Sailing Jamaica

Rolly Lush Hills of Jamaica

Sailing in the Caribbean from one island to another one sounds like a dream and it is like living the dream! What most people might not recognize are the challenges on a sailboat at sea. My friends usually get surprised of how much the boat is rolling and heeling over when on the open waters. Additionally, if you never been seasick, you might on a small boat for days out on the ocean! Hopefully the seasickness should go away after a few days but not necessarily! 

The 210 miles passage from George Town, Cayman Islands to Jamaica turned into 270 miles. As a routine, the fuel tank gets topped off every 12hrs of engine operation. Last fuel was purchased in Los Morros Marina in Cuba, which was not as clean as it should be for boats. Marine Diesel Engines are very sensitive to fuel and that said; Earthling’s engine stopped 3 times because of dirty fuel. Every time the engine stopped, the fuel lines between the tank and filter had to be disconnected and cleaned from debris. The 3^rd time, the fuel filter that was replaced a couple weeks prior was totally plugged. But also imagine, you are seasick, the boat is heeling over, it’s sunny and hot with diesel fumes around and you have an empty stomach and can’t eat anything, I did feel bad for my friend Tadas, luckily seas and wind were moderate!

Moreover, during the passage an accidental jibe happened while the fishing trolling line was out, which wrapped around the shaft! Undoing wrapped lines underneath the boat is not that hard at anchorage on flat waters! But doing it on the sea as you are moving/drifting is much more challenging! In this case, there is a steel wire at the end of the fishing line that two lure with hooks are attached to, which now is wrapped around the shaft! You can’t operate the engine or be in gear, it can create a bigger damage!     Fortunately, there is someone else on the boat! It was right around sunset and the job had to be done rapidly!

While in the water trying to undue the wire, one of the hooks got caught on my thumb, it was dragging me down underneath the water as the waves were hitting the side of the boat. In that moment I totally felt for the fish when they are caught on the hook! Tadas turned the engine on and put it in gear for the line to be able to unwrap as it was hooked deep in my thenar muscle. Part of the wire unwrapped and the hook ripped off the muscle and came out as blood was running down my arm. That was a nerve-racking dangerous situation! Grateful to be safe again!      
After four days sailing east bound against the trade winds, rolly lush hills of Jamaica became visible in the horizon. It’s always a wonderful feeling to see land after days at sea! 

Beautiful houses ashore

Jamaica is one of those mountainous islands of the Caribbean. It has over 600 miles of coast line. The nature here is what’s worth most to visit. Earthling’s crew got to do some hikes through the rain forest to waterfalls and coffee plantations! The highest peak is the Blue Mountain with an elevation of 7400ft (2200m). Along the narrow road from Port Antonio to Kingston through the Blue Mountains you can see many scattered waterfalls and spectacular green rainforest. Blue Mountain is mostly covered by clouds, but occasionally the clouds clear up from the peak and the view is amazing from the east bay anchorage in Port Antonio.         

The View from East Bay Anchorage in Port Antonio

Earthling got to anchor from west in Negril to East in Port Antonio and along the north coast in Montego Bay, Discovery Bay, and Ocho Rios. Jamaica’s north coast is very nice for cruising; there are several nice coves perfect for anchoring. Negril and Bloody bay has a long beach with tons of restaurant, guesthouses, hotels, glass bottom boats and other tourism activity! It’s the busiest tourist spot in Jamaica.

Negril Anchorage

Montego Bay is the hub for many tourists to fly in before spreading around to different sites. It’s the second largest city after the capital Kingston, but not that good of place to anchor. There is little room to anchor by the Yacht club but it’s possible to anchor on the other side of the bay by the Pier One, which is right by town! All the anchorages in Jamaica are surrounded by beautiful nature. In addition, the sound of the Caribbean music from shore is alive till late hours in almost every harbor.
Jamaica is one of the major islands of the Caribbean with its Rastafarian roots in culture and music. Many of the Caribbean musicians and singers come from here as well as Trinidad & St. Vincent. Jamaicans like the rest of the Caribbean Countries have very limited earning, average monthly income is $350 a month.  People in Jamaica are very proud of their country but the Jamaicans in Cayman were quiet about their nationality.  Statistics show high level of crime here, but crime is high in Chicago as well and unfortunately it’s increasing in general all over on our planet! “I am safe and I trust” is all you can do! At the same time travelers should always show less than more, don’t wear gold jewelry and watches and don’t expose different kinds of valuable electronics. A few of the local dwellers in Montego Bay suggested that I take the gold chain off my neck while in town!
There are many big beautiful houses on the hills visible when you are sailing along the coast, and most of them are resorts or guesthouses! Tourism is the largest industry along with bauxite soil (Alumina) and agriculture. Almost everyone here wants to be a guide. In Ocho Rios, my long time friend Benny and I walked up the steep road in search for waterfalls and as we were hiking, two brothers ages 12 and 14 years old insisted to show us the way through the forest. We went along with the brothers and got to a couple breathtaking waterfalls. Later on we realized this was a public park and we entered it from the forest and there is a charge to enter the waterfall, which we ended up paying to the security anyways! Most visiting sights in Jamaica have an entry fee and the price is usually different for local residents than tourist. We always have negotiations going on to pay the local price and most of the time we are successful! Wherever Earthling is, that’s where I live, right now in Jamaica! The guides, street vendors, people on the street are all want to help you and make a buck. Whatever you need they say they have!     

Jamaica must have the highest cannabis consumption per capita in the world even though the UN Drug report statistics show Jamaica at 10%, USA at 16.2%, and Israel at 27%.  Marijuana is widely available at any location at any time and it perceives like more or less everybody is using it. It’s part of the Rastafarian culture to consume it to become more spiritual. Cannabis is cheaper than cigarettes here, people are rolling and smoking joints instead of cigarettes!

The spirit of Bob Marely is alive everywhere in Jamaica. There are a few Bob Marley sites to visit (homes, museum, mausoleum) we got to see the Museum in Kingston!

Bob Marley Museum

The highlight of Jamaica was right here at Errol Flynn’s marina in Port Antonio, where cruisers and sailors from around the world (Sweden, Paraguay, Germany, USA, Spain, Italy, UK, Belgium, Chile, and Iran) crossed path and many of us became friends for life. The weather was not favorable for nearly 2 weeks, which forced every boat to stay put in Porto. Everybody has left to different direction now, but Earthling and Adriatica(Italy)! 

The Errol Flynn’s Marina is the only place in Jamaica with a boat yard and 70ton travel lift. Even though Earthling’s agenda was to sail to the British Virgin Islands by the end of the season, but several facts have contributed to the decision to haul out the boat here for the hurricane season. Earthling will continue this voyage in November!

Blue Lagoon, Port Antonio

Street Vendors common way of trade

Rio Grande

Scattered Waterfalls

The Road in the Blue Mountains

Blue Mountains

Green Grotto Caves

Magroves by the Lagoon

Dunn's Falls

Swinging on the tree vines like Tarzan

Liberating in the Konko Falls

The brothers did a great job as guides

Local Jewelry in Montego

Winnifred Beach

Sailors from around the world

Thanks for reading     

One Love From Jamaica

Three Full Moons are the Charm

Earthling Getting Launched

Finally Earthling got launched and it feels great to be floating. Last season she was launched in Grenada right before Christmas and this season launched a few days before the Persian New Year, “Norouz”. The fifth leg of this sailing adventure is about to start, although it's much later than previous years, but I’m still feeling fortunate to live and experience this lifestyle. The agenda for this leg is to sail Northbound. First to San Andres and Providencia, followed by the Islands off Honduras, then Rio Dulce in Guatemala, and then Belize. I have to be back to Chicago for summer and the Mackinac race in July and I would feel bad to store my boat on the hard somewhere in the tropics again! Boats stored unattended in the heat and rain simply can get destroyed. Therefore, if everything goes well, I am contemplating to sail back to the U.S. by end of this season. The previous legs are as following; the first leg started in Chicago and ended in Florida through various rivers and the intercostal waterway. Second leg started in Florida to the Virgin Islands through the Bahamas, Turks & Caicos, Dominican Republic, and Puerto Rico. Third leg was from the Virgin Islands to Grenada through the Leeward and Windward nations/Islands. And the fourth one came true from Grenada to Panama through Trinidad, quaint Venezuelan Islands, Colombia, and the San Blas Islands. I would have liked to visit Bocas Del Toro Islands in Panama as well, but there is no more time left for Panama.  

I will always remember the stress and trouble I had to go through in this Marina to get my boat back in water. Yesterday was full moon and my third full moon here at Turtle Cay Marina; it took three of them to get Earthling in water! 
Turtle Cay Marina have charged boaters for haul out and launch, but they refused to launch the remaining boats. The boat owners had to pay from pocket and hire a private crane company to launch our boats. This marina is located in a very peaceful place but it’s lacking intelligent management system! Bathrooms are rarely running, Internet gets disconnected constantly, it doesn’t have laundry, and it’s far away from stores without a consistent reliable transportation. But it’s the closest marina to the San Blas (Kuna Yala) and it’s a great stop before hitting the Panama Canal. The only person that knows how to run this place is the harbor master, Yogi. He has been a cruiser for many years and is experienced and can assist you with your needs.

 

Illusion was the biggest boat to get launched first, without the input of her owners, I would have still been on land

Uli's boat almost took the new bathroom roof down, that would have been funny :-)

Celebrating the Diablo Festivities, Yogi in the center along with Uli and Toti

People perform in different Diablo costume

The music setup in Nombre De Dios

Diablos signify the Spaniards

Not sure about this one

Diablos whip people as if they were slaves

The Monkey Family at Turtle Cay Marina

The true settlers of Turtle Cay Marina park :-)

I’m floating but nothing is better than being on the hook. At anchor you are within harmony of nature. That’s the real cruising! 

Love from Panama

Imprisoned in Paradise

When you are free to move around, anywhere in the world could be the paradise. When you are not allowed to move, then you can be in paradise and still feel imprisoned. The whole idea of living on a boat and cruising is that you get to be free and move just about anywhere.   

Turtle Cay Boat yard

I have spent the last 54 days at Turtle Cay Marina in Panama. Here, it’s like paradise, it’s warm, sunny, palm trees, and sandy beaches. But my boat is not floating! The travel lift at this marina is not working, they are supposed to order a crane to come in and put the five boats in water, but the manager says it’s the owner’s responsibility to repair the lift and no crane is available! The owner is playing it off and comes with different excuses weekly, one week the engine to the lift is ready, another week the parts are here, oh now is Carnival, or somebody was sick and so forth. It's difficult to not be frustrated and angry when people lie into your face and come up with different nonsense. It feels like they want to keep us kidnapped here! The main purpose of this marina is not to serve yachtmen, it’s about gaining more prestige in society. It’s more important to have a big sign by the main road stating false information than having a proper bathroom and shower for their current clients. People come by here almost everyday asking where is the hotel and resort? There is no hotel and resort as the Turtle Cay Marina’s signs state. This is the longest I lived on a boat out of water and I’m getting a "boat on land fever". I try to make the best out of it! Last week, I took the foldup bicycle and biked up and down the hilly road 2.5hrs away to Puerto Lindo, where many cruisers anchor. I got to spend time with friends and stay on their boat, Peregrine.

Gwen and Trevor on S/V Peregrine

The Monkeys on Isla Linton are used to human

In between the bike ride I take a swim break in the river

Some of the challenges with living on the hard on a boat are as following; you can’t use the head (bathroom) on your boat, there are ants, flies, mosquitoes, and cockroaches on land, your boat is never as clean as it would be on water, the cabin gets really hot during the day since no wind comes through, you are constantly in a repair mode, and finally you have to climb up a ladder tons of times a day, I always wanted a tree house, now it feels like living up in a tree!

Paradise and heaven is at one’s heart. It’s totally up to you how to choose to carry on life. How to capture wind and surf the waves! Right now I can't capture the wind in my sails but I have a little bicycle. I'm gonna put air in the tires and bike the curvy hilly dirt road out of Turtle Cay Marina to Portobello.

Port Neighbors Debbie and Wayne at Sunday Picnic

Crocodile caught in a creek close to the Marina

Starboard neighbor "Gert" caught a Barracuda 

Love from the Prisoners in Paradise

Living on the Hard

The first steps on a boat that has been sitting for six months could be chocking. Especially when you left your boat in the water and the marina hauled it out as one the first boats ever hauled out. When I returned to the marina, ten days ago, at 9:30pm, I stepped into a flooded cabin. The batteries were dried and shut, as a result, the bilge pump stop working and rainwater down the mast and other leaks flooded the inside of the boat. Luckily, the water was lower than the engine. I was pumping out water and cleaning till early morning hours.

Turtle Cay Boat Yard

The way it seems, Earthling will remain on land for at least 3 more weeks. Turtle Cay Marina has a beautiful boatlift, that is not working, it never has been working in this marina. They must order a crane to come in and put the boats in the water. This is a new marina, remote from anywhere. Closest village is down the curvy dirt road in the rainforest to the main road, and then another ten minutes drive to Nombre De Dios. The first big city, for provisioning and boat parts is Colon. You can take a chicken bus from Nombre De Dios to Colon, but you might sit next to passengers that are holding a chicken on their lap! It makes it all more adventures. Finding boat parts in Panama is not as easy as walking into a major chandlery in the U.S. Even though there are a few chandleries, but if they don’t carry what you looking for, you can’t really order it either! You have to search to find things! That requires going to Panama City, which is 2-3hrs drive from the marina. The best option for me was to rent a car from the airport and gather supplies and do a major provisioning. Otherwise, things would have taken much longer time. I purchased "Petit Trinidad" antifouling paint, but they didn’t have it in red so I had to buy it in black at the highest price ever. After a few days of searching, I found good deals on 4DM batteries, but I still haven’t been able to find fuel filters!

  

Settled Base 

There is a list of projects that I hope to accomplish before start cruising again. 

The list is long and it goes by priority. Before getting launched, everything below has to be done, such as getting the bottom ready for paint. Which includes scraping off the barnacle shells and lightly sand the hull. The keel has to be faired, since we hit reefs in Kuna Yala. A friend of mine lost his boat 3 weeks ago on a reef in San Blas. The Garmin charts are "off" in this area and sailors must keep a careful outlook. In our case we were lucky! Furthermore, two stern through-hulls leak and must be re-caulked. The propeller and shaft have to be cleaned and new zinc put on. Then everything is ready to apply the bottom paint. After that, the top of the hull needs to be polished and waxed. 

Priority number two is to service the engine, which includes changing fuel filters, oil filter, and oil. I must also take apart and clean the starter from rust debris. In addition, the starter solenoid must be replaced since we’ve experienced difficulties starting the engine before. Also, the auto syphon must be inspected since it sprays out too much water.

The next priority is to recaulk the stanchions and shroud fittings, a job that needs four hands! And then there are zillions of other small things to do. This part of "Cruising Life Style" is not as pretty as it looks on the pictures of white sandy beaches with palm trees. But I have to admit, this marina’s location is just like heaven, there are two long beautiful beaches just by here and there are monkey families living up the trees not far from the boat. It’s as isolated as it can get on a deserted Island. 

The tent is setup and utilized as storage area, last time we used it in Barbuda

Love from Turtle Cay Marina in Panama