Harmonica 19 03N 79 21W 1800 Sun 29 April

Hello again, now from the Cayman Trench, equidistant west of Jamaica and south of the Cayman Islands this is the deepest part of the Caribbean Sea. We decided that the Caribbean deserves to be 2 seas with 2 names. For 3 days out from Cartagena the north-easterly trade winds kept us close reaching into short 8 to 10 ft grey-green seas and 20 to 25 knot winds. After the banks, reefs which stretch from Jamaica to Honduras, the sea flattened and the wind veered to 10 or 15 knots from the SE. The sun has shone and the water has turned to that turquoise colour of the post cards. There have been flying fish on the decks every morning but we have seen no larger life.

Once again we are flying past places where we would love to stop & explore, but we must get north in order to leave Bermuda before the summer hurricane season and cross the Atlantic to the Azores and Portugal in good weather. We shall pass Cayman Brac tonight.

Our primary concern on arrival at Cartagena had been a lingering smell of diesel which had upset our tummies and our nerves since Panama. We suspected it was coming from from a leaking tank. After a day of cutting access and testing, we decided that the problem was actually in poor plumbing connections, and the tank, thank goodness, was OK. Leaking fuel is a critical topic. A single handed Australian sailor, with whom we became good friends in Mexico & El Salvador, had a diesel fire on board which eventually led to an explosion sinking his boat in deep water (a Hans Christian 48) and causing serious burns to him as well as broken arms and legs. Since we left Victoria, we have heard of two boats abandoned and sunk, and 2 others grounded but retrieved. Although winds caused the groundings, we note that none of these were caused by stormy weather.

Cartagena Colombia is in a rough part of the Caribbean maybe because of the 700 miles of fetch for the trade winds from the Windward Islands; and maybe because the final fling of the Andes mountains is the 5770 metre Pico Bolivar close to the east. However, it was truly worth the stop. We had thought 2 or 3 days would be nice to explore the old headquarters of the Spanish Mane. In the event we spent 2 enjoyable, busy weeks there doing repairs, maintenance and getting some new canvas work. One can't help liking it more since everything is so cheap to us, but the carpenter, the canvas worker, and the cleaners were all truly a pleasure to know.

It was also a joy to meet up again with other cruisers and make new friends with cruisers from other parts of the world. We walked the narrow, winding streets of the old walled city. Wooden balconies lean out over the street with plants trailing over the sides. We shopped for fruit and vegetables in the open air markets. Emeralds are mined in Columbia and sold in many small shops. Vendors hang around inviting anyone passing to come in and see the stones. A visit to the impressive fort of San Felipe overlooking the town and harbour was rewarded with a spectacular view. We were glad of our flashlight when exploring the maze of underground tunnels there.

We are now 4 days north & the day started with our wind steering vane "Sally" reporting calm by turning us back towards the south during our morning radio schedule. "Otto" the autopilot had packed up earlier, so we hand steered until noon when the stern berth was dissassembled & Otto reinitialised. A few cumulus clouds built & subsided. Early afternoon, one of these produced the 2 tendrils of a twisting vortex out of its base. They wriggled up and down for 15 minutes until one end hit the sea, there was a cloud of water we could see from 3 miles away and then the tendril sucked back into the cloud and disappeared, its thirst quenched!

By Tuesday morning (coincidentally May Day) we should be anchoring near Trinidad on the south coast of Cuba. There we hope to rendezvous with our son, Neil, and friends, Doug & Fran who fly from Calgary. We are looking forward to seeing them and Cuba. We hope that Mark will join us towards the end of the summer.

Best wishes from Dave, Jan & Harmonica.