Marina Santa Marta We will come Back
10 March 2016 | Marina Santa Marta, Colombia
Bert - Gale wind but warm
We arrived on October 4, 2015 in Santa Marta Colombia which is now over 5 months ago. We never stayed in one place this long since we left Miami Beach in December, 2012. Since our return from Peru we converted Island Girl from a nice comfortable floating home back to a sailboat. All the systems are tested; oil and cooling of both the Generator and the Main Engine are checked and replaced. The Watermaker has new filters and the freezer, refrigerator and storage bins are filled with food and other stuff we need for one month without stores to replenish our provisions. We are waiting for a good weather window to depart to the San Blas Islands.
The San Blas Islands of Panama is an archipelago comprising approximately 365 islands and cays, of which only 49 are inhabited. They lie off the north coast of the Isthmus of Panama, east of the Panama Canal. A part of the Kuna Yala along the Caribbean coast of Panama is home to the Kuna Indians who in some villages are very traditional and have limited supplies and no Phone or Internet. Thus we need to be well stocked so we can enjoy the pristine environment with low lying islands surrounded by white beaches, blue seas and reefs.
But before we get to these beautiful islands we have to leave our beloved Colombia and that will and gives us now already a lot of pain and it makes us very sad. I am not myself at this moment and this is not only since we know that with the best weather window we will have wind of around 30 kn. until we pass the City of Barranquilla, but the thought that we will miss Colombia and especially Marina Santa Marta with the great staff who became our friends the day we arrived.
The marina is great, relatively new with beautiful docks and facilities. The marina is in front of the city and everything you want or need is a walking distance away. We have a slip with an extra wide pier where I put my dinghy that was constantly in need of repairs. The marina has a helicopter landing pad, a nice breezeway, a captain’s lounge and a mini market. The marina has organized nice small parties during all the holidays and when the National Colombian Soccer Team has played. The Marina has an open area where many organizations and private people organize parties and sport events. In January the World ARC sailing tour stopped in Marina Santa Marta and at the same time there was the regatta.
However, the employees are the ones who are making this marina very special. Kelly, the office manager is fluent in English she is our translator, tour guide and helps us with everything else we ask her. One of the dock hands “Luis” also speaks good English and he helped us with the doctor and one day he walked with us to the bank when we had problems with our ATM card. Although most of the other members of the marina staff do not speak English we can still communicate with them especially during their daily rounds when they check on us how we are doing and ask if there is something that we need. I was so grateful that Stewart the Helicopter Pilot called a doctor for me when I thought I had a heart attack and Maria Jose jumped in her car to take me to the doctor and explained what my symptoms were. However, Dorothy does most of the communication and everyone recognizes that without Dorothy I will not make it very far.
The friendship and friendliness we have received from the marina staff is overwhelming and heartwarming. It surprises me every day again how comfortable I feel to walk around and with the few words I can speak and understand Spanish I can have a great relationship. To make sure we will keep the memory in our absence alive we decided to take pictures of each staff member and post them together with this blog in our blog album.
It may mean nothing to the readers of this blog but it means everything to Dorothy and me and we hope we will see all of them soon when we return to Santa Marta Colombia.