TRIP REPORT: COLUMBIA INLAND

TRIP REPORT: COLUMBIA INLAND

WITH MV NEXT CHAPTER

MV NEXT CHAPTER sailed from Shelter Bay Marina in August to Cartagena, Colombia.  They explored the city and then travelled inland off the boat.  Their photos and enthusiastic report of their time so far in Colombia follows:

After leaving Panama it is time to raise the Colombian flag

Colombia exceeded our expectations in every way! We weren’t 100% sure what to expect but what we found was incredible people, safe walkable cities, delicious food and affordable prices for work and goods.

Cartagena, Colombia
That's Right.
Fruit Vendor on the street in Cartagena, Colombia
Taking a horse drawn carriage ride through the narrow streets of Cartagena, Colombia.

We stayed at Club de Pesca (they are a posse sponsor and a great marina) if you message their WhatsApp, Maricela Speaks great English and can help with your reservations) book very early as their marina is small and space fills up quickly.

Also at Club de Pesca is phenomenal workers! We had our bright work completely redone, some small fiberglass repairs, a wash and wax. Javier and his team were the best we have ever worked with! If you are stopping there and want his contact info I would be happy to pass it along

We also took side trips (it’s super affordable to fly within Colombia) to Medellín and Bogota. Both cities were incredible, rich culture so much to see and do!

Checking into the city/country was also pretty easy- Jose our agent was $300 and handled all of our paperwork and brought the officials to our boat, applied for our cruising permit and TIP.  You have to check into and out of every major port in Colombia but it’s pretty quick and easy.

Tram in Medellín, Colombia
Palace of Culture in Medellín, Colombia
Shawna and Lexi loving Colombia.
Fernando Botero's Woman on a Bull in Medellin.

Hope this helps other boaters feel comfortable stopping into Colombia! It’s in my opinion and must see country.

Presently, MV NEXT CHAPTER is underway to Santa Marta, Columbia.

MY NEXT CHAPTER 🇺🇸 Chris & Shawna & crew - Selene 59′

  Fair winds MV NEXT CHAPTER, thank you for sharing your inland adventures!

 SHARING YOUR ADVENTURES  
is the heart and soul of the Ocean Posse 

Please share pictures of your adventures, your award entries, your breathtaking sunsets, and picturesque anchorages on our group communications platform for others to enjoy in real time and/or email Maurisa at editor@oceanposse.com to share in the upcoming newsletter.  Maurisa is a sailor among us.  She is part of the Ocean Posse crew and enjoys writing fun and helpful updates to the Ocean Posse.


The Birth of the United States Navy

THE BIRTH OF THE UNITED STATES NAVY:

A Mad Idea that Stuck.

By Mike Descheemaeker of SV WHIRLWIND

George Washington’s secret navy's first ship: the schooner Hannah

Both the Revolutionary events in Massachusetts in the year of 1775 and the need to keep the British Army under siege in Boston led to the early formation of the US Navy.  The British were surrounded by the Continental army in Boston and the people of the colonies wanted a voice and a say in the running of their colony.  At this point the 13 colonies were only rebelling against the tyranny of the parliament and hoped the King would see that colonists were in the right and simply give them representation.  While history has shown that kings do not view their reign as tyrannical, time and time again people hope for more autonomy without a fight.  Many hoped war was not the answer and yet obtaining their goal was otherwise quite complicated.  The colonies were dependent on Britain in many ways and Continental Leadership knew that challenging the Royal Navy on the high seas was, as Samuel Chase of Maryland said, the Maddest Idea; they could be no match.  In spite of the madness of the idea, the congress slowly debated whether or not there was a genuine need for a true American Navy.  The congress was concerned that the creation of a navy would be seen as an act of aggression or a move toward sovereignty a threat to the crown.  While the debate wore on the continental congress gave the commander of the Continental Army, George Washington, authorization to spend money as he saw fit in an emergency.  As it was, Washington saw fit to secretly and, at first, privately funded the arming of two schooners, the Hannah and Warren, for potential military purposes.

A typical 20 gun frigate of the Royal Navy circa 1770s: well funded and well built.

Working with the New England maritime community to ready two ships of merchant service for naval service quickly turned into more than Washington anticipated.  With lack of gunpowder and cannons combined with a New England sense of independence and Sea Lawyer obstinance among the volunteers who manned these ships, it’s amazing they were able to accomplish what they did. Using the small rocky harbors to the north and south of Boston Harbor, Washington's ships were able to rush out and intercept a merchant ship arriving from England or Canada sent to supply the besieged British Army in Boston proper. The British army and loyalist citizens of Boston were slowly whittled down to starvation rations; they began tearing down structures and stealing furniture inside abandoned rebel leader mansions to gather fuel for cooking fires.  Firewood and fresh food was being imported from Maine and Nova Scotia because of the siege. These early schooners of the continental army had limited oversight and often took advantage of their interceptions as opportunities to enrich themselves with the spoils of war thereby making themselves no more than privateers with captain and crews.  In the beginning they captured as many friendly ships as they did enemy ships.  At the time with the lines of independence being still blurred it was difficult to determine what was a legal prize. Many of the core families of the initial rebellion were involved in merchant shipping on the New England coast and into the Caribbean. Needless to say Washington had more than one awkward meeting with a angry rebellion financier questioning why Washington’s secret navy had captured one of their legitimate merchant ships.

After the first two schooners started to see some success in capturing actual military supply vessels and independence seemed the only path forward the congress approved a navy.  Washington quietly let them know what he had been up to with his secret navy.  Some of the challenges the young Navy faced was competing with privateers and there financiers for capable ships, commanders and armament for effective naval combat. It’s rather amusing to see the work orders from the captain of one ship requesting top masts and yards, studding sail spars, and a quiver of sails needed to capture or flee from a well canvased enemy. The simple working sail plan of a New England fishing schooner was not adequate for a military vessel facing the dreaded Royal Navy and its well honed ships and crews.

After a rough and quiet start, the young US Navy had, by wars end, fitted out close to fifty ships and captured two hundred enemy ships some with military munitions bound for the British war effort. With really no chance of going broadside to broadside against the British, snatching a prize lost in the fog or separated from its escort was a common tactic in the early days.   Captain John Paul Jones and others did have success in the North Sea in direct action against the British towards the wars' end. This action gave Jones title to the first American Naval vessel to force an enemy naval vessel to strike her colors.

Captain John Paul Jones captained the first American Naval vessel to force an enemy naval vessel to strike her colors.
Author and his kids at the John Paul Jones statue in Washington, DC

In 1778, France allied with the United states and joined in the fight for independence from Great Britain.  Subsequently, the small but growing US Navy was joined by a large French Naval force.  This alliance made way for a gradual change in direction for the colonies.  Finally, with a fleet of 36 French naval ships, a blockade of Yorktown from the sea, and a combined French and US army Cornwallis was forced to surrender.  This surrender brought a decisive victory for the United States an end to the Revolutionary War.  In 1783, the Paris Peace Treaty was signed with Great Britain.  This treaty recognized the United States as a sovereign nation.

Upon Independence, the fledgling US Navy was quickly regarded by some as not necessary and definitely expensive.  This new nation, however, was ready to get out in the world, cross oceans, and continue trade with other nations.  The Navy took on a new task with the turning of the tide in French - US relations.  Circumstances in France quickly changed with the French Revolution which brought a change in heart amongst the former allies in the American Revolution.  The French Revolutionaries were using public guillotines to chop the heads off aristocrats to make their point and get their way.

Execution of Louis XVI on the Place de Republique 1793, painting from Pierre de Machy's studio. French Revolution, France, 18th century. (Photo by DeAgostini/Getty Images)

Washington and Hamilton were appalled by the bloodshed of the French approach to revolution.  Concurrently, Jefferson and Madison looked past the gore and considered themselves loyal allies to French. The US congress stood with the Washington and Hamilton opinion and decided not to uphold the alliance with France after the American Revolution.   The US Congress declared that the new French government with their violent actions was not the government the treaty was originally signed with.  This departure brought the US into Qusai conflict with French Naval vessels and privateers in the Caribbean.  The US Navy quickly became indispensable.  The French preyed on US merchant ships doing trade in the Caribbean with the British.  In 1796-1797 the French captured 316 American merchant vessels with a loss of 12-15 million dollars in goods and vessels. In 1794 congress approved the creation of six heavy frigates to protect American shipping abroad.  Unfortunately the frigates came off the ways slowly and only served in the latter years of this Quasi-War with France...too late to stop a French privateer from snatching up a prize off the coast of New York in May of 1798.
The Frigates United States, Constellation and the famous Constitution were the first three ships off the ways in 1797 with three more to follow in the following years, the frigates President, Congress, and Chesapeake.  These six ships are regarded as the official first ships of the United States modern day navy. Fortunately, for American ship builders having the forests of the new world at their disposal was a great advantage for trying to compete with Old World Naval powers. The American shipbuilders were matching nearly unlimited wood sources with superior craftsmanship blended by naval architects with new visions of speed and strength. Knowing that six ships would be no match for the large navies of Europe these six ships were built heavy for defense and the ability to carry a lot of cannons but with big rigs to maximize speed.

The US Constellation was one of the first official ships built for the US Navy

The USS Constitution which is still in active service took over 60 acres of forest to construct.  Her nickname old Ironsides came from her ribs being so tightly spaced that it’s difficult to place a hand between them. With thick oak planking laid over these ribs cannon balls would just bounce off.  Like many a Navy build, these first naval ships were over budget and late on delivery especially for the beginning of the Quasi-War with France.  However by 1798 the first three frigates were sent to stations centered around commerce hubs in the Caribbean. The frigate captains were given orders not to engage with the French naval ships.  They were to capture the French privateers who patrolled the surrounding waters.  Eventually, the early naval frigates saw action with the French on multiple occasions. By 1800-1801 the Quasi-War was brought to an end through treaties and renewed trade agreements.  The fledgling navy was sent into common service and sent home to sit idle at the dock once more.

Meanwhile, the young nation of the United States was tired of paying ransom to the Barbary Pirates on the northern coast of Africa Tunis, Tripoli and Algiers. For hundreds of years the Barbary Pirates or corsairs were in the habit of raiding mostly Christian villages in Spain and Italy and enslaving those they captured. Their treatment was less than wholesome and most of the captives lived out their lives enslaved. Later on, the pirates preyed on merchant vessels plying the Mediterranean and the Atlantic around the Straits of Gibraltar.  Once captured these vessels would be taken back to the Barbary strongholds, their ship and crew enslaved and held for ransom. Lucky crews were freed from the horrors of enslavement when the ships owners paid up.  Unlucky crews were left to rot. This became so common that the British and other European nations paid a flat rate to the pirates so they would leave their ships alone.  America, being young and poor, couldn’t afford to make the payments so American shipping soon became prey for the Corsair pirates.

Morocco actually sent the yet to be formed United States a trade agreement in 1778 but apparently everybody in power was too busy fighting a war and organizing a government that they failed to acknowledge or respond to this request.  In 1784, acting on behalf of the Sultan of Morocco, US merchant vessel Betsy was captured and used for leverage to bring the US to the bargaining table.  A free trade agreement was struck and all seemed well except the Corsairs were basically a mercenary force that worked for the different Sultans along the Mediterranean. In Algeria things were not going well for the US.  For a decade two US ships and there crews were held captive in horrific conditions until some sort of release was secured.  Many in power in the US didn’t want to continue to pay the tribute money because they figured it would just keep going in the wrong direction which it constantly did. The monetary tribute amounts were constantly increased with added demands like Algiers requesting the United States build them a naval vessel. All of this was occurring in much of the same time period as the Quasi-War with France so as things really started to come to a head in the Mediterranean the young Navy was really looking ready to handle this global dilemma.

In 1800 Captain William Bainbridge on the USS George Washington arrived in the Port of Algiers with tribute money and other gifts for the Dey. After getting the anchor down they were informed that the ship would be used to transport the Dey around the Mediterranean to conduct his business. Now the ship had already sailed into the harbor under the protection or threat of the large coastal batteries served by the Deys troops. Bainbridge felt like he didn’t have much choice so he essentially surrendered the vessel to the Dey's demands.  Back home in the US the nation was not happy about this turn of events. This was the beginning of the end for the US sending tributes to the Sultans.  In fact, President Jefferson, with approval from congress, sent the Navy in force.

In 1803 commodore Preble arrived in the Mediterranean with the Constitution and the rest of his ships. Unfortunately, the new fleet consisted of heavy deep draft vessels which had a difficult time negotiating the shallows and reefs that protected the ports of Northern Africa. In an ambitious action Bainbridge in the USS Philadelphia chasing a Corsair vessel ran hard aground off of Tripoli. Under attack from small gunboats of the Tripolis and unable to refloat the vessel Bainbridge surrendered. Thinking they had flooded the vessel beyond salvage they were horrified to see the USS Philadelphia float in to Tripoli harbor from there new accommodations in the prison. There they sat for almost two years. The Americans knew they needed to recapture or scuttle the Philadelphia before it could be repaired and put back into service against them.  So in February 1804 lieutenant Stephen Decatur with his crew brought a captured Tripoli merchant ketch renamed USS Intrepid into the harbor with the assistance of Sicilian pilot who knew the local waters. They trimmed the rig down to make it look like a local trading vessel and roughed it up to make it look like they had been through a bad storm.  They brought the ketch right along side the Philadelphia under the cover of darkness and attacked the small guard crew.  However, they were unable to cut out the Philadelphia so they set charges and destroyed her at her mooring.

The fleet continued blockades and bombardments of the harbors to some effect but it was a land force of US Marines backing the exiled brother of the ruling Pasha of Tripoli that turned this tide of war. From Alexandria the forces of US marines, led by the former US consul to Tunis, William Eaton, and a mercenary force of the exiled Pashas brother were marched along the coast to capture Derna, Benghazi and eventually Tripoli. With success in Derna the Pasha surrendered to the land force and the constant naval bombing from the USS Constitution.

This, however, did not bring an end to hostilities in the Mediterranean because the British were not happy with the foot hold that the United States was gaining in trade.  Britain used their position to try and squeeze the young nation out of the game.  Determined to defend their trade position, the US sent another force led by Stephen Decatur which defeated the British backed Algerian fleet.  Subsequently, the United States was able to achieve a period of somewhat free trade into the Mediterranean for a time. These actions by the British were fueling the flames of the next war on the horizon in 1812.  And so it was that by this time the United States Navy had proved herself as a valuable and effective tool for the United States to defend, expand, and stand her ground to become a thriving nation.


SEASON 8 AWARD ENTRIES: GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR

SEASON 8 AWARD ENTRIES:

GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR

One more turtle survives the dangers of getting caught up in fishing debris!

MV MARTINI 🇺🇸 Mary & Bryan - Nordhavn 64′

Thank you SV MARTINI, entanglement is a terrible and real threat to many marine animals including sea turtles...you made a difference for that turtle!

https://conserveturtles.org/information-sea-turtles-threats-commercial-longline-fisheries/

For the more scientifically minded readers this article is "A global review of marine turtle entanglement in anthropogenic debris: a baseline for further action" : https://www.int-res.com/articles/esr2017/34/n034p431.pdf

 

OCEAN POSSE IS ACCEPTING SEASON 8 AWARD ENTRIES:

SUMBIT YOUR ENTRIES OR NOMINATE A FRIEND.

SEND PHOTOS TO MAURISA AT EDITOR@OCEANPOSSE.COM

Season 7 Good Samaritan Award winner, Muranda on SV FICKLE flies water maker membrane to fellow cruisers in need.

OCEAN POSSE SEASON 8 AWARD CATEGORIES:

BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT*

PICTURE OF THE YEAR

YODA OF THE YEAR

SPEEDY AWARD – SEVENSTAR AWARD

THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD

MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD

HIGHEST WIND RECORDED

SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION

GALLEY GOD(ESS)

GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR

BOAT YOGA POSE OF THE YEAR

COURAGE AWARD

SAND CASTLE AWARD

FLOR DE cANE
Flor de Caña sponsors the OCEAN Posse & awards 1 bottle of 12 year to the winner in each category annually.

OVERSEAS AND ONLINE: PASSPORT RENEWAL & VOTING

OVERSEAS AND ONLINE: USA PASSPORT RENEWAL & VOTING

As a US citizen, passports and voting rights are very important.  Both can be kept up to date from afar...here's how:

After a two month beta trial, The United States Department of State has recently announced that Americans can now renew their passports online.   This is new and additional staff has been hired to process the online system.  The two caveats are for using this service: You must be located in the United States and your passport may not be expired by over 5 years.  As of now, it is unclear if this new avenue of renewal will speed up the process overall or not.  We will have to wait and see.

 

Americans have elections coming up locally and nationally.  Are you registered to vote?  Do you know that US Citizens living abroad can register to vote from overseas?

There are several online resource to help US citizens understand how to register to vote and vote from wherever they are when the time comes.  Some useful sites include:

YOUR VOTE IS YOUR VOICE

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Just use promocode PANAMAPOSSE at checkout www.sunpoweredyachts.com/shop and start enjoying clean & quiet solar aboard your boat.

 

We also offer free consultations so please email or call and let us help you go solar today.

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W: sunpoweredyachts.com

 

T: +1 808 825 2670

 

E:  lyall@sunpoweredyachts.com

E: katie@sunpoweredyachts.com

 

Lyall is from the UK and has travelled to 50 countries backpacking and sailing.  With a background in Hospitality and Event Management he found sailing in 2004 has logged over 55,000 miles and qualified as an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean.

 

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Based on our time and experience sailing, on short trips and living at sea, we have created a Power Usage Chart below.  You can see more details on what each system could power on your weekend or live aboard sailing adventure.  Create your own power usage table and see what your power needs are aboard your own yacht then choose the number of solar panels accordingly

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SV REMEDY DOUBLES BACK OVERLAND TO NICARAGUA

SV REMEDY DOUBLES BACK OVERLAND TO NICARAGUA

WARNING: Do not read while hungry or thirsty (for Rum or Adventure)

Nicaraguan street food at its best. In a banana leaf they place yucca, Chicharrón, topped with a pickled cabbage salad that is sour. We were told Nicaraguans love sour foods so the pickled cabbage is the perfect touch to this dish.

Karl and Natalie Leibensperger, from SV REMEDY, are currently exploring Nicaragua overland from Costa Rica and shares some details and highlights of their experiences along the way:

Due to time constraints we were not able to visit the Port of Puesta Del Sol in Northern Nicaragua but instead headed directly to Costa Rica. While staying in Marina Papagayo we planned a 10 day trip to Nicaragua with Va Pues Travel. The company organizes custom private tours of Nicaragua. Our trip started with a transfer from Liberia to Peñas Blancas. There are several transfer companies and the prices range from $85 to $120 each way. We used Best Ride Costa Rica, +506 8629 0242 with a rate of $85 each way. The transfer takes about 90 minutes.  It is a pretty interesting drive north to the border. The craziest thing is that there is 9km of backed up semi trucks that wait days to get into Nicaragua. We drove most of the 9km on the wrong side of the road swerving in and out of traffic. It made for an eventful ride.

Once at the border the Costa Rican immigration office is within a few steps of where your transfer is able to drive.  Our English speaking border agent took our passports, instructed us to pay our exit taxes at a bank machine ($8 US PP) and then once paid he stamped our passports and sent us on our way towards Nicaragua. There is a marked walkway to the border and the entire walk is about 300 meters. Before getting to the Nicaraguan immigration office you must show your passport to an official at a check point. They are looking for your exit stamp from Costa Rica. The Nicaragua immigration office is a huge blue and white building, really impossible to miss. You will need $1 US PP cash to get in the door. Once inside, the immigration official will need your passport, your hotel name, and your profession. The cost is $13 US PP in cash. They will give you two official papers that are needed to exit the country. Once this is completed all luggage is placed through an X-ray machine and then you are on your way. Welcome to Nicaragua!

We had a tour guide waiting for us but there is an Enterprise Car Rental at the Nicaraguan border. I'll add that there is also one on the Costa Rican Border also.  Our first stop was Rivas, here we caught a very crowded transport ferry to Ometepe Island.

The beautiful Isla Ometepe inside Lake Nicaragua, Central America's largest freshwater lake. Petroglyphs are found throughout Ometepe Island. The Island has two volcanos and less than 30,000 people.
The Island protects this side of Lake Nicaragua therefore the winds are not a huge issue when using the ferry. We spent two nights on Ometepe Island. If you love hiking this is the place to visit. There are volcano hikes, zip lining, rock repelling and much more. As Karl had recently had foot surgery, our trip was not adrenalin filled but still very interesting and fun. We visited the island's private archaeological museum with pre-Columbian artifacts, the historical coffee hacienda Finca Magdalena, which was constructed in 1888, and we opted to do a cooking class with a local family. The cooking class was a wonderful highlight to our trip.
Tamales are a dish made for Nicaraguan celebrations such as Christmas and Birthdays. We had the pleasure of spending time with a local family, Antonio and Rosa who showed us how to make their tamales.
If you visit Ometepe Island I encourage you to stay at Finca San Juan de la Isla which is located lakeside at Santo Domingo Beach. We stayed in a lakeside bungalow which is a must if you choose this hotel as the sounds of the constantly lapping fresh water waves are magical.

After the return ferry ride back to Rivas we moved on to the Capital City of Granada. We stayed at the  Hotel Plaza Colon, which is a beautifully refurbished colonial house overlooking Granada's Central Park. Bring your bathing suit to cool off in their wonderful center court pool.

On the drive to Granada we stopped in Catarina for a ceramic pottery factory tour. The indigenous population has handed down this artwork to the current generation and it is their main livelihood in this area. The pottery in some of the shops is very detailed and exquisite. We did buy several pieces for our home in Florida.

The big body of water is Apoyo Lagoon but if you look into the
distance is Lake Nicaragua. The picture was taken from the city of
Catarina, which is famous for their handmade pottery. The pottery is
absolutely beautiful. We purchased quite a few pieces that will be
shipped to the US.
This is an example of the pottery made in the town of Catarina.

Granada is a Colonial City with a rich history. If you visit Granada I highly recommend having a city tour, as without a guide I would not have learned as much of her History. Since it was so hot we cheated on our walk and hired a horse and carriage for $20. I told Karl it was the best $20 I've spent in a long time. An interesting stop was at a tile factory that has been in business since 1905. They make all of the colorful tile around the city, both in buildings and on the sidewalks. They were kind enough to show us their tile making process during our impromptu stop.

This tile factory was opened in 1905 and has been handed down to each subsequent generation. Now the 4th.
A trip would not be complete without a visit to a local cigar factory. Dona Elba Cigars is a cigar factory in Granada providing tours. They even gift each person with a cigar that you can try while you are there. The building is beautiful and has a great breeze to cool off from the Nicaraguan sun.

Two suggestions. 

One is to eat at NM Culinary Granada. The food was amazing!
And the second is to buy a half bottle or maybe full bottle of Flor de Caña from the bar at Hotel Plaza Colon and smoke your cigar, that you were gifted from the Doña Elba Cigar Factory, while sitting on the patio in front of Granada's central park. You won't be disappointed.

After two nights in Granada our trip led us to Estili. It is the location of most of the cigar factories in Nicaragua. Karl's goal was to visit the Padron Cigar Factory but to his disappointment they are extremely private and do not have tours. In fact, they do not sell their cigars in Nicaragua. They are all exported. (So, we found a) cigar factory tour in Estili and (found) some good quality cigars to bring back with us.

(We had) an amazing tour of AJ Fernandez Cigar Factory. Mario was our English speaking guide. After working for AJ Fernandez for 7 years, he has learned and is able to explain the cigar process in detail. His background is that he has an Agriculture Degree, so he can answer specific questions about the process that I don't think you would get in other locations. It takes about 5 years and 300 hands to produce one cigar. The facility is enormous and the process is just as complicated as making wine or whiskey. He used those analogies throughout the tour. I was not aware of the detail that goes into each batch of cigars. The tour lasted about an hour and I would rate this as one of our top factory tours. Technically, purchasing cigars is not possible, but in Nicaragua everything is possible. Estili is a bit out of the tourist zone but completely worth the stop.

They have over 1 million cigars in this one room.
The tobacco is monitored for 1-3 years during the tobacco's fermentation process.

This is just one of the rooms that processes the tobacco. This is sorting room for the tobacco that becomes the wrapper.

As of this publication, Karl and Natalie are continuing north to Leon, Nicaragua.   Karl and Natalie finish by sharing:

As Posse members we are making our way to Flor de Caña hoping to purchase some well aged rum.  (Excellent idea!!)

Southern and middle Nicaragua have been beautiful and I am thankful we are able to spend 10 days touring this wonderful country.

SV REMEDY 🇺🇸 Karl & Natalie Leibensperger - 2019 Leopard 45

THANK YOU SV REMEDY FOR SHARING YOUR ADVENTURE ALONG THE WAY!

Ocean Posse Members, please share your stories by sending them to editor@oceanposse.com.

Maurisa, the editor, is always happy to receive your stories and share them out.  Together we can inspire one another!


MUST SEE:  Tairo Atoll – French Polynesia

MUST SEE:🇵🇫 Tairo Atoll – French Polynesia –

one of THE SEVEN TUAMOTUS IN THIS UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Taiaro Atoll in French Polynesia is a closed Atoll with no passes in or out. There are small spillways, called Huas that see water flow under extreme and rare tides.

The Tairo Atoll is part of the UNESCO Tuamotus Biosphere Reserve and was the last of the Tuamotus to be recorded and charted by European explorers.  The Biosphere Reserve was established in 1977 and consists of 7 low islands of coral or atoll origin: Aratika, Fakarava, Kauehi, Niau, Raraka, Taiaro, and Toau. These atolls are very different from each other in size, shape, openness to the ocean, population and activities. Its character is unique: there are small closed lagoons such as those of Taiaro and Niau, the former being over-salted while the latter is brackish. And large lagoons open to the ocean such as Fakarava, which has the largest pass in French Polynesia 1,600 metres wide.

The Tairo Atoll is particularly fascinating as it is completely closed off to the ocean.   While there may not be any permanent human residents there are many plants, mollusks, and fish.  In 2022, a team of adventurous scientists from all over the world led by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology ventured to Taiaro to investigate this unique atoll.  The interior lagoon is warmer and saltier than the surrounding ocean making it an interesting laboratory for interdisciplinary scientists studying a broad range of subjects form endemic species, to evolution, to adaptation, to climate change and more.  For an accessible explanation of this mission, check out the description and video in this article:

  https://www.oist.jp/news-center/news/2023/3/10/tiny-atoll-pacific-ocean-offers-glimpse-warmer-world

A diver secures a buoy to measure the temperature. (Credit: Pascal Kobeh)

According to UNESCO, "Biosphere reserves are ‘learning places for sustainable development’. They are sites for testing interdisciplinary approaches to understanding and managing changes and interactions between social and ecological systems, including conflict prevention and management of biodiversity. They are places that provide local solutions to global challenges. Biosphere reserves include terrestrial, marine and coastal ecosystems. Each site promotes solutions reconciling the conservation of biodiversity with its sustainable use.  Tairo is one atoll of 7 in the Biosphere Reserve of the Toamotus.  It's inclusion is a testament to the unique and phenomenal ecology of the Atoll.  Scientists have found a wide range of species inside an atoll that has only seasonal exchange with the outer ocean and hope that the microcosm of Taiaro may present some insight into adaptations to climate change yet to come.

From above one can see the difference between the ocean on the outside and the calm lagoon on the inside of the atoll.

Atolls are evidence of geologic change and great mystery.  Once upon a time volcanic islands erupted out of the ocean.  Slowly, coral began to encircle and surround the islands.   In the Tuamotus the volcanos sunk, collapsed, and/or eroded away into the ocean leaving a ring of coral surrounding lagoons.  The Taiaro atoll is a ring-shaped island built up on an ancient volcano that has sunk into the ocean due to the drift of the Pacific Ocean floor. Taiaro is only visible because of the rim of coral that forms a barrier reef 5 km in diameter around the original volcano.  The inside of the atoll has a sandy bottom punctuated with coral heads or 'bommies' that host marine flora and fauna.  The landmass of the atoll itself is home to endemic birds mollusks, coconut palms and other plants.  The biodiversity is impressive.

Nearby, the Tahanea atoll offers a very different experience from Taiaro in that one can enter the atoll and experience the inside and the outside.  Perhaps Tahanea offers a glimpse of what Taiaro may be like.

Inside the Tahanea atoll there are sandy beaches and volcanic ledges.
The central Tahanea pass to the Ocean is littered with broken coral bits of all shapes and sizes battered and shaped by waves constantly.

 


MUST SEE: CIUDAD PERDIDA (LOST CITY) COLUMBIA 🇨🇴

MUST SEE: CIUDAD PERDIDA

(LOST CITY) COLUMBIA 🇨🇴

Ciudad Perdida consists of a series of 169 terraces carved into the mountainside, a net of tiled roads and several small circular plazas.

Hidden deep in the jungle of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta mountains in northern Colombia sits an archeological site called Ciudad Perdida, the “Lost City”.  Built by the Tairona people in 800AD predating Machu Pichu by over 600 years.  The Ciudad Perdida archaeological site only became an attraction after it was uncovered in the 1970s.

Los Sepúlveda was a small family of looters in Colombia; their story leads to the beginning of one of the greatest archaeological discoveries in modern times. The family went hunting in the forests of Colombia when they shot down a wild turkey. Upon retrieving the turkey, they noticed it had fallen on a piece of an exposed staircase. This staircase would lead them to find La Ciudad Perdida. For years after its discovery by the looters, “Treasures from the site, including gold figures and ceramics, soon began to appear on the black market”  Archeologists were alerted to these black market treasures and managed to, with the help of indigenous people who protect their ancestral site, trace themselves to the area in 1976.  The area was researched and reconstructed over the next 6 years.

Although La Ciudad Perdida is one of the most impressive sites, it’s not alone, only about 30-40% of the sites in the Sierra Nevada region have actually been explored. Thanks to recent widespread access, more and more of these sites are being discovered, and the search for new lost cities has just begun.

1,200 stone steps built by the Tairona.

Ciudad Perdida was probably the region’s political and manufacturing center on the Buritaca River and may have housed 2,000–8,000 people.

Named Teyuna by the Tairona but dubbed Ciudad Perdida upon rediscovery, the ancient wonder is perched on hillsides and tucked into a dense rainforest.

Lost deep in the mountains
Juan from SY Ay Caramaba ! PP2019-2020 in the – Lost City / Ciudad Perdida

AMAZING ANIMALS: HERMIT CRABS

AMAZING ANIMALS: HERMIT CRABS

By Josea Descheemaeker age 11

Hermit crabs combing the beach in French Polynesia

You probably see these creatures on every beach you go to and every time you go snorkeling.  Hermit  crabs can live in the water and on land due to the fact that they breath through gills.

Hermit crabs names are very deceiving for several reasons:

  1. As opposed to being hermits that prefer to always be alone, hermit crabs are vary social with other hermit crabs.  Hermit crabs live and walk easily among their kind, over and under their kind, eating shell to shell in groups sometimes.
  2. They are more shy than hermit like.  They are quick to hide in their shell when as little as a shadow passes over them.
  3. Hermit crabs are more closely related to spiders and scorpions than crabs,

The reason people put Hermit in their name is because they carry their homes

everywhere they go . Hermit crabs are vary picky about what shells they live in and they switch shells when they grow too big for the one they are living in.  Sadly, now some Hermit crabs use plastic bottle caps and other Plastic  things as homes.

This hermit crab is using a plastic bottle cap as a 'shell'

Many Hermit crabs love to decorate their shells.  Hermit crabs can lift things 10 times their weight . Despite a hermit crab's size they Typically live up to 30 years in the wild and some live  up to  60 years. There are about 500 Species of hermit crabs all over the world And with a lot of colors blues reds whites And oranges And sometimes all of those colors on one hermit crab.  Some colors can be very bright.

Hermit crabs have many predators too such as big crabs, birds, and fish that keep the hermit crab population down.  Hermit cards eat pretty much anything they can fined and from my experience they love coconut.

These Hermit crabs are in Mexico eating side by side until the coconut meat was completely gone.

Believe it or not hermit crabs and coconut crabs are closely related.  While hermit crabs live in shells their entire life, coconut crabs only live in shells when they are young.

My Experience

Hermit crabs are very shy animals.  When you get to close to them they retreat into their shells.  When I put a hermit crab on my hand most will be very eager to run off and get away from me.  It is a rare hermit crabs, typically the bigger ones, that will try to pinch me.  Do not be deceived by their small size, they have very large claws and it hurts a lot when they pinch you.  If you are hiking off the beach and when you’re still close to the beach, you can sometimes find hermit crabs clinging to the tree.  If you’re taking a shell from the beach look very closely and make sure there’s not a hermit crab in it.  At 1st glance some shells look like they don’t have any hermit crabs in them but the small hermit crab sometimes get in  shells way too big for them and it’s very hard to see them so look very closely.  This has happened to me sometimes and I have accidentally brought a  hermit crab in their shells back to the boat. If there's a shy hermit crab that you want out of the shell you can cup it in your hands and breathe onto them. This typically coaxes them out because of the warmth of your breath but there are some that are just too scared and they won't come out.

A great way to find hermit crabs is to get down close to the sand at the beach and just start looking. This is something my family and I do a lot.  We definitely found hermit crabs here in Costa Rica.

SY WHIRLWIND 🇺🇸 Maurisa, Mike, Russell & Josea – Alajuela 48’

WHIRLWINDWHIRLWINDWHIRLWINDWHIRLWIND


UPCOMING PREDICTWIND SEMINARS

UPCOMING PREDICTWIND SEMINARS

PredictWind began sponsoring the Panama Posse in 2021.  As of Season 8 PredictWind is extending their sponsorship to the entire Ocean Posse and is offering four seminars over the next 6 months.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS FOR THE UPCOMING SEMINARS

The upcoming seminar dates are as follows:

  • WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 23rd, 2024     @ 15:30  US PACIFIC TIME
  • THURSDAY DECEMBER 5,  2024           @  14:30 US PACIFIC TIME
  • MONDAY FEB 2, 2025                           @ 14:30  US PACIFIC TIME
  • MONDAY MARCH 17 2025                  @ 14:30   US PACIFC TIME

PredictWind supports the Ocean Posse with free tracking and a 20 % Discount off our pro packages – to claim your discount please login and email support@predictwind.com asking for your Ocean Posse discount.  Please include your vessel name and email address.  The discount will be credited back.