Monday, January 23, 2012

Meeting up with SV Gudrun

Green Island lacks a nice beach, but it is filled to the brim with healthy palm trees and looks very picturesque. It is a popular anchorage in the San Blas, with its protection from the swell, constant breeze, small tropical sister island to the south and its close proximity to Rio Azucar, where one can fill up with water and to Nargana, the village with fresh produce. Mark and I had parked Irie well away from all the other cruisers for some privacy and peace, but soon enough our area filled up as well. From the moment one boat “claims” a piece of water, others follow.

About a week ago, we were watching the movement of sailboats heading between islands and arriving in Green Island. It was the day we wanted to re-anchor half a mile south at Waisaladup, but we decided to wait a bit until the commotion was over. When yet another boat approached Green Island, Mark took out the binoculars and gave a broad smile. It was Gudrun, arriving from Santa Marta (Colombia) after a long and bumpy voyage. Mark guided them in and soon enough, we caught up with our friends Axel and Liz. Axel is from Germany and he was the photographer at our wedding in St. Martin, last April, and his fiancée Liz was born in New Zealand, which is where Gudrun is headed. The four of us moved to exotic Waisaladup for a few wonderful days, before sailing to Coco Bandero for a change of scenery.

The week that followed had us eat big amounts of delicious food and had us talk and hang out for hours on end, whether it was on one of our boats or on a deserted island. Fresh lobster and leftover dinners on Irie, followed by a big brunch the next day, scrumptious home-made New York style pizzas on Gudrun, a variety of goodies for lunch and a healthy pasta dish and fried garlic potatoes for dinner on Irie, a wonderfully made curry on Gudrun, hand-made vegetarian samosas and a tasty mayonnaise free coleslaw on Irie, a massive pasta salad with a big selection of chopped up vegetables on Gudrun… All of the meals, of course, were accompanied with cocktails, wine or beer and more than not a baked dessert or fresh pineapple for dessert. That New Year’s resolution of “losing weight” will have to wait just a bit longer, while all of us have certainly gained many pounds!


Brunch on Irie: mango juice, tea, home-made bread, scrambled eggs, fried breadfruit, chorizo and a canned peach!


Quickly assembled lunch on Irie with contributions from both boats.


Drinks and snacks on a tiny, sandy island with two palm trees near the coco Bandero archipelago.


Liz and I look at molas on one of the pretty Coco Bandero islands.
 

1 comment:

Axel said...

genau so war's! Thanks so much for a wonderful welcome & time in the San Blas!