We left at 5 am with an Easterly wind which increased to perfect downwind sailing with the Parasailor. A two day sail was planned, broken by a stop over in a large bay, Ensenada Huaritcheru, before arriving in Santa Marta.
The first day was champagne sailing with everything working as it should. We caught a small Mahi but it jumped free before we could land it and something else bit through the trace in one bite without any effort – probably best that we didn’t try to get that one on board!
We arrived at the anchorage of Ensenada Huaritcheru early afternoon and got some rest. We planned a lunch time departure to arrive for what was promised to be a spectacular sunrise over the Sierra Nevada mountains.
The next day we set off in a brisk force 5 wind with an uncomfortable quartering sea. We did manage to catch a very nice Tuna just as it was getting dark.
Once we rounded the Cabo De La Aguja headland the sea state calmed and we were able to have a gentle arrival into Santa Marta.
We were met by the marina rib and escorted to our berth with plenty of help around to take lines.
It was great to be able to assess the boat and clean her off, unfortunately we had a tear in the main sail, probably from a spreader end which would need investigating.
We were not allowed to explore the city until the formalities had been completed but enjoyed a social in the marina seating area, catching up with fellow rally sailors and exchanging tales from the trip.
