Nevertheless, I am finally at the fun stage – when I start stumbling upon reviews of the new edition in cruising [...]]]> The second edition of Spanish for Cruisers began shipping in November of 2008 after years of work – how can a second edition take that much longer to write than a first edition?

Nevertheless, I am finally at the fun stage – when I start stumbling upon reviews of the new edition in cruising magazines. Fortunately I don’t have to buy every single yachting magazine each month scanning them for a photo of Spanish for Cruisers – instead, friends see them and forward them on to me.

That’s how I found two reviews of Spanish for Cruisers in the March issues of Caribbean Compass and Yachting World.

If you’ve cruised the Caribbean, you certainly know about the Caribbean Compass. It’s a free waterfront news magazine,  started by former cruiser Sally Erdle. Sally and her husband Tom circumnavigated from  1989-1994 aboard their Rhodes 41 sloop So Long. In 1995 they settled in Bequia and started the Caribbean Compass.

Throughout the Caribbean, cruisers eagerly await the latest issue. There’s usually something worth clipping for reference:

• Caribbean Calendar of Events (holidays, regattas, festivals)
• Shortwave Weather Schedule (which lists the times and frequencies of all the weather nets and broadcasts in the Caribbean)
• Trip reports written by cruisers that are almost mini cruising guides
• Reports of inland travel in the Caribbean, Central and South America
• Surveys of prices in different harbors
• Plus of course, news from each of the Caribbean countries

Almost everyone in the Caribbean who writes writes for the Compass. Chris Doyle, author of the series of cruising guides that we all use down-island, writes regularly for the Compass. Fatty Goodlander, who has a monthly column in Cruising World, and several books to his credit, got his start with the Caribbean Compass. I occasionally write for the Compass as well, just to earn an invitation to the Compass’ annual Writer’s Brunch. Each year Sally invites all the Compass contributors to a brunch in Bequia during the annual Easter Regatta. It’s a great time to be in Bequia – and an honor to attend the brunch.

If you’d like to read the Caribbean Compass, I suggest that you sail down to the Caribbean. In the meantime, if you’d like to check out the Compass, Sally does offer online subscriptions. And, some of the items I mentioned earlier, like the Calendar of Events and the Shortwave Weather Schedule are available for download on the Caribbean Compass website.

So, what did the Compass review say about Spanish for Cruisers – second edition?

from the March 2009 issue of Caribbean Compass:

Are you headed by boat to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, the Rio Dulce, Isla Mujeres, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico or Miami? Unless Spanish is your native language, don’t set sail without this book. It delivers exactly what it promises: Spanish for cruisers. It will make you smarter and happier. (How often do you get that for 32 bucks?)

Kathy Parsons’ first edition of Spanish for Cruisers immediately became as indispensable as charts, as word went around the Caribbean cruising community: “You’ve got to have this book (and its sister publication French for Cruisers)!” Cruisers using the first edition then suggested ten useful new topics (such as provisioning, internet use and banking) to Kathy, which she has included in this expanded edition…

For more information on Spanish for Cruisers and useful cheat sheets and downloads, visit the Spanish for Cruisers website.

A zarpe is an exit clearance, the document that clears your boat out of port.

The boat [...]]]> Zarpe is an extremely common Spanish word that you will encounter out cruising, but oddly enough, you won’t find the word zarpe in any standard Spanish dictionary, not even that of the Real Academia Española.

el zarpe sahr-peh (the exit clearance) A zarpe is an exit clearance, the document that clears your boat out of port.

The boat above has just arrived at the dock in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. The officials standing on the dock are just about to ask for los papeles del barco (the ship’s papers), and el zarpe de su último puerto (the exit clearance from your last port).

The boat’s outbound clearance form can also be called el despacho (the clearance) or el permiso de salida (the exit permit), but el zarpe is the most common term.

In some Spanish-speaking countries you have to clear in and out of each port within the country. In this instance you will be issued a national zarpe each time you plan to sail on to the next port in-country, and an international zarpe when you eventually clear out of the country for your next foreign port.

The word departure on clearance forms is usually translated as salida, however some forms use zarpe. Clearance forms often ask for:
la hora de zarpe or salida (the time of departure) and
la fecha de zarpe or salida (the date of departure).

Zarpe comes from the verb zarpar (to set sail, leave port) and you will find zarpar in the dictionary. Zarpar is rather formal sounding, you will more commonly use the verb salir (to leave) in conversation:

In Costa Rica, zarpe is slang for the last drink of the evening, sort of “one for the road”… So a zarpe could actually also be a cold cerveza (beer) or a trago (mixed drink).

For an easy-to-use phrase book with all the Spanish words you need to discuss clearing in and out of port while cruising in Spain, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, get  Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide

Of course, as a cruiser or traveler, this [...]]]>  Semana Santa (Holy Week, the week before Easter) is a big deal in many Spanish-speaking countries. When I was in Nicaragua years ago, we had two weeks of vacation at Easter since everything shut down for both Semana Santa and Semana de Pascua (Easter week, the following week).

Of course, as a cruiser or traveler, this can lead to surprises. You may arrive in port with a torn sail only to find out that no one is working for the next two weeks. And if you are traveling, hotels may be full with vacationing locals and hotels may be charging higher “Semana Santa” rates.

The good side of this is that there are all sorts of activities that take place during Semana Santa. Every town puts its individual mark on the Easter ceremonies. Most towns will have numerous procesiones (processions). Antigua, Guatemala is famous for the alfombras de flores (carpets made of flowers) that line the streets,  and in Mexico passion plays and ceremonies combine Christian and indigenous traditions. I WISH I had some photos to show you some of these colorful events! Send me some from the areas you have visited and I will credit you and add them to this blog.

Semana Santa seh-mah-nah sahn-tah (Holy Week before Easter) Yes I know it’s pretty lame for a Semana Santa photo: National Geographic Channel  announcing a program called the “Devil’s Bible” that they are showing during Holy Week.

In Buenos Aires, only Jueves Santo (Holy Thursday) and Viernes Santo (Good Friday) are holidays. But in nearby Uruguay, many people take the whole week off and go on vacation.

	el Domingo de Ramos doh-meen-goh deh rah-mohss (Palm Sunday) The Sunday before Easter is the “Sunday of branches” when palm or other branches are blessed.
	In Buenos Aires, ramos de oliva (olive branches) are used. Outside the churches, vendors sell olive branches. This vendor was all excited when I took her photo because she was going to be on the web in the Estados Unidos (USA)!
	Pascua Pahss-kwah (Easter)   Feliz Pascua! Feh-leess Pahss-kwah! (Happy Easter!) Happy Easter is ¡Feliz Pascua! or  ¡Felices Pascuas! (Argentina)

Here are some phrases you can use to ask about Semana Santa and Easter:

Find out what’s going on so you can take part:

I started a long discussion today when I asked what people ate at Easter…

For an easy-to-use phrase book with all the Spanish words you need to discuss holidays, schedules and holiday foods while cruising in Spain, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, get  Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide

The tide [...]]]> The tide is a significant factor in many cruising areas – and we often need to ask locals about the state of the tide: Is it high, low, rising, falling? How much water will we have in the harbor entrance or at the fuel dock at high or low tide?

la marea mah-reh-ah (the tide) The tide range in Puerto Montt Chile is around 6 meters.

	La marea está baja. Lah mah-reh-ah ehss-tah bah-hah. (The tide is low.)
	La marea está subiendo. Lah mah-reh-ah ehss-tah soo-b’yehn-hah. (The tide is rising.)

For an easy-to-use phrase book with all the Spanish words you need to discuss tides, currents and water depths while cruising in Spain, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, get  Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide

los mariscos

mah-reess-kohss

(shellfish and mollusks)

Mariscos are shellfish like langostas (lobsters) plus mollusks like pulpo (octopus) and calamares (squid).

In Spanish there isn’t a word that directly translates as “seafood”. Instead, you have pescado (fish) and [...]]]> Today’s Spanish word of the day adds a little more to the last discussion about FISH words.

	los mariscos mah-reess-kohss (shellfish and mollusks) Mariscos are shellfish like langostas (lobsters) plus mollusks like pulpo (octopus) and calamares (squid).
	In Spanish there isn’t a word that directly translates as “seafood”. Instead, you have pescado (fish) and mariscos (shellfish/mollusks). Together they capture what we term seafood.
	This comidas rapidas (fast food) restaurant in the Dominican Republic advertises fish, shellfish, and pica pollo (fried chicken).
	la marisquería mah-reess-keh-ree-ah (seafood restaurant)   A marisquería is a seafood restaurant. A pescadería is a seafood market.
	la pescadería pehss-kah-deh-ree-ah (seafood market)
	When I asked this vendor in a pescadería in Puerto Montt, Chile how he could clean erizos (sea urchins) with bare hands, he answered: experience.

For an easy-to-use phrase book with all the Spanish words for the mariscos you will find in Spain, Mexico, Central America, the Caribbean and South America, get  Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide

There are two words for fish – pescado and pez (plural: peces). The one you will use most commonly [...]]]> Eating very fresh fish is one of the treats of cruising. Here are some words to help you talk about your catch – whether you catch your fish at sea or in the fish market.

There are two words for fish – pescado and pez (plural: peces). The one you will use most commonly is pescado. A pescado is a fish that has been caught for eating. Pez is a fish that is in the water. Pez is the general zoological word for fish.

	el pescado pehss-kah-doh (fish – caught, for eating) This lovely pescado (fish) is a dorado (in English: mahi-mahi or dolphin fish).
	This taco stand in Mexico is advertising their tacos de pescado (fish tacos). They also make tacos with camarón (shrimp), pulpo (octopus), calamar (squid), langosta (lobster), jaiba (crab), almejas (clams) …

On the other hand, when you’re talking about fish in the water, you use pez or peces (plural):

	el pez pehss (fish – as animal in water) los peces peh-sehss (fishes, fish plural)

Here are some more handy words related to fishing:

	la pescadería pehss-kah-deh-ree-ah (fish market) You buy pescado (fish) in a pescadería (fish market). This one offers “Quality and Good Price”
	el pescadero pehss-kah-deh-roh (fishmonger, fish seller) This pescadero proudly held up this beautiful corvina (sea bass) when we asked for a photo.
	el pescador pehss-kah-dohr (fisherman) These fishermen in the remote Aves islands of Venezuela came by to ask us to charge their cell phone.

The act of fishing is la pesca.

Fishing as an adjective is pesquero or de pesca.

el pesquero pehss-keh-roh (fishing boat) A fishing boat is a pesquero or a barco de pesca. (Locally they may have many other names…)

For an easy-to-use phrase book that will give you all the words and phrases to enjoy fish and fishing in Mexico, the Caribbean, Spain or any other Spanish-speaking country, get  Spanish for Cruisers: The Boater’s Complete Language Guide