Colombia : Profile

Facts

Colombia has a coastline on both the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea; most of the coastal development is on the Caribbean side, which has the large towns of Cartagena, Barranquilla and Santa Marta.
In spite of persistent reports about the danger of cruising in Colombian waters, because of the risk of being intercepted on the high seas by a drug-running vessel, a determined campaign by the US Coast Guard, whose vessels patrol the Caribbean Sea, has made this area into one of the safest in the world, with no reports of yachts being molested on the high seas, although many have been stopped, and even boarded, by a US Coast Guard vessel.
Most cruising boats visiting Colombia do so on their way from the Eastern Caribbean islands to the Panama Canal, while those heading in the opposite direction use Colombia as a convenient stepping stone in their battle with contrary winds and current.
Cartagena is the most popular landfall, and has excellent repair facilities, with a good boatyard with haul-out facilities and a complete range of services.
While visiting Cartagena itself appears to be safe, all embassies warn against any inland travel as it is considered far too dangerous.
There are also good repair facilities at Barranquilla with both haul-out and repair services, but the approaches to the port, which lies on the bank of the River Magdalena, are very difficult, Barranquilla is also considered a high security risk area.
The Colombian islands of Providencia and San Andres are visited by boats on their way north from Panama, and repair facilities and provisioning are good on San Andrés Island although more limited on Providencia.
Some of the cays and reefs further north, such as Serrana, Serranilla and Roncador also belong to Colombia, which maintains a military presence on these cays. Boats that have sought shelter there have been visited by the military, but have been allowed to stay.

The climate varies according to altitude, the coast being tropical, hot and humid. The NE trade winds cool the coast during the winter months, while the summer has much lighter winds. Hurricanes rarely reach as far south as Colombia.