We wish you a very and may 2010 be your best.

I started the year doing some varnishing and Sonny was in the water, cleaning the bottom, and trouble-shooting our wind generator.  With the trade winds blowing, we think it should be putting out more amps.

With all of our gadgets of monitoring everything on Valentina, we do not have a separate monitor for our wind generator.  We have a separate one for our solar panels and another one for total amps from solar and wind, but not a separate one for only the wind generator.

I am doing some maintenance coats of varnish on our caprail.  But, with this being the holidays for Colombians, there are a lot of boats in the anchorage, causing waves.  So picture this.....I am standing in the dinghy, brush in one hand, holding the cup of varnish in the other hand, while trying to hold on to Valentina while standing in the dinghy...and....varnishing.   It has been fun.....I have to get it done before 10 a.m. when the boats begin arriving in the bay from Cartagena.

Tom and Kathy on S/V Jumbie arrived in the anchorage today and called to see if there was anything going on tonight.  Sonny told him, "No, but Robert probably would be glad to, if anyone wanted to get together".   So, Robert made an announcement to the anchorage at 1 p.m. to anyone who wants to get together on the M/V Manatee at 5 p.m. and 19 people showed up in our dinghies in the blowing wind.   It is so nice to have such a big boat that everyone can come to.  Thanks again.....Robert and Carmen.

D.J. and Kate (S/V Hello World) dropped by on their way to go for a walk.  We told them we would join them, but I had about 30 more minutes of varnishing before we could leave, and we would catch them.

We walked the trail to the other side of the peninsula and continued to walk along, but we did not find them.   We saw a huge tree with a pond below.  It was so beautiful...(and I did not take my camera)...we continued walking until we came to a large white home.  There were children outside playing, who spoke English. Arturito told us it was their home. How nice!

Arturo, Arturito's father, came up to us and offered us a glass of water or a drink.  He was with his father, Arturo.   Three generations.....how awesome!

The family has owned this property for 40 years and every Christmas, they come to spend three weeks together......the 'whole' family.   Today, there were 26 members of the family there from 2 years old to 84 years old. 

Unless walking on the trail, you can only get to their property by water.

We have loved and admired the strength and closeness of the Colombian families.    Margarita told us when the whole family is at home in Bogata, they get together every Sunday for dinner and every Wednesday for lunch.

They own a business harvesting palm oil and also work together in their family business.

Sonny played Arturito in a couple of games of ping pong.  He won one and lost one.  Arturito takes private lessons and is a very good player.

They invited us to join them for lunch, which was such a wonderful meal.  The dining table was probably 40' long, completely full of genuine, loving family members.

They brought us back to Valentina in their launcha and Arturo and his wife, Margarita, came aboard our boat for a short visit. 

We look forward to seeing them again.

Sonny called Dean (S/V Blue Fox) when he started putting the pieces back together on our engine and Dean came over to assist.  It took them less than an hour to have the engine together and running.

I am doing (hopefully) my final coat of varnish on the cap rail.  So, I am aggressively sanding and varnishing half of the cap rail today and the other half tomorrow.

While we had all of the 'stuff' out of the lazarette, Sonny decided to go ahead and work on our generator.   It has not worked for the past 5 months, but we were not concerned, as our solar panels keep our batteries totally charged every day....but, if we have it on board, we want it to work.

So, in the very tight quarters, he managed to get the water pump off the generator and he changed the impeller.  Perfect!  It is working great now.

A very good day in paradise.

Aaron and Lyla (S/V Blow Me Away) are back in the anchorage, after spending their 20th anniversary in Cartagena.  Lyla swam over to Valentina this morning as we were sanding for our 'final' coat on the cap rail.   She invited us to come over at 5 p.m. to Blow Me Away.  So, we did.

As we were sitting and visiting, a boat called on the VHF, needing assistance.   He is trying to come into Cholon, in the dark, without a track or waypoints, and with 9 backpackers on board.

Johnny, crew on the Manatee, took Ken (S/V Dream Ketch'r) and Rich (S/V Tara Vana) and went out to assist in Robert's launcha.  As they were headed out to guide him in, he called back on the radio that he was aground.   They tried to kedge him off with his anchor, but to no avail.  Then, Sonny and DJ (S/V Hello World) went out in our dinghy, along with Aaron and Tom (S/V Jumbie) in Aaron's dinghy to see if they could assist in the efforts.  No luck.

The wind, of course, was blowing strong, the seas were 3-4', and it was pitch dark.  That doesn't sound too bad, but in a dinghy, it is very rough.

The captain asked if the three dinghies could take his passengers off the boat, so Robert said they could stay on Manatee in the hammocks.  So, the three dinghies transported the backpackers back into Cholon and to the Manatee for the night.

It was 9 p.m. by now, and the passengers were hungry. So we provided the sauce and Lyla provided the pasta and she whipped up a pan of spaghetti that Sonny and Aaron took over to the Manatee for them.

A very long, stressful night for a lot of people in the anchorage.

After he examined his boat for damage.....the backpackers were hauled back to his boat and at 10:30 a.m. they all left for San Blas.  Whew...

We worked on it most of the day and will put it up in the morning before the wind picks up.

We were back at Valentina by 8 a.m. and began putting up our new awning.  We think it will work just fine.

Marilyn on S/V Dream Ketch'r called everyone on the VHF to see if anyone would be interested in water aerobics at 1:30 p.m. at her boat.

Since my cataract surgeries in December, I have not been able to get in the water, so it is finally time I can get in.  So, Marilyn, Kathy (S/V Jumbie), Terri (S/V Gymnopolies), and I exercised in the water with our noodles.  Surprisingly, it was a very good workout.

While I was exercising....Sonny was trying out the hammock to see if it would work OK.....hey, it worked!   He slept the whole time. 

While he was taking care of that, I began going through our food supplies and making a new list of what we have on board, so we can provision in Cartagena.

This evening, we had another delicious pot-luck dinner on Robert's Manatee.  There were several new boats and interesting people to meet.  There are so many boats here in Cholon now, we usually have over 20 at all time.  Much different from when we first came here.

But, it is time to move on.....after over four months in the tranquil Bay of Cholon, Colombia, it is time to move on.   We are headed to Cartagena to refuel and reprovision for a trip to the beautiful San Blas Islands in Panama.

We had a stowaway on board with us.  A butterfly clung on to Sonny's shoulder rode for a while, then he came over to mine.   After a nice rest and we neared land, he flew away.

We arrived in the anchorage at 10:45. 

Our friends we met in Cholon last year, Dr. Gilberto, Martha, and Martha's 85 year old father Efrain, are planning to make the 35 hour sail with us to San Blas around the 15th.  So, we met them to get their passports to give to our agent, so we can get a zarpe for Porvenir, Panama.

We went to their home at 4 p.m. to discuss our trip and made our final plans.   Dr. Gilberto needs to work Friday morning, so we plan to pick them up and head to Cholon on Friday, then, on to San Blas very early Saturday morning.....weather permitting, of course. 

After finding and buying everything, then you have to haul it back to the boat and stow it all away.  A very long, hot day.

Our friends on S/V Slip Away slipped away from the boatyard this morning.   They have been working on their boat for 3 months getting a new paint job.  She sure is looking good.

The Club Nautico Marina is still in a mess.  It has been torn down with plans to be rebuilt and completed in December.  Missed that deadline, but, there is always mañana....

They arrived to Valentina at 11 a.m. and we all headed to Cholon for the evening.

Martha had a birthday cake for Efrain, so we celebrated his 85th birthday.

We pulled up our anchor at 5 a.m. and went over to the dock to pick up Gilberto, Martha and Efrain at their house.   After coffee, we all climbed aboard Valentina and began our journey to San Blas.

The seas were very calm with about 10 knots of wind, so we motored for a while, until the winds picked up.

Aaron and Lyla (S/V Blow Me Away) buddy boated with us on the crossing.  We were within miles of each other and checked on each other during the day and night.  Other than the big seas, we both had a very good crossing.

The Eastern Hollandaise is about 180 miles from Cholon, Colombia.  So, if we average 5 knots, it will take us 36 hours, which will be 6 p.m. tomorrow evening, as the sun goes down.  We definitely want to arrive before dark to navigate in between the reef at the islands.

The seas began to build and build until we had 10-12' seas and the wind continued to build to 15-20 knots.  It was not a rough crossing, as the seas were not confused, just a consistent roll.   The closer we arrived to San Blas, the seas were less, but more confused.

We went through a trash line of seaweed, with both of our fishing lines out and caught two big eyed tunas at the same time.   We also saw dolphin swimming at our bow and found a flying fish on our deck the next morning.

We told our friends before we left that "overnight crossings are not fun, but it is how you get from point A to point B".    But, this crossing was one that was very good and enjoyable with friends. 

We were able to sail a lot, due to the high winds.   It was nice and peaceful.  

 As we kept keeping watch of the time, in order to arrive before dark, we did have to turn on the motor, to assist us when the wind dropped to 10-15 knots.

As we were motoring into the pool, our friends were amazed at the beauty of the islands and the color of the crystal clear, blue water.

At 5:45 p.m. we dropped the anchor, just in time to watch the beautiful sunset in the swimming pool.

After a warm dinner, showers, and our 'good-nights' we all crashed for the evening after a very good crossing.  However, Sr. Efrain was ready for an anchoring fiesta....manaña.

After snacks, Martha and I snorkeled from BBQ island up to Barracuda Reef.  We had the current pushing us the whole way.  We enjoyed a nice snorkel and Sonny came to rescue us in the dinghy to take us back up wind to Valentina.

Aaron and Lyla came over and we all talked and laughed until the wee hours of the night. 

For the first time in her life, Martha heard her father, Efrain speaking English.  Only a few words, but it surprised all of us.  He continues to speak more and more English.   In Spanish, he said, "Only two more weeks on Valentina, and I will be speaking English".   We would gladly keep him two more weeks.  He is such a fun, pleasant person full of life.   We have so much to learn from him.   We just thought we were living our lives to the fullest.  At 85 years old, he definitely is a good example to us.

Then we pulled up anchor and went around the corner to the 'Hot Tub' where, hopefully, there is less wind and current.

After lunch and siestas, Sonny and Gilberto jumped in the water for a swim.

We all enjoyed lifelong conversation in the cockpit until the wee hours of the evening.    Some of our best memories are stories we are told and thoughts shared on life long goals and dreams, while sitting in the cockpit.

This morning, before we pulled up anchor to head to the East Coco Banderas, we received a call of the VHF.   It was the guest on Denis and Pam's boat (Glide).  His guest had an injury a few days earlier, while attempting to assist a boat that had run aground.   He had 45 stitches in his armpit.  His wife, who is a nurse, was somewhat concerned about the inflammation surrounding the stitches and asked if Dr. Gilberto would be able to look at it.

Of course, he was more than happy to do so.   They came over to Valentina for the examination.   The final report was....all is well.   It will take it a few days to heal, but no problems.

We went to the beautiful East Cocos and it is just as beautiful as ever.

We sat in the crystal, clear, blue water on the beach and enjoyed watching the sunset together.

When we arrived, it was lunchtime, and no one was in the office.  So, we went to eat lunch at the one and only restaurant.

At 2 p.m. we went back to the offices, and the Port Captain was not in.  But, we were able to get our passports stamped so our guests will be able to fly out of Panama.   We will have to return for the Port Captain.   Did I say manaña?  It does not especially mean tomorrow, just not today.

We headed to Dog Island for a snorkel.  It is a sunken ship near a beautiful island, with tons of fish all around.

We all, yes, all, even Efrain our 85 year old hero, donned our snorkel gear and snorkeled near and around the ship.

Can you believe Efrain made the 35 hour passage with us, in 12' seas, and now is snorkeling?  He is such a pleasant, wonderful person full of life.   He have enjoyed him immensely with us on Valentina.

During our recent conversations, Efrain admitted he was a little concerned about the trip but wanted to come very bad.  He said it built his confidence immensely.  He had replaced a hip 20 years ago at the young age of 65 and continues to be very cautious.   We were, somewhat concerned also, for his safety climbing around while underway, but he managed perfectly.

We then came over to the East Lemons to anchor for our last night together.

Pam (S/V Glide) called on the VHF this evening inviting us to their boat in the morning for brunch.

After our brunch, we dinghied over to a nearby island.  We bought two big bunches of green bananas for $1 and the Kuna woman gave us another hand of ripe bananas, as a gift from God.

Ingy and her aunt Florena, our Kuna friends, rowed out to Valentina this afternoon for a visit.   We gave them a bowl of soup and made plans for them to travel with us tomorrow to Porvenir and back.   We need to go see the Port Captain for our cruising permit, and they need to go to get more water and groceries.  We will pick them up at 7:30 a.m. on their island.

The AFC and NFC championship games are today and we can listen to them on the SSB radio.   Not quite the same as a big screen TV, but we are thankful to just be able to listen to them.

Tom and Rose (S/V Sojourn) and George and Pixie (S/V Silver Sea) came over to listen to the game with us on Valentina.  Sojourn are Minnesota fans and Silver Sea are New Orleans fans, so it was an exciting evening, and an even more exciting game.

After waiting several hours, it was finally our turn to see Ishmael, the Port Captain.  Our cruising permit for the boat is good for three months and costs $69.  Immigration fees were $30.

Then, we all (Ingy, Florena, Sonny, and I) all dinghied over to the next island for supplies.   There is a small tienda there, but it is the best in Kuna Yala.

We sailed back to the East Lemons, where George on Silver Sea met us in his dinghy and took Ingy, her younger brother, and Florena to their island.  We continued on to Isla Solardup.   We have never been to that island before.   As we did not have good light, we followed Respite and Glide though a very narrow cut on the north side of the islands through the reef.

It is such a beautiful anchorage.  San Blas is full of beautiful islands, just waiting to be explored with friends.

Some men complain of 'taking out the trash' at home.  

It is much different here.  You first, have to separate your trash into burnable (plastic and paper) and non-burnable (aluminum foil, cans, and glass).  The trash that is totally burnable, you keep in a separate bag.  You go to shore in your dinghy and gather up palm frons and leaves (and plastics and trash on the island) to build a fire.  When the fire is hot enough, you can put your trash on the pit.  Then, after your trash is totally burned, you cover the ashes with sand to extinguish.  Just another day in paradise of 'taking out the trash'.

There are several boat friends in the anchorage, so we all decided to go to the island this afternoon to grill meat and share appetizers.   Kevin (S/V Merimena) and George (S/V Southern Bell) brought guitars and Sonny brought his harmonicas and they played the songs from the 70's and everyone sang along.

Kevin, on S/V Merimena has a good story.  He is 40 years old and was a computer guru in the States, working in a cubical 8-5+, staring at the beautiful island on the Windows screensaver.   He dreamed of the islands and wanted to go there.   So, he saved some money, quit his job, backpacked through Mexico and south until he found S/V Merimena in Panama for sale.  He bought her and is  finally living his dream.   Every day is a new day.   He earns his money by working on computers for cruisers and eats from the sea.

It was a fun evening.

I made a pot of beans and a chocolate Texas Sheet Cake from the recipe I got from Jan on S/V Slip Away.   It is definitely our favorite cake, and, oh, so sweet!

Sonny beat me in a couple of games of farkel.  Guess I had better go back to reading.

This morning, I did go with Lyla and Pam for a walk around the Solardup island.  We looked for beach glass, sea beans, and shells.   I found a small conch shell that was pretty.

Due to the erosion of the beach, we had to wade in the water with the waves beating up against us.   It was a wet walk for sure.  But, fun.

We had Mike and Gloria (S/V Respite), Lee (S/V Island Dreams) and George and Pixy (S/V Silver Sea) over to play farkel.  We talked and talked, and never played.....maybe manaña.

Gloria brought over a treasure.   It was a USA Today newspaper, only 10 days old!  A cruiser's guest had brought it down with them, and it has been passed around from boat to boat like it is today's news.  But, it is today's news for us.  Real treasures are when you can find sailing magazines....it doesn't matter how old they are.   They are fun to read.   

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"What if the Rest of your Life...was the Best of your Life?"

-   Kobi Yamada