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March, 2009:

The Big 45…

Mar 21st, 2009
by Tony.
1 comment

So as of today, I have now outlived Elvis by three years. And so far so good, I think… 😉

The only thing that exasperates me about this birthday is the fact that I’ve been on Andiamo now for more than five years. In some ways, it actually seems LONGER. I keep telling myself that there is no way I could have fit all that has happened with me and Andiamo in just five years.  But then again, on some levels, it feels like just yesterday. How does that happen?

I look back at previous birthdays during my Andiamo tenure with smiles and fond memories, especially the ones spent on Utila. I find myself feeling incredibly lucky to have been among great friends and good times each and every birthday since leaving Miami in 2004. Make no mistake. It’s been a rough and crazy ride so far, filled with incredible moments of happiness, thrill, adventure, and yes, even sadness and loss. Through it all I can honestly say that there is no place I’d rather be right now, than right where I am, doing what I’m doing. How could I ask for more than that?

And yes, people still guess my age at around 35… 🙂

Back in San Blas… *whew*…

Mar 20th, 2009
by Tony.
2 comments

After a productive almost two weeks in Cartagena, Andiamo is back in its friendly confines of San Blas. Somehow, we managed to complete all the objectives we had planned while we were in Cartagena, and then some. We even managed to fill up Andiamo for the trip back with a cool group of people. But it wasn’t without its trials and tribulations though.

We had decided that we were going to make a stop in Baru on the way out of Cartagena. Since that’s such a short trip, I opted to not raise the dinghy and put it on deck. Towing it to Baru’ should be just fine. That would prove to be a fatal mistake. Well, ok not fatal, but bad nonetheless. (more…)

Fast Times in Cartagena…

Mar 7th, 2009
by Tony.
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After three straight (and very fun) months in Panama, Andiamo is back in Cartagena for a short spell. We had a private sail take us over here, and it was not without its challenges. Mostly weather-related. The plan after arriving here was to spend a few days knocking out some projects, getting some work done that we can only get done here, and head back. That was the plan.

But, as things often go here in Latin America, the plan didn’t go as planned. One of our projects involving a reconstruction of Andiamo’s companionway turned out to require a bit more time than we had initially scheduled. This meant having to shuffle some dates, and move back our departure date to San Blas. As a result, we had to cancel one sailing trip in San Blas. Which I don’t feel at all good about. There was just no way around it.

In any case, things are progressing well, and projects are being knocked out nice and steady. Barring anything unforeseen, we’ll be ready to go on our albeit newly-revised schedule. 🙂

And our deepest apologies to our passengers who were affected by the unavoidable changes. Hope we can get you on Andiamo again in the future.