I decided to take a day off of working on the boat to show the girls the old city yesterday. We took a taxi to the old “walled” city of Cartagena.
Sam and Guin are amazed at how wonderful Cartagena is, and I had forgotten how much I love this city.
We walked the old cobblestone streets of “old town” as burrows pulling carts strolled by. Guin sucked on a lollipop sipping cold freshly pressed orange juice from a local street vendor (25 cents). We took a break and found a empty bench in a square and Sam and I had 2 nice espressos from a street vendor, both about .25 cents each, and It was some of the best coffee we’ve had. We had lunch at a local street side cafe and people watched as the city unfolded before us. All I can say is ‘What a splendid day’! There is a peace here that feels good to be around, Tranquillo (tranquil) is an appropriate word.
Sam and Guin practice their Spanish on anyone who will listen and sometimes people who wont. “Ola”, “Gracias”, and “banyo” are common words but they are picking it up quickly. Guin doesn’t get treets unless she asks in Spanish, and trust me when I tell you she knows how to say “Can I please have one ice cream?”.
Sam and Guin have also occupied their pallets with fruit. We like to go the the local supermarket’s fruit & yogurt bar for breakfast. Sam had 3 new fruits yesterday morning which she had never had or even heard of before, one of which might be her favorite ever. The fruit here is superb, truly!
Today I need to deal with my transmission again, I’m a bit worried about it. When we were coming into Cartagena we were doing 3.8 – 4.5 knots @ 2000 rpm’s. In a “no-currant” environment we should be doing 5.5 knots. Either we had a fair current or the gear box isn’t putting out the power it should. I don’t have a mechanical speed sensor (over water) so I cant measure current. I’m going to get a new hose and flush it again. If I still have a problem I’m going to have to think about staying in Cartagena until I get the parts, strip it down, and rebuild it. The “up-side” is this isn’t such a bad place to be, and we are out of hurricane season.
I’m coming across old friends here and there that are still sailing this area, and I recognize many of the boats.
I must say I’m quite pleased to be here. I feel like I’ve made it back to the cruising life that I’ve been missing so much and its nice to share it with Sam and Guinevere.
Sail far and live slowly.
– Alex
