Hola! We have been here in Providencia for more than a week now waiting for the seas to subside. What a great place to be stuck. As I mentioned before, this island is small and unique. There is no commercialization here…only the beauty of the island and a simple way of life. Not many provisions or souvenir shops, so no postcards. I believe this is the way the locals wish it to stay. The culture holds Siesta each day from 12:30pm to 4:00pm and everything closes.

We have met many boaters here and made new friends. Gary and Mike (soon me too) have learned the SSB radio so now we are on the Net and check in at times so other boaters can share info with each other and be sure to send help if you ever need it. We were invited to join the locals and watch the big horse race this last Saturday. Literally, only two horses raced each other down the beach. If you weren’t paying attention, you got run over…..if you blinked…you missed it. Yet, I’d say 1/3 the population of 6,300 showed for the 15 second event. We found a lovely beach and beach bar/restaurant called Rolland’s Bar. Rolando is a very colorful and unique soul and welcomes all with open arms. They serve the freshest fish, crab claws and lobster around. Lobster dinner is only $20 US. They offer live music on some nights….always a beach bonfire and dancing. We also went snorkeling in some of the clearest waters I’ve seen. (Although nothing compares to snorkeling and diving in BVI). We did a short, shallow dive yesterday since the winds started to subside. (Gary was actually hoping to find some lobsters, but no luck)

We are now off to Panama at noon today, with an anticipated arrival of Saturday morning(ish). We’ve hired an agent to assist with all the paperwork required to get through the canal. This is quite a process. I encourage you to Google the Panama Canal….it is so interesting. Probably won’t be called to go thru the canal until next week…hopefully. We will keep you posted. They do have a real time camera if you are interested in watching boats go thru.
(We apologize for not responding to your many emails…we are still working out the bugs with our Satellite System. We are not able to get on email has often as we had hoped just yet. The satellite just doesn’t support Skype yet but we are working on that to. We are not able to download pictures on the website yet so must wait until we get to Panama.) We miss you all! ~~ xo Marnie

Boater Details: When pulling into harbor our Charts did not match the buoy entrance so it looks as though you are going over rocks. Just follow the buoys, as they are correct. You must radio The Bush Agency for customs and immigration check in. Mr. Bush is “The Man” on the island…whatever you need…he can arrange. The locals Siesta from 12:30p to 4p. In high winds many boats used two anchors. Check out fees differ and depend on where you are going from here. (For us, Approx. $80US, plus $10/per person fee)