—Continued from previous page

You must come quite near the beach on your port side, as two-thirds of the
entrance to your starboard is blocked by a shallow reef. This final waypoint —
10°09.73N and 75°40.145W — will put you inside the harbor.

If you follow these points correctly, you will have at least 15 feet of water during
the entire approach and ten feet of water at the narrow entrance. Depths in the
harbor range from 20 to 25 feet, with excellent holding. Most vessels head east-
northeast after they enter the harbor and anchor near 10°10.00N and 75°39.50W.
Being There
Many expensive vacation homes line the hills that surround the harbor. All land
in the bay is privately owned, including the beachfront near the houses. The large
house with the orange roof and the black hot water tank on the top of the hill is
called Crow’s Nest and belongs to Robert Winter. He also owns the 90-foot shrimp
boat, Manatee, which is anchored in the harbor. Robert used to be a sailor, like us,
but found paradise and retired here in Colombia, where he met his partner Carmen.
Currently, Robert has a fun-filled Happy Hour on Manatee late in the afternoon,
whenever there are a few sailboats in the bay. He also sponsors a potluck dinner on
Saturday evenings. Frequently, he will send his employee Johnny around the har-
bor to collect trash, for a nominal fee of 3000 pesos, to be properly disposed of in
Bart. Robert cautions sailors not to give their garbage to the men that paddle out
on surfboards selling fruit and vegetables, as this garbage often ends up in the
mangroves. If you have questions about the area or want to check on the Happy
Hour schedule, Robert can be reached on VHF channel 68 daily, by hailing Crow’s
Nest or Manatee.

Many local waterborne salesmen will approach your vessel offering jewelry, sweets,

ruits, vegetables, fish and lobster. We found that the original offering price for some
items was ridiculous, so shop cautiously. Two examples are 120,000 pesos (divide
by two and drop all the zeros to get approximate dollars), for three one-pound lob-
sters or 40,000 pesos for a tub of coco-sugar sweets that eventually sold for 5,000
esos. Never give money for goods before they are delivered, as if they arrive, they
might not be the agreed-upon size or type. Bahia de Cholon is not without dinghy
theft, so as Melodye Pompa would rightly say, “Lift it, lock it or lose it”.
All sailors worry about where to get potable water. We used our water-making
system, two PUR 40Es, for two weeks and only had to clean the pre-filters once.
Bahia de Cholon’s water is clean, although not totally clear, and ridding the bottom
of Cartagena’s aquatic growth is easily accomplished here. During the rainy season,
which we're told starts in April, adequate water can be caught and in the dry season
it is possible to fill your jugs when the water barge El Rubio comes in to fill the tanks
of the houses surrounding the bay.

If You Stay

There are multiple ways to obtain provisions, if you wish to stay in Bahia de
Cholon for any length of time. One option is to take the dinghy into Bart, which is
a 20-minute ride. Robert can tell you how to go, which is a bit tricky, but a better
solution is to ask Johnny, his night watchman/bartender on Manatee, to accom-
pany you there after he gets off work in the morning. He is a lifetime resident of this
sprawling community and can show you around the town, helping you to target the
things you need in short time and allowing you to get a feel for where to find other

 

 

 

“Sunset — let's stay another day...
fee st ze

items you may need in the future. Pork, fresh fish, frozen chicken and many local
vegetables and fruits are available in the town. All manner of dry goods and daily
essentials can be bought at the five or so stores within Bart. If you need pesos there
is an ATM machine that works, but don’t try to hit it on the weekend, as it could be
out of money.

Gasoline, with or without 50/1 oil, is available on the waterfront in Bara. Don't
expect a pump, as it comes to you in a marked bucket. As a courtesy, a funnel is
provided to help you get it into your tank.

It is possible to take a water taxi from the anchorage at around 5:30 in the
morning to the outdoor market in Cartagena. From there you can shop at the
Bazurto market itself, or hoof it to the supermercados in the area. The water taxis
start reloading passengers around 9:00am and it is best to get there early and get
a seat in the back of the vessel, as the ride can be quite bumpy on the return trip.
For additional details, or if you need to arrange for this transportation contact
Robert at Happy Hour and he can usually call the water taxi the day before you
need to shop.

The final option for shopping is the small tiendas that are on the main (and only)
road that borders Bahia de Cholon and goes to Bart. One such tienda is located near
a large home on the edge of the bay that has blue roofs and a stone wall to the right,
as you face it. To the right of the wall, there is a small dock where you can tie your
dinghy and walk across the street to the shop. Eggs, fruit and vegetables are sold
there, along with other basic items. Gasoline can also be purchased there for just 50
cents more than in Baru.

If you want internet and phone service while you rough it in Bahia de Cholon, buy
a ComCell internet modem while you are in Cartagena at the Carrefore supermarket
in the Caribe Mall or at the many ComCell outlets. Their tower is right in the bay, so
the cell phone and internet services provided by them are excellent. Forgo the Tigo
modem as their tower, wherever it lives, does not provide good service in the bay.

We have written about this bay as an escape from Cartagena, but it works equally
well as an entry point prior to checking into Colombia, coming east from the San
Blas Islands.

We must give credit to Robert who helped us with many details for this article and
for his hospitality; to George and Pixie on Silver Sea, who gave us the original way-
points to enter the harbor; and to Johnny, who took us around Bart and introduced
us to his family and friends.

Michael and Edie and their West Highland ‘security officer’ Belia, are fulltime cruis-
ers aboard Panda, their Morgan 41 Out Island sailboat. Except for her main propulsion
diesel engine, Panda is totally powered by the wind and the sun.

 

 

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