The Americas 2013

I arrived at the dock in front of the church of Bocagrande at 11h30 for my 12h00 pick up. It was hotter than 30C and not a spot of shade anywhere nearby so I took the luggage off the bike and waited….and waited! its unlike a German to be late but Armin was nearly an hour late for the pick up. When he arrived the boat had a total of 17 passengers for a boat that shouldn’t be carrying more than 13 guests and apparently there were 2 “no shows” which would make the VERY limited space on board unbearably tight which it just about is right now!

The arrival of Jacqueline!! 

Loading the bike was a clumsy affair of four guys hoisting the big girl up a plank onto the deck of the catamaran where she was then tied onto the side. We left the dock by about 13h30 and immediately got into open seas. It was common knowledge that there would be a 30 hour crossing until we were in the shelter of the reef around the san blas islands and that the crossing would probably be rough and that many people suffer from seasickness as a result. This trip was no different!

Loaded and tied down!

The good catamaran Jacqueline has no air-conditioning inside and airflow is provided by a series of hatches that lift upward from the bunks onto the deck of the boat. The temperature (not to mention the funky odour) inside the boat as a result was bearable until a big wave covered the upper deck and came pouring into the open hatches which the captain had failed to advise we should close when in open rough seas! The result was a mattress and bags that were soaked with salt water and closed hatches with no airflow to assist with drying…so THATS how the funky odour has permeated this boat!!

Armin, the captain of Jacqueline.

Lunch was a stainless steel pot of burnt mash potato and some fried sausages around a table not capable of seating 17, however, I am obviously yet to learn the backpacker rules of being at the table on time in order to ensure that the food doesn’t get finished before my arrival…which it was barring some burnt mash!!

The afternoon was spent trying to sleep off the seasickness on a dry corner of a very wet and smelly mattress and getting to know the group of people on board which are actually a great bunch of folk.

Fillipo and Nelly managing seasickness in their “bedroom” in the kitchen!

As if the seasickness management of the day wasn’t enough for the paying “guests”, everybody needed to chip in with an hour of night time guard duty so that the captain could get some sleep. The duty involved ensuring that we didn’t get run over by a cargo ship or any alarms to suggest that we might be sinking!!! This is going to be fun!

Guard roster!!!