Our stay in San Andres got stretched out by a couple more days due to some mechanical issues. Appears that BOTH of the alternators decided to give me problems at the same time. What was worse, my spares didn’t work well either. So I had to get one set rebuilt again.
I got lucky with a cab driver who took me to a shop by the airport. There, a guy named Nato told me he was on the case. Considering I was on an island, and my options were limited, I had to go with it. I knew it would take a couple of days, but at least in the meantime, Sarah and I can go do the dives we wanted to do, and basically just enjoy being on the island. Unlike Providencia, San Andres’ nightlife was pretty lively, so we at least had that to look forward to. I sure did, at least.
The diving was really excellent. We did a fairly deep dive on this reef decline that went down to about 100 feet. Lots of fish and sea life down there. The second dive was a dive of a wrecked freighter in about 40 feet of water. This was a neat wreck, because we got to check out the inside of it. Including a cool little air pocket that you can stick your head in and take a whiff of warm air. Nice… Since that dive was in fairly shallow waters, we were able to stay down there for quite a time, more than an hour. It felt good to be back diving again. I can almost kick myself for not diving more while I was in the Bay Islands!
Anyway, we got everything sussed out, and it was time to leave San Andres, FINALLY! On Saturday, we shoved off in the early afternoon to make way to the Albuquerque Cays, about 25 miles away. We figured this would be a good place to hang out for a night or two, before heading on to Panama. Were we ever right.
Getting in was a bit tricky, the 2 cays that comprise the Albuquerques lie inside a reef cul-de-sac. Luckily, I had a detailed chart, and was able to head in with little or no problem. Sarah and Jenni were both on the bow watching out for reefs as we made our way in. We got in just off the cays, but not as close as I would have liked. But we were losing light fast, and I figured where we were was a good spot for the night. So we dropped the hook. Below us were fantastic, pristine reefs, and quite a lot of fish. I managed to hook a good size tuna just before we entered the reef, but as luck would have it, he got off the hook just before I can get him on the boat. DAMN! So we ended up grilling some chicken we bought in San Andres instead.
The next day, the weather was as good as ever, and this time a light breeze from the east. I checked the chart some more, and decided that it would be safe for us to move the boat closer to the cays. So we pulled up the anchor, and headed in another half mile or so just off the cays. From there, we were able to swim ashore and check out the cays.
About that time, I noticed something funky going on with the bilge pump. It just kept staying on for some reason. I thought it might have been because of the watermaker running, because it dumps the brine water right into the bilge. But it seemed like more pump activity than usual. The engine was still running from the anchoring we just did, so I was thinking it was coming from the engine. As I was gawking around it, I noticed some water pooling up around the engine cover. I popped open the cover, and noticed a good size leak spewing seawater everywhere inside the engine compartment. It was a small hose section that blew a leak, and was spraying seawater everywhere. Back in the Rio, Luigi noticed that hose and told me I should change it, but I didn’t have the right size hose at the time. Needless to say, I got the right hose in La Ceiba, but never put it on. Note to Luigi: Before you start shaking your head while reading this, remember that I DID at least have the hose!
After telling the girls to shut down the motor, I went right to work changing out the hose. It didn’t take long, and in a half hour, all was good again with it. I also noticed some issues with the watermaker, and took care of those as well. By this time, Sarah and Jenni had decided to start swimming for shore. I still had some things to finish up, so I told them to go ahead. After I got my stuff done, I decided to paddle in with the surfboard. So I tossed the board into the water, got on her, and started paddling for shore. Interestingly, I made it to shore about the same time the girls did, but only I left about 20 minutes after them. =)
The North Cayo of the Albuquerques is essentially a military base. The colombian Army and Navy maintain a strong presence on their islands in these parts due to the vast amount of drug trafficking that happens here. In fact, San Andres is considered a major hub in the drug trade, and despite Colombia (and the US’) best efforts, it continues to be. Drug seizures in these parts happen almost every day, but despite all the seizures, quite a bit of the drugs get through onward to the mainland. The guys on the base, about 15 of them, appear to be bored for the most part. While the island is nice, there is not alot for them to do. They don’t even have a boat at their disposal. But all the ones we met were nice and friendly enough, and told us about what they do there. They didn’t care if we wanted to walk around and check out the cay. I gotta say, most Colombians I’ve met so far on this trip have been EXTREMELY pleasant and honest people. Again, it’s a refreshing change from what I experienced in Honduras and Guatemala. Makes me look forward to checking out the mainland of Colombia even more now.
I opted to head back to the boat a little earlier than the girls. I was getting pretty hungry. After a bit harder paddle back, I was back onboard Andiamo. While I was making my lunch, a panga with some local fisherman came by. They had a boat load of different kinds of fish and lobster, and wanted to know if I wanted any of it. This is the part of cruising that I LOVE. I ended up picking out one HUGE spiny lobster, and two smaller white lobsters. All for the incredible price of $10, a couple of cigarettes (courtesy of Jenni’s stash), and a round of refreshments. The fishermen even went on to tell me where all the fish were at, and that spearing was ok. That night, after the girls got back, we grilled up the tails, and had an awesome dinner.
We left the Albuquerques on Monday, and started making way for Bocas del Toro. There was absolutely NO wind when we pulled out of the reef, so motoring was the order of the day.
The trip was a totally non-eventful motor run for 170 miles. We arrived in Bocas del Toro yesterday morning, and after a HASSLE-FILLED check-in session with the local officials, we’re settled in the anchorage. I suspect I’ll be taking it easy for the next couple of weeks, figuring out my options for places to visit, and things to do.
It’s just nice to be somewhere NEW for a change! Yeah! 
