we met with the captain, fabian, the day before our departure and several things were discussed like safety at sea and how toilets on sailing ships work. we met the next day in the evening and brought our bags over to the ship before dinner. the bicycle was tied to the railings and was dangling rather adventurously over the water. but carmelo, the ayudante and cook on the ship, tied it with a thick rope on frame and wheels and my mind was put at ease. it took a little longer to get out of the harbour and we could get some sleep while still in calm waters. the rocking and rolling started early the next morning and i wasn´t feeling too well when i got up and skipped breakfast and was just nibbling on some dry toast. throughout the day i felt tired and spent most of the time lying around until we reached the first of the san blas islands. little dots of sand with only some palm trees and huts on them, they make for a beautiful stop-over to cartagena. surrounded by coral reefs, half of its beauty lies under water which we thoroughly explored. here’s a shot of the group.
snorkeling made half of the day´s activity, which stayed interesting as we maneuvered each day to another island where wrecks of an old freighter and also of a sailing ship, that was set against the reef by a drunk captain, were lying just meters below the surface. the last day in san blas was spent on an island with only a bar and a soccer field on it. after dinner we set sail for cartagena. there was nothing much happening during the fifty hours of the crossing. one highlight was when ayudante carmelo caught this fish.
like in australia, i broke with being a vegetarian as there was plenty of fish to eat. but had no trouble returning to it once i set foot on colombian soil. all in all not an adventure, but a good way to cross from central to south america.