January 3, 2008

We had planned on heading to the Rosarios, an island chain just 25 miles southwest of Cartagena, where the water is clearer, snorkeling is a possibility, beaches to walk along, and where the only clothes you need is a swimsuit, but that is optional too. We have jerry jugged water from Club Nautico, since we cannot run the watermaker here in this harbor, provisioned food supplies, and checked the fuel level.  We also had the bottom cleaned by a local who works for Club Nautico.  It took Jaime two hours to clean the bottom of our boat.  In just three weeks our propeller was a solid round glob of barnacles and our thru hulls were barnacle infested therefore restricting the flow of the heads. Not a good scenario!  The water here is so nutrient enriched that things that you wish did not grow, grow at a very fast rate. But, the wind has been blowing these last two days, gusts of up to 30 mph; so we are sitting tight waiting patiently for the wind to blow itself out.

A street in the Old Wall city

January 4, 2008   Little R & R at the R

We are outta of here!  Yippee, it's back to the islands mon and I am thrilled to be leaving this big city life for awhile.  This is our last time we will have the opportunity to visit the outer islands along the Colombian coastline until next year, 2009, so we plan on making the best of it.  It takes about an hour and a half once we raised anchor to sail thru Boca Chica channel and out thru the cut.  The winds are NE at 15-20 knots and the seas once out in the ocean are 8-10 ft out of the NE, but since we are headed  in a westerly direction the seas are on our aft quarter and we have a wonderful sail.  We set anchor at the Rosarios at 2:30pm and imbibe our favorite celebratory drink, rum and coca cola.

January 6, 2008     Let the Water Flow

Aaron reinstalled the water pump that we had fixed in Cartagena by Mr. Turbina and reconnected the hoses and we crossed our fingers and turned on the watermaker.  The outflow of water thru the thru hull was minimal, not good.  So we shut it down and pondered this problem.   As in every fix it problem, you begin the process of elimination.  Is the thru hull clogged?  We unstowed the Hookah system, which is an air compressor that is hooked up to a breathing regulator with a 50 ft line so that you can breath underwater.  It is a handy unit to have and makes cleaning the bottom of the boat much easier.  Aaron dove into the water and cleaned the thru hull and others, but Jaime had done a good job so it wasn't the thru hull.  So, we thought about the problem overnite, and Aaron thought he might have reconnected the hoses backwards.  So he switched them and wahla.  We are back in the watermaking business!   The TDS tester, which measures the level of salt content in the water, read 270, excellent news.  Anything over 800 is not drinkable.  We were wondering if our membranes had gone bad, but we had backflushed the unit twice during the two months that it took to get the waterpump fixed, so this had helped in preserving the membranes.  The membranes are what the water flows thru by way of high pressure to extract the salt out of the water.    Our Sea Recovery unit makes 30 gallons an hour, so we ran it for 2 hours for the next few days.  We washed the boat to get rid of the Cartagena grime and did laundry.  It's nice not having to worry about conserving water.  And it has only rained here one afternoon, since arriving in Cartagena on Dec. 6th, and that is all.  Not like our Panama wet experience!

January 10, 2008     Rosarios Recreation   

The water is so clear here in the Rosarios that snorkeling has been an everyday occurrence.  The coral heads just south of the anchorage are worth a visit, but there isn't much fish life.  I saw a nice size ocean trigger and a mutton snapper that were spear worthy, but Aaron is not in the hunting mode.   We also snorkeled the north side of Isla Grande when it was a calm morning.  But the current made it a workout.  We also dinghied clear around the islands to check it out.  There is an Aquarium  on the furthest west island that we hear has sharks and all kinds of fish life, but why pay $10 to see that when all you have to do is get in the water?  A lot of the tourist boats visit it and as we passed by, we thought we might just see a huge shark jump out of the water, but no joy. To get back to our boat, we decided to drift with the dinghy and snorkel since the current was pushing us towards the anchorage.   There are jellyfish in the water, not the man o war types, but much smaller and no tentacles and I manage to run into a few of them on my legs causing my skin to sting.  Later, on board I have welts from the jellyfish stings and now  the area just itches like crazy for days. I keep spraying a solution of half vinegar and half rubbing alcohol on them which helps the itch go away.

  There are several resorts on Isla Grande, one is very expensive as we found out.  We took the dinghy trip with Ted and Peggy on s/v Mystery to the nice resort, located on the eastern shore of Isla Grande, that has a beautiful pool with a poolside bar.  Again, the tourist boats out of Cartagena stop here also, so the pool area was full of Colombians enjoying themselves.  We ordered beer and Aaron a rum and coke and just people watched, taking a dip in the pool to cool off.  After a couple of hours, we paid our tab.  $77,000 pesos! Ouch, rum and cokes were 13,000 pesos each and beers $8000.  This was more than we spent in a day in Cartagena!  The other resort, called Restaurante Lizamar, has a smaller pool, and better entertainment, a monkey on a leash, and parrots in a large cage.  And beers are 3000 pesos each. We met Don and his daughter Jade on s/v Pedoja here for happy hour one afternoon and swapped sailing stories over  a few beers.  They unfortunately, had their dinghy stolen the next night;  the thieves had just cut the dinghy painter line and towed it away.  What a bummer.

Every day, we are visited by locals in their dugout canoes, some selling sweets, jewelry, and seafood.  Lobster, fish and crab are more expensive here than in the San Blas.  A nice sized lobster costs about $10 or more.   The sweets were made from coconut and the older couple that were selling them were so nice.  I couldn't resist helping out the local economy and bought a dozen of them for 5 mil ($2.50)  And the jewelry brothers were also hard to say no to. Pablo, Louis and Davidson came by in their boat, and began selling necklaces and placing stone figurines on deck.  The necklaces were made from coral and to prove it they took a lighter and set the flame underneath the coral necklace.  See, it doesn't change color and doesn't melt.  We ended up with a black coralina necklace and a frog figurine.  Go figure!

We tie up our dinghy at Lizamar and take a walk thru the island along with Pieter and Marie on s/v Mamacocha originally from Holland.  Yes, they began their journey in Holland in September 2006 and have sailed across the Atlantic and thru the Eastern Caribbean and hope to go thru the canal in March on their way to the South Pacific and beyond.  As we walk along, we come across  pigs roaming free,  several tiendas selling various items, kids playing soccer with the goals being outlined with empty beer bottles, and a cockfighting ring.  Glad that it wasn't being in use.  The bar, which was the biggest building, was playing music loudly, blaring the same song over and over.  What is up with that?  There are dirt pathways all throughout the entire island and several very small villages.  The homes are constructed out of wood or concrete and are nestled well within the interior, most probably due to protection from the weather.  The soil is not very good for growing things, but some are trying to grow things out of pots.  One man was busy making his own concrete blocks, one at a time; for he only had one mold. 

Aaron and I stop at one of the tiendas and buy a few vegetables and flour.  It is such a small store and the veggies have been there awhile, but I need some potatoes, tomatoes, and carrots.  The girl, while talking on her cell phone, weighs my purchases and conducts business as she is talking away.  Must be an important call, no?

The wind always picks up later in the afternoon, blowing a good 20 knots or more out of the northeast and blows well into the night.  This anchorage has good protection and our anchor is buried in the sand, so no worries about us dragging, but still during the night one of us gets up and sticks our head out of the companionway for a look around, just making sure everyone else is staying put.  It's just what us  prudent sailors do!

January 11, 2008     Yahoo, it's off to Baru!

10 09.88N  75 39.90W

It's just another beautiful day in paradise, as we raise anchor and head to Baru, another anchorage just 5 miles to the east.  Motoring the entire way, across the shallow spot where the depth is just 10 ft,  we watch as the tourist boats hop from one island to another and speedboats fly by in a hurry.  This is the playground for rich Colombians and school is out until February, so there are many families here having fun in the sun.  This is the best time of year, the temperature is perfect, sunny, and no rain so that is why the school year ended in the first week of December and begins a new year in February.  

Heading into the channel of Baru, we keep all the markers on our starboard and stay to the port as we glide thru the cut in between the islands. To port, on the tip of the island, is a party area with tents set up in the water.  We will have to check this out later.  The cut between the islands is not very wide, but it is deep enough and as we motor in, the anchorage opens up before us.  It is a huge area with homes and a few resorts lining the coastline and it is well protected.  There are several islands, big enough for homes to be built on them.  There is only one other sailboat here, so we set anchor is 12 ft and survey our new home for the next several days.

Before we put up the sun awning, I have to do a few sewing repairs.  Out comes the sewing machine into the cockpit and we set to work.  After many hours of sun exposure, the thread becomes rotted, so a few of the zippers have to be resewn.  That I can handle.

In the afternoon, we take a dinghy ride around the perimeter of the bay and check out the place.  On the north side, there is a beach and we stop and walk along it.  A few Colombian families are having a beach picnic and the resort is packing up their customers luggage in the launcha for the trip back to the mainland.

January 12, 2008    Party Cove

When we entered the narrow channel into the anchorage, at the very tip of the island was a place that had tents set up in the water.  We decided to check it out, packed a cooler and dinghied to "party cove".  There are a few powerboats anchored close in with music playing, a few tourist boats and canoes on the beach.  As we dinghy ashore, we are approached by a handful of guys, all talking at once.  They want to know if we are hungry and if we would like a lobster, fish or crab plate.  No gracias, no gracias.  We walk around the small sandy area and are approached by Riley, who wants to sell us necklaces.  He is very persistent, and speaks some English.  We graciously look over what he is offering, but still manage to say no gracias.  We hang out then by out dinghy the rest of the time and take dips in the water to cool off.  Riley comes up to me and begins a conversation.  I practice my Espanol and he practices English.  He tells me his Dad told him when he was younger that he should learn how to speak English because he would have more opportunites in life.  His father has since passed away, and Riley realizes now what sage advice his Dad had given him.  He has three children and lives in Bogota and his children are learning English in school and at home.  His mother lives in Baru and he was in town for a visit over the weekend and to sell his jewelry.  We also talked about Presidente Aribe who is popular and has helped the poor with the aid of special programs and has also decreased the amount of drug trafficking.  Crime has definitely decreased, but Riley says that there is a long ways to go and much more is needed to be done.

January 14, 2008   Birthday Surprise

After our few days of "tranquilo" here in Baru, having the place all to ourselves, we decide to head back to Cartagena.  Eder, Mr Corian, is suppose to start work on our galley countertops manana, so we raise anchor and motor back.  There is very little wind, but we raise the main once out into the ocean and enjoy the scenery.  It is also Gary, on s/v Kaija's Song's, birthday today, so we decide to surprise him.  We give him a phone call and wish him Happy Birthday and once we are anchored once again off of Club Nautico, he comes by for a visit and a birthday drink or two and I surprised him with a birthday carrot cake.  Last year, we celebrated his birthday in Jonesville, Roatan, and can hardly believe it's been a year.  Kaija is still in Vancouver taking care of her Dad, but she returns on the 24th.  Meanwhile, Gary tells us his update on the work that he is having done below decks, major construction; a new navigation station, a new shower, new corian countertops.  The communication barrier is a frustrating experience to overcome he says, but they are hard workers and his hopes is to have it done by Feb. 1st.    

January 15, 2008  The "No Problema" Bids are In

We managed to acquire bids from both Nilson, who is a carpenter, and his job will be making cabinets in the shop and Eder, the Corian countertop guy.  Eder has the biggest job which includes taking out the old insulation around the freezer and refrigeration and installing new.  Both of them said it will be the first week of February til they can begin their work.  So we make it clear to both of them that the jobs must be completed by Feb 20th, since we have our haulout at Todomar scheduled for Feb. 21st.  They both answer "no problema".  We think to ourselves quietly that we know that there will be many problems, but hey, we will deal with them when they arise, right?  We are in a third world country, where supplies are limited, and quality labor is in high demand.

 January 24, 2008   Bailado at the Baaba Maal Concert

The Hay Festival is happening this week which brings in many writers from different countries with events scheduled all during the week.  Mitzy, who is Tony's  (s/v Andiamo) good friend from Guatemala is visiting.  Mitzy and I try to attend the Joaquin Sabina interview, who is a talented musician from Colombia, at the Teatro Heredia,  but the event was sold out.  Darn, so what do we girls do?  We go shopping  since we are in old town.  I thought a black skirt would make a nice addition to my limited wardrobe, so we began the search.  After several hours of going into every fashion store we could find, we found only two black skirts.  What is up with that?  There were lots of white ones, so maybe I need to rethink this black skirt thing.  The Baaba Maal concert began at 8pm, so our group, which consisted of Tom & Julie, Doug & Linda, Tony & Mitzy and us, walked to Old Town to the Plaza de Aduana and listened to some incredible African music.  We met Alfredo, who was kind enough to be our bartender.  As we danced the night away under old Spanish skies, we performed our best African Zulu Voodoo dances.  You oughta been there for we were looking good!