Isla de Providencia

We are now sailing away from Isla de Providencia while dolphins wave goodbye to the boat. It was a nice moment to look back on our two-week stay here. It all started with looking up the location of Isla de Providencia, as this was the first we had heard of it before Karin suggested we meet here. Providencia, also known as Providence Island, is located in the Caribbean Sea, approximately 800 km northwest of mainland Colombia. The island remained relatively unknown to most Colombians, but Nicaragua had once laid claim to Providencia. However, it eventually recognized Colombia’s independence over the island in a 1928 treaty, although the dispute occasionally flares up again.

Since then, Providencia has played a relatively limited role in Colombia’s national life. In November 2020, the island was hit hard by Hurricane Iota, destroying 98% of its infrastructure. Colombia and the European Union provided economic support to rebuild the island. While checking in at Immigration and Customs, Mr. Bush told us that the hurricane was considered a “blessing.”

Karin, a professional journalist who speaks four languages fluently and three more languages reasonably well, knows how to get people talking with her natural charisma. She works like a sniffer dog to uncover the real stories of the local population. In doing so, we find out that the so-called “blessing” of Hurricane Iota turned out to be true only for a specific group of people. The Colombian government quickly sent aid from the mainland to rebuild Providencia, but there was little consultation with the local population. Suddenly, some local islanders claimed ownership of certain land, on which they then claimed the reconstruction of their house, which had never been built before. As a result, others less vocal in promoting their interests were ultimately excluded. Unfortunately, this has led to the loss of traditional Caribbean architecture, such as wooden houses with large verandas. These have now often been replaced by concrete houses.

Although Providencia is part of Colombia, its approximately 5,000 residents reportedly feel more connected to Caribbean culture than Colombian. Most residents speak English or San Andrés-Providencia Creole, an English-based creole, rather than the Spanish spoken in the rest of Colombia. Since 1810, Providencia and nearby San Andrés have belonged to Colombia, and various governments have made efforts to bring the islands more in line with Colombian culture, which unfortunately comes at the expense of the unique Raizal heritage. Those trying to convert the island’s fervent Baptist Protestantism to Catholicism have made efforts, and they have also switched the school education from English to Spanish. Governments have actively encouraged Colombians to migrate to one of the islands. More and more islanders are marrying Colombian mainlanders, English is declining, and attitudes are changing. The island’s traditional residents are concerned about the possibility of their serene home becoming a new tourist hotspot. The neighbouring island of San Andrés, which has undergone this transformation, is a stark warning as to why this is undesirable. More than 100,000 people now live on this relatively small island. It faces significant electricity and water problems, and the coral has largely died off. Moreover, the increase in crime has seriously affected the quality of life. The idyllic and relaxed life that once prevailed is now a thing of the past, as everything now seems to revolve around the entertainment of tourists.

Just before Christmas, we arrived on Isla de Providencia, and Jeroen came up with a brilliant idea: we hung the lights we bought on our mast in the shape of a Christmas tree. Later, we discovered that much of the island was talking about our Christmas tree of lights. People said: “People really feel the Christmas spirit on that boat.” On Christmas Eve, we celebrate with Karin and Alex, who are on the boat with us. That afternoon, I was in the kitchen early, busy baking our dessert: Dutch oliebollen and apple fritters, which was a great success! Then I start preparing our Christmas dinner, consisting of chickpea curry and chicken chilli, while Rajesh makes fresh chapatis. After 11 months without seeing each other, we have much to tell about our adventures.

Not everything is a bed of roses, and when the word “boat work” is mentioned, there is some stress on both boats. Until the early hours, we shared stories and laughed; there were moments when I could shed a tear. Yet we all agree that sailing around the world is fantastic. You gradually learn the mentality required for this. This lifestyle is full of stress, uncertainty, and the risk of facing natural disasters and even piracy. During their sailing trip to Isla de Providencia, Karin and Alex sailed too close to the coast of Honduras, which caused them to spend a few anxious hours when fisher boats seemed to approach them. Fortunately, everything ended well. It requires adaptability and constant alertness. It’s something you can’t prepare for. Sometimes, it feels like no one understands you, which is why these connections, like the ones with Karin and Alex, are valuable. Shared sorrow is half sorrow!

Social media can be a handy tool. Karin, who usually does not respond quickly to personal messages and therefore rarely views them, comes across a message in which a photo of her credit card has been taken. With some suspicion, she finally decides to look in her wallet, and to her surprise, she realizes that it is indeed her credit card that she had apparently forgotten at the ATM and had not yet missed. They managed to track her down by looking up her name on Instagram and the photo with the Christmas tree lights from our boat. Melissa and her boyfriend had never been on a sailboat before, and as a thank you, Karin invited them on board, and we cooked a pasta meal for them together. Karin then interviewed Melissa about the island and the problems that arise. This interview will be available on their boat cast Mabul and on their website, sailingmabul.com, in a few weeks.

We explore the island. There are no cars on the island, but there are scooters or a 4×4 golf buggy that could accommodate 5 of us. We heard about a boat race at Playa Manzanillo. We took a short drive along the beaten path in our rented golf cart to get to the beach. The sea has beautiful turquoise colours, and the beach has a few beach bars. We settle in Roland’s Roots Bar. Rolands is a very relaxed, typically Caribbean, rustic bar serving cocktails and seafood. Although the food was a bit disappointing, we learned a lot about another dark side of the island. Isla de Providencia has long been free from the influence of violent drug traffickers in Colombia. Here, you will not find weapons, hitmen, bodyguards or the characteristic ostentatious jewellery of drug lords. However, the problem lurks beneath the surface and is no less disturbing. The island is struggling with growing drug problems and is faced with the disturbing fact that a significant part of the male population is “disappearing”. Although they didn’t want to discuss the subject in detail, it piqued Karin’s curiosity and prompted her to investigate further. We witnessed the boat race between three local boats and were present during the boat rigging and the start. Rajesh captured this with his drone and later shared these photos and videos with the locals.

Later in the afternoon, we continued our journey to the South-west Bay beach. We chose to walk to the left end of the beach, where it was noticeably quieter. While most other tourists gathered on the right side, where some beach bars turned up their music, we experienced the serene tranquillity for which the island is known on the left side. There was no haste or stress here; people were smiling and enjoying their drinks relaxed. We took a dip in the water; the water was still quite cloudy due to the storm of the past five days, and when we felt “something” on our toes, we quickly walked back to the beach and admired the sunset.

By the time it was dinner time, we continued our journey and ended up at a steakhouse. While Alex and Rajesh ordered a pizza across the street, they can eat it at our table. They even delivered the pizzas to this restaurant! Jeroen, Karin and I enjoyed steak with potatoes prepared on the barbecue. Then we drove back to the boat, and not much later, we all fell into a deep sleep. Upon our arrival in Providencia, each of us has experienced strange dreams. What could be the reason behind this phenomenon? Could the ghostly tales about the lingering spirit of the pirate Henry Morgan be true around here?

People love to come to Isla de Providencia for the abundance of diving opportunities. We also decided to explore the underwater world with the expert guidance of diving instructor Justifer and Captain Olin at the helm of the speedboat. They communicate in lively Creole, but it remains a mysterious language for us. We made our desire to dive with sharks clear, and during the briefing, Justifer assured us with a confident smile that we were “99% certain to encounter sharks.”

Curious by nature, grey reef sharks will approach us without aggression as long as we don’t try to “pet” them. With these instructions, we descended into the water, where only the sound of our breathing devices and fish clicking filled our ears. Within a short time, the first grey reef sharks appeared, and eventually, seven of these majestic creatures surrounded us. None of us felt fear; instead, we enjoyed the unique experience of their curiosity. Alex took all the photos while diving and later shared them with us.

During the break between our dives, Karin inquired about the drug problem on the island. Initially reluctant, Justifer and Olin seemed unwilling to answer. With her charming smile and charismatic personality, Karin eventually managed to pry another piece of the story. The island is located at the intersection of several drug smuggling routes. When the Coast Guard approaches some boats, they are forced to throw their cargo overboard quickly. This overboard throwing leads to the regular washing up of several cocaine packages along the coast. We had to wait a little longer to find out what exactly happened to these washed-up drugs before we got an answer.

However, they revealed that the islanders’ deep knowledge of the ocean makes them valuable assets for drug smugglers. Their knowledge makes them easy targets for recruitment as narco speedboat pilots, becoming the final link in the drug trafficking chain with far-reaching consequences for their families. Due to the location of the island, Providencia is also a place where the drug mules refuel their boats, often with locals delivering the fuel to the boats offshore. Olin and Justifer have also lost friends, either swallowed by the ocean or imprisoned somewhere. Finally, Karin asked them about the possible yield of one kilo of cocaine. Olin indicated that it could fetch 40,000 USD, with 60% going to them and 40% to us if we delivered it “somewhere”.

On our second dive, large schools of fish greeted us, and we looked for moray eels, nurse sharks and octopuses hiding among the vibrant coral. It felt great to be underwater again. After all, it had been far too long. Four more dives are planned during our stay here. We all agree: we want to see as many sharks as possible.

Before we knew it, the last day of the year 2023 was there. We tried to find out if there would be a big party on shore, but we didn’t really find one. Around ten boats are anchored in the bay, so we proposed to make a campfire on the beach on New Year’s Eve and toast on the new year, 2024, together. That afternoon, I baked oliebollen and made Dahl with rice while Karin made a salad and prawns. I also made extra fries as a few solo sailors unexpectedly joined us for dinner. We create a cosy atmosphere with a table full of delicious food and a varied group of people. We start the party on the boat and continue it later on the beach, where people are already waiting. We raise our glasses at midnight and slowly return to the boats, where our eyes soon close. A healthy and happy 2024 everyone!

We have four more dives ahead of us. Also, during these dives, Justifer was 98% sure we would encounter sharks – and he was right. All four dives were impressive due to the presence of grey reef sharks. The grey reef sharks also seemed to become more and more at ease with our presence, sometimes swimming right in front of you and seeming to look deep into your eyes. It was striking that they were not aggressive once. The terrifying images I used to create for myself after watching ‘Jaws’, in which I viewed all sharks as bloodthirsty creatures, were indeed not accurate for these sharks. Like nurse sharks, grey reef sharks swim quietly in their habitat and do not differ much from humans regarding curiosity. Alex took the lead in taking most of the photos, while Jeroen took some shots with the GoPro.

Our stay here on the island is almost over, but only after we have climbed the highest mountain. Bernardo Bernard, also known as Big Boy, guides tourists on hikes to the island’s highest mountain, The Peak. Along the way, Big Boy tells a lot about the medicinal plants found on the island. We rented the golf buggy for another day and drove to the agreed location. As we walked past the small town, the trail beckoned us with bilingual affirmations: “You are on your way to The Peak. To love it, you must know it.” These words of encouragement set the tone for the journey ahead. The wooden walkway, apparently newly built after the hurricane, led us over the forest floor and provided a comfortable and accessible start. It turned out to be the first of six wooden bridges. The climb that followed after the sixth bridge was more challenging than expected. As we approached The Peak, the landscape transformed: trees became sparser, steps disappeared, and the once muddy ground gave way to rocky ground. A wildfire a few months ago had destroyed a lot of the vegetation.

Reaching The Peak itself was an experience in itself. The panoramic view of the island was simply stunning. The viewpoint revealed the seven colours of the sea, with beautiful hues of the Caribbean Sea surrounded by lush mountains. Santa Catalina and the bridge to Providencia were visible to the north, while to the south, an unmarked rock, military base antennas, and a freshwater reservoir added to the view.

During the descent, my legs felt like rubber bands, sometimes wobbling uncontrollably beneath me, as if they had a life of their own. After an exhausting but satisfying journey, we returned to the buggy. Once on the boat, I immediately fell into a deep sleep, but soon the fever started to strike. No! Why now? Tonight, we have a reservation at a delicious restaurant on the agenda. Unfortunately, I couldn’t come and went to bed early with the necessary painkillers. Alex also turned out not to come along. Jeroen, Rajesh and Karin enjoyed a delicious meal, and we missed something delicious! 

The day before departure has arrived. We completed the check-out procedure at customs and immigration, did the last shopping, and ensured that all jerry tanks of the dinghy were filled with petrol at the gas station. Our sailing trip from Isla de Providencia to the San Blas Islands of Panama is on the program. The necessary documents for the Panama Canal have been submitted and approved. We still await confirmation of our request to sail through the Panama Canal on February 20.

So far, the sailing trip has been going well, but we did not expect to end up on a windward course. Unfortunately, I am not yet in top condition, and the fever flares up again now and then. Fortunately, Jeroen and Rajesh are feeling fine, allowing me to get some extra sleep. This means I can still carry out my night shifts so everyone gets some sleep.

In my next blog, we step aboard the Regina Maris. A ship that originally braved the North Sea for fishing, but in 1990, it was transformed into a fast sailing ship ready to explore new horizons. But this trip is not just for the adventurous sea lovers, because on board are 36 young people between the ages of 15 and 17, determined not only to sail the seas but also to increase their knowledge. Welcome to a ship 48 meters long with 650 square meters of sailing area, where tradition and modernity merge on the rolling waves. How does it feel for teachers and students to be part of this maritime adventure? In my next blog, I will take you into the fascinating interplay of education and sailing on the Regina Maris.

Thank you for taking the time to follow our adventure on Isla de Providencia! You may have questions about our trip or suggestions for future destinations. We look forward to reading your questions and suggestions. Stay tuned for more updates, and remember to subscribe to our newsletter so you can experience all of our global discoveries. Together, we share a passion for adventure and discovery. Until the next destination, fair winds and happy travels!