Hello! Well, we anchored once again on Tuesday evening. We have found ourselves a secluded little Island in the middle of the Caribbean Sea called Providence Island/Santa Catalina. It is governed by Columbia but is a very safe and friendly Island. It is just a little jewel that apparently not many people know of with beautiful mountains and harbors. There are about 20 sailboats here and we have made friends quickly with most of them. We all had dinner together on shore last night and of course tonight, the festivities are on our boat! It was quite comforting hearing all the stories from the other boaters about all the things that go awry along the ways…..our crack in the hull and the problems with Auto Pilot are nothing compared to these seasoned pros.

The winds and seas are very high right now so we are staying put until it calms. The Mayor of Provincia is putting on a special show in the town square tomorrow night for all the boaters that are anchored here out of the weather. They will show us what their culture is all about. It is a very simple way of life here….absolutely not a commercialized island at all….it is really lovely. The locals live in houses without windows and doors, and dirt floors. This Island is so unpublicized you can’t even buy a postcard!

The people are very friendly and beautiful. Spanish is the language, although many speak English. The store owner has let us use his freezer to store our food today while Gary and Mike fix our freezers. If you need a ride somewhere you simply ask someone on the street and they will gladly put you on the back of their motorcycle or scooter or show you to someone who may have a car. We ride our bikes too.

Our sail from Grand Cayman was good and we caught some fish along the way. Twice we hooked something really big but it got away…thank goodness. Several pods of dolphins came to us every day and we even had three small yellow bellied birds visit us in the middle of the Sea. Two kept trying to land on my head to rest (which gives you a good idea of what my “at sea hairdo” looks like”). I put on my hooded jacket and they landed right on my head and rested….crazy. They hung out on the boat all night and took off in the morning. I know what you are thinking….she’s lost her mind…but hey…when you are at sea these are the things that entertain you! Only two days to Panama from here. We may stop at the Sandblast Islands on the way as everyone says we shouldn’t miss them.

All for now….Will download pics when I can. XO Marnie