From North of San Blas, Panama to port Antonio, Jamaica

The days melt into one very long horrible crossing. We have the engine back on, still with an eye on the fuel gauge as we know we don’t have enough diesel to motor for the last day. Plans have changed several times over the last 2 days as we think we aren’t going to be able to make Jamaica, so we look at diverting to the Cayman Islands or Cuba. “It’s only one more night’s sail!” to which I answer something I can’t type here! This has been the worst passage I think we’ve done and I am now firmly resolved to do no more passages which are likely to be more than 2 nights, and am muttering about how nice a canal boat would be. The trip does have a high point of dolphins playing on the last day at sunset. I’m battered, bruised (where I was catapulted from the sofa to the table by a particularly obnoxious wave) and occasionally blinded by Mike’s head torch so, generally, not a happy bunny.

                                 Resulting bruise and supper!

The final night was another hilarious few hours of indecision where we first decided to anchor and go on to Kingston the next day, then the wind came in (of course, just as supper is being passed up to the cockpit)

Mike caught a full wave soaking all his clothes again and I watch a “wall of water” – not liked!

And, suddenly, it’s all flat calm and dolphins appear to lighten the mood

We finally pitch up at the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club, covering 733.62 nms. We are assisted tying up at the fuel dock by 2 well-meaning but incompetent staff. “Throw us your bow line”. Nope, I’m throwing you a centre line (as per instructions from the boss!). After that, I throw the bow line which the bloke just keeps pulling on. “Please just release it a bit and tie it off” – bloke keeps pulling. Finally we are kind of tied up but not to the boss’ satisfaction so he gets off to sort out the lines. “Please get back on the boat, mon, till you have cleared quarantine and Customs and Immigration”. Such a bad idea! Mike just glares at him and tells him firmly that he is going to sort the lines. No further argument!

Here’s a classic example of bureaucracy which is endemic in the Caribbean!

Quarantine have arrived, looked in the boat, asked us if we have any meat and left having issued us “Free Practique” – basically means we are bug free, love these old hang over sayings from a bygone age. Another hour passes while we wait on board for Immigration, she takes our passports for copying and eventually comes back to ask us to go up to the clubhouse where the Customs guy is waiting for us. So, because he’s basically lazy, we are suddenly allowed to get off the boat even though we haven’t been cleared in! The Immigration lady only wants one form filled in, not so the Customs who wants 8 forms done, most of which are the same questions. Date of birth, passport number all filled in 8 times and then random other questions like “How many dead people on board?” –Only the one I so want to write! “How many stowaways?” “How many personal fridges do you have each?” I put down 1 as we have a fridge on the boat. “No, NO, that is how many personal fridges – not the boat fridge! Oh, we don’t have a personal fridge or anything, I’m so sorry!!!! On top of all this, he wants me to write a letter to Customs explaining why we don’t have clearance papers from the San Blas but only one from Colombia. Because we didn’t have enough cash to pay the clearance there, I explain. This could be a breach, apparently – I wait with bated breath for his superior’s decision on the matter! This is the very reason Mike nominates me as skipper when we get to ports so that he doesn’t have to do this mindless paperwork (and possibly get arrested for being in breach of the rules!)

We go up to the clubhouse for a shower (the ladies is locked!) and a meal in the restaurant, which is closed! So is the bar and we are paying $63 a night for what exactly? Sad meal aboard and he finishes off the last bottle of rum and falls into bed.

Next day, I go up to the club to find out from the miserable lady in the office what exactly we are paying for. She’s decidedly not interested! The restaurant is open till 6pm – seems logical to her! The ladies’ showers were locked – oh dear, she’ll talk to the lady with the keys. There’s no hot water – No, it’s not connected to the shower rooms – again, very logical to her! Mike has meanwhile fixed all the bits which got broken on this passage.

Early start as we plan to “do” Kingston. Miserable lady in the club has booked us a taxi, so we set off for the Bob Marley Museum which is closed for 2 months for refurbishment! We laugh heartily. Our taxi driver, thinks we are mad till we explain that every time we try to do the tourist thing, it’s closed! The Acropolis – shut for strike action, the Reflecting Pool in Washington for 4^th July fireworks, closed for refurbishment etc etc, we add Bob to the list!

“The Bob Marley Museum is closed for renovations” 

A 9 hour trip, part sailing (mostly in the wrong direction!) and part motoring, gets us to lovely Port Antonio 3 Mr Grumpy moments today

“We won’t catch any fish today, there’s too much weed!” Then caught supper!

“We won’t be able to sail at all, there’s not a breath of wind” The engine goes off and the sails are up!

“There’s no sunshine today” -That’s because it’s still last night, ie 6am!

RT at anchor at Port Antonio

Lovely day out to beautiful Reach Falls waterfalls, lots of beautiful cold blue water, the colour coming from the copper occurring there.

 

A red rock underwater, mostly copper

 Blue Lagoon where loads of films have been shot

We hang around waiting for our OCC burgee to show up and our masthead wind instrument to arrive in Fort Lauderdale, a casualty of the sail from the San Blas, we’ve sent off to the USA to see if it’s repairable. Jamaica Post tracks it to Kingston, which takes a week, but it’s now off their radar and it hasn’t turned up in Florida as yet! We are invited onto Margarita for cocktails with Tout es La, a French boat which showed up this week. They have very little English so am doing my best to translate over a few glasses of American whisky. Fluent! Mike spends a lot of time staring at battery monitor, tie up on the pontoon as the new batteries are failing, and it’s all doom and gloom in use and generation of power again!

The Errol Flynn Marina clubhouse                       Fresh sorrel to make a “delicious” Christmas drink!

Lovely day out to River Grande. Phillip (phillipstravels {CHANGE TO AT} hotmail {DOT} com) is our driver and he’s much cheaper than any of the others we’ve had quotes from. Our captain was Nevill (Captain No 98) and he was very good,  both highly reccommended if anyone else wants to take this trip. Because of the non-meater, who Nevill says is therefore a Rasta, we pick up a take-up (take away) lunch from a village on the river to eat further down stream. Delicious fish for him and chicken for me with the inescapable rice and beans, but also macaroni!

                                                                                                             “Lovers’ Lane”

Take-away shop, Jamaican style                                           Shooting the rapids

One way to get your bananas home                                      and get your washing done

Lunch stop for meat-eaters

The masthead unit still doesn’t seem to have arrived in Florida sent Jamaica Post! The burgee we ordered from USA hasn’t turned up here either! Mike is still concerned about the batteries, so decision made to head up to Fort Lauderdale via Haiti and get another new set. Then we can nose our way down back to the Bahamas, so still no idea where we will be for Christmas.

We have to say, throughout our stay in Port Antonio, whether at anchor or tied up in marina, the manager, Paul, has been incredibly helpful, friendly and resourceful on our behalf. He has managed to get us transport, non-meat meals and unlimited other problems solved. Thank you to him for making our stay here so pleasant. We will return sometime, I hope.

This month we’ve covered 579 miles from north of San Blas to Port Antonio, Jamaica and 7208 miles since RT last left Ramsgate.