Right now, as I write this, we are rounding Punta Burica, which divides Costa Rica from Panama. We are about 50 miles or so from our first planned Panamanian anchorage. (In a very little while we will take down the Costa Rican flag and replace it with the Panamanian flag. In many countries, it is considered polite, and some places it is a legal requirement [enforced with more or less zeal depending on the country] that visiting yachts fly a courtesy flag of the country you are visiting. We have all the flags between the US and Ecuador. You keep the US flag up to, of course.) We have to sail slowly, as we don't want to arrive at night. We never like to come into a strange anchorage after dark. We'd rather float around out here for an extra night than do that, and tonight we just may do that.
Yesterday (the 15th) was one of the best sailing days we have ever had. We had a consistent, fresh breeze off the bow quarter, and sailed along merrily on a close reach, one of our strongest points of sail. That means we sail really well when the wind is in that particular position in relation to our desired course. The speed is good, the ride is smooth, and it is just one of the best feelings in the world. We went all afternoon like that, and well into the evening as well, although it did of course die down at night. Last night my biggest challenge was trying to keep the sails from making too much noise since there was no wind to keep them filled and not bouncing around. The result was that I was pretty successful, and Mike got a good night's sleep. My other task was to keep taking fixes on ships in the distance, keeping tabs on what they are doing.
One thing I probably forgot to mention is that our AIS system is not working right now. That is the system that tracks other ships and displays information about them on our display screen where we see all our other data. Big commercial ships are required to have AIS on board, and recreational boats like ours can get it too. When a ship comes near, I can see an icon on my chart plotter showing me where it is. I click on it, and I can find out where it is, where it is going, what its name is, and best of all, how far away and how close to me it will get if we both continue as we are. It is really a good thing to have. We are not sure what is wrong, but we will get it fixed. So since we don't have it anymore, when we see a ship, we need to cut a fix on it, i.e. measure the angle from our boat to the ship using a compass reading. We do that over a period of about 15 minutes, and those compass fixes tell us if the ship is going to be a problem for us or not, and whether we need to move. I am almost not sorry, because otherwise I would not have learned to take and interpret these fixes. That is what I meant before about being really dependent on my electronic nav system. The other thing is that we discovered the absolute best way to get a clear signal on the SSB radio is to turn off all electronics while using it, including the nav systems. So last night while Mike was using the radio, I hand steered for about 30 minutes without a hitch. Not only hand steered, but was guided by the compass rather than following a track on the chart plotter, somewhat like playing a driving video game. I am starting to like taking the helm. Really like it. I was sort of disappointed when he told me he was done and the system was coming back up. I feel as though I have regained all my previous sailing knowledge, and am acquiring new knowledge at a faster pace. Things just seem to fall into place sooner.
Today I noticed that when we anchor, I am going to have several days of laundry to do, back with the old bucket and plunger method. And do you know what? I am looking forward to it.
"You are alone, yet not alone. The others need you, and you need them. Without them, you would not get anywhere, and nothing would be true." (Bernard Moitessier)
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