A country with a huge smile factor, Colombia is welcoming and safe, quite contrary to its image, finds Alan RyallPhoto: Luciano Lejtman \/ AlamyIf I asked you for five words to describe Colombia I bet they wouldn\u2019t include \u2018welcoming\u2019, \u2018safe\u2019, \u2018fun\u2019, \u2018sophisticated\u2019 or \u2018beautiful\u2019. I bet you\u2019d be surprised if I told you that cruising here is far better than in the Eastern Caribbean. But it\u2019s true. This is a country that has been defined by a single issue projected by Hollywood and the world\u2019s media and the reality couldn\u2019t be further from that outdated image.
\nFor my wife, Terry, and I the adventure started when we turned the stern of our Island Packet 465, Seminole Wind, to the Eastern Caribbean. We left Union Island with steady tradewinds in the high teens, just occasionally tipping over 20 knots true with squalls strangely absent. We sail two-handed so our weapon of choice for downwind sailing is a huge Parasailor with no pole to wrestle with on a rolling foredeck.
\nJust for once the weather was stable enough to fly it all night so a hoist off Union and a drop approaching the mooring in Bonaire two days later gave us two back-to-back 200-mile days. For a long keeler designed for comfort not speed, an 8-knot average is a rare treat and made for a glorious final passage, probably the best I\u2019ve had in a lifetime of sailing.
\nSeminole Wind made 400 miles from Union Island to Bonaire in 48 hours
\nWe had sailed west to join the Ocean Cruising Club\u2019s 2018-19 Suzie Too Rally from Cura\u00e7ao to Belize via Aruba, Colombia, San Blas, Panama San Andres, Providencia, Roatan, and Utila. There were over 70 crews in two groups, all experienced sailors, but for many of us this would be our first rally experience.
\nSuzanne and David Chappell on Suzie Too have created a unique model that has little in common with the big commercial rallies. With no employees, no entry fee and exclusive to OCC members, it\u2019s simply a large group of like-minded people benefitting from their experience and superb organisational skills.
\nAfter haul-out at Cura\u00e7ao Marine, an excellent, well-managed yard with modern equipment and bonded, secure storage, the first hop was down to Aruba. It was an easy downwind drift but the next step can be a big one.
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The north of Colombia has been compared to the coast of Brittany, and with good reason. Given some planning and a careful weather slot selection it\u2019s a pussycat; on a bad day it will be a wild tiger and bite you hard. Thankfully at this time of the year, just before the Christmas winds set in, weather slots are regular and storms few so the sail around the Peninsula De La Guajira was another downwind run but with the Parasailor bagged each night.
\nI try to avoid two-night passages for the reason that it takes me some time to settle into a three-hour watch pattern \u2013 so a one-nighter is no worse than a redeye flight and after three I find my rhythm. On this passage you can break the trip by dropping into one of the small bays with great holding for a peaceful night\u2019s sleep and avoid the dreaded second night.
\nWelcomed by the Armada
\nNothing prepared us for the Colombian experience. \u201cSeminole Wind, Seminole Wind, this is Colombian warship Victoria. Welcome to Colombia.\u201d We\u2019ve been hailed by naval vessels from the USA, UK and a host of other countries, but I don\u2019t recollect any of them saying welcome, and the conversation that followed was extraordinarily friendly.<\/p>\n
They advised us that a US hospital ship would be crossing our path then asked what channel we were using and advised that they would be on station all night if we needed help. The watch officer then went on to wax lyrical about his country and his home base in Cartagena before wishing us a good night and safe passage.
\nThis was the first of many encounters with the \u2018Armada\u2019, both Navy and Coastguard, who were a constant, supportive presence throughout our stay. The local naval commandant came to our welcome party and made it clear that Colombia wants cruising sailors to come and will do everything they can to keep us safe and happy.
\nLieutenant Morales was introduced as the young officer charged with looking after us on his last assignment before rejoining his wife and family in Canada, and he was not going to let anything spoil our stay \u2013 not on his watch.
\nAlan and Terry Ryall at the helm of their Island Packet 465 Seminole Wind
\nThe big question, though, is: it safe here? Well, we walked the streets of Santa Marta and Cartagena, hiked in the mountains and anchored in remote Islands and at all times felt safe. Sure, there are street traders and taxi drivers that approach but a polite refusal is all it takes and you\u2019re left alone.
\nThe Santa Marta IGY marina proved to be one of the friendliest marinas I\u2019ve experienced on either side of the Atlantic. This story sums them up. A woman on a boat just down the pontoon from us was taken ill. The marina sent for a doctor who came immediately, treated her with drugs and rehydration and the following day she was well on the road to recovery.
\nHer husband was told there would be no bill, it\u2019s part of the service and they want their guests to be happy and healthy. Kelly on the front desk speaks good English and nothing is too much trouble for her or the rest of the team. They arranged shipments, agents, trips, repairs, dinners and even a sound system for our jam nights.
\nThe marina at Santa Marta
\nAshore in Santa Marta
\nIn addition to the welcome and farewell dinners, trips and support they organised for us at their expense they invited us to bring any school supplies, toys, games etc. to donate to their adopted charity Funde Humac. We arrived with a small mountain of stuff and spent a brilliant, inspiring day visiting one of the projects.
\nPoverty and domestic violence are a universal evil and Colombia has its fair share of both. Humac\u2019s mission is to provide kids with opportunities to learn, grow and aspire to something better.
\nMany of the young volunteers are now studying at college and were helped by the projects to get on the right track. The people here have huge hearts, boundless energy and a love for kids. The kids spoke no English, and most of us spoke no Spanish\u2026 but so what?
\nPhoto: Nick Baylis \/ Alamy
\nWe took a three-day trip to the mountains safe in the knowledge that Seminole Wind would be looked after while we were away. The contrast from the city to the quiet valleys and high peaks was incredible.
\nAccommodation is simple, clean and cheap but the roads up here are fit for dirt bikes and 4WD vehicles only. When we do this again, we\u2019ll stay for longer, go further up the valley on the back of one of the taxi dirt bikes that operate from Minca.
\nSo it was with some regret we left Santa Marta for Cartagena with a stop off at Islas Rosarios, a gorgeous anchorage nestled into a small group of islands, to relax and recharge before the festive season in the city. The passage crosses the entrance to Barranquilla at the mouth of the mighty, Rio Magdalena, which carries whole trees out to sea.
\nThe river and seawater meet with a dramatic change from brown to blue and the inshore overfalls reminded me of the Alderney Race with wind over tide. Best to give it a healthy offing and stay at least half a mile outside the brown water.
\nRosario is a lovely anchorage nestled between protective reefs that are easy to spot. There\u2019s plenty of coral around but the sand strip runs along the length of the beach, is easy to find and, once set, our trusty Rocna was left with a tiny bit of roll-bar peeping out of the sand.
\nThe short upwind 12-mile sail from Rosario to Cartagena was the only time the whole of group one sailed in company. Together with the port authority and the Armada we\u2019d planned a grand entrance and just over 40 boats sailed through the main ship channel and across the five-mile-wide harbour in line astern with rally flag flying. We were met with a helicopter fly-past and escorted to an anchorage reserved for us, a magnificent sight and a first for Colombia.
\nThe Suzie Too fleet gathers in Curacao
\nA walled city
\nI\u2019ve spent Christmas and New Year in many places, but this has to be one for the memory book. Cartagena has an 16th Century, largely intact walled city at its heart surrounded by 11km of defensive walls, and with a Manhattan-esque skyline just across the bay.
\nAs you sail into the huge natural harbour the first buildings you see are the glass and steel towers along the beach, but then you find yourself anchored beside 16th Century walls. The Christmas light show matched anything I\u2019ve seen in Europe and with the medieval backdrop it was stunning. Walking around the walled city at night was magical: bars, restaurants, shops all ablaze with colour, live music and light.
\nWe were welcomed and supported by the Club de Pesca, a private members\u2019 club in the old mansion district. They couldn\u2019t provide slips for all the boats but there\u2019s a huge safe anchorage right next to it watched over by the Caribbean headquarters of the Navy.
\nCartagena has a unique blend of the ancient, modern and colourful
\nIn Cartagena provisioning is easy, plentiful and cheap. The markets and the shops in town are fascinating and there is just so much history. Some 16 intact defensive forts dominate the bay and at the top of Mount Popa the convent Nuestra Se\u00f1ora de la Candelaria de la Popa, now a museum, has views almost to Panama.
\nBut the jewel in the crown has to be the narrow streets of the largely intact walled city. On New Year\u2019s Eve the roads are closed, the streets fill with tables and the biggest street party you can imagine ends with a spectacular firework display over the harbour.
\nLeaving Colombia was hard. We lingered in the islands of the San Barnardo archipelago but then had a weather window we could not refuse. Winds had been light, but a decent breeze was promised to take us just over 200 miles south to San Blas.
\nThe San Bernardo Islands have everything from reefs to mountains
\nOur leaving was not without drama. As we came into the protected anchorage, our Australian friends John and Sal on Capel Mara, a Beneteau Sense, were just returning under sail with an overheated engine. Deprived of cooling seawater, the engine overheated fast and by the time the overheat alarm went off the damage was done.
\nWhy boatbuilders don\u2019t fit raw water alarms I don\u2019t know; we added one to Seminole Wind with an exhaust temperature sensor as soon as we bought her.
\nThe plastic water trap that prevents water back-syphoning had melted. The nearest spare part was in France and they were faced with plugging on or returning against the wind to Cartagena without an engine. With fickle light winds until we cleared the islands, we came up with a plan to tow them out through the reefs until they could sail safely in company.
\nParasailor is the downwind weapon of choice on Seminole Wind
\nThen we would get through to other rally boats as soon as we were within VHF range and have some dinghies standing by while they anchored under sail. It was a three-hour tow before we got enough wind and safe water to drop the tow and then we had another glorious overnight passage to arrive two hours earlier than planned.
\nA bump in the night
\nThis wasn\u2019t the only drama. On a pitch-dark night in the Bernardino anchorage at 0430, our other sailing buddies Maggie and Al on Sweet Dreams were jolted out of bed by a huge bang. Al jumped up, got tangled in the bedsheet and went full length, banging the side of his head in the process. A local fisherman had run at full tilt straight into the side of their boat, damaging the glassfibre and cracking one of the portlights.
\nThe fisherman too had been thrown the length of the boat and was badly shaken but appeared to have no serious injuries so after a while he headed off uttering apologies in Spanish. Sweet Dreams was properly lit but the lesson is to leave an additional big light at deck level fore and aft in remote anchorages. An anchor light at the top of the mast is easy to miss, solar lights tend to go out before dawn and with LEDs the power draw on deck lighting is minimal.
\nPhoto: Jon Arnold \/ Alamy
\nSo now we had a wounded Sweet Dreams and a broken Capel Mara in the San Blas, the remotest islands in the Caribbean. The damage to the hull of Sweet Dreams was ugly but not structural and some judicial application of Gorilla Tape ensured the window didn\u2019t leak.
\nI had a faint recollection that you can bypass the anti-syphon box and we were able to confirm that, providing the seacock is turned off at the same time as the engine and only turned back on as the engine is started, it would not back-syphon, get water in the cylinders and goodbye engine.
\nAfter four hours of wrestling with a 1m long plastic box that had been fitted before the rest of the engine using bent studding to fix it in place, we got the thing out, but only after taking a hacksaw to the fixings. Another rally member, Rob on Alia Vita, recovered a suitable exhaust joint from the depths of his bilge, demonstrating once again the value of a rally.
\nI came to Colombia with reservations, but I left with none and a determination to come back for more. This a big country with a coastline on two oceans, mountains, jungles, lost cities, rivers and lakes. It has culture and history, great cruising and your budget goes a long way.
\nBut, best of all, they want us here and are investing time and money to make it even more attractive. On behalf of the 200 or so sailors and guests of the rally, who enjoyed the hospitality of this beautiful country and its lovely people, I\u2019d like to say a huge \u2018Gracias amigos\u2019.
\nCome here with an open mind. I think you will love it.
\nIdyllic island anchorages lie in the national park only a two-hour sail from the city
\nHints and tips for cruising Colombia
\nPeople are generally open and helpful but few speak any English, iTranslate\/Google Translate makes communication fun and works great but a few words of Spanish goes a long way.
\nThe charts are generally good here, but there are some isolated uncharted hazards. Check Active Captain for updates.
\nGive the river outlet at Barranquilla a good clearance: whole trees wash down it and seas can kick up where fresh and seawater meet.
\nStay in deep water for the passage down from Punta Faro (Barranquilla) to Cartagena \u2013 there are some isolated rocks around Punta Santa Rita south-west of Isla Arena in 12m of water.
\n\u2018Lift it, lock or lose it\u2019 is the mantra of the whole region \u2013 here is better than many places but no exception. The last time someone tried in earnest to steal our dinghy was in Cowes, UK.
\nLight up your boat in dark anchorages \u2013 the anchor light at the top of the mast fitted to most modern boats is simply not enough.
\nAnchor in the islands south of Cartagena during the week \u2013 N.B. you need permission to anchor overnight in the Islas Rosario national park, but the anchorages are idyllic. Weekends get busy with day boats and sound systems, weekdays are quiet and peaceful with a couple of bars and restaurants \u2013 but no shops.
\nInternet and communications are generally good in the cities, patchy outside. Claro seem to cover everywhere, they are not customer friendly however. Take your passport to buy a SIM and you can only buy 2GB of data at a time and only from a shop \u2013 data renewals are not available online.
\nRoaming plans work fine.
\nLocal currency is easy to get through the many ATMs and is used everywhere.
\nFor $US you have to buy local cash then change at the bank or the exchange shops so if you\u2019re going on to Panama take $US with you and if you are going on through San Blas take lots of small denomination dollar notes.
\nFirst published in the July 2019 edition of Yachting World.
\nThe post Cruising Colombia: An extraordinarily friendly country for visiting sailors appeared first on Yachting World.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A country with a huge smile factor, Colombia is welcoming and safe, quite contrary to its image, finds Alan RyallPhoto: Luciano Lejtman \/ AlamyIf I asked you for five words to describe Colombia I bet they wouldn\u2019t include \u2018welcoming\u2019, \u2018safe\u2019, … <\/p>\n