In Drake's wake - Cartagena de Indias

It's a couple of days since we arrived from Santa Marta in very strong winds with sustained 55 knots gusting 66 knots at times (a near hurricane). We crossed the Magdalena river outflow at dawn about 8 miles out as planned, keeping a good lookout for logs (saw none) but crossing a crisply defined boundary between clear and muddy water. We hauled up a bucketful to taste, but it seemed just as salty as the sea. With big following waves we were surfing into deep troughs, but the autopilot coped well most of the time. However during the night Justin had to grab the wheel to straighten the boat up when a large wave slewed us across, and the following waves didn't give "George" time to correct. As we approached the Zamba Bank, built up by the river sediment, the water shallows from 400 metres to 40 metres, and I was quite concerned that we might find dangerously breaking surf. However the transition turned out to be uneventful, mostly because I think the strong following current smoothed out the effect of the shallows.

With so much wind we arrived a good three hours earlier than planned at Cartagena. As we sailed southwards the city skyscrapers grew ever taller.  Even several miles off shore we could hear heavy pounding music.   I called the Port Authorities and got permission to enter via the narrow pass in Boca Grande. After Sir Francis Drake sailed his fleet in on New Year's Day 1586 and held the city to ransom for a month, a defensive underwater wall was built across this wide entrance to stop further pirate raids.

Cartagena - approaching from the North in big seas.

With Port Control keeping in close touch we were authorised to anchor near the Club Nautico de Cartagena amongst many other yachts.

I went ashore and after various enquiries managed to get hold of an agent called David to handle the Customs and Immigration formalities as required. The two I had emailed before hadn't answered!

The following morning we were cleared in, and by midday were free to all go ashore. We walked the mile or so to the old City in sweltering heat, eventually collapsing under a cafe sunshade in the Plaza San Domingo, where I sketched the bronze sculpture of a reclining lady of very ample proportions, a colourfully dressed palanquero, or fruit seller, and an elegant Colombian lady. Later at another cafe the waitress saw my sketch, and said "That's my grandmother, Angélica Maria!" I think she meant the fruit seller, but now given her own proportions I wonder whether she meant the reclining nude!

Who is Angelica Maria? - Fat lady or Fruit Seller?

The streets of Cartagena are a wonderful maze of colonial architecture, with overhanging wooden balconies, huge double doors studded with metal bosses that allowed the master to ride his horse in, and small inset slave entrance portals for daily business. The colours are vibrant ochres, reds yellows, blues and greens, but subtle and elegant rather than the rather less sophisticated Caribbean colours we have seen on other islands.

Cartagena - view from Café Ficci

Justin and I were accosted by two rappers with a boom box, who started performing at us.  I decided to rap straight back at them.  Something like....

You keep doin' this stuff

I don' think it's funny

Holdin' yore hat out 

askin' for money!

I'm well practiced at this 

ad libbing' at will

keep my grandchildren happy

it makes car rides a thrill

So leave me alone

don't shout in my ear

turn off your music

and get outta here!

I kept it going along these lines and they stopped to listen in amazement and then left us alone after a Respect knuckle tap!

We met up with Kate Kendon, her sister Deb and friend Sue, for a walking tour of the city which was fun and then explored until we found a much recommended restaurant, La Mulata, which served a simple but exciting menu of fish. I had ceviché de Rubalo, which is raw fish cubes steeped in lime juice. Very good.

Cartagena from the ramparts - sunset drinks at the Café del Mar

We said farewell to Kate et al as they are off to Santa Marta next. Quite amazing to meet our aunt in Cartagena!  We learned that our cousin Jack had also been here before and had made the trip from the San Bas islands where we are headed next.