December 15: Looking for the Yacht Club

Today we determined to have a "chill-out" day with minimum exercise and maximum relaxation. We decided on a long leisurely lunch at the Cartagena Yacht Club as recommended by our friends Richard and Debra who stopped here on their sail around the world.

I googled "Cartagena Yacht Club" and found photos online of Club Nautico. We talked to the hotel desk and were told, yes, the yacht club is Club Nautico. The doorman instructed the taxi driver to take us to Club Nautico, but when we arrived, we found a newly constructed modern building on the waterfront with some boats anchored behind it. Looked like a yacht club to us, but when we tried to go in, we were stopped by the guard. He affirmed this was Club Nautico, but stated they did not offer lunch and we could only enter if we worked or owned one of the boats.

For lunch, he directed us about two blocks back down the road to "Club de Pesca." OK. Off we went, and here's what we found:

This is where the guard sent us. Interesting old gate. "Club de Pesca" sounds like a fishing club, not a yacht club. The building looks like an old fort. Could this be the Yacht Club? Let's find out.

Inside the gate, looking back.

Just over the wall there are lots of yachts. This must be it!

Entrance to a private dock where all the boats are tied up. They wouldn't let us in. The guard told us lunch was available in the building next door. Maybe that's the Yacht Club.

Here we are. Looks like an interesting old building. A guard rang the bell hanging on the wall next to the lantern, and a waiter promptly appeared at the top of the steps and invited us up. OK! This must be the place.

Nice bar just inside. If they have food, we are in business!

Lovely terraces overlooking Cartagena Bay with Boca Grande rising across the water.

Yachts next door. This must be it!

On the wall next to our table, with Boca Grande in the background across the bay.

Let's check the menu. 

In addition to the usual food items, there is a history of the building printed on the back of the menu. Apparently we are sitting inside and old colonial fort, San Sebastian de Pastelillo. Constructed in 1743 as part of Spain's ambitious building project to protect their valuable asset in the New World, San Sebastian boasted 31 cannons pointed across the bay to ward off marauding ships and pirates. Along with four other forts dotted around the Bay, it made entrance to Cartagena Bay impossible.

Great! But is this the Yacht Club?

Who cares? The food has arrived, and we were distracted from our quest for the Yacht Club. I had a delicious shrimp ceviche appetizer with plantain chips and guacamole.

Tim ordered the tuna seared with Colombian spices and served with wasabi and soy sauce. Paired with a bottle of sauvignon blanc from Espiritu de Chile vineyard and we are all set!

For our main course, we shared the Prawns in Virgin sauce. (I presume the sauce was named for the Virgin Islands, because we sure haven't seen anyone in Cartagena that looked like a virgin.) Virgin sauce is olive oil, fresh tomatoes, French chives, and basil. Served with a "boat" of arroz rojo. Yum!

Finished the bottle of wine, and lunch is over. Oh, the answer to the burning question "Is this the Yacht Club?" apparently the answer is "No." But who cares? We'll look for the Yacht Club on another day--hoping that quest ends in a meal as good as this one!

Cartagena Yacht Club, where are you!