North to the Bay Islands

Albuquerque Cays, Colombia

It’s April 9 and we have made our way to the Rio Dulce, Guatemala, it is time to catch ourselves up as we have been without the wonderful world of the interent since leaving Panama two months ago.

Weather: Everyone makes plans according to the weather, we just happen to rely upon the forecast now more than we ever did ashore. The forecast for the week of Feb. 12th for the SW Caribbean Sea is NE winds 10-15k with 4-6 foot seas out of the NE. Departing Portobelo, Panama at 1830 hours Sunday February 12, we head out into the Caribbean Sea and for the next forty one hours we experience 15-20k NE winds gusting to 25k with 6-10 foot seas from the NE. All in all things turned out to be great weather wise. Avoiding the big ships coming out of the Panama Canal proved to be the biggest headache, they apparently do not recognize a sailboats right of way.

Boto at Albuquerque Cays

Our first stop on our way to the Bay Islands of Honduras is Cayos de Albuquerque, Colombia. The cays are two small islands within a coral reef 211nm from Panama, 100nm off the coast of Nicaragua, basically in the middle of nowhere. We arrive and are anchors down by 1130 Tuesday Feb. 14. Once again we have stumbled across a little slice of paradise.

With the anchor firmly set we are off in the dinghy to visit the Marine base on North Cay. The cays are owned by Colombia and they maintain a military presence in the form of nine Marines. As we approach the beach the entire squad turns out to meet us. The group spends thirty days on the island before being relieved, as far as military rotations go I imagine there are worse. We present our papers and the officer in charge makes note in the log book, then we are asked to return to Boto. We are not allowed to tour the military island but are welcome to visit the fishing camp on South Cay.

South Cay is a heavily wooded island with several lean-too structures giving the fisherman protection from the elements. Unlike the north island which has a good stretch of sandy beach, the south island has a small sandy landing area the balance is coral and rock. We manage an abbreviated tour and then back to the boat. During our stay we are offered no fish although the fishing boats come by to say hello and to ask for cigarettes.

The Albuquerque’s are our first stop in the middle of nowhere, literally. As the sun sets the only lights are from the flashing beacon atop the radio tower on North Cay and the occasional flashlight from the fishing camp. We have front row seats as the stars begin to light up the night sky. As we enjoy the scene above we are equally entertained by the iridescent jellyfish floating around Boto. At first we think we are imagining things as the pink lights flash on and off, once we realize what they are Vicky decides against swimming.

A few days of rest and we are ready to head out again. With the afternoon sun high overhead we weave our way back through the reefs surrounding the cays and make our way to deep water. Just as we clear the outer reefs the Colombian Coast Guard happens along. We’re certain that they have been notified by the Marine base of our presence and are just checking on us. The twenty foot skiff has likely come from San Andreas a larger Colombian island some 25 miles north. Fortunately the wind is up and the seas are high discouraging the Coast Guard from wanting to board us. Instead they take our information via radio and wish us well. We encounter the Coast Guard again as we pass the island of San Andreas. That meeting takes place with another twenty foot skiff after dark and is a little more exciting.

There is a good deal of commercial traffic along our route so we have something to keep us busy along the 85nm to Providencia. Having confirmed the availability of diesel on Providencia we decided to bypass the more tourist orientated island of San Andreas, we’ve had our fill of tourists for a while. After once again relaying our particulars to the Coast Guard via radio we are bid safe travels.

rush hour, Providencia, Colombia

Our planning so far seems to be working out well as we arrive in Providencia at 0900 on 2/17 just after a brief squall rolls through. We received a note of concern from some friends who have been keeping track of us. Our anchorage in Providencia, Colombia at first appears to be in the middle of the ocean. That is correct. We assure them that we are ok, just stopping of for another dose of paradise on our way north.

one of the locals

Chula and friends

Safely nestled within the worlds third largest barrier reef at 13*22.8N 81*22.4W are the islands of Providencia and Santa Catalina once the home to pirates and privateers, we call them home for now. We contact the Busch agency who will process all of our paperwork for entry and exit of Colombia and are promptly requested to come ashore to meet them. With Eduardo of the Busch agency, Justin the Port Captain and Javier of immigration along with Ed at the tiller our dinghy is riding very low heading away from the docks. The process is SIMPLE, in spite of all stories we have heard to the contrary. The fee to check into Providencia is $US 60. There is however a tourist fee if you plan to spend more than twenty four hours, this is US$ 25 per person. If you also visit San Andreas you will have to clear in as well paying the customs fee but not the tourist fee. The gang joins us for coffee and cookies, they loved the cookies while processing our paperwork in between bites.

our back yard

Providencia

A short trip to shore to get our bearings reveals that our Spanish 101 will work on occasion, so will English. As for the Spanish Creole, we simply smile politely and respond in Spanish. Having stretched our legs and restocked the bread shelf it’s time for a nap.

the girls, Providencia

Saturday, February 18. 2012; although we do not often listen to the news, we do catch bits and pieces, today we hear of the death of Gary Carter at the age of 57.

Our private beach

The real adventure doesn’t always take place on the high seas, usually it is while we are in the dinghy exploring and island. In this case we are rewarded with a remote beach on the north side of Catalina Island. Chula is in heaven as there are coconuts and more than enough room to chase her ball. We’ve brought along chairs to simply sit and enjoy the view.

bounty of the sea

While not a high end destination Providencia has much to offer to the everyone. We met several folks renting homes along the bay simply enjoying the quite. For the boats we are able to load fresh water compliments of Mr. Busch’s cistern and top off our diesel and gasoline supplies. In all instances be prepared to walk. We carry the jerrycans of fuel and water making great use of the old luggage rack that Dad supplied last summer, the wheels may wobble some but it can carry 80lbs of H2O.

Our friend the Octopus.

As we and several other boats are more or less trapped by the weather outside we all have time to enjoy the island. To that end we are invited to an impromptu concert in the town square. Among the musicians is the Mayor on mandolin. In addition to the mandolin, the group boasts two guitars, maracas and “teeth”. The teeth are the jawbone of a large animal, perhaps one of the cows we see being herded around the island.

homemade music

While the winds continue to howl, we’ve registered 37k in the anchorage we sit back and read, tour the island or enjoy the beach. B Y now Chula is recovering nicely from her knee surgery and spends every day on the beach running and swimming. While the high winds may keep us harbor bound it does not reduce our ability to socialize. The only thing is that the get together can sometimes be a bit odd, as with the March 7 meeting of Phillipe and Cathi aboard “Tangerine Dreams”. Tangerine Dreams literally bumped into us at 0200 on the 7th when their anchor gave way and the boat floated back into Boto. Fortunately their dinghy was raised off their stern and it served as a large fender. After getting them untangled from our bow, we all returned to sleep. This was a major victory for Ed, as he went back to sleep and did not stay up all night worrying. Later that afternoon we were treated to food and drink aboard Tangerine Dream.

Under sail

HMCS GOOSE BAY

It has been 23 days and we have truly enjoyed Providencia, but the wind and seas have calmed and we are ready to depart. Of we are at 0300 on March 11 bound for the Viverellos Cays, another 200nm sail. Arrivning at the Viverellos at noon on the 12th we are ready for a rest. The sail was simply great one of the best ever. In spite of the fair winds and friendly seas the highlight came at 0730 on the 11th when over the VHF radio we heard; vessel at 13*46.350N 81*30.480W bearing 343* at 6k (this would be us SV Boto) this is the Canadian WARSHIP 707(aka "HMCS GOOSE BAY". That’ll make ya clinch. The Canadina Navy along with the US Coast Guard are patrolling the NW Caribbean and simply wanted to know who we were and where we were going. While we have been hailed and even boarded by the Coast Guards of various countries this was our first experience with a Warship. The 707 covered the 7 miles between us very quickly, came along side for a visual check of us and then turned on a dime and sped off in the other direction, a little bit of show boating there. Well at least we were not alone. Oh, and yes she has canons.

Viverellos

Once again anchored within a group of coral islands, the Viverellos provide a spectacular view and great protection from the oceans swell. It is always amazing to find an oasis of land in the middle of the ocean. These islands are uninhabited except for small fishing villages populated during the season. We are offered shark but no lobster, oh well. While I enjoy shark, the tiger shark in the small fishing boat was just too big for us.

With a mere 150nm left to reach the Bay Islands we are up and off at 0600 on March 14th. Once again we are able to sail nicely throughout the day, however by nightfall the wind is behind us and it is time to motor sail. Arriving at the island of Guanaja at 1100 on March 15th we clear into the country at the Settlement then retire to the anchorage of Sandy Bay. It is a clear and calm afternoon and evening turning almost chilly. With the hills blocking the NE winds and the oceans swell there is nary a ripple on the Bay as we drop our heads and fall fast asleep. After several months of high winds and choppy anchorage we have managed to sail 650nm to find a good night sleep.

Well, we have arrived at the Bay Islands of Honduras, we are now as close as we have ever been to being current with this blog, so stay tuned.