Thursday 5/31/2007
Providencia is a gorgeous mountainous island about the size of Key West (2 by 4 miles) but with only about 5000 inhabitants. As the mountain peaks get nearer on the horizon the air becomes sweet with the parfume of flowers. A huge solitary bolder with the profile of a man's face sits at the entrance to the anchorage. The head of the pirate Captain Morgan- A protector of the island for all time in the eyes of the locals. Across the anchorage a mountain peak stands out from the rest due to it's odd shape - like a piece was taken from the center to make two small peaks on one. The locals smile and say "That's Captain Morgan's butt!". In no time at all the welcome boat arrives at Max with the clear-in crew aboard. This time we use an agent (as reccomended), so once they leave we are completely legal. No additional trips to customs and immigration necessary (for a fee, of course). Upon arrival this morning we noticed a large yacht that Travis recognized from Key West. We gave them a call on the radio and they swung by the boat. Susan, the captain and her 14 year old son Mateo recognized me within the first few minutes of talking. "Banana Cafe, right?". What a small, small world it is! In town Jeremy and I walk around a bit and find some dinner- a fried fish as big as my head, some rice and fried plantains.
Friday 6/01/2007
This morning we accept an invitation to Susan's yacht, Phantom Explorer, for some coffee. Phantom is a 96 foot steel work boat that they have converted into a cruiser/research yacht. It is awesome! A giant octopus is painted on the bow, making it very easy to recognize. The interior is incredibly nice with such conveniences as two kitchens (one with a built-in push-button espresso machine, of course), a 40 gallon an hour water maker, a huge flat screen television (which she said I can watch movies on any time when we meet up in Panama!),and a jacuzzi- but at the same time maintaining a very comfortable, homey feel. While chatting over coffee we learn that Susan and Mateo have been on the boat for two years and are studying and making videos of sting rays! Mateo is home schooling, so this is like one big field trip! He is extremely smart and fun to talk to. Susan is really great too. She has her captain's licence and runs the boat with two other crew, Ricardo and Frank. We enjoy their company so much and are reluctant to leave. I feel like I could talk to them and listen to their stories for hours. This town is small and the locals are pretty nice. Things are pricey, though, and we definately feel the tourist gouge every time we pull out the wallet (we paid U.S. $30 to have two loads of laundry washed and dried- more than even Key West!), but the nice thing is that a completely satisfying afternoon can be spent simply walking around and taking in the beauty. What more could you want. For happy hour we are invited back to the Phantom Explorer for margaritas and more great conversation.
Saturday 6/02/2007
Phantom Explorer left early this morning. We plan to meet up in Panama where they also expect to spend hurricane season. Jeremy and I walk to the lovely little South Beach where all kinds of crabs scurry in the mud and turquoise lizards as well as lots of tiny baby iguanas hang out on the rocks. Later Travis and Joanne come over for happy hour and we toast to their big news... they just got engaged on Thursday night under the full moon! Que romantica!
Sunday 6/03/2007
This morning Travis and Joanne make a decision to skip a visit to the neighboring island of San Andreas and head directly to Panama. They are having transmission difficulties and are eager to be in Panama where they will have more access to parts and technicians. Jeremy and I have refueling to do in San Andreas, so we will meet up with them in a week or so. We spent our last day in Providencia driving around the island on a scooter. We met an artist named Carmeni who gave us delicious poma-rosa fruit from a tree in her yard and told us lots of stories. The islands we visit really do just keep on getting better. This evening we pulled anchor before sunset to begin the easy 10 hour sail to San Andreas.
Monday 6/04/2007
At sunrise we began the entrance to the San Andreas with the GPS as our guide. The light was still very low, but we followed the electronic map and made the turn towards the first marker where it showed 20 feet of depth. A couple of minutes on this course and Jeremy notices something pequilar in our path. Squinting to get a better view with such little daylight, it dawns on him what it is- small waves breaking on a completely unmarked reef directly in front of us!!! Immediately we change course and make it around the shallows, very shaken by such a close call, but safe. The process of actually anchoring turns out to be a chore as well with nothing but guess work and a trial and error method of figuring out wether or not an area is too shallow. This would be a lot faster and easier if we could only find a guide book for this area. Hopefully in Panama. Immediately upon anchoring we are greeted by fellow cruisers. Hugh on "The Bear Necesities" pulls up first and introduces himself. After a minute of chatting we learn that he was not as lucky with same reef that gave us a scare. The only lucky part about his experience was that they managed to pull her off before she sank. We cringe at the thought of what would have happened if we had abandoned our rule about entering unknown waters before daybreak. This will Always be our policy. This island is much different from Providencia. Every street reminds us of Duval street in Key West. Everywhere are condos and t-shirt shops. It was a necessary stop, but we will be more than ready to leave.
Tuesday 6/05/2007
It looks like we will be stuck here for a few days longer than planned due to weather, but hopefully this will give us time to find access to a guidebook. This afternoon our poor neighbor Hugh had another pitfall in paradise. His dinghy was run over by a local panga (15 ft. speed boat)- while he was in it! The propeller went right through the middle of his dinghy and he had to dive overboard to safety! We feel really bad for his luck (he is an extremely nice guy) and offer to help if we can. He spent five years making his yacht just right (complete with a very nice dinghy), and this is his very first port away from Texas. This place is kinda crazy, and we have certainly taken note. Wednesday 6/06/2007 Breakfast. Refueling. Internet... Once again, thanks for keeping up with our journey and wish us a safe crossing to Panama! Miss you!! Also, for those who don't have it, my e-mail is crystalvillegas@hotmail.com I'm able to check this much more often than I can upload info to the web site, so drop us a line any time! Again, miss ya & hope all is well in the real world! We'll be in touch again
