http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen Family of 4 heading to Caribbean and South Pacific in '08-'09 Copyright 2008 SailBlogs.com Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:49:00 -0600 720 Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:49:00 -0600 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss en support@sailblogs.com support@sailblogs.com http://www.sailblogs.com/images/sb_rss_icon.gif http://www.sailblogs.com/ 88 31 Weblogs for Sailors and Sailing http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=76317 [%youtube*Py9x-VomelE%v] Tom Tue, 30 Dec 2008 12:44:11 -0600 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=76317 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=76291 We loved our monohull, but a cat can sure throw a party! Again, going global, these smiling faces represent Denmark, Holland, Italy, Spain, Australia and Rhode Island, USA. Their vibrant faces tell it all. Our holidays in RI always include tons of family members and friends. Why should the remote San Blas Islands be any different? It couldn't have been any more perfect. It was simple, peaceful, exciting, happy, delicious, active and filled with hugs and double-kisses. From the whole Zen family, we hope yours were just as amazing. Monique Mon, 29 Dec 2008 22:06:49 -0600 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=76291 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=75808 Sleepovers, perfect sailing conditions, BBQs, loads and loads of kids, yoga and MOLAS! What are molas? They are layers and layers of cotton material that have been cut and sewn into geometric designs and traditional Kuna Indian scenes. The Kunas, the local people indigenous to the San Blas Islands, take weeks or months to create them. The molas are part of their customary attire. Cruisers, over decades of visiting, have come to appreciate their handiwork and purchase them to sew onto pillows, bags, shirts, etc. Even better, as you can see from the photo, they come in their dugout canoes to sell them. We are looking at a pile of them, all completely unique, in the comfort and shade of our aft deck. Anyone who designates the San Blas Islands, or Kuna Yala, as the natives say, as a sailor's paradise, is 100% correct. We love it here for the sailing we've done and the friends we have gained. The Coco Bandero Cays was home for Zen, and about 5 other kid boats, for about a week. They played Capture the Flag, built lean-to's on the uninhabited islands and did arts/crafts for hours on end. While listening to the Panama Connection SSB radio network of cruisers in the morning, we learned the immigration/customs office would be closing early for vacation. Due to our upcoming flights to US and Puerto Rico, we quickly picked up our anchor, bid farewell to all the families and high-tailed 20 miles to the immigration and customs office for the San Blas. It was a fortuitous departure. On the way, going 10 knots, we caught this monster 35-lb tuna fish. Darn thing almost took our rod right off the stern as a souvenir. After spending some time bringing it onboard, Tom decided to pull into a port just shy of our destination due to sun and visibility of reefs. It was fate speaking to us. We met in the Lemmon Cays anchorage, a wonderful family on Fai Da Te, which means, Do It Yourself, in Italian. They blended w/Zen beautifully and sailed the next day w/us to Porvenir and then to the Holandes Cays the next day, where we reunited with Albatres. Beyond that, it's been all fun. School and boat chores in the mornings. Snorkeling and water sports in the afternoon. Sunset gatherings on one another's boats with many languages being spoken. And of course, BBQs on the beach. But...the most amazing thing Cammi and I do on a little (100 yards in diameter), perfectly manicured (daily, by an ex-Wall Street exec turned boat-bum), uninhabited island off Zen's bows is YOGA. Yes, every other day at 11:00a we meet our instructor, Suzanne, who brings us into sheer bliss, under the palms, with perfect trade winds making them sway and the surf breaking around us. I love it. What's there not to love? Holy mola, we have found Zen. Monique Sun, 21 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=75808 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=74700 Cole suddenly grabbed Ami's shoulders, held them firmly in each hand, looking at her in the eyes, and said sternly, "You are with the Burgess family. It's all about food. Repeat after me. IT'S ALL ABOUT FOOD." That about sums up Cartagena. When cruising, if there's good restaurants, offering all kinds of cuisine, at prices sometimes cheaper than what it costs to buy it fresh from the grocery store, you'll find Zen there, saving water, propane and human energy. But most importantly, while in Cartagena, meals were shared with other friends. Putting memories in the scrapbooks. Folks on "Albatres" took us to the Casa de Espana in Old Town for authentic Spanish paella and a verbal tour of their homeland, the Canary Islands. Eating Italian, in a central piazza with Tara Vana, while being serenaded by live saxophonist playing the Godfather theme song was classic Columbia. You can quickly gather why, other than Grenada, this has been our longest stay in one single place. At first glance, I wondered if this city, with such a lure to cruisers, would weave its spell on us. We couldn't swim off the boat, ferry and fishing boats are zooming by, and anchoring is so tight it's like parallel parking in Back Bay Boston. But...after a few days and trips to the Old Town, the lure was real and we were hooked. Having a couple of pre-teen kids onboard, our "field trips" to Old Town were usually history based with ice cream as a bonus for all involved. Touring Castille de San Fillipe (a castle/fort) was a half day event, covering hundreds of years of battles, pirates and secret tunnels. It was so enjoyable with a private tour guide, fee was only $40,000 pesos (about $20) for 4 families and over 90 minutes of cool stories. The Museo of Modern Art had a beautiful exhibition on show and the Phototekka Museo gave a photographic history of the city. To wrap up our final night in the city, we took a horse and buggy ride from Old Town to the marina, about 20 minutes. El Gato, the horse, broke into a canter and we laughed and sang the whole way home. Departing Cartagena, we left with 2 other friends, "Albatres" and "Tara Vana", bound for the Rosarios, a little group of islands just 20 miles south of Cartagena. Tara Vana, our local visiting professors, have taught our kids to play the steel drums and now, spent an hour teaching them to water ski. They have a tried and true kid-proof method for teaching water skiing, and it worked like a charm. We had a bit of an early Christmas on Zen. A surfboard and a pair of waterskis, both used, are our gifts to the kids. Islas Rosarios was all about watersports...kayaking, skurfing, waterskiing, snorkeling and swimming, but not just plain swimming, swimming with dolphins! It was a last minute discussion that Ami had with the woman who ran the local aquarium. "Sure!" she said, $50 per person, private swimming with the dolphins. It was a life experience we couldn't pass up. Cammi and Cole got to do it together for about 30 minutes, playing, petting, kissing and riding on the two dolphins with the trainer's guidance. Cammi wrote in detail about the event on her blog. Our final life experience at the Rosarios was given to us by a local artisan, Jose. He invited us and Rick and Ami on Tara Vana to visit his local pueblo. At 9 am he was smiling and ready to meet us at the dingy dock. The roads were dirt paths, heavily trodden and swept clean. There were no vehicles, maybe a bicycle or two, and the roads are bordered by large trees that act as a shade canopy. We toured the local school. It houses 12 teachers, 5 grades and 300 children up to the age of 12. After that, the lucky kids are relocated to the mainland for secondary schooling, the rest go to work in the fishing or artisan industry or take a job at a tourist hotel. The huts that lined the roads consisted of dirt floors, tin or thatched roofs and many happy smiling locals. After meeting Jose's lovely wife and 3 children, we learned the villagers are very pleased to see Americans and Spaniards. Why? There was an American man who wired many of the homes and small shops with solar panels for electricity. A group of Spaniards got together recently and provided about 20 desktop computers for the local school. Jose also explained that in November, they held a mock election in his pueblo. Obama beat McCain 349 to 1. They too have high hopes for the next US leader. We wrapped up the tour by purchasing a couple of handmade necklaces for our kids and giving Jose's children some candy. In return, Jose gave Tom a necklace made of local stone, pearl and coral. You may see it in a photo or two. As we move on to the San Blas Islands, away from our close friends, Ami and Rick, we carry very special memories of the Columbian city and her beautiful surrounding islands. This morning, as we anchored in the pristine San Blas Islands, home to the Kuna Indians and their traditional culture, we noticed our neighbors are a "kid boat" too! New islands, new friends, and we'll meet up w/Albatres in 2 days...a new chapter in our lives is about to begin. Monique Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0600 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=74700 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=73909 Hello Family and Friends!! Monique Thu, 27 Nov 2008 21:34:10 -0600 http://www.sailblogs.com/member/zen?xjMsgID=73909