A Night Out 9-28-08

Well the old folks finally went out for a night on the town! Even though it was a Sunday...we had a good time. I felt right at home with '3 guys'....but how do you figure they're all bald? They all happen to be single handers: Kirk from Virginia, Paul from Australia, and Keith from St. Louis. Our first stop was on the wall surrounding Old Town, a bar/restaurant named Cafe del Mar. We followed that up with two more bar/discos. They played very loud electronic music, 'mix?' and there was dancing off all kinds. I can't remember the last time I came home at 3am!

Getting projects done 9-24

Our chain and 3 anchors we sent out for re-galvanizing are now back in their proper places aboard. The galvanizing looks good-we marked the 412' of 3/8 G4 HT chain with wire ties every 25ft, alternating black and white, double and single. Tutti, one of the expert woodworker's here at Club Nautico, took both forward dorade boxes off to put new dividers in, a new teak top on one box and rebed both boxes. We haven't had them off in the 10+yrs. we've owned Infini. Jorge helped us hand wash & wax the boat....sure wish it would look good like this forever! We've had to get our bottom scrubbed every 2 wks. to keep the barnacle growth under control. The through holes and propeller need special attention. When we leave here the first part of Oct. we'll stop in the Rosario Is. to check the bottom ourselves....we really don't want to go in the water here!

Too close for comfort 9-19

We woke up in the night with a burning smell-like an electrical fire. We investigated; turned our shore power off and took our window a/c unit out of the hatch, thinking that was suspect....smell seemed to be coming from there. (It was---air inflow). We didn't notice any strong smell on deck, only below. When I left for my 7am yoga class, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Coming back, a boat only 2 slips away had been found to be burning on the inside. The owner (a pilot) left for 3mo., but left a few fans on down below. Apparently the one in the V-berth malfunctioned, and started a fire. Smoke was billowing out when a marina worker went by. Fast action by the marina workers prevented the fire from getting out of hand. Michael made a 'security' announcement on the VHF net to let other boats know. The Valiant 40 is a real mess, thank goodness the gas tanks on deck or the scuba tanks weren't involved!!!! What a nighmare for the owner to come back to. A lesson there---when storing your boat, leave it 'electrically quiet'.

Sept. 16

Your tax dollars at work. The Coast Guard was here in Cartagena for a few days. Columbia is a much safer tourist destination than even a few years ago. As always, you have to be street smart and do your research as to the local situation.

Sept. 11

So much color and history here. The horse drawn carts, push carts, street vendors, motorcycle taxi's and colorful buses. This place is amazing. And the streets so clean compared to the previous countries we've visited. (But the water in the anchorage is one of the worst!). We'll have to make more than one visit to old town to really explore.

Sept. 7, 08

We finally got the PVC and fish line off the backstay....one of many small projects we're doing. We sent off 3 anchors, (empty the lazarette again), and all our chain (400ft?) for regalvanizing. What a mess aboard Infini! The sewing machine is out again...the main salon gets real crowded with that. There are many boats who get major work done here- ie arch's, hard dodgers, interior refits, etc.
We'd feel more comfortable having more done if we spoke the language better. We'll haul out in Panama when we go back in Dec. to do routine bottom work.

Cartagena, Columbia! 9-2-08

N10º21.8 W075º36.2
It was like seeing Miami Beach when we were coming into Boca Grande Pass to the harbor anchorage at Club Nautico Marina! This is Columbia's largest port, and Navy base (two subs across from us!) We're in walking distance to the Walled City, or Old City...there's so much history and beauty to explore. The sightseeing and good restaurants are on our 'to do' list. We hope to get into a marina; there are only two here...I'll write more when we have internet!

Isla del Rosario, Columbia Sept. 1, 2008

We anchored at 4:45pm, at N10º10.8, W075º46.4 after a 180mi. run from the San Blas Islands. It was lake conditions (motor sailing), until the last 40mi. when the black wall of a squall hit us and stayed with us most of the way in. We saw 34 knots of wind on the meter; picked up our speed nicely, and Infini did just fine. We're happy it didn't happen at night! We had our usual guests hitching a ride...thank goodness the cleanup when they leave is minimal!
The Rosarios are part of a national park, and they have an aquarium on one of the sm. islands, with dolphin shows and all. We aren't staying this time around...you can't see everything! This area is another great place to explore, with 27 small islands surrounded by coral reef. Many boats spend weeks here. We'll be on our way after a single night's rest to Cartagena, about 20mi.