tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86569815766160628402024-03-13T13:23:25.067-07:00SV Orion 1Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.(Twain)Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.comBlogger91125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-83452935896802113112017-12-27T06:39:00.000-08:002017-12-28T15:16:19.046-08:00Good riddance 2017 ! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">My apologises for this post, if you find it long and boring I apologise but writing it has helped me reduce the frustrations of the past year living largely on land and to look forward to happier times in the coming year.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">It has been a long time since I have posted …..a very long time. Events on 25th March 2017 will forever be firmly planted in my brain! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">John and I were enjoying our time in Isla Mujeres, meeting up with old friends, Richard and Kay on Atalanta and Vlad and Carmen on Inti. However, all good things come to an end and we were preparing to sail for Key West and a decent weather window seemed to be developing for us on the Monday after that particular weekend. We never got to set sail, events overtook us when I got a text message from Michael, my tenant ….’ Explosion, house destroyed ‘ !!! Clear, precise and as it turned out, accurate! I tried to phone, no answer and when I finally got through to Vicky, his girl friend, she told me that the house had been severely damaged by an explosion in a building over the road. It was a furniture store and dance studio building that had been completely obliterated by an explosion. It looked like a gas explosion but no one could say….the first thought was obviously was it terrorist related. Michael had been dozing in the front room and his son Alex was asleep upstairs when all the windows imploded, the doors blew out the roof lifted and ceilings came down. Fortunately Alex had wrapped himself up in the duvet and so when the ceiling fell on him he was well protected, Michael rushed upstairs grabbed Alex and ran through the open front door and away from the carnage outside.</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">So there I was in Mexico, with a five hour time difference, needing to contact my insurance company that allegedly had a 24 hour contact service……they speak with forked tongue… and try as I might you cannot imagine my frustration at reaching a succession of voice messages telling me the office is now closed and to ring in the morning! There was nothing for it but to get up at three in the morning and try then. However my frustration persisted, the young man gave me a reference number and yet another number to ring to try to board up the house and make it safe. I rang the number and explained to the girl on the other end that I had no windows, the front and back door had been blown off their hinges and the roof had been damaged. ‘ Ahh’ she said, ‘ you need a locksmith!’ …she was astounded when I lost my cool at this response ‘ A locksmith?! What's the bloody point of that I've got no doors!’ She apologised and after going to talk to her manager she told me she didn't know what to suggest…..very helpful …not. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I watched our friends sail away together, waving them goodbye and not sure just when we would eventually leave Mexico. I booked my flight home and John set about finding somewhere safe we could leave the boat. The hurricane season was fast approaching and we had no idea how long we would be away. We are fortunate, our friends Vlad and Carmen on Inti, speak fluent Spanish and they were able to help us secure a spot in the lagoon, Marina Del Sol. We moved Orion into the lagoon before I left. The lagoon is very well protected and shallow! I had to drive , throttle down, through the soft mud…..one thing for sure, Orion will not sink, in those depths! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I left Mexico on the 29th March but not without a bit of drama at the airport. When you arrive in Mexico you have to jump through many hoops customs, importation of the boat, agricultural regs etc, a bind but not too onerous with the help of the locals. One of the numerous pieces of paper you sign is in effect your entry exit card. I arrived at Cancun airport checked in and having handed over my bag was told I needed to go to immigration desk and hand over my departure card…..err what departure card. All those arriving by airplane have a card to be handed in when they leave or they get stung with 30 dollar bill per person, however I explained to the unhelpful girl at the immigration desk I arrived by boat so I had no card. No was the reply …you have a paper document which I have to see before you can leave! Gawd! I had no idea what the piece of paper was but what I did know was that it would be on the boat, not with me at the airport. I phoned John in a bit of a panic …..time was ticking on and my bags were checked through but would not let me through to join them til I produced this document. In my best broken Spanish I explained that I was happy to pay the fine just to join my bags on the plane …but no I had stumbled on the one of the few officials in Mexico who would not accept a pecuniary gift to by pass bureaucratic red tape! No she said if I paid the fine then I would have paid the fee twice( having unbeknown to me paid the fee when we arrived) and that would never do! If I could e mail the said piece of paper to her then she would allow me to leave Mexico. After three abortive attempts to give me the correct e mail address John managed to mail her with five minutes left before the gate closed! A close shave! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I arrived back to find my house looking like it was in a war zone. My leaded windows and blinds decorated the tree in the front garden, several of the houses opposite had been completely destroyed….just a depressing site. Where to start??? </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I met with the loss adjuster, who reckoned it would take 6-12 months for the house to get back to its former glory. The Council were really helpful getting the doors and windows boarded and providing security 24/7 to ensure no looting was possible, a godsend considering how unhelpful the insurance company had been at the outset. We were only allowed in at certain times accompanied by Council employees and once the houses had been made safe. There were endless meetings with the Council and it seemed to me that possibly the quickest way forward was to work with the ‘expertise’ of the Port Sunlight Village Trust they would know what specifications were necessary, they knew contractors that were capable of completing the work needed and would be an invaluable resource in ensuring the work was completed quickly as possible. If we all used the same contractor for the roof for instance then it would keep costs down and the prospect of numerous contractors trying to find places to park with multiple deliveries would be reduced. However as time passed it became apparent that the Trust were not that enthusiastic about working with private homeowners. A meeting was set up by the Council to bring together the Trust who own five of the properties in our block, the five private homeowners and all the loss adjusters to move things along in as quicker pace as possible. It was agreed that the Trust would work with Conservation Officer to put together a Masterplan for the block that would set out specifications, plans and materials to be used. One thing became clear ….that neither the Trust or the Conservation Officer had any record of specifications used previously…the houses were built in 1897 and it appeared that we were largely starting from scratch. A great start to proceedings!</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I know and appreciate that the Trust had a big job on but as the months ticked away, my frustration, depression and anger grew at the whole process. Eventually after about two months a project manager was appointed for the exterior works and again everyone agreed that if we had the same project manager it would help to speed the process up, so that's what we did. My insurers used a different company for the interior works, again no problem it was the same one as several of my private owner neighbours, I was happy. The interior guys met started to rip out walls, ceilings, the bathroom etc to see the extent of the damage and put together a plan of action to restore the interior. The walls had been lathe and plaster, all of that was taken away, well most of it had fallen away from the brick anyway. I felt optimistic, that was til the Port Sunlight Conservation Officer came to have a look…. The look of horror on her face ….a what have you done expression?! Well I had ‘done’ no more than the other home owners the place was stripped ready for reinstatement. None of the lathe and plaster should have been touched she wailed … this property is grade2 listed ( don't I know it!) and forget any thoughts of insulating plasterboard to help with energy conservation were a no no , it must be reinstated ‘like for like’ and lathe and plaster must be put back. This came as news to both the project manager for the interior works and us home owners who along with the Council,Conservation Officers et al understandably called a meeting to get sorted exactly what was needed! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">So meeting sorted, we were told that interior plans needed to submitted for planning consent an eight week process at the least, the Masterplan for the exterior works were complete for submission at the end of August, a mere six months from the date of the explosion. We all took some comfort from the fact that it looked like we would all have roofs by Christmas! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">The internal project manager set about re visiting the works that were needed following the lead of the Conservation Officer of the Port Sunlight Trust, following the’ like for like ‘ tenet that needed to be adhered to the letter if we were to get the internal works through planning. Lathe and plaster was to be used on the ceilings and the plaster specification was confirmed. This meant an increase in costs, lathe and plaster costing approx £100 per sq metre and the use of breathable paint, the skirting boards to be used specified and much more. Another hoop we had to jump through was that the we had to have the existing plaster tested for anthrax and asbestos! Now it is comforting to know that the house is anthrax and asbestos free but the house has been standing since 1897 and no one has died from anthrax yet! Indeed the young man who came to do the testing told me that no plaster tested in the UK has tested positive for anthrax ….£350 for piece of mind I guess, but the three week wait for the results another unwelcome hold up. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">The Masterplan finally complete and submitted, the external project manager puts the roofing works out to tender …….progress at last! Three firms are put forward and with a timeline clearly identified for submission, that was then held up by the Trust requesting a fourth firm be allowed to submit for tender putting back the timeline another week. Frustration was starting to grow! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">Finally ….hurrah !! A contractor was appointed and a pre start meeting held. The timeline was tight but the contractor was prepared to work through the weekend and fingers crossed we would have a roof by Christmas. The existing scaffolding was replaced with scaffolding designed to enable the roofers to crack on safely …we were hot to trot! On the first day of the works the weather was appalling, strong winds and very heavy rain, but the roofers worked through it removing the tiles on a number of houses. On day two, all the homeowners received an e mail from the project manager, there was a problem with the roofing felt specified which it appeared could result in a problem with condensation. It meant that it would rise the roof a little making it difficult to tie in with my neighbour and it would certainly not look that great! So having waited six months for the Masterplan to be drawn up it had completely ‘b***s up’ the specification for the roof. WTF! The roofers had to stop work whilst the contractor waited for clarification on the specification……then the fun started. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I have to admit I was incandescent with frustration…….six months, six months we had waited for the so called people in the know to put together the specifications for the works, this was supposed to oil the wheels, not seize them up completely! Surely if there was doubt when the Masterplan was in the process of being drafted THEN was the appropriate time to do the research and ask the technical team to come out, measure the roof voids and ensure that everyone involved in drawing up the plan was absolutely confident that what was being proposed would be the right product for the job. It is quite definitely not the right time to engage in this process when the roofs have been stripped and the contractor is questioning the suitability of the product. Indeed we now find that our insurance companies could well be asked to pay for time when the contractors have been unable to crack on with replacing the roofs and further investigations into roof voids, technical call outs etc are made. It beggars belief! TheTrust had been insistent on like for like and now suddenly it appeared they were asking us not to use the existing roof felt but this stuff called TLX Gold…. it seemed they just changed the rules to suit themselves. I wanted answers and fast, I really wanted a roof before Christmas. The Conservation Officer at the Council did not reply to my initial letter asking just what the hell was going on, a week passed, no work on the roofs, the roofers were sent onto another job while waiting for someone to either admit they had screwed up and rectify the situation or allow us to re roof like for like. I had had enough I wrote yet another letter to the Conservation Officer and this time I copied it into the Assistant Director at the Council and the local Councillor informing them of the situation as I saw it. I wanted them to know it was not the homeowners or the contractors holding up the reinstatement of the houses and my frustration at being ignored by the Conservation Officer. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">Finally one of my concerns was that no one was able to inform us with any degree of absolute certainty that the use of the specified product would not produce condensation, to say that it may work is unacceptable. Should it be used and result in damage to my property, who would accept responsibility? Those who put together the Masterplan? The Council? The Contractor? For want of a better analogy, could I find that all those involved in the process shifting responsibility? Possible shades of Grenfell Tower here?</span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">To say I was deeply disappointed by this whole process which was fast turning into something of a debacle as I saw it, is an understatement! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">As I had hoped my reference to the Grenfell Tower disaster did the trick! A response within five minutes! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">The reply from the Conservation Officer was that they were trying to provide betterment of the roofing materials involved and they were trying to get in touch with the contractor to get him to sort it out. Passing the buck again! I wrote a quick reply …..The contractor works to that specification he is given , he does not write the specification....does he? Guess what no reply! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">Finally ten days after work had stopped the Conservation Officers, the Heritage architect and the Project Manager for the external works got together for a meeting, which must have been interesting! The outcome being the Heritage Architect would put together revised specifications asap for work to start work. Hurrah! Sad to say this debacle didn't stop there, as I suspected the revised specification involved more work on the roofs in order for this wonder roofing felt to do its job ironically it involved taking down ceilings, no problem for me my ceilings were already down, not quite sure how the Trust houses will get over that problem if they want existing plaster to remain. Not my problem and to be honest if I never have to work with the Trust again it will be too soon though I know at some point I will have to, this whole experience leaves a bad taste. The revised spec also had a revised price, an extra three and a half thousand pounds….would the insurance company stump up the money, I crossed my fingers and waited along with all the other homeowners. One thing was certain if they wouldn't ….I wouldn't either. My insurance company agreed ….phew! By now anyone involved in the project bar the Trust was aghast with the amount of time it had taken to get to where we were at…..work finally started on the roof again the week before Christmas. I hope that now all the necessary bureaucracy has has been sorted I can now crack on free from the shackles of the Trust, whose properties appear not to have been touched with regard to reinstatement. The property owners have instructed for the envelope outside works tired of waiting for the Trust we all agreed to get on with the works without them! </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">I have to say that the major disparity between us private homeowners and the Trust seems that the Trust is only interested in one thing, the houses, the bricks and mortar. They have appeared in my experience with them, to pay scant regard to the impact that this explosion has had on the people in the houses. Everyone homeowner and tenant alike has been adversely effected and has a story to tell, the Trust however appear to want to squeeze as much from the effects of that awful night in March as possible. Sad and not the way Lord Lever, the philanthropist that built the village, would have worked I suspect. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">So as you can see John and I will be glad to see the back of 2017, in my darker moments I have cried tears of frustration, thinking will I ever get back to the boat? John and I have watched as two Category 5 hurricanes hit the Caribbean to the East of the boat and an 8.1 earthquake devastated parts of Pacific Mexico. Throughout the hurricane season I would track the National Hurricane Centre everyday with my fingers crossed hoping Orion was out of harms way. We were lucky and to be honest and without wanting to sound too dramatic, if we had lost the boat as well I don't know what I would of done or how I would have come to terms with the loss coming on top of the effects of the explosion. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">With regard to the explosion no one has been bought to justice for it. Two men are currently on bail for insurance fraud and endangering life. How no one was killed I do not know, though there are still those recovering both physically and mentally. The police have collected over 300 impact statements but still no news of wether those involved will ever be bought to justice. Hopefully the new year will bring positive news on that score. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">This Christmas John and I are housesitting in Cumbria, looking after a house and an ageing Jack Russell, a time to chill and take stock. We are so fortunate to have wonderful friends in Port Sunlight who have allowed us to stay in their home and for that we will be forever grateful and in their debt. True friends and lovely people. However Christmas is for families and I am sure they are enjoying a wonderful Christmas in their home without us intruding on that special time. </span></div>
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<span style="-webkit-font-kerning: none; font-size: 11pt;">Enough of this wittering on ….. 2018 is going to be our year. House sorted and back on the boat, can't wait ! </span></div>
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-10643230226770868872017-03-23T13:14:00.001-07:002017-03-23T20:06:57.700-07:00Isla Mujeres<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">So we had our fingers crossed that the trip from Roatan to Mexico would not be as eventful as the one to Roatan. Looking at the weather we had good wind, the first day quite strong but the next perfect and that's exactly how it worked out. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The trip to Mexico took us just under 48 hours and we sailed most of the way the gearbox behaved perfectly and we tied up at Marina Paraiso ready for a beer! It's not the cheapest Marina in the world but John needed to go back to England to attend the funeral of a very dear friend of ours. It was touch and go whether we would manage it but sailing in on the 21st we managed to check in, carry out the temporary importation of the boat, book a flight and get him to Cancun airport in time to attend the funeral in Wales on the 23rd. We were both glad that at least one of us had the chance to say goodbye and celebrate her life. Sometimes it's hard being so far away from the UK. We could not have managed it without the help of the 'mordida', which is the system here whereby you grease the palms of the officials to make things happen! In doing this we ensured that the health inspector, the food inspector and immigration and the Port Captain all came to the Marina, looked at the boat.....checked yes there was a boat, told us not to eat anything we had bought into the country unless it was on the boat, sign in a couple of places and we were legal! Chepo the dockmaster at the Marina was very efficient at getting it organised.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Typically as John was flying back to the UK he had to arrive when Storm Doris was arriving too! It had its advantages as with a 70 mph tail wind the flight was very early, the downside was it took the pilot three goes to land the plane in Manchester.....bicycle clips all round I think!! John had booked a car for the six days he was in the U.K. however when he arrived at the Car Rental office a smug guy on the other side of the counter made the mistake of telling John ' sorry Sir due to the adverse weather conditions we do not have a car for you' . Mistake!. John's reply ' I have a contract with you to supply a car what are you going to do about it?' ' Well sorry the only car we have is a nine seater mini bus' Yes... you've guessed it that's what he took, arriving at the Crematorium in Wales just in time!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The weather here in Isla Mujeres was not great wind wise, a strong Northerly set in for a couple of days causing the waves to chop and slap the side of the hull all day and night. Not conducive to a good nights sleep but I had it easy, the guys out in the anchorage were dragging anchors all night and that is no fun!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As it turned out I was not short of company, a lot of old friends were here too. Mike and Jean from Tomorrow's Dawn, who we had not seen since Trinidad, Richard and Kay from Atalanta who we last saw in Surinam as well as Vlad and Carmen from Inti and the crew of Genesis III, were all here. I really like this Island and Mexico in general, it's laid back and good value, an example three tacos and two beers for 85 pesos ( £3.70)! The Island is awash with golf carts that you can hire for around 700 pesos for the day, it's a good way to see the Island though it's pretty flat terrain here so walking is not so bad. Provisioning is easy with Chedraui, an excellent supermarket with just about everything you could want,ten minutes walk away. Not unsurprisingly there quite a lot of Cubans here and a few Cuban restaurants, they always seem to have good music on and it's a good way to spend an afternoon. There is also a bar close called the Soggy Peso, this has dynamite margaritas, one is quite enough, two and you really are playing with fire! The view from the beach at sunset here is lovely.</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-71768565896524996142017-02-12T09:13:00.001-08:002017-02-12T09:13:19.806-08:00Roatan Repairs<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">So having arrived safely at Fantasy Island we had to find out what exactly had happened to our gearbox? If it had done 40 hours I would be surprised, we have sailed to most of our destinations since its installation and last year we spent a lot of time in the one place. Lots of theories were put forward, perhaps the prop hit something causing the splines on the the gearbox shaft to shear? We dove down the prop was in tact not a problem there......so John took out the gearbox and we discovered what the problem was.... sad to say, our error. When we changed the gearbox we did not change the damper plate, two reasons really we had difficulty sourcing one in Colombia and the old one 'looked' OK. Clearly it wasn't and it had sheared the splines on the gearbox shaft.. damn ! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So we were back to sourcing parts initially we thought it might be a new gearbox and damper plate and John ordered one but as luck would have it the guy we bought it from contacted us to say that the box he had to send out to us had been part of a recall by ZF so he did not have one! He did however put us onto a really good guy in Seattle who rebuilds gearboxes, John spoke to him on the net and on the phone and it was agreed he would build a new shaft for us complete with bearings and John would fit it. John gave him a blow by blow of how he intended to split the gearbox and fit the new shaft and Mike in Seattle said sounds good to me and shipped us a box of goodies with everything we would need to get the job sorted. Shipping to Roatan is not easy and not cheap, the safest way is to ship to Rasxpress in Florida and with the right wording on the label it finds itself at Rasxpress in Roatan a few days later! There you get stung for 30% duty! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We did have one piece of luck though, whilst searching for our gearbox, John stumbled upon someone selling the exact heat exchanger we needed, brand new and for a mere £400! This might sound a lot but it was a steal, we had been expecting to pay over £2000 for it. Perkins do not support the 4154 engine anymore so I guess this part was just lying collecting dust and the guy on eBay just wanted shot of it. We hummed and ahhed but we both figured it was too good an opportunity to miss even with shipping(£50) it was a steal.....so we bit the bullet and bought it. This meant of course that once all the parts arrived John was faced with the prospect of many days down in the engine room fitting all these parts, not one he was looking forward to! I could tell he wasn't as in the days waiting for the parts to arrive I would be woken up in the middle of the night to John dreaming and screwing bolts in my arm and muttering about pipes, jubilee clips and o rings! The sooner this job was done the better.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Finally with all the parts here John set about the task in hand. It took him about five days of blood sweat and tears but we now have a working engine, a gear box that works and a propellor that turns. Hurray! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We have hired a car whilst here in Roatan, it is a very pretty Island with many reefs and stunning views. Here at Fantasy Island there are three monkeys that share the Island with us and they cause havoc on many occasions. The answer is leave nothing in the cockpit and lock up at night. Since we have been here they have thrown one yachties barbecue grill in the water, emptied the water tank of another, as well as helping themselves to bananas and any food and drink that they can get their hands on. We have only lost a tub of nuts which we foolishly left in the cockpit, that was before we knew better! They are naughty but they are not nasty and they certainly seem to like John. </span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-85493318057838239502017-02-04T08:11:00.002-08:002017-02-04T08:11:46.939-08:00Roatan Rescue!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">We finally left Providencia on New Years Day. The weather window looked good and we had decided that as there had been a pirate attack on a yacht on the Seas by the Nicaraguan and Honduran border we would not stop overnight there as previously planned. This area around the Gorda Banks is becoming a bit of a hotspot and whilst no one has been injured yet the trauma of being boarded and losing all our electrics, radios and nav equipment was not something we wanted to risk. In giving this area a wide berth we would be adding a few more hours onto the trip but better safe than sorry. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The first twenty four hours went by without a hitch we got some good sailing in but soon the wind died and we were forced to start Dorothy up (our Perkins engine). Unfortunately under five knots of wind is not enough for a sail! After five hours of motoring we were getting used to the drone of the engine and after carrying out an engine check John settled down in the cockpit for a doze. Everything was going well......or so it seemed. From nowhere a high pitched squeal like a banshee resounded from the engine room and John was woken from his slumbers by me shouting 'WTF is that?' I turned off the engine quickly and we both looked at one another ....' What now?' </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We turned the engine on again put her in gear only for the same dreadful sound to emanate from the engine. It was the gearbox.....the same gearbox that could only have forty hours on it if that....what had gone wrong? At first we were concerned that perhaps this would mean we would have no power, no power would mean no nav lights, no navigation equipment and limited communications, but we were lucky, we still had neutral so we still had the capacity to charge our batteries. Once we had decided what the problem was the question was....what next? Well we are a sailing vessel so we would sail....the only problem we had there was the small issue of no wind. We would just have to wait til there was some! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In the mean time we phoned our insurance company on the Iridium Go just to forewarn them that there was the possibility that at some point we might need a tow and to ask their advice about where would be the best spot to make for. They would call us back in the morning. We then contacted John's daughters to ask them to contact Falmouth Coastguard just to inform them of the situation, we were in no danger but they needed to know we were out there and our exact position. Sarah did a grand job sorting that out and Falmouth Coastguard rung us back to confirm our position and to give us a number we could call them on unfortunately just as the coastguard was relaying the number to us the satellite signal went down! There was nothing more we could do other than sail, albeit very slowly, through the night. We were 90 miles away from Guanaja but unsure wether we would be able to get help there. All the information we had read seemed to indicate that Roatan was a better destination and somewhere we could access help more successfully. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I had previously been talking to Debbie and Steve from Fantasy Island about the possibility of a berth over the new year but the weather window put pay to that but I had their e mail address so decided to contact them and ask their advice about where might be our best option to head for. They were great! Debbie got back to me almost immediately saying that as far as she knew our options would be limited in Guanaja but if we could make it to Roatan there was the possibility they could arrange a tow to the Marina. This sounded by far the most positive suggestion so far. The Insurance Company had got back to us to tell us they had no idea about where would be the best place to go to if the boat should need work doing in Honduras so it looked like it was left to us to figure it out. We decided to head to Roatan some 130 miles away from where we lost power. It was frustrating for five or six hours we wallowed about averaging between one and two knots with the sun blazing overhead ....no fun! Then overnight the wind picked up and we were back to five knots this should have been good news but we really did not want to arrive in Roatan in the dark.....the entrance to French Cay means negotiating your way through two reefs ....not a good idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were able to keep in contact with Debbie and Steve throughout the 36 hours or so it took us to complete the 130 or so miles and 'would you Adam and Eve it!' ....we ended up having to slow ourselves down so that we arrived in daylight! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Steve had arranged for a small flotilla of 2/3 dinghies to come out and with Steve having jumped on board to help us navigate we were able to slowly make it through the reefs. With one dinghy tied up either side they took us to our slip where there was a small gathering of yachties to help us tie up and welcome us finally to Roatan ..... quite a trip! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The fun did not stop there though. Falmouth Coastguard very kindly contacted the Honduran Authorities to ask them to look out for us. So there we were enjoying a beer and recounting our adventures to the neighbours when the Honduran Coastguard made an appearance tieing up alongside us, six armed officers with two sniffer dogs and dog handlers all wanting to join in the fun! We were fortunate, Otto, a very helpful Guatemalan yachtie, was able to translate our story to them and they were happy. After the dogs had been through every locker and found nothing the dog handlers even asked if they could plant some contraband on the boat so the dogs could have a practice! We were happy to oblige. But wait....who should then turn up at the slip to join the party but the Port Captain from Coxen Hole wanting to know why we had not checked in there on the way in?! Otto did his stuff for a second time, he knew our story better than us now, and once our passports, our boat and us had had our photos taken for a third time he was on his way. It had been quite a day! Now to find out just what the problem is......</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One last observation our efforts to tell Falmouth Coastguard that we had arrived safe and well were frustrating. We phoned three or four times, each time we got a different person on the other end of the phone claiming they knew nothing about our original call, they had no call log and left us wondering just what would have happened if we were in trouble. It seemed to us that there is a flaw in this centralised call centre system. I appreciate that this problem probably would not have occurred if the original satellite link had not dropped out but I'm sure this is not unusual and to have no log of calls seems a bit bizarre. John eventually e mailed them outlining our experience and suggesting that perhaps their systems need reviewing needless to say there was no response! </span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-82784467020766115862017-01-23T09:17:00.003-08:002017-01-23T09:18:39.312-08:00At last ....Providencia <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally we had our weather window and set sail leaving Puerto Lindo behind us bound for Providencia. On anchor in Linton Bay with very little wi fi we had plenty of opportunity to try out our new toy, the Iridium Go, the latest satellite system from Iridium. We had set it up in Shelter Bay and whilst a little tricky to set up it was great once we got the hang of it. We are now able to use our I Pad to phone, text, get the weather, plan our passage according to the weather ahead and keep in contact with the big wide world whilst at sea. We had a short weather window but we figured it should be enough and while we had some fairly heavy swell to start with we were able to sail virtually the whole of the 300 or so nautical miles. As we were fair bombing along at 7+ knots for a lot of the time inevitably we arrived in Providencia in the dark.....just what we didn't want. It was blowing 25 knots and we had waypoints to get into the harbour which is surrounded by fairly shallow water and a reef. It was however very well buoyed and what's more the lights on the red and green buoys worked! A pleasant change! So we went for it dropping the hook in the outer harbour some way from the quay, but safe enough so we could get our heads down for a well earned sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Checking in the next day we wandered up the hill to find Mr. Bush, the agent everyone seems to use to check in.... I think he's the only one! There are only 5000 people on Providencia but we found them to be very friendly, super helpful and very proud of their Island. People there speak English, Spanish and Creole so you are never quite sure what language to attempt. Many times I attempted my broken Spanish only to find they spoke perfect English whilst on other occasions I'd speak English and they would reply in Creole! You can tell there has been pirate territory many many years ago. We moved the boat closer to the dock in the inner harbour taking care to go right to the end of the buoyed channel before we turned, some had been tempted to turn before the last buoy and had found themselves stuck in shallow water needing a tow out. Closer to the dock we were able to avail ourselves of the free internet on the dock and it was less of a distance to dinghy in.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We decided to hire a golf cart to explore the island with our friends off Genesis, with Christmas coming up the whole island was in throws of decorating the place with Christmas decorations, some strange like Santa playing the saxophone outside the Catholic Church others a bit more traditional. However at night the whole town was light up like a Christmas tree, the bridge, houses, the town square anywhere they could put a light they did. Christmas was the big deal in Providencia. All along the roads there were make shift butchers chopping up pigs for the big day, the queue for propane was enormous making sure they had something to cook it with and then to top it all they would slap a coat of paint on the outside of their house to make sure it looked just right. Christmas Eve they were ready to party and we received a call on the VHF to tell us that he had been informed that the fireworks were going to be set off in the harbour and that we were in the direct line of fire! He asked us to move.... he suggested we tie onto a barge over the other side of the harbour in shallow water....err I don't think so. We respectfully noted his concern and said we would be aware.....so at midnight there was John with his bucket on deck ready to put out any stray fireworks but aside from a couple of pieces of black cardboard our decks were clear and all was well. The locals partied til dawn after all that excitement we slept.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It does not take long to drive around Providencia and we found ourselves at South West Bay, a lovely sandy Bay littered with restaurants. The Divine Nino had been recommended to us and it did not disappoint for $35 you could share the fish platter which considered of a large Snapper, a Lobster, Calimari, Shrimp .....too much food! A good place that I can recommend for a lunch that will not disappoint.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The anchorage had good holding which was just as well as the wind whistled through the gap between the Main Island and Santa Catalina Island 30 - 40 knots at times but the seas were flat it it was not uncomfortable. We had looked at a weather window around Boxing Day, but having checked out with Mr. Bush, Boxing Day came and went the winds were just too strong and the seas too high out there. This was confirmed when our friends Doris and Hans on RioCaja limped back into Port having left on Christmas Eve with their Genoa shredded and engine trouble having had a thoroughly horrid time on their way to Belize forcing them to turn back. That settled it we were definitely staying put until the right weather window turned up!</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-25112364406386317692017-01-15T11:22:00.001-08:002017-01-15T11:24:17.446-08:00Finally .....time to go! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">We returned to the boat early October, relieved to avoid the colder weather back in the U.K. The boat yard had moved Orion out of the security pen ready for us to start work on her. The blisters that we ground out before leaving looked good, dry and no smell which I'm told is a good sign we now had to wait for a few dry days to fill the holes and apply our Coppercoat. Waiting for dry days in Panama in early October is no mean task. It rains, really rains most days and evidence of this was the colour of our ropes....all black, our dinghy covered in black mould and generally the outside of the boat was fifty shades of green and black. It took a whole day to clean up the dinghy and we after scrubbing our lines we hung them out on a line under the boat to let them dry between showers! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We had our Coppercoat safely stored away in an inside locker, or so we thought. As we opened the locker together it out we realised that one of the bottles of resin had split in the heat depositing it contents in the bottom of the locker. A horrible sticky,gloopy mess stuck to the bottom of the locker and to anything in its path. We realised quickly that this meant we did not have enough Coppercoat for the job but for once we realised that luck was on our side as a really nice Canadian skipper who had put Coppercoat on the bottom of his catamaran came over to us in the yard and on the off chance asked us if we needed any! Coppercoat has a shelf life and really can only be kept for a year or so and as he was going through to the Pacific side his 'spare' would not be useable by the time he got to New Zealand ....so result ......we had our Coppercoat! We now just had to wait for the rain to stop. This is particularly important when applying Coppercoat, as its water based and rain will just wash it way. We needed one day without rain to apply our four coats and we had wait patiently for over a week before the got the right weather window . Up with the lark or in Panama it's the Howler monkeys, we got our four coats on, the heat helping to set the thin layers of Copper within an hour or so for each coat. However our fingers were still crossed for no rain for 48 hours after application ....a tall order! So we covered all the bits of the hull we had treated with black bin bags and hoped the would stay on ....they did. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally after nearly three weeks in the yard we could splash back in the water and wait for our new anchor chain there. After a false alarm when one of the hoses went on the Travel lift we eventually made it into the water, a day later than planned but ...relief! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Whilst in the water Tropical Storm Otto decided to hit the region, tucked up in Shelter Bay we were safe enough. It is exactly what the name would suggest, good shelter. The winds in Shelter Bay never really got beyond 40 knots but the rain was torrential for around two days and the flooding in Colon was a problem along with the palm trees blown knocking out the power. The power was down for two days and whilst there is a generator for the hotel we were without power for just over two days on the dock. Some people were getting a bit twitchy about that and the thought of being without air con was more than some boats could bare. One boat bought another generator (their third!) as they thought they would be without power for quite a few days only for the power to come back on hours after the order was finalised. Well as I said to them ...you can never have too many generators! He failed to see the humour in that statement having just spent $900 needlessly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: medium;">Our anchor chain arrived a week or so after and after marking it and after general checks we felt we were hot to trot but John being John did one final check and... almost afraid to tell me he finally owned up to the fact that he thought we had a problem with our heat exchanger....what the hell? John revealed that whilst down in the engine room he had felt air blowing out of the heat exchanger and on closer examination after taking the heat exchanger to bits we found that there were small holes in heat exchanger where the exhaust water injection takes place.... What next!!? By this time we had already checked out of Panama but hey ho if we couldn't leave we couldn't leave so after much deliberation and with the help of JB Weld we filled the holes so that the heat exchanger worked perfectly and we set sail for Porto Lindo trying to get as far East as possible before heading North to Providencia.It was good to be back on the water again! </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Whilst waiting for our chain we hired a car and spent a day in Panama City. Panama City is quite different to Colon, money has been spent on renovation and there are some pretty squares centred around the churches, reminiscent of Cartegena, though if I had to choose between the two I would choose Cartegena. Hopefully some day Panama will invest some money into Colon.</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-37745126088434661822017-01-08T13:51:00.002-08:002017-01-08T13:51:27.455-08:00The joys of boat ownership<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">So it has been a long time since the last blog and a lot has happened .....not all of it good. Having got back to the boat after a great week in Gibraltar visiting Sarah, John's daughter and her family and then a week down in Kent dog sitting for my sister, we were pleased to see that the interior was mould free and whilst she needed a good clean nothing too serious. However, the heat had taken a toll on one particular area of the interior. John and I had spent a long time when we were in Gibraltar all those years ago replacing the headlining and relieving Orion of what is known by other Amel owners as 'Amel droop'! It was a pig of a job but we took comfort in the thought that it was a job once completed would no need to be revisited.......how wrong could we be. The intense heat of both Colombia and Panama has taken its toll and now virtually all of our efforts those years ago in Gib have been in vain.....the bloody linings all coming off! The problem is not the adhesive but the sponge lining has just degraded to dust with the combination of heat and humidity. I have to admit I shed a tear with the thought of having to do that particular job again! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well we decided we would come out the water replace the anodes and check the bottom. Once out we replaced the anodes no problem but we were dismayed to find small osmosis bubbles start to appear once we had been out a day or so. I know that boats don't sink as a result of osmosis but we had a decision to make do we grind all the bubbles out ( around 30 or so mainly on one side and around the water line ) and then leave the to dry or do we carry on? After a lot of deliberation we decided to grind the buggers out and leave the boat on the hard for a couple of months. Returning back to the UK for a couple of months would enable John to get his eyes fixed, something we had been toying with for a while. John has glasses that fix in the middle over the bridge of the nose with tiny magnets joining up the two halves......leaning over the compass with those glasses ......not a good idea when trying to navigate! They drove the compass wild. The plan was to have lens replacement in both eyes but we needed to be in the UK for at least three months to get the surgery done. The procedure itself takes no more than a day but the after care would involve regular check ups. This seemed to be the ideal opportunity to get the work done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We left Orion on the hard but not before discovering yet another problem. When we leave her John always empties all the anchor chain out of the anchor locker and when we attempted to do it this time we discovered that having been in the Marina for so long and as a result yet again of the humidity rain and heat ....the last forty metres of chain was just one massive rusty clump impossible to free and get out of the anchor locker! Access to our anchor locker is via a small locker in the bow so armed with a lump hammer and hacksaw John wriggled his way into the locker and tried to hack solid ball of rust free. There was much sweat, cursing, swearing and blood sweat and tears but with a taxi due to take us to the airport in a couple of hours he had to admit defeat. The job would have to wait until we returned when we would also have to buy new anchor chain. Bliss and Joy! Something to look forward to on our return!</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-25634198627386202702016-04-29T08:35:00.000-07:002016-04-29T08:35:19.411-07:00CapeTown Capers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">It has been several months now since the last post and whilst we have not been back on the boat we have been busy! After Italy we moved on to visiting John's brother in South Africa. I had been before and had been telling John for a while that we should go. John has not seen his brother for quite a time and then it was under sad circumstances, his Dads funeral. So after some discussion it was agreed we would meet his brother Arthur and his wife in Western Cape. John and I were there for over two weeks. The scenery was spectacular the weather great and the prices unbelievably cheap since the Rand has taken a nose dive. We spent five days touring the area around Stellenbosch and just had to go on a wine tour. It was a great day out, we visited five vineyards tasting a variety of beautiful wines, bought a few bottles to drink whilst we were there and finished off with a bottle of Port. If you go it's a must, every vineyard is different....different setting, different wine and all very welcoming.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We also went to Fishermans Wharf, Hout Bay, travelling along the beautiful coastline watching the yachts sail into the Bay,it did not look an easy sail coming in along that coast. The seals here seem to be well trained at hopping onto the quay for fish as the boats come in! The wharf has modelled itself on the area with the same name in San Francisco and whilst it is somewhat smaller it was a good place to lap up the sunshine with good food and of course excellent wine! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After we said goodbye to Arthur and Lynne, it was so good to see them, we made our way along the coast to Hermanus. I had been there nearly thirty years and wow how it has changed! Then it was a small town where at the right time you could see the whale flipping about in the sea coming to feed off the abundant krill in the area. Not the right time for this in March but there is still lots to see regarding the whales in the area and Hermanus is a busy, bustling town with lots of tourists. We were staying outside Hermanus in a great little B&B, the Amakhosi Guesthouse, good value, a lovely breakfast and a good spot to use as a base to explore the region, and explore we certainly did.....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Off to Betty's Bay to see the penguins </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">A beautiful meal in a great location up in the hills above Gans Bay, the Bella Vista, where we both had a delicious meal, a stunning bottle of red, a sweet and coffees all for the outrageous price of £33! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The CapeCanopy Zipwire tour located in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, we zipped our way across eleven zip lines into a previously inaccessible and pristine part of this amazing World Heritage Site. Whilst I have to admit to being a little wary about the thought of zipping across ravines it was actually the journey up to the top on the van that was more scary.......and that was before we had even started our zips down! The ride across this mountainous terrain was not made any better when John noticed that the handbrake on/ brake fluid low light was on! He did point this out to the driver when we got off, but I have to say we were mightily relieved that a different bus was at the collection point to take us down from where the zip lines had dropped us off! The drive down the hill was even worse than the ride up......not for the feint hearted! However a really great afternoon. I recommend it!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We were sad to leave South Africa and politics the Western Cape is a beautiful place. I am sure we will return. We left to return to the UK using Ethiopian Airlines, not sure why we booked it....well I do, it was cheap! This meant a stop off in Addis Ababa,only five hours but I was not sure what to expect. Well we found, a busy airport with not a Macdonalds or Starbucks in sight ( that's got to be a plus!) but restaurants with open bbqs selling local produce which gave the airport lounge a different smell, but the best things was the loungers where you could get your head down for a couple of hours if you weren't disturbed by the airport workers walking past shouting out various flights....' Beijing, Bejing anyone for Bejing!' No flash airline departure boards here! Well there was something but it didn't work! The flight itself was no problem and we arrived on time back at Heathrow just in time to catch the X26 bus to my Mums and for John to have his usual rant at Londoners who do not seem to know understand how to form an orderly queue....happens every time! LOL! </span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-80701237379640685202016-02-29T04:32:00.004-08:002016-02-29T11:51:59.460-08:00And now for something completely different! <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">I have not posted on the blog for a while now ....that's because we are back in Blighty! John and I flew back to UK to see friends and relatives but also to go skiing! We had looked at going to North America but with all our gear back in a friends loft in UK it was going to cost us an arm and a leg to hire them in US. It was cheaper to fly back to UK and go to Europe. We chose Cervinia, Italy. It was a great place, with a view of the Matterhorn from our bedroom and snow falling nearly every day.... we had a great time. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">It was the first time that we had been on the slopes for about six years so it was a bit of a learning curve for us. We both realised we are getting older but also that we are not fit and need to do something about it! It is hard on a boat to keep fit ....you have to work at it and I think we are the first to admit we have let it go for a while. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Cervinia is a lovely town and we stayed at a great hotel, The Astoria. Great food and local wine so it was not easy for us to keep to our aim of trying to get fitter! Sticking to the nice wide blue runs we took it steady all week though I came a cropper once on the last day no harm done but a stiff back! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">One thing we decided to give a try was ice karting. This was right up John's street. It donned out in crash helmets and in the middle of a sow storm we whizzed around the track. Well John whizzed and I could tell he was in his element sliding around the bends. I on the other hand went slowly and still slid into the mountains of snow on either side of the track! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Back in the UK our friend Gary invited us to test drive his latest toy, a seven metre rib. He was anxious to get his latest acquisition onto the Mersey to check out the 275hp engine. It was just unfortunate that he chose a really cold but comparitively windless day to fly down the Mersey past the wind turbines and towards the Irish Sea at 40 knots! Gary was in his element.... I sat in the back astride the seats clutching the handle with my fur hat on and looking like a wind blown meerkat! It was cold, it was worse than cold it was blooming freezing. This is definitely a toy for hot weather climes. I think that I will stick to sailing! </span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-51355675681437457952016-01-14T07:15:00.001-08:002016-01-14T10:00:54.990-08:00Miraflores ....Panama Canal part 2<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Tied up to the large buoy in Gatun Lake, we said Adios to Victor and settled down to a well earned beer and a plate full of Spaghetti Bolognese. It was a very still, warm night and when we finally settled down in our cabin for some shut eye before an early 6.30 start the next day, I was hoping for a few good hours sleep. It was not to be.....it was just so warm in our bow cabin, when I did finally fall asleep I woke up to see John disappearing through the front hatch, he had decided to try to get some sleep on deck.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">In what seemed no time at all it was 6.30 and I awoke to the sound of the Pilot Boat dropping off our Adviser for the day, Carlos. Carlos told us we had a slot at the Miraflores Locks of 11.10. It's roughly about thirty miles to the Locks so that meant we had to put our skates on. When you book to go through the Canal you have to give the powers that be an average speed. This has to be above five knots an hour, I have heard that they will accept no less. I don't know what Mike put down but we had to average six and a half if we were to make it on time. Carlos wasn't worried, he told us we had nine large ships coming towards us throughout our trip across the Lake and as we approached each of them he let us know the best way to approach and the 'short cuts' we could safely make in the marked channel. Once past each ship, he crossed it off his list and waited to make contact with the next. Carlos was a happy soul and a good adviser. As we motored along he told us endless facts about the Lake.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are nine villages under the Lake, that were submerged when the Lake was formed.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">During the dry season you can see the tops of the trees that emerge from the underground terrain as the water level drops.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Smithsonian Institute has an Island on the Lake where they investigate and research the different animals currently living on the Lake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Closer to the Miraflores Lock we saw Titan, apparently the biggest floating crane currently in use. This was formerly German, built during World War 2 and bought by the Americans for a couple of dollars. They then spent a considerable amount adapting it to be able to float. It is a big beast I have to say.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The prison where Noriega is currently imprisoned can be seen as you approach the Miraflores Lock.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They are constantly dredging the Lake and you can see this process as you make your way past the 200+ buoys on the way to the Locks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We made it in time, they were running late and we had to hover outside the Lock waiting for a huge Passenger Liner to come out. Once that manoeuvre was completed it was our turn! This time we were going in the Lock first and the huge car transporter Fargo was going in after us. ' Couldn't you get anything bigger?' We asked!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We made our way slowly in the Lock and repeated the same process. The line handlers on the lockside threw us the monkeys fist, we attached it to the bowline on the boat and then did our best to try to ensure the light line stayed out the water. We edged up to the last bollard before the exit lock gate secured our lines and waited for Fargo to make its way in. The tugs had some difficulty lining the huge vessel up as the wind was swirling and from where we were looking it seemed that he would only just fit in! As it slowly made its way into the Lock we heard the pilot say ' there's a yacht in front of me I cannot see it....can someone tell me how close I am!' Scarey Stuff!! Someone from the vessel came down and we could see him relaying information about our distance to Pilot on the VHF. That sight was a little more reassuring for us, as were the two dings of the bells on the mules telling the Pilot that they understood his instruction....but it edged its way to around 30 feet or so away before all the lines were tightened by the mules and it came to a stop.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The water level started to drop and we slowly let out the lines following Carlos's expert instruction. The stern lines were around the winches and I have to say this seemed a much easier process than pulling the lines in. However, out on the bow there is no shade and it's hot, very hot so a hat and sun tan cream is a must! Of course needless to say I had forgotten both!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once out the first Lock there is a small lake a few hundred metres or so to cross so the guys take the monkeys fists in and they get thrown back at you in Lock two. At the next Lock you have the added joy of being watched by what must have been two hundred or so spectators who were watching from the viewing balconies, clicking away with their cameras and waving at you furiously. It seemed sort of strange to me that people would come on holiday to do this but each to their own I guess.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Once through the third Lock Carlos warned Mike on the helm that he would not need to drive out the Lock . It was also important for us to take the lines in quickly and only when he told us. We waited until the gates were open and the fresh water and salt water were nicely mixing then following his instruction we shot out of the lock gates at five knots in neutral! We were in the Pacific!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mike tried to no avail to get on a buoy at Balboa Yacht Club. This yacht club does not seem to be very yacht friendly. They do not answer the VHF and when we finally got them on the phone it was a firm ' no chance'. It might have been better if we had let Carlos ring them but we were not too disheartened and we continued onto the anchorage at La Playita, put the hook down and cracked open a beer. Mike took us ashore in the dinghy where he was informed that it was $35 a week to use the dinghy dock. It was a very secure dock with guards and it was sound with a number of cleats to tie to. So whilst it seemed a bit steep, it does give you peace of mind if you are planning to go into Panama City.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Our job done ....we climbed into Rogers Cab and made our way back to Shelter Bay. It had been a great experience.</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-18673811719579956412016-01-08T13:24:00.000-08:002016-01-09T10:10:15.134-08:00Gatun Locks ...Panama Canal part 1 !<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Just before the New Year we had a knock on the hull and our friends of Romano Mike and Gill were looking for line handlers at short notice ....all you needed to do was be able to tie a bowline. Well I can but sometimes if really rushed they go a little wonky! We agreed and I spent the next day tying bowlines to bottles, rails, other bowlines .....if it was stationary for any length of time I tied a bowline to it! We left Shelter Bay at around one in the afternoon and made our way to the anchorage outside Gatun Locks. The adviser was due at 3.30 as we dropped the hook Mike called the Port Authority to tell them we were in place to pick up the adviser only to be told that he would now arrive around 4.00 and we were going through with a container vessel called Atlantic Klipper. </span><br />
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It got to 4.10 and we saw a pilot boat making its way towards us. It very skilfully edged it's way alongside and Victor our adviser hopped on. He explained to us that we were going behind Atlantic Klipper in the locks and to make our way slowly behind it to the lock. We were the only yacht going through so all four line handlers would have to work.....sometimes if there are two or three yachts going through at the same time the yacht in the middle has little to do while those either side work just two lines each. We had prepared the boat while we were waiting outside the lock, covering the solar panels with cushions to protect them from the possibility of being damaged by a monkeys fist (the hard ball of rope at the end of the line which would be thrown over from the side of the lock to the boat ...it's a bit like a cricket ball.)Romano also had a kayak attached to the side which had to be bought onto the boat. The covered tyres that supplemented the fenders were tied on and we figured we were just about ready.The hundred foot lines were passed through the centre of the cleats so as to stop the lines flicking off when we went down the locks at Miraflores. We had put bowlines in all the lines so all we needed to do now was put the monkeys fist through the bowline tie another bowline to attach and we were sorted ....Simple!</span><br />
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Two tugs gently pushed Atlantic Klipper into place so it was lined up with the docks and we watched the mule trains do their job tightening the lines and ensuring the container ship was ready to move along the lock towards the lock gate at the other end of the lock. As we watched waiting for Victor to tell us to go he was explaining that the back of the boat was the brakes and the main thing was to keep the lines tight and to work together to keep the boat in the centre of the lock. We made our way slowly into the lock and he shouted at the lock side line handlers to throw the monkeys fist in the centre of the boat to avoid both the solar panels and our heads! </span><br />
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With monkeys fist in hand I secured the light line to our bowline and held it up so the light line did not drag in the water. Mike slowly moved the boat into place behind Atlantic Klipper making sure the guys on the lock side did not have to run but keeping a good walking pace.Victor told us the boys gets p***ed off with you if you make them run and we didn't want to do that! Once in situ the guys took in the light line with the line attached and put the bowline around the bollard. Victor then gave us instructions of how tight he wanted the line to be. As the water gushed into the locks it was pretty hard work bringing that line in and keeping it tight. Gloves were a must. </span><br />
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There are three locks to go through before you get to the lake but once through the first lock I felt a lot more confident. I realised that there is no rush and if you just followed Victors instructions then no problem.....just enjoy the experience. Once the lock gates open its bring the long blue line in as quick as possible and hold up the light line for the guys to walk along the lockside. They had to climb up the stairs so you need to hold that light line nice and high so it doesn't snag on anything and break. Once up the stairs it's just a matter of the same again ......once in place let out the blue line so they can attach to the bollard and tighten. It was getting dark by the time we were going through the last lock and once through to the lake it was around 7.15 and pitch black. Victor piloted us to the buoy were would stay the night. The buoy is not light and it's really not that easy to see. He had already radioed for his pilot boat to come and collect him and shortly after he helped us secure to the buoy he was stepping onto it once more to hop onto the pilot boat and away off into the night. He told us that it was likely we would have a different adviser the following day and he would arrive at six thirty and tell us what time we would go through the locks at the other end the lake. In the meantime it was time to crack open a beer. We had deserved it! </span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-81380131837959765002016-01-02T09:15:00.002-08:002016-01-02T09:17:55.042-08:00Shelter Bay Wildlife<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Shelter Bay Marina is situated in what was formerly Fort Sherman, the US army base that was used for jungle training as well as being the primary defence base for the Caribbean section of the Canal. It was handed back to Panama in 1999 and whilst it is now a nature park all of the officers quarters, the handball court, the church and other assorted buildings are still standing but in a desolate and sad state of repair.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This is a street sign at first I thought it was beware of low flying hats but then figured it was telling you there is a sentry station ahead!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">In an effort to keep some semblance of being fit we go for a walk through the park which is full of wildlife. One of the most beautiful things here are the big, blue butterflies. They are huge,some the size of your hand and their turquoise wings catch the sunlight beautifully, unfortunately I have not been able to capture one on camera so I have to admit to cheating and copying a photo of one from Google images! Never going to be another David Bailey.....</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Howler monkeys are also great, you see them high up in the trees and John always encourages them to make themselves heard by doing his Tarzan impersonation. Surprisingly this works and they often reply to him whilst keeping way up in the top of the palm trees looking down at interlopers on their patch. They often get set off at night when it seems that a change in barometric pressure can set them off and at the same time give us fair warning that rain is on the way! Clever stuff!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">There are also so pretty mean leaf cutter ants here. They are huge and whole armies of them march across the road from one side of the jungle to the other. I'm not sure why there are leaves on both sides of the road but I'm sure it's all part of some cunning plan!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I've also got to mention the Crocodiles. Here is the marina there are a couple of crocs, not good news if you want to dive down and clean the hull. One of them has been given the name Rocky and he can often be seen sunning himself over on the other side of the channel that comes into the Marina. We have also seen them in the Canal and once through Gatun Lakes you are advised ...no swimming due to the Crocs. We stick to the swimming pool! However they have been known to come up into the jungle and when out on our walks John arms himself with a good hefty stick to ward off Crocodiles or any other predator that might be on the look out for a snack!....with his Crocodile Dundee hat on he looks the part at least! We do not want to end up as a light snack for the Turkey Vultures that pass through Panama on their way to Argentina and can be seen circling over the Jungle areas looking for carrion. These things are big ugly brutes!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Whilst on the subject of wildlife I feel I have to mention a store we found in Panama City. It was called Tactical Army, a pretty unusual name for a store we thought. On closer inspection we found that we could buy anything you wanted as long as it was in khaki or camouflage colours. It's motto was ' Everything you want for Battlefield and Weekend Warriors' ! Its stock included guns and knives of all shapes and sizes, camouflage tents and many items of battle dress! Weird or what? Not something that will catch on in the UK I hope!</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-84925845444487887232015-12-22T14:09:00.001-08:002015-12-22T14:09:37.472-08:00Shelter Bay <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">So we have now been here for a couple of weeks. Our first impressions of Shelter Bay are that it is well sheltered and safe. There is a slightly more American feel to Panama whereas I think the Spanish influence was more in evidence in Colombia, though having been used to the windy Colombian coast it's quite a pleasant change to get in a sheltered harbour. First things first we had to check in. There is a little shed here which it would be very easy to miss ....this is the Port Captains office. Fortunately he speaks some English so we were able to follow what he was saying. I have been trying to learn Spanish via an app called Duolingo this tells me I'm now 17% fluent in Spanish which in reality means if I'm lucky I can get the gist of what is being said and offer up a few words in return! However I will persevere as being able to speak Spanish definitely puts you at an advantage! Having checked in the Immigration Officer who was very helpful and checked us in for 72hours in which time we needed to go into Colon to see the Port Captain there and get our cruising permit then return back to her with two passport photos for our visa.The Marina puts on a bus that goes into Colon in the morning and again in the afternoon so we duly signed up for the next day. Once we had our cruising permit in our hand we were told to go back to the Office and we would get a three month stamp on our passport. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The tugs pushing the container ships in place for their transit</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">So off we trundled the next day,Mauricio the bus driver dropped us off at the Port Captains Office in downtown Colon and after knocking on every office door we finally found the Port Captain. There were quite a few in the Office and it was apparent that something was awry! There was a lot of huffing and puffing and shaking of heads...... A guy called Luis took us under his wing and as he spoke English he was able to let us know what was going on ....the system had frozen!! Just our luck. Luis suggested that we go and get our passport photos for our visa whilst we were waiting ....not a bad idea as he said he would show us where we could do this. Colon is not for the feint hearted, many of the building are falling down,there are people sleeping rough and the general advice is get a taxi to where you want to go, do not wander around with anything valuable and if possible no bags. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"> The old lock gates Crocodiles have been seen here!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Luis however told us to stick with him and he would show us the way. As we set off, as it turned out it wasn't far, the heavens opened! I began to resemble a drowned rat but John with his trusty Crocodile Dundee hat did not fare so badly. We got to the shop, one of those Chinese run we sell everything type of shops and I was expecting a booth like you get in the local supermarket in the UK but no we had our photos taken,printed and ten copies cut to size with a guillotine all for $2....bargain! I just kept my fingers crossed that a picture of me hair dripping and soaked to the skin would be acceptable for my visa! So back we strolled to the Port Captain hoping that our cruising permit would be there waiting for us when we arrived, wishful thinking, no such luck! So we waited and waited til finally it became obvious that we would be out of luck today. So determined we would catch the afternoon bus back to Shelter Bay we agreed we would return the next day. Sure enough the cruising permit was waiting for us the next day and with our 72 hours well and truly up we finally got our passports stamped and our visa a week after having arrived. Knowing what we know now, I think we would probably hand the whole process over to an agent to do all the running around .....worth a few bucks just to forego the hassle.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"> The new locks ...work in progress</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We have now been into Colon and Panama City on the Shelter Bay bus which has very little suspension and we soon discovered if you want to minimise the effect of the bumpy roads try to sit in the front! The trip to Colon involves going on a very small one way bridge through the locks. If you are unlucky enough to get a red light then the wait can be up to an hour whilst they move two supertankers into the lock and finally close the gates enabling the traffic to pass through. It does enable you to get off the bus and watch the tugs stuffing these enormous ships into the locks and the trains tighten the lines to slowly pull the ships into the lock. There are currently new locks being built and a bridge that will mean that the traffic can flow freely .Inevitably these projects are behind schedule but it will make such a difference to the flow of both marine and local traffic. Shelter Bay is in what was an American base, it is now a nature park and there are a few good walk but more of that later.....</span></div>
Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-88930870605282064272015-12-06T09:07:00.002-08:002015-12-06T09:11:22.181-08:00Panama<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">So we finally found a decent weather window.....not an easy task in Colombia, either no wind, too much wind or wind going the wrong way it seems to me! We decided to leave early in the morning hoping that it would then allow us to get sixty miles or so before dark but also for us to be I front of the edge of the strong winds that were evident on Weather 4D our weather app of choice. As I let slip the lines I noticed that there were swarms of midges behind the stern sheltering from the wind! Usually the wind has been strong enough to keep the mossies and no seeums away but this morning they seemed to be out in full force and by the time we had slipped the lines and driven out of the marina with the gearbox behaving beautifully both John and I realised that we were both starting to resemble a pin cushion! The insects had had a tasty breakfast and the scratching that continued over the next two days had started! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We had a good sail winds around twenty knots to start and then the wind moved around onto a reach..... we averaged six and a half knots covering about 165nm day one though we did slow down day two. The trip I'm glad to say was uneventful and we decided we did not want to go into Colon in the dark so we put into Portabello, dropped the hook and chilled over the weekend. It was like a millpond in there so we had plenty opportunity to catch up on some sleep. The anchorage at Portobello is disturbed by water taxis whizzing across the bay ferrying workers and assorted travellers to both sides of the Bay. It is also littered with 'dead' boats which is sad to see. We did not put our dinghy in the water but noticed that the water taxis came very close to the boats and particularly at night if your dinghy was not raised then it was possibly dicing with disaster! We lit up our cockpit to ensure the boat boys could see us as they ferried revellers back on Saturday night. Apart from the drumbeat that went on into the early hours and the unmistakeable sound of outboard engines the anchorage was still and we both slept soundly. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We figured it would take us about five hours to get to Shelter Bay. Leaving early Monday morning on another good reach we got to the outskirts of Colon and the numerous parked large cargo vessels in good time. Going through busy anchorages like this is when AIS is really useful, it makes it so much easier to identify those parked and those still moving very slowly.you can also earwig in on some interesting conversations on the VHF......one interesting one we listened to between two large cargo ships ' Vessel A I have you on my AIS what are your intentions? ' ' Vessel B I am at anchor, repeat I am at anchor' ' Vessel A we have a cpa (closest point of approach). of .5nm what are your intentions?' Somewhat exasperated the reply came back 'we are at anchor!' The reply was an increasingly concerned and edgy ' yes you are at anchor but we are not under command ( in other words drifting! ) stunned silence on the end of the radio and then came the reply 'Standby' .......we heard no more from these two ships and looked at the AIS monitor to see if we could work out who it might be ...but no luck they were probably out of our range but hoping the outcome was not too stressful! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">As you can see from the picture it is a little busy in Colon! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">However we are safely tucked up here in Shelter Bay and planning what next?!</span></div>
Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-41071881426012789282015-12-01T10:08:00.001-08:002015-12-01T10:13:37.568-08:00Just about ready to leave!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Amazingly having been in Colombia for nearly five months ......has it really been nearly five months?! In that time we have painted the decks,replaced the gearbox as well all those boat jobs that are standard....oil change, fuel filters the list is endless but necessary.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We tried to source a gearbox in Colombia but all the advice we got was it was a logistical nightmare so in the end John hopped on a plane to Miami, picked one up that we had shipped down from Washington and bought it back in his suitcase! Fortunately our Hurth gear box weighed 20kg and fitted neatly into our hard suitcase so there were no problems with weight. John was three days in Miami and he was quite surprised by the place. The buses were free,the roads wide and tree lined and the hotel he stayed in was run by Greeks....it's a small world. He managed to keep himself in check as he perused West Marine chandlery where he got chatting to one of the staff who hailed from Cork and after a long chat with him he managed to get staff discount....I think it's called having the gift of the gab!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">I had to go back to UK for a couple of weeks so John fitted the gearbox then and a fine job he did too! By the time I returned he had the thing fitted the shaft aligned and Dorothy, our Perkins engine was purring nicely and obviously pleased with the new addition in the engine room!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The week before we were due to leave we had some rough weather one night. The Colombians call it ..'pollos culo'...which roughly translated means 'chickens Arse'. Basically it's when the wind comes out of the South/ South West . The weather did not last that long but by daybreak the damage was evident. All the yachts had no problem but two of the fishing boats were sunk. It would seem that both of them had no automatic bilge pump. The heavy rain filled the boats and the wind slapped more sea water over their sterns which were close to the water line as they had large outboards weighing them down. Both were towed onto dry land in a sorry state .....it will be a long time before they get those outboards going again ....if at all!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Before we came to Colombia many of those that know us back in the UK asked....'Is it safe?' Well we felt perfectly safe but whilst in Puerto Velero the Armarda boys who guard the coast managed to impound a fishing boat that was full of drugs.They towed the boat in and it put along side the Catamaran that had been impounded a long while back for the same offence .....they were getting quite a collection! We got quite friendly with some of the Armarda who lived in a container at the end of the pontoon. They changed shift about every month but once a week a whole bus load would arrive for training which seemed to consist of going to the end of the pontoon and jumping off and the having to swim to the shore or drag themselves onto the pontoon. They would of course sing as they swam.....all good male bonding stuff.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally we figured we were ready to leave so asked JC if he would clean the hull and the propellor which he did free diving! He told us that an octopus had taken up residence on part of our hull and had had to evict him! Our prop cleaned we were finally hot to trot.</span></div>
Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-78425245375094763712015-10-08T10:32:00.001-07:002015-10-09T05:41:29.075-07:00It's not all sun,sea and cerveza!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Is it a bird ?.....is it a plane?....no it's a dead gear box or transmission as they like to call it over here. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">For a while I have been saying to John ' you know our engine sounds different' john has shook his head and assured me 'I can't hear anything' ....so we both put it down to the odd vibration from something in the saloon. When we sailed into Puerto Velero John had remarked.....' There must be a very strong current I'm sure we should be doing more than 4.5 knots with this wind !' ....but we moored fine in our spot and truth be told forgot all about these warning signs. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We should have suspected something when our morse became more difficult to put in gear....but John changed the morse for a spare we had and tested the gear box every day to check we were good to go for our trip to Panama. Hindsight is a wonderful thing! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We caught a taxi to immigration and the same pleasant guy who stamped our passports in stamped them out. He wished us a pleasant trip and said he hoped we would return to Colombia....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">It was afternoon before our zarpe arrived....we were good to go. John sorted out the lines and I was going to take her out. I put the morse into gear and to say we crawled away from the dock is no exaggeration.....something was not right. However, we persevered and got as far as the green buoy at the entrance and John had had enough, there was little wind and it was obvious there was something wrong so turning into what wind there was we dropped the hook and John started to investigate. It was clear there was something wrong with our forward gear, up came the engine lid, out came the spanners(or wrenches for our American friends) and after many Anglo Saxon expletives from both of us, we declared it knackered! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">'Ahh!' says John 'but we have still got reverse....so this is the plan. We stay here tonight and tomorrow unless by some miracle the gearbox sorts itself out, we will reverse into our former spot' </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">At this point we notice the Marina rib on its way out to us. That's good we both thought and really thoughtful of them to come out and make sure we are ok. On closer scrutiny we saw that Christina, the nice girl from the office, was also in the rib with Alex the dock master.....'Mister John!' She calls out ' I have made a mistake, you still owe us 19,000 pesos!! ' No what's wrong, how can we help just relief that we were still able to pay them .LOL. Alex had thought that we had decided to drop the hook and leave early the next day so had offered Christina a lift to collect her money. Well we had no pesos left and so we did a deal ... It was twenty bucks or nothing ....Christina was very happy with twenty bucks as she kept apologising for her error we told Alex of our dilemma and our plan for the following day. 'Si, Si no problem ....'</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Up early the next day and with a light north westerly we sat having our breakfast talking over the plan for getting back on our mooring when there is a knock on the hull. It's Juan Carlos ( Juan Ca for short ....I know it's terrible but everyone calls him it and I guess ignorance is bliss!) , the assistant dock master and he's wondering what is happening. Well JC ( a much better nickname in my opinion) speaks no English so out comes the iPad and John uses a translation app we have to explain to him what is wrong and our master plan. Laboriously but successfully John speaks to the iPad and the iPad then speaks to JC in Spanish and it works! ' Si, Si no problem!' </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So with me bringing up the hook and JC back on the pontoon ready to take our lines ....we are ready to execute 'the plan'......</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well John puts her into reverse and she starts to move then the most horrendous noise emanates from the engine room. It is difficult to describe....it sounded like all of John's spanners we're spinning around a tumble dryer!! This could mean only one thing....we had no reverse. Revert to PlanB ..... We would have to sail onto the end of the pontoon. JC understood my gesticulations and moved onto the end of the finger pontoon ready John busied getting lines altered and fenders down as I sailed her slowly, very slowly to the dock. Several tacks later we had to do a 360 to line her up and I was used the bow thruster to edge her towards the dock. It became obvious we would not make the end of finger D but looked good for finger E. JC did his Usain Bolt impersonation sprinting around the dock arriving just as John was jumping ashore. We were back! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The following Monday we made a trip back into town to see our good friend at immigration. The Marina had phoned to explain our problem and the Immigration Officer was all smiles welcoming us back to Colombia and stamping us in for 90 days. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">John had the gearbox out within a day and declared the gearbox terminal.....now all we had to do was source a new one, get it to Colombia and fit it! Simple! </span></div>
Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-51740897014080032742015-09-24T11:23:00.000-07:002015-09-24T11:23:08.338-07:00Road Trip to Medellin<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">As we prepare to leave Colombia we were lucky enough to get the opportunity to go to Medellin with our friend Ben. He had decided to drive there as he needed to do some business there. We left Puerto Velero early and as we drove further South East the landscape changed. The area was much more rural .....green fields, cattle and more and more Gauchos. Colombia has very good air connections and the majority of people that leave from Barranquilla to go to Medellin would go by Avianca on a smart Airbus 320 but we were in a very comfortable 4x4 Pathfinder. Ben had already decided he was not going to rush and we decided to stop overnight about 8 hours into our journey. The road to Caucasia was busy but not outrageous though ominously there were quite a lot of trucks. There are Peaje on all the roads in Colombia but the tolls are not outrageous varying from 6,200 pesos to around 9,700 pesos. This sounds a lot but in reality it's between one to two pounds. A little better value than the M6toll road !However some roads are definitely better than others and those littered with pot holes made for a bumpy road at times! The gauchos on horse back definitely had the the right idea! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">A lot of Colombians use motorbikes so do not have to pay the tolls but on this road facing big trucks and lorries hurtling towards you on the wrong side of the road to avoid the potholes it is not for the faint hearted. One sight I will not forget is that of three school kids in spotless school uniform on the one bike weaving its way through the traffic to school...beats the school bus I guess.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The scenery reminded me more of England and as we got closer to Caucasia the heavens opened and we made it to the hotel just as the thunder and lightening struck. At this time of year thunder and lightening is quite common and we have now heard of quite a few boats getting struck by lightening. This can be catastrophic.....losing all your electrics is expensive and a pain to replace. The Hotel was very local, air conditioning that sounded like a DC10, cold water and lights that stemmed to have a mind of their own but it was fine we were only staying overnight. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We left early the next morning at 7.30 anticipating that we would be in Medellin around midday. What do we know?!! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Well we know now that the road to Medellin from Caucasia is a mother! The road climbs slowly to above 2600m, it twists and turns and at time disappears with roadworks reducing it to one lane. This would have been bad enough but you share the road with large oversize trucks that cannot manage more than 10kph and struggle to get themselves around the 180 degree bends. The scenery is beautiful though for a lot of the time the valleys were shrouded in mist. On either side of the roads were houses often no more than wooden shacks and you had to feel for the inhabitants....nowhere for the young children to play with ravine at the back and trucks hurtling past your front door. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">They had tapped the mountain streams to provide high pressure water hoses at the road. These naturally had no off switch and because it had been raining the pressure provided endless sprays of water over the road . The more enterprising inhabitants used the water to provide car washes for the trucks at various places along the road. Colombian truck drivers tend to keep their trucks sparkling and shiny......but this still does not detract from the fact that some of their driving habits left me with my heart in my mouth! Overtaking on bends on a steep incline with zero visibility seemed a particularly popular manoeuvre...</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As you might of guessed in such conditions our progress was slow...40kms in three hours. However as we eventually started our descent to Medellin the scenery changed again ...the trees turned to Pine trees and if you did not know better you would have thought you were in Switzerland. The road did improve but another sight that made us all laugh out loud was that of an drivers cab on the side of the road. It looked a bit out of place and on closer inspection we discovered inside was a statue of a cab driver, a young child and the Virgin Mary! It was a shrine to all the lorry drivers that obviously use that road. Well that was certainly different! It was just a shame I did not manage to get a picture. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally we made it to Medellin and we had booked a Hotel that was fairly central which turned out to be a real find. It was a great little hotel with everything you could possibly need all for the great expense of £25 a night including breakfast. Quiet air con, hot water and a fridge that worked! We also had the best meal we have had in Colombia, bottle of wine, dessert a brandy for the two of us it was a snip at £18. We made a good choice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The hotel was just at the gates of the San Joaquin Church, a fairly new church with an interesting design. The bells definitely worked calling people to Mass at seven o clock on Sunday morning but luckily they did not last for long. Medellin is a very new city and talking to Colombians they would say it's the place to be as it has a rail system and many modern malls. It just seemed to us that anything old had been knocked down to make way for the new. This may be a little unfair as we were only there a day but the scenery on the way made it worth the journey and like every Colombian we have met they were happy, smiley people. It had been a good trip and we arrived back at the boat to another horrendous thunderstorm and torrential rain but all was well and we were back home.</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-10304247523919647222015-09-08T06:56:00.001-07:002015-09-08T06:56:25.160-07:00Cartegena<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Rather than sail to Cartegena John and I drove to the city from Puerto Velero. The journey takes just over an hour and it's a good road. We could have caught a bus but as we needed to drop off our hire car we figured that leaving it in Cartegena and treating ourselves to a few days in a hotel was a good option. The road to Cartegena is quite an easy one with nowhere near the traffic we experienced going to Santa Marta. We passed the Sombrero Parador where we have eaten a really good meal for a great price and resisted the temptation of stopping off there for a snack! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We booked a hotel inside the walled city ...the Zana Boutique Hotel and what a little gem it was. Air conditioned room, the Internet, breakfast on the roof terraces do all within walking distance of the main sites. The cost for four nights was very reasonable .... and the staff were great so friendly and helpful and more importantly for us..... Juan spoke English! So we did not have to resort to thrusting the iPad at them having asked the translation app to do its stuff and ask 'which way to the nearest bar!' </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is quite a lot to see in the walled city but it's hot, steamy and very busy so we decided to pace ourselves and the first stop was to the very impressive Castillo de San Felipe. The castle is located on the Hill of San Lázaro in a strategic location, dominating approaches to the city by land or sea.Built by the Spanish during the colonial era construction began in the year 1536 and it was expanded in 1657. Arming ourselves with hats, plenty of water and an English audio guide we were able to find our way around this impressive castle which dominates the view from the old city. Interestingly we discovered parts of English Naval History we never knew about....23,000 lost in the Battle of Cartegena, where we got our backsides kicked by a much smaller navy with the strategic importance of the fortress really coming into its own. Apparently George II instructed that the loss was to be kept quiet if you read the losses of ships as well as naval personnel you can understand why! ( https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Cartagena_de_Indias ). We were also fortunate that the heavens opened as we were nearing the hospital area, sheltering in there we found a really good video explaining the gradual development of the castle and it was in English!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">As the rain gradually eased and with the roads temporarily flooded we took refuge in a local cafe and tried out our Spanish ordering ourselves something to eat that looked vaguely recognisable.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">The walled city is packed full of bars and restaurants as well as places of interest. As we walked past one an American collared us with an offer that was too good to resist....two mojito for 20,000 pesos ....that's around £4.50 ! He also countered the offer with ' if you don't like them then you don't have to pay!' .....never being one to resist a challenge we sat down and forced ourselves to try them ( not!). On a hot humid afternoon it was just what we needed....inevitably...we paid!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The bar also had a humidor with both Cuban and Colombian cigars for sale. One thing that we have noticed in Colombia is that they do not smoke. If you smoke you are very much the outsider. Cigarettes are not readily on sale in the big supermarkets and the little corner shops sell cigarettes singularly as well as by the packet. Whilst cigarettes are not expensive it is good to see the young people making the choice to spend their money on other things.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Dotted around the old city were also metal work statues and there were some in the square close to our hotel. They all depicted everyday scenes and one particular one of a guy leaning against a tree having a pee was always subject to the scrutiny of young children. Several times I saw young children tug at their mums hand and looking puzzled ask 'What's he doing Mum?' Their varying responses made me smile, some would ignore the child completely whilst others laughed and went into long explanations in Spanish (incomprehensible to me!).</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Within the walled city there are many museums and statues. It is a vibrant and interesting place, street vendors on every corner are not too intrusive and they seemed to understand that 'no' meant 'no'. There is something of interest on most streets, for instance the local corner shop to our Hotel just oozed character and how it was still standing I'm not sure! Not quite your local Co op!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The naval museum is well worth a visit and whilst they do warn you that most of the signage is in Spanish, John and I used it as an opportunity to try to extend our Spanish. It is very visual so we were able to get the gist of most of the exhibits.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We spent four interesting days in Cartegena and we were glad that we decided to make it a road trip. The anchorage outside Club Nautico looked like it could get a little rolls when the powerboats come past and we were told by more than one yachtie that you hull gets fouled very quickly there. One guy even told us he had a diver go down to clean his hull every two weeks!! Yikes!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">With an ever increasing list of jobs we have decided to go to Shelter Bay when we leave Colombia. We need to sort out yet another problem with our mast and so will haul out there. Now it is the inevitable wait for the weather window...... </span></div>
Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-79672384551209762012015-08-27T14:28:00.001-07:002015-08-27T14:59:17.831-07:00An unwanted visitor<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">The prospect of having a rat aboard your boat is one that worries most cruisers. When anchored out this is not so much of a worry but when in a marina or port it certainly can be. John recently went back to the UK to help one of his daughters move to Gibraltar and I stayed to look after our home armed with a list of jobs to do whilst he was away. No worries!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I slowly worked my way down the list, varnishing, cleaning the bilge, washing down all the interior covers ....all ticked off the list. I replaced the mosquito netting on the small hatches one day and felt pleased with myself only to find the next morning when I awoke that there was a large hole in the one above the cooker. I had foolishly left the hatch open feeling secure in the fact that it was covered with the netting. At first I thought it was the wind that had torn the netting but then sitting down sipping my morning cuppa a horrible thought occurred to me .....we had a rat onboard!! I was astounded that one had decided to jump on board as we are a good 200m down the pontoon with other yachts in the frame before ours but no ratty had obviously earmarked Orion as a yacht full of stuff to eat, chew and generally gnaw away at! Rats can be really difficult to get rid of on a boat and have been known to cause severe damage to wiring, hoses etc ..... In short they are bad news. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So what to do....I asked at the marina if they had any traps or poison ....no but they would get some. I decided not to wait took a trip into Puerto Colombia and armed myself with snap traps and poison which I set that evening. I spent the rest of the day listening out for the blighter and convinced it was in the bow I dragged out everything that it could chew....my BCD, bedding, everything was taken out and put in the saloon. I then bolted the watertight door safe in the knowledge that he could not get into the rest of the boat.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">But ....the next morning as I stepped into the saloon I was horrified to find evidence of the darn thing all around the saloon .....mistake number one.....so all the stuff I had dragged out of the bow then went back in along with anything else I thought it might enjoy as a snack! I set the traps again this time in the saloon with the bow blocked off and the stern cabin shut off at all times surely this time he would take the bait?! I set the traps with a little peanut butter everyone kept telling me how this could not fail....but it did for five days I decamped early each night to the stern and listened for the sound of the trap doing its worse to Ratty. John suggested leaving it a route to escape from the boat but this only made it worse as I could hear it padding about the decks at night and then had to clear up its mess the following day. I was worried that I would end with a whole colony aboard and just getting rid of this bugger was proving challenging enough! So every night the boat was shut up tight and the only thing for Roddy to eat was the peanut butter or the poison that I eventually decided to put down. After five days my eyes started to play tricks on me and I began to imagine I saw him down a hole in the Saloon where the chart table seat fits. I had removed the seat as the ruddy rat was enjoying dancing about on the chart table each night. I covered the hole with a saucepan lid held securely in place with a heavy winch on top! I'd got it...... Well no I hadn't!....there was nothing there. I was started to get mightily p****d off with this rat. Every morning the bleach would come out and I systematically washed down all the surfaces where there was evidence the rat had been or might have been and every morning I awoke to empty rat traps. It had started to eat the poison though...then this was a worry as it might actually die somewhere on the boat that was inaccessible. This was always a possibility as I had emptied and and cleared lockers that many times now and had still not managed to get a sighting of the illusive rodent! By now all the surfaces in the saloon were clear and every conceivable ventilation hole blocked with bungs, tape, heavy toolboxes you name it....this was war .....and the rat was winning!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Meanwhile John would ring every day for an update hoping for good news before he arrived back in Colombia.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">No such luck eight days after the rat climbed aboard John arrived back, tired and exhausted from his journey he decided to rip out the fridge to see if it was behind there. I had been unable to do this by myself as it was screwed down and definitely a two man job. The fridge came out and yes Roddy had definitely been behind there but he was no longer there having chewed through the electrical wiring to the freezer. We cleared up the mess and once more set the traps and put out the poison. The next morning there was no visible sign of his presence (no droppings) but he had taken all the poison. The next morning, the same but this time he had not eaten any poison....could we be rid of him? John and I crossed our fingers that he had left as we left the boat open now in the hope he would exit the way he came. John was not so hopeful thinking that he was either very sick or dead somewhere on the boat. As anyone who knows John knows he has no sense of smell so I was the one who had to do the sniffer dog impersonation trying to determine if 'thing' was still on board. As the days passed I was becoming more hopeful he had got off the boat. As we prepared to dinner I asked John to get me something from under the boards in the saloon where we store some of our tins as it was dusk he got the torch lifted the lid and then turned to me asking exactly where this tin was......Arghh! There was the rat! It was deceased, a dead rat, it was no more and it had gone to that big rat colony in the sky! John and I had checked under there but it must have been sick but still on the move then. It was rubber gloves time again and the rodent was dispatched overboard along with all the tins it had used as its coffin!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally today has been the last day of cleaning the underfloor storage with bleach yet again and whilst the cursed thing has caused some damage I am glad to say we have managed to wrestle our boat free from the jaws of this rat pirate and there are just the two of us on board again!</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-7266490905545077752015-08-26T10:00:00.000-07:002015-08-26T10:00:00.193-07:00Road trip to Santa Marta<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We hired a car for a week to get about the area a bit more and one of the first spots we made for was Santa Marta. We could have sailed straight there from Aruba but elected to sail past and stop at Puerto Velero instead so a road trip there to see what we missed was in order. It's not the easiest of journeys as you have to find the ring road around Barranquilla which is very busy and driving in Colombia is interesting to say the least! The road to Santa Marta is littered with speed traps so we figured if we tucked ourself in behind one of the many mini buses going there, who obviously know the road and the cameras then we would be ok. This plan worked well. The road trip enabled us to experience the poverty in Colombia which is not evident when you come in by sea.<br />
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The road on the way was littered with large bins for the delivery of water and we saw many people transporting water from this in any receptacle they could find to move it to their homes which were often no more than very small wooden sheds. The overwhelming memory for me though was rubbish ...many of the homes were in what can only be described as a sea of plastic litter and assorted rubbish. We are very fortunate and the sight of how these people live and still smile was a very strong reminder for me.<br />
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Santa Marta on the other hand is a city that has developed around the port but also the mineral resources in the outlying area. It is an attractive city with quite a history. We visited the gold museum, a fascinating place setting out the history of the area very well and with an English translation.....and it was free. Some of the decorative gold pieces , earrings, nose rings, necklaces and breast plates were beautiful. Not unsurprisingly there were quite a lot of guards in the museum!<br />
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We decided to leave early enough so that we would not have to go around the dreaded Barranquilla ring road in the dark. The road for quite a long way is one lane and the large trucks that ply up and down the road along with the speed cameras can slow you down. We found ourselves dawdling behind one of the trucks unable to get around him for a good few miles....until John saw his chance and took it....ignoring the two unbroken yellow lines in the centre of the road. The joy of a clear road in front of us soon disappeared when two traffic policemen waved us down and asked John to get out of the car....! I stayed in the car scrambling around for our documents to show them. The two policemen started rattling off John's offence in Spanish to which John replied ' no hablo Espanol' I'm not sure they actually believed him until we showed them his passport. John stuck with his favourite phrase all through the conversation and it clear that the policemen were getting a little frustrated as most of their conversation now was ' no hablo Ingles!' They kept smiling though as they indicated to John that he had committed a moving traffic offence by overtaking on an unbroken yellow line and one of them gestured that perhaps this could be solved by crossing their palms with a little denario.....but at times John can play dumb with the rest of them as he just kept repeating his favourite one liner ....' No hablo Espanol! ' after five minutes or so the traffic policemen smiled, laughed and left empty handed and we were on our way...Phew!!<br />
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We got to Barranquilla as the sun was setting and eased our way around the ring road....if it wasn't for the fact that I was navigating I would have had my eyes closed for most of that trip but just when I was relaxing a little more on the two lane highway to Puerto Velero I noticed in the darkness a shape up ahead .....we were sharing the road with a skateboarder! No lights but skating down the hill taking his life in his hands! The end to quite a journey home!<br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-3643022512141658702015-07-28T10:36:00.000-07:002015-07-28T11:12:02.323-07:00Puerto Velero Colombia<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Puerto Velero lies between Santa Marta and Cartegena. It is a big sheltered bay with plenty of room to anchor however,we stayed in the new Marina which though still work in progress has a lot to offer. The floating pontoons are good and both Alex and Juan Carlos who look after the Marina side of things are very helpful. The one thing that is noticeable about this area is it is windy!! We tied up to a finger but Alex advised us to have long lines out holding us secure from the other side of the pontoon. It seems very secure and we have the Coastguard here on a permanent basis .....they live in a steel container at the end of the pontoons! However there are few boats here I counted 18 and most of these have been left by their owners whilst they travel in land or go home for the season. I would say it's a good place to do that. I have seen Alex and Juan Carlos check their lines every few days and when we had a bit of a storm they were out along the pontoons ensuring the security of all the boats. In some Marinas I have not found this to be the case....indeed the marinos complain about getting wet! When we arrived we were told that it had not rained for quite some time and this was evident as the boats that had been here a while had a visible layer of sand on them and the one heavy downpour we have had since arriving was obviously welcome!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Checking in was not much hassle the Marina took care of just about everything although we had to get a taxi into Baranquilla to immigration which again they organised for us. Raphael our taxi driver enjoyed trying out his English while we tried to converse in our basic Spanish which consisted mainly of 'Si' ....'si' ....and the occasional 'que' ! In immigration we waited in line telling them firmly ' non hablo Espanol' 'Si' came back the reply and we were then shown into a room where the immigration officer ' non hablo Ingles!' !! Finally realising that he was not going to get very far he took us downstairs to a very nice gentleman who spoke passable English, well better than our Spanish, and we were out of there in no time. Waiting for Raphael to pick us up we hopped over the road to a kiosk on the roadside to sample the local beer, Colombians seem to be very conscious about underage drinking and as John went to buy it he asked to see me (I was around the side of the kiosk) to check I was over 18! We got back to the boat at dusk and there were still kite surfers out on the water .....there's dedication for you!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">The following day we went to local village Porto Colombia using the motorbike taxi, as only the main roads are tarmaced it was a bit of a bumpy ride but good value. John and I had a bike each ,though John's was a bit of a boy racer and got there way before me. I was rather glad I got the tortoise and arrived in one piece. We ate dinner in one of the local restaurants and then did a bit of shopping for fruit and veg. It's cheap here and whilst I'm sure we were charged a little extra.....we bought lots of fruit and veg including a huge pineapple, mangoes, advacadoes and loads more for under £2....Mustn't grumble!! Whilst we were there the bin man with a donkey came to take away all the over ripe fruit and veg .....hopefully it was going to the pigs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">There is a restaurant at the marina which is really quite good, La Kioska, run and owned by an Italian, Franco, well he's from Scicily really! The food there is great good quality and really quite good value for what you get. It also gives John and me a chance to improve our Spanish. This is coming along.... slowly. Mind we had to laugh at a Pizza Express lookalike restaurant we came across and just had to take a picture</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-54448758729132667952015-07-23T07:34:00.002-07:002015-07-23T07:34:53.215-07:00Finally Colombia here we come!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leaving Aruba proved as eventful as arriving! As the process had taken us so long when arriving we were weary about leaving. We had asked about the possibility of of Customs and Immigration coming to the Marina but this was a no go. I know that the Marina staff have been asking about this for a long time and had no success but we figured there was no harm in asking though we half expected what the response would be! We had been looking at the weather now for several weeks and there seemed to be a small weather window opening that would give us just over three days to get to Puerto Velero after that it seemed to be back to the normal pattern of 30knots plus around Cabo de Vela so we decided to go for it....</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">We checked out of the Marina asked Aruba Port Authority for permission to go around to the Customs Quay and slipped our lines. When we got to the Quay we were a little dismayed to find a large barge moored with enormous very long lines to the Quay so that at least half the Quay was unavailable. In front of him was a small container vessel leaving us with a very small space to squeeze into between them. With no one on the quay to help I had to leap ashore only to find our lines were not long enough to tie alongside to the Quay. As I leapt ashore I noticed the container ship was reversing at the very same time Aruba Port Control were hailing us to tell us not to come in.....we were already there!! Fortunately as we reversed as far as we could as quick as we could he saw us and completed his manoeuvre springing off the quay as quickly as he could ...disaster averted!! As well as large black tyres there are also some nasty looking rusty metal lumps on one particular bit so advice would be make sure you have plenty of fenders out on that port side!! This time the Customs and Immigration were there, they took our papers,stamped them and did the necessary in double quick time then told us they wanted us off the quay and out of there in five minutes there was a large container ship coming in! You can't win it seems but we were happy to oblige and get outta there! </span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">We rounded Cabo de Vela with no issues and the trip was going well until we got just past The Five Bays when we were expecting a bit more wind and as we got to Santa Marta we got it! We had stayed quite close to the shore where the winds were less but had been advised to keep 10 miles offshore as we went past the mouth of the Magdalena River and Barranquilla as the seas were confused and the winds always gusting. We had gusts of 50 knots for periods of over five minutes and I can tell you it was pretty windy! George(the auto pilot) spat his dummy out and had trouble holding us on course so John and I had to hand steer. In heavy seas and strong winds this is hard work and we have friends, David and Dimity on SV Fanny Fisher who did this all the way from the Galapogos to the Marquesas when their auto pilot packed up,....that's a long way!! Respect you guys....I don't know how you did it! </span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Finally at first light with calmer seas we made it into Puerto Velero, our friend Ben was there to take our lines and after we secured the boat..we slept.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">This particular bit of the Caribbean must be treated with respect...the next day another boat came into the Marina, a Vagabond 42, Emily Morgan. They had started on a trip to Aruba but had to turn back, staysail was shredded, the engine had stopped(dirty fuel), main sail jammed and a rope around the prop. They sailed in on just the headsail, it had been quite a trip for them too!</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">Puerto Velero is a good place to chill though and that's what we intend to do for the next few weeks!</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-42677825272589309162015-07-01T07:39:00.000-07:002015-07-01T07:39:08.461-07:00Still in Aruba!!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Still waiting for this wind to weaken ....no sign of that in the next few days so John and I are resigned to enjoying Aruba's hospitality for a bit longer. All of the ABC islands are arrid and having come from the lush greenery in Grenada it is a bit of a shock. There has been very little rain in the month or so since we left there. One thing we have not seen yet but have heard about are the Boa Constrictors that live on the Island. At last count there were 17000 of them on the Island! They were bought onto the Island by some unknown inhabitant who then realised that they needed a lot of feeding and so they let their 'pets' go! Unfortunately for the Island Boa Constrictors love the place and feed on the bird population quite happily. They have decimated the bird life here ! Apparently they like to hide in car engines and so have been moving all over the Island and concern is such on the Island that they have snake hunt days when the National Park Rangers will pay $10 U.S. for each live snake handed in! One guy handed over a sack with thirty of the blighters! The snakes are then killed but it appears that the population just keeps growing....<br />
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Another thing that we have noticed in all of the Islands is that at the weekends ...but particularly here in Aruba I think, is that the more affluent Venezuelans come over in their motor boats fill the boats up with food and then return back for Monday morning. It is a sad state of affairs when these guys fill up with not luxury goods but what I see as staples....sugar, flour, toilet rolls,bottled water etc. I have to say that I would not want to be in the motor boat in these winds even if fuel is ridiculously cheap!<br />
Our neighbours here in the Marina are Keith and Ida on Cheers they have been here longer than us ...and have been lucky enough to have been offered the use of a car by other yachties that have returned home for a few weeks, so set off off on a jaunt around the Island. The importance of tourism to Aruba is evident along the coast there are strings of very smart hotels with kite surfing,snorkelling and water sports being offered. We stopped off at the California Lighthouse in the North of the Island. It is a Lighthouse originally built around around the turn of the twentieth century. It is still working but in need of some much needed tlc which apparently is on the cards.<br />
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We moved onto the Alta Vista Chapel, a tiny church and the oldest in Aruba. The majority of the seating is outside the church and there are some wonderful views. The church surrounded by cacti is still in use.<br />
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In terms of things to see .....there does not seem to be that much to see on the Island and in the South the landscape is dominated by the now abandoned Aruba Oil Refinery. The refinery is still understandably a no go area for the public and the place seemed deserted bar the security guards that patrol the perimeter but it is a bit eery! St. Nicholas ,the nearest town, previously a busy place has obviously been affected by the closure but still has a working red light district with the girls hopeful that at sometime the Refinery might open!<br />
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Latest news on when we can manage our crossing to Colombia.....the winds are looking more favourable this weekend so fingers crossed! </div>
Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-60004250001337626002015-06-19T09:45:00.000-07:002015-06-19T10:58:24.024-07:00Aruba<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-size: large;">Leaving Curaçao behind us we edged North dropping the hook at Santa Cruz , a nice anchorage with caves that have formed all the way along the coast. A good place for a snorkel. We were leaving at first light and managed to get a good nights sleep. We set sail for Aruba with the wind inevitably behind us but a pleasant 20 knots with just the Genoa out we tootled along nicely between 5-6 knots it was not til we were 10 miles or so that the wind started to pick up and reduced sail. We had decided to spend the night in Rogers Lagoon on the Southern tip of Aruba ....there are three entrances one for the fishermen which basically appeared to go straight over the reef! Not for the feint hearted! Another for the big tankers stopping off at the oil refinery and the other down a marked channel which was for all other shipping. Normally it would have been easy to pick out but when it's blowing 40 knots its sometimes not easy to distinguish the buoys......we edged slowly in and finally dropped our hook in 6 metres in what was I'm glad to say good holding. Taking a good note of the way we came in and the buoys lit up at night just in case we dragged,we set the Anchor Watch on the tablet but also decided we would take it in turns to stay up on watch. Whilst the sea was flat the wind was howling! Finally at around 1 o clock we decided the anchor must be well and truly holding....we had not moved an inch off the spot! Trying to get some sleep and waiting for the wind to drop a little we set sail for Orangestad about 12 miles up the coast.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Clearing into Aruba is different and to be honest a bit of a pain. Thirty minutes out of Orangestad you must notify Aruba Port that you wish to come in and clear Customs and Immigration. We did this and were told to wait for an hour then call back. This was a pain as it was still blowing 30 knots and milling about was no fun.....we waited an hour and got back on the VHF...no reply .....so we waited some more .....an hour and a half later and very exasperated we got the Marina on the VHF and told them of our predicament. They contacted Customs and lo and behold next time we called Customs they answered! By this time there were three boats waiting to come in....a small Venezuelan motor boat shot past also going to Customs and we met him on the Customs Quay shortly afterwards....you cannot be in a hurry with this process it's pointless! The Customs Quay is lined with big black Tractor tyres and there is no way to avoid marks on your boat unless you come prepared with something to cover them. You identify the boats that have been to Customs by the dirty marks on the hull! All in all it took us over four hours to check in and I really am not looking forward to repeating the process over again when we check out!</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Aruba is the most American of the three islands we have been to. There are lots of Malls, Starbucks,Dunkin Donuts and many very expensive watch and jewellery shops. Not really our scene but it's very comfortable and being in the Marina we have use of the pool and the Renaissance private island so it's not all bad. The iguanas line the dock during the day and they seem to really come out when the fishing boats return.....I thought they were herbivores. They a</span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;">So have a cinema here so John and I have been to the movies for the first time in many years ....2 for 1 Monday's through to Wednesday so seemed like a good idea.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">Every day we study the weather in the hope that the wind will drop for long enough for us to get around the corner but so far we have been out of luck. When the wind drops it just doesn't give us enough time to move down the Colombian coast and we really don't want to be stuck in Capo de Vela for any length of time waiting for the right weather to move on ....it's better we wait here I think. So fingers crossed for the weather to be on our side soon. In the meantime we'll just enjoy the sun, sea and local brew....</span><br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8656981576616062840.post-58794303905544062372015-06-10T05:16:00.000-07:002015-06-10T05:16:25.089-07:00Curaçao <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We left Bonaire early in the morning and sailed off our mooring hoping not to wake anyone. We hoped to make it to Curaçao before three o clock so we could check in with customs. It was a good passage and the sea was relatively calm till we reached the bottom of Curaçao and made our way up the coast. We managed to sail most of the way using just the Genoa with the wind behind us blowing 20 to 25 knots. We were aiming for Curaçao Marine where we had booked a slip so that we could investigate a creak that seemed to be coming from our boom.<br />
As we turned into Willemstad we had to alert the Queen Emma Bridge control (VHF Ch12 )that we were on our way in and needed them to open the floating pontoon. It seemed an age before they responded but in truth I think they were having a bit of trouble with the engine ....but after ten minutes or so a gap appeared at one end of the pontoon and we slid through. There was a large cruise liner in and we were the subject of many photos taken by cruisers as made our way through the floating pontoon. The floating pontoon is quite a site....and once open the ferries immediately take over so that it is always possible to get from one side of the bridge to the other. We eventually found our slip at the Marine having decided to go to Customs the following morning.<br />
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It is about a 25 minute walk from the Marina to Customs and we had not realised that they use the SailClear system here so we could have done all the bureaucratic form filling in on the Net before we arrived but never mind....Immigration is a walk or a ferry ride if the bridge is open over on the side of the town. Formalities completed we wandered around Willemstad and took in the sites and a couple of beers. Just outside Customs there are a number of Venezuelan boats that sell fresh fruit and veg every day and it seems like this is where everyone gets their veggies from. They appear to live on the boats and have an abundance of fresh fruit and veg for sale which is kind of ironic considering that we are led to believe that back in Venezuela people are struggling to put food on the table.<br />
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The following day we went to the slavery museum....well worth a trip and packed full of information. Curaçao was once the centre of the Dutch slave trade but the museum references all the 'players' in the trade with artefacts and information. There is also a garden with a Sculpture Garden for you to wander through.<br />
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John has hopefully managed to sort the creak....this involved boiling the gooseneck in oil, using one of my best pans of course! And then immersing it in ice cold water to free it up. I thought it was going to be a mother of a job but with a bit of swearing, a lot of banging and of course some skill the seized part became free and John was able to replace some of the bolts on the boom so now hopefully all is well (fingers crossed!).<br />
We are now waiting for a weather window to make it around top of Colombia ....it always seems to be blowing there and to meet up with our friend Ben there.....he's not Italian he's from Rome!<br />
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Orion 1http://www.blogger.com/profile/14776415387326230616noreply@blogger.com1