Naturalisation Processes

I spent the whole day today on "naturalisation processes" ... and it wasnt even for me. It was for my bike.
It took the whole day to import the bike and thats a long time by the standards of the Americas (though Im sure its small compared to some places in Africa or central Eurasia).

I started out by meeting up with the other three riders from the Yacht trip. We then did the fifteen minute walk over to the dock area to meet Leonardo the skipper. It took about fifteen minutes to row each of us out to the yacht in the two person dingy and then another half hour to unlash the bikes and disconnect from the anchor (which was left in place and tied to the dingy).
Then there was a half hour to motor quietly over to a small dock with deep enough water to get the yacht right up to.

Then it was about a twenty minutes for each bike to get lines on it,winch it up, pull it over the side, lower it down and untie it. And man, that was surprisingly hard work!... The problem here is the heat and humidity.Its only about 35 degC but it really hits you hard. There is no way I could work at a high level of output here in the direct sun... You gotta have shade to work in, plenty of water to drink, and a pace that is only about half of what Im used to.
But the bikes were now on land and undamaged.












Next trick was to get them running. Three of the four had fuel injection and started up more or less at the first try. But the Tenerre was an older bike with carburetion and my suspicion was confirmed when it cranked over just fine but would not fire up at all.
After about twenty minutes of Yanik pfaffing around and trying to get it going, I felt it was probably now OK to make a suggestion...
And that was that I had had this exact problem last time I was here, and the solution was to simply tow the bike for about a kilometer with it in second gear (but ignition off) and then try again. We were starting to run out of time anyway because we had a scheduled meeting at the customs place for 2pm. So, it was agreed that we would tow the bike back to where the boat had been anchored and see how it went.If it still wouldnt start then we could tow it further to the customs place.

The rope was deployed and we decided to try towing from footpeg to footpeg instead of from front forks to rear rack.
I did the towing and the other two guys with functioning bikes rode as rear guards to ward off the other traffic. Yanik had his hands full on the towed bike watching the rope tension and staying in the right line... We set off, and it all went really quite smoothly. We only had to stop in traffic twice and there were no real incidents at all.... a few kilometres later we were back at the anchorage and when Yank tried, his bike fired up immediately :))) And the footpeg to footpeg towing is a really good system too!

OK so now the next problem is to find the customs place. So to sort this one out I put the skipper on the back of the bike and we go for a half hour ride so he can show me where it is while the others watch the dingy,the dog, and the yacht. This also goes fine, so now we have about fourty five minutes to kill. So the skipper suggests lunch nearby and we all ride about another Km through the little streets (mostly one way streets) with his dog galloping along in amongst us! It was a bit hairy there with the dog seeming to want to leap under the front wheel all the time but we got there... And had a drink and a bite to eat.

Then we said our good-bys to the skipper and headed off to the customs meeting.... This was a bit trickier since where I had gone with the skipper was not quite right and it took us about fifteen extra minutes to locate the correct entrance and get the bikes in, but we were there on time.
And the customs agent (Manfred... same guy I used for this process last time I came here) showed up a few minutes later. He disappeared off into the offices and cubicles and we sat around for a while. Then Manfred came out and took two of us in to see the customs guy... It took about fifteen minutes and we had to sign about six pieces of paper and that was it (Manfred advised us not to distract the customs guy with chit chat or to give any more information than asked for... The intent was to minimise delay). Then the other two guys with bikes did the same, and then the waiting began... The papers needed one more signature from the big boss and that happened when he was ready. We had no choice but to just sit around and wait.... And about an hour later the papers came back OK.
So, then we each paid Manfred $30 (I used the same guy last time I did this and his price has gone up from $20) and said good-by again.








Then we had to get Colombian third party insurance for the bikes so we (following directions) found our way to an insurance office and got stuck into more paper work and more waiting.It also involved side trips to an ATM machine to get cash to pay since they would not take credit cards. But, about an hour later that too was done.

Now, our next highest priority was to get the damn salt off the bikes. This meant finding a place to wash the bikes. The first most obvious place was very near but when we asked, they wouldnt do bikes (only cars), so I then went to the smaller place that I had used last time I was here (about 200m away) and we negotiated a bit of a price reduction for the four bikes... It was still a bit of a "gringo tax" price I think.
But, the bikes then got a reasonable washing... Though I think all of us will want to do it again in a few days if we get the chance.







And that was about it for the day. It was five oclock and I admit I was feeling quite pooped!.
So, then it was every man for himself, and we split up and rode off to our respective hotels for a shower and a rest.

But its done. The bike is successfully imported and insured... I can ride on now whenever Im ready.

The Voyage

Well, first off, we started by loading up the four motorbikes.
This was of the same format as last time I did the crossing...
There was lots of man-handling to get the bikes from the dock into a launch and then ropes were tied on and the bikes were hauled up the side of the yacht (using the windlasses on the mast that are for hauling up sails etc.
For me, having done it before it was no big deal, but the other riders were new to the "procedure" and were each understandably a little concerned when it was "their baby" that was swinging in the air.







All went well and the bikes were arranged about the deck in assorted places... It turned out (through no particular planning on my part) that my bike got the best spot for the voyage... It was laid partly over on its side resting on a pile of spare sails across the rear-most deck space of the yacht. In this spot it got the least movement/scratching as well as the least amount of salt water splashing.
The other guys bikes were secured well but they did get a certain amount of splashing... as expected. My last time, I did not prepare the bike well enough and the corrosion it got from the salt water has been a problem ever since... But I tried to help the other guys out as much as I could with some advice ... Its tricky telling other guys what to do to their machines without triggering ego related competency posturing... But they listened and Im sure their bikes are much better off for it than mine was on my first voyage ... they liberally coated the mechanicals of the bikes with chain lube and engine oil before loading them (access is difficult after they are on board)... and I was adamant about not using WD40 as a protectant... Its a "water displacer" (hence the WD) and not a lubricant or protectant!...
A little advice can be a huge help... If only Id had someone to give it to me on my first voyage!

OK, so the bikes were loaded and we eventually had all the people food, bikes, water, luggage, diesel, equipment, captain and dog on board (24hr later than planned) and off we went...

The first day of sailing was in open sea and we were expecting pretty rough conditions... But it was only for one day and we would then anchor in the San Blass islands and be in sheltered waters for a couple of days.
At the captains suggestion, most of the passengers did not take any motion sickness pills so they could find out if they would get sick on this short section of the trip and then only have to do things differently on the long crossing section of the trip if they had too. I however paid him no heed at all and happily downed a "dramamine" tablet since I knew from last time that I am definitely subject to sea sickness!... and it paid off handsomely :) Everyone but Sebastian myself and the captain had a "bad ride" and I think four of them felt the effects strongly enough to ensure that the fish were "well fed" on that leg of the voyage... I was only able to save one of the passengers with advice on this point and got them to take a pill... It was soon enough to stop them having to "heave" but not soon enough to make it a pleasant ride for the first couple of hours (it takes about an hour to take effect it seems)

But the "fun" was not over once we got to calmer waters that day... The head winds were strong, the waves were big, and we set out later than planned (this would turn out to be quite the "theme" for the rest of the voyage too!) and we arrived at anchorage well into the night (the plan had been to get there before sunset!)... Should be no real problem, but the ships GPS and autoHelm had been destroyed about a month before by lightening and that meant we had no "tracks" to follow into safe anchorage. And without daylight or even much moon light, and with a complicated group of tiny islands with complex reef formations.... Well, lets just say the skipper was "Having Kittens" about it all... Lots of verbal self-flagelation, anxiousness, loud cursing etc... very entertaining :)))
And it was all a bit disturbing for the passengers too I must say (strangely, I felt unconcerned by it all and I thought about the very real consequences if we did hit a reef ... and actually, I was fine with it!) That seemed rather unprofessional of the skipper to me but at that stage I didnt really know his personality. Now, after the fact it seems like "normal form".
But, the skipper came through in the end and with some careful manoeuvring and passengers with eagle eyes at the bow, the island in question was found and we successfully manoeuvred through the reef and dropped anchor late at night.... Much Relief all round :))


















So, then we slept and relaxed for the next two days in the San Blass islands which are definitely "idyllic"... So much so that the captain says most trips one or other passenger refers to it as "paradise" when they first arrive... But, two days later, the most common refrain he says he hears is "when are we leaving" :))
It seems we people from the developed world really dont have much clue about what we want... We swallow what we are told we want by all the advertising and media and we dont really think about it... And when we are given that image of what we want, we quickly find that its not actually what makes us happy!
And the San Blass islands dont make us happy because we frenetic "developed world" people cant sit still, and our "short attention span minds" need to be "entertained". But here, there are no conveniences, and every day is the same day, and you have to be your own entertainment or learn to just do without... Not most peoples "cup of tea!"

But we had a good time for a couple of days.
We relaxed in the sun, and we went ashore and played volley ball and cooked a meal with some of the locals, and a good time was had by all :))
We also moved anchorage and again set out too late, arrived after dark, and had difficulty finding anchorage with the usual performances by the skipper (Ive started noticing a trend now!). I offered my GPS to try to help and it did help too, but the local charts are quite inaccurate and even if you have a waypoint marked in the GPS, if its in the wrong spot its useless, and what you really need is a "route"(ie an old track that you piloted along in the daylight and that you know is safe) not a point... so it was only of limited value.

So, then we set off on the big crossing! All of about 150 nautical miles... Itd take about three hours to ride on the bike if there was a road!
And the seas were mostly quite rough, and the wind was mostly between 20 and 35 knots but we did get upto about 50kts for an hour or so there!

And we tore two sails... and it was good
and we got rained on... and it was good
and we got a few really good splashes with salt water in the big waves... and it was very good
and people were seasick (though less so now with some time on the water and the astute allocation of the spare motion sickness tablets that the captain and I had between us.
and we ran for the shelter of an island in the strong winds... and got there after dark, and had the usual dramatics from the captain... but arrived safely and anchored OK as usual... and it was good too :))

But we sailed, and it was good :)))







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And then we made it to the port of Cartegena and after a bit of manoeuvring to avoid container ships and a cruise around the crowded mooring area followed by the coast guard in a very sleek and aggressive looking "navy grey" pursuit boat (they were apparently looking for a "christmas gift" (euphemism for a bribe) from the boats skipper!) we anchored and then, in short order, found ourselves and our gear sitting on a small dock on the edge of the city!










The bikes would have to wait till Monday to clear customs but we were free to get a hotel and have a shower and a meal... You didnt need to say that twice!, so off we all went still wobbling along the pavements with our "sea legs" :)))

Ship of Fools

Landfall in Cartegena Colombia yesterday, and we all made it over safely... But it was an eventful little voyage, and as expected, it was made all the more interesting by all of us... The passengers :))














Where to begin??
It was a week long experience, and there are far too many little tales to tell for this blog, so I guess Ill just give the "Someone Elses Perspective" synopsis of the people n this post and a little about the voyage in the next one.

Note... The following descriptions of people are just from my perspective as it was on the voyage and is now a day after. It is not only possible but entirely likely that each of you who read this would form completely different impressions of these people.... Thats what "Someone Elses Perspective" is about.... enjoy :))))

So, who were we all?
Well, you all know me, and I guess this blog bears testament to my own personality "quirks" so Ill not elaborate about myself any further :)


The captain was Leonardo... a very interesting chap with more than a few idiosyncrasies.
He is a small healthy (though he smokes a fair bit) and slim man in his early sixties. He has the deep brown leathery "hide" of someone who has spent many years outside in the tropical sun sailing his yacht wearing only a ragged pair of shorts... Totally appropriate :))
He is an Italian and has the temperament to go with it... Which is to say that while on the yacht it is important to have a barometer to see what changes are coming in the weather, It would be way more valuable for the passengers to have a similar device for reading the skippers coming mood swings!... Yep, he is often a generous and happy fellow, but he is "played" by his emotions and can be dark and antagonistic just as easily.
He is a former physicist who worked at the CERN accelerator on some very deep Quantum physics stuff and he let me read his last technical paper (from about 10 years ago) for which, he was nominated for a Nobel prize! He quit that job and the good pay though and decided to just sail his yacht around the world and get by doing what he could... He has made it about a third of the way so far but seems to have got bogged in the Caribbean for the present. His current distraction being that his very young Colombian girlfriend got pregnant... and truth be told, he would rather be with a different former girlfriend...(that sounds like stories Ive heard more than once before!)

Yanik is another motorbike rider. He has a nice Yamaha 750 Tenerre... Its an older bike and is heavy and underpowered by todays standards but is a great bike (very like the Africa Twin). Yanik is Belgian and living in Quebec Canada. He is in his thirties and is a very nice friendly and fairly quiet guy. He is extremely unassuming and it was not till half way through the trip that I discovered he was a very well qualified pilot (from 767 commercial airlines to helicopter search and rescue, he captains them all :) He is doing the north-south motorbike trip that I am doing and his motivations seem similar to mine... economic down time between jobs/contracts and it seems like the thing to do!... I liked him a lot, and I hope our paths cross again on the ride south (though he is moving faster than I). Im sure he has is complications and "quirks" like the rest of us, but I think he did best at keeping it "pleasantly under wraps" fort the voyage :))

Eric is also a motorbiker, but of quite a different sort! He is riding a Yamaha R1 which is a top end 1000cc sport/racing bike with nearly 200 horse power!... This is a crazy thing to do for the distance he is going and with the variable-to-terrible roads he is riding on! He is riding it from the USA to Brazil where he now lives. Eric is French (Parisien) but has been living in Brasil for years and he wants the big sport bike so he is riding it down (because its cheaper than importing it through dealers etc). He is in his fourties and as far as I can tell, he has done various things in his life (biologist and geneticist ring a bell there) and these days he makes his living as a freelance photographer (he is apparently quite good at it). Eric was a late addition to the boat and had no booking to come with us. He and another guy just showed up at the dock on departure day with their stuff and their bikes. Not every one of the existing passengers (myself included) wanted to have two extra people and their bikes using up very limited space on the boat! We had been told there would be four to six passengers and now there would be nine! It only worked out that he could come in the end because one of the two extras suddenly decided to not come when he figured out that the salt water would corrode his beautiful new bike (Duhhh!... He decided to fly). Even then, Eric only made it on because the captain wanted the extra money and decided that four out of six votes was enough... Eric suffered quite a bit on the voyage because he had to stay above deck to not use up the other passengers space... That meant sleeping outside in the rain and rough seas...
I have to hand it to the guy, he tried really hard to help out and offered to cook many of the group meals...but the galley equipment, the food choices, and the sea conditions conspired against him (and us all) and meals were I would have to say mediocre at best! And to add to it, poor Eric had a really hard time when his turn came to piloting the boat... the steering of the yacht is very sluggish and subtle in wind and waves in the open sea with no land reference points; And relating what the boat is doing compared to the compass etc... Lets just say, it was the exact antithesis of riding the hyper-responsive sport bike! He didnt do well at it, and that didnt earn him the respect of the skipper!
Ah yes, and Eric freely admits that he loves and embraces his addictions - as any Frenchman would :)... and those are coffee, women, motorbikes, photography, and cigarettes! I cant say I share his outlook about women or his veritable NEED for a coffee first thing in the morning, but on the whole, he was a good guy and I was glad he made it on to the voyage with us.

Sebastian was the other motorbike rider (for a total of four). He had a more recent version of the bike Im riding (Suzuki DL650). He smokes, and has the interesting habit of cutting off just half of the standard filter on commercial cigarettes before smoking them. He was an Argentinian living in the USA and as far as I could tell was riding his bike south on a well planned trip (set up a year in advance with very visible blog and lots of postings on adventure riding bulletin board sites etc) and visiting orphanages with his bike as he went (His bike was all black and hed done it up a bit to be "the Bat bike" etc... Im sure the kids would have enjoyed it :) ... Apparently when he was a liitle kid in a poor town in Argentina, some guy riding a motorbike came through and ended up staying at his family home for a few days... It had a profound inspiring effect on him and he has dreamed of "paying it forward"... and this is his chance.Sebastian is in his thirties and I believe recently out of a of a marriage (and also had a young daughter I think ?).
... But what I suspect didnt make it into his blog (though I admit I have not read it) and that seemed to me to be a major activity for the ride, was picking up girls and getting them to sleep with him!...(which by the way he seems to be very good at :)) ) It was about the third thing that I heard him say...."Ive taken xx girls for a ride on the bike and yy (about half) of them have resulted in a very nice night for me"!... And that about sums Sebastian up as far as I could tell... For a large part, he seems to be the quintessential testosterone dominated male... If hes not riding the bike fast, or mastering a new skill, or chatting up the girls then he is rather lost! The yacht moving at a speed of about 10kmh and nothing to do but "sit around" was more than he could bear, but fortunately for him, there was a single girl on the trip, so he could "do" that to keep himself occupied :)
Yes, its pretty clear that I didnt think much of his outlook on women... But he was just doing "his thing" and he was not hurting me at all, So Im not his enemy... I just dont need to spend much of my time with him if there are girls around or they are the topic of conversation. He obviously has more depth than I got to see on the voyage (the orphanage visiting is clear testament to it) but it was not very apparent, and in truth, my own prejudices stopped me from actively finding out much more.

Marianne was the only single girl on the trip. She was German, twenty something, blond and quite attractive... Not supper attractive though...
I first met her at the hostel in Panama (where people get linked up with the yacht captains to cross to Colombia). There was a "very" attractive girl there who was very much enjoying the attention that she could get from all the boys, and at some point I noticed Marianne quietly "scoff" in the background at one of the lines of the conversation that she overheard. Now Im not absolutely sure because we didnt discuss it, but I believe the scoff was at the "transparency and shallowness" of the conversation and the way the other girl was playing with all the attention. It therefore amused me no end, a day or two later, to see how quickly she was happy to play the same game when she got the chance (ie no more attractive girl around to occupy the boys)... But, I suspect that most of us might behave similarly, and its probably just my prejudices and assumptions showing again! :))
Again, I didnt really get the chance to learn too much more about her because she was pretty much fully occupied with Sebastian. I did learn that she was travelling alone in central america, had pretty good Spanish and had recently completed an art history degree... She is also a smoker... and thats about it! But with the little talking we did, I am sure she was quite intelligent and was polite, friendly, and helpful to everyone on board :)

Hiro was a twenty something Japanese guy... He had very little English and about the same amount of Spanish. He was very friendly and open but had that peculiar Japanese "obsessiveness". He is also a smoker (I mention the smoking because its a very interesting aspect to a week long trip in the confined spaces of a small yacht - It really shows up how much people do or dont think about their impact on other peoples lives! :)) ) His obsessiveness showed in one of his adventures just before this voyage... In CostaRica he went on a tour up one of the volcanoes and became separated from the group (You really have to be "not paying attention" for this to happen)... after that, he got himself lost in the jungle for two days and was eventually found by dozens of police searching for him and after "having to" catch, kill, and eat raw, a snake in order to "survive"! (You absolutely do not have to do any such thing to survive here in the tropics for a couple of days!!!) On the voyage though he was always nice and friendly. He did however spend one day getting very quickly and focussedly drunk by downing about a half a bottle of white rum!... apparently that was his objective for the day!
He reminded me very strongly of Shota, the Japanese guy that was on the last crossing I did two years ago... So much so that throughout the voyage I continually had to catch myself and not call him by the wrong name... I didnt really get to talk to him much because of the language barrier but I liked him a lot and I wish him well in his future adventures ... which Im sure will be "colourful!" :)

And that just leaves the Finnish couple. Saddly, I really dont remember their names (though they were Finnish names and not easy for my English name oriented memory to retain), but that is a measure of me and not of them. They were in their twenties, and definitely a close couple. Though I have never been to Finland, I would guess they were somewhat "counter culture" from their assorted tattoos and clothing styles... but neither of them were smokers. The girl was very nice and very quiet, (She was the quietest person on the trip) and I know almost nothing about her other than that she was more or less fluent in about six languages, and was vegetarian... For the most part though, her personality seemed overwhelmed by that of her partner. He seemed almost "German" in his style to me (and Im sure you can misconstrue that comment if you want to :))) )... He liked his world to stick to his expectations (and dont we all :) ). But our little voyage was not playing along!... First surprise for him (like me) was that there would be eight passengers rather than five or six... Then there was the weather and the schedule... They had booked flights in Colombia to places further south) for less than two days after the planned arrival date (4 day trip) and we departed port a day late and it took two more days than planned... and there were some small extra costs.... It all added up to "not what he had been told" and while he did adapt, it was clear that he was not happy about it and that he was sure he was right and it "shouldnt happen like this"! One of his comments that I found quite amusing was regarding the music that was playing at one point in the long crossing... It was not great music and his cheery comment was that hed "rather have bad music than no music".... And thats the exact opposite of me! (though I bit my toung and said nothing)
I suspect it was really mostly just because they had only left their highly organised world a few weeks before for the disorganised and unpunctual world of central America... Id have had more sympathy for him if hed been more interactive with the rest of the people and come across a bit less arrogant! He had apparently been on Finlands "first team" in Soccer (whether that was amateur or professional I dont know) and when we played some volley ball in the San Blass islands he was clearly a focussed athlete ... and I suspect thats where that "arrogance" I felt originated.... It seems to me to be a very common and unfortunate trait of people who are successful in one field or another... They seem to think they know it all (yes yes, Im sure the same accusation can easily be at me :))) ) and they are very happy to let you know that they do and dont think much of your differing ways or opinions.... Oh well, what can ya do but let them move along their way :) ... But again, he was not hurting anyone and in truth he and his very nice girl friend spent most of their time together and they caused no problems.

Mirra was the only other one on the boat, and she was the ships dog. She was a mid sized mongrel of very pleasant disposition. She was about two years old and was still quite playful. She was a very nice and very friendly dog. She was never allowed below decks and rarely on the seating benches. When we went ashore in the San Blass islands for an afternoon, she happily ran around snuffling all over the place and ate just about anything she could find with a strong smell. This had the predictable and unhappy result that she got a bad gastro-intestinal infection and spent the next two days with diarrhoea all over the boat deck! (Actually, Eric looked after her and carefully watched her diet till she was well again)
It seemed to me that the toughest thing in her life was her master... Leonardo... who clearly loved her a lot (and she loved him in return), but he had no clue about his own inconsistencies and it was very hard to watch him punish her when his temper flared for things that she could not possibly understand.... But again, how can you interfere and how can you make someone see what they just dont want to see... You cant!

And that was our little ship of fools that survived in relatively good spirits another stormy crossing of the Caribbean. :)))


I find it unsurprising but quite interesting that I have far more comments about the people who were more challenging for me to live in such close proximity with than I have for the people who were easy to live with.
And the truth is that while there is a paragraph here about this person and one there about that person... In fact, every paragraph I write is a reflection of me and and this whole post pretty clearly illustrates that I have plenty of my own personality "issues" if you look... Its that old "mirror" thing that life does for us all...

So Ill close by saying that its likely that I was the biggest "fool" of all :)))

Monkey on a String

We sailed from a little town on the Caribbean coast of Panama called Portobello.
It was a very significant port for the Spanish and has a colourful history of attacks by pirates etc (as any of the significant port towns in this part of the world do!).
There are attacks by Captain Henry Morgan and Francis Drake etc, and the town has a small museum and some significant colonial fortifications including a large number of old iron cannon (about 12' long and with a 6" bore). Apparently, about 1/3 of the entire worlds gold and silver passed through this one little port for several decades in the colonial years! In fact, this town is where (Sir) Francis Drake ("Pirate" to the Spanish, and mercenary contracted "Knight of the Realm" to the British - but without doubt one of the most distinguished marine navigators in history!) chose to make his home and his grave is located on a small island at the entrance of the harbour.











Another claim to fame is that the local church (also from colonial days) has a large Christ statue (with the usual cross on his back) but this one has the Christ as a "man of colour" ... which to me seems quite reasonable as all the locals have dark skin too and, well, as far as I can tell, pretty much all of the details associated with the man seem to be pretty clearly fabricated by the catholic church... so why not have the local version in a form that the locals can really relate too? ... And there is again a small museum dedicated to this somewhat unusual incarnation of Christ.











Other than that its a sleepy little coastal town. There is barely anything going on at all, but the couple of local tourist shops (there were only two) had monkeys tied to their front verandas by strings. I got to get up close and let them climb on me a bit... hmmm quite strange little creatures... not at all human, but intelligent and inquisitive, and clever little hands :))