11:14.51N 74:13.04W

We had the most wonderful, calm night in the Ensenada Gairaca which enabled us to catch up on our sleep and relax after the 2 day passage.  In the morning we sailed 12 miles to the marina at Santa Marta.  It was a lively affair as we made an easy 8 knots with just a scrap of headsail and we arrived in the very sheltered marina in no time at all.

You have to use an agent to clear in to Columbia and we’d emailed information to Dino whilst we were in Aruba, so the formalities were speedily completed.  Our first impressions are very positive and we have been out and about to explore.  We’re glad to have spent the summer dusting off our Spanish as very little English is spoken here and we’re getting along just fine on that front.

Santa Marta is one of the oldest cities in Columbia and has a pleasant historic centre with shady, tree-lined squares where the locals love to gather each evening.  It’s a very lively place with music, car horns and noisy locals all competing with each other.  The cost of living is very cheap in spite of this being a tourist destination for Columbians, though the exchange rate takes a little getting used to with 3000 Columbian Pesos to the Pound and an early evening bar tab coming to COP9000!

Some of the sites around the marina, along the promenade and in the Centro Histórico: