We were finally able to break the hold that Colombia had on us and leave for Aruba. The first ~95% of the trip was almost too good to be true. It was a bit rough when we first left Santa Marta but things calmed as predicted. We stopped briefly at Cabo de la Vela to get Morgan to shore (what a lucky dog!) then continued on. We ran into some big seas (9 feet at 8 seconds) as we rounded the cape, but winds were light and we rode the waves quite comfortably. Once we got around the cape, all was great again. We even baked corn bread to go with dinner that night. We were feeling pretty lucky till about 3 am on Monday when the winds went from less than 10 to over 20 kts, then built to 30 with gusts in the 40's (on the nose naturally) and of course the seas to go with the winds. It took us 5 hours to cover those last 18 miles; yet nothing broke or failed, so it was a good trip.
Checking into a new country is always an experience and we were not disappointed. The Coast Guard came first for an inspection once we tied alongside the government dock. They had stopped us about 8 miles out but it was too rough for them to board. Immigrations was quick and easy and we left with a 30 day visa that can be easily extended. Customs arrived with 6 inspectors and a dog. 1/2 hour into the inspection I asked if the level of effort had anything to do with us just coming from Colombia. They all looked at me and said "of course!” laughed and continued on. You could easily identify the low man on the totem pole; he was the guy who spent 15 minutes in the very hot engine room. They were all very polite, inquisitive about our travels, and just doing their job.
The only problem we had was while in the customs office filling out forms. They asked if we had anything to declare and we told them that we had spirits (liquor, wine and beer) all over the limit and meat (restricted from Colombia). They said, that's ok because you have to eat and drink. Then they asked about guns, no; ammunition, no; spear gun, yes; oops - wrong answer. They said that they were going to have to take the spear gun and destroy it since spear guns of any type are illegal in Aruba. I said, "We’re a yacht in transit; if we had a gun and declared it you would hold it till we left so why would you destroy a spear gun"? Lena even suggested they really only wanted the spear gun so they could sell it on EBay. Nothing like a little humor to smooth things out. The Customs boss didn't laugh. After many phone calls and lots of back and forth conversation, they finally agreed to hold the spear gun till we left. They even gave us a receipt so we may actually get it back. New law, who knows, maybe too much sun.
How long are we here for? Good question. When we arrived in Santa Marta, we said we’d stay one week and then we'd start looking for a weather window. Two days short of 6 weeks we left. We're here for a week and then we start looking for a …
Checking into a new country is always an experience and we were not disappointed. The Coast Guard came first for an inspection once we tied alongside the government dock. They had stopped us about 8 miles out but it was too rough for them to board. Immigrations was quick and easy and we left with a 30 day visa that can be easily extended. Customs arrived with 6 inspectors and a dog. 1/2 hour into the inspection I asked if the level of effort had anything to do with us just coming from Colombia. They all looked at me and said "of course!” laughed and continued on. You could easily identify the low man on the totem pole; he was the guy who spent 15 minutes in the very hot engine room. They were all very polite, inquisitive about our travels, and just doing their job.
The only problem we had was while in the customs office filling out forms. They asked if we had anything to declare and we told them that we had spirits (liquor, wine and beer) all over the limit and meat (restricted from Colombia). They said, that's ok because you have to eat and drink. Then they asked about guns, no; ammunition, no; spear gun, yes; oops - wrong answer. They said that they were going to have to take the spear gun and destroy it since spear guns of any type are illegal in Aruba. I said, "We’re a yacht in transit; if we had a gun and declared it you would hold it till we left so why would you destroy a spear gun"? Lena even suggested they really only wanted the spear gun so they could sell it on EBay. Nothing like a little humor to smooth things out. The Customs boss didn't laugh. After many phone calls and lots of back and forth conversation, they finally agreed to hold the spear gun till we left. They even gave us a receipt so we may actually get it back. New law, who knows, maybe too much sun.
How long are we here for? Good question. When we arrived in Santa Marta, we said we’d stay one week and then we'd start looking for a weather window. Two days short of 6 weeks we left. We're here for a week and then we start looking for a …
