Adventures of the Sailing Catamaran Kuhela: Aruba

On 1/9/14 we left Curaçao for Aruba to stage for Columbia just 96 nm away. The overnight sail was without incident save the continuing rudder/steering problems. Once here, I changed out the starboard rudder ram hoping that would take care of all our problems. Well, NOT! as we soon learned. Linda injured her ribs climbing up the truck tires suspended over the edge of the 7 ft. high pier at Barcadera where we had to present ourselves with boat papers and passports to Customs and Irritation. The pain really set in the next day, so I hope that means nothing broken, just torn. The pain is subsiding daily to where today she reports, "Better, thank you."

So, back to the steering. Last Thursday, we took off in a pretty good weather window for Bahia Honda, Columbia. 20 minutes out and it was obvious that the rudders were not fixed. We bid "Adieu" to Rob and Lauren on Southers Comfort and turned tail and fled back to Rennaissance Marina at Oranjestad where we hoped to find a pro to fix the problem once and for all. Well, I think we did. At lease we noodled the problem away from the rams to a leaking master cylinder at the helm. Seems the part that "never" fails, FAILED. It's a plastic (go figure) plug than with a spring holds a ball bearing in place above the delivery line port. And there are two of them. Because they never fail, they are not available from the manufacturer or even their repair center. The repair center in Jacksonville, FL is trying to scrounge two up from a junked unit and will let us know (today?) if we have to buy a new pump for $1,000+ from West Marine who'll ship it here for the princely sum of just $196.00. Repairs in exotic places at exotic prices: oh, joy and rupture.

In the mean time, Rob and Lauren decided to sail straight thru to Cartagena by the most direct route (staying off shore instead of hugging it.) WRONG!!! Seems the winds (upwards to 33 kts.) and seas (upwards to15+ ft.) we're horrific, beating them nearly senseless. Topping this was poor and errored navigation data which nearly ran them aground at Puerto Velero: they saw the breakers and the shallows in time to start the engine and run back out. The point was nearly a mile too short on the chart. Two other boats, Alibi and Celtic Rover, both got hammered, too, with CR taking a huge wave over the bow that swept into the cockpit and down the companionway into the salon. Both arrived in Cartagena alive and afloat. Rob's advise is stay on the 100 ft. depth line hugging the coast and pull in most every night to rest. The Columbian Coast Guard is very friendly when they see your papers are in order: a zarpe (a ticket out of the country you were just in), passports, and your registration. DO THE TRIP IN 3-4 days, NOT STRAIGHT THRU. Of course, we'll follow his advise explicitly.