Curacao to Panama Part 1


Here we are back on board after having had a wonderful time in Holland and Germany. It is quite a rude awakening changing from holiday mode back to boat repair mode and at the same time acquiring re-acclimatization to the tropics after the snow and ice of Germany’s winter!

Our very small Xmas tree with angel.

In the two weeks following our holiday we managed to complete all the work below the waterline and after a lot of stops and starts the two rinky-dink old cranes managed to get us safely and virtually unscathed back in the water.

Despite all our efforts however to ensure that the newly positioned engine and drive train were in full working order the salt water pump failed catastrophically within a few days of our launch.

New Years Eve was coming up and our friend Wil who is an airhostess with the Dutch Martinair, came to our rescue by bringing in a new pump from Holland!

Along with the pump also came a first rate bottle of Scotch with which to celebrate the New Year.

Now it was time to rip of the most part of the old cockpit cover, the idea being to construct a

safer, more comfortable and more waterproof state of affairs.


It took a lot of planning and fiberglass work but after a month or so the job was done and on the first of March we finally sailed for Cartagena, Colombia.

Curacao

Ladies dressed up for the horse parade in Willemstad, Curacao



Hats were a big issue during the parade.

We arrived in Cartagena on the 5th of March after a pleasant but fairly eventful trip.



The main event became apparent when the engine room bilge pump signaled it was busy.

Water was coming in very slowly through the new steering cable openings in the transom which in hindsight should have been made smaller then they were!

We pumped it all out and mopped it all up and went in to Cartagena to rendez-vous with a lot of old friends.


dinghies behind our boat during a full moon party

After one day with Kate and DJ of Hello World, they flew out for a 6 week stay in Atlanta, Georgia and we took advantage of this situation and asked them to bring back our Kindle E-Books for us.

The time in Cartagena was spent well! We completed our new windows in the main cabin and we are now able to see through all 10 of them where previously their old Plexiglas was long since opaque. Of course being able to see out in the daytime means that others can see in at night and now we are obliged to be more careful about our state of dress!

After some museum visits, sight seeing and shopping, lots of pizzas and ice-cream and lots of stimulating conversations with new friends around the “ table of wisdom” ( where cruisers sit and drink and tell lies to one another about storms and fish and love affairs!) and last but not least Jeff’s many, many visits to the dentist, we eventually tore ourselves away and after a quick visit to our old haunt in Cholon Bay, 20 miles down the coast from the city, we set out on May the 3rd for the San Blas Islands with heavy hearts and Jeff’s new smile!


some of the lovely buildings in Cartagena

The San Blas are a beautiful group of atoll islands and their surrounding reef systems. The water is clear and blue and the local Kuna Indians are delightful.





Jeff and Bill on board Stravaig


A typical Kuna dwelling

We of course bought our fair share of the molas for which their culture is famous. These handmade embroidered pieces of art are traditionally used by the women as front and back pieces pf their blouses. They still wear them, but also make money by selling them to the tourists.

local fishermen


Jose getting a handmade anklet put on

Trish being dressed up in traditional Kuna costume


local fishing boat


Most of our time in the San Blas was spend in the company of Columbus, Fitz and Trish from Australia and Galena, Bill from the States.


Trish and Fitz



Having a great time!

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