Food for the Soul

Since we have arrived in Cartagena I have been cooking more interesting foods and Malcolm made mention of that fact last night as we were eating our pork chops with cape gooseberry chutney.

We first tasted these sweet little fruits in a salad at a restaurant. They were so good I decided to get some which I did yesterday along with the pork chops. We had eaten the green gooseberries in England, but we had never seen these orange ones.

It's always fun to add a little sweet element to pork so I decided to make a chutney. I didn't have all the proper spices, but I added onion, apple, dried cranberries, brown sugar, white wine, vinegar, and cayenne and simmered it about 20 minutes. I also made a salad while Malcolm was barbecuing the chops.

The finished product was scrummie on the pork and we discussed why I seem to be more creative in the galley here in Cartagena.

Obviously, it's because of what's available in the market. Finding the same old limp onions, potatoes, yucca, bell peppers, carrots, and celery at the market (like we did in so many places in Panama) certainly dampens one's creativity. Just how many ways can you combine those ingredients for a new and tasty meal?

I also think the lack of fresh produce causes a nutritional deficit which affects every aspect of your well-being from mood to energy to skin health. Aboard Thistle, we celebrate food and are so happy to be living in an area with a wide variety of fresh produce and a healthy respect for good foods.

Equipment Review After One Year

We started with a sound, well built boat, but spent months doing modifications, improvements, and upgrades before we went cruising. We also culled through our belongings taking only what we thought we would really need. Some existing equipment was "iffy" but we went with it anyway. After one year we feel that a review is in order; what's working well, what isn't working so well, what we are glad we took, and what we wish we had done before we left.



THINGS WE ARE SOOOO GLAD WE UPGRADED



Full Bimini over the Cockpit - This is priceless and we absolutely would never cruise without one.

New Rocna Anchor & New Windlass - An anchor that doesn't drag is the best insurance ever. We love the Rocna; it sets every time, never drags, yet is easy to retrieve with our new windlass.

New Rigging and Sails - Very expensive, but absolutely necessary in our case.

Raymarine Chartplotter with AIS - Modern navigation systems make cruising so much easier now. The first time we used the chartplotter we felt like we were cheating. We also have iSailor on the iPad and sometimes us the driving directions on our smart phone for close in harbor work. Wonderful tools all of them.

Watermaker - Since we anchor out a lot, the watermaker is a joy to have. Ours runs on 120v so we have to use the generator to run it, but it's well worth it.

Inflatable Dinghy with 9.9 Engine - Your dinghy is like your car and you use it every day to get ashore, purchase fuel, visit the neighbors, get to the snorkeling spots, and run out the stern anchor.


THINGS THAT HAVEN'T PERFORMED WELL

Hydraulic boom vang and backstay adjuster - Just before we left we rebuilt the hydraulic panel in the cockpit because of a leak, then the vang started leaking somewhere in Costa Rica, then the backstay adjuster blew up in the Guna Yala. The whole system has been very disappointing and the repairs have been messy, time consuming, and expensive.

Grunert Refrigeration - Our refrigeration system is original to the boat and although it does the job, we have to run the generator twice a day for it. We should have gotten a new 12v system and may do that when we get to Florida.

Caframo Fans - We bought three of these fans at over $100.00 each and they started failing around Panama. You just can't survive in the tropics without fans, so we have been purchasing little 120v personal fans and they are almost better than the expensive marine fans. We run the inverter to power them.



THINGS WE ARE GLAD WE TOOK WITH US



Luci Lights - These little inflatable, solar powered lights are so handy to have. We have one over the cockpit table at all times.

LED lighting - We have changed most of our interior lighting to LED and they are real power savers.

Tools, Tools, Tools - We have lots of tools onboard and can maintain or repair almost anything on the boat.

Copier - We found a little copier/scanner/printer from HP. It's been handy for printing all those copies that the officials want when you check into a new country.

Real Dishes, Good Knives, Good Pans, Propane Stove - We aren't camping, we are simply living aboard a boat that sometimes moves around quite a bit, but mostly is at anchor. We actually cook three meals a day, set a decent table, and try to dine graciously every evening.



THINGS WE WISH WE HAD UPGRADED OR ADDED

Solar Panels - All our battery charging must be done with the generator or the main engine. Let me tell you, the noise and the heat from running the generator twice a day is getting really annoying. That may be another project for Florida.


So basically we are happy with the decisions we made before we started cruising. And we really don't regret going with old refrigeration, leaky hydraulics, and no solar panels. At some point you just have to go and figure you will repair, replace or upgrade along the way. And isn't that better than staying in the harbor waiting until everything is perfect?

One Year Cruisiversary

Exactly one year ago today we untied our dock lines at the Stockton Sailing Club and set sail on our cruise. We had some idea what it would be like because we had cruised a little back in the dark ages (before chartplotters), but it has been so much more rewarding this time. We have been gone longer, traveled much further (5100 miles), and seen so much more of the world this time. Please join us as we recall some of the beautiful places, experiences, surprises, cruisers, and nature we have seen this past year.

 

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BEAUTIFUL PLACES

 

We have seen so many beautiful places: Isla Espiritu Santo in the Sea of Cortez, Isla Isabel with its huge bird colonies, Bahia Careyes with its colorful condos marching up the hill, the Guna Yala with its gentle people and stunning islands.

 

Blue Footed Boobies on Isla Isabel

 

Bahia Careyes

 

Typical beach in Guna Yala

 

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EXPERIENCES

 

We have also had so many amazing experiences: some exhilarating like riding the buffaloes, hitting a whale, crossing the bar at Bahia del Sol, going through the Panama Canal, getting hit by lightning;

 

Surfing while crossing the bar at Bahia del Sol

 

Transiting the Panama Canal

 

Riding the Buffaloes in the Sea of Cortez

 and some humbling like watching dolphins at the bow, meeting the Guna people, snorkeling, the midnight dolphin show in Bahia Santa Elena; and some just downright hilarious like the bongo bus ride in Manzanillo, being a Boy Band Groupie in Zihuatanejo, and creating our own cruisers' net in Bahia Santa Elena.

Venancio the Mola Seller

 

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PLEASANT SURPRISES

 

And we have had several very pleasant surprises: the French Baker in Barra de Navidad ringing his bell as he approaches the yachts to sell fresh croissants and pastries, the Fish Market in La Cruz with its abundance of seafood and fresh vegetables, our absolutely smooth crossing of the Tehuantepec, and the sophistication and friendliness of Cartagena.

Centenario Parque in Cartagena

 

Sea turtle in smooth water in the Gulf of Tehuantepec

 



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OTHER CRUISERS

 

The "Salty Bay" gang



But of course the best part about cruising is the other cruisers. We have met so many wonderful people out cruising: Don & Crystal on Brown Sugar, Jim & Betty on Flibbertigibbet, Mike & Linda on Aquavit, Phil & Desley on Wind Dancer, Steve & Debbie on Delphinia, Mark and Rey on Cockpit, Steve, Tina, Billie & Grace on Seahorse V, Scott, Cindy & Bucket on Velvet Sky, Russ & Anne on Mohini, Rita and Antoon on Albatross, Wayne & Sheila on WaySheGoes 2, Rob & Lauren on Southern Comfort, Barb & EW on La Luna, Cris & Jim on Ullr, Steve & Rachel on Il Giro, the list goes on and on. Cruisers are always ready to lend a hand, help out in a crisis, offer advice, share food and tools, and offer a shoulder to cry on when necessary. They are some of the nicest and most down-to-earth people in the world.

Phil & Desley

Stockton Sailing Club get together in El Salvador

 

 

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NATURE

 

Living in and on the water as we do, we have a ring side seat to the many wonders of nature from thunderstorms (which I now hate), to sealife, clouds, birds, sunsets, and even bugs. We can't help but examine the world around us with wonder and delight because every day presents a new perspective.

 

Stowaway near Golfito

Huge Iguanas in the trees in La Cruz



As we celebrate this first year of cruising, we look forward to more beautiful places, interesting experiences, pleasant surprises, friends we haven't met yet, and interactions with nature. We don't know where we will be for our Second Cruisiversary, but we hope you will tag along with us as we continue to wander around this amazing world.

Sunset at Sea

 

 

Cartagena Tourists Again

We spent a lovely day being tourists in Centro with the crew of Seahorse V. We walked, snacked on arepas, visited the Gold Museum, walked on the ancient walls, bought souvenirs, enjoyed the art, ate lunch, found more door knockers, got some fruit from the famous fruit ladies, and finally found our back to the boats, tired and full.

And once again the natives surprised and delighted us. We were admiring a door knocker and the man of the house started chatting with us asking where we were from, suggesting things to see and do in Colombia, and then he wished us a pleasant stay in his city. Even the emerald, hat, sunglasses, shirt, purse, jewelry, and arepa sellers are polite and don't hassle you after you say "No Gracias".

The fruit sellers dress in the colors of the Colombian flag.

This lizard knocker was 2' tall.

The Zenú culture made fabulous gold items. Thousands of years ago they made an extensive system of canals to irrigate their crops and moderate flooding from the rivers. Some of these ancient canals are still visible on Google Earth. Link to Zenú info: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen%C3%BA

A statue of Cervantes, author of "don Quixote of La Mancha". Cervantes was Spanish, not Colombian, so I don't know why this statue is here; gotta research that.

Las Bovedas, or the old barracks, now souvenir shops.

Las Palenqueras, or the Fruit Ladies.

Tarta de Arándano

I recently found lemons and blueberries at the grocery store. I haven't seen lemons in months - plenty of limes, but no lemons - and I can't even remember the last time I saw blueberries. So I bought some and came back to the boat and made one of our favorite desserts ever: blueberry tarts.

These tarts are simple to make; an easy pastry crust, lemon curd, and fresh fruit, but they make an elegant presentation. They remind me of all our fun tea parties back Amongst The Oaks.

Not everyone brings tiny tart pans cruising, but I'm glad I brought mine.

You must whisk the lemon curd nonstop as it cooks....

and soon the lemon juice, lemon zest, butter, sugar, and eggs turn into a thick and tasty base for the fruit. Spoon it into the cooked pastry shells,

top with berries, and dust with powdered sugar. Voila, c'est magnifique.

Boat Maintenance

Malcolm has been doing boat maintenance while we are here in Cartagena. So far he has sanded and re-oiled the cockpit teak, touched up some varnish, and stripped, stained, and re-varnished the hatch screens. All this in addition to repairing the autopilot, calibrating the compasses, replacing the inverter, replacing the VHF antenna, and servicing four winches.

And of course daily life goes on; groceries, laundry, cleaning, topping up our fuel, reprovisioning. We hope to be ready to head East in the next two weeks. Now all we need is a good weather window.

Convento de la Popa

We took a $20.00 taxi ride up to el Convento de la Popa today. It is a very steep road and our taxi driver had to turn off the AC and even downshift to make it up there.

 

Established in 1607, the convent was originally small wooden buildings. The present building was built around 1800 and used for many years but eventually abandoned. In 1961 it was restored and is now a popular tourist attraction. It is beautiful, cool, and peaceful inside. The altar is a magnificent example of extravagant use of gold leaf.

 

 

This plaque reminded me of the marble sign in Florence, except the font was much more creative.

 

From the surrounding patios you can see all of Cartagena from the cruise ship dock to the airport, to Bocagrande. It was kind of hazy, but we could even see our boat down in the harbor. 

What We Love About Cartagena

We decided to try a new place for lunch last Sunday so we wandered over to Centro. Just past the Church of San Pedro Claver, Malcolm stopped to buy a hat and started talking to a local woman who was also buying a hat. He mentioned that we were looking for a good restaurant and she enthusiastically started listing her favorites. She said there was an arabic restaurant nearby that was especially good so we asked her to write down the name of it for us. As she started to do that, Carlos, the hat seller, offered to walk us there! How amazing is that?

 

After three blocks he brought us to Az-zahr. It was tastefully decorated, comfortable, air conditioned, and had reasonable prices. We ordered the tabbouleh salad to share, langostinos, lamb shawarma, and baklava for dessert.

 

 All the food was delicious and the service was perfect. And guess who got our leftover baklava? Why, Carlos the hat seller, of course. I think he was a little surprised by that.

 

And this is what we love about Cartagena: the friendly locals, the vibrant street life, the wonderful restaurants, the gorgeous scenery, and now the baklava too.

Snorkeling in the Guna Yala

I made these videos with the GoPro camera several weeks ago and although I was able to transfer them to the laptop to view and edit them, I was unable to upload them to YouTube. We finally got a new dongle last week so here they are.

In real life snorkeling is amazing. On my computer screen the videos are way cool. Once uploaded they lose some resolution. When viewed on a cell phone screen they are hardly worth the bother. Oh well, I'll keep trying anyway.

Sunken Boat at Dog Island

http://youtu.be/QlYvOoKk1S0

Schoolmaster Fish at Green Island

http://youtu.be/FCzL_nB3Ii4

Quiche

I love having the market so close here in Cartagena because I wanted to make quiche for dinner and I needed some nutmeg. But before I could run the dinghy in to get it, I had to figure out what it was in Spanish. Using an online translator I learned that nutmeg is nuez moscado.

We love quiche and I've been using the same recipe for ages. Its from a really old Sunset magazine cookbook. And the best part is we'll have a really easy lunch today.

Speaking of Fans...

When we outfitted our boat for cruising we knew that we would need good fans so we bought three of those expensive Caframo Sirocco ones. We enjoyed their three speeds, timer settings, and fully articulated brackets for several months, but then they started acting up; they would shut off within seconds of turning them on; they would only do one speed; or they wouldn't come on at all.

We cleaned them and fiddled around with the connections, but never could get them to work properly. We put up with that for a couple of months and finally took them all apart and bypassed the switches. They now run 24/7 unless we turn off the circuit to that part of the boat. Which is never because it's so darn hot here. They still look pretty good, and the motor must be well built, but the switches and internal connectors are a bad design.

Somewhere along the way, in desperation, we bought a few 120v fans. They are cheap and they last several months. The 120v issue doesn't matter because we have our inverter on nearly all the time anyway and they use very little power. We can move them around and aim them directly at our sweaty bodies. They caress us with a gentle breeze. We sometimes argue over who gets to be near them. We can't sleep without them. We cry when one dies. I think we are in love with these fans. 

We also have two of these Hella fans that were on the boat when we bought it. They are quiet, have a simple mechanical switch, and still run fine, but they don't seem to move quite as much air as the other fans.

So there you have it; we have eight fans on our boat; three are fine since we rewired them, two are old and small but functional, and three use 120v but we treat them like lovers.

Fennel Feast

I found fennel at the market the other day so I made this dish that's been a family favorite for years. I posted about it back in 2007:  Click here

The most difficult part about making the dish was the white beans. I haven't seen canned white beans in ages so I bought some dried white beans and cooked them in the pressure cooker to use as little gas as possible. Unfortunately, they were overcooked. Next time I'll only cook them 10 minutes instead of 15. And with some fresh oregano and a little tweaking, I think I can make this recipe the old family favorite it used to be.