From Colombia to Panama

There was one last long sailing trip from Cholon, Colombia to the closest San Blas islands in eastern Panama, before Mark and I could finally slow down. The journey was 145 miles long and we hoped to do it as an “overnighter” with the day hours on each side. We had already been checked out of the country on December 21^st (our agent Paola received our passport stamps the day before she went on vacation and said that “wouldn’t be a problem”) and our zarpe (check-out paperwork) mentioned December 25^th, plus the 24 hours extra you are allowed to stay, this meant we had to leave Colombia on Monday morning, December 26^th the day after Christmas.

Mark and I needed a day (or more) of rest, however, after all the boat prep work, running around chasing our replacement agents, provisioning, moving to Cholon, cooking a bunch of food for Christmas and spending the afternoon feasting and conversing. The weather predictions did not look favorable again. That Monday would have the best possibilities for decent wind, while the rest of the week called for 5-10 knots, which is basically nothing when going downwind. After debating all morning and looking at all kinds of weather information, we opted to stay in Cholon for a little while longer (possibly until the following weekend even) and taking our chances with the Colombian Coast Guard if they were to swing by and ask for paperwork…

On Tuesday, we only needed one hour in the morning to compare weather models and make a decision. It seemed like the wind predictions were similar to the day before; we were taking the plunge. Rested a bit and not intending to confront the officials, we left Cholon around 8am, bound for Isla Pinos in the San Blas islands. We raised our mainsail in vain and motored southwest. There was absolutely no wind! We motored for 7 (!) hours, first in flat seas, pleasant enough, then the big swell from weather systems further afield caught up with us and we had to drop the sail again (not that it was helping at all) to avoid banging and damaging of the rigging. Around 3pm we were sick of the noise, smell, extra hours on the engines and fuel consumption (motoring is not really our thing), we pulled both sails out and turned the motors off. With less than ten knots of wind from behind, Irie was moving along at around 3 knots an hour. At this pace, we would have to be “out” for two days and two nights!

Only about two hours later, things changed drastically. All of a sudden, there was wind! When Mark took his first night shift and I went to bed at 6pm, Irie was sailing along nicely at a little over 5 knots and things were looking bright again… When I took over three hours later our speed had increased a tad and the sailing was just wonderful with bright stars shining above and sparkling phosphorescent in our wake. There was no other traffic, no other life on the water at all. The night progressed and when it was my night watch again at 3am, we were flying. The waves had grown potentially with the wind increase, but as long as we were moving steadily, and we were at over 7 knots, it wasn’t too bad. By now, it was blowing 15-20 knots from abeam and I considered reefing, but hoped it could wait until the sun came up. Once in a while, a wave crashed into the cockpit, leaving me soaked. During the last stretch of the trip, we did put a reef in the mainsail and cruised towards Isla Pinos at about 6 knots.

By 10am on December 28^th, Mark and I dropped anchor off a very tropical looking island in the San Blas. We had gone from being worried about not making the anchorage by dark, to arriving mid-morning, making incredible speed! Too bad we had to motor for so long in the beginning, but that’s life on a boat… The sky was grey (the rainy season just finished the day before) and the water murky, being so close to mainland Panama, but one look towards shore revealed sandy beaches and hundreds of palm trees, a traditional village made of wood and thatched roofs in the distance and a few Kuna Indians paddling about in their dugout canoes.

Checking in and out Procedures for Colombia

I don’t particularly enjoy writing about rules and regulations in different countries (not in the least because they keep changing all the time) and I’m sure nobody really loves reading about them either, except the cruisers who plan to visit these countries. So, it is for them I write this blog about our experiences clearing in and out of Colombia, where the use of an agent is required. The information out there is very contradicting and my two cents probably makes things even more confusing, but here you have it, another person’s view on Colombia’s red tape… Things would be more straightforward, done right and less expensive if we could do the formalities ourselves.

Clearing into the country in Santa Marta is cheaper than in Cartagena, where your boat also gets inspected upon entry. Friendly and helpful Dino is the agent in Santa Marta and he is related to the clean, modern and safe Santa Marta Marina. His fee is US$53 which entitles you to a stamp in your passport and a yellow clearing in form for the boat, supposedly a temporary importation permit (which we for some reason never received, even after asking for it a few times) and a zarpe to your next port, whether this is still in Colombia or another country. If you choose to leave from here, your passport will receive an exit stamp as well. So, basically for about $50 you can clear in and out of Colombia if you only stay in Santa Marta. Also, the port captain here is said to put “y puntos intermedios” on the zarpe, which lets you stop along the Colombian coast to rest at night, on your way east or west to your next destination. This is unheard of and discarded in Cartagena.

When you move on to Cartagena, which we did, there are a few agents to pick from, namely David, Manfred and Paola (from Cartagena Caribbean), who came to our boat by dinghy from the moment we arrived, so our choice was made quickly. She charges $53 (100 000 pesos) for dealing with the paperwork here: another yellow clearance form, exit stamps from immigration in your passport and a zarpe to your next destination, more than likely a port in Panama. As far as we understand it, you need a cruising permit if you stay longer than 14 days in Colombia. But, the cost is US$80 and the process takes several weeks, making such a thing obsolete for us, only planning to stay a little over two weeks. We know of many people who had to wait for their cruising permit, only to leave the country next…

When arriving in Cartagena as your first port of entry in Colombia, the price ranges from US$100 to US$ 150 without the cruising permit. Most of the agents don’t really know the laws and regulations and especially Paola is a queen in telling you whatever you want to hear. Or, she just guesses things she thinks or hopes are reality. In our case, this brought a lot of frustration, time loss and confusion. When she left the country for her Christmas vacation and left all the (paper)work to her “assistant(s)”, matters didn’t get easier, quicker or less confusing…

If your boat spends more than two months in the country, you will have to apply for a permanent importation permit, which costs around US$200 and is a very time consuming process as well. This is only necessary if you plan to haul the boat for a while, fly back home, or decide to visit a lot of places in South America while your boat stays safely in Santa Marta or another marina (don’t go to the Club Nautico “dump” with the big boat!).

If money is not your biggest restraint, but comfort is, we would highly recommend anybody to check in and out of Santa Marta, spoil yourselves with a couple of weeks (or a month, which gives you ten days free on top at the moment) in the very convenient and comfortable Santa Marta marina and visit Cartagena overland for a few days. The marina is just wonderful, with modern docks and facilities (think air-conditioned bathrooms with hot showers, washing machines with hot water, efficient dryers, working electricity and water spigots at every slip), a friendly and helpful staff and a pretty and historic town with a multitude of bars, restaurants, parks, shops and grocery stores within walking distance (cabs all over town cost US$2 a trip). This way, you don’t only get to enjoy Santa Marta fully; you avoid the extra agent fees in Cartagena and more importantly, the filthiest, busiest, bumpiest and most annoying anchorage in the Caribbean!

Local Colombian boat taking on water after running into a "backpackers" cruising boat in Cartagena harbor...

Cartagena: Colombia’s Historic Beauty

Another 24 hour sailing trip brought Irie and her crew from Santa Marta to Cartagena. Lack of wind and the urge to pass the Rio Magdalena before dark had us motor for six hours on end. Once through the murky mess of the river delta at Barranquilla – luckily without big, damaging debris about 5 miles off shore – we could take full advantage of the brisk wind that had picked up while we were keeping a close eye on our brown surroundings. The challenge now was to slow down enough to avoid reaching our next port before dawn. It was blowing over 25 knots and we were flying, while reducing our jib to almost nothing. For the first time since leaving Grenada, no squalls passed us and, except for the odd salty wave crashing over the side, we stayed dry the whole 110 miles!

On the morning of December 15^th, we entered unattractive Cartagena Bay without adding ourselves to the statistics of beaten up sailors, ripped sails and sinking cruising boats (one did just that off Barranquilla two nights before we left), results of the reputedly dangerous coast – weather wise - of Colombia. While anchored in very deep, dark brown water, surrounded by ugly high rise buildings and a noisy, smelly industrial port, without any wind to keep the surrounding boats “in place” at a safe distance and whilst being tossed around by the constant wake of passing pleasure and local boats, we hoped our stay would become worthwhile and that Cartagena would live up to its attractive reputation.

It rained for days on end – we made it here right in time - and during an afternoon break, Mark and I walked the 20 minutes to the old walled town of Cartagena. We aimlessly strolled through its narrow, characteristic streets with historical buildings and protruding balconies, gazing at picturesque churches and plazas and taking in the scene from a bench in one of the parks. A walk on the ramparts is said to be a romantic past time at night, so we just had a quick glimpse for now and postponed this event until later.

After the afternoon’s exploits, we hoped to come back one day for a “real” historical tour when the sun would be out and the town would be shown in all its glory. In the meantime, we ran some needed boat errands and met up with cruising friends visiting from Santa Marta. At night, Cartagena turns festive and becomes even more alive. The structures are lit up and chairs and tables dot the alleys and squares. Vendors become more persistent and the atmosphere is totally different. We are both looking forward to explore a bit more soon!

Tayrona National Park

During our week in Santa Marta Marina, it was easy to just spend the days wandering about town, meeting up with friends, soaking up the air conditioning and displays of products and foods in the big Exito supermarkets and mall and catch up on internet stuff. We could do this all day and all week, but, since we were in Colombia after all, I really wanted to see and do something else in the area. Axel, Liz and Mark were game to break their daily routines and we opted to visit Parque Nacional de Tayrona.

The correct bus stop, on the opposite end of town, was reached by cab ($2) and once the bus driver was ready to leave, his dilapidated vehicle ($2.50 pp.) dropped us off at the park entrance a little over an hour away. The drive revealed some of the country side and a lot of typical towns, where little stores and carts selling wares line the main road and smaller dirt roads lead to local houses. The entrance fee to Tayrona National Park is quite steep ($17), all Colombian things considered, but it is well maintained and enormously popular with tourists, backpackers and Colombians alike. To save our energy, we took a shuttle bus ($1) to the trailheads. Now, two hours after departure, our expedition could begin!

Many visitors to the park stay multiple days and campgrounds are located in different sections. You can bring your own gear or rent a tent, hammock or cabin. We decided to cover the “eastern grounds” in a day and that involved a lot of hiking. It is possible to rent horses to do this job. First, we followed a trail to Arrecifes Beach which led us through jungle and forest for about one hour. We managed to dodge most of the mud puddles, keeping our shoes relatively clean. The beach consisted of a massive expanse of grey sand, backed by the jungle and green shrubbery. A rainstorm had us hide for shelter before continuing on to La Piscina.

Back on the trail, we were soon “blocked” by a brown river. Where is the bridge? The shoes came off and from that point on, stayed off. We managed to explore the rest of the park barefoot without any problems. The trail became hard to decipher, so we followed the river to the ocean and continued along the beach to La Piscina, considered a great place to swim. The darkish water and grey sky weren’t all that inviting for a dip and I kept wondering whether we would ever see the sun in this country. We sure were spoiled in the Eastern Caribbean with the blue water and white beaches! After an enjoyable and tasty lunch (with red wine!), Axel and Liz (and our less heavy backpack) decided to stay on the yellow beach and relax, while Mark and I walked the last stretch through forest and coconut groves to Cabo San Juan.

Cabo San Juan is an attractive point with beaches on both sides and a few picturesque rocks dotting the water and shore. It amazed Mark that so many people would do this great effort to come all this way to sit on a beach; but these were notoriously the nicest beaches of Colombia! After a quick break, we headed back to our friends and started the return journey. About halfway from Arrecifes to the shuttle bus, a massive rainstorm paid us a visit. The sky opened up and a torrential downpour had us soaking wet in minutes. Good I tried to keep my new shoes dry before… The trails turned into rivers and it actually became quite fun to complete our hike, once we realized we were wet and couldn’t do anything about it. The rest of the trip home was pretty uneventful with a nice hot shower to top the day off.

Map of Tayrona National Park.

Orange juice stand along the hike. Everything is brought in by horse.

Tourists can rent horses to get to the several beaches.

Stuck! Time to take the shoes off!

Leaf cutter ants are present everywhere and cut whole trails through grass and earth.

Muddy trails...

Hiking through Tayrona NP.

One of the better views along the trail.

La Piscina Beach.

Big iguana on the way to another beach.

Palm grove towards Cabo San Juan.

Cabo San Juan.

 Crossing the river on the way back.

Wringing out towels and clothes before riding back to Santa Marta.

(Thank you Axel Busch for contributing some - the better - of the pictures!)

Santa Marta Impressions

Who would have guessed Mark and I would ever visit the country of Colombia, by boat? Well, here we are… a week in Santa Marta at the moment and a planned visit to Cartagena next. We treated ourselves to a week’s stay in Santa Marta Marina and it has been wonderful! Clean, air conditioned bathrooms, hot showers, a state-of-the-art washing machine, friendly staff and the ability to just hop off Irie and stroll to the historic town to go shopping, have a meal out or soak up the atmosphere. Price: $150 for the week (without electricity and water). Checking in was very easy, since Dino, the required agent, took care of all the paperwork in return for $54.

Our first 24 hours in Santa Marta were completely filled with talks to Dino and our good friends Axel and Liz, straightening out the boat, catching up on emails, trying to take a nap and excitement of being here. Our friends took us out to dinner along the waterfront at night and we truly enjoyed the well-prepared appetizers, tasty sangria and scrumptious steak (Mark) and salmon (me) dishes. The meal was truly a spoil and we would take advantage of the drinking and eating establishments close by for the rest of the week. Beers run for about $1, street food costs between $0.50 (bowl of rice with salt fish) to $4 (plate of chicken, fries and salad), and Lulo’s – Axel and Liz’ favorite restaurant – serves up fantastic arepas, juices and smoothies.

The week flew by, but we managed to combine errands (hey, who cares about laundry when the machine actually has hot water?), socializing and exploring. The weather has been very grey, hot and humid, but a nice shower at the end of every day made it bearable. Santa Marta is decorated with lit statues and figurines in every park, announcing that Christmas is near. Especially during the weekends, the town buzzes with excitement and liveliness when families, lovers and friends linger about the “boardwalk” or congregate near the many cozy squares. It all reminds us very much of Central America and the Dominican Republic. Nothing is new to us (except the currency; we carry tens of thousands of Colombian pesos with us every day!), but we are glad to be surrounded by these cultures and vibes again; it’s very different from the Eastern Caribbean and gives us the feeling of traveling again!

Making fun of one of Axel's many photography lenses.

Santa Marta at night; pedestrian street.

The town is in the spirit of Christmas.

Fantastic dinner with Axel and Liz at Ben and Joseph's.

Mark's scrumptious steak for $12.

Local sawing artist, making wooden souvenirs for love birds.

Island and lighthouse in Santa Marta Harbor.

Street vendor selling limes.

Urban beach in the industrial port of Santa Marta, with funny shade boxes.

Government building in the historic center.

One of the churches in Santa Marta.

Historic center.
 

Lulo's restaurant cafe.

Axel and Liz surprised us with a souvenir from the saw guy.

Mark at the meat market.

Donkey transporting rubble through the streets.

Dinner on Irie with fresh fruit and whipped cream for desert.