Sailing: fixing your boat in exotic places
900 mile passage from Bonaire to San Andres, Columbia (off the coast of Nicaragua) was expected to take 8 days however we managed to do it in 5 days. Consistent winds of 25-30 knots propelling us at sustained speeds of 8-10 knots with top speeds of 15 knots stressed Shenemere and it’s parts. Crew was Phenomenal !
- Broken block on the boom- would have been disastrous if it had not been noticed and changed…the line was almost chafed through
- Main halyard chafed essentially the line that holds the mainsail up the mast was being chafed to it’s core…would have been debilitating
- Bracket that holds the lines to steer the Monitor wind vane was ripped from its mount
Pierre on deck. Where is your harness?!%#@ #youngmen
We caught two nice Mahi Mahi on this trip; too much to eat so I pulled out the food vacu- sealer and presto…fresh fish right into deep freeze for later
900 miles in less than 4 minutes…
Bonus must see video*** Dolphins loved to play in our wake and we never tired of watching
Welcome to Columbia where armed military just pull up along your boat and jump on…not even with a “Buenos Dias”
Cheers to sailors short-term memory!
San Andrés island sits 700km from the Colombian coast, a pearl in the ocean that combines the influence of Englishmen, Africans, Spaniards and Pirates in a culture full of flavors and reggae smells:)
A very touristic island; diving, kite boarding, para-sailing, snorkeling and boating was happening all the time and we were anchored literally in the middle of the action…day and night (Cha Cha Cha and the Macarena not so great at 3 AM).
Water is pristine and I had luck with my underwater medal detector on our day at the beach. I found a small gold/diamond earring…maybe it is tiny?
I coaxed Martin to take one day off from the most consuming boat repairs. Beer, in the shade, with loved ones, on a Columbian island… Priceless
This is a note to myself*** to once again remind me when you order fish in Latin Countries you are 98% guaranteed it will be served to you like this
Pierre at the top of the mast fixing the chafed halyard. Muchos Gracias!
“Shenemere… nice from far, far from nice” MKoning
Luego 🙂
Sailing Shenemere 
So great to check in on your beautiful post and catch up! Tell that Pierre to put a harness on! 🙂 I catch a sea breeze and a sense of inner peace and freedom while reading & watching your posts. Peace to you and all Susan. Sending love from the wintry north! Leslie
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Love it. Sea salt is probably better for you than the salt on the roads, that being said it’s a humid 89 here I’d kill for a tasty artic breeze. I kept your hand written one page instructions on Spanish verb tense; pulled it out when I got to Columbia…must be 22 years old 🙂 I still struggle with speaking Spanish but I get big smiles at my labored attempts. Happy Holidays! Susan
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