we were busy preparing our departure, planned for wednesday 08.12.21 involving tasks like cooking, backing, shopping, gym, time for myself, resting, filling the water tank, freeing the boat from dust and sand, last minute fixes…
we knew that the conditions were not perfect but we decided to go anyway. leaving santa marta marina one must contact the port control prior to departure. due to the fact that they do not speak english I had to take over. the officer mentioned unfavourable conditions to sail to jamaica, I shall ask the captain if he is sure to leave anyway. so I did. we decided to go for it.
we were flying north with 7knots speed over ground. the wind and gusts went up to 35 knots and the waves were high with about 4 meters coming from starboard. we were splashed, bathed and shaken. we forgot a cup of coffee on the table and it was flying around the saloon. boxes jumped out and many things gathered on the floor in the boat. oh no.
we were carried by a wave and “bam” smashed into the valley of the next forming wave. ufff. are we ready for such a trip? how long will this last for? the words of the officer in the back of our minds growing our insecurity to continue. I wasn’t able to relax at all. we agreed to turn. immediate thoughts of doubt forming in my head. am I made for this?
“port control, port control this is sailing vessel whisper. we ask for permission to enter port again. we can now confirm unfavourable conditions out there”. I hope he won his bet and could laugh and enjoy my humor after all. hihi.
after safely docking into our old spot we started to reflect. we soon realised we neglected the many signs, which indicated that this was not the right day for our departure. the more we talked about the situation and processed the experienced, we realised neither of us was really prepared and ready. not individually, nor as a team. we are happy for this experience as these moments make us grow and learn. we also received beautiful support from our neighbours and friends. many of them congratulated us for our decision to leave and especially to our courages decision to turn again. every sailor can tell stories about moments like that and regret moments when they weren’t brave enough to turn.
below some pictures from our short excursion into the blue on wednesday.
also some much older footage we received from sy wind of change from our dancing sail back to the panamarina from the san blas islands in november. many thanks for the memory we now can laugh about. this was the last and calm part of our journey. haha.
after digesting the situation we started to study the weather once again. this time as a team. receiving advice, weather charts and support from the many experienced sailors around us. we are very grateful for the support we receive from the community. blown away actually. sunday looks like the ideal weather window. less wind and less waves. nevertheless, its not going to be a walk in the park. we are mentally preparing. together. cooking, baking, shopping, cleaning again. loads of sleep and rest. we are excited to set sail.
goodbye colombia the second…
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