Providencia

Four days and four nights sailing saw us arrive in Providencia early one morning. Like exercise, it was good to stop doing it! We had checked the weather sites before leaving and it looked like we could expect solid wind of about 18kts and seas of 2.5 m for at least for some of the trip. What we actually got was never more than about 12 kts of wind and about 1m seas which made me very happy; although it was uncomfortable at times because it was beam on.  That´s wind and waves on the side of the boat for non-boaters. We both felt sea sick for a good part of the trip but enjoyed eggs and bacon for breakfast when we got in.

Providencia is a small island off the coast of Nicaragua, but is actually Colombian. It is low key, has one road that goes around it and has some nice snorkelling. They say the reef off Providencia is the 3rd largest in the world and as such a lot of people come here for snorkelling and diving. Unfortunately they have a problem with lionfish, an invasive pest that has arrived in recent years, and which is eating the native reef fish.

Brio at anchor in Catalina Harbour

The main town of Providencia is Isabel on Catalina Harbour. Everwhere we go we have an interesting checking in experience with customs, immigration and quarantine and this one proved no different. The agent, Mr Bush, advised us to come to the dinghy dock at 11am. We duly did this and after a while he and about 5 other people showed up, all with clipboards with forms to complete and all seeming to ask us the same questions. It was quite funny to be checking in sitting on some broken milk crates in the shade of a building on the dock, with a barrage of questions being asked.

Main street, Isabel, Providencia

 We spent our 8 days on Providencia snorkelling, looking at some amazing corals and fish, trying out the local restaurants, especially enjoying the very fresh seafood, trying to get internet access and visiting the beaches. We made friends with James and Victoria who were visiting from their home in Germany. With them we climbed to the top of the peak of the island. A local guide showed us the way. We were also accompanied by two dogs all the way to the top. Climbing the peak involved an early start for us as we had to row into Isabel from our mooring to be picked up by a motorcycle taxi at 6.30am. The taxi driver was also our guide and he was right in insisting the early start as it gets very hot by mid-morning. It took us about an hour and a quarter to get to the top and the views were good.

At the peak with Victoria, guide Imacio and James