Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 13, 2009
Puerto Lindo, Panama.
We drop of the lads and go and have a beer in the local restaurant, which is so cheap. 75 cents for a bottle of beer, how good is that. Even better the owner Hans and his wife have a Toucan called ‘Toucey’. It is amazing and so tame it’s unbelievable. It basically is free to fly off in the rainforest whenever it likes as the cage is open, but it chooses to stay in the restaurant most of the time, where he is feed fruit and rice. He is wicked!! But a bit of a piece of work and like to peck on your hand, twisting his mouth with all his strength – but it does not hurt whatsoever.
We chilled out for a few days there and went to go and register with Hostel Wunderbar. Within a couple of days Silvia had found us some backpackers to come back to Columbia with. We had 5 in all, one couple called Bart and Mary Ann from Holland and a Canadian women called Steph and her to children called Ariel and Jordon.
We had a couple of days to chill out and get the boat ready before our departure date so mistakably we went to go and visit the uninhabited island of Monkey Island
Attack of the monkeys…
I don’t know what it is with animals lately but they seem not to like us very much. Anyway Sym persuaded me to come to visit this island of Monkeys, so we took a bag of cornflakes with us so we could feed them. Sym filled my mind with false images of little monkeys sitting on my shoulder (like baboo off Aladdin) was how he described them ...............................
Well we tie the dingy up to the dock and go onto the island, within two minutes we had three monkeys swing down from the tree( full teeth / LARGE teeth showing) hissing at us. One monkey comes up from behind me and he comes to my shoulders in height!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I crapped myself to say the least, they looked so bloody aggressive… baboo my ass!!
I backed off slowly edging myself back towards the safety of my dingy. Sym on the other hand thought he was well hard and at one with nature and told me to chick over the food, he then kneels down and starts to feed them (I actually just got goose bumps when writing this remembering how frightened I was). Then the monkeys gather round closely and trying to grab the bag of him, showing them their teeth and waving their arms at him. Sym chucks the bag and within a couple of seconds he has two monkeys dangling off his arms biting into him. JESUS CHRIST… all I heard was Sym screaming and then he starting to make monkey noises back at them! He shouted to me to run, but I don’t think he needed to…I was already legging it as fast as I could…I jumped a mage distance. Something I did not think I was capable of (way over 15 ft) and landed into the dingy with such sheer force I had friction burns up all my arms and legs! Sym makes it in just after me and the bloody vicious monkeys had bitten his thumb down to the bone.
Picture of them starting to get a bit heavy!!!
Biten to the bone!!
We were quite worried, of course not knowing what diseases there were carrying and so we went to find a doctor. Bearing in mind we were in the middle of no where. Hans told us there a type – of nurse (not sure what qualifications that would entail) in the local village. He was drunk as it was Sunday and apparently everyone gets drunk of a Sunday! Anyway we were very grateful to here that the monkeys did not have any infectious diseases like Rabies and he gave Sym a jab – free of charge, can you believe that!
Anyway, I would highly recommend no one visits that island ever again
We chilled out for a few days there and went to go and register with Hostel Wunderbar. Within a couple of days Silvia had found us some backpackers to come back to Columbia with. We had 5 in all, one couple called Bart and Mary Ann from Holland and a Canadian women called Steph and her to children called Ariel and Jordon.
We had a couple of days to chill out and get the boat ready before our departure date so mistakably we went to go and visit the uninhabited island of Monkey Island
Attack of the monkeys…
I don’t know what it is with animals lately but they seem not to like us very much. Anyway Sym persuaded me to come to visit this island of Monkeys, so we took a bag of cornflakes with us so we could feed them. Sym filled my mind with false images of little monkeys sitting on my shoulder (like baboo off Aladdin) was how he described them ...............................
Well we tie the dingy up to the dock and go onto the island, within two minutes we had three monkeys swing down from the tree( full teeth / LARGE teeth showing) hissing at us. One monkey comes up from behind me and he comes to my shoulders in height!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I crapped myself to say the least, they looked so bloody aggressive… baboo my ass!!
I backed off slowly edging myself back towards the safety of my dingy. Sym on the other hand thought he was well hard and at one with nature and told me to chick over the food, he then kneels down and starts to feed them (I actually just got goose bumps when writing this remembering how frightened I was). Then the monkeys gather round closely and trying to grab the bag of him, showing them their teeth and waving their arms at him. Sym chucks the bag and within a couple of seconds he has two monkeys dangling off his arms biting into him. JESUS CHRIST… all I heard was Sym screaming and then he starting to make monkey noises back at them! He shouted to me to run, but I don’t think he needed to…I was already legging it as fast as I could…I jumped a mage distance. Something I did not think I was capable of (way over 15 ft) and landed into the dingy with such sheer force I had friction burns up all my arms and legs! Sym makes it in just after me and the bloody vicious monkeys had bitten his thumb down to the bone.
Picture of them starting to get a bit heavy!!!
Biten to the bone!!
We were quite worried, of course not knowing what diseases there were carrying and so we went to find a doctor. Bearing in mind we were in the middle of no where. Hans told us there a type – of nurse (not sure what qualifications that would entail) in the local village. He was drunk as it was Sunday and apparently everyone gets drunk of a Sunday! Anyway we were very grateful to here that the monkeys did not have any infectious diseases like Rabies and he gave Sym a jab – free of charge, can you believe that!
Anyway, I would highly recommend no one visits that island ever again
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Trip to San Blas
When the weather passed we left the anchorage in Cartagena and motored out to sea. The guys we all pretty excited and no of them had done much sailing before. The sea state for the two days was as flat as a pancake with no wind so we have to motor the whole way to the San Blas. To top it off we were going into about 1.5 knots of current the whole way ( hence it taking two days to get there) as we were only averaging about 4 knots, which is mega slow for us. Anyhow it was so nice and we had plenty of time to cook good food and relax. The guys one by one were a bit sea sick for the first part( apart from one of them ) – but by day two they were all fine!!
We saw some dolphins on the trip and managed to catch a fish. When we finally reeled it in, it was a bloody shark, only a baby one about 2 ft, but Sym said it was so strong and holding him down was really difficult. We or should I say Sym (I was standing well back on deck - you should of seen the size of his teeth – they were like a great white) managed to get the hook out of his mouth, chuck him back in the sea - Unharmed!! We also stopped the boat in the middle of the sea (2000 metres) while everyone dived off and went for a swim. I stayed aboard gladly!! There is something about swimming in such mega deep water that makes me feel a tadge uneasy…I was on shark patrol!
We also saw what we think were a pod of fin whales. Sym decided to follow but when they turned around and came towards us...sym legged it!!!
We finally arrived in the San Blas and went into our first anchorage called Swimming pool bay and BBQ Island. Wow, it was amazing. The islands are by far the best we have ever been to, and what was so great and unique about them was there were only a few boats there.
We spent the last few days hopping around different islands, swimming and snorkelling. We found this amazing wreck on Dog island which was the best ever. The ship sank in the fifties and the Captain tried to beach the boat in order to save the cargo, but hit a reef near shore and sank. The wreck is so shallow you can stand up at the bow of the ship. It’s fantastic.
We bought some Molars (traditional hand stitched overlaid pieces of material to create intricate patterns and pictures) off some of the Kuna Indians who paddled out to our boat in their traditional dug out canoes made form one tree. They also sold us some fresh fish and lobsters for very cheap prices!
The Kuna Indians are an ancient tribe of people who have managed to live on these Islands throughout the years without having to change too much. They have no main water or electricity supply. Or that is what we are led to believe!!The amusing thing was they came over and asked if we could re charge their mobile phone in exchange for a coconut!!! CAN YOU BEILEVE THIS!! I was gutted, they live in huts and live off rice and fish and yet they have a bloody mobile phone!! Jesus! LOL
We went to check into customs and spent an afternoon on inhabited islands of porveiner where the Kuna Indians live. What an amazing place. It’s not beautiful to say the least, lots of rubbish and sticks a bit etc but definitely a good cultural experience.
Some of the huts they live in
A pic of the school
We sailed up the Panamanian coast to Linton the last day where we hit a 50 knot squall with thunder and lightening.
I used to be so scared of sailing when I saw lightening in the distance, but now I am so desensitized to it. Its so common in this area…so many nights we have woke up to a crackling of lightening, looked out the hatch and we can see the bolt of lighting a couple of hundred metres from the boat! Quite frightening to say the least. We have even put all the electronics in the microwave it was so close one evening. So I have learnt not to worry about it now cos there is no point!!
We stopped for an evening in Isla Grande and then moved a mile to Linton the following morning when we dropped the guys off. What a wicked bunch of lads, they were really cool guys and it was a pleasure to have them on the boat!! Good luck with the rest of your travels and hope you find some good waves soon.
We saw some dolphins on the trip and managed to catch a fish. When we finally reeled it in, it was a bloody shark, only a baby one about 2 ft, but Sym said it was so strong and holding him down was really difficult. We or should I say Sym (I was standing well back on deck - you should of seen the size of his teeth – they were like a great white) managed to get the hook out of his mouth, chuck him back in the sea - Unharmed!! We also stopped the boat in the middle of the sea (2000 metres) while everyone dived off and went for a swim. I stayed aboard gladly!! There is something about swimming in such mega deep water that makes me feel a tadge uneasy…I was on shark patrol!
We also saw what we think were a pod of fin whales. Sym decided to follow but when they turned around and came towards us...sym legged it!!!
We finally arrived in the San Blas and went into our first anchorage called Swimming pool bay and BBQ Island. Wow, it was amazing. The islands are by far the best we have ever been to, and what was so great and unique about them was there were only a few boats there.
We spent the last few days hopping around different islands, swimming and snorkelling. We found this amazing wreck on Dog island which was the best ever. The ship sank in the fifties and the Captain tried to beach the boat in order to save the cargo, but hit a reef near shore and sank. The wreck is so shallow you can stand up at the bow of the ship. It’s fantastic.
We bought some Molars (traditional hand stitched overlaid pieces of material to create intricate patterns and pictures) off some of the Kuna Indians who paddled out to our boat in their traditional dug out canoes made form one tree. They also sold us some fresh fish and lobsters for very cheap prices!
The Kuna Indians are an ancient tribe of people who have managed to live on these Islands throughout the years without having to change too much. They have no main water or electricity supply. Or that is what we are led to believe!!The amusing thing was they came over and asked if we could re charge their mobile phone in exchange for a coconut!!! CAN YOU BEILEVE THIS!! I was gutted, they live in huts and live off rice and fish and yet they have a bloody mobile phone!! Jesus! LOL
We went to check into customs and spent an afternoon on inhabited islands of porveiner where the Kuna Indians live. What an amazing place. It’s not beautiful to say the least, lots of rubbish and sticks a bit etc but definitely a good cultural experience.
Some of the huts they live in
A pic of the school
We sailed up the Panamanian coast to Linton the last day where we hit a 50 knot squall with thunder and lightening.
I used to be so scared of sailing when I saw lightening in the distance, but now I am so desensitized to it. Its so common in this area…so many nights we have woke up to a crackling of lightening, looked out the hatch and we can see the bolt of lighting a couple of hundred metres from the boat! Quite frightening to say the least. We have even put all the electronics in the microwave it was so close one evening. So I have learnt not to worry about it now cos there is no point!!
We stopped for an evening in Isla Grande and then moved a mile to Linton the following morning when we dropped the guys off. What a wicked bunch of lads, they were really cool guys and it was a pleasure to have them on the boat!! Good luck with the rest of your travels and hope you find some good waves soon.
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
More Columbia
After a few days of partying with our friends, we had a few quiet nights on Aliisa and Quartermoon….. Yeah right!!
We were just about to head to the marina to sort out our new business, making up some cards and going to the hostels when we met four blokes from Australia who were looking for a ride to San Blas and Panama. How Convenient!! They wanted to leave within a two days so it left us with only a day to sort stuff out.
Firstly we had to sort out the boat, as it was a bit of a mess after all the sailing and try to make some space for all the food. Then it was to the supermarket to stock up with all the food and drink - as the San Blas islands are mostly uninhabited although the local Kuna Indians come around offering fish, crabs and Lobster for a wicked price!! After refilling with Diesel and stocking up the water tanks we were all fit and ready to make a move. The last job was to meet up with Manfred (our agent) the day before to check us all out of the country with Customs and Immigration.
The charter includes a five day trip - two of which are sailing non stop 200 miles to the San Blas Islands. Then the guests have two / three days sailing around the San Blas before dropping them off in Linton, Panama. The price includes all fees for clearance and food and drink for the five days!! What a wicked job a???
We left on the 26 the June and set sail for San Blas. A squall came in just before we left with heavy rain and thunder and lightening and once again there was a fair amount of boats that dragged in the anchorage. (Not us thank god!!)
We have never known an anchorage like this. One American guy we met in the yacht club who has been living here for a few years said that a few times a month in hurricane season you get some bad squalls and as soon as you feel the air go cold run back to your boat. We were like whatever (we’ve been anchored in 40 odd knots winds b4 and she has not budged!! BUT the grounding in this anchorage is soooo poor and the bottom is a soft mud so many anchors just slide right through when the wind picks up. A bit of digression but,anyway one day we were in the bar when we saw a squall coming in and everyone legging it back to their boats. The following evening some plonker had anchored right next to us, way too close and his tender was actually touching our boat. Anyhow we thought we better go back and low and behold this idiot has dragged and was smashing his boat into the boats at the marina. He had just missed us thank god, but we could hear these people from their boats screaming at the captain because he was banging into their boats- they all had their fenders out trying to prevent the damage and he was walking around the boat so slowly without a care in the world! Obviously it takes a lot for this guy to pick up his pace. Anyhow it takes him so long to turn on his motor and bring his anchor up that he ends up getting ropes from the boats in the marina wrapped around his props( both of them – it was a cat) and we then have to move our boat as he needs to be towed off and help re anchor by a fishing boat from the marina. Good entertainment though I must admit!! That day 12 boats dragged anchor – they were popping out like flies.
We were just about to head to the marina to sort out our new business, making up some cards and going to the hostels when we met four blokes from Australia who were looking for a ride to San Blas and Panama. How Convenient!! They wanted to leave within a two days so it left us with only a day to sort stuff out.
Firstly we had to sort out the boat, as it was a bit of a mess after all the sailing and try to make some space for all the food. Then it was to the supermarket to stock up with all the food and drink - as the San Blas islands are mostly uninhabited although the local Kuna Indians come around offering fish, crabs and Lobster for a wicked price!! After refilling with Diesel and stocking up the water tanks we were all fit and ready to make a move. The last job was to meet up with Manfred (our agent) the day before to check us all out of the country with Customs and Immigration.
The charter includes a five day trip - two of which are sailing non stop 200 miles to the San Blas Islands. Then the guests have two / three days sailing around the San Blas before dropping them off in Linton, Panama. The price includes all fees for clearance and food and drink for the five days!! What a wicked job a???
We left on the 26 the June and set sail for San Blas. A squall came in just before we left with heavy rain and thunder and lightening and once again there was a fair amount of boats that dragged in the anchorage. (Not us thank god!!)
We have never known an anchorage like this. One American guy we met in the yacht club who has been living here for a few years said that a few times a month in hurricane season you get some bad squalls and as soon as you feel the air go cold run back to your boat. We were like whatever (we’ve been anchored in 40 odd knots winds b4 and she has not budged!! BUT the grounding in this anchorage is soooo poor and the bottom is a soft mud so many anchors just slide right through when the wind picks up. A bit of digression but,anyway one day we were in the bar when we saw a squall coming in and everyone legging it back to their boats. The following evening some plonker had anchored right next to us, way too close and his tender was actually touching our boat. Anyhow we thought we better go back and low and behold this idiot has dragged and was smashing his boat into the boats at the marina. He had just missed us thank god, but we could hear these people from their boats screaming at the captain because he was banging into their boats- they all had their fenders out trying to prevent the damage and he was walking around the boat so slowly without a care in the world! Obviously it takes a lot for this guy to pick up his pace. Anyhow it takes him so long to turn on his motor and bring his anchor up that he ends up getting ropes from the boats in the marina wrapped around his props( both of them – it was a cat) and we then have to move our boat as he needs to be towed off and help re anchor by a fishing boat from the marina. Good entertainment though I must admit!! That day 12 boats dragged anchor – they were popping out like flies.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Our first wedding anniversary!!
What a lush place!! Years ago I would of felt a bit dodgy about going to Columbia because of the media about gangs, drugs, murder rates etc!! but this place is awesome, it is so safe and we have not felt uneasy once. Its quite well set up for yachties here and I was so surprised how many boats are here…way more than I thought it would be. The yacht club has quick wifi with all the other facitilies and a large cheap supermarket about a 3 min walk( and the meat is so cheap). STEAK oh how we have missed it…its been chicken for so long I would not care if I never had chicken again as long as I live. You can buy a really good quality steak there for about $1. Oh god it was wicked, we had steak every night for the first few days, even when we went out to eat. We also celebrated our first year wedding anniversary in the old town. We met up once again with our long lost friends Lauri and Annina and of course partied hard for the first few days.
Doing a bit of site seeing on our way to the old town!!
A few drinks in a wicked bar in an old fort - overlooking the water!!
Sym taking arty photo(or so he thinks)
A group of school kids(probably doing some traditional song and dance we think????)
Doing a bit of site seeing on our way to the old town!!
A few drinks in a wicked bar in an old fort - overlooking the water!!
Sym taking arty photo(or so he thinks)
A group of school kids(probably doing some traditional song and dance we think????)
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Arrival in Cartagena!!!
We checked out on the 14the June and headed 326 miles to Cartagena in Columbia…and what a mega fast sail. We had quite strong winds but they were behind us so we were sailing at about 7 odd knots average. We made 160 nm the first day and 166 on the last days. The seas were pretty large and we were happy that we were going downwind rather than the other direction – it would have been a nightmare!! We had an aeroplane flying down sooo close to the mast, I crapped myself and thought it was going to crash into us. A helicopter also came down to check is out – both were the coastguard. They radioed through asking all types of questions about the registration of the ship and next destination. We heard that they monitor the area thoroughly because of the drug smuggling that goes on.
We could see Cartagena from about 10 miles away and the city looked amazing. There were so many sky scrapers it looked like a mini manhatten! I was so excited to get there and be able to go to shops, bars, and restaurants. We have been on little islands for so long now it was such a change to be heading for a big city on the main land. We arrived at about 5.30 pm, dropped the hook in the anchorage outside Club Nautico and went into town for well deserved beer!!!
Our first night with our new friend Fernando!!
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Bonaire
What a beautiful island!! The people were so friendly and the atmosphere was quite relaxed. The people speak papa pimento, which is a mixture of Dutch, French and Creloe. It was quite amazing that these people spoke four languages fluently. They were taught papa Pimento in school, but at home and amongst friends they spoke Dutch. They could also speak Spanish (being so close to the Spanish speaking South America countries) and English! How amazing is that really! The water was amazing and Bonaire is well famous for its diving. We went off Snorkelling for an afternoon but it was quite windy, making the sea state a bit choppy. We only stayed for a couple of days before heading off to Columbia. We may of stayed a few days longer for a break before setting off, but you could not anchor in the water, you had to use one of the marina’s mooring buoys which was 13 quid a night so we thought we would give it a miss.
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