I’d decided it was time to start bringing back a sense of normalcy to life on the boat since Georgia was lost.  Yesterday I’d contracted with both local papers to run ads for three days and worked with the only local TV station to put a notice out on the 6:30 evening news.  After posting another 100 color fliers I returned to my boat and began sweeping out the last of the tumbleweeds of dog hair and doing the dishes I’d allowed to pile up for the past week.  After fixing a little dinner I decided I’d just forget for awhile with a movie.  Somewhere around midnight I went to put on the fresh bed sheet and just as I was tucking in the last fitted sheet corner my cell rang for the first time in three or four days.

Scrambling to get out of the v-birth and into the salon I picked up the phone and said hello.  Finding a dog in large city is hard enough, but when you can’t speak the local language the barriers get enormous.  Through 15 minutes of conversation I gathered that these guys had or were looking at a Siberian husky that may be a bit darker than Georgia, but was a close fit.  The barrio was close to an area where you just don’t go alone, especially at night.  Fortunately the crew of Coconut and another friend who drove here from the States rallied quickly and together we headed to Bario Crespo.

Riding down the beach rode Greg and I sat in the taxi while Nick followed us in his 4Runner just in case we needed to bolt quickly.  For a million pesos we weren’t taking any chances with these guys intentions.  When we arrived the neighborhood turned out to be as safe as the one I grew up in and the found dog was clearly someone’s pet sitting out in the front patio.  The little girl looked a lot like Georgia only a little darker and a little smaller.  I was tempted to reach through the rot iron gate to make friends, but something told me to walk away.   False alarm, but at least it is proof the people of Cartagena are still looking.

On the flip side, a million peso reward brings out a side of the city most would rather not deal with.  This morning I got another call.  Not from someone who had seen Georgia or a similar dog, but from a man who figured for a million pesos he’d be more than happy to sell me a new puppy, and even for much less.

Nick & Rochelle, owners of the big 4Runner who helped last night along with passing out fliers and working the streets, maintain a blog of their own.  They are on a similar journey only instead of running on the water they are rolling on big tires on what looks like a 18+ inch lift kit over land.  You can read about their journey here.

Lee Winters
Skype: lee_winters

www.SailingForSOS.com