Saturday, April 26, 2008

Intruders at Isla Fuerte!

Well we've now had our first attempted robbery and luckily it was unsuccessful. Our first night here I woke up to some unusual noises. They were very faint and I listened awhile trying to figure it out.

It didn't sound right so I went into the main salon and up the companionway. A man was standing on our stern deck trying to undo our outboard motor from it's perch on a wooden piece between the stern arch. We looked at each other and I yelled "Hola!". He looked scared to death and jumped overboard. He had a friend in a small dugout canoe below him but missed the boat. He swam to shore and his friend paddled furiously away. Scott then appeared wondering what was going on! .

We called the Columbian Coast Guard on our VHF and they responded immediately. Scott gave them an excellent account of the incident and answered all the questions - in Spanish. Our friends on Vindomar were listening and were very supportive. Roy slept up in the cockpit for the rest of the night to keep an eye on things.

Honestly I wasn't really that upset. These were poor fisherman not professional thieves and that outboard would have changed their families lives. They have to paddle miles out to fish and it's obviously very dangerous and hard. It was a great temptation. I am very grateful that I didn't stand up on the bed and put my head out the hatch (which I have often done to investigate a strange sound) as he would have been only inches away from me.Regardless of this incident we really enjoyed our stay at Isla Fuertes and would love to return on our way back up the coast next fall. There are no cars on the island but lovely paths.

We found the same combination of beautiful wealthy second homes and the local residents. The house at the top right was covered in old newspapers and the small village clean and brightly painted. The home just above right is a typical older construction but neat as a pin. Scott and I walked all over while Roy & Sue kept an eye on the boats and then they took their turn. We visited one small resort with charming rustic two story cottages for rent (see the second picture above left) and a funnny monkey statue welcoming guests to their dock (above right).

The village stretched out along the beach. We bought bottles of ice cold water at the tienda and enjoyed them here. Again after two nights we set sail, this time for Panama. This meant saying goodbye temporarily to our great buddy cruiser, Roy and Sue Potter. We so enjoyed their company both on our Medellin trip and through the islands.

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