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Independence – December 2011
I knew right from the moment I met Captain Michele that I was in good hands, and more importantly so was my motorcycle.
The Captain was on time at the arranged meeting place and was very well organized and provided me with the info I needed. I booked the Independence through Hostel Wunderbar without knowing anything about the ship, I was eager to get to Colombia and continue my adventure. I was prepared to endure rough conditions but received the exact opposite.
At 85’ the Independence was the largest in the harbor, and having three decks meant that with the motorcycle on top it would not be splashed by sea water. Loading my motorcycle along with four other was, much to my surprise, an almost effortless task. The all-female crew had done this before and made it look almost easy. The bikes were securely tied down and constantly checked throughout the entire crossing.
We sailed to various islands, enjoying time to swim, snorkel and enjoy the sunshine for the first two days of the cruise. The food on the Independence was some of the best I have ever had, three meals a day, a variety of dishes and there was more food than the 6 passengers could consume.
The bikes were unloaded in Colombia without a problem and all the paperwork needed for customs was completed by the crew of the independence. This crossing far exceeded my expectations and I would recommend this ship without hesitation. Total cost was $850 ($450 for me $400 for my bike)
There are photos and additional information on my blog at http://www.gregsadventure.com or you can contact the Independence directly at http://www.independence-ms.com
MS Independence – january 12
booked through hostel Wunderbar
I had a diffrent experience then the previous poster as we got the roughest sea captain Michel had ever seen going from San Blas to Cartagena.
The boat is indeed a very good boat. It can really take anything the sea will throw and trust me the sea gave us some serious bad stuff.
We were 24 guests on board, of which 9 were motorcycle riders, so 9 bikes on board. We loaded the bikes ourselves and finished up in the night. Not the smartest planing I thought.
The food was good to ok. Fruits and eggs every morning were simple but nutritive. We had one night of lobster but served with white bread, disssapointing. The rest of the meal often came with coleslaw salad which was great and I could almost eat my full every meal and I’m a big big eater.
The stops in the San Blas was amazing. The islands Michel takes you to are simply marvelous.
The way toCartagena is done in one trip of 36 to 40 hours. This part is pretty hard as the boat will sail in high sea for the whole time. If you are prone to seasickness you will find this part real difficult. we got really rough sea once again so that part was close to a nightmare, although the ship took everything without problem.
The big downfall for this trip was in my opinion that we were 24 people. the quarters down deck were hot, damp and terribly smelly. I could not set foot there. You can only flush the toilet a couple of times a day so I let you imagine how disgusting they were after sitting full for hours.
All the bike got totally covered by sea salt as the rough sea brought the waves all over the boat.
we took care of our own importation of the bikes. They took care of our immigration stuff.
The crew was real nice.
The captain is, in the spirits of captain, a character. He is definitly more a Captain then a professional cruise operator.
Some guests were complaining that we were not shown where the life jackets were and that the life lines were not easilly accessible. It’s pretty obvious to me that this boat is pretty loose on safety for passengers, watch for yourself is the way to go. They definitly don’t have the most professional attitude.
All in all, I think this boat trip was for me, in retrospect, a great experience. It was definitly not a cruise but more of an adventure.
Recommended ? If you look for a rough adventurous crossing but still get an amazing time in San Blas, sure. If you want a professional well organized reliable team, go with the stahlratte.