A few photos from Old Town Panama on Easter Sunday.

The wind on Saturday was very strong out of the NNE which gave us the possibility of laying the end of Honduras 300 miles to the southeast of San Pedro, Belize. 

Well, one of the advantages of cruising is that you can change your mind and itinerary any time you like! And that is just what has happened.

…that’s the motto of Cay Caulker, a predominantly mangrove island, over 4 miles long and cut in two by a swift flowing small boat channel that leads to the Caribbean side of the island.

Belize has three offshore atolls which offer some of the most sensational diving in the country. This morning we were up early and set sail for a day of snorkeling. The sea is the most incredible colour, different shades of blues from cobalt to light turquoise, I have never seen such clear water.

At sunset we sailed back out of the Rio Dulce, past Livingston and out into the Caribbean en route to Belize City. The wind in this part of the Caribbean veers between NE and SE.

We finally spotted Guatemala around 5.30am this morning and pulled into the settlement of Livingston around 8.00am. We were keen to get going as we only had a day here so got into the dinghy and went into town.

We sailed out of Cartagena around 4pm, it was great to finally start our real adventure.  Don’t get me wrong, I loved our time in Colombia but after all the shipyard delays it was definitely time to get on with the sailing trip.

We are finally leaving today – everything is now in full working order and we are able to leave Ferroalquimar – I might even shed a tear at leaving all the dirt and dust behind; this shipyard now feels like my second home!

After some very frustrating days trying to get our exit papers for both the boat and ourselves, and an especially “tear your hair out” day today resulting in still one document needed.

Yep, we’re still here.

Yep, we’re still here, sandwiched between the two boats, with our mechanic friends trying to fix up some more problems!

The good news is that we are finally in the water, we got lowered in yesterday morning!. The bad news is that when we tried out all the mechanics on the boat, one of the engines didn’t work, neither did the generator.

Amidst all the dust and dirt of the shipyard, I have been very fortunate as Geoff has treated me to two very different nights in the Old Town.

Well, even though we had Friday in our sights for getting into the water, it didn’t quite happen – no surprises there! However…….we are now in the slings and are scheduled to “splash” first thing on Monday morning!

Well it’s Day 3 of the big clean-up! Slowly getting there but there has been plenty to do. We have got into a bit of a rhythm now, up early for breakfast, off to the boatyard by 7.00am and then straight into it.

Monday morning saw us up bright and early to get to the boat and start the big clean up.  So much to fix as the boat has been sitting on the hard for 2 years when Covid hit.

Another few hours in the car in traffic – the driving in Bogota is pretty terrifying, it’s like the dodgems at the fairground. Anyway, we finally arrived in the City centre and were staying the night with some friends.

So Geoff surprised me on Thursday. He had booked a for us to stay at a place called Tiny Houses in the Sky in a town called Sasaima, a two hour drive out of Bogota. 

Three flights, one almost 12 hours, one 5 hours and one 2 hours, a nine hour layover in LA and a 5 hour layover in Miami, I’ve finally arrived in Cartagena.