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Ss

ARIBBEAN COMPA

C

MARCH 2010

 

   
 

® New environmentally friendly haulout
@ 50-ton hoist, 18ft beam, 8ft draft
® Water

® Do it yourself or labour available
® Mini - Marina

® Chandlery

VHF: 16 tbyh@usa.net
Tel/Fax: 473.443.8175

 

B & C FUELS ENTERPRISE

Petite Martinique
The best fuel dock in the Grenadines for:

oe e OIL * WATER ICE

"

Cheapest prices in the Grenadines
Unobstructed dock in calm water
16-18 feet of water alongside
Suitable for Large Power Yachts
Easily approached from Carriacou, Union I., Palm I. & PSV

Contact: Glenn Clement or Reynold Belmar
Tel/Fax: (473) 443-9110 email: golfsierra@hotmail.com

 

 

to Bahia

by Michael and Edie Rosner

Panda and crew have finally left the circle we cut in the Caribbean Sea for the last
five years, between Venezuela and the ABCs. In November 2009 we left Aruba and
sailed to Cartagena, Colombia. We had a nice holiday season there, but the harbor
is hectic, with water taxi wakes and a huge container ship port that is always
brightly lit and makes a lot of weird noises as it unloads ships 24/7. And there, even
with a paint job only six months old, Panda's bottom needed to be cleaned every
three weeks.

Also, at this point Club Nautico is just a construction site that can only offer
anchored vessels dockage for their dinghy, garbage disposal and potable water for a
US$20-a-week fee. When or if this essential marina will be re-built is known only by
the gods.

While we were in the harbor, many sailors told us about a welcome getaway
— a large, mangrove-lined bay, only 14 miles south of Cartagena, called Bahia
de Cholon.

Top: Fishermen spread a net among visiting boats at Bahia de Cholon
Above: Just 14 miles away from the city, this placid retreat from Cartagena is
becoming increasingly poplar with cruisers

In this article we will include waypoints we have used to approach Bahia de Cholon
and give simple sailing directions through the entrance. We will also detail services
available and provisioning alternatives, if one wishes to stay in the bay for a while.
There are no detailed charts of the bay, as it is considered an inland estuary, but the
location can be found by looking for the town of Bart, on the mainland, just east of
the Rosario Islands.

Getting There

After leaving Cartagena via the Boca Grande Channel, gain a little distance off and
then start to head south. Do remember, however, that the red and green buoys that
mark this narrow channel are about 25 feet east of the low point in the submerged
wall, so remain on a course perpendicular to the marks until you see the wall pass
under you on the sonar. Sailing south, you'll pass the Boca Chica Channel, where
all the commercial traffic enters and exits this busy harbor, so keep a good watch.

On a course of 214 degrees magnetic, proceed approximately 14.5 nautical miles
to a waypoint at 10°11.290N and 075°40.660W, west of Islote Periquito. The follow-
ing chain of waypoints will bring you just outside the harbor:

10°10.685N and 75°40.533W

10°10.534N and 75°40.389W

10°10.305N and 75°40.35W

10°10.071N and 75°40.297W

As you approach the resort, on the shore to the left are two pilings you pass
through and another piling on the resort’s beach that you leave to port.

—Continued on next page