Peter and I spent the last day and a half taking down the sails and doing other jobs in preparation for leaving Mantra in Cartagena. It is hard and sweaty work. Peter wondered whether we are getting too old for this!
We are still waiting to clear customs in order to move the boat to a boatyard. Peter flies back to the States on Friday, so something has to happen before then.
I am all packed and ready to return to a less humid climate. Paula, Andrew and I fly out of Cartagena tomorrow morning. We have dinner reservations for this evening, but otherwise we are just chilling (literally) in their Airbnb apartment right now.
Today, while we were taking down the mainsail, we saw again two local fishermen working around the marina. They come at some time every day, it seems. The one in the stern paddles and manages an anchor while the man in the bow coils the net, casts it in a wide, graceful arc and then slowly pulls it in. There is usually at least one fish. It is relaxing to watch the rhythmic work, and the true dugout canoe is a lovely piece of traditional craft.
We haven't done all the tourist things available to us (as have Paula and Andrew), but we are returning in August, and Peter's brother Rob and his sister-in-law Susan will be joining us then. We plan to see and do more things with them.
I have been fascinated with Cartagena's history, from the pre-Colombian era through independence and beyond. Stories abound about maritime trade, slavery, the Spanish Inquisition, piracy, sieges and the fight for independence in which Simon Bolivar played an important part.
Because it was such a strategic port for exporting to Spain the riches the conquerors took or mined (with slaves), it was often attacked by armadas from other countries, including England. Sir Francis Drake captured and briefly controlled the city in 1586. In 1741, there was a naval engagement between the English and the Spanish in Cartagena, with Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon leading the large British fleet and Admiral Blas de Lezo in charge of the Spanish forces. Ultimately, the British lost. The man who fascinates me is the Spanish admiral. Blas de Lezo was the hero of the day--but he had been the hero of the day many times in the past in service to the Spanish crown. Like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he suffered many grievous injuries in battle. In 1704, as a lowly crew member, he loss the lower part of his left leg. ("Tis but a scratch.") Undaunted, he continued his naval service, rising to the rank of ship lieutenant by 1707, when he lost his left eye. ("I've had worse.") By 1714, he was a captain when he permanently loss the use of his right arm during the Siege of Barcelona. ("It's just a flesh wound.") A lesser (or more prudent) man would have started collecting veteran's benefits long before.
And, so, the blog takes a hiatus for three months. Matthew graduates in a little over a week, and Katya, Peter and I will all be in Arizona, feeling proud. Dad and Beth Ann are coming to California in June, and there is the beach vacation in July.
We are still waiting to clear customs in order to move the boat to a boatyard. Peter flies back to the States on Friday, so something has to happen before then.
I am all packed and ready to return to a less humid climate. Paula, Andrew and I fly out of Cartagena tomorrow morning. We have dinner reservations for this evening, but otherwise we are just chilling (literally) in their Airbnb apartment right now.
Today, while we were taking down the mainsail, we saw again two local fishermen working around the marina. They come at some time every day, it seems. The one in the stern paddles and manages an anchor while the man in the bow coils the net, casts it in a wide, graceful arc and then slowly pulls it in. There is usually at least one fish. It is relaxing to watch the rhythmic work, and the true dugout canoe is a lovely piece of traditional craft.
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| Fisherman casting a traditional net |
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| Pulling in the catch |
I have been fascinated with Cartagena's history, from the pre-Colombian era through independence and beyond. Stories abound about maritime trade, slavery, the Spanish Inquisition, piracy, sieges and the fight for independence in which Simon Bolivar played an important part.
Because it was such a strategic port for exporting to Spain the riches the conquerors took or mined (with slaves), it was often attacked by armadas from other countries, including England. Sir Francis Drake captured and briefly controlled the city in 1586. In 1741, there was a naval engagement between the English and the Spanish in Cartagena, with Vice-Admiral Edward Vernon leading the large British fleet and Admiral Blas de Lezo in charge of the Spanish forces. Ultimately, the British lost. The man who fascinates me is the Spanish admiral. Blas de Lezo was the hero of the day--but he had been the hero of the day many times in the past in service to the Spanish crown. Like the Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, he suffered many grievous injuries in battle. In 1704, as a lowly crew member, he loss the lower part of his left leg. ("Tis but a scratch.") Undaunted, he continued his naval service, rising to the rank of ship lieutenant by 1707, when he lost his left eye. ("I've had worse.") By 1714, he was a captain when he permanently loss the use of his right arm during the Siege of Barcelona. ("It's just a flesh wound.") A lesser (or more prudent) man would have started collecting veteran's benefits long before.
And, so, the blog takes a hiatus for three months. Matthew graduates in a little over a week, and Katya, Peter and I will all be in Arizona, feeling proud. Dad and Beth Ann are coming to California in June, and there is the beach vacation in July.
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