A visit to the San Felipe Fortress and La Popa

There is a cruiser net each morning at 8 AM. Scott is the moderator on Thursdays. It serves the community like a bulletin board with announcements of social activities, new arrivals and departures, weather and "treasures of the bilge" (things for sale or barter). One woman organized a half day tour of the huge fort, San Felipe Fortress, and La Popa with Duran Duran, a local official guide. Twelve of us were picked up at the marina in a large van. The fortress is the largest defensive complex erected by the Spanish in the new world. Construction began in 1536 and was completed one hundred years later. It was taken once by pirates under the french Baron De Pointis in 1697 but resisted all the efforts of Sir Francis Drake when he arrived with a huge navy. This has been restored beautifully, including many tunnels far underground. At the base is a bronze statue of two old shoes that commerates the Cartagena poet Luis Carlos Lopez's sonnet comparing the memory of present Cartagena to that of the past, once heroic and now affectionately loved like a pair of old shoes.

La Popa or La Candelaria Convent was originally built in 1606 by the Augustine fathers. It was built to house the image of "Virgin de la Candelaria", found in a house in the city in a vision from God. She is now the patron saint of Cartagena. It is built on the highest hill in the area and the view from the top is very beautiful. Some monks live there still. Much of it was destroyed over the years when the monks were expelled several times by various political leaders. >>
The chapel contains an elaborate alter piece with the famous statue which has many miracles attributed to it. Several cases contain hundreds of silver charms sent by individuals who have been healed by the statue. The charms show the body part that was healed - legs seem to predominate. At present they are trying to raise money to stabilize the structure and relocate the families living on the sides of the hill without water and sewerage connections. This has caused much erosion and the resulting mud slides. The cloister is really lovely with double arches and a well in the center of the garden.

Cartagena in the early morning rain

Scott and I have been walking into the center of the city most mornings as early as possible. We try to leave around 6:30 AM. Our walk starts along the harbor looking across to Boca Grande, the high rise wealthy condo community along the ocean front. The promenade is always busy with walkers and runners. From there we cross a bridge into the old city. On the corner there is an old battery and guard post. On Wednesday morning we didn´t get far before the heavens opened.


We took shelter under an overhanging balcony and waited. Taxis come in three major sizes here; bright yellow cars, motorcycles and bicyles with covered seats behind. The motorcycle taxis have two sets of vests and helmets, one for the paying passenger. They wear distinctive red or day glow orange vests and display their license plates numbers on both the vests and helmets. Odd numbers have one day and even numbers the next. Once a month no motorcycle taxis are allowed. Everyone warned us never to take one. There are accidents all the time. It rained so hard that most drivers pulled over and

waited out the storm. We shared our overhang with several. Vendors roam the streets with thermos of hot coffee, served in tiny plastic cups. We all had some and laughed together. Even in the rain the brilliant colors of the homes brighten up the gloom. This blue house is somewhat unusual, pink and yellow are more commen, but every shade is represented.

We had a brief break and walked further downtoen but only a half hour later the skies opened up again and we took shelter in a small cafe and ordered breakfast; scrambled eggs with veggies, fried plantains and bread. An ice vendor stopped just outside to break off a big chunk of ice for the owner of the restaurant. Vendors sell everything on the street here, including most services. You can get your shoes repaired, clothes altered and appliances fixed - all out on the street. Street food is very good, quick and stuffed with calories.
Most everything is fried. Fritters, fried doughs, arepas (corn cakes stuffed with cheese, eggs, meat or plain), and pastries of all kinds (meat, meat and potatoes, meat and potatoes and an egg etc.). Our favorite is the last one mentioned and it's a meal. Some of the fried dough is of course sweet - the latin version of doughnuts. Luckily they also serve fresh juices and fruits of all kinds so you can persuade yourself you are eating something healthy! Needless to say, my doctor is not going to be pleased with me when I return.

Punta Hermosa to Cartagena

Punta Hermosa is a big protected shallow harbor that hardly shows up on the charts. It has evidently been developing from debris from the Rio and maybe human assistance. No high rise buildings here or fancy restaurants. Hundreds of reed beach hut line the bay and a few casual places to eat and rent small boats. The wealthy go to Rodadero and the rest of the Columbians are here - all having about the same amount of fun. We only planned one night here but as we were leaving early in the morning, Unplugged had problems with their charger. By the time Tom replaced it, it was too late to make it to Cartegena by dark, so we reanchored. Actually it was a lovely lazy day, doing nothing but swimming, reading and of course, saying good night to the sun with a tradional sundowner. The next day we were off by 5:30 AM and motored the whole way, arriving around 2:30 PM.
During this trip we had an hour long visit from a small green bird. He flew in and out of the cabin exploring the premises thoroughly. Finally he headed off when a small island of vegetation appeared floating past. What a sight when

the city came into view! Cartagena is one of the most beautiful cities I've seen. The modern section, which is huge, looks like Miami, with hills. The old central part is a beautifully restored and maintained 15C Spanish city - still surrounded by the old walls. The harbor is protected by a seawall, now mostly underwater, broken by a 100 foot entrance and a larger one further south. This is a busy sea port with a lot of commercial traffic and many recreational boats as well. The anchorage is tucked in one corner near the two marinas. We waited for five days for a slip to open up at Club Nautico and tied up there this morning.
Two days ago we heard guns going off and came out in the cockpit to see the Argentine tall training ship enter the harbor to a 21 gun salute from the fort. Cadets lined every yardarm on the huge masts (we were glad to see they were wearing safety harnesses). What a sight! Cruise ships, some looking like cities themselves, are in and out of here all the time. Our very first morning we dingied in at 6 AM and walked all around the old city as it woke up. This is a magical place and we feel so lucky to be here. Years ago when we started this voyage this seemed unimmaginably far away (and kind of scary) so we have to pinch ourselves a bit to believe we're here.

Rodadero and Santa Marta, Columbia

We spent four days in Guayraca and as we passed the fifth bay, we wished we had planned another one there. This is a beautiful area. But we were off back to civilization - Rodadero looks like a miniature Ft. Lauderdale. Honestly, except for the mountains behind, this area looks like Florida. The beach is lined with high rise condos and hotels, beach bars and restaurants - and tons of people. It was a lovely calm night and after lunch on the beach (and a stop at the well stocked supermarket) we enjoyed a quiet dinner on board watching the action. Pedal boats, kyacks, and sightseeing boats circled our two foreign vessels, staring at us curiously, all very friendly. Many people stopped to talk and welcome us. The next day we took a taxi into Santa Marta, a lovely small Spanish colonial city only 10 minutes away. Among the new high rise office buildings are lovely historic ones now renovated and in use. This photo shows a high end retail shop in a lovely old home. The streets were busy with small shops and vendors selling everything immaginable.





We visited two museums, had a huge "plato typico" lunch, and walked the all over the city - did some shopping too. The picture here is one of our young college student guides. Scott bought two pairs of shorts on the street, one labeled Tommy Hilfinger! Monuments and statues are everywhere in Columbia, often in lovely shady squares.
When we returned to the boats we found that the wind had picked up and now the beach was a lee shore. Our boats were bouncing up and down in too shallow water for comfort. We moved out until we had 40 feet of water under us but still had a restless night. Up at 4 AM for our next 55 miles past the dreaded Rio Magdelena. This huge river, the largest in Columbia, is known for bad wave conditions and extensive debris at its' outlet. Luckily for us the wind calmed down and the seas were flat enough to spot any tree trunks headed our way. By 2:30 we were anchored at our last stop before Cartegena, Punta Hermosa.

The Five Bays, Columbia

Our last few nights here have been the quietest ones we've spent on the boat for a long time. Scott made pancakes one morning to celebrate! We are anchored off a caramel colored beach in Bahia Guayraca, one of the "Five Bays", part of Tayrona National Park in Columbia. As we approached this area we were watching for the snow capped mountains of the Santa Marta range, usually visable from the sea.
They are indeed beautiful but not snow capped this year - global warming? These are the highest sea coast mountains in the world - one is 19,000 feet! This was a large indigineous Indian settlement before the Europeans came and the area has been extensively worked over by archiologists and treasure hunters. The grave sites are now pocked with holes for miles. After the bodies deteriorated the remains
were placed in large pottery containers and buried with their possesions. Above right is one still recognizable. Fragments litter the ground for acres and many bone pieces too. At least one grave yielded gold ornaments and everyone's been hoping for another strike since. We met a charming local man, Renaldo, who gave us a walking tour of the area and invited us into his home. His son Jonathan joined us for our tour. Their neighbor Maria invited us for coffee at her home too.
Our Spanish is improving quickly as no one has spoken English since we left Aruba. For the previous 26 hours we motored in flat calm seas from Cabo de la Vela. We dodged thunderstorms but kept out of them pretty well. Most contained little wind, mostly rain. Occasional showers are part of rainy season and so are rainbows. One picture shows one over Unplugged. Unplugged ran through a patch of heavy vegetation and it wrapped around their propeller. We headed back to help them but Tom dove and freed it after the lightning moved away. We experienced a half knot to two knot current against us almost the whole way as well. The 125 miles took five more hours than we expected. Every night down here is a light show but the storms stay mostly over the land.

Cabo de la Vela, Columbia

Cabo de la Vela was very pretty but rolly so we didn't get as much rest as we needed the first night but the second night it was calm and flat and we all got a good night's sleep. On the day in between we landed the dinghy nearby and walked up to the light station - nice views down the coast. The nearby village had a small store where we got some cold beers afterwards and talked to the owner and her grandchildren. There were only a few shelves of canned goods and candy for sale but several bottles of Heinz ketchup surprisingly. The village appeared to have been built all at one time. We wonder if the old one was destroyed by a storm. The houses were mostly the same and someone had planted new trees, two in front of each building, all surrounded by a fence to keep them safe from the goats and sheep. It was very neat and tidy. Further away across the bay is the tourist area with a number of small restaurants and cottages. We didn't do any snorkeling as there were a number of jelly fish around but managed to duck them for swims around the boat. The second day the three French boats showed up and told us that they'd had a hard time the night after we left. A sudden squall hit Monjes in the night with winds up to 50 knots. A gust blew the little house at the end of the dock to pieces and both they and the fishing boats scrambled to get out of there. It must have been a mad house! Tom had a really hard time getting his bow line off the anchoring line when we left. Most people have to tie several lines together to get the length needed to go through the loop and back to your boat. He had to pull the boat up to one of the knots as something had caught and stopped the line from pulling through. If that had happened the next night he would have had to cut himself free and lost the 200 feet of line. Our next leg was an overnight so all of us left in the afternoon for a 125 mile passage.

Monjes del Sur, Venezuela

Our first stop after Aruba was Monjes del Sur, an isolated rock outpost of the Venezuelan Guarda Costa. We were the last to arrive there late in the day (picture shows us nearing the island above right and on the left the view from our boat over Unplugged towards the lighthouse). Tom and Colleen on "Unplugged", our buddy boat for this trip, and three other boats, all French, were tied up to a long line stretched across the small rocky inlet and there was very little room left, two were catamarans. Luckily the guards allowed us to tie up to their dock behind several fishing boats (one small one is shown in the photo below left, taken from Unplugged).
At one AM I heard someone calling and went into our main salon to find a soldier sitting in the cockpit and shining his flashlight down the companionway. Rather startled me for sure (glad I was wearing something). Scott talked to him and checked out the lines as it appeared that was his concern. We thought that was the end of problems but unfortunately at 5 AM they woke us to ask us to leave. They said a Navy vessel was coming in.
We untied and departed in the dark, planning to sail around until light enough to return and try to fit into the lineup. Soon after departing they called on the VHF and asked what were our plans. We told them and they seemed to accept that, but a few minutes later called us and asked us to return and tie up again to the dock. When we came along side (still in the pitch dark) around 8 men were there to help us tie up. We think they believed we would manage to tie up to the line and were worried and upset that we left. Also they now claimed the Navy vessel wouldn't be in and we could stay there until our expected departure the next morning. We'll never know exactly what happened but there was a mix-up somehow and they were sorry to cause us such problems. The rest of the day was wonderful although naturally we were exhausted.
We met the commandant at their new offices part way up the rock. That's him in the white one piece in one shot and the other is of the two small bays, our boat at the dock in the distance. He assigned a guide to go with us the rest of the way up to the lighthouse. The view was beautiful (you can see from the picture above how bare the terrain is here) and we were surprised to see some vegetation growing. A clump of bright yellow flowers grew on the edge of the concrete walkway. Our guide picked one flower for each of us ladies. They had a lovely scent.
That afternoon we went snorkeling around the huge cave to the south. A squadron of barracuda guard the entrance. The cave itself is very dramatic underwater and we saw a number of beautiful fish along the cliffs eastward, including a huge porcupine fish and several eye catching queen angel fish. Scott and Tom did some fishing from the dinghy or should I say "catching" as Scott caught 2 barracuda in five minutes. They are delicious! The fishing has been as promised, excellent. Tom caught a large dorado coming over from Aruba (that's him holding it up off the stern of his boat below) and Scott caught 1 dorado and 1 small tuna on the next section of our trip to Cabo de la Vela. We left Monjes at 2 AM and sailed around Punta Gallinas, the north east tip of Columbia. On the way we got a call from Tom on Unplugged in back of us.
A fast boat with four men (two with ski masks and goggles) were circling his boat! Scary! We turned the boat around to go back (to their rescue? Us?) when a few minutes later we heard that they appeared to be Guarda Costa. After a bunch of questions they left them and headed for us. Tom told us one of their concerns was that they still had the Venezuelan courtesy flag up. We turned around and Scott rushed up to the mast to hoist the Columbian flag. They were soon upon us, still masked and looking rather ominous to us. Then we noticed that although they were all in black, they had badges on their jackets and the boat had a worn chevron of Columbian colors on the side. They spoke to us very politely from alongside and examined our papers. Then requested to come aboard. Finally the two men removed their masks before boarded us. They were very polite and professional (although they looked about 20 years old) and lightly searched the boat. We had just caught the dorado and they chatted with Scott about his fishing lures. By the way all conversations after Aruba are in Spanish. Scott is doing SO well and Tom has really been studying. It's especially hard on the radio. The rest of our sail was comparatively relaxed although we had thunder storms tailing us most of the way and one brief squall with winds up to 40 knots.

Charlie's Bar in Aruba

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This famous bar has been a fixture in the south of Aruba since 1938. Charlie was a national hero for work during WWII on the island. His son now owns the bar and it's a family enterprise. The memorabilia is amazing - I've never seen a place this rich in real souvenirs, from all over the world. The travel channel was there filming a segment while we had lunch. Happily we were allowed behind the bar for a picture. That's Richard and Debra from Tango with us. That picture above left was taken in the lady's room. How thoughtful to provide spare bras

Natural Bridges, Donkeys and Ostrichs (in Aruba?)

Richard and Debra have a car and we've been visiting the sights all over Aruba. The natural bridge was a prime attraction - all set up with cafeteria, snack bar and gift shop. Unfortunately the main bridge collapsed several years ago. Somehow the signs all over the island haven't changed and now the attraction is the collapsed natural bridge! There is a small one still there shown in the picture and the coastline is really beautiful.
Donkeys roam here too and one group stopped our car looking for a handout. Sorry guys we don't have anything. Another day we visited the ostrich farm - for lunch and a tour. The restaurant was very imposing, built like a huge African hut. Ostrich in burgers, chinese style and meat loaf - all were good. Happily all the meat comes from Curacao's ostrich farm and the animals we saw were not in danger.
The gift shop was very attractive with beautiful crafts from South Africa for sale - very expensive but unusual and lovely. The tour was really fun, especially feeding the ostrichs. They are enormous birds and majestic. One male in particular was very imposing - see the shot with Scott below left. At first we held the food tray facing them.
It was hard to keep it steady as their pecking was so hard. Then our guide turned us around and backed us up against the fence. The ostrichs crowded around and feed over our shoulders. Here you can see Debra with a boa of ostrichs! This was actually quite scary but an experience for sure. Debra looks calm but my face shows fear all right on the left.
We took several brief movies of this and hopefully we'll have them posted on UTube soon with a connection here.

Heading West - Curacao to Aruba (Tango to Tango)

It was time to say goodbye to Bonaire for this season. The last week was non stop farewell dinners and visits. We had a lot of fun with "Cheshire II" and "Slow Dancin'" (the Nordhaven 40) on our dock at the Marina and Bob and Barbara returned from a visit to the States and had us for dinner our last night. We picked a relatively calm day to sail over to Klein Curacao and stayed there for two nights. "Maker's Match" was there already and we had them over for dinner one night.
This was a good opportunity for Scott to really rest his knee and luckily he had a good book. We always have a big selection of books ready. At each marina or beach bar etc. cruisers leave books they've finished and pick up new ones. These "book swaps" can be like mini libraries or just a few volumes on top of a washer or dryer. In addition we often swap between boats. At the marina in Bonaire Linda from "Cheshire II" copied over 15 movies and 10 CDs that have occupied and entertained us since.
We anchored in Spanish Waters, Curacao, for a few nights just in front of "Unplugged". This is a really lovely spot enlivened by small sailboats racing all around the protected bay and in and out of the anchored boats (see picture above). We spent a day with a rental car checking in and out and visiting about 10 stores.
Our friends on "Tango", John (the surgeon who was such a help to us in Bonaire) and Mary, had us over to their boat for a farewell evening. Pictures here show them with their two adorable dogs, Tika and Grif, and Scott and  I with them as well.
Then it was on to new places! We sailed north along the coast to the pretty harbor of Santa Kruz and anchored close to the beach. The snorkeling was great along the cliffs and it was an easy departure the next morning for Aruba. This 55 mile passage is often rough but it wasn't for us. Unfortunately it was dead downwind so we had to motorsail the whole way. The entrance to Oranjestad harbor is wide open but the buoy system is very confusing here. It's wonderful to have the electronic navigation and auto pilot!
This is a famously difficult check in. The port authority directs you to tie up at the cruise ship facility docks. These are not set up for small ships. We did manage to find a section without huge black tires (they mark the sides of your boat) but there is no one to help you and the huge bollards are spaced apart for enormous ships - there are no cleats. Once tied up though the Immigration officials came to the boat and Customs was close by. The whole process took about an hour and we were off again for the Marina. The Renaissance Marina and Resort is fantastic. Scott and I rarely stay at a place like this and we had full use of the facility for our week here. Happily too we tied up next to Richard and Debra on "Tango" (not John and Mary on "Tango" we had just left in Curacao)..
It was our first "med mooring" and easily done with help from both Richard and Debra (shown here to the left) and the Dockmaster in his dinghy. In this configuration there is no side dock. You turn the boat around and back into the dock. A long line from the bow is tied to a off shore buoy and the stern to the dock. Luckily access to our boat is easy from the stern via our swim platform. Our plans are to spend a week here and then leave for Columbia.