Charming Santa Marta

The following photo is of the Monjes del Sur anchorage where we landed on the rocks (red line)

We were looking forward to spending a nice and quite Christmas just with our friends Debi, Rob and Captain Jack, but the weather had other plans for us. A tropical wave came by and brought us one squall after another with a sustained 22 to 25 knots of wind and gusts up to 35 knots. The holding in this bay is great but we did get the wind chop and started hobby horsing up and down and were unable to leave the boats and visit each other. It was rough so we celebrated Christmas via VHF radio and took some photos of each others boats during a squall or when a rainbow towered over a boat. We managed to get some sleep but it was like being underway but we were not going anywhere. 

The fishermen even stayed away from our boats. We couldn’t even enjoy our Christmas decoration, it was wildly swinging in the cockpit therefore it was stored down below. It blew for 5 sad days straight and we were stuck. Originally we had planned to spend Christmas here then sail to Cabo de Vela for one day then to the 5 Bays and arrive in Santa Marta just before New Years Eve.

Christmas Zopf

Mario

Blue Button Jelly

Happy Birthday Debi

 

On the 27^th we finally departed and we had only a 2 day weather window with 15 to 18 knots before very heavy winds would start. Although the next anchorage Cabo de Vela was only about 30 miles away, we decided to head straight to Santa Marta a 160 mile stretch. The weather prognoses didn’t look too good for several weeks so we didn’t want to get stuck in another rolly anchorage. We had a fairly good sail for several hours then the wind started to pick up and the swells 7 to 9 feet were from beam to quarter. With the wind behind us we had to double reef the main, then a couple hours later triple reefed and before sunset we took the main down since the boat was twisting from side to side bringing the high waves on the beam, not a good thing with swells up to 12 feet and only 5 to 6 seconds apart,wind 25 + this could be disastrous. The Jib was on a tipple reef as well and we still did over 7 knots and an occasional swell pushed us as fast as 8.7 knots. Our hull speed is 6 knots so we had to slow down again (don’t you hate when that happens?!!!) to make it more comfortable. We also had a 1 ½ knot current with us which shortened the trip by many hours.

Towards the morning the swells seemed to relax a bit so did the wind but when we were 40 miles away from the 5 Bays the wind started to blow with 20 knots then a steady 25 with higher gusts and the swells picked up accordingly. 10 miles out from the 5 Bays we finally started seeing land and in clear conditions the snow capped mountains of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta can be seen. Unfortunately we did not have a clear day but what we saw was non the least spectacular. The coast is surrounded by tall lush mountains with mountains in the background towering over them while several fords cut into the mountain range along the coast which is the Tayrona National Park (referred to as 5 Bays by cruisers, beautiful bays to spend days and days but with 30 plus knots of wind it would be too rolly in there). Around the corner from the Tayrona National Park some 15 miles away lies Santa Marta. 

7 Miles out of the 5 Bays we encountered so much debris it took all our concentration to dodge around the many lily pads, wooden boards, banana trees and tree trunks it was a big challenge. 5 miles out, we now encountered winds at 30 plus knots and then it went up to a steady 38 knots as we rounded the corner and headed towards Santa Marta. The wind kept howling at 38 knots but at least here we were sheltered from the 12 foot seas as we motored towards Santa Marta. Wind Shear was 5 miles ahead of us and had arrived in front of the Santa Marta Marina. An hour later as we were just outside the bay next to Santa Marta “Taganga” Wind Shear called us, the Guarda Costa forbid them to anchor in front of the marina and there was no way they could go into the marina in 38 Knots of wind.  They also said it was too shallow too anchor, (later we found out that they tried to anchor where the small fishermen keep their boats therefore shallow and no room for a sailboat their size, hence the Guardia sending them away. To the right of there just before the entrance of the marina it’s suitable for us to anchor. When they told us about this we changed directions towards the Taganga anchorage to check it out if we could anchor over night. It turned out to be not just a beautiful and well protected anchorage but the closer we came to land the calmer the wind became and when we anchored in 12 feet of water we only had 15 knots of wind while it still roared 38 knots outside the bay. A while later Wind Shear dropped the anchor behind us lowered the dinghy and joined us for a Swiss Cheese Pie I had prepared for us. This bay is absolutely gorgeous surrounded by tall mountains belonging to the Sierra Nevada. 

At one point the Guardia came buy and tied up next to us. We thought they wanted to see our paper work and we might be in trouble for not being checked in yet in Sana Marta. But that was not the case, they were very friendly welcomed us to Colombia and told us that this anchorage is only good during the day as it is questionable safety wise at night and recommended us to anchor in front of the Santa Marta Marina. Wow that was nice of them, good to know that the Coastguard here look out for us cruisers. Around 4 PM the wind seemed to have died down a bit so we pulled anchor and headed to the marina. We were going to anchor out but the marina hailed us on the radio and invited us to take a slip and since the wind was only blowing 15 knots we took them up on it. Not  even 20 minutes later securely tide up in the slip the wind started to blow over 30 knots again and stayed that way for 5, 6, 7 days straight with gusts over 40 knots. The funny thing about this is we’re in a marina and the stove is on gimbal. The not so funny thing is the wind blows sand from the beach and covers the boats inside and out. Not even here could I enjoy my Christmas decoration as the wind blew it all over the place so on the second I took it all down.

The view from the marina was incredible as the sun was just setting the city lights lit this place up into the brightest Christmas scene. Since my childhood in Switzerland I have never seen Christmas decoration as bright as this. The Malecon was covered with lights and there were people all over the place, it gave it this incredible homey feeling. The Christmas season here is until 3 Kings day,  which is held on the first Monday after the 6^th of January, this years on the 10^th. From early morning to late at night the streets are filled with people and Happiness.

New Year’s Eve approached and Fine Line, Bamboo and Paradise decided to celebrate with the locals. We heard that the locals stay home until Midnight than all come out and the fireworks show begins. At 10 PM we all left the marina and headed into town to find the normally bustling streets and beach empty, there was nobody but us on the streets,  it was like a ghost tow. A few restaurants on the Malecon were open and were only visited by a few people, probably tourists like us. We sat down and enjoyed a drink wondering when all will come out to the beach. Three minutes before midnight of the New Year we paid the bill, crossed the street to the beach and waited for midnight. Midnight came and only a few people were on the beach and it stayed that way, no fireworks either. After wishing each other a Happy New Year we disappointedly went back to our boats and I was even more disappointed as nobody was interested in a champagne toast so a bit later I sat on deck by myself with a glass of champagne in my hand toasting into the New Year. Happy New Year everyone!!!

We realized that the marina was a better deal than anchoring out especially with these wind conditions. The marina is fairly new and the slips are now all hooked up with water and power but around the marina there is still a lot of construction going on including the bathrooms and showers so for the moment we have to take sun showers in the cockpit until the bathrooms are finished (another month we were told). Luckily there are no boats next to us so we do have our privacy. At the moment the price is negotiable and pretty much everybody gets 20% off the price. The dock boys clean the docks in the morning and take our trash away. Around 9 a security guard comes by with coffee which they call tinto (a shot of strong coffee served with lots of sugar, in every street of every town you find tinto sellers each carrying up to 6 bottles walking tintos for 10 cents). If we need ice we can just call the marina and they will deliver ice to the boat. Margy a nice Colombiana comes to the marina on call to pick up our laundry and two days later they come back not just clean but nice smelling and ironed. There’s nothing better than the feel of an ironed T-shirt on your body LOL. 

Oh by the way boat “B” is just half way down the dock from us! After he greeted me like we are old pals or friends for life, I had a few questions for him, why he let his boat drift into our boats hindering us from escaping. His answer was when you’re tide up to a line you never let go. And to the fact that he was hindering us he just said that he gives a sh… about other’s property! Nice guy.

The dock across from us harbors our friendly neighbors Fine Line, Bamboo, Sandial, Dragon Fly and Wind Hound and 2 more Dutch boats. One dock further out on the big docks is Wind Shear also happy to have made it safely here before the wind kicked in. Occasionally we all get together on the middle dock for Sundowners. It was great to catch up with every body and share each adventure story sailing along this wild coast. By the way I read that this trip from Aruba to Santa Marta is one of the 5 most treacherous    places in the world to sail! I believe it!!!

 Santa Marta is a very charming town and is the oldest surviving city in South America and the second most important colonial city on the Colombia’s Caribbean coast. Although the city’s glory days are long past it still is a bustling commercial city. The long waterfront beach is a favorite vacation spot for Colombians especially at Easter and Christmas time. Every morning right after sunrise the beaches are filled with the laughter of children splashing in the water. The Malecon (Boardwalk) is lined with venders selling anything from cotton candy, souvenirs, snow cones, beers, arts and crafts until the sun sets and the streets seem never to die down, (except for New Years Eve LOL).

Even cruise ships sail into Santa Marta a couple times a week and the stores are open every day even on most Holidays.

After the first few days of cleaning and straightening up Paradise we realized that this was an endless effort as the wind was howling 30 knots and gusts over 40 for days and days tugging on our nerves, not to mention the sand that accumulates in every crack and corner. Sunglasses are a must at any time as the sand will get into your eyes. Going into town makes you forget about the wind misery. Santa Marta is an amazingly charming town with narrow roads and alleys reminding me of Cartagena except not as well kept up but they are trying hard to make it more comparable to Cartagena. The grocery stores are great and along the every street there are many vendors with tropical fruits sweet and juicy as they can only be freshly picked from the trees. It’s nice to be in a place again where a dollar goes a long ways, a bottle of beer costs 60 cents and a local cigar only 15 cents, not bad either we heard just as good as good Cuban cigars. The restaurants are wonderful and the meals are around 10 dollars for good quality food. Our favorite so far is “Agave Azul” a Mexican/Cuban type restaurant with the yummiest Mojitos (rum, sugar and mint blended with ice) on Happy Hour daily from 5 to 8 PM. The food is fabulous. 

Wind Shear, Bamboo, Fine Line & Paradise

 We like it so much here we singed up with the marina for one month and if we can find a place that will have Super Bowl on we’ll stay a bit longer. In the mean time we have lots to do, I found myself some sewing projects (Bamboo blew out their spinnaker on the way down, the other day over cocktails we cut it apart and all got a piece of he material, I’m sewing laundry bags and I’m sure I can come up with other ideas). I have a lot of fabrics which I will turn into dresses and tops. Our boom took a beating weather wise, Sid is sanding all the corrosion off and his quest will be to find primer and paint for it. Of course we are planning to travel this area a bit as well. So if you don’t hear from us in a couple of weeks, we’re still busy sewing, painting, repairing and discovering this incredible part of Colombia. 

PS: I posted the new Turtle Express from Curacao to Aruba, if you like to see the photo stories go to:
http://turtle-express36.blogspot.com/ and scroll to the end. Enjoy!