Cruising is a challenging lifestyle but it gets easier the more you know. Here are some things we learned from our year onboard traveling from the Great Lakes, through the Erie Canal, down the East Coast and to the Bahamas.
General Cruising Lessons:
Take the weather windows you get
This may seem obvious but it is not. We talked to many cruisers who stayed in the marina or anchorage afraid to move because another storm was coming in a day or two or for whatever other reason they gave. If the passage takes a day and you get the wind and weather for a day, you take it because it may not come around again for a while.
This may mean you motor through a calm instead of waiting for your perfect wind to sail. Our gulf stream crossing back to the U.S is a great example. We had settled weather then a night of strong winds and storms followed by another two days of calm. After that calm the forecast showed strong winds for several days followed by strong winds for several more days in another direction. We took the calm window, mostly motoring across back to the U.S. We were so glad we did because as we watched friends wait for their window and watched the wind and wave forecast there wasn’t another window for a while.
2. Don’t leave as the blow is dying- it won’t die as quickly as forecast
This lesson we learned so many times! You look at the forecast and see that the strong wind should be dying starting at say 11 am so you leave just after that. It may seem like the wind is really dying from your anchorage but once you are out there, you realize it isn’t. Then your sailing in heavier wind and waves than you wanted. So many times, if we had just waited a bit longer we would have had a more comfortable passage.
3. Amazon Lockers/Shipping to Marinas
We thought shipping things from Amazon to Amazon lockers would be easier. We found that unless the item is fulfilled by Amazon it won’t qualify to be shipped to a locker. Most boat parts or other random items we found ourselves in need of were not fulfilled by Amazon so the lockers weren’t an option. What we did find is that most marinas will let you ship something to them even if your not staying in a slip. We typically anchored wherever we went but the marinas don’t care or don’t track who is shipping items so we never had an issue. Just make sure to put your name and boat name on the package.
4. Catamarans and Monohauls act differently in current- anchor next to your own kind
We rode out many blows on anchor, often in places with strong tidal current. We learned quickly that catamarans will typically face the wind but monohauls will move with the current. Some monohauls will kind of sail around on anchor when its really windy. Our boat tends to do this alot so we need a fairly large radius if we are in an anchorage with strong current and strong winds are forecast. Its a good idea to stay onboard and see how the boats around you react when the current switches to make sure you are good before heading to shore.
U.S East Coast:
Avoid Publix for your groceries
Our entire way down the coast we headed to whatever grocery store was the closest/walkable form the dinghy dock. As we got into the southern states that seemed to most often be a Publix. Wow were we shocked by how expensive everything was! On average our grocery bill for 1-2 weeks of groceries went up 25-30% compared to what we were used to spending at home (going to Meijer in Michigan). Our first shopping trip back in the U.S we used Instacart for Aldi and we were very pleasantly surprised by how much cheaper it was. We assumed using Instacart and paying the service and delivery fees would make that option more expensive but depending on what store you shop at that isn’t always the case. We continued to use instacart our entire way up the coast, mostly from Aldi stores and each time we found it much cheaper.
2. Noreasters
Wow! we knew noreasters were a think on the east coast but we didn’t realize how often they can occur. We had a pretty big blow/storm blow through nearly every week. It forced us inside, taking the ICW much of the way south.
3. Get at least one water jerry can, even if you have a water maker
We found this to be super helpful. Often the water isn’t very clean/clear so being able to top off along the way and not solely rely on our water maker saved us several times.
4. Not all towns, marinas along the ICW are cruiser/dinghy friendly
Not to say that people weren’t friendly and welcoming but not every town will have a dingy dock so you may find yourself struggling to figure out where to safely leave the dinghy if you want to go to shore for the day.
5. Being from Mi we didn’t realize how good we have it with our marina fees. We were not prepared for how expensive marinas are along the east coast and then you are often charged separately for power and water. We knew marinas would be expensive and we didn’t stay in them often. But it was a bit of sticker shock every time we did go into the dock.
Bahamas:
Get a handline for fishing, they are cheap and work super well!
2. Stock your pantry well all non-perishables before you go. While we found pantry items available in stores more often than we anticipated they were most often much more expensive than in the U. S so we were glad we didn’t have to buy them.
3. Know what day the supply ship stocks the grocery store. That day and maybe the day after there will be fresh fruits/veggies and dairy but if you go several days later it will likely be very picked over. Typically they are supplied once a week
Hopefully these tips help you along your cruising journey!
We didn't travel too far this month, only going 182 miles (our lowest monthly total since leaving Muskegon). But we spent 80% of these miles under sail. We've had great wind for sailing in the Exumas. We really only motored when going through cuts, inlets, and getting in and off anchor.
29 Nights on Anchor 0 Nights At Marina
We spent all 29 nights of this leap year February on anchor this month. We didn't spend any nights at marinas or mooring balls this month and we've spent most of our time in remote anchorages
62 kWh of Solar Generated
We generated 62 kWh of solar in February, just over 2.1 kWh per day. This is 27% higher than January, and the highest solar generation we've had since leaving the slip in July 2023. We've also been using more electricity. Since we have more electricity to use, we've been using it more - making more water, doing more laundry, using our induction stove and electric tea kettle.... We finally have sufficient solar to have a bit more breathing room on our batteries.
$847 Total Spent $29.20 Average Per Day
For the second month in a row, we've spent around $850 for the whole month. This month we didn't go to to any marinas, but we decided to spend a bit more on restaurants. We spent $214 at restaurants, $251 on groceries as we continued to be successful in fishing with our hand reel and pole spear. Those were the top two costs, followed by Starlink internet at $150. We also bought $101 in 'non-groceries' and $89 in fuel. 2/3 of the fuel cost was actually gasoline for our dinghy this month.
We aren’t usually big city people but after lots of searching for cheap flights we decided on a week long trip to Bogota. Typically we tend to drive around, staying at different spots along the way. This trip we decided to rent an apt in the city and stay the entire trip. We got a discounted price for staying 7 nights and we loved the apartment and its location.
We stayed north of the old town, La Candelaria district where most of the main tourist attractions are located. We were still within walking distance and we had several good restaurants nearby.
We love starting any trip with a free walking tour if the city we are in offers them. We have never been disappointed and this time was no different. Our flight landed at 5am and we took the 10am walking tour with Beyond Colombia that day to get a lay of the land. This tour happens every day at 10am and 2pm. It leaves from the gold museum (museo del oro).
The tour will take you through the historic district of La Candelaria and will make a stop at la Mercada de la Concordia. At the market you can grab a quick snack and as part of the walking tour you will get to try chicha. Chicha is a traditional drink made by the indigenous people of this region, it’s made from fermenting corn.
Near the market you’ll find a small street full of chicha bars where you can try more chicha variations if you’d like. This drink is not mass produced so each bar ferments their own. We stopped in at el refugió del gato later in our trip to share a bottle of chicha. It certainly isn’t our favorite drink but worth a try. You have to have it while you are in Colombia!
You won’t have time for a full meal at la Mercada de la Concordia on the walking tour but we would strongly recommend returning here for lunch. The place is full of locals and the food is amazing! There are several food stalls/restaurants in the market to chose from and you can’t go wrong here.
The walking tour will also take you through the main plaza- Plaza de Bolivar. The plaza is huge and full of locals and tourists. We enjoyed walking through here several times on our trip. Earlier in the day it is less crowded and better for getting your photos.
You will also walk through- Chorro de Quevedo Plaza which is smaller than the main plaza. It is right in the heart of La Candelaria and is said to be where the city was founded. You’ll find lots of students and young people here, hanging out enjoying chicha or other drinks from the small restaurants along the edge of the plaza.
Along the way our guide pointed out several great places to eat or drink. We got a lot of history of the city and country as well as education on the current political situation from our guide.
After our walking tour we stopped for lunch and then went to the Museo de Botero. Botero is an artist from Colombia who depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume. He donated a large portion of his art collection to the city which is now housed in the museum. He wanted to ensure that everyone had access to view his collection so the museum is free to enter. You’ll find pieces from many other famous artists here as well.
Our apartment was north of La Candelaria, near the Santa Fe district. We walked down the main street- Carrera Siete to get from our apartment to La Candelaria. In Bogota all the streets are either carreras (running north and south) or calles (running east and west). A portion of Carrera Siete is always for pedestrians only. Street venders of all kinds line the street selling anything and everything you can imagine. This is especially true on Sundays. We happened to arrive on a Sunday so we got some great insight into life in the city just walking down the street.
While you walk down this street you will see many, many stands with people selling grilled arepas. They will warm them on the grill for you, in butter and they are AMAZING! You cannot miss the arepas! Many stands will have several sauces you can top your arepa with. In the morning we grabbed arepas for breakfast and added a blackberry sauce on top, so good!
Also of note on Sundays many of the city streets close down to allow bikes to use the road. This makes walking around the city nicer because there are less cars but the number of people on bikes is crazy! Make sure you pay attention and keep out of their way while your walking around!
Our second day in the city we took advantage of a couple more free tours to really learn all we could about the city. We started the morning on a Graffiti tour. We went through Bogota Graffiti Tour because we read they were the best experience for this type of tour. Beyond Colombia does also offer a Graffiti tour which is likely also very good. The Bogota graffiti tour starts at 10am or 2pm daily at the Liberator monument in the Gabriel García Márquez Park for Journalists. The tour will explain how graffiti started in the city, how it became decriminalized and evolved into the beautiful street art that covers much of the city today.
After the graffiti tour we spent the late afternoon back with Beyond Colombia on their free food tour. The tour happens on the weekdays at 2pm, again starting at the gold museum. The tour stops at several street venders and small restaurants providing education about the food and making recommendations as to what to try. If you try everything they recommend you will spend in total about $10 USD. Items we tried on the tour include- arepa de huevo (fried arepa from the Caribbean region of the country), buñuelos ( cheese and corn dough fried with sweet jam inside), grilled arepa de queso, obleas (waffle sandwich with cream, blackberry and other sweet fillings), aguardiente liquor, chocolate completo ( hot chocolate served with cheese which the locals break into pieces, dip in the chocolate to get it melty then eat), and high end coffee at Arte y Pasión Café.
The group size was very large which meant that we took over pretty much everywhere we stopped. It worked okay but we felt it would have been a better experience in a smaller group. We are very independent travelers and aren’t afraid to struggle through trying to order from street venders even though we aren’t fluent in the language and may not know exactly what we are ordering. For us, we felt like most of what we tried we could have gotten on our own.
We enjoyed the food tour and met some great people but we weren’t feeling like the tour was a must do. The last stop, however, the Arte y Pasión Café changed our mind! This place was amazing and we got to learn about different techniques used to make a quality cup of coffee. This experience would have been challenging without the tour as most people in the city don’t speak English. If we didn’t have our guide we would have missed most of what we learned. We enjoyed the coffee here so much we went back a few more times during our time in the city. They have two locations in La Candelaria. One near the gold museum and another near the main plaza.
While we are on the topic of food here are a few other places we really enjoyed in the La Candelaria district and closer to our apartment near the Santa Fe district:
Outside of the Gabriel Garcia Marquez Cultural Center there is a teal ice cream stand- Selva Nevada. They have a variety of flavors including many fruits from the Amazon region of the country. You can sample two flavors for free before deciding. The people working gave us their recommendations as well. We really enjoyed all the flavors we tried!
Near the Plaza de Bolivar you will find one of the oldest restaurants in the city, La Puerta Falsa. Every blog we read said this place was a must and it certainly is! This is not a tourist only place, it is full of locals and the prices are amazing! It is very, very small and will be packed everyday.
We strongly recommend going earlier in the morning, before 10am to get a seat without waiting in line. This is a great place to try chocolate completo. It comes with cheese as well as buttered bread. It is a snack in itself so come hungry! You also must order a Tamale here. The tamales are wrapped in leaves and filled with chicken and chickpeas. The tamale here was hands down the best thing we ate in Bogota! They are also huge, very filling and very cheap!
Near all the chicha bars, across from la Mercada de la Concordia there is a small shop/bakery selling baked goods and snacks as well as drinks- Panaderia Donde el flaco. You’ll see several tables in the front but if you walk through the narrow hallway to the back of the place it opens up into a nice sitting area with several tables, chairs and couches. We were told about this place by our first Beyond Colombia guide. We ordered a beer and after a few minutes sitting at a table up front we were escorted to the back area. The beer here is $1 USD a bottle. Our guide said “it doesn’t get more local than this place”.
Near our apartment, we found Calle Bonita which is a beautiful street full of colorful buildings and restaurants. We walked by several times at off times of day before figuring out that these restaurants are open for lunch but they close around 4-5pm. Lunch seems to be the main meal in the city. Restaurants are busy and people seem to eat their large meal then. At typical dinner time for us from the U.S, a lot of restaurants near our apartment were closed. Do go to Calle Bonita and sit inside or outside to enjoy a great lunch!
Plaza de comidas La Perseverancia is a small market near where we stayed. This place was packed at lunch time, we never actually ate here but it seemed to be a popular place with the locals.
Lima Cantón- This place was right around the corner from our apartment. The ceviche here was some of the best we have ever had!
Restaurante Aria- Also very close to our apartment. We were craving pizza and beer and were very happy with our meal here. The restaurant is small but has several stories and large windows so you can sit higher up and have a view of the street and surrounding area while you eat.
Must do within the city:
You cannot miss the Museo del Oro (gold museum)! The museum is closed on Mondays and free on Sundays. Tickets cost 5000 COP a person. There is an audio guide you can purchase as well but all exhibits are in English so we didn’t find it necessary. The museum is three stories and has a very impressive collection of gold artifacts dating back to prior to Spanish Colonization of the region.
Monserrate is a mountain on the edge of the city, standing at 10,341 ft tall. Go on a clear day and you will get great views of the city down below. There is a white church at the top as well as several food and drink stands. To get to the top you can take the funicular, cable car or hike. We opted for taking the funicular. We arrived in the morning and had only a short line. This is a popular attraction so it does get busy later in the day.
Every blog post we ready showed beautiful pictures of Santuario Nuestra Señora del Carmen. This is a large red and white stripy church near La Candelaria. It is supposed to be open in the mornings until 11:30am. When we walked by the front door was open and we watched two girls go in. We took a photo of the outside then crossed the street to go inside. As we did the guard shook his head at us and closed the door. We aren’t sure why we weren’t allowed inside but we had to admire it from the outside only.
The Chapinero district is worth spending some time in. We took a cab in the morning and started off at Libertario coffee roasters. The coffee and the food here were amazing! Chapinero is full of coffee shops and restaurants. There are also several streets lined with cute houses. You’ll find very different architecture than in other areas of the city. After wandering around for the morning we stopped in at Vida café y jardín for some fresh juice before continuing on. This cafe has a great little garden area where you can escape the busy, noisy city streets.
The main plaza in Chapinero surrounds Iglesia Nuestra Senora de Lourdes church. You’ll find street vendors and locals just hanging out in the square.
Two important apps you will likely want while visiting Bogota include Cabify and Rappi.
Uber is illegal in Colombia although the app does work and lots of people use it without any issue. If you do use Uber, the driver will likely ask you to sit up front so that it appears as if they are driving a friend. We read from several different sources that using Cabify is the best way to ensure you will be safe when getting a cab. On the Cabify app you can chose a cab or a private car (we are pretty sure the private cars are just Ubers on a different app). We used both private cars and cabs from the Cabify app and found the cab drivers to be better drivers. You can pay on the app just as you do with Uber so you know how much your ride will cost before you get in the car. We never had any issues with Cabify and felt safe with every driver we had.
Rappi is the equivalent of uber eats. You can order take out and have it delivered right to you. You will see Rappi delivery bikes all over the city. We used this app to order dinner a few nights after getting back to our apartment after day trips outside the city. The cost is much lower than using uber eats in the U.S.
During our trip we did a few day trips outside the city. We rented a car to drive ourselves. For more on those trips and driving in and around Bogota check our our post- Day Trips and Driving in Bogota Colombia.
We enjoyed the city and felt safe walking around and exploring on our own everywhere we went. Colombia is a beautiful country that we would love to come back to. What do you love about Colombia, let us know in the comments below.
