Why on earth would anyone go to Colombia?  It’s violent, dangerous, filled with armed militias and Narco gangs. A very dangerous place for an American Tourist. It turns out that this is an image that Colombia has moved past.  There are many interesting lessons to learn, and parallels that can be drawn with the current situation in America. Our oversimplified history of Colombia is based on several tours we took with English speaking guides, and a little wikepedia. In the 1800’s Simon Bolivar freed Colombia form the Spaniards. The new nation Gran Colombia was much larger than it is n ..read more

After months in the Ferroalquimar shipyard, at last, we broke away from Cartagena to explore some other cities and the beautiful countryside of Colombia. This trip far exceeded our expectations. A view of the city atop Monserrate Bogotá, Colombia’s Capital City, is a short flight from Cartagena. At 8,661′ elevation, the climate is cool and refreshing. We stayed in La Candelaria, the cobblestoned center of the city, at Hotel de la Opera, within easy walking distance to many sights and colorful neighborhoods. The hotel is located next to the state department, so there were armed guards everywher ..read more

Our cruising life feels pretty shallow at the moment as we watch the destruction in Ukraine. Our apartment has cable TV and we find ourselves spending a couple of hours a day glued to English CNN and BBC. We pray for a peaceful resolution and hope that there are people much smarter than ourselves, able to pull a rabbit out of a hat and end this ruthless carnage. Hopefully our stories of Cartagena below can provide a small respite from the litany of bad news. Wonderful Cartagena How time flies when you’re having fun, or so the saying goes! Footloose was hauled out Mid-December, and as of this ..read more

Well, we did it. We are now in Cartagena! But first, it’s time for a fond recap of our farewell to Panama. After leaving the boat at Red Frog Marina for a year, we returned to a boat covered in green stuff. Several washes later, Footloose started to look normal again. Even the mast required a thorough cleaning (Michael Loves going up the mast…not). Scrubbing that green away The boat came together with very few difficulties, except for the generator seemed to be fighting us. First the starter needed to be taken apart and the solenoid freed up and greased. Once started, the raw water pump be ..read more

When we set off on this cruising adventure in 2016, we were full of anticipation of how it would all unfold. Everything was brand new. New boat, new places, new people, new way of life.  Well, now that we are a bit more seasoned—the novelty of some things, like haul outs, hurricane prep, talking cell phone plans and ordering parts in foreign countries, have lost some of their once innocent luster. Some days (well most), it’s too hot. Some days, it’s too frustrating, like when cleaning green moss off of — everything. Some days our why question sounds more like “tell me again just WHY we ar ..read more

10, 9, 8 ….  The countdown has begun, boxes of parts have been arriving, overseas shipping is planned Airline tickets… check.  Airport hotel check, taxi to Bocas De Toro got it, water taxi to Red Frog Marina.  We are going back to Footloose after a year of COVID.  We are vaccinated, masked and ready to go. Michael had a booster the other day…injection site soreness mild headache next day.. It’s been a good year.  Learning our new house and a little bit about the area.   Mom and Dad stayed with us for 4 months while mom recovered from hip surgery.  They a ..read more

After the excitement of the Panama Canal transit, we needed a break. What better place to chill out than Bocas del Toro? That was our thinking in mid-December. Little did we know of what was to come. With the onset of the Covid-19 Pandemic, we got much more of a break than we ever imagined. Before the virus hit, we had some good times here in Bocas, even had guests visit in February. Then, just as we were preparing to pick up anchor and travel on to the San Blas Islands and Cartagena, Colombia, BAM – the Coronavirus was here and spreading. We quickly decided it was safer to stay put than ..read more

Happy New Year! 2020? Before we get too engrossed in new resolutions, boat projects, and other adventures, we must pause to reflect on (and share) a milestone we passed in 2019, transiting the Panama Canal. Enjoy the video and thanks for following our journey! More photos & recommendations below. Recommended: Book: The Path Between the Seas Canal Agent: Rogelio De Hoyos, Panama Cruiser Connection Recipe: Sancocho Place: Miraflores Visitor Center ..read more

The Cruisers TableAfter our summer in the US we were happy to get back to the boat in Panama. We allowed a month for prepping the boat to get underway.  We did cleaning, and some repairs. Our fresh water pumps seemed to have given up on their vital work. I rejuvenated the flush mechanisms on both heads. We had new grates made for the showers. Dell technicians even came to the boat to install a new mother board in this computer. As they say, cruising is fixing boats in foreign places. Our time at Vista Mar was not all work and no play. We went to a fundraiser to help an ex pat raise ..read more

After a season of travel through the windiest regions of Central America,  we returned home from a steamy Panama to the cool California,  Ahhh.   It was a summer of few photos, but we enjoyed seeing friends and family again. We started out staying with my friend Dennis Olson and attending Gus Beam’s Wedding.  Gus is the son of Marconi Cove Yacht Club member, Mark Peters…  I have known Gus since the car seat days and he is now an attorney practicing in Sacramento.  The bride and groom have known each other since middle school and witnessing their marriage was our pleasure. After wearing out our ..read more