Isla Providencia April to May 1st 2009

Providencia – 4/10/09 to 5/1/09

Remember - double clicking on a photo will enlarge the view! (I hope!)

A Canadian fellow sailed in from Nicaragua one day, stayed long enough to stir up some interest and then left for the Cayman Islands.  This little catamaran has to be about ten feet long.  Yikes!

We arrived on Good Friday, but after we checked in we stayed on the boat, resting. We missed a local presentation for the boaters in the town square. We were able to attend a similar show a few weeks later. We listened to a spirited local band and watched a dance group show off their skills. We were invited to Roland's beach restaurant and we went for a fun evening with the crews of four other boats.

We liked the island of Providencia, the people who live there and the cruisers who were visiting along with us. During the three weeks we stayed, we hiked, motorbiked, sailed and socialized.

There is a fine hike on Catalina, the island that shelters the northern side of the harbor. The trail leads past the old fort and allows the hiker to approach the rock formation known as Morgan's Head.

It takes a little imagination to make out the profile of the notorious pirate. Looking to the south, it is easier to make out the profile of Split Mountain, also known as Morgan's Ass.

We made two circumnavigations of Providencia. The one by motorbike took three leisurely hours as we visited several overlooks ..

..........and beaches ...........

............ and stopped for a nice lunch.

The lunch stop was at a resort where Internet access is available...on some days...not today...maybe manana. The food was good and the view was gorgeous. We met a couple that took the motorbike ride too. They made the entire trip in twenty minutes and then went back around at a pace like ours. The second circumnavigation was with the crews of Pelican's Flight and Tempest on board Tisha Baby. The waters were calm and the wind light so we motored around and through the reefs. We stopped in a cove for lunch and got back to the anchorage in time for sundowners.

We were there on the anniversary of the wreck of the S/V Viva caused by hurricane XXXX. Our friend Viva Bob intended to be there too, but the present Viva had engine problems and he had sailed back to Rio Dulce to replace both his engines. Maybe next year?

We visited the Bamboo Restaurant several times, bringing the crews of about 20 boats with us on two occasions. The friendly proprietors were well rewarded for their hospitality. They are closed on Sunday, but allowed a group of us to gather to play dominoes at their tables.

We watched and waited for a good weather window and on May 1st the opportunity arrived for

S/V Damiana and us to depart for the two day passage to Bocas del Toro. We bid a fond farewell to the cruisers in the harbor and the wonderful people of Isla Providencia.