Windy Santa Marta and the Sierra Nevada of Colombia

January 2024

Santa Marta in Colombia is our first destination after St. Lucia. Our expectations for the crossing are ambivalent at first. On the one hand, we're looking forward to sailing downwind in trade winds, something we haven't really had the opportunity to experience over a longer distance yet. Our Atlantic crossing a year ago was characterized by untypical winds from the west and north and no wind at all. On the other hand, we know that we would expect strong winds, especially around the so-called 'Cape Horn of the Caribbean', Punta Gallinas.

The start with a total of 25 WorldARC boats in the bay of Rodney Bay is at noon on January 13th, 2024. Wonderful weather and an easterly wind at five Beaufort let us first sail south along the coast to Castries and then turn west, heading for Colombia .

The first night we feel like we're in a washing machine. Several large waves crash against the hull and cause us to rock. The wind is not very consistent with gusts of up to 24 knots, but SERENDIPITY IV really flies towards our destination. The speed indicator shows over ten knots of speed over ground several times as we surf down the big waves. We can't remember when or if we've ever seen this speed before.

The sky is clear and the stars twinkle by the thousands competing with the bioflorescence in our bow wave. We can sometimes see up to six of our fleet's position lights around us, which gives us a nice feeling of not being alone.

The closer we get to Santa Marta over the next few days and nights, the wind increases to up to seven Beaufort. But we get used to the movements of SERENDIPITY IV and feel confident riding through and over the waves.

However, the last few miles push us to our limits. Shortly before Isla de la Aguja the wind decreases so much that we reef the mainsail into the second reef. It's already past midnight and we finally want to arrive. But then, suddenly, out of nowhere, our wind gauge jumps from 15 knots to over 25 and hits us with a gust of over 35 knots. The waves enter our cockpit and soak us to the skin. The wind settles around 35 knots, but gusts hit us off backboard at up to 50 knots. We can't believe how calm and 'relaxed' 35 knots of wind can be when a gust of over 45 knots dies down. Michael skillfully and heroically steers us through these strong winds and gusts for the last 45 minutes, which seem like an eternity. The finish line of this first leg of the rally is between the mainland and an offshore island. Both are very poorly lit and we are glad that we can navigate to the correct passage in the dark thanks to GPS. Even in the anchorage in front of the harbor the wind is still around 30 knots and we are happy that our anchor holds on the first try. After four and a half days we made it and arrived in Santa Marta. However, due to the strong winds, we can't get into the harbor until the following day.

The atmosphere in the streets of Santa Marta is colorful and full of life. Traditional bags and other Colombian handicrafts are offered on many corners and fresh fruit is sold as a snack. We stroll around and enjoy the happy people and the exuberant atmosphere.

A circular tour in and around Santa Marta takes us to the Roberto Castañeda Botanical Garden with the Casa Principal Quinta de San Pedro Alejandrino, which is dedicated to Simon Bolivar.

Simon Bolivar, who played an important role in Spanish independence for Colombia as well as Panama, Ecuador and Venezuela, is revered as a national hero. In addition to wonderful treasures from traditional cultures, souvenirs of Bolivar are also exhibited in the Gold Museum in Santa Marta.

We are impressed by the calm and close-to-nature indigenous peoples that we are allowed to visit in the Sierra Nevada. They believe that the Sierra Nevada is the heart of the world. For them, this sacred area is the source of wisdom and should be preserved by respecting traditional principles. They guard their traditions and still live by them today. We are honored to speak with the Kogui's Mamo (spiritual priest and leader) in the tribe's gardens about their lives and habits. This is how we learn that it is decided at birth who will become a Mamo. He stays in a dark cave from which he is not allowed to leave until he is 12 years old. There he is taught by older Mamos who, together with his mother, also look after his well-being. Only at the end of his training does he slowly get used to the outside world and other people, initially only at night in the moonlight.

Kogui women spend most of their time making traditional bags for their own use and for sale. They first spin alpaca or sheep's wool with a spindle and process it directly, sometimes with very intricate patterns. They always have all the material with them and can continue working at any time, even while walking and talking to us.

In the Kogui village near the Rio Don Diego there lives a large family, the Mamo's family. But it also offers space for Mamos from the other four indigenous communities (Wintukua, Kankuamo, Wiwa and Ette) for rituals and meetings. The children of the families living in the mountains also come to school here, where they not only learn how to read and write, but also how to plant and take care of their garden. The children are currently on vacation, so unfortunately all we see are the empty classrooms and a somewhat overgrown garden where they have to do a lot of weeding after their vacation.

In the Kogui's garden we are allowed to plant a tree together with Mamo Pedro. He asks us to give the tree a name and so we call it Pedro in admiration for the Mamo. This visit is a very impressive and moving experience for us.

A relaxing way to observe nature is on a river tour. But not by boat or canoe, no, we float down the river on old car tires all the way to the sea. We see and hear various tropical birds, but also howler monkeys, which cavort on the wide branches of the trees and roar fearfully.

After a week in Santa Marta it is time to leave and we head west to the San Blas Islands, which are called Kuna Yala by the Kuna peoples who live there.