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ADVENTURE 9 CARTAGENA AND BACK TO SAN BLAS AND PANAMA



CARTAGENA ON THE COAST OF THE COLOMBIAN CARIBBEAN



Early New Years Eve morning, December 31, 2012 a route was charted for Sea Whisper to sail 200 miles to Cartagena, Columbia on the Caribbean of South American coast. At 0700 hrs. we pulled up anchor at the East Holandes Cays in the San Blas Islands. Very quickly we hit 25 knot NE tradewinds and big lumpy Caribbean seas. For the first 20 miles, until we reached greater depths of 400 – 500 ft., the Caribbean seas were wild and steep; 12- 14 ft. foaming and frothing ’big –mother’ waves lunging at the hull of Sea Whisper. At times the monstrous waves buried the bow and a 2 ft. trough of salt water washed down the decks. Hour after hou, Sea Whisper ploughed into the formidable south east trades clocking off the 200 miles. At midnight under a canopy of stars, at the change of watch, we embraced each other with a Happy New Year’s kiss!

January 1, 2013 log entry:

0000 HAPPY NEW YEAR 9.27.1 N 7700.9 W s.o.g. 7.2 c.o.g 102 Wind NE @20 kn.

Making good time. Some major lumps. Uncomfortable ride.



Through the night hours of January 1, 2013 we sailed hard on the wind with almost a full moon. As dawn was breaking we set the Mizzen to help us hold into the wind. With the steady trades Sea Whisper performed well with her with self-steering gear and Main and Mizzen. By mid morning the sun was hot 35C. Sea Whisper was salty and the Caribbean was rolly.…a typical sailing day in the tropics. In mid afternoon the seas calmed and the Skipper and First mate enjoyed a fresh water shower on the back deck. By 1600 hrs. the seas were rough again and we had 20 miles to sail before reaching the entrance to the harbour of Bahia Cartagena. At 1900 hrs. we radioed the Harbour master with our position and asked for permission to enter the harbour. Sea Whisper was given instructions to wait for a cruise ship to leave the mouth of the harbour. The cruise ship was a visual feast illuminated in the black of the night as it passed close by on our port side. We began the 6 mile journey through the shipping channel and the dazzling lights of Cartagena. Sea Whisper dropped her 50 kilo Bruce anchor at the head of the harbour. Tomorrow we will begin to explore Cartagena De Indias, a World Heritage City.

January 1, 2013 Log entry:

2120 10.24 N 75.32.5 W Anchored in inner harbour, Cartagena after 200 mile passage. Very interesting coming into port.



CARTAGENA….AN EXOTIC DESTINATION

Now a World Heritage Site, Cartagena is a coastal Caribbean city of 1,030,000. In 1984 UNESCO declared Cartagena a legacy of mankind. When we awoke to this Latin American destination on the first day of January we received a‘Bienvenidos Welcome’ In the beautiful harbour, before our eyes, was a United Nation of fellow cruisers. From the sailing yachts, flags from many countries of the world waved their colours and emblems. .….France, Germany, Canada, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, United States, Australia just to name a few. We were eager to explore the city. But our first job was to check into the country. On the first day after we completed the preliminary work, our Agent, Manfred, indicated it was too far to walk to ‘Old Town” and too hot a walk. ‘Take a Taxi” he said. No, we decided to walk and see the sights along the harbour, across the bridges and into the historic city of Cartagena. For the next 2 weeks we would indulge ourselves in its history, and all that this unique city had to offer.



HISTORY

Cartagena’s location made it the ideal port of transit for all the gold and wealth that came from Peru to the Spanish coasts. Walls, forts and bastions were built to stop the bloody attacks from the pirates and corsairs. We were in awe of these massive stone structures surrounding the flamboyant architecture.





DOWNTOWN HISTORIC CENTER

ARCHITECTURE

Everywhere we look, we admire the colour yellow highlighted by the sun. As we walk the streets of the Downtown Historic Center we discover that for 5 centuries it has maintained its original traits. We discovered colonial and republican architecture along with contemporary buildings; and in the historic centre parks, squares, monuments, museums and churches. Unique attractions in a zone free of hurricanes and tropical storms. The walls, the doors, the windows are fascinating with their architectural detail and the decorative balconies overflowing with brilliant corals and bougainvillea are a spectacular sight.



THE FRUIT LADIES –

The smiling ‘Palenquera’display fresh fruit platters and candies in the streets and the squares. We admire their colourful costumes. These lovely fruit ladies are keen to pose with their skirts flared to the max!



PLAZAS DEL CENTRO HISTORICO AND THE STATUES

In many of the Plazas del Centro Historico there are statues of slaves, heroic men and distinguished leaders of history. The RECLINING WOMAN’S sculpture (‘well-proportioned’) woman is located in de Santo Domingo square. It was a gift from the renowned Columbian artist Fernando Botero. It is also known as THE LITTLE FAT LADY STATUE. In the harbour, approaching the Fort is the statue of the VIRGIN OF CARMEN that is said to help sailors traveling the oceans. Simon Bolivar’s statue THE CONQUEROR on a horse is displayed in Plaza De Bolivar.





CHURCHES AND CATHEDRALS

There are 10 churches and cloisters in historic Cartagena. Many of them bear the name of historical leaders and pilgrims and hold remains of poets, presidents and pilgrims.



CASTILLO SAN FELIPE DE BARAJAS

Outside The city wall, this Spanish military structure is massive with its thick protective walls and artillery. It is the most outstanding Spanish military structure in South America. Today it is a testimony of the history with its mighty walls and canons and gun wells.

We walked through the dank dark skinny tunnels and almost got lost in the concrete maze. It was hard to imagine the past and how this mighty fortress protected the city from bloody attacks to save the millions of pesos of riches.





ENTERTAINMENT AND CUISINE

Cartagena offers a rich and colourful day and night life in the historic squares. Each year in January Cartagena celebrates the International Music Festival. We enjoyed many live concerts in the squares and churches that were presented in ‘El Estilo Italiano’. There are rhythms and beats of Cartagena’s music everywhere: salsa, mapale, cumbia, classical, jazz and meringue. The night is magical with people riding in carriages drawn by sleek horses. The illuminated streets are romantic with dancing and music, people feasting at outdoor restaurants in the squares, and young and old enjoying the dynamic ambience of Cartagena.



Nothing like celebrating your birthday in an exotic place! On January 8, with our friends from Lonely Planet, we rode in our dinghy to the famous ‘Club de Pesca’. Historically, it was a fort of the city. Needless to say we had an incredible view of the city with the moon shining down on us and the sea air surrounding our harbour-front dining table. The meal was delicious and we savoured the evening. If you were to ask Lionel what part of his birthday dinner he enjoyed the most, he would say the delectable dessert of chocolate mousse personalized with his name…and the waiters singing Happy Birthday in Spanish!



Cartagena offers a medley of traditional cuisine along with Arabic, Italian, Argentine and Peruvian flavours. We enjoyed pizzas and treats at coffee houses along with 2 for 1 Marguerites. And a great find for me was a Swiss German bakery where I was able to buy 15 kilos of whole wheat flour for bread-making on the boat. Needless to say whole wheat is hard to find. Now; whole wheat bread, pizza dough and tacos are a regular item in Sea Whisper’s galley.



After almost 3 weeks it was time to move on. So we said goodbye to the magic, the elegance and the spirituality of Cartagena. It was an unforgettable experience, and now it’s time for Sea Whisper to make her way back to the San Blas Islands.



FINAL DAYS IN SAN BLAS

As documented in our last Adventure story (#8) we truly enjoyed the vast archipelago of the San Blas Islands and the territory called Kuna Yala. Towards the end of our cruising time in San Blas we discovered more amazing reefs to snorkel in the East and West Lemmon Cays. We bought more lobster, bread, fish and molas from the KUNAS. Never enough molas!!! We shall never forget our interaction with the KUNAS and their families; the colourfully dressed women with gold rings in their noses and their Mola- making mastery, the thatched roof KUNA huts, the men, women and children paddling and sailing dugout canoes, or ‘ulus’, and the clear running rivers with thick forests where you hear the roar of ‘Howler monkeys’ and screeching parrots. On that note we will end our story of our visit to the spectacular San Blas Islands.



BOUND FOR THE PACIFIC

Panama Canal Transit



Sea Whisper was prepared for our yacht transit scheduled for February 26 and 27, 2013. After the inspection with the Admeasurerer we set off from Shelter Bay with our 125 ft. lines and adequate fenders, our capable crew and line-handlers and our Transit Advisor (Pilot). From the Atlantic side the Gatun Locks are the first 3 connecting locks. Sea Whisper was raised 84 ft. in total in the 3 chambers. Seven sailing yachts made the transit in a group. Sea Whisper was tied to another sailing vessel in a Centre Chamber lockage (nested). There were 2 bow and stern lines.



Our crew, Vim and Mathilde from ‘Lonely Planet’ and Valentine and Tor from Yum Yum capably handled the long ‘Monkey Fists’ as they were thrown from many meters from the top of the canal wall and fastened to cleats. It was dark in the lock chambers but the glaring lights cast in every direction totally aided our precision of skillfully handling the lines and maneuvering Sea Whisper.



Upon our exit of Gatun Locks we entered Gatun Lake, the second largest man made lake in the world. 423 sq. km. and 116 sq. nm. We anchored in the lake for the night…it was 2330 hrs. With nearly a full moon, it was just right for a midnight swim…..despite warnings of crocodiles!



At 0600….time for another quick swim before our new Transit Advisor was delivered to Sea Whisper and we were on our way…38 miles to cross Gatun Lake before entering Pedro Miguel Locks and then the two chambered Miraflores Locks before reaching the Pacific Ocean. At 1330 hrs. on February 27, 2013 Sea Whisper completed her 4th transit of the Panama Canal and entered the Pacific Ocean.



PREPARING FOR THE ‘PUDDLE JUMP’

Whoopee! This is what we’re here for! The ‘Puddle Jump’….the longest ocean passage around the world. From the Galapagos Islands to the Marguises Islands it is 2900 miles. And there’s nothing in between. Now our job is to prepare Sea Whisper for 3800 miles at sea across the South Pacific. Having heard reports that provisioning is expensive in French Polynesia we spent many hours shopping in Panama for the ‘best buys’……8 jars of peanut butter, 20 lbs. of flour (It took us more than one day just to find whole wheat flour in the big city of Panama), 25-30 lbs. of rice, beans, lentils, bulgur, couscous, cornmeal, muesli and pasta, 12 liters of olive oil, canned tomatoes, salsa, honey, green organic tea(just to mention a few items) and chocolate bars that Barbara has hidden(from Lionel).



LOG ENTRY March 10, 2013

Enroute to Las Perlas Islands.

0700 Depart De Playita Amador, Panama



After cleaning Sea Whisper’s bottom in the Las Perlas, we will head to the Galapagos Islands (900 miles). Our ETA in the Galapagos will be 7 days depending on the wind conditions in the ITCZ (inter tropical convergence zone).



Sea Whisper is on the way to the PUDDLE JUMP 2013. Bon voyage!



Hope everyone is doing well and looking forward to Spring. It was great getting some news from home and how.
Looking forward to hearing more news,
Cheers to all,
Barbara and Lionel
SV Sea Whisper
cwhisper@hotmail.com
cfn4129@sailmail.com


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