January 2012

O.K., we'll try to keep up the blog with more frequent entries, but we'll have to spend a few minutes bringing this blog up to date, starting with our arrival in La Cruz on December 30.  Our goal was to spend New Year's Eve at Philo's, and did we ever!  We buddied with Linda and Kim from Endeavour and Linda's Mom, Moira.  Dinner first at a fish restaurant followed by several hours of music and dancing at Philo's.  His band has always been wonderful; it seemed to us that it was even better than last time we were here in 2007.  We were surprised to learn that the music scene in La Cruz has expanded to include fine dining with spectacular music.  Masala restaurant features fixed price Mediterranean dinners on Wednesday evenings with the Banderas Bay Jazz All Stars:  thebanderasbayjazzallstars.com performing two sets.  They are habit-forming!   We've attended three times so far and will be there again tomorrow night.  We've spent two Friday evenings at the Black Forest Restaurant dining on delicious German dinners with Flamenco music provided by guitars, castanets, and violin -- Latcho, Andrea and Geo -- most unusual and spectacular.  Luckily they've produced some CDs so we can listen to their fine music all season long!  Here are their websites: www.latchoandrea.com and www.geomusicasite.com.  New on the music scene is Duvalin, a band started by our friend Dave (Mai and Dave on Dolce Vita).  They currently play at Cafe Britannia and  have a few gigs lined up for other venues as well.  They have a great Mexican singer, Freddie.  Wow -- he does rock and roll in English, love songs in Spanish, all with a huge tonal range.  You can hear some of their songs at: http://youtu.be/2MJALYhxvow

Another change in Mexico: we now have a modem for our computer that enables us to send email from the boat rather than take it into internet cafes on land -- technology moves on!

Also new to us: a new Mega supermarket is down the road, a short bus ride from La Cruz.  Whatever we can't get locally or at Mega -- we really don't need!  What a treat to not have to ride all the way down to Puerto Vallarta for major provisioning.  Speaking of locally, the produce we get here in La Cruz every Tuesday and Friday at 5 pm (when the truck arrives, seemingly from the farms) is fresher and tastier than any we get when we're at home -- with a few exceptions, of course, at farmers markets.  And the fish -- can't move on without mentioning the fish at the fish market in the marina -- a fantastic variety that is always fresh, delicious, and so reasonably priced.

For the past two Saturdays we participated in the Vallarta Cup Regattas.  We had never before sailed a course, making sure to not cross the start line before the official start, rounding buoys, and finally getting to the finish line.  The first time we had two friends, Dan and Will, from the boat, Sophie, who are avid racers and they taught us a great deal on how to manage sails while racing.  Linda and Kim and their friend Rick also joined us -- a great time had by all. On the second time around, we had a friend, Pam, from the boat TugTub join us, but with only three of us we decided to sail with main and jib alone.  Both times we came in third in the multihull class.  I hasten to add that there were only three boats in the class, ours being the smallest and, of course, the "greenest."

Last Sunday, we, along with 90 other people, had a spectacular bus ride up to San Sebastian, about two hours away from La Cruz.  The road takes you through lush valleys, a few towns, and then winds its way up a mountain, near of the top of which is the charming village of San Sebastian.  Philo organized the trip and he takes his whole band, instruments and all, along with a few guest musicians, to play music all evening long on Sunday.  During dinner they played as usual, all set up in a corner of an outdoor square where dinner was served.  After dinner, a bonfire was built, musicians and all the rest of us gathered around the fire for music until very late.  We stayed until 11 pm and music was still in the air.  The package included a hotel room, dinner and a continental breakfast on Monday morning.  On the way up the bus stopped at a Tequila factory, a small family owned operation where we all had a tour, learned how 100% Tequila is made and even had a chance to taste some of their products.

 

Our extended time in the La Cruz marina has allowed time for workers to thoroughly clean and wax Damiana's exterior and bottom.  Her hull and decks have never looked so nice.  We had some plumbing work done inside as well.  Staying in a marina offers all sorts of opportunities: night life and boat maintenance.

~~~ Marlene and Roy ~~_/) ~~

currently in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle

Cartagena

We've been in Cartagena for almost two months and have explored much of the old city, seen the old forts, the convent on the highest mountain, have had many happy hours and other social events with cruisers, made new friends, seen a few movies, and have done lots of boat projects!  Typically we walk at least a few miles every day, either into the old city or over to the big mall where a few important stores are located: home center and carrefour, a supermarket with housewares -- sort of like a Walmart.  Traffic is horrendous here; there must be thousands of taxis running around town.  Luckily most of them are powered with natural gas because without that, the city would be smothered in smog.  On the other hand, we also see men and children driving wooden carts powered by donkeys.

Private autos, vans, bicycles and motorcycles round out the street vehicles.  However, when walking on the malecon (path along the waterfront), we see people riding on segways plus lots of children driving battery-driven vehicles, 5 and 6 year olds learning the techniques of driving!

The old city is a shopper's delight, everything from food, furniture, flowers, etc. to designer clothing.  Now, I'm not talking about designs by famous designers from Paris.  Cartagena has an ample supply of wonderful designers.  Everywhere we go we see boutiques filled with unique designs, blouses, dresses, men's shirts, children's clothing -- everything you could imagine -- and all at very reasonable prices.  We had a dressmaker make a dress for Marlene and a matching shirt for Roy.  The results were so well appreciated that we commissioned her to make one more dress and two more shirts.

Eating in or out, we have lots of choices of high quality foods.  We buy cheese from an Italian cheese maker who moved to Cartagena and makes wonderful Gorgonzola, Parmesan, Semicotto, and others.  We visit his shop every two weeks or so -- yum.  Salads are a big part of our diet here, a change from other locales we've visited.  Lettuce is plentiful and very delicious, lots of cucumbers and tomatoes.  We also have good access to olive oil, balsamic vinegar and, of course, garlic.  We're learning how to purchase meats that are not tough, and there's lots of chicken everywhere we go, either to the market or to a restaurant.

We have lots of cruising buddies right here in Cartagena and many more who have already taken off for the San Blas Islands, where we'll catch up with them when we leave here in a week to ten days.  A few more projects to complete before leaving, plus one more trip to Fort Lauderdale for Marlene to have her eye treatment.

Progress!

We woke up this morning to see that our frig and freezer temperatures were "normal." They've held all day, so we're hopeful that we can put that one behind us. Roy installed the new batteries today -- that job was huge. As an encore, he installed the new helm seat. After baking a loaf of oatmeal bread and putting more and more stuff away, I made a hotel reservation in Panama City for when I go there in January for my eye appointment. Scoped out provisioning options and learned that we have no good options other than the local tiendas. Tammy, Roy and I ate dinner at the Cantina here at the Bocas Marina, lasagna and salad, came back "home," talked with Rob and Linda on Skype, did a little knot tying. Tomorrow we'll install the new running rigging and jib, hopefully in the morning. There's much provisioning to be done before takeoff.

Return to Damiana in Panama

We left California on December 10, flew to Panama City, enjoyed one day shopping and sight seeing, and flew to Bocas del Toro on Saturday, December 12.  Damiana was spotless and mildew-free.  So far so good.  We started putting away the many things we had shipped, and before heading out to town to buy some groceries, we turned on the refrigerator/freezer.  Several minutes later, there was no change on the thermostat,  We waited even longer -- still no change.  A friend loaned us a connector hose/cable so we could inject some R134 but so far that hasn't helped much.  We're continuing to work with it though, and if luck is with us, we'll have it running before the refrigeration specialist, currently out of town, returns!  Nonetheless, we still plan to sail to Cartagena toward the end of this week.

We still have a few more important tasks to finish before leaving here:  install our new batteries, install our new rigging lines, install at minimum our new jib, and if time permits, install our new mainsail.  Our good friend, Tammy, who is with us for the first few weeks of our cruising season, whipped the ends of our lines today.   All of us have been busy bees and are excited about being back on the water and aiming for Christmas in Cartagena.

Summer 2009 update from Santa Maria

 We are hopelessly behind in keeping our Blog up to date. Needless to say, much has transpired since the last posting! We did return to French Harbor in Honduras to pick up parts, install them and finally resume our journey east toward the Vivorillos.

We met several new cruisers along the way as well as met up with Chris and Heather (sv Legacy) who we had last seen while cruising the Pacific side of Mexico. From the Vivorillos and Hobbies we sailed southeast to Providencia, a pleasant island, politically part of Colombia, but way offshore from Nicaragua. Sue and Mark from Seattle had flown in to meet up with us, but our arrival was several days later than theirs, due to boat issues and heavy weather delays. Nonetheless we did enjoy several days on board Damiana with them. Unfortunately, foul weather dictated that we stay put rather than have them sail with us to Panama, which had been the original plan. That's why cruisers plans are made in the sand, I guess. We eventually sailed to Bocas del Toro, explored the area for a few  days, and then were joined by Bob and Cathy. Luckily, we were able to sail to islands for snorkeling, overnights, and just plain fun.  However, time was running short so we retreated to the marina and Bob  and Cathy helped us get Damiana ready for her 6-month siesta at the  marina while we returned home to California, where we are now.

Roy is working in Santa Maria and hopes to return here again and again for 6 months every year. We purchased a condo, pulled our furniture  and belongings out of storage, and are adjusting to the idea of being half-timers both at sea and on land.

When we return to Damiana we'll have a set of new sails to hoist, new batteries to install, and hopefully within a few days will be able to sail off to Cartagena to join our cruising friends for the holiday season.

Honduras

We started our journey to Honduras by first sailing to Glovers Reef in Belize. We were in company with three other boats, all planning to eventually sail to Panama. After spending a few days at Glovers, it was time to move on. Weather wasn't in our favor to head directly to Roatan as we had thought, so we went to Puerto Escondido on the mainland for a few nights. That gave us the opportunity to sail to Utila, an island just west of Roatan. We liked Utila very much. Nice village, good provisions, pleasant people -- could have stayed there for a long time. However after a week or so, we sailed to French Harbor in Roatan. What a wild ride -- squalls, lumpy seas -- and when we arrived the anchorage was quite full. We had to set and raise anchor three times before we had good holding. Well, after we settled in, we enjoyed French Harbor very much. The most amusing thing we did was visit the Iguana Farm. Hundreds of prehistoric iguanas are everywhere -- along the path, in the trees -- very exciting.

After several days in French Harbor, we moved to West End, another popular anchorage. It, too has a charm all its own. West End is a divers' mecca. There are numerous dive shops, lots of tiendas (small stores) plus good transportation to Coxen Hole (the main port and largest town). Snorkeling at the reef is excellent.

We've met some new friends along the way, and a special treat was to have Jan and Rich on Slip Away arrive at West End yesterday.  It's always wonderful to meet up with friends from our travels in Mexico.

We're planning to return to French Harbor to pick up some parts that are being shipped in and to get stocked up with provisions for the journey east to the Vivorillos and south to Panama.

Still in Belize

Last entry mentioned that we were going to pick up Tammy and Holly who were flying in from Seattle to spend a few weeks here in the "sunny Caribbean," snorkeling, sailing, and working on a tan. Well, we had one or two nice days, but otherwise, we ended up playing lots of games indoors because we had rain, high winds, and grey skies for much of their visit. Luckily they got off the boat for a few days to spend some time at a resort and during that time the sun was shining, the beach beckoned, and all was good. Roy and I sailed north to Ambergris Cay, stopping at several cays, also enjoying the few nice days. Tammy joined us a few days later and hung out at Cay Caulker, again in rain and grey skies, except for the last day when we had bright, warm sun. Holly and Rob, who arrived the day Tammy came back on board, came down from Ambergris to visit and we all went to a very neat place for lunch. A day or two later Tammy flew home, and sadly never had a chance to use her brand new fins!

A few days later, friends Mai and Dave arrived, hoping to sail to Roatan with us. They, too, came prepared to snorkel in the beautiful snorkeling areas on Roatan. Bad weather once again foiled our plans, and after spending 6 days waiting for some pretty wild fronts to pass through, they decided to jump start the land travel part of their vacation. So, here we are, 4 days later, still tucked into a safe anchorage while the winds are howling and the seas out in the ocean are 7-11 feet high every few seconds. Based on current forecasts, it looks like we'll be able to make the passage to Roatan next Wednesday (today is Saturday).