A Private Paradise

The sail across from Bequia was short and uneventful although we were hard on the wind as the island is on the outermost eastern edge of the Grenadines. We were not sure what to expect but we were welcomed by the harbourmaster who guided us to a mooring in the bay. Anchoring is not allowed and there 30 or 40 mooring bouys available.

Dianne and I had read a book by Colin Tennant’s wife about the island and then decided we should go and have a look. The book is called “Lady in Waiting: My Extraordinary Life in the Shadow of the Crown”.https://www.publishersweekly.com/9780306846366 It is an autobiography by Anne Glenconner, who was a lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret and a close friend of the royal family. The book was published in 2019 and is an interesting read both for the comments on Mustique and for the observations on her life and marriage.

History

Mustique is one of a chain of volcanic islands formed by the collision of the Atlantic and Caribbean tectonic plates. The island covers an area of 1,400 acres (5.7 km2) and has several coral reefs that provide habitat for marine life.

The history dates back to the pre-Columbian era when it was inhabited by indigenous people who arrived from South America around 2500 BC. Later, it was occupied by the Arawaks and then by the Caribs, who left behind some simple tools that can still be found on the island.

The first European settlers arrived on Mustique in the 17th century when the island was claimed by France. The name Mustique comes from the French word for mosquito, moustique, as the island was once infested with these insects. The French established sugar and cotton plantations on the island, using enslaved African labor. The island changed hands several times between France and Britain during the colonial wars, until it was finally ceded to Britain in 1763. The British built three forts on the island to protect it from pirates and invaders.

However, after the abolition of slavery in 1834, the plantations went downhill and in 1958, it was purchased by Colin Tennant, 3rd Baron Glenconner, a Scottish aristocrat and entrepreneur. At the time it was a desolate island covered in shrubs, cacti, and jungle with no natural water, roads, or jetty. Tennant had a vision of transforming Mustique into a private paradise for the rich and famous.

He gave a 10-acre plot of land on the island as a wedding gift to his friend Princess Margaret, the sister of Queen Elizabeth II, who built a villa called Les Jolies Eaux. Tennant also invited other celebrities and royals to buy or rent villas on the island, creating a very exclusive community

In 1979, Tennant sold his shares in Mustique to a consortium of villa owners, who formed the Mustique Company to manage the island’s affairs. The company is responsible for maintaining the island’s infrastructure, security, environment, and services. The company also owns and operates the only hotel called the Cotton House.
The company also runs a beach café and another restaurant called the Veranda. The company also offers ferry service from Saint Vincent on the M/V Endeavour².

Current Day

Today, Mustique remains a private island that is owned by its homeowners. There are around 120 villas on the island, many of which are available for rent through the Mustique Company https://mustique-island.com/about/the-company. The villas come with staff, including chefs, butlers, and housekeepers, who cater to every need of the guests. The villas also have access to amenities such as tennis courts, golf carts, horses, and water sports equipment. Mustique is an ideal destination for those who seek privacy, tranquility, and luxury.

You can only go to the island if you are staying at one of the accommodation options. The island has nine beaches that offer pristine sand and turquoise water. Some of the beaches are secluded and quiet, while others are more lively and social. The island also has a network of trails that allow visitors to explore its natural beauty and wildlife. The island is home to tortoises, herons, iguanas, and many other species. The island also hosts various events throughout the year, such as music festivals, cocktail parties, and charity fundraisers.

The island has a reputation for being discreet and respectful of its guests’ privacy.

Privacy
Mustique is a private island that is owned by its homeowners, who have formed the Mustique Company to manage its affairs. The Mustique Company has the authority to grant or deny access to the island and its waters, as well as to impose fees and charges for various services.

Before you go to Mustique you need to obtain permission from the Mustique Company before entering the island’s waters. You can contact them by phone, email, or VHF radio. You will need to provide information such as your boat name, registration number, flag, length, draft, number of passengers and crew, arrival date and time, departure date and time, and intended anchorage or mooring location. You need to clear customs and immigration into the Grenadines at either St. Vincent or Union Island before sailing to Mystique but you can clear out of Mystique at the airport.

You need to pay a mooring fee of US$75 per night for boats up to 60 feet in length, and US$150 per night for boats over 60 feet in length for a minimum of three nights. The mooring fee includes very well-maintained moorings in Britannia Bay, access to water, garbage disposal, security patrols, and dinghy dock facilities. You can pay the mooring fee at the Mustique Company office or at Basil’s Bar.

You must respect the island’s rules and regulations while sailing and staying on Mustique. These include observing the speed limit of 5 knots within the harbor area, keeping a safe distance from other boats and swimmers, avoiding anchoring or fishing in prohibited areas, refraining from loud music or noise after 10 pm, respecting the privacy of the villa owners and guests by only going on land in the allowed areas which are very small, and following the environmental guidelines for waste disposal and conservation. You can get a tour of the island by taxi but it only takes about one hour as there is not much you can see.

You need to book any activities or services that you wish to enjoy on Mustique through the Mustique Company. These include dining at restaurants, visiting the spa, playing tennis or golf, renting water sports equipment, taking island tours or taxi rides, or attending any events or parties.

Arriving in Britannia Bay

We went ashore to book the restaurant at Basils Bar https://basilsbar.com/ and found there were few other people there. There were some in the bar from a couple of charter yachts in the harbour but only one other couple for dinner. Very quiet for a place that has a reputation for parties. Perhaps we were there the wrong day of the week or the wrong season!!

Since you can’t go more than 100 meters on the island without a guide on the first day we just snorkelled and rested. There was no hurry as we had paid for three days and we were not sure how we were going to fill the time.

Island Tour

On the second day Di, Pete, and I took a taxi tour. The island was very neat and tidy, manicured in all the public spaces, but you could see very little of the private houses except distant views.

Public Areas

Area Around the Airport

The airport was interesting as the runway was like a banana, curved up at both ends. There was a reasonable terminal but only turboprops came in. I checked out of there as our next stop would be Carriocou which is part of Grenada and the checkout was friendly and easy.

Houses and Mansions

Here are a few photos to give you an idea of the layout but if you would like to have a closer look go to the Mustique company website https://mustique-island.com/villa/

The Terraces on the top of Mustique is the largest villa there and sits on 17 acres of land.

Macaroni Beach

Macaroni Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches and is in a very natural setting with smaller villas peppered in the hills above. Most of the bush is allowed to stay natural and it is all interspersed with the Flamboyant tree a favourite of the islands.

Macaroni Beach

There is a local village just to the north of the wharf with a small town but we did not visit it while we were there. Many of the workers on the island come in live on other islands and commute by ferry for extended work shifts.

The friendliest individuals on the island were the laughing gulls who visited us most days. One decided it particularly liked the Starlink dish.

The snorkelling was not bad but not very exciting. I went out further to the reef but the water was murky and the reef was really bare. A few schools of fish but again not very exciting.

The sunset on the last evening before we left was spectacular with large buildups in the distance.

Departing

As we left the next morning I wanted to take some more photos but it was directly into the sun so not have much luck. We did pass the large solar energy installation which was interesting as many islands only have diesel generators, a few have wind generators and solar is only just appearing.

Overall we found that the visit was interesting but we would not return.

Next Blog: The Outer Islands

“We love SXM” is the logo for all the advertising in Saint Martins(the French side) and Sint Maarten( the Dutch side) and it is everywhere in painted signs and advertisements. It is great to see such a pragmatic approach to the island and the entry procedures were similar. Once you are on the island you can go to either side by dingy or car or on foot, there is no division. If you want to change your yacht from one side to the other then you have to check out on one side and in on the other, but it is cheap, easy, and efficient. We wished more islands were las easy as this.

Street Art

Street art exemplifies a welcoming and inclusive feeling.

Marigot Bay

We arrived in Marigot Bay on the French side and checked in at Island Water World. Yes, you go to the local boat shop and they have a computer there dedicated to entry and exit permits. You fill in the information, print it, and the shop assistant checks the passport numbers you entered on the form match your passports, stamps it, signs it, and hands the entry permit back to you all for €2. Why can’t all countries be this simple?

Marigot Bay has moorings and areas to anchor. It is close to the markets and town and has a large dingy dock to make access easy for cruisers.

There is also an excellent French bakery close by – luxury after months of very basic food.

The center of the town on the French side also has many restaurants and some lovely clothing stores. We had been starved for more sophisticated shopping and my supply of bikinis was getting really tatty so some money was spent here.

Time to go

After two days Robyn and Cameron were ready to continue their travels to Houston and then back to New Zealand. I had purchased a new tablecloth for the boat at the market and we decided to celebrate in style.

After drinks on the yacht, we headed off to Dock 46 https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100083611140570 for dinner. This is a real yachtie bar and restaurant but they have a great chef who will cook anything you want that is in the fridge/freezer at the time, even if it is not on the menu for the night. The food is beautiful. It has a great dingy dock and next door is Shrimpy’s laundry which also runs the cruiser’s radio net. It does not look much from the outside but is great inside the restaurant( at least on the ground floor). Much of the French part of the island still looks dilapidated from the cyclone 4 years ago and many places are only partially rebuilt.

After dinner, we decided we should go for a cruise around the lagoon. We were amazed at the number of boats there as we had not had a chance to go during the day. Also, the Causeway Bay bridge is lit up at night with great colours. This bridge which runs across the lagoon is a swiveling bridge whereas the two bridges that go out of the lagoon to the sea are both lifting bridges.

The Sandy Ground bridge on Saint Martins’s side only opens twice a day and is covered in decorative tiles.

Many of the boats that are used daily for visitors are low enough to travel through with the bridge down, as can all the dingys belonging to the yachts anchored inside and outside the lagoon,

Rebuilding after Cyclone Irma

We found remnants of Cyclone Irma that happened in 2017 everywhere. Most of the Dutch side has been rebuilt but many areas on the French side are still incomplete or forgotten. There are derelict boats everywhere, and many yachts have been repurposed for cruise boats so you see many without masts.

After Cameron and Robyn departed for Houston we had a few days before we were due into Lagoonies Marina, Sint Maarten for some maintenance so we explored the next couple of bays up the coast

Brewers Bay

Brewers bay has a lovely beach and was sheltered from the northerly so we anchored up in the NW corner which was quieter during the daytime. We had two lovely days of doing nothing then we felt we should move on to check out the next bay.

Grand Case

Grand Case was a much busier bay with a beautiful beach, with lots of bars and restaurants, and a colouful little town.

There was also a good snorkeling area around Rocher Creole but the water was not particularly clear. There has been an algal bloom around Saint Martins/Sint Maarten this year and it is still affecting the visibility, some places much more than others. Therefore you will notice that the shots in the video that are further away like the Turtle are not very clear, however you still get to find some great fish.

After two days there we headed off around to Simpson Bay and Sint Maartens to check into Lagoonies marina for some maintenance work. https://kiwiflyingfish.com/?p=13252

San Andrés is a coral island, long and flat, full of tourists and nightlife, 30 flights a day, and a harbour facing east. There is no natural fresh water on the island, it is either roof collection or from the desalination plant.

Providencia is a volcanic island tall and lush, with water, a very large coral reef, few people, very few tourists, one ferry and one flight a day, and a harbour facing west.

San Andrés

Officials and Agents

When we first arrived we called port control and they welcomed us in. Then the navy turned up to inspect the yacht as we were anchoring. They were lovely young guys from the mainland of Coñombia and they had coffee and biscuits with us and stamped the passports and inspected the yacht. This was a great welcome.

Then we had to meet the agent ashore at the marina. He was recommended by Panama Posse and so we thought all should be well. I took all the papers in and met him on the dock. The immigration lady came to collect the passports, disappeared, and came back 20 min later. The port authority was there and I signed the paper and he gave it to the agent. The agent asked me for the tax money $ 35 USD each, plus his fee. I paid and he said he was just off to the bank to get the forms and would be back. That was the last we saw of him.

the agent had also organised to get the laundry done. I waited on the dock for two hours and no one turned up. I gave up at 5 pm and went back to the yacht. Meanwhile, I met Sylvie and Eduardo a lovely couple on a catamaran “Second Wind”. They told me another yacht in the bay had had problems with our agent.

The next day I went and had a chat with Oscar and Anya, who were on a cat called “Meow”. They were going in to see their agent so I asked if I could tag along and ask him some questions. Their agent Mr. Rene said he could help me with information but since I had already used the other agent I had to get the papers from him.

There were many WhatsApp messages and calls most of which the Agent did not answer. The night before we left I finally got the Zarpe so I could check out at 1730 via email. No sign of the receipts or tax card which I needed for the next stop in Providencia to prove that I had paid the tax.

After all the bad weather and anchor problems we decided to go anyway. We got Mr. Rene to give us the name of an agent in Providencia.

We called the harbour master and gave the Zarpe number and he responded with “happy journey”.

The day before we left we asked Mr. Rene if he could recommend a driver to take us on a tour around the island. He did so and it was his brother.

San Andrés Harbour

We spent several days anchored in the harbour 20kts gusting just under 40kts. The harbour is full of all sorts of boats and they are often rafted up together all on the same mooring. It also has a couple of wrecks and one schooner attached to the bottom on a sand bar. Many of the boats were not in very good shape.

The local boats are out day and night even in 35 knots of wind. the sea is fairly calm as the harbour sits inside the coral reef.

Our first anchoring was in sand and good holding but after going in for diesel and being held up, then trying to anchor in rain at dusk we missed the sand patch. The rest of the bottom is sea grass and in only 2 m of water and high winds, we were lifting the chain off the bottom.

We dragged later in the night as a squall went through at 38kts, as did the yacht behind us. They ended up badly scratched on the waterline by an old wreck.

Trying to re-anchor we popped the capstan circuit breaker when it jammed. Driving around in the dark in a storm, with boats all around, trying to stay head to wind, and an anchor chain jammed is not my idea of fun. Anyway finally got it fixed and had another go and held for the rest of the night.

The next day we put a lot more chain out and we were hoping to leave first thing the following morning. The anchor held all day and all night until about 5 am when the anchor alarm went off again. This time we just sat on the motors until daybreak and then departed with great relief to be away to Providencia.

San Andrés island tour

We decided to take a day off the boat for a trip around the island. Unfortunately, it was one of several wet days. But if you don’t take the chance you don’t know what you might miss.

We drove through town in a taxi and discovered it was a public transport-only day in town. The place is usually full of scooters, a few cars and trucks. Every Friday for half a day there are no vehicles so it is really easy to walk all around. None even parked on the sidewalks.

Just past the town centre is the airport with all the fences painted or holding panels by various artists.

There is a whole section on recycling made from recycled plastic bottle tops and pieces of bottles. The work was a great acknowledgement of the opportunity to recycle waste.

Firstly there were the sea creatures – fish, shellfish, crustaceans and octopus.

Then there were the sea birds.

The display ends at the main beach which has a wide walkway along the edge of town and ends in a tiny harbour for the local fishing boats.

Museum

The next stop was the museum which was very well done and we had an excellent guide. Entry was 10,000 pesos about $ 2 USD and you could tip the guide at the end.

The area had an old traditional wooden house from the colonial era with balconies upstairs and down and a detached kitchen and separate toilet block. The inside had old photos and period memorabilia.

There were also paintings on all the walls to tell a story such as the plantations, the music and instruments and the pirates. ( every pirate painting or statue bore a remarkable resemblance to Captain Jack Sparrow!)

When the British owned the island Capt Harry Morgan was in charge but he was basically just a pirate. He apparently had 48 wives and 150 children and died at age 50 of syphilis. Meanwhile, he was in San Andres and Providencia for 4-5 years and then became Governor of Jamacia. Many of the original island families had English names and spoke English and they still do. Spanish and Creole are also spoken.

At the end of the visit you had to go and learn the Salsa – a good laugh.

Captain Morgan’s Cave

This attraction was 20,000 pesos each and was like a wet dirty rundown discarded movie set.

The museum had a collection of old pistols, daggers and swords. Although they told us some were from Spain and some were found around the island I am not sure how many were authentic.

The grounds and paths are full of life-sized pirates of all shapes and sizes – male and female. As you can see Hew particularly liked one statue.

There are also old canons scattered around.

Captain Morgan’s cave was a large cave that was full of fresh, slightly saline water. It is apparently open to the sea somewhere underneath. This is where he hid his treasure – apparently.

More Salsa dancing lessons before you could get out..

Blow hole

The last attraction was the blow hole. We have many in New Zealand but it is not generally encouraged to stand on top of them. There is a channel which you can apparently swim through in calm water. We watched for about 40 minutes as people came and stood over the hole to get caught in the rush of air or water. You could not predict which you would get and it did not seem to make any difference depending on the angle or strength of the water against the cliff. Everyone there was happy and cheerful – just having fun. There were lots of tourist shops and many colourful restaurants and bars. The place was very busy.

Many of the buildings were partially or fully painted in pictures and various colours.

There is no natural underground water in San Andres and most of the water collection is all from the roofs of the houses into these small plastic tanks – many painted with designs as seen here.

Confiscated Buildings

Another interesting feature of the NE coast of San Andrés is the huge number of very large and expensive holiday houses. Scattered amongst all these are properties that are looking very well maintained are others that look like wrecks. The latter are properties that have been confiscated from the drug kings but where the ownership has been tied up in court to stop their sales. Until the government wins they can only just lock them up. It seems many have been in this state for several years.

Well, that was the story of San Andres. The Story of Providencia is in the next blog and also the continuing saga of officials and agents.

Forts

Shelter Bay Marina is built in the middle of what was Fort Sherman(Fuerte Sherman in spanish). It was the primary defensive base for the Caribbean sector of the Canal, and was also the US jungle warfare training center. The construction was begiun in 1912.

After the decommissioning of the US Army Coast Artillery Corps the forest area was used by the US Army Southern Jungle Operations Training Center (USARSO). In 1951 JOTC was founded and used to train Central American and US forces in jungle warfare, with an enrollment of approximately 9,000 a year. JOTC also taught a 10-day aircrew survival course, open to all branches of service, and a four-week jungle warfare engineer course. It was handed over to Panma in 1999. The fort included 23,100 acres  half of which was jungle. Further information on the Fort Sherman History:http://www.czimages.com/CZMemories/VAP/Sherman/fort_sherman_index.htm

In 2008 Fort Sherman was used in the filming of James Bond movie Quantum of Solace. 5

Many of the ruins can still be seen walking along the various paths from the marina but they are becoming heavily overgrown. There is still a small runway used by light planes and helicopters and the Panamanian border control forces still use some parts of the seaward end of the base

The jungle is taking over the concrete structures as can be seen in the photo below. This tree is growing directly on top of the concrete with the roots branching our across the structure.

To get an overall impression of the area here is a short video that James obtained using his drone. https://youtu.be/lIQTSWCReBU

Art

Inside various parts of the ruins are pieces or art work.

Flora

The trees in the jungle around Shelter Bay are huge as are the palms – about twice as tall as we have seen before. All have very straight trunks and a very high canopy. There is little undergrowth.

Fauna

Animals

There are hundreds of birds and animals in the jungle around Panama and if you would like to read further about them there is a good guide online https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/10921

Here are only a few that we managed to catch on camera. The monkeys fly through the tops and you can hear them crashing around when they are moving. They are fascinating to sit and watch and try and figure out what they are up gto.

On the track close to the rubbish bins in the marina, we found a whole family of Coati digging on the track to find insects.

Birds

There are so many birds but many were hard to get a photo of so here are only a few. I hve not yet managed to get a good photo of a Toucan though I have seen several. They are just too high up in the trees. More information is available at https://www.inaturalist.org/guides/10890

The hawks spend hours each day soaring over the marina and they are marvelloous to watch with their pinions spread so wide. It was the first one I had seen actually in the bush stopped on a branch.

The little swallows are also great to watch as long as they do not decide to nest in the boom or covers. They also love to fly over the pool and dip down and catch a sip of water, even when you are sitting in the pool watching. Unfortunately they are so fast I have not been able to get any photos/videos of this activity.

Insects

Sometimes one forgets the insects in the jungle so I thought I should include a few of these for you. There are many butterflies on all the flowers especially on the edge of the jungle.

There are four types of termites in Panama and we found thier activities in the jungle fascinating. They were very busy termites. We traced bacck the path they had formed on the track – it looked like an animal path but was formed by the termites. They were carrying pieces of freshly cut leaves and some dried leaves. Following them back we came upon a tree with the current nest in it, we can only assume the were off to build a new one.

Yacht Maintenance Progress

For those of you who are wondering about our progress of getting out of the marina to do some cruising – it has been slow. We were looking good at the end of the first week here with only two issues left to sort out. The freezer probe is not working correctly so we are having to turn it on and off manually but we are having problems trying to get a new probe.

The new set of starboard batteries were put in the day after on friday but unfortunately one of the wires was not put back as it was originally. This caused a fire on the switch board and since then we have and a week trying to sort it out.

The wiring diagram for the yacht is the original from the date it was launched in 2004 and many other items additional, and replacement, have been added since. The result is that the wiring is a birds nest with many unlabelled wires and wires in the wrong places. We have now had to replace not only wires on the starboard side but some on the port side and we still have a few to go. The chief engineer is not enjoying being stuck in the engine room with 35 degrees and 80% humidity.

The electrical gods have not been kind to Eleuthera with a combination of old age, microwave and washing machine, lightning, Raymarine switches, freezer thermostat probe, wind generator controller, battery charger and starboard house batteries and operator error replacing some cables after a fire!! Apart from the washing machine (we bought a new microwave from NZ) we are mostly repaired having managed to find various technical support here in the marina. All outside technical people come from Panama an hours drive away and are generally very expensive – the refrigeration guy was quoted at USD 180 per hour through the boatyard!

A bonus of our delay has been the arrival of some German/Austrian friends Beate and Bernard. We met them originally in Sicily and have stayed in contact for several years. We last saw them in the Canary Islands as we were about to set sail for the Caribbean. Great to catch up and share experiences and enjoy their company again.

Hopefully we will return to cruising in the coming week.

Arrival and First Day

We arrived just after daybreak, which was the first time to arrive in daylight at a new port for a long time. The wind had died away and the reflections were lovely. A complete change in weather with high mountains inland and we are now south of the trade winds which have been with us since leaving the Cape Verde Islands.

We contacted the port control and after the usual questions, they welcomed us to Colombia. It was the first of many welcomes and smiles, from the Port, the marina staff, the marina office, and numerous men who work on the boats. It made you feel that you really were welcome.

This was the first continent we had been on for 6 months. High-rise buildings, a big port, and many ships and tugs. Coal and grain are shipped out of Santa Marta. A bit of a culture shock after small Caribbean islands with tourism as the main industry.

The wind had died just as we got close so we put on the engines and suddenly there was a burning smell. Stopped the engines and looked everywhere onboard for the source with no sign of a problem. We then went to the front of the yacht and you could smell it up there so it was not us on fire. Looking forward and we saw all the smoke haze in the distance. We were wondering what sort of place Santa Marta was going to be!

The Marina

The area around the marina is quite pretty but the roads drain straight onto the beach and the water is full of rubbish. It does not feel very clean to swim in. They still fish here in the evenings though and the egrets seem to find it OK to fish as well!!

The Santa Marta marina is modern and has very wide pontoons so they can drive golf carts down the, plus a helipad. There is also a fuel dock and boatyard area for maintenance and many workers around to clean and polish your boat, organise taxis and trips and fix sails or flags. The staff are welcoming, helpful and knowledgeable, and available every day of the week.

All the trolleys on the marina are 3 wheels and a good height. The Wifi is the best we have had anywhere, fast and free, which was great for catching up on blogs. Unfortunately that is not true for Shelter Bay, Panama which is slow on the phone or or wifi.

Currency and Income

According to the World Bank Colombia is one of the most unequal countries in the world with the 10% richest people having 46 times more money than the average of the other 90%. As you look around the town you can see indications of this disparity.

There are around 4000 Colombian Pesos to the USD. Hew felt for the first time in his life he was a millionaire twice in one day. As you may guess, although most things such as food items are cheap, the cash does not last long. The only country where we have taken out 1.5 million of the currency from an ATM.

We had two locals cleaning all the stainless on the yacht which was quoted as USD 250 a day’s work for two men – 1,000,000 Colombian pesos(COP). Lunch was 35 USD. 140,000COP. The ATM produces 50mille notes(50,000). The office told us that one American thought they were 50COP notes and was handing them out as tips- everyone was very happy until he discovered his error.

Colombian pesos get down to 100 peso coins as the smallest denomination – 2.5 US cents.

Lunch on the square

After getting some money from one ATM machine, the first only gave 300,000COP, so we had to go to another to get some more. Also, the banks and some of the ATM machines shut for lunch!! So we sat down to a long lunch on the square to await the opening of the banks.

Walk Around Town

Around the waterfront there are wide promenades and modern landscaping, but just off the waterfront you go to narrow old streets.

Around town there are mostly local tourists with a few foreigners like us. Local language is Spanish, not our strong point. Luckily we met a Swiss couple Gerald and Brigette. Gerald is an ex Swiss Air pilot, part Spanish, so fluent in Spanish plus fluent in French, German, and English as well.

Restaurant Area

There are many restaurants – most fairly small, seating 10-20.

Parks

Parque Bolivar has two monuments one to Simon Bolivar considered the liberator of Colombia and the other is the oldest fountain in Santa Marta built in 1848 – dedicated to Persephone.

Narrow Streets and Small Cars

Central City buildings

There are buildings of every sort in town and every style, old and new, vitorian, art deco, spanish. There seems to be a move to retain many of the old buildings for government offices which ensures their restoration and retention.

Boutique hotels

Art

Continuing the commentary on the street art in various countries, here is the local Santa Marta art. It is iinterting to observe all the local styles, and themes.

Dive trip, Isla de la Aguja

I was down looking for a courtesy flag and happened across a dive shop so we booked in and off we went to two dives sites near Isle de la Aguja. The water was rather murky due to the recent rain so I did not have high hopes of a good dive, but the soft and hard corals were fabulous. Both of the dives were “drift” dives in quite strong currents and the second dive, called “the exit” was all brain coral. Huge growths and a huge variety of colours. Unfortunately any photos at a distance were difficult due to the lack of clarity but here are a few photos that are reasonable. Usually the slower the dive the more you see, but in a drift dive you do not have much time to stay and look at one spotwithout being left behind, especially when the visibility is low!

Fish

Coral

The corals come in a huge variety of shapes and colours. When diving deeper you loose some of the colours. Close in (<30cm)the lights bring back the colours but further away they do not have much effect. Hence some of the larger picktures look as though they are lacking in colour. Also, although I have tried to name all the corals from interest, I am no expert and there could be errrors, if so please let me know.

Fire Corals

Branching Corals

Brain

Gorgonians – Soft Coral

Plate

Star Coral

Flower

Crayfish

Moray

Clam

Worm

Sponges

Vase

Most other dive sites the vase sponges were thin and delicate at this site, apart from some very small ones, they were huge and thick. Quite a different appearance.

Algae

Dinner in a local restaurant

When we got back from diving it was very hot so we spent the afternoon relaxing ahead of going out to dinner with Gerald and Brigitte. We had a recommendation for a good local restaurant for the next night so off we went to Quasimo. The art on the outside and the inside was done to reflect local activities and food and were very good. The menu was good and nice wine. Unfortunately, halfway through dinner Hew had to leave as he felt sick and later Gerald also had stomach problems. The next day we had booked a trip inland for all of us to Minca and neither of the boys could go. They both had the beef!!

Inland to Minca

The trip to Minca was by taxi to the town and then a new driver and 4WD for the rest of the trip. Minca was originally guerilla territory and was closed off to everyone, except locals. Following the ceasefire by the paramilitary and guerilla groups over the last several years, Minca was by backpackers and then eventually opened up to host visitors. Most of the visitors are still from Colombia, especially since Covid, all learning about their own country. Minca has a museum and many interesting sites in the surrounding hills but we only had time to do two waterfalls and La Victoria coffee plantation.

The rainforest was spectacular and very luscious. Apparently, it rains for about 2 hours every day and we saw that towards the end of the trip. Some of the trees and plants were huge – about twice the size we usually see for the same plant. The giant bamboo was enormous and planted along the edges of the steep roads to hold them up and stop slips. This is true rain forest country.

La Victoria Coffee Plantation

The plantation is 600 acres and 12 families live on the plantation full time. The electricity for the machinery in the plantation buildings and all the homes are supplied from a small hydro generator. Much of the machinery was installed around 1900 and is still operating today, lovingly maintained by the operators who are descendants of the original owners. The coffee is flavoured by the trees growing around the plants the Arabica coffee grown here is known for its slight mango favour. They also believe it is freshened with the sea breezes that flows up form the coast.

During the harvest the beans are hand picked and carried in the plastic bucket shown below. When this if full it weighs 14kg, and they then empty it into the wooden collection box. The large one when full contains 86kg of beans – a worker can fill 4-6 of these in a morning. Along with the families who live here there are usually 90 extra workers housed on the plantation for the harvesting.

From the trays the beans go into the sorter by water movement. All movement of the beans is by water pressure, then later air pressure using a venturi effect.

The top 20% of the beans are retained and roasted on the plantation under their label. The rest are sent to wholesalers. They grade into three levels, top, medium, and lower. The top beans are dried inside in the driers which takes 24 hours and the rest are dried outside which can take up to 4 days depending on whether it rains. In the smaller plantations they dry the beans in the roof of the houses. The humidity needs to be right – between 10-12%, too much and you get fungus and too little and there is less flavour.

Then the jelly is removed and quality checked – where they float in the water. The heavier the coffee bean the better quality. then the skin and sugar.

All the machinery is maintained by those working on the farm over the 8 months when there is no harvest. Although very old it s in beautiful condition.

They grow their own replacement plants. The plants will begin fruiting in three years and fruit for 15-20 years. They also grown their on fruit and vegetables on the plantaion.

All the parts of the plant that are not used go into the mulch including the pods, and the skins etc. The first stage of the mulch outside takes 8 months then it is hand cleaned and placed in the toughs seen undercover. When ready it is taken to drop off points by cart and then carried up around the plantation in back packs.

The plants flower in March and April for two days and the hills look white form all the flowers.

Swimming Holes – Pozo Azul

These two pools and the area around are very popular with the locals and people from Santa Marta. There are many restaurants in the area that cater to all the visitors, especially on the weekends. You can either walk down or pay for a motorcycle either to yourself or get a lift on one.

As mentioned earlier they use giant bamboo here to hold up the sides of the roads – it is very effective.

The swim in the pool was very refreshing after a long hot morning.

If a busload of tourists arrive they have to pay for a lifeguard service.

Waterfall Las Casadas de Marinka

This time we walked up to the waterfall and our driver stayed behind. We could see why later but it was worth it.

A selection of the flowers on the track. The area around the waterfall was well maintained.

Just as we were getting ready to leave the afternoon rain shower happened. It poured. We sat for about 45 minutes waiting for it to slowdown. We watched one of the staff pull the boards retaining the pool water out by hand just before the water flooded over the wooden decking. The pool was anoted as 1.2m when we swam in it, it rapidly rose about 60cm and as the shower was easing it was showing the gravel bottom in places. They obviously need the wooden dam for the number of visitors they have.

After that we just travelled back down the hill and then out to Santa Marta, unfortunately due to the delay with the weather we did not have time to stop in the town which we would have liked to and both of us were wet from the rain so decided to head straight back.

Departure

We reached the marina to find the boys were better but not brilliant. After delaying our departure for another day of resting, it was time to leave. Diesel was (USD 65c per litre) so we filled up expecting to have considerable motoring time on the next leg, and then set off for Panama with a forecast for little wind.

We hope to return to investigate Minca town again, the Tayrona National park, the bird watching and the lost city ruins. We would highly recommend the area.

Arrival

We had a good sail downwind from Grenada to Bonaire a few dolphins on the first day but not many other fish or birds.

The evening before our arrival we sat in the setting sun on the foredeck and discussed how great the spinnaker has been this year, how often we had used it, and would we replace it before the Pacific.

We went back to the cockpit as the sunset. Five minutes later we hear a ripping sound! Our good old spinnaker split along the head, down both side tape, and then dived under the yacht. A quick disconnect of the autopilot and a turn into the wind and we managed to fish most of it out of the sea and all the sheets. Unfortunately, it will not be going any further. A quiet night under headsail only followed. The next morning for the final few hours we hoisted the main again and sailed into Bonaire in 25kts. We watched dozens of kite surfers have a great day sailing as we passed them down the coast.

An easy arrival into the marina followed then off to customs and immigration. When the paperwork was finished it was followed by lunch at a dock cafe close to the town center.

The cafe juts out over the water and as can be seen below the water even in the center of town is beautifully clear.

Bonaire

Bonaire is administered by the Netherlands and treated as if it was a village(“a special municipality”). There are 20,000 residents. The island is 38.6 kilometers long from north to south, and 5–8 km wide from east to west. The island is much drier and they grow very little so all the food is imported. Therefore fruit and vegetables are more expensive and also depend on what has arrived on a ship and delivered to which supermarket on the day. There are many more large supermarkets and no street stalls.

A Dutch colony of old the main industry here has been salt with large lagoons in the south drying salt. Originally a labour intensive activity with slaves harvesting the salt and loading it onto ships from all over the world. Now it is a highly mechanised operation obvious on arrival with huge pyramids of salt shining in the sunlight with long conveyors to load the ships.

The official language is Dutch but most locals speak Papiamentu and are fluent in English and often Spanish. If you grow up here and want to go to university in the Netherlands then you have to have a very good level of Dutch which most of the locals don’t. The schools are trying to rectify this. The teachers may teach in Papiamentu which the children speak at home but then once the children understand the concepts they need to reply to the questions in Dutch. As you might imagine trying to teach a subject in multiple languages is not without its problems.

The reefs, beaches, and on-island reserves located on both Bonaire and Klein Bonaire are under the protection of the Bonaire National marine park and managed by Stichting Nationale Parken Bonaire (STINAPA). Most visitors come to Bonaire for diving which can be done straight off the beaches or by boat. A common sight is utes driving around with dive tanks in the back as most dive sites are accessed off beaches rather than by boat.

There are over 100 dive sites on the island. The reef is very close to the shore and the colours in the water are as beautiful as those of the houses.

Kralendijk and Colourful Buildings

The waterfront of the main town, Kralendijk, has many very pretty and colourful buildings. The bright colours apparently came about because one of the colonial governors in the early 1800s decided the place needed to be something other than white which he claimed gave him migraines.

Even the courtyards of the cafes are painted and decorated. Many different styles.

There are also many good resorts scattered all the way along the coast, including a new waterways development.

Street Art

One of the most striking aspects of the town is the spectacular street art. This takes the form of painted murals on buildings and painted signs for shops or other notices. Where normally signs are made here they are all painted either on walls or on boards and hung up. Also, there is very artful graffiti. Later we found many more examples around the country. These really tell the story of Bonaire.

Flamingo’s are an island symbol with reasonable numbers living in the lagoons on the south end of the island.

Even the signs of political disagreement are painted.

Marinas, Moorings, and Cruisers

The Marina is adjacent to Harbour Village Resort.

It is quite a small marina next to the main road on the windward side and also an open undeveloped dry estuary. When the wind blows – which did all the time we were in the marina, the dust covers the yacht. The best thing about the marina was the two Pelicans that lived there and easily few around the yacht masts and dived into the middle of the marina catching fish. They were much better flyers than those we saw in Carriacou.

After a few days, we decided to shift out of the marina onto a mooring in front of the town which was far nicer. You can just dive off the boat into clean clear water on the edge of the reef which is very healthy and full of coral. You are not allowed to anchor in Bonaire as the whole island is a reserve. The moorings are placed and maintained by the park but administered by the marina.

There is a cruising community in Bonaire though not as big as Grenada. They also seem to be mostly returnees, Americans, Canadians, and Dutch cruisers. There are poker nights, dominos nights, and jam sessions. We have only so far made the last social event. They also have a Facebook page.

Nautica runs a small jetty close to a restaurant that is called ” It Rains Fishes”. They allow the cruisers to tie their dingy up there and drop off rubbish. The restaurant also has beautiful food and a lovely view over the harbour.

The next Blog will talk about the famous reef and underwater aspects of Bonaire. There is so much to say and so many photos that I need time to sort them. A third blog will be on a trip around the interior of the island. Enjoy.