Sailing Vessels and their Captains!

Backpacking on boats is an amazing adventure if you can handle small spaces and people in your own personal space!  Now I'm not that kind of person really.  I am a social animal, however I love my time and my space at the best of times and this was something that sorely lacked.  For me personally, each journey is a journey, no doubt about it.  I am always being taught a life lesson and if I am stubborn as a Taurian usually is, then the lessons are painful and take a while to sink in.

The lessons learnt in the last 10 months are many but the one I am going to focus on today is patience and tolerance.  Phew, two big words those and the lessons have been gigantic for me.  You may just laugh and think it's all so crazy.  Well yes this has all been pretty crazy :-)

You sitting back, you have a cuppa something to sip on?  ....  here we go.

Boats are incredible things, they have such character, they usually have a lifetime of history which they sail with and they usually out live their Captains if they don't sink with their Captain.  On our travels we have seen, 'met' and spent time on some of the most incredible vessels of all types, sizes, ages and colours.  Each vessel has it's name and it's 'birth date'.  Each vessel has a Captain.  And let me tell you a truth, any person can be a Captain!  Sad but fascinatingly true!  The age old saying 'the owner looks like it's dog?' well let me tell you, that applies to boat and Captains too.

We have stayed on 5 boats during our 9 months in the Caribbean.  Each boat completely different to the other!  The only common attribute is that they all float!  Nothing else in common!

The SV Dixi Rollar is a pirate like boat!  Just like the ones you see in the movies.  The Dixi Rollar is the exact replica of the first boat that circumnavigated the globe single handed, Captain - Joshua Slocum.  It's a 36ft, mono-hull.  A Bruce Robert's Spray. Black steel boat, gaf rig with brown sails and old school character.  A steel boat creeks and groan under one's foot steps so there was no chance of being totally quiet on this boat.  Of course with a 4 year old in tow, the Dixi Rollar didn't know what had hit her.  We spent 8 weeks on the Dixi Rollar, we quickly realized that sailing from Grenada to South Africa on a 36ft mono-hull with absolutely no privacy and very little space was not an option.  Besides, we were not ready to sail to South Africa only a few weeks after leaving.  So we had to find another boat and fast as we had been given little notice to leave the boat.

We then found ourselves on SV Inanna!  Now she was a beauty.  We had our own cabin, privacy at last.  A place where we thought we would have time to reconnect and re-look our plan.  The Inanna is a 49ft Bavaria.  Also a mono-hull.  Beautiful finishes inside of teak and leather.  Enough space for the 1 Captain, 3 crew, 2 children and 2 chihauhaua's!  Plenty of physical space yes but not nearly enough space for the extra hot and large personality of the Captain!  With Joshua in mind constantly we new right away we had to find our own little boat, with our own space to ensure we remain sane as a family!

Four weeks later and we were moving onto the Raggamuffin!  A very sweet but old fibreglass boat.  Only 29ft.  No cabins, so we slept on the fold out couches in the saloon.  The wood was old and the boat was horribly dirty and unkept. No fridge on board, a small ice box but with the price of ice it wasn't worth our while.  The other issue was that the fibreglass was old, so in addition to the mosquito and sand fly bites, our heat rashes, Joshua and I were also suffering with the itches from raw fibreglass.  I can't say we were very happy,  itching can drive a person in sane!  Anyhow, the deal with the Captain was that we could stay on the Raggamuffin while we fix up the boat next door, Delfine, and once she was good to live on we could move onto her.  Which is exactly what we did!

Delfine was disgustingly dirty.  Old oil on the floor in the galley, pots of old food that had been left by the last 'tennants' FOUR YEARS AGO!  The toilet was not working and everything had that horrible mildew smell which meant the boat had mildew too.  So we spent 2 weeks cleaning Delfine and fixing her up to a liveable standard.  Finally we could move our backpacks and Joshua onto the boat.  It felt like she was ours.  We were totally comfortable.  We put up rain catchers, reconnected the solar panels, installed a brand new toilet, cleaned and filled the water tanks along with our solar shower.  This was the first time in 16 weeks that we were able to take a warm shower with our own water, every day!  What a pleasure!  We spent an enjoyable 4 weeks on Delfine and then it was time to go sailing!

Backpacks and all, we then boarded Moonjoos!  It felt like pure luxury!  Clean, new, spacious and just perfect continue our Caribbean experience.  Moonjoos is a 36ft Catamaran.  A South African catamaran with a South African Captain!  Finally a like minded person who wasn't only our Captain, he fast became Joshua's best buddy and a good friend to Barry and myself.  We were able to shower indoors, cook a healthy meal once a day.  There is a fridge and freezer on board so for the first time in 10 months we had access to ice cold water, beer and ice!  Total luxury on the seas!  We set sail on Moonjoos on the 18 August, crewing on a magical adventure from Grenada to Colombia via Venezuela.

 

We are still on Moonjoos.  Our final day on board is Thursday, 18 January!  20 weeks on board!  It has been so totally amazing in between my bouts of homesickness!  We crossed big waters, experienced some intimate moments with pods of dolphins, snorkeled some of the most breath-taking spots in the Archipielago, we cooked some of the tastiest meals and drank the most delicious rum!  Memories which will remain in our souls forever!

During our time on boats we have also met some of the most amazing families and single handed sailors along with their beautiful vessels!  One of our favourites was a Tug Boat called the Flying Buzzard,  Anchored in Grenada.  On board this mega steel structure were the most welcoming people,  Captain Mike, Julie, Angie, James and toby the dog.  Captain Mike took the time to give Joshua lessons on Tenders.  Julie always served the most delicious toast, coffee, soup or biscuits at the exact time our tummies were rumbling!

We were also honoured to spend time on the Stormvogel a 60ft mono-hull.  Now she is just a beauty.  We met Captain Ian and Darria in Curacao.  Darria and Ian fell totally in love with Joshua.  This meant he got to spend some special time with very special people on this magnificent 70 year old vessel! The Stormvogel is a famous vessel and known as the fastest sailing yacht of her time, winning many races and regatta's.  She is fully restored, the woodwork is immaculate! Lucky boy our Joshua :-)

The sailing families we have met and spent time with are all on catamarans.  It makes good sense!  A catamaran has space, space for children, space to cook and eat together, space to play and space to sit down and do their school work.  Each family has 2 or 3 children.  Most of them are are home schooled and under the age of 15 years.  Field Trip, Dafne, Day Dreamer and What If, are some of the most beautiful and comfortable Catamarans we have seen and been on.  The families of these vessels are amazing and their stories keep you captivated and wanting to experience their adventures for yourself!

Leaving some of our good friends behind in Grenada was pretty hard.  Goodbyes are never easy, especially for Joshua who made friends with all the children and the adults along the way.  We were however surprised to see SV Marlin in the anchorage of Los Roques.  Another warm and loving family!  Natalie, Mike, Lena and Maya.  Joshua is always the first to spot the boats we know so he was super excited to have friends to play with again.

In Cartagena, Colombia, we are sharing the anchorage with Dafne, Field Trip and Sea Shell.  More familiar faces and good friends whom we never thought we would see again.  What a nice surprise!

And so this chapter of our sailing adventure is drawing to a close.  We have only 7 days left on water and then our adventure takes to land.  From Colombia to Venezuela.  Backpacks are packed and we are ready!

Fears, Tears and Kayaking!

Please let me clarify before continuing any further.  When we departed South Africa, destination - the Caribbean, I was totally afraid of water, big expanses of water, like the sea for example.  I never went close to water, never offered to climb into water for any reason, not even to take a look at my reflection.

I was totally aware of my fear of water when departing so by the time we arrived I was overly aware of the fact that we had just crossed over large expanses of water, via aeroplane and ferry.  Both being pretty okay.  The ferry ride was my first experience climbing onto a large vessel and setting off into the wide blue yonder.  I felt a little better as it was a pretty large vessel in my books.  The weather was perfect so the 3 hour journey was great.

We were on the island Grenada, surrounded by water.  I am backpacking on water! I never for one moment thought how I was going to get from land to boat, boat to boat, boat to island and boat to land.  On land we rely on 2 wheels, 3 wheels and 4 wheels for your general getting about.  So when living on water, your mode of transport changes dramatically and ta-da, you now have dingy's, kayaks, paddle boards, sailing dingy's.  mmmmm.... fear of water, now I am having to live on and in and around water!.  'I must be crazy", I say to myself quietly.

So we get to Lower Woburn Bay in Grenada and it's time to move onto the boat.  First step is to get onto a tiny dingy with our backpacks and food shopping.  Never mind that, the water is NOT the magical blue you see in the travel magazines.  It's a dark green with a touch of brown from the Rum Factory in Woburn.  The water is choppy and the wind is up.  Immediately I am very aware of this uneasy feeling in my tummy and in my head.  Anyway, with Barry close and the smile on Joshua's face, I realised it was time to give that fear the middle finger!

Mode of transport number 1:  A single man river kayak.  Bright yellow.  It's time for us to go to the beach, we are unpacked and ready to go.  The 3 of us must get onto this kayak without falling into the water.  Let me again remind you that I had never done anything like this before.  First you have to hoist your leg over the railing, then step right down onto the kayak, get your balance and then sit quickly.  Barry of course has no issues with this exercise, Joshua just has no fears which I am so grateful for, then you have me, a short 'arse'.  Of course when I find something funny I giggle.  This was funny and so I giggled!!  Didn't land in the water, made it to the beach and back to the boat with no hassles.

Our second mode of transport was a wooden dingy.  Oh my hat!  It was like a nut shell in water.  If you sit wrong, or you stand up too soon or simply loose your balance you WILL end up in the water.  Still not any closer to getting into the water so I do everything it takes to ensure that I don't.  Sit correctly, stand when the time is right, don't overload etc etc.  We had a hilarious dingy accident at one of the little mariners, Barry landed in the water but boy oh boy did I make sure that I didn't!

Third mode of transport was a yellow sea kayak, two man.  It was like getting from your VW Beetle into a VB Bus!  We had space, two paddles and a seat for Joshua on the back.  This is when I started having fun.  I loved every minute of this kayak.  All I wanted to do was kayak, so we did, all over the place.  My technique improved immediately, I was more relaxed about the water and it was so awesome to have a kayak partner like Barry.  Just his patience allowed me to gain confidence.  It's a sport/hobby that all three of us enjoy and will continue to enjoy on our travels.

We move onto our own little boat and had to lend a kayak from friends of ours.  Now this kayak was a machine!  Bright orange, wide base and loads of space for our little family, our laundry and our weekly shopping.  I was ready to kayak from our boat all the way to the mainland.  What a fantastic achievement for me personally.  After a few days I could feel how strong I was and how confident I had become compared to that first day on the jetty.  Kayaking to the mainland had to be done first thing in the morning when the sea and wind is calm.  Kayaking in the afternoon is not always the way to go, kayaking through high swells is pretty frightening and the rain doesn't help much either.

I have only fallen into the water 3 times in the last 8 months.  All three times involved a kayak.  On two occasions I was fully clothed and ready to go to town.  Both occasions were just as hilarious as the first.  Both right next to the boat.  And both times I had visions of big ugly creatures in the water below me.  Sailing across the seas is an amazing adventure, but there have been times where I have told myself, "you must be a crazy lady to be doing this!".

I now jump off the boat into the sea, I snorkel and I swim and I enjoy it.  If this trip has taught me anything, it was how to be comfortable in and around water.  I have snorkeled the most beautiful places around the Caribbean.  I have snorkeled in some pretty deep water too.  The sea life took my breath away!  I have spent time with dolphins, star fish bigger that your largest frying pan, pipe fish, rays, schools of fish, my list is endless.

My fear of big and deep water remains.  I have not 'conquered' my fear.  I just have confidence to be around water and in water.  It's all a head thing, which I can control as it is my head after all.  I do have one rule though, if I don't want to get in the water I simply wont. That way I will always be fine.

After all of the fun and laughter, sometimes tears of frustration, we will now be leaving the waters for a while.  It's time to get back onto land for me.  I am craving some time on solid ground.  On a bed that actually has fresh, clean sheets.  I want to cook a meal without moving from side to side and I want a good night's sleep, without worrying about a thing....

Thalassophobia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Thalassophobia (Greek: thalassa, "sea" and φόβος, phobos, "fear")^[1] is an intense and persistent fear of the
sea. Thalassophobia is a clinical phobia generally classified underspecific phobias, fear of a single specific
panic trigger. Symptoms for thalassophobia are the same as for most specific phobias.

Although many people are nervous when on a ship, this phobia is not one of the most common. People with
Thalassophobia fear being in the large bodys of water. A common case of fear of the ocean is sometimes
 triggered by fearing the thought or sight of any creature under the depth of any body of water, not just
 directed toward oceans.

Many people with this phobia fear what lies beneath them, mostly sea creatures

Life on a sailing vessel...not for the feint hearted!

I blogged a while back about life on a boat and that was merely covering what it is like living on a vessel of some sort, (I say so because we have 'lived' on many) but not detailing what it is like to be crew on a sailing vessel, which is totally different. So today I will tell you more about my experience as a crew member on board a sailing vessel.

First let me start with the correct terminology so you have a better understanding of what it is I am referring to:

1. Cabin - a bedroom.

2. Head - bathroom: small toilet, A basin and a shower head which is the nozzle on the tap in the basin. Drainage holes for the water.

3. Saloon - lounge/diningroom: definitely not a salloon as we know it!

4. Galley - kitchen: usually small, only one person at a time.

5. Cockpit - helm and seating area which is outside.

6. Foredeck - the front deck area of the vessel.

7. Starboard side - the right side of the vessel.

8. Lockers - cupboards, found all around the vessel, used to store items safely.

9. Port side - the left side of the vessel. Thanks to our sailing buddy, Shaun Tarr, who explained it like this. There is too much port left. Meaning the port side is on the left. :-)

10.Hatches - windows

Walking around on a vessel takes concentration, balance and at times good strategy! When you are anchored you are able to walk around, get boat chores done and possibly a good night's sleep. This is not the case when you are sailing, crossings or island hopping. The minute the anchor is up and you move into deep waters, the boat rocks and roles continuously until you get to the next anchorage and you lay anchor. When I say 'rocks and roles' I mean that everything moves and so do you. Walking is an adventure, to get from the cockpit area to the galley, which is 6 steps (in my steps) you have to stand up, compose yourself, find some sort of balance in your sea legs, hold onto the table, then the door, then the counter and then into the galley It's best not taking too long to accomplish this adventure. If the weather is bad, the waves are higher, the water sprays in from all angles so everything is wet including you, walking becomes that much more difficult and frustration levels increase quickly. I have found that crawling is usually best and if you can't crawl then whatever you do next just do it with style!. Eventually you don't care what your butt looks like from behind. LOL!

The doorways of all vessels are lower than those in a home. I would say only about 1.5 meters in height. It reminds me a bit of a submarine, with those small oval shaped doors that seal when they are closed. This results in a whole lot of head injuries if you are tall. Thankfully I am short so moving through on on a vessel is easy.

So back to the cabin. "ooh so I'm claustrophobic", I hear you say. Yes your are right! This is usually a small space, cramped, with a bed that is higher than what you would be used to in your home. The bed for me is usually way to high, with me being 5ft tall and all, I always need some sort of a box to stand on to hoist myself up onto the bed. The box always being Barry's camera case! Thank goodness we have had this camera case with us throughout out travels or I wouldn't have managed to get into bed at all. The mattresses are hard and thin, so please don't think that you will have a great night's sleep on any vessel. If you do it's because you have consumed way too much rum and you have passed out for the night!

The heat in a windless anchorage is a killer. Avoid it whenever you can. Not a drop of air or a breeze passes through your boat. If that happens then you kick back, siesta and swim.

You simply CAN NOT have tidy cabin lockers. I have tried for 8 months now being the tidy freak that I am. You have to hoist yourself onto the bed, to get to the lockers, and if the vessel is rocking and rolling then you simply grab the first item of clothing and pull quickly to get it out. If you haven't mastered the art of removing clothes from a locker, then all the clothes come out with that one item you are after. So what's the best solution? just bundle it all up and shove it all back in, with the thought that you will simply repack again when you have time.

The head is pretty cosy, the toilet is just big enough to fit your butt onto. They remind me of the small toilets you find in a nursery school. Ideal form me, cos my feet still touch the ground! They remind me of the toilets you find in a nursery school. The toilet is usually one of those that you manually flush. So you fill the toilet bowl with water, do your business, then you pump at least 10 times, this flushes your business through the pipes, then you have to close the sea cocks (this is the valve that allows the water into the toilet) and pump another 5 times to empty the bowl again. If you enjoy reading on the toilet then this kind of toilet environment is not for you! There is no time to read while the boat is rocking and rolling. The room is also small so the stink can kill a person. It's best to do your business and get the hell out of dodge!

Your showers are usually cold, so don't for a minute think that you will enjoy a warm shower after your night watch is over. This is usually when you crave a warm shower the most. Because you are always in 'concerve water mode' its best to run 250ml of water into the basin. Soap yourself down and then use the shower to wash the soap off. You can not simply hang around under running water for the sake of hanging around under running water. If you are blessed and anchored in chrystal clear water then you simply jump into the ocean, climb back onto the boat, soap yourself with 'colgate shampoo' (the only shampoo that lathers in sea water), jump back in the sea to wash the soap off and then back on the boat to rinse the sea water off with fresh water (sweet water). If you don't have enough water on board then you simply don't shower until you do have water.

Better yet, always have a solar shower packed in your backpack! you will love every minute of your showers!

Showers in the rain are the absolute best, when it starts raining you strip to your bare essentials, lather yourself up, arm yourself with a mop and you go onto the foredeck. That way you get to shower for as long as the rain lasts and the boat gets a good wash too. Don't be shy, every other 'yachtie' also does it, some more brave and do it in the nude, others in their costumes. Warning! Don't shampoo your hair! I repeat, Don't shampoo your hair. The rain doesn't last long enough to get it out. Either way, its an experience to tell your grandkids!

By the way - You usually looked beautifully tanned, just a friendly bit of advice, the top 2 layers of brown are usually dirt and when you wash at least 3 times you will see that your 'tan' will fade...lol ;-)

While sailing, water is the damndest thing! Collect rain water when and wherever you can! from the rain, from a lonesome tap at midnight (covert operations...lol!) or you have to buy water from a mariner. The crew must always ensure that water is a priority because you don't want to get caught in the middle of a crossing without water. When it rains, you have to line every single empty container up at the water catchers and you fill them and now you have to work in the rain. So what if it's raining and you will get wet. You can deal with your bad hair do later (later never comes by the way) and the bruised ego about slipping your ass off.

The boat is only neat and tidy while you are anchored. Its easy to tidy and clean when you are not rocking and rolling. When you sail its the complete opposite, the tools are out in the event of something on the engines needing attention, so the saloon area becomes a workshop. Dishes will pile up unless you are as skilled as I am and can wash, dry and pack dishes in the middle of high swells! Plain and simple...it looks like a bombs hit it!

When you are anchored you have to get stuck in and work like a hound dog! Wash windows, sweep the carpet, wash down the floors, repack lockers, wash down the heads, do your laundry (by hand), get your laundry washed and dry, clean the dingy and kayaks, clean the bottom of the boat, feed yourselves (because you haven't eaten properly in a few days), go shopping, have a shower because you probably stink! and the list goes on.

When crossing from one country to another you are out at sea for a few days and nights. Our first long crossing was 4 nights and 5 days, this was from Curacao to Colombia. Just when I thought I was equipped to handle night watches and possibly crazy weather, NOT! On the first night during my watch, 11pm to 2am, we sailed right into a rain squall. The wind was crazy, the rain was pouring, the swells were high, I was soaking wet, I couln't see through my eyes with the amount of water pouring down my body! And through this chaos you have to watch for giant tree logs in the water and tankers. Ha ha ha! anyway I survived that episode, at the end of my watch i dried off, put on a sarong and attempted to sleep. Thats not easy when the waves are crashing and everything inside of the boat is creeking or knocking.

On the 4th night, Joshua, Barry and I went to sleep leaving the Captain to handle the watch, we sail into another squall, which lasted the entire night or so it felt, we didn't close our cabin hatch properly, a huge wave hit us from the port side and swoooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooshhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, we were woken with about 50 litres of water pouring onto the 3 of us. What a way to wake up! Wet, ice cold, 2am, dark, waves crashing, the Captain cursing! What a crazy experience.

"Well at least I you're in paradise." I hear you say. In my mind, paradise = peacefulness, tranquility, splendour. Well yes, that does very much exist and I have 'lived' that way for the last 7 months. Now we are anchored in the harbour.' We are anchored right off the Old City and the Town with rolling suburbs behind the high rise buildings lining the promonade.

As you, who live in the city, have taxi's, busses, bicycles, people etc etc, so we on water have 'water taxi's, fishing boats, speed boats, power boats, yachts, dingies, cruise ships, tankers.. etc etc. There isn't a quiet time on these waters. The rocking and rolling here is driving me crazy..lol. Like when you hike and climb to the top of the mountain and that wind just blows and blows and blows? Like chinese torture at times :-).

Saying that though, not always chinese torture. Every day continues to be an adventure, the awesome always outweigh the 'crap' days. Every morning we are greeted by the most beautiful sunrises and blessed good night with magical sunsets.

Life on the water. With only a few days to go until we finish on Moonjoos, I am both sad and extremely excited. Sad because I already miss that peace, tranquility and splendour but I carry it with in me, the smells, the sounds, the views..the very place where I discovered a whole lot more of myself. Extremely excited to be taking all I have experienced and learnt from the Caribbean and living on boats, to the city, back to my daughters, my family, friends and everyone we encounter, especially on our next adventure!

Travel, journey, have adventures, open your world to something new every day!

Blu

　

Christmas in Cartagena, Colombia!

Christmas was super special, with skype calls with people that I miss dearly and simply cant wait to see again when we are back in South Africa. We also received heaps of messages and comments via Facebook which were just awesome. It's so important knowing that people actually miss your presense when you arent a hop skip and a jump away.

On Christmas eve we went to the ATM to draw our last R200 to buy food for dinner and Christmas day lunch. There we had R490 instead, someone had deposited R290 into our account in Johannesburg the day before. What an awesome surprise! We bought what we needed and ate like royalty.. well as close to.

Father Christmas found Moonjoos and the Sanders- Costello clan. Christmas morning was magical. Joshua woke up at 6am with his cousin Faith, calling him on Skype. He flew out of the cabin and straight to the computer to say hello and merry Christmas, Feliz Navistad (in Spanish), and then he saw his pressie under the tree. His eyes grew big, looked at the plate where he place and ice cold beer and a traditional Colombian cookie. Just a quarter of the cookie was left and the beer replaced with a handwritten note from Father Christmas.

"Dear Joshua, I have heard so many good things from so many people around the world and this makes me proud. Thank you for the beer and cookie, I saved you a piece of my cookie to share with you, and I saved you a sip of beer too, it's in the fridge." Lots of love, Father Christmas.

Joshua ate the piece of cookie and drank his sip of beer and then opened his pressies. An awesome water pistol from Captain Brett and the Moonjoos Station. A small bag from Colombia which he uses to carry his UNO cards, a car, an army man and his bean bag. A holy stone necklace. A packet of chocolate and toffee lollipops, and a packet of fruit sweets. All small enough to travel with which is a blessing!

Christmas lunch was delicious. Barry did the cooking this year. Baked potatoes, cold meat, white sauce, fresh tomato and salsa. Full tummy's and it was time to siesta!

Travelling takes you away from those traditions which you have with your family back home. Thank goodness for skype, which allowed us to connect with some special people. Home sickness always hangs around and is a reality. With Joshua and Barry making it so special, I did just fine :-).

The best present I received was to speak to my girls and then my Mom. Mom only has a basic mobile phone without the bells and whistles that you and I are used to. So when my friend Christopher called my Mom, placed her on speaker phone and then connected to us via skype, and I heard her say "hello my lovie, merry Christmas", I new all will be just fine. Oh how I have missed chatting and being close to my Mom. Christopher rocks!

The streets, buildings, boats, cars, trucks, busses and taxis, the horse and carriages, everything is drenched in Christmas lights!  Every night there has been a Christmas pageant at the old fort which is a few meters from the boat.  The fireworks displays at night are just breath-taking, like nothing I have ever seen.  Every single person in Cartagena have been in the Christmas spirit since we arrived here on the 2 December.  Can you imagine, 23 days of celebrations and music all around us!

With just 26 days until we fly out of Caracas, Venezuela, we have a whole lot still to accomplish on our 'to do list'. Our backpacks are packed, and we are in full swing with the boat jobs that must be done by the 10th January. We are also working to raise money to get from Cartagena, Colombia to Caracas. Its going to cost us $550 USD.

We are so looking forward to this adventure. We have been on Moonjoos for 15 weeks now and living on water since June this year. Life on the water is magical but I am so ready to sleep in a comfy bed that doesn't move, to have a good shower so I can wash properly and smell good afterwards, and to enjoy nature along the way.

Then we fly from Caracas to Brazil to South Africa! Bring on the African sunsets, braai's, friends and family!

　

 

Cartagena, Colombia - surviving the big city!

After months of small islands, some uninhabited islands, the silent but powerful ocean.. we arrive in Cartagena Colombia.  A shock to the system and sensory overload of note!

The anchorage is surrounded by buildings, the coast guard, the navy, shops, local vendors, cars and taxi's, horse drawn carts, lights, fireworks, music, live performances... and life!

It is winter here in Cartagena, but the winter here is like our summers in South Africa with humidity levels sitting at 90% and above with very little rain.  Thus making water collection our first challenge.  That's okay, we have arranged water through the mariner for a great price.

The exchange rate is 1USD = 1800 Colombian Peso's.  We are now working with million's and hundreds and not much smaller than that.  A french loaf (pana in spanish) is 2500 Pesos.  A weeks worth of water from the mariner is 20 000 Pesos.  A kilogram of bananas is 2000 Pesos.  A 10 day data plan for our device is 20 000 Pesos.  It's much cheaper living from the streets as the local people do.  You can spend 5000 Pesos and buy quite a few pastries.  Fruit and vegetables are plentifull on the streets, all delicious.

Milk is not fresh cows milk as we know it.  Everything is powdered or long life milk.  Not delicious! 

The local transport is cheap, you can catch a ride on the back of a motorbike or scooter, a 3 wheeler bicycle or you can use your legs.  Everything is within walking distance so it's nicer walking.  Anything on wheels is pretty scary!

The water is good to drink and there are taps along the parks and in the streets of the old city so drinking water is easy to come by.  The bottled water is available at 2600 for 6 liters (sold in plastic that looks like a giant ice lolly).

The people are friendly if you can get a few words in Spanish to make sense to then. We have thankfully met a local guide, Henry Castrillon, who meets with us regularly to get information.  We have also made friends with some Spanish speaking backpackers who are helping us with Spanish lessons and Yoga lessons.  They have also helped us hugely with connectivity so we have comms with friends and family.

Christmas away from home, this is my first Christmas away from South Africa and my family.  It's been quite tough for us but with skype on the boat we will be able to say hi to everyone back home and around the world.

When night falls and the city cools by a degree or two, the lights come on and the city is drenched in colour.  The boats, the harbour, the navy ships, the cars...they are all decorated with lights.  It's a sight I can not describe to you.  You have to see this to believe it!

Then the music starts, from all around the city. The music plays until the early hours of the morning.  Singing, laughter and party busses.  One after the other the party busses pass the mariner and they are jam packed.

The local people shoot fireworks every single night.  The shows are fantastic like I have never seen before.  Back home you can't just shoot fireworks anywhere at any time.  It's all so new.

Colombia is definitely a country to visit.  It's alive, happy and full of energy!  Oh how I miss the solitude of the islands and the sea.

We will spend Christmas eve in the old city, midnight mass with the local people. Christmas day in town and New Years eve on the boat is the way we will be enjoying the festivities.  It's going to be something else.

Wherever you are and whomever you are with, may your festivities be magical xx

Blu

We are now in Cartegena, Columbia!

Dropped Pin near Caribbean Sea http://goo.gl/maps/4MwkH

An epic journey!

We have spent the last 4 weeks on the ocean sailing from Grenada and now in Curacao.  The archipielago is breath taking! Los Roques is definitely worth visiting. Joshua took part in a documentary which was made at the Turtle Sanctuary. So he will be on tv in Venezuela soon.

We are now in Curacao until Friday and then sailing to Santa Marta and then Cartegena.  We will be hosting a kids program there over the festive season.

Its been tough with a shortage of rain, less showers, less drinking water. But all in all its an epic journey even with the lack of water. We visit the most remote islands and see the most beautiful sunsets.

Bring on Columbia!