also gave Ed gasoline for his outboard, fishing hooks, our rusting 300 ft anchor chain and small electrical parts and small miscellaneous items. We fixed a couple computer printers that belong to the school and admin department and a lap top power supply of an extended family member. The island was a strange contrast of basic subsistence with quite advance computer technology!
Niue: This Island is one of my favourite places. Being an uplifted atoll, faulting, weathering and erosion have created many crevices, chasms and limestone caves.
It was absolutely delightful exploring this island. The massive limestone caves were astounding, each cave we visited unique with surreal formation of stalagmites and stalactites. We hiked through fantastic petrified coral forest and down into deep chasms with clear pools at the bottom. Swam and snorkeled in the natural pools formed on the coastal reef. We enjoyed great food in the relaxed and friendly atmosphere of the main town. At night we were serenaded by whale song from the nearby humpback whales. I even took courage and scuba dived among the famous Niuen sea snakes. Niue far exceeded our expectation. A must stop for travelers.
Tonga: Another favourite place. The Kingdom of Tonga is a perfect sailing ground with some of the most scenic and unspoiled groups of islands. Here we enjoyed the Vava’u Regatta, probably the most fun packed week we’ve had since starting our cruising life. Ben got recruited into helping with the Regatta and ended up having an amazing time and 
making good friends with organizers and locals. He also got the opportunity to teach Chemistry and Math to the children of other cruisers who were here during this get together time. Steve and I once again met up with many cruising friends, some we haven’t seen since leaving the other side of the Panama Canal. We were quite exhausted from socializing when we left Vava’u.
After our busy time in Vava’u, it was wonderful to relax and chill out in the distant islands of the Ha’apai group. While visiting one of these remote island we were invited for lunch by a local family. We were served a feast of lobsters, fresh fish deliciously fried in batter and local vegetables. While we ate our food, our host and hostesses fanned away flies from us and our food. We, as custom 
dictates, gave them small gifts to say ‘Thank you’ for their hospitality. The Tongans are really gracious and affable people.
I could go on and on about all the great moments and places. I feel I’ve only hit the tip of the iceberg.
Visiting wonderful places, seeing amazing sights, observing incredible wildlife, discovering unique cultures, tasting their foods and enjoying wonderful hospitality, is what cruising life is about.
There is the other side too. Continually maintaining and fixing our boat, struggling to get spare parts, dealing with difficult officialdom, language barriers and slow communication.
Other low moments were saying goodbye to John when he returned to England and saying goodbye to friends we may never see again. Also hearing about other cruisers who have severely damaged or entirely lost their boat. The worse was hearing that a young cruising friend of ours, just last week, died of a blood infection here in Tonga. It was only four weeks ago that we were sharing a beach fire and BBQ with her.
There are times when I long for land life again. A nice home and the comfort and security it provides. A familiar community with family, friends and good facilities nearby. These thoughts usually occur after an unpleasant incident, when things go wrong with the boat or anticipation of a difficult passage.
When I really think about it, would I give up this life of adventures, exotic locations, remarkable experiences, being footloose and fancy free, returning to a normal, mundane and predictable life on land.
No, I don’t think so! Even on land I remember feeling worried, insecure and faced risks just driving to and from work each day. The highs of the cruising life far far outweigh the lows.
The real question is. Will I ever be able to give up this life!!!!
Yesterday was a little busy. We did another provisioning run to the Carrefour supermarket in the morning. On the way [...]]]>
Yesterday was a little busy. We did another provisioning run to the Carrefour supermarket in the morning. On the way we bumped into Gerald. The agent with our passports wasn’t around so we agreed that whoever found him first would collect all our paperwork.
We loaded up with more food and a little more beer – just in case the kids get too thirsty before we get to Panama City. We also picked up a lot of good quality beef which is very cheap here.
In the afternoon Gerald and Tom came over and we spent a few hours copying useful files and info we each had. Later we headed off to the local supermarket for more frozen and fresh food including our Christmas turkey.
Got a little more tidying to do before we go. Around 9am we’ll head round to the fuel dock and fill up. Then we’ll head out of the bay and find a shallow, clear patch to drop anchor and clean the props. The weather forecast still looks good (if not slightly better) to make it in two days albeit with a slow start perhaps. We’re going to head to Linton (9 36.7N 079 35.2W) as our first landfall. We’ve learned we can hire cars there and have the boat looked after. This gives us the option of going to pick the kids up from the airport which would be nice. We’ll look into the feasibility of doing that.
It will be sad to leave. We’ve made some good friends here and most we know we won’t see again. Every time we stay somewhere more than a week we grow a few roots which makes it all a little harder to move on. Problem with Cartagena is that if we don’t leave soon, the bay will grow roots into us.
]]>We couldn’t find the agent yesterday so we’ll try again today. Yesterday was a public holiday. He said he’d be working but noone we know found him.
We also defrosted the fridge. It seems to do well for a long time but once the drip tray gets iced and the outflow blocks the thing frosts up very quickly. We’d reached that point so it had to be done and best before we do our provisioning today.
In the evening we were invited over to Whiskers for a Durban Curry cooked by Dianne. Tom and Marge from 3/4 time were there too. The food was great and we had a good evening. Again, a little more beer/wine that was good for us.
Bar anything unfortunate that delays us we should be off tomorrow. That makes last night our last night of partying here in Cartagena. We’ll want to be fit and straight for our two day crossing to Panama. The weather forecasts look good. It’s hard to predict the coastal winds but the forecasts seem to be consistently predicting good winds for us out at sea. Our current thinking is to sail to Portobello and stay around there until Monday morning when we’ll head over to Shelter Bay Marina in Colon and kick of the admin ourselves.
]]>In the morning I dropped off our passports with our agent so we can clear out. Later, I picked up the filled dive [...]]]>
In the morning I dropped off our passports with our agent so we can clear out. Later, I picked up the filled dive tanks and refueled the dinghy. I also ran the hookah to see if it was ok – it was. Given that it seized up last time it’s probably running it if left for a month or two. I was also called over to Panda to reverse their laptop setup as they had a connection problem with one of them. It should have been straightforward but it took a bit of o/s wrestling to make work.
We decided to eat out and have a pizza for before the tour of the lights. We had an ok pizza and a couple of beers each before heading back to Club Nautico to meet up with everyone.
Stuffed onto a bus we were given our free rum (I managed to get two) and then set 
off. After what seemed ages we were ejected to see a little park where they had a large, lit tissue paper doll nativity scene. The ‘baby Jesus’ looked lit a glow worm / maggot. Still, the trees were lovely and lit up nicely.
We were then packed back onto the bus for our next treat. Along the way we got stuck in the wrong street and had to back up which took forever. The next ‘treat’ turned out to be a residential street with a few lit up houses. To be quite honest, the lit apartments right next to Club Nautico were better. I imagined locals asking us how far we’d travelled to see this 
street. I was embarrassed.
Right round the corner we saw a clone of the first park with the holy glow worm but we were spared the ordeal of getting off the bus. Then it was off to the old town which raised spirits. Having seen some impressive lights go up recently we were hopeful for more. Sadly, we’d already seen the best of it on our previous night’s excursions. Although I enjoyed the company of friends (Pandas, 3/4 Times were there among others) I was personally quite bored with the trip and would rather have done something else. You can’t win ’em all.
As we approach Thursday, our planned departure date, I’m paying more and more attention to the weather. Typically the good winds are north of 11N which means a big arc up north to catch them for a while. The current predictions have better weather north of 10N which may mean we get an easier ride but need to be careful of stronger weather a little north of our track. We’ll see but it’s looking promising.
]]>A mind game I often play with myself is to try to imagine oneself ten years ago believing what you’d be doing this day ten years later. Most days while cruising this is fun but this time, sailing solo on a sunfish out in the Bocagrande bay out of the Colombian navy’s officer club would have registered high on the scale of disbelief.
This was the first time that Helen and I have sailed anything so small. I managed to fall in twice and Helen once but we had a great time. After our time out we were treated to a late lunch at the ‘mess’ which was very nice. Later while Derek and Martha went out for another sail we were able to walk round the private grounds and marvel at where we were, what we were doing and how lucky we were to live this life.
Following a (hilarious) conversation from the previous evening Martha also gave Helen a gift of a necklace of small pearls and a similar one to give to Dianne. So very generous. A big thanks to Martha and Derek for the few days we’ve had of their company, hospitality and friendship. We said our Au Revoirs. They hope to go cruising in a couple of years. Perhaps we’ll see them out there somewhere.
Today we’ll begin the process of leaving Cartagena. This morning I will find our agent so we can clear out on Wed or Thu. Tomorrow is a public holiday so we need to get the ball rolling today. This afternoon I’ll pick up the dive tanks which I dropped off last week to be filled.
This evening we’re off on the Xmas light tour which should be interesting. Each night we’re out we see more and more so I doubt we’ll see everything. What we’ve seen so far is pretty good so we’re looking forward to this.
]]>First stop was the home store where we picked up a few items. I found a couple of pipes which I can make a long extension to our syringe for injecting grease into our dropless seals. Problem was they were 3m long so they’ll have to wait another trip. Next stop was the Carrefour supermarket where we picked up a little food and a lot of beer/wine. We now should have enough for the family all the way to Panama City in January.
After getting all our provisions back on the boat I headed back to Panda to complete their network setup. As ever, sleeping on the problem seemed to bring ideas into focus and it didn’t take too long to have everything going the way they hoped for. Next stop was Glide who’d also learned I enjoy a challenge. He’d been having problems with his printer. He was just completing his third attempt to install the drivers. While the compute was rebooting I removed the printer cable and put it back. By the time it had rebooted the printer was working. No idea if it was the final install or cable which fixed it but it’s the result that counts. I ended up being able to borrow their Panama Cruising guide for a couple of days. We have a copy in NJ coming to us with the kids but this allows us to plan a little ahead of time.
Helen, in the meantime, was busy preparing for the evening. We’d invited Derek and Martha back to the boat for a return meal and invited the Whiskers over too. Derek and Martha had plenty of questions still and Gerald and Dianne added an extra perspective on things.
Evening came. I picked up Derek and Martha from the dock and we spent time touring the boat before Dianne and Gerald showed up. The meal was excellent, the company better. (Right now Helen’s a little cross at me for opening too many bottles of wine. She does have a point.)
When Martha and Derek were ready to leave I dinghied them back over the bay. It was quite flat so no dinghy bums as far as I could tell. We were left with an invite to visit Martha and Derek at their sailing club today (Sunday) and go out on the clubs sunfish. Flying back on my own in the dark was fast and fun.
Dianne and Gerald stayed a little longer but soon we were left to crash.
We are awake now. We’ve got to pull ourselves together to be fit for this afternoons outing. We’ve never sailed boats so small so it will be interesting to say the least.
]]>We didn’t go to the supermarket yesterday because we felt exhausted. We’ll go this morning instead. We spent the evening relaxing and watching a few downloaded TV shows. I did replace the shower rail that we’d used to support our grill/BBQ/braie (last one for SAs) with the stainless steel cuts we had made. Looks pretty nice now that we have no rust stains again.
]]>Back on the boat I learned that the big [...]]]>
gave in and went back to the boat to wait it out.
Back on the boat I learned that the big news of the morning was that the previous evening a sailboat had been boarded and robbed while entering Boca Chica around sunset. This was the same entrance we had taken returning from the Rosarios just a few hours earlier. We knew it was not at all safe to anchor there but to be boarded is another thing. We have emailed and warned some of our friends on the way here.
I decided to head back to the dock around 8:30am and immediately ran into the first of the A/C brothers. We waited a few minutes for the other brother to show up before hopping into the dinghy. Just as we were pulling off the stainless steel guy appeared so I was able to take them all together.
The morning ended up with a lot of running around. The A/C reinstallation seemed to take longer than it should and was a little worrying as they kept popping the circuit breaker when testing. In between supporting the A/C guys I was helping raise the wing gen mast. After a couple of hours of this everyone finished together so I was able to drop them off with a single trip.
My next stop, after a quick bite to eat, was to head over to Panda to help them extend their boat network. I was there for two hours and we made some progress but only in the direction of identifying some specific issues that required resolving or circumventing.
Back to Dignity at 2pm we were getting ready to go to the notorious open air market when our son Ben skyped us. He’d already spoken to Helen while I was out. It was nice to see him as he’s hard to get hold of.
After this chat we headed ashore with Dianne and Gerald and took a cab to the open air market. It was quite an interesting place; vast, crowded, hot, filthy and often smelly. Helen and Dianne both bought some cheap young girls jewelry as hand outs for when we reach the Marquesas. I bought a hat. We ducked into the Caribe Mall for some sanity, cool air, ice cream, rotisary chicken, beer and wine before heading back to the boat for a quick wash and minor clear up before heading back out to meet Derek who’d emailed us the day before.
We didn’t have to wait too long, Cartagena standards, for him to arrive in a taxi to take us over to their apartment in Castillo Grande on the other side of the bay. There we met his wife, Martha. They had a wonderful apartment and served a great meal. We chatted about a whole bunch of things. They were particularly interested in our transition and our lifestyle as they, being avid sailors, are planning to head off around 2012. Later in the evening we walked the 2-3 miles to the Old Town where we sat in the Plaza Domingo (check) drinking fruit juice. They regularly make this trip, several times a week in fact, and are well known by the owner and the five piece band that serenaded us with three Colombian songs.
We parted company after midnight promising them dinner and a show around the boat on Saturday evening. Being many hours after our normal retirement time we fell asleep instantly upon arrival.
We woke late too so I missed my normal slot for doing the blog. Shortly after 8am I dinghied Helen over to the other side of the bay again for her dentist appointment. Back on Dignity I was joined by Gerald who’d offered to assist with installing the wind generator.
After a couple of hours work we had the unit atop the mast and the cables run down through the mast and into the starboard transom through a rubber seal.
It then took me another two to three hours in cramped sweaty condition down inside the transom wiring it all up with a cut off switch and breaker into the same box where we have the breakers for our solar panels.
Then came the testing. With Helen on the inside calling out the amps being drawn/generated I turned the unit off and on several times. Not sure what the wind speed was but it wasn’t great. We were still making 2-4 amps which was not bad considering a lot of wind gens in the anchorage were not turning. The unit is pretty quiet. We can’t hear it at all in our cabin although it can be heard in the starboard aft cabin.
Now I’m relaxing. Working in that sweat hole is exhausting but I’m glad it’s done. Tools are still strewn everywhere so the clear up still needs to be done. We’ll probably head back to the big mall today to start stocking up on Xmas essentials (ie, lots more beer and wine).
]]>There was little wind so we motored all the way back to Cartagena, this time [...]]]>
There was little wind so we motored all the way back to Cartagena, this time taking the longer route via Boca Chica to see a different view and to live a little in history as this was often the entrance taken by invading fleets.
Now that we’ve settle into Cartagena we probably won’t move until we leave for Panama next week so here is our current position and our tracks within Colombia.
View 2009 Colombia in a larger map
Once back anchored we were soon met by Gerald from Whiskers and made plans to meet up in the evening for the Wednesday Happy Hour. I also called the A/C guys and the stainless steel guys to line them up to complete their work. The A/C guys are due in at 8am this morning and the s/s guys were due to show up at 2pm although I had to wait until 3pm before they arrived.
I also caught up on emails, etc. We received one email from a couple who live part time here in Cartagena who have been following our blog. They have invited us round to dinner this evening which we’re looking forward to.
Back to the work. Mounting the mast was mostly completed yesterday afternoon leaving a little work to be completed today. They will also arrive around 8am (they say). If we’re lucky they’ll arrive along with the A/C guys and I can save a dinghy trip. That leaves me to complete the install of the wind gen. Shortly I’ll check cable lengths, etc and see what I have that I can use and what I need to buy later this morning.
Yesterday evening, after dropping of the s/s guys, we headed off for Happy Hour where we met up with the Whiskers as well as Tom and Marge from 3/4 Time among others. The six of us ended up in the nearby burger joint.
Either today or tomorrow we’ll head off to the fresh fruit & veg market where I am told I can also pick up cheap water cans. I’ve also made a promise to the folks on Panda to help them set up their boat network. They heard what I did for Whiskers and are looking forward to the help.
Once the two sets of work are done we’ll be free to relax. We’re booked on a city tour on the 7th of December but beyond that we’re free to go.
Finally – I’ve uploaded pics for our time in the Rosarios.
]]>Later in the morning we headed ashore to the hotel which had a pier and flew a dive flag. We wondered if they would fill our tanks for a decent fee giving us one less thing to do in Cartagena. The girl we spoke to had never been asked to do this before and after consulting with her boss they came up with a price of 25,000 pesos a tank ($12.50). Given that we know its $7,000 a tank in Cartagena we passed on this. We also looked at the menu but found the place equally expensive so contented ourselves with a brief look around as the place was quite beautiful.
The rest of the day was relaxing and reading followed by cleaning the deck once it had cooled down sufficiently. We should have done this when we first arrived down here as its in Cartagena where it gets all grimy. At least we’ve minimised the build up. I also dinghied around the corner with my hand held GPS to examine the buoys marking our route out from behind the reef. I’m glad I did this as some were missing and I was able to determine a good route though the unmarked portion.
We’ll be heading out of here between 8 and 9 getting into Cartagena around midday. If today is like the recent days there will be little or no wind in the morning so we’ll be motoring all the way back. In the afternoons the wind picks up a little but this is not worth waiting for as it typical blows right from the direction we want to travel.
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