Panama to Costa Rica

The following blog entry is a bit of a long one. We haven’t had access to the internet in over two weeks and are now in Golfito, Costa Rica. We’ve made a lot of stops between Panama and here. Hopefully, the photos will keep your interest as you peruse the notes.

January 13 - Isla Taboga and Contadore, Las Perlas (Panama)

We left the Balboa Yacht Club at noon, after refueling, getting gasoline for the outboard and another case of beer - we figured, hey, at fifty cents a can, it’s cheaper than bottled water!

It was amazing to see all the freighters anchored outside the harbor area - all probably waiting for their turn to go through the canal. I counted over thirty freighters and tankers! We motored amongst them towards Isla Taboga.

Taboga 

It wasn’t long when we anchored at Taboga, a tranquil and rustic little harbor with a small community and an interesting beach spit. Isla Taboga has been inhabited since the early 1500’s when the Spaniard, Francisco Pizzaro kept his fleet of ships here so he could better plunder the riches of the Incas in South America. This reoccurring theme surfaces yet again and again. The Spaniards plunder the natives, after which the English and the Dutch pirates come around and attack the Spanish galleons and clean up!


We never even set foot on Taboga. In the morning, after coffee and breakfast, we headed off to the Archipelago de las Perlas, a group of islands, over thirty miles southeast. After getting under way, the breeze picked up and we had the pleasure of sailing the entire distance!!! Really unusual and definitely one of the most pleasant sails we had experienced. Along the way a few dolphins came to swim along side of us. We also had expected to see whales but spotted none.

Here I might add that today was Diane and my anniversary - 34 years! This has been an atypical year in which our small family unit has not been together for several annual events. By Thanksgiving, I had already left to go sailing. Then my birthday and Meredith’s came along after which Meredith and Elliot left for the Netherlands. In late December Diane came to Colombia, thus Diane and I celebrated Christmas and New Years together but apart from Meredith. And now our wedding anniversary and Diane’s upcoming birthday also will be spent apart. Well, it’s sure to make the reunions that much sweeter.  

Back to sailing - we pulled into the harbor of Isla Contador just after 4pm. We found an available mooring and decided to pick it up, figuring that it was mainly used on weekends.

View of villas on Isla Contador

Contador is the most developed of the Perlas archipelago. We anchored on the south side, near a small airport and in front of several very nice waterfront homes. But here again, we only spent the evening there and in the morning left for more remote islands.

We motored a few miles south, anchoring just off of Isla Chapera and north of Isla Mogo Mogo. We had a splendid small white sandy beach all to ourselves. It’s exactly the stuff they make movies of - bent palm tress hanging over the sparkling water. Beyond the beach was a dense jungle. Supposedly, it was on this island that one of the Survivors series had been filmed.

The windless on deck

Dave and Barry playing in the sand (with the windless)

We’d been experiencing infrequent but pesky problems with the windless (when pulling up anchor). So Dave came up with the (exciting) notion of tearing the windless apart, and seeing if we could improve its performance. It turned out to be an afternoon-long task, in which we took it off the boat to the island, after taking all the grease from its innards, saving it in plastic cups, then bathing the gears in gasoline. We then repacked the thick, gooey grease, mixing 30 weight motor oil with it in order to fill the entire box with grease.

After bolting the windless back on deck, we tested hauling in the anchor chain - it worked like a charm. Another successful project completed.  

Later that afternoon, we took the dinghy to a small rocky islet in between the two main islands. We snorkeled and spotted numerous varieties of small fish, including grouper, clown and parrot fish, skip jack, angel and trumpet fish, an eel and more. I saw one school of blue tang that numbered well into the hundreds. They’d swim off in one direction for a bit and suddenly, as if on cue, they’d all switch directions and swim (in unison) elsewhere. Beautiful!  

January 15 - Isla Chapera to Isla del Rey

In the morning, I woke up before sunrise to the sound of gentle slapping surf on the beach, chirping birds and the aromatic scent of blossoms and other vegetation ashore. When I got up on deck, the sea was as smooth as glass. I easily could see the anchor chain on the ocean floor. Fish were jumping out of the water and large clown fish were swimming near the surface along the boat.

After coffee and breakfast we sailied to Isla del Rey, the largest island of the archipelago, about thirteen miles away. Although the plan had been to anchor at Isla Espiritu Santo, one of the smaller islands off of Isla del Rey, once we got there we opted to continue to Isla Canas, just two miles further south. I think that our expectations were becoming a bit jaded - if the anchorage was not absolutely pristine and idyllic, we’d move onwards until we found one.

We anchored off a small, palm-lined sandy beach that had an abandoned-looking structure on it with a tent inside of it. Odd. Some papaya trees were visible near the property. Yummy!!!  Off in the distance we could see La Ensenada, a tiny fishing village on Isla del Rey.

As soon as we were settled in, we took the dinghy to the village. It consisted of a cluster of small houses along the beach with a boardwalk. Overall, it looked pretty tidy. Laundry hung everywhere. We encountered a tiny tienda (store) on our walk and a bare-looking bar. A couple of the older gents invited us in, so we stopped and had a beer with the locals. But the music was unbearably loud, so much so that we could talk. We soon said our good-byes and continued our walk along the boardwalk. Lots of kids riding their bicycles and a number of bored-looking adults watching the world go by.

The village

In the evening, the anchorage was perfectly peaceful except for the wild cries of parrots and the chirping of other birds and critters. The temperature was perfect - not too hot nor too cold, with a gentle breeze off the northeast. A few papayas found their way into our boat. Imagine that! Really, could it get any better?

January 16 - Isla Del Rey, Perlas

Today was a day of celebration on Lahaina Roads. After leaving our anchorage and skirting around a shoal, we headed out to open waters. As we’ve done so many times before, we put two fishing lines out. After just a few minutes we heard the shrill whirl of the fishing line and we knew that we had a solid strike. No sooner had Dave gone to reel it in, when the other pole got a strike. Barry began to reel that line in.

After a bit of work, both fish were on deck - two large mahi-mahis. Unfortunately, the larger of the two suddenly thrashed and flipped itself back into the sea, breaking the line and taking with it, the jig. Immediately, we tied a line to the remaining mahi-mahi, ensuring that that wouldn’t happen again.

Later, Dave put out another line and got another strike. This time it was a yellowtail tuna. Needless to say, our evening menu was starting look better and better!!! We had sushi a couple of hours later and for dinner we had a tasty combination platter of barbecued tuna steaks and mahi-mahi.

That afternoon we anchored in Cacique Bay, an open bay that offered good protection except from the south. A little weather was indeed coming from the south but we decided it wasn’t strong enough to worry about.

Rio Cacique flowed into the bay. We took the dinghy there hoping to make into the river, but the surf was breaking too high near the river’s entrance. We returned in the morning, hoping to get in then, but this time we were stymied by the low tide that had set in, and now there wasn’t enough water to make it in.

Instead, we picked up anchor and motored to Isla San Carlos, about 25 miles away. San Carlos is privately owned, the second largest of the Perlas and no one lives on the island. We arrived there just before two in the afternoon. After anchoring, we had more sushi and made a plans for the following day, when we would be heading back to the Panamanian mainland.

January 18 - Sailing to the Mainland

We got up at three in the morning and a half hour later were underway with a moonlit sky aglow. Coffee cups in hand, we rounded San Carlos and set a course for Punta Mala. Thirteen hours later, after a casual crossing, we pulled into Punta Benao or as the beach is referred to - Playa Venado. On the way over, we encountered a half a dozen ships, but we had expected to see many more, since this area was known as a major crossroad for freighters transiting the canal.  

Playa Venado is a well known surf spot, and indeed, there were a number of surfers out riding waves. The anchorage was not protected from the south. So with a slight swell coming into the anchorage, we bobbed and rolled a bit, but not all that much. It was time for cocktails, dinner and an early bedtime.  

The following day we took the dinghy to the beach and went for a walk to the surf spot. A couple of hotels and restaurants were there with mostly surfer clientele. We had lunch at one of the restaurants and watched the surfing action. Dave considered renting a board but later decided against it. We walked back towards the dinghy and stopped by a resort that catered to a higher end market than the surfer dudes. Although we weren’t welcomed much either, we were fortunate to see three brightly colored parrots flying freely in the trees on the property. Loudly squawking, as they flew from one tree to another, they were really an impressive sight.

Back on the boat, as we were having our evening spirits, we spotted a peculiar movement on the beach - four young women walking with a hoola-hoop wearing colorful, flowing material that they draped around themselves (and then proceeded to take off). Yep, they were stark naked. There was a photographer and an assistant with them. We surmised that it was a photo shoot for a magazine. A beautiful beach at sunset, an elegant sailing ketch at anchor and four young naked women. What a perfect combination for a photo shoot.

January 20 - Fishing 101

Since being on the Pacific, our luck with fishing has improved tremendously. We left Benao Cove heading for Naranja Bay at 6:30am. This is an area known for sport fishing so we immediately put out the lines. No sooner were they in when we got a strike. It must have been a large fish because in a matter of seconds the jig and line were gone.

A plate of sashimi for lunch

A few minutes later, however, the other reel wined. This time we had a more manageable strike. The sound of the reel when a fish strikes is at once intoxicating and tantalizing. Then comes the excitement and anticipation of the first glance at the fish as it breaks the surface and makes its initial appearance. The meeting takes place. Now it’s a matter of reeling it in and bringing it in on deck - not a trivial task.

I was in the process of pulling up fifteen pound tuna, when the fish darted under the stern of the boat. I made the mistake of following it with the pole and not keeping the tip of the pole up. The line suddenly went limp - the fish had managed to cut the line against the boat’s under belly. Alas! (Well, those aren’t the exact words that I muttered.)

Luckily Barry brought in another tuna, and sushi prevailed on the lunch menu, again. About  twenty minutes after lunch, both reels screamed loudly, again announcing two more catches. Both were fifteen pound tunas. This time we didn’t put the lines back out. We had plenty of fish.      

At 3:30pm we pulled into our anchorage - Ensenada Naranjo, a very pretty bay lined with palm trees, a small cove to the south and some huts. A very remote spot indeed.

In the morning we heard lots of birds and even a howler monkey. But we were too far to see them. We had a leisurely breakfast and pulled up anchor. Santa Catalina, our next anchorage, was about 32 miles away.

The currents can be quite strong in this area. A couple of days ago, the currents were assisting our progress and moving us through the water at nearly 8.5 knots (our overall boat speed). Today the currents are a hindrance to our progress, keeping us at an unimpressive 5 knots. We pulled into the Catalina channel at 3pm and anchored off of a white sandy beach at Isla Santa Catalina.

From Santa Catalina looking to the island

Diane and I had been to Santa Catalina two years ago. I noticed more shops, restaurants and hostels and found out that they were a result of a world surfing event that was held here in 2010. But otherwise, not much seems to have changed. We stayed another day to provision and took a bus to the nearest town (Sona) with a supermarket. It was a long ordeal but quite an adventure. We hitch-hiked and got a ride into town (two hours of driving and skirting huge pot holes). To get back we took the bus. I sat next to a plump lady who only afforded me a half cheek on the seat - the rest of my butt was in the isle. Thankfully, she got off midway.

January 23 - Santa Catalina to Ensenada Cativon

It was an easy thirteen miles to our next anchorage, a small and well protected bay - Ensenada Cativon. We went ashore, thinking that there was  a village at the head of the bay, but all we found was an individual who wanted to know if we were interested in buying land - waterfront lot for $50 per square meter. We said no thanks and walked further around the bay and found a small waterfall where we took a dip - well, all we could really do was to sit in place and let the water fall on our backs. Refreshing.

We left for Isla Rancheria the next morning. Again only a brief distance, we were anchored just before noon. Isla Rancheria is right adjacent to Isla Coiba Both islands are part of the national park system. After a beer and a bite to eat, we snorkeled, finding lots of fish varieties including a large ray and an curious white-tipped shark about four feet long.

Isla Coiba has a long history. But the most interesting part is when it was a prison (late 1980’s). Apparently, the guards are the ones that at night locked themselves up, while the prisoners were free to roam the wild island. Some prisoners would try to escape by swimming or capturing a boat to the adjacent islands or to the mainland. At one time, a yacht had anchored offshore when some prisoners swam to it, murdered the crew on board and used the boat to escape the island. As far as we know, no remnants of prisoners are on the island.

From Rancheria looking to Isla Coiba

We left Isla Ranchera in the morning and set a course for Isla Secas. After about three hours of motoring we anchored in a small bay of Isla Cavada (the largest of the Secas) that had a rustic resort built of permanent round tents. One of the structures was on an islet that had a walk way during low tide but you’d need a boat to get to it during high tide. We wondered what kind of room service they provided.

Probably our biggest catch

In the late afternoon I watched one of these terrific nature scenes one gets to enjoy in places such as these. Dolphins were having a meal on a school of fish. That process was pushing the fish towards the surface, which in turn, was making a meal available to frigate birds, who would swoop down, and while not touching the water, would pick up a fish. Another type of bird, more like a small seagull, (one that could land on the water) also was working the same area. They’d dive right into the water and have their meal. It was like my own nature show - live!

We left Isla Cavada for our last stop in Panama, Isla Parida. Actually a cluster of small islands, Isla Parida’s northerly cove was very peaceful and protected. We spent the afternoon and evening there and pulled up anchor at daybreak - we had a long haul ahead of us to reach Golfito, Costa Rica.

After a windless day, we closed up on Golfito. Unfortunately, we didn’t make it by nightfall. We were lucky in that the channel proved to be pretty straightforward. We anchored and went to bed. Next morning we motored a mile or so down the bay and found the Fishhook Marina and were fortunate to get a slip. We were at our final destination - just like that. Our little sailing adventure suddenly was over. It had started on a whim and ended in a…well, it just sort of ended. But it had ended with all of us being good friends.

January 28 -  Fishhook Marina, Golfito, Costa Rica

Lahaina Roads will be shipped from Golfito in February via a ship whose only cargo is yachts. The ship will take the boat to Ensenada where we plan to pick it up and sail it to a San Diego marina.  

Looking down on Lahaina Roads 

Transiting the Panama Canal

January 6 - Transiting the Canal

We left Shelter Bay Marina at 1:30pm, as soon as Dracula, our agent, brought our clearance papers and our line handler, Rudy. We headed out of the marina for the “flats“ - an anchorage where we were to meet up with the canal advisor.

We got to the Flats and met up with a smaller sailboat, Carmen San Diego, who we will be “nesting” with (tied up to) as we transit the canal. At that point, Fernando, the ACP (Authority of Panama Canal) advisor, joined us.


We soon were moving towards the first lock

We knew from the advisor that we were going in to the locks behind a large freighter that was moving along the same corridor. The smaller sailboat, Carmen Sandiego, was behind us about a quarter of a mile.

When we got to the lock, the freighter was already getting situated. We did a 180 degree turn to pick up the smaller sailboat and side tie to it. We had to make sure that the ties were sufficiently strong to keep us together when the locks started to fill.

We moved into the first lock tied to Carmen Sandiego. The line handlers on the canal side (four of them) threw us a messenger line with a monkey fist. We caught the lines then attached them to our 7/8” heavy duty lines. The line handlers on the locks then pulled their messenger lines (and ours)  back, and tied them on to bollards on the lock. By the time it was finished, we were situated in the middle of the lock, about 100 feet behind the freighter.


We heard a bell go off, after which we noticed the water starting to churn up around us - the lock was beginning to fill. From what I could tell, the water was filling the huge lock at a rate of about a foot each twelve seconds. Rudy and I manned the two lines on the bow, while we had another crew manning the two stern lines. As the boat rose in the lock, our job was to pick up the slack in the lines, thus keeping the boat centered - sounds easy but you had to pay attention because of the water forces at play. But about eight minutes later, the water settled - we had reached the top of the lock. All was good.

The freighter  soon started her engines. We could see the wake from her props swirl the water around us. She moved ahead towards the next lock.

By the time the freighter got settled into the next lock, it was our time to move. The line handlers on shore took our lines off the bollards but attached their messenger lines to it and fed it to us. We pulled in our four lines right up to the messenger lines and held on to them as the shore crew walked forward with the boat to the next lock (in behind the freighter again).

That’s how it pretty much went for the three Gatun locks until the last one, when we could look back and see a panoramic view looking downward to where we had been. Pretty mesmerizing. We had climbed quite a ways.

At the completion of the third lock, we motored out and untied Carmen Sandiego from us. We then proceeded to the anchorage in Gatun Lake, where the pilot boat came and picked up our ACP advisor. After that we tied up to a huge buoy for the night. It was time for refreshments.

That night we dined on pork chops, salad, and couscous. Rudy, our line handler and guest was a fun guy. He spoke excellent English, knew a lot about the U.S. and knew more about American sports than I’ll ever know. All-in-all it had been a pretty exciting day.

In the night,, we had hoped to see crocodiles up close, but we only spotted a couple of them a hundred yards away from us. Howler monkeys were supposed to be around too, but with the building going on around us of the new canal locks, the monkeys weren’t to be found.

The following day, at 6:50am, the pilot boat delivered Fernando, our advisor, back to Lahaina Roads. We got the engine started and soon were on our way to Gamboa, a small town about 19 miles away.

Motoring through Lake Gatun was bucolic. The rainforest comes right along the banks of the lake. Once in  a while, we encounter a freighter quietly skimming along the water steaming north. We spotted lots of birds but no croc sightings nor did we see the harpy eagle, an endangered Panama bird with a two meter wingspan that makes his home along the canal.

Now for just a spot of canal history - the French tried to build the canal in the late 1800’s to the early 1900’s but eventually gave up after losing over 20,000 people to malaria and yellow fever and bankrupting the company. Their design was based on the notion to build the canal at sea level without the use of locks. That type of design was much more difficult to build because of the need to dig very deep channels to get through the mountain passes. 

When the U.S. took over the work (which is a whole other story), they decided to make use of the Gatun lake. Although that design required locks to reach the lake‘s 84 foot elevation (and another set of locks to get back down to sea level), it didn’t require nearly as much digging. The U.S. also took a very aggressive approach to controlling yellow fever and malaria.

As a result, the canal opened up in 1914. I think it was probably the last major project the U.S. government did that was completed under budget, earlier than expected and with no significant design or construction flaws - a pretty amazing feat.  

Back to our transit - during the rest of the second day we passed through the Pedro Miguel lock and the two Miraflores locks. We went under the beautiful Puente del Centenario span bridge which is on the Gaillard Cut, a part of the canal that is on the Continental Divide.

We got out of the last Miraflores lock at 2pm. Shortly afterwards, we released Carmen Sandiego from our side after which a pilot boat showed up to pick our advisor, Fernando. We then motored to the Balboa Yacht Club and picked up a mooring. We were now in the Pacific Ocean and had successfully transited the Panama Canal. 

From here, Diane and Kristi fly back home and we venture off to Golfito, Costa Rica. Stay tuned for the next adventure of Lahaina Roads and the Tres Amigos.  

Cartagena to Panama

Lahaina Roads at anchor in Cocos Bandera

December 25 - Cholon

We left Club Nautico in the morning and made our way to the fuel dock to top off the tanks in preparation for an overnight trip, this time to the San Blas Islands. Soon we were heading out through the lengthy channel to the open sea.

Cholon was a mere 15 miles or so southwest. The winds were from the starboard quarter, so we put up a headsail and hugged the coastline. A boat we knew from Club Nautico, Shiver, was ahead of us and also was going to spend a few days in Cholon.

We made our way into the bay with help of Pete, on the yacht Avitar and by following Shiver. But the only tricky part of the process was getting through a very narrow gap that led to the expansive bay, known as Baru.

Coming into to the bay at Cholon

That evening we went to a happy hour held on an old fishing boat owned by an expat, Robert, who also happed to own a home that overlooks the bay (there were plans for a potluck dinner at his house the following day - Christmas). We were warming up to this place quickly.

The following day, the potluck turned out to be a delicious and fun - turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, many side dishes and lots of tasty desserts. The view from Robert’s house was nothing less than spectacular. To one side, the entire bay of Baru was visible while the other side of the house offered up a view of another bay. We had a grand time eating and mixing with the other cruisers and several hours later, dinghied back to Lahaina Roads satiated and ready for an afternoon nap. 

Christmas feast

The next morning was our overnight sail to the San Blas Islands, about 140 miles away.   

December 27 - Isla Pinos, San Blas

After a brutal, at times frightening, overnight sail from Cholon, we are safely at anchor off of Isla Pinos, one of the more remote islands in the San Blas chain. 

 

We left Cholon under sunny and warm conditions, motoring through the tiny pass as we made our way out to sea. Although the seas and winds were much like what we had encountered before, with seas from the quarter and winds from abaft, the ride wasn’t too bad. We even had cocktails and barbecued a pork loin for dinner. 

That all changed later that evening. It started with a few sprinkles. Those sprinkles eventually blossomed into a storm, with high seas, winds above thirty knots and a spectacular (but scary) thunder and lightening show. Hollywood would have found it challenging to emulate. 

At times we were right in the center of the lightening, with bright flashes continually exploding around us like powerful strobe lights. Lightening occurred so frequently and furiously that several seconds would elapse before nighttime darkness would return. In a way it was as if hundreds of photographers were snapping photos with super bright flash bulbs right in our faces. I had never ever experienced anything like it.

It’s one thing to sit at home and watch a lightning show but quite another thing to be on a sailboat at sea when your mast is the very tallest target around for lightning to strike. Dave and I discovered later that we both had been mulling the possibility of needing to abandon ship and what we’d have to do to prepare - getting the dinghy ready, the life raft in the water, essential gear and supplies etc. To us, it was unexplainable how we didn’t get zapped with a bolt of lightening. But somehow, we made it through the wicked cauldron and lived to talk about it.    

 

In the morning the weather improved a little and soon we spotted Isla Pinos. The approach to the island was straightforward (that’s why Sir Francis Drake used it in 1571 to plan an attack on the town of Nombre de Dios). There was no perilous outer reef to navigate through to get to the island. We headed towards the south side of the island and found a spot in the lee of it. We anchored in twenty feet of water. It was noon - time for a beer and some shut eye. 

The following morning we took the dinghy into the village. Diane and I had seen the typical Kuna village before and this was not much different from what we had experienced. But when it came to buying a mola, we encountered a new experience. Earlier, we had asked one of the women about purchasing molas and she had responded by showing us a few samples of what she had made. But when it came to buying, it apparent that she couldn’t just sell us a mola - the village chief would have to be involved.

Villagers laughing at Barry's funny accent 

First we would have to get the approval of the chief. So someone went out to fetch him. He was out somewhere on the island. After about a half an hour, he returned, and in pretty good English, he said that he would get all the families to show their molas in the village square.

A few minutes later, women with their children started to appear with their molas, laying them all out on the ground for us to see. There really was no bargaining - prices were set but they were very fair. We ended up buying several molas and had a great time experiencing the custom.

The chief's home

No sooner had we gotten back to the boat, when the chief came paddling up in his dugout canoe - we had seen his house and now he wanted to see our boat. We invited him aboard and gave him the grand tour of Lahaina Roads. He was impressed with the two bathrooms we had aboard and liked our bar cabinet - Feliz Ano Nuevo, he said with a smile. 

Dave and the village chief

We sent the chief off on his canoe a bit later and pulled up anchor. It had been a very interesting and eye-opening day on our first day in the Kuna Yalas. We headed passed the village through the reefs towards the next island, Ustupu. 

December 29 - Ustupu and Onward

We navigated our way through the narrow pass between the Isla Pinos and the reef on the mainland and reached open water. At first it was a bit unnerving because the GPS and our Panama cruising book charts were different. The odd thing was that for the first time, it was the GPS that was wrong. A bit unsettling but it was something we had to get used to because all the GPS readings from here on seemed to be off by several hundred yards. (To clarify, the GPS lat/long readings were correct - the GPS chart overlay was the part that was incorrect.) 

A short while into our motoring, we passed nearby the island of Manitupu, but decided to proceed to Achutupu (otherwise known as Dog Island). We were welcomed by the locals as we walked the island, but truly the welcome had an agenda - to sell us molas.  

We walked onward and watched a basketball game that actually was pretty good. One of the locals told us that both teams were composed of family members  that was a tradition.  These players all played as they had been team members of a varsity high school basketball team. 

Diane pondering her next mola acquisition

After watching the game for a while, we walked back towards where the women were showing off their molas - many had appeared and the selection was impressive. The molas are very colorful pieces of cloth consisting of several different layers of cloth. We bought several of them, some with patterns of birds, fish, fruit, the sun and moon and other more abstract forms.

We again pulled up anchor and headed for San Ignacio de Tupile. We passed by Ailigandi and Bahia Golondrina, seeing a couple of yachts anchored in the latter bay. After a couple of hours we anchored in front of San Ignacio, but not without the assistance of a local - there were lots of coral heads in the way of which we found a couple, by bouncing right into them. They were more difficult to see than normal due to all the rainfall that had occurred making the water murky and muddy. But finally we did get situated.

As soon as we anchored some young boys popped over in their canoes to check us out. They were very friendly and wanted to check us out. When we went to shore, we offered them a tow to shore, which they took us up on. They, as well as we, had a fun time.

San Ignacio de Tupile was a clean, well planned island, much different from Isla Pinos and others we had seen. The people seemed very happy, with lots of folks sitting outside of their thatched homes enjoying the late afternoon. In spite of our guide saying that there were cold beers and restaurants on the island, the only thing we found was a place to buy a case of warm beer. One lady offered to cook us a lobster meal, but it was bits of lobster with plantains - not really what we had in mind for dinner. But we did end up buying several molas from her, which seemed to make her extremely happy.

Kristi and Diane with a mola weaver

After a while (and a few more mola purchases) we returned to the boat, had our cocktails and prepared a meal of salad, pasta and pork chops accompanied with an Argentinean Malbec. A fine way to finish off the evening.  

We got up in the morning and soon after coffee were pulling up anchor. Our initial objective was going to be Isla Tigre, but once we approached the island, we concluded that it was “just” another traditional island. This meant, no swimming around the boat because of the raw sewage emanating from the island and we were looking forward to white sandy beaches with swimming and snorkeling. We continued onward and set a course for the Cocos Bandero Cays, reportedly a group of extremely scenic islands, that lie within a protective outer barrier reef.

One thing I haven’t mentioned much about is the weather. Unfortunately, it hasn’t been optimal. The stormy weather we encountered on the way over to the San Blas Islands has mitigated but only to the extent that we aren’t being surrounded by bolts of lightening, the deafening sounds of thunder, all accompanied by torrential rains. 

The skies are cloudy and at times it rains. In the distance there is a misty haze and the water is tainted with a muddy green color - run off from the land and turbulence from the ocean. Still, we’re making the best of it. At least nature isn’t pelting us with torrential rains. 

We weaved our way through lots of corral reefs and tiny islands and finally came upon our new destination -  Cocos Bandero Cays. We spotted a number of other yachts anchored at Green Island and east Cocos. We had been aiming for a couple of islands in the west Cocos. 

Barry keeping an eye out for coral

We anchored at Orduptarboat after weaving our way past a couple of reefs. A little deeper than we typically like to anchor, the forty feet of depth forced us to lay out more chain than we liked to put out - it’s a lot of work hauling all that chain back in, in the morning! 

The upshot of the deal was that we had the island to ourselves. In fact, we had the three surrounding islands to ourselves. We got the dinghy in the water and visited two of the islands, each so small that we walked around each of them in no time. 

December 31 - Holandes Cays

The next morning, New Year’s Eve, we sailed to the Holandes Cays, four miles north, and found our way into a snug harbor behind a barrier reef and an a small, palm tree-lined island with white sandy beaches. 

Later in the day we took the dinghy to BBQ island, an idyllic white-sandy beach island another half-mile away. We walked, snorkeled and swam around the area. Nothing to write home about in beauty and uniqueness - lots of dead coral and the visibility was marginal.

The crew at Cocos Banderas

The most memorable part of the Holandes Cays was the fact that it was there that we spent New Year’s Eve. Kristi cooked a fabulous (and very tasty) chicken dinner including sparkly and glittery looking palms on a toothpick to liven up the appearance of the meal. Dinner was delicious but, unfortunately, did not embolden us enough to stay up until midnight. The latest some of us stayed up was 10:30pm. Pretty pitiful. 

In the morning, after our coffee, we pulled up anchor and headed northwest for Punta San Blas, a peninsula on the western edge of the Kuna Yala area. We passed by numerous islands including the Lemon Cays and El Porvenier. But when we got to the anchorage, we decided that the anchorage wasn’t as peaceful as the book may have led us to believe. We headed onwards.

Three hours later we sighted Miramar, a small village with a snug little harbor on a river. The entrance was treacherous - waves breaking on either side of us and no particular view of where to go once we made it through the pass. But as soon as we got into the tiny bay we turned to port into the river area and a few feet later, promptly ran aground. 

Lahaina Roads at Miramar

With the assistance of some local folks standing nearby, we were coached away from the middle of the river, veering off to starboard. After revving the engine up in reverse for a few minutes, we got off the sandbar and ended up side-tying to an old island trader boat. Jose, an English speaking military fellow, was critical in helping us out. Fun stuff - definitely the stuff that makes great memories.

January 2 - Miramar to Portobelo

It was a bit of touch-and-go leaving our side-tie in Miramar but we made it out of the tight anchorage without a hitch. Getting through the pass with large breaking waves on either side of us was a bit exhilarating and got our heart rates up. The boat would lurch upwards into a steep swell, only to head straight down another one. But quickly we got out into open water and were on our way to Portobelo.

Four hours later we were entering Portobelo, after an exciting sail along the coastline. Entering Portobelo’s harbor was banal after experiencing Miramar.  It was wide open - easy to understand why Columbus liked it so much when he sailed in here in 1502. 

Coming in to Portobello

After anchoring, we took a walk into town walked passed an area that had experienced a landslide just recently. There was lots of mud, debris and the remains of household goods strewn around the area. We found out later that eight people had died when the side of the hill had given way. 

Some of the devastation from the landslide

In the town we visited the Custom’s House and the Cathedral. But it was obvious that the town had seen better times. After being plundered and laid siege on by the likes of Morgan, Parker and Vernon, Portobelo had lost its luster along the way. What was left looked pretty shabby. A few pieces of the old forts still remain, but even parts of them are gone - some of the rock from the forts were used to build the Panama Canal. 

On the way back to the dinghy, we stopped for lunch at one of the  local restaurants and had a tasty chicken, rice and beans dish. We also found some cheap rum and wine at the local grocery store. What a productive day it had been!

December 3 - Portobello to Colon

Early the following morning, we headed out of the bay towards Colon, Panama. It was a sunny day with a mild breeze blowing out of the northeast. By noon we were at the entrance of the Colon harbor and headed for Shelter Bay Marina. A short time afterwards we were docked at the marina. We spotted several boats that we had encountered elsewhere including Cartagena and the ABC’s. 

In essence, the process of checking in to Panama and transiting the Canal requires an agent. One pays an agent to do all your legwork and to coordinate setting up a schedule with the Canal Authorities to be admeasured for the transit. We needed four sets of heavy duty line, an advisor and one additional line handler (there were four of us excluding the skipper) to go through the canal. We’d have to feed them and provide a place to sleep for the line handler. The advisor would leave at the end of the day. A new one would join us the following day to see us through the rest of the transit.     

Shelter Bay Marina is several grades up from Club Nautico in Cartagena. The docks are new and clean, it has a pool, Jacuzzi,  a laundry facility, showers, bathrooms, a restaurant and a bar. It is situated at the edge of a national forest reserve that has hundreds of types of native birds, monkeys, sloths, crocodiles and other wild animals. Docking here isn’t going to be a hardship.

January 5 - Shelter Bay Marina

We’ve been at Shelter Bay for a couple of relaxing days. We’ve had the boat measured and we’re scheduled to transit the canal starting tomorrow afternoon. We’ll have two additional people on the boat - a canal advisor and one more line-handler (who is prepared to dive into the water should the need arise - that could get exciting since there are crocodiles and strong currents in the canal lake).

The transit takes two days coming from the Caribbean side, while only one day from the Pacific. And that’ll be the next report. 

Cartagena, Colombia

December 23 - Cartagena

We have now been in Cartagena for quite a while and we can happily report that we‘ve been enjoying the city but are ready to move on. Club Nautico has been fun, specially the happy hours. 

We've enjoyed meeting all the members of the cruising community and, it sure has been rewarding to get lots of good information on Cartagena as well as places we are planning to visit.

Dave listening to Steve from Music play some tunes.

We’ve put a lot of footsteps in the city’s old quarter, so much so that we can pretty much find our way around all the tiny, circuitous streets. Among the sights and museums we visited were the Museu de Oro and the Museu Naval, which in spite of not having much English posted, were very enlightening. We also toured the huge and impressive fort of San Felipe de Barajas.

Fort San Felipe de Barajas

The history of this area goes back thousands of years. Some of the indigenous cultures actually thrived right up until the Spanish arrived living along the coastal areas. They were sailors, fishermen, farmers and goldsmith (the latter was probably their downfall when the  Spanish found out). In the Museu de Oro we saw samples of what they were capable of making - they hammered out very intricate ornamental objects out of gold and platinum.

The colonial history of Cartagena goes back to 1533. That‘s when Pedro de Heredia founded the city. Apparently he waged a very successful campaign of plundering the Zenu Indians, including their “Mogote graves” after he found out that the graves often contained substantial amounts of gold. 

The future of the young city looked pretty good. But due to its success, only thirty years into its youth, the city started getting attacked by pirates and the English. After a few of these invasions and raids, the Spanish got wise and began to build forts to protect the city. That idea resulted in all the fortifications we see today (not that they always were successful in keeping out the invaders). 

Plaza Simon Bolivar

One last mention of the history of Cartagena is regarding a figure one often sees depicted here - Simon Bolivar. I don’t know much about him, but apparently he is viewed as a hero who led a number of the countries in South America to independence. 

Enough history.

A few days ago, Dave and I picked up Diane and Kristi at the airport. It was almost midnight - way beyond our bed time. But it all went like clockwork. We’ve since showed the girls around the city.

Barry, on the other hand, has been seeing a very nice Colombian lady who he met here at Club Nautico. They’ve hit it off real well, such that we haven’t seen much of him since we’ve been here.

The weather has been warm and a bit humid. Thank goodness for the fans we have in the boat and for the shower that Dave set up on the aft deck. Each evening we all go back there (separately) and cool off and get refreshed. The people here say that this is the nice weather - the hot weather is in May through July!!! Ouch!

One thing that is quite evident here is that there are a number of people who desperately try to eek out a living anyway they can. There are the fruit vendors, the coffee vendors, juice vendors, sunglasses vendors, bracelet and necklace vendors, and so on. They all have their little niche. I don’t know how much they can hope to make in one day, but it can’t be much. One of the vendors I used a lot was the coffee vendor - they sell a tiny cup of strong, sweetened coffee for 200 pesos (about a dime). Very addicting indeed. But wow, how many cups must they need to sell each day to earn a living?

Tomorrow we are leaving Cartagena for an anchorage south of here called Cholon. We plan to spend Christmas there and then head off to the Kuna Yala Islands otherwise known as the San Blas Islands. I doubt that there will be any internet there, so we may not be in touch until we reach Portobelo, Panama. With that, the crew of Lahaina Roads extends all you who follow the blog happy holidays.   

Local fisherman casting his net

We encountered this large iguana sunning himself in the park - he didn't move for us.

Colorful housing in the old walled city.

Friendly toucan at the Santa Clara Hotel

My new favorite actress - Lorena Rincon who we met at Lucy's.

Cartagena, Colombia

December 8, 2010

Cartagena de Indias

Our stay in Santa Marta was short. Surely we missed opportunities to see some in unusual  things, including the Tairona National Park, the Sierra Madre and a place they call the “lost city”, a Kogi Indian civilization that was discovered in the mid 1960‘s. It’s not getting there, though. A couple of backpackers we met had made the sojourn - it took them five days of dense jungle hiking and traversing rivers. Today, the Kogi Indians live in the Sierra Madre range. To read more about their interesting culture google them. Here’s an example of one of the readings I found - http://www.labyrinthina.com/kogi.htm

We had good winds out of Santa Marta and were fortunate to sail most of the way to Cartagena. But it was an uncomfortable sail with the seas coming from the quarter. The winds and seas were choppy and lumpy. The boat felt like a little cork bobbing in the water from one side to another. To even just sit, we had to hold on. But we were thankful just to be able to sail.

On a sailboat, the last few miles to a destination always seem to take forever. We could see the numerous high rise buildings of a Miami-like Cartagena as soon as the sun came up. But it took several more hours to make the approach and come though the long channel. The entrance of the bay still has the sentry forts from the old Spanish colonial days (circa 1500), protecting the city from Sir Francis Drake and his cronies.

Once inside the bay, getting situated at the Club Nautico marina is no simple matter. It’s Mediterranean-style berthing, with a twist. A swimmer needs to swim out and tie either your bow or stern lines to an underwater line. This is all happening while you squeeze the boat in between two other yachts. But in time, we got Lahaina Roads snuggled in between the boats, with her bow facing towards the dock.

Club Nautico marina has seen better days. The docks are in a state of disrepair, the showers are a make-shift set of stalls next to the office and the docks are full of booby traps - you really have to watch your step wherever you walk. Construction seems to be occurring but not at a frenetic pace. Like many other boats, we extended a plank from the dock parallel to the boat (like a diving board), to get on or off the boat. It’s fun and exciting.

At Club Nautico, happy hour starts in the late afternoon. Cruisers who are docked, as well as ones who are anchored, bring their drinks and trade stories on the cruising life, tips for getting things done in town and things to do in Cartagena. It's a fun and dynamic group. Composed of people of various ages, the people are from a number of countries with some being relatively new to cruising while others have been at it for many years.

On one of the days we took a walk to the old walled city. It is not something that can be seen in one day - it’s enormous. The wall itself is four miles long. We stopped for lunch and a very tasty beef steak, rice and beans (con cerveza) at a local restaurant for $4 each. I can see why expats may want to live here!

The buildings in the walled city are colorful, with a distinct Spanish colonial architecture. There are fortifications, sentry stations and canons in various areas. We found lots of markets selling tourist trinkets, local tasty treats, cold beers and Colombia’s famous stone, the emerald. It was a lively introduction to Cartagena.          

On Saturday, Marty, who had sailed with us from Aruba, took a flight back home to California.

Aruba to Santa Marta, Colombia

December 6

Yes, it's been a while since I blogged. We've been busy and it's been hard to find time to blog. In addition, it's been more work, since I write the blog and save the photos on my computer then have to transfer everything to the ship's computer. It is hooked up to a wi-fi antenna that's not available to my netbook.

Aruba to Santa Marta, Colombia

We were out of the marina by ten in the morning then motored to Barcadera Bay to clear customs and immigration. The exit process went quickly and soon we found ourselves in rough seas and perky winds - but fortunately, we were going with the weather and not against it. Santa Marta was nearly 300 miles away - a two-night trip.

For most of the day we sailed with a double-reefed main and a reefed jib. Even with little canvas up, Lahaina Roads often exceeded 9 knots. In the evening we took the main down and reefed the jib even more - we still were moving at over 6 knots.  Coming from the quarter, the steep seas made things very lively below decks. It was hard to stand up much less do anything else such as cook. We managed a quick meal and went on one hour watches for the rest of the night. Sleeping, though, was impossible because of all the creaky noises down below decks.

The following day, tired as we were, we had a nice sail with the seas and the winds somewhat moderating. By evening the winds died down - we decided to motor since we wanted to make sure we got to Santa Marta during daylight the following day.

By mid-morning the following day, we were off the coast of Colombia - and it was pouring rain....again. The rain seems to follow us wherever we go. We continued to motor the rest of the way into Santa Marta Bay. Even without charts, it was a relatively easy harbor to enter. We located the marina and eventually got into a slip.

Colombia has a different entry procedure than all the other countries we visited. Here we needed an agent to clear us in. "Dino" did all the customs and immigration clearing, got the boat checked in and got our passports stamped. He was a nice young fellow who spoke reasonably good English. In comparison to the ABC islands where it was free to clear in or out, though, in Columbia the cost to enter was about $100.

The Santa Marta Marina has nice docks but it's not yet finished. As a result, we have no bathrooms and showers. Showers are on the dock with a hose or on the aft deck with a sun shower.  

After getting settled, we took a walk along the waterfront and through town. Santa Marta, founded in 1525 by the Spanish, reportedly is the oldest city in the Americas. It has a small town atmosphere but has the hustle and bustle of a larger one. All along the shoreline there was a boardwalk. Lots of families enjoying the waterfront, which also was busy with food and beverage vendors.

The area has numerous near-naked statues of indigenous Colombian Indians - the Amerindians from the Tairona culture, Arhuacos and Koguis.

On one of the days we took a bus to the nearby fishing village of Caganga. It’s a fishing village, a backpackers hangout and offers a relaxed atmosphere. Lots of Colombians head for its beaches and waterfront restaurants. I ended up talking to a fellow from Croatia who lives there part time as a dive master. He invited me for a dive trip, which I ended up doing the following day.

We had dinner at a couple of different restaurants. None were memorable. Luckily, there were too expensive, either.

The dives I went were fun but nothing out of the ordinary except for the sighting of a giant moray eel. It must have been 5-7 inches in diameter. The dive master who I dove with had never seen one that large either. For the rest of the dive, we saw numerous types of fish, including a beautiful lion fish, which they're trying to eradicate. Also I saw a variety of hard and soft coral, tubular coral and a coral that looks like a bright purple volcano - very beautiful.

Some other comments about what we've noticed. Colombia seems like a very family oriented country. On the other hand, you see lots of very young girls (under 15) with babies. They're not carrying them around as babysitters, either. Also, lots of older men in their 40's and 50's with women that appear to be in their early 20's.

Fruit vendor

Regardless, we've really enjoyed our first stay in Colombia. Very friendly people, not many who speak a word of English. No mosquitoes and no flies like we had in the ABC's.
 
Tomorrow we are off to Cartagena, an overnight sail of about 130 miles.

Marty in class - Bargaining 101

Beats me! Soldering cell phones? 

Cute little girl getting her hair done

At a local restaurant

Marty, hot after a new franchise opportunity