RC
11/13/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

We have been steadily preparing for our crossing of the central Caribbean since our return from New Orleans. This now is a a well rehearsed process for us that starts slowly and builds to a busy pre-departure day.
Firstly we ensure that we have as much information as possible for our proposed destination along with that for a couple of Plan B and C destinations in the event things don't go as planned. This means gathering charts, cruising guides, waypoints, etc from other cruisers, either by trade, gift or purchase. Since we are limited in storage space on Mandy the old goes out as the new comes in.
About ten days prior to our anticipated departure we start to look at the weather patterns, either by e-mail or if not available by short wave radio. As we get closer to leaving we update our weather watch more frequently.
For this passage we had initially planned on a 465 mile run almost directly north to Jamaica, but some time spent analyzing Grib files and current predictions using MaxSea, lent and tutored by a very patient David Kane of the ultra fast Atlantic 42 catamaran "Lightspeed", is beginning to make it look that we would be better served by the current conditions by heading to the Cayman Islands. These are to the north and west of Jamaica, making for a passage of nearly 650 miles, but the better wind angle and opportunity to pick up possibly 1 knot of favorable current could make this Plan A. 1 knot of current for a boat averaging 4 knots makes a tremendous difference in speed over the ground. We will decide within the next 24 hours.
Provisioning is next and with an eight day passage and some remote locations in our future this one has to be pretty complete. Luckily here in Cartagena we can walk to the store so it is not a great effort. Virginia usually pre-cooks meals for the first few days, so this is done at this time. Then fuel and water must be topped off, usually by ferrying jerry cans back and forth in the dinghy.
Meanwhile all exit paperwork with immigration, the port authorities and customs must be completed and all fees paid. This can often take a day of running around in taxis, but here it is obligatory to use an agent so the process is simpler, if more costly.
The day before we leave we try to stay on the boat if possible. Awning down, lightning rods in, some chain up and scrubbed, dinghy up on the cabin roof, everything on deck lashed down, lifelines deployed, oil lights filled, sail covers off, final mechanical checks on engine, auto pilot and batteries, everything stowed below for sea, charts out and DR plotted .. It all takes most of the day. Then a good meal and as much sleep as possible before an a.m. departure.
For this leg the weather looks promising for a Saturday departure (the day before is not only a Friday but also the 13th .. I for one am not that brave!). The hurricane season technically does not end until Nov. 30th but there is nothing showing in the immediate future. The N.W. coast of Colombia is notorious for high winds and big seas and Cartagena annually greets many returnees who do not make it away from here. The gribs are predicting 15 to 25 knots from the NE and 6 to 12 foot seas. With this we should be able to clear the first 150 miles in a day and a half to two days and from there conditions are usually less boisterous. It will be an eight day passage to the Caymans so next posting from there.


We are hoping this is a good weather god for us!

Colombia

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RC
11/11/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

I am always stupefied by the amount I don't know. For some months we have been planning to visit Colombia, but over and above its drug history I could not name one other thing abut it. So for those whose view is similarly obscured here's some facts to put Colombia within a frame of reference.
With a population of 45 million it is larger than all the Central American countries we have visited combined. Its land mass is as large as the UK, France and Germany combined.
It straddles the top of the continent, with long coastlines on both the Pacific side and the Caribbean and land borders with Venezuela, Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and Panama. The Andes originate in its towering center with peaks to 17,000 ft, whilst to the east the land descends to the Amazon headwaters basin.
Bogota, the capital and at 2,640 m the third highest such in the world, is today a huge cosmopolitan city of 8.5 million ranked as one of the most important in the world for economic, political and cultural development.
The economy is far from third world with banking accounting for 16% of GDP and 40% of all exports being manufactured goods. This in spite of the fact that it is a major exporter of oil, coal, coffee, chemicals, bananas and emeralds (90% of the world supply).
Cartagena (in the photograph above the anchorage is in the foreground) is a sprawling city of more than a million, built around a spectacular natural harbor. Secluded behind well preserved 16 century walls is the old city, founded in 1533 and for many years the major South American port for the transport of riches from Peru back to Spain. Here leafy squares, winding cobbled streets and beautiful churches provide some quiet amongst the hubbub.



The people of Colombia, a mixture of Caribe Indians, European settlers and African slaves are truly fine looking. Nowhere have I seen so many, beautifully made and featured. For the single sailor ... a paradise!



Here we have been watching the weeklong celebrations of Cartagena's independence from Spain in 1810. Colorful, sweet, aggressive, loud, threatening and vibrant, the celebrations seem to be a refection of Colombia itself.

Colombia

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VC
11/05/2009, New Orleans, LA

A blast of furnace hot and greenhouse humid air walloped us in the face as we exited the small Avianca air craft that brought us back to Cartagena on the last leg of our return from New Orleans, LA. There we had enjoyed some brisk seasonal fall weather during the week long family and wedding festivities and the difference was quite a shock.

Looking back at the "wedding week" of celebration for Daisy and Keith, it is hard to choose my favorite from the multitude of happy scenes and sweet moments, so here follows a collection of some of them.

Daisy whirling in dance amongst her closest high school friends and her two brothers at a concert at the New Orleans Circle Bar, where I also met Keith's father and his wife for the first time.

The pleasure of watching Keith as he lead the way proudly around the French Quarter to find us a restaurant serving the rich and spicy Creole food of his hometown.

Embracing my brother Mark the night he arrived with my mother from England. Although we seldom see each other he never fails to make me laugh and wish we were able to spend more time together. He is a special person and a very gentle man.

Barbara (fresh from a recent replacement hip operation) waving her walking stick above her head as she sashayed among the crowd down Bourbon Street while the jazz bands played on.
Mummy flushed from a walk in the New Orleans sunshine and a ride on the Mississippi boat Natchez.

After decorating the room with fresh, homemade flower arrangements the morning of the wedding, I sat breathing in the heady scent while enjoying the unexpected treat of the band "Or the Whale" (see side bar for link to their amazing music) as they practiced some of the melodic songs they had lined up for the wedding festivities. I was tired, but their music in that intimate setting filled me with emotion and energy.

Daisy with her eight year old flower girl (cousin Rosa) at the hairdressers having their tresses arranged around the incredible floral crowns that were part of their wedding finery. Squeezed for time, we commandeered a taxi to escape traffic stopped at a police swat scene and made it to the wedding only fifteen minutes late.

The sight of Richard leading Daisy, so alike in stature, on his arm up the aisle ( a tough walk if ever there was one) as beloved family and friends looked on with huge smiles and wet cheeks.

Keith's beautiful wedding proclamation to Daisy, full of his love for her and his joy of sharing his life with her in the future.

Archie dancing with Lindsey and Katie Levy and Grandma, looking like he has spent way too many hours clubbing into the early hours in the last two years, but boy is he good.

Rupert and Thomas dressed as luny hippies for Halloween night, one with a huge afro wig, the other with a Rasta beret and a peace pendant, both with round hippy sunglasses and an arm around each other. It took me all the way back to California Terrace.

It was quite a week of family reunion and reaffirmed friendships filled with intimacy. I missed David and Jo, Abuelito, Manda, Lucy, Alma and Alison many times over as we celebrated the joining of an incredible, inspiring woman with the sweet man of her dreams. We are so thankful to everyone who made the journey with us and we feel blessed.

More photos here:

http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=6d1077264e6ada816276141d224b0f78&sid=0Aasm7Zq4buWTjI

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VC
11/04/2009, New Orleans, LA

Cousin Rosa and Daisy get curled and prepped at the beauty salon on Magazine St.

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RC
10/22/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

We fly today to New Orleans for our daughter Daisy's wedding. Mandy is securely Med moored to the dock at Club Nautico and we are off to have a big a big pow wow. No posting for a couple of weeks.

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RC
10/20/2009, Cartagena, Colombia

It has been interesting to see the varying importance of music, particularly public music, in the countries we have visited.
Mexico bursts with sound. Every street, square, store and open window booms with sound. It is normal to be sung to by your taxi driver. In contrast Central America seemed strangely quiet. With no home grown musical genre, music here seemed to be an extra not an integral part of life. One evening in Leon, Nicaragua we went to an advertised "music festival". It rained and less than two dozen people showed up. It is strange that in the land of poetry, music did not seem so important.
Now, in Caribbean Colombia public music is again prevalent. Here in Plaza Bolivar, these beautiful people gather nightly to put on this wonderful show for a few hours.

Colombia

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