Good Bye Santa Marta but still in Colombia
26 March 2016 | Sapzurro Colombia
Bert - Partly Clouded 22 kn North/East Trade Wind
So after 5 ½ months in Santa Marta which we enjoyed so much it was time to move on to the most south/west corner of the Caribbean and then along the coast of Panama visiting the San Blas Islands. This trip will take us through what is known as one of the five most difficult sea passages in the world. The wind and waves are really kicking up along the coast off Barranquilla and the mouth of the famous Rio Magdalena and can have typically 35 to 40 kn. wind and over 30 feet of swell and waves. The river delta is very large but a lot is covered from the sea by the coastal road from Santa Marta to Barranquilla and the water can only pass to the sea by the main channel of the river. All the creeks and rivers streaming from the mountains of central Colombia bringing their water down to the Rio Magdalena and in the rainy season the river flows wild and brings a lot of logs, trash, grass islands and anything that came in the river or that the river water could take from the shores. But Colombia is in a very heavy drought and it has not rained since last year November, so the river is not streaming that fast and has no debris but the sea still turns brown when you reach the outflow.
So it is important to wait for a good weather window and it amazes me every time when cruisers arrive from the east and think that they can leave whenever they want. I hate to advise people, since cruising is about freedom to do what you want whenever you want, but several of them start looking a little better at the weather and wait as well after I pointed them to weather information or send them the e-mails which I receive daily from the Caribbean weather guru Chris Parker. With the result that three boats chose to leave Santa Marta the same day. Two friends from Belgium in a hurry to be in the canal in Panama to reach the Pacific and Mary with her 14-year-old daughter Coleen and Island Girl took off on Tuesday March 15, 2016. We took Island Girl out of the marina on Monday afternoon and anchored in the bay to be able to have an early start. So at 5:30 on Tuesday morning we sailed away with no wind and still a very rough sea. Just before Barranquilla the wind started picking up and we could shut the engine down and sailed with wind getting stronger every minute in very large and intimidating seas. The wind came from behind and just with the jib sail we made over 7 knots but since the swell came from the North/East we rolled big time and it was not very comfortable. We spoke with Mary over the radio several times, but since we sailed faster we lost contact.
We headed for a large wide bay used to be called Puerta Hermosa but since a new marina is built with a lot of resorts it is renamed to Puerto Velero for an overnight anchorage. When we made our turn into the bay now with the wind on the nose we found out how strong the wind became that afternoon. The bay protects from the swell but not from the wind and the short wind waves, but the holding was good and the anchor kept us very comfortable. When it became dark and Mary and Coleen still did not arrive in the bay, we got a little worried and called again on the radio and after some time Coleen answered the radio with a little panicky voice telling us that they could not get the jib sail down and the strong wind made it dangerous to work around the sail. Finally we saw their boat with the flapping sail and Mary came on the radio to discuss the options she had to get the sail down. We found the solution and brave Mary went back up front, got the sail down and anchored a couple of minutes later in the dark next to us.
The next day again at daybreak at 5:30 we left Puerto Velero for the next leg sailing to Cartagena. The wind was strong and the swell was a lot larger than the previous day. Using only the jib with the whisker pole we made good speed but the swell from the north/east made it very uncomfortable. Half way to Cartagena the coast line makes a big turn to the south and from that moment on the swell came from the stern and that made it a very nice sail. But then a shackle of the whisker pole halyard came loose and we had to take the whisker pole in; since the wind came straight from behind it was hard to keep the sail filled and we motored the last part to Cartagena. Cartagena was a very important harbor for the Spaniards to ship the stolen goods from South America to their home country. The English, the Dutch and pirates attacked Cartagena and the Spanish engineers constructed over a period of 208 years an intensive defense system around the city. One was a wall to close off the main sea entrance “Boca Grande”. Coming from the north and east you have to sail around an island to the other much smaller entrance which has forts on both sides of the channel. A small opening in the “Boca Grande” is made for small vessels so they donot interfere with the large vessels using the deep “Boca Chica” channel. We took the small 200 feet wide opening in the underwater wall in “Boca Grande” which has the typical red and green markers and the depth of the opening in the underwater wall was with about 20 feet deep more than posted. At 2:00 in the afternoon we dropped the anchor in front of Club Nautico.
Since we visited Cartagena last November we now spent only one day there to purchase some parts we needed for Island Girl. We had ordered a replacement of the batten we use for our awning from a yacht broker. When we came in his office we were greeted by his assistant Jackie like we came to purchase a new yacht. She served us delicious coffee and we enjoyed looking at the brochures of large sailing vessels while she prepared our invoice. We had lunch in our favorite restaurant in Getsemani and met and talked to a few nice fellow cruisers in Club Nautico. We spoke briefly with the two friends from Belgium and gave them some pointers about interesting places to visit in Cartagena.
The next morning we left for Isla Grande in the Islas Rosarios. It took a long time to get our anchor in since both the chain and anchor where full of mud and it was hard to get it off. We left Cartagena harbor via “Boca Chica” channel that is used by large ships visiting the very busy harbor of Cartagena. When we reported on the radio to the “Harbor Control” that we were leaving the harbor using the “Boca Chica” channel we were warned to stay clear of the large vessels in the very narrow channel in-between the forts. We had no wind and absolute flat seas so we used the engine on our way to Islas Rosarios. It was like sailing on Biscayne Bay in Miami on a calm day. It was likewise crowded since the Islas Rosarios are used by many day visitors going up and down in fast ferry boats. The islands also have a lot of expensive homes and nice resorts. A boat with some jewelry vendors guided us through the reefs to a nice anchoring place. It was nice until the wind picked up. The anchor place is protected by the reefs, but the anchor place is on the wind side of the island and the coral reefs are dead. The wind picked up quite strongly and it was until late at night not that fun anymore. At midnight the wind died down so we had a good night sleep and a lazy morning. We waited until the sun gave us a good view on the water and the reefs and we left for “Islas San Bernardo”. It was like the day before no wind and very calm seas. We anchored before a very nice home in the lee of “Isla Tintipan”.
The “Islas San Bernardo” are surrounded by reefs and I was told that it was difficult to navigate to leave the islands, but it was very easy so we left after the sun was high enough to read the water. That was a big mistake since we had great wind and Island Girl sailed in her groove and due to that far too fast. The current we had against us was only 0.5 to 1.0 knot. With the speed we were making we would arrive in Sapzurro in the middle of the night. So instead of trying to get better speed the journey was about slowing Island Girl down. The wind speed picked up and the wind waves became nasty, the moon disappeared behind the heavy clouds and we were only 4 miles out before we saw land and the hills behind the bay of Sapzurro.
Due to all our efforts to slow down Island Girl we arrived at 8:00 AM in the morning and we knew that the plotter charts of this area are way off, but it is kind of scary to enter a bay with on both side reefs on which the swells are breaking big time and the chart shows you are on land. We made it in safely, but for the first time we needed our 600 feet mooring line to get Island Girl anchored between other boats and with the nose into the swell. It started to rain and that was the first rain Island Girl had since November last year. Due to the swell it is very difficult to get with the dinghy to the beach and even on the town dock it is not easy. The jungle-covered hills surrounding the bay are in front of the much higher mountains of Darien and big swells crashing into the cliffs on both sides of the bay create a beautiful picturesque scene. The village itself used to be a fishing village but now supports an influx of day tourists and backpackers. There are no roads leading here and just over the hills on the north side is Panama. To support the visitors mostly arriving by boat there are many small hotels and restaurants. With our first lunch we had one of the best fish dishes I ever had. But we needed phone, internet and Wi-Fi to pay for the reservation fee for our condo we want to buy in Santa Marta. Sapzurro has no internet and Wi-Fi and since “Claro” is the only cell phone service provider and our phone uses the competitor service “Tigo” we had to buy a new SIM card. The phone signal is very weak due heavy usage by all the visitors so the only communication is via “WhatsApp” or wait for the evening.