My Day 10:24.6N 075:32.6W

Pacific Bliss
Colin Price
Wed 1 Sep 2010 02:18
Today, the day we tried to leave Cartegena, went something like this.
 
05.00  Sitting in cockpit watching s/v Talicam drift closer in no wind.  They are asleep after 4 days at sea so decide not to wake them.
06.00  Kids awake -  "can we go on the internet!".   "NO"
07.00  Leave boat, and am flagged down by a girl on a nearby boat.  Only, on closer inspection do I see she is a 'lady of the night' with spangly high heels and and red leather jacket. I was too close at this point to pull away, so had to give here a lift into the marina where a few eyebrows were raised.  Imagine the gossip amongst the yard boys!  "hasn't he got a wife and two kids?"   I was cross with the captain of the baot for not even having the good grace to make an effort to say thanks to whoever gave his tart a lift..
07.30  Set off for Citybank (read, Sh*tybank) on the back of a motorbike (best form of transport).  Not allowed to withdraw money -  some random error code in Spanish.  Phone in foyer lets me speak to someone in Spanish who cannot put me through to London.  Imagine that!?
08.30  Push loaded supermarket trolley to checkout and did not have enough cash to pay for it.  Cash machine beside check out chooses this moment to run out of cash.  Aaaargh
09.00  Back to boat to find Talacam has given us a nudge as they up anchor.  No real damage done, just annoying.
09.30  Back to supermarket with another credit card that works.  Get call from UK bank needing a fax to verify a simple instruction. organise to have that sent from internet cafe.  Carry 10tons of shopping back to boat (actually, pay someone else $1 to do it).
10.00  Kids hold very successful scone and flapjack sale at Club Nautico.
12.00  Skype with Mum and Dad, in which they agree to cruise in company with us in the San Blas islands on a lovely 50' wooden ketch.  Should be fun. All conceived and organised by Liz as usual.  Pop over to the bot on the way back to PB to tell the skipper the good news.
12.30  Try to leave to get Bonaire's inflatable back to them 15nm away in Islas Rosarios today.  Am feeling a certain amount of pressure to get it done because we might not see them again for some months. and Tim wants it back  Pull up anchor, put engines in gear and get no thrust.  Being here two weeks has let the barnacles grow on the props to such an extent that they are locked closed and have no thrust at all.
13.00  Lunch on board - brief respite
14.00  Pick up diver from the dock to clean propellors. Yeuchy job in this water, but locals seem to have an intollerance to it.
15.00  Job done, but too late to leave.  Catch motorbike to 'filter alley; to buy fuel filter. A great dusty highroad with great bustle of mechanics shops.  Also get nw o-rings from the fan-belt lady.   She has a tall shop with literally thousands of fan belts hanging from the ceiliing.  She finds the one you want with a long stick and flicks it off the hook and catches it on the way down.  What a shop.  Beats Halfords any day.
16.00  Have a great lime juice on the street.  Just the best.  For 25 cents you can have a cup of icey lime juice and syrup with another squeeze of fresh lime on top.  Totally thirst quenching, and if you hold out your cup it gets filled up again.  Limes are everywhere here, and at 50cents for 50limes you get quite used to them.  Yum
16.00  Kids have icecream from the ding-a-ling man.  costs more than at home.
17.00  I go to join the 'old men' for beers-at-five on the dock.  Its the first time I've done it, and wish I'd started pitching up to shoot the shit with these guys days ago.  All very kind and welcoming.
19.00  Super on baord.  Very delicious chicken and salad.
20.00  Kids go mad, get shouted at, go to bed. 
22.00  Bed
 
Is it any wonder we sleep well at night!?