I hope everyone had a really wonderful holiday this year. I still prefer white Christmases, even after all these many years in my beloved California and now in the tropics. I have spent the last four Christmases as follows; 2010-Ensenada, Mexico 2011-La Cruz, Mexico 2012-Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, and 2013-Isla Espiritu Santo, Panama. Who knows where I will be next year?
We had what is called a "pavi-pollo." I have no idea what it really is - the locals told me it was a cross between a chicken and a turkey. It looked like either the world's biggest chicken or the world's smallest turkey. It did taste like a turkey-ish chicken, and came out beautifully if I do say so myself. The gravy was world class. By the way, "pavo" is Spanish for turkey while "pollo" is of course Spanish for chicken. Our friends came for dinner and it was really really nice to have them as guests. They have been in Ecuador for several months, so it is great to reconnect and catch up.
There were about ten boats here for awhile, and we were invited for little soirees on two of them. One of them is a large catamaran with ten people on it - and that includes six kids under eight years old. They are all siblings, too. They have an older sister who is like a junior mother to them, and it is wonderful to see everyone getting along so well. The kids are fearless in the water, and really know how to handle themselves on the boat. The parents are home schooling them, and there is a grandmother and uncle aboard as well. We have met a bunch of boats with kids on them, and the kids all seem really well adjusted, smart, and friendly. I have been impressed. It seems like a good life for a kid.
I have been really reflective lately, because it is the end of the year and I always use this as a time to think about stuff that happened during the last year, what went right, what went wrong, what I want to change, what I want to stay the same. All and all, things have gone well this year and it has been a good year, boat repairs notwithstanding. Mike and I were talking about how there are some things that used to send us into tizzies, and now we do them without any drama or even thinking about it. Things like anchoring are now second nature. If the boat gets turned around when there is no wind, we can easily fix it. Reefing the sails is nothing to us. I am at the helm all the time, no problem.
I miss everyone especially at this time of year. Maybe someday I will be able to time it so I can spend a Christmas with family somewhere. Too bad everyone is spread out geographically. That makes it hard to plan so as to see everyone, without spending the gnp of a small country to fly around the US. However, where there is a will there is a way, however cliched that may be, so if I want to do it bad enough I will come up with something. However, visitors are always welcome!
Ever since I saw it, I have been trying to get that Mickelson 50 footer out of my mind, to no avail. I want that boat. Even Mike wants it. We are trying to talk ourselves out of even considering getting a bigger boat. But it was really something, a fabulous boat in every way that we could tell, and we want it. I love this boat, and I feel guilty towards Magda Jean for even considering this. The only good thing is that we could not do anything about it for at least a year, and so that prevents any precipitous actions, at least I hope so. It gives us time to think about what we really want to do. After all, we have just gotten MJ right where we want her, and I hate to think of starting all over again - but I do have a year to ruminate about this, so get ready, the whining and fussing and obsessing will not stop any time soon.
Although I am not using it now, I am really enjoying playing with my new Galaxy computer - it is a notebook, and all you have to do is touch the screen or swish your finger over it to get it to do things. However, it has a small keyboard, and for lots of hardcore typing, this traditional laptop works better. At least until I get used to using the new one.
Well, I had better get going and start getting things together for supper later on. We are having soup made from the mystery bird (I would love to see one running around the barnyard) with dumplings. The soup also came out wonderful, and that has not always been the case with making soup out of the spent turkey carcass. It seems like a lot of cooking things came together this year - a million ways to cook fish, never failing bread, new vegetables, and now the soup. Now all I have to do is not get fat.
"Happy happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!" (Charles Dickens)
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Saturday, December 28, 2013
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
Flip Floppers
So okay, we are not in Costa Rica. Nor are we on the way. We are back in Panama City. As usual, we didn't even come close to following our carefully laid plans. There were (as usual) a number of really really good reasons for changing plans. They are as follows:
1. I already described our immigration problems, with a horribly out of date zarpe (zahr pay) the document that tells the place you arrive where you last left. It is a requirement and they won't let you in without it. Ours was six months old, and said we were going to Ecuador. We were told horror stories about people being refused entry because of dated or otherwise deficient paperwork, and we had no desire to have problems like that. We heard that Costa Rica was one of the most difficult. We were told that the age of the zarpe could be a problem even in Ecuador. So we were in the position of having checked out of the country but never actually leaving. We decided the only thing to do was to return to Panama City, turn ourselves in (so to speak) and pay whatever penalty for being in the country for six months without doing anything about it. So yesterday we took care of that. It turned out to be no problem at all. We had a big story all planned (with much input from other cruisers) but there were very few questions. It turns out that our cruising permit (which allows the boat to be in the country) was still valid, so they just updated our info and charged us nothing. Then we headed off to immigration (to make it okay for us to be in the country) and that was even easier. We only had to pay $210, which is less than we paid originally. We didn't even get scolded, and when asked, I just said we had left for Ecuador but never made it due to boat problems. So now all is well and I feel like a complete nitwit for allowing this to happen. Never again!
2. Our alternator (the device that allows the engine to charge the batteries that give us light and water pressure and stuff like that) stopped working, and we need a new one. Of course Mike wants a bigger and better one, and he also wants the old one rebuilt so we have a spare. The engine is fine without it, and between the solar and the wind power, as well as the Honda generator (if all else fails) we can make all the power we need until the new one can be located. It is not a problem, but needs to be solved and Panama City is a great place to solve problems like this.
3. We have been like babies with our days and nights mixed up in the sense that we have been here in the bad season rather than the good season, which is just starting. Additionally, the good season for sailing to Ecuador will begin this spring. We love the islands here, and after dodging lightning all summer, it would be wonderful to enjoy them without the fear. After all, there have been at least five boats that I know of for sure that were hit this summer. Every time there was a huge crack of thunder that shook the boat in a horribly concussive manner, I felt like a cat that had just used up another life. We vowed never to spend another lightning season in this area, so if we stay here and enjoy the dry season, we will be on track for Ecuador in March.
4. The islands here are wonderful and we have barely begun to explore them. There is an area south towards Colombia with rivers to explore - so we do not want to leave yet.
There you have it. These are our plans as of today.
Things are pretty good here. We bought two new computers - these little Galaxy things that are really amazing. They were our Christmas presents to ourselves. There are a number of boats spending Christmas at one of our favorite anchorages, and we plan to join them. I was thinking about where I have had the last Christmases - one in Cabo San Lucas, one in Puerto Vallarta, and one in Guatemala. We are just starting to realize we have been at this for three years! While there have certainly been the proverbial ups and downs, I would not trade this life for anything. I do miss my family, especially my son, but there are plans in the works to visit in May and June, and in the future I want to plan for more visits home. So that will end things for today - it is time for the SSB radio net. Feliz Navidad!
"When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family." (Jim Butcher)
1. I already described our immigration problems, with a horribly out of date zarpe (zahr pay) the document that tells the place you arrive where you last left. It is a requirement and they won't let you in without it. Ours was six months old, and said we were going to Ecuador. We were told horror stories about people being refused entry because of dated or otherwise deficient paperwork, and we had no desire to have problems like that. We heard that Costa Rica was one of the most difficult. We were told that the age of the zarpe could be a problem even in Ecuador. So we were in the position of having checked out of the country but never actually leaving. We decided the only thing to do was to return to Panama City, turn ourselves in (so to speak) and pay whatever penalty for being in the country for six months without doing anything about it. So yesterday we took care of that. It turned out to be no problem at all. We had a big story all planned (with much input from other cruisers) but there were very few questions. It turns out that our cruising permit (which allows the boat to be in the country) was still valid, so they just updated our info and charged us nothing. Then we headed off to immigration (to make it okay for us to be in the country) and that was even easier. We only had to pay $210, which is less than we paid originally. We didn't even get scolded, and when asked, I just said we had left for Ecuador but never made it due to boat problems. So now all is well and I feel like a complete nitwit for allowing this to happen. Never again!
2. Our alternator (the device that allows the engine to charge the batteries that give us light and water pressure and stuff like that) stopped working, and we need a new one. Of course Mike wants a bigger and better one, and he also wants the old one rebuilt so we have a spare. The engine is fine without it, and between the solar and the wind power, as well as the Honda generator (if all else fails) we can make all the power we need until the new one can be located. It is not a problem, but needs to be solved and Panama City is a great place to solve problems like this.
3. We have been like babies with our days and nights mixed up in the sense that we have been here in the bad season rather than the good season, which is just starting. Additionally, the good season for sailing to Ecuador will begin this spring. We love the islands here, and after dodging lightning all summer, it would be wonderful to enjoy them without the fear. After all, there have been at least five boats that I know of for sure that were hit this summer. Every time there was a huge crack of thunder that shook the boat in a horribly concussive manner, I felt like a cat that had just used up another life. We vowed never to spend another lightning season in this area, so if we stay here and enjoy the dry season, we will be on track for Ecuador in March.
4. The islands here are wonderful and we have barely begun to explore them. There is an area south towards Colombia with rivers to explore - so we do not want to leave yet.
There you have it. These are our plans as of today.
Things are pretty good here. We bought two new computers - these little Galaxy things that are really amazing. They were our Christmas presents to ourselves. There are a number of boats spending Christmas at one of our favorite anchorages, and we plan to join them. I was thinking about where I have had the last Christmases - one in Cabo San Lucas, one in Puerto Vallarta, and one in Guatemala. We are just starting to realize we have been at this for three years! While there have certainly been the proverbial ups and downs, I would not trade this life for anything. I do miss my family, especially my son, but there are plans in the works to visit in May and June, and in the future I want to plan for more visits home. So that will end things for today - it is time for the SSB radio net. Feliz Navidad!
"When everything goes to hell, the people who stand by you without flinching -- they are your family." (Jim Butcher)
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Costa Rica Bound
Tomorrow we leave Isla Espiritu Santo and begin our voyage towards Costa Rica. I am not sure how long it will take us - to be honest, I have not even checked the mileage. We know our general route, and that will do for now. Tonight we will likely get on the chart plotter and play around wit our course, and then I will have a better idea of how far it is. OK, I just asked Mike and he said it is about 460 miles from here to the part of Costa Rica we are going to. So if we averaged four knots per hour, it will take us 115 hours, or four and three quarter days. Of course it is likely to take at least two days longer because we will not average 4 knots an hour. The winds have been very light for several weeks now, and that is not likely to change. There are some squalls and small areas of tropical disturbances that will move us faster than four knots, but those will be short lived, usually less than three to four hours. So I am guessing about six days at sea. I am looking forward to it. I have missed my night watches, seeing the sun come up and listening to Mike snore from the cabin. I always feel really, really good when I have the helm and Mike is sleeping peacefully. It has taken us a long time to get to the point where he can really relax and sleep while we are underway, and not have to constantly worry if things are going ok on deck.
We have caught a ton of fish on this stay here at Espiritu Santo and have eaten fish almost every other day, as well as pickling four jars of it for later on. Mike loves it and told his mom it tastes like wine herring snacks. He says I make it even better than that. It is great to snack on, like sardines or smoked oysters. I especially love smoked oysters, and if there is an open can of them, I will eat them all, without a care for anyone else in the room. I like them that much. Actually, my favorite seafood of all time is clams. Steamed clams in garlic butter and white wine. With hot crusty bread to sop up the left over sauce. With a cold beer.
Right now there is laundry drying, bedding airing, and Mike is cleaning the side of the hull. I finished the breakfast dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, and did some preparation for leaving tomorrow, mostly battening things down. I have never really had a problem with anything coming loose and flying around causing problems, but no matter how I try, there is always something that will end up on the floor. Nothing that matters or makes a problem, but I am looking forward to the day when I finally get it right.
Tomorrow we are heading out, but we will be stopping overnight about 16 miles from here to meet another boat. This is actually a better jumping off point to begin the Costa Rica voyage than where we are. When leaving the bay, you have to go way south and then shoot around a point, and head west before you can begin the northwest direction to Costa Rica. The point we have to go around in the infamous Punta Mala that gave us difficulties when we first came down to Panama from El Salvador. That was the first and only time that high seas and winds caused us to turn back and try again another day. This time we are coming the other way around, and we have been told that if we reach the entrance to the Bay of Panama about 35 miles off of Punta Mala on an outgoing tide, the tide and currents will give you a real boost going around the point. So that is what we are shooting for, and the other anchorage is a straight shot to that area. Plus, one of the other controllers on the Panama Pacific Net (the SSB radio net I help with) whom we have never met in person (only on the radio) invited us to come over there and meet them before we leave. So we are going to do that, and I am looking forward to it. I am really enjoying the net, especially now that people are actually starting to move around and check in with us. I was told it was a good way to get to know people and to help out the cruising community. And I was told correctly.
So anyway, that is about it for now. We are going to do some more fishing today, as soon as the tide comes in, and hopefully we can catch enough for us and to give some to our new friends tomorrow. Last night I cooked a fish whole (except for the head, the frying pan would not hold it head and all) for the first time, and it came out great. I stuffed the fish with onions, and lightly floured it with seasoned flour, then fried it. It came right off the bone, no problems. Oh - we found out that some friends from El Salvador will be in the same area of Costa Rica that we will be in at the same time, so we are looking forward to seeing them as w That happens a lot out here - you meet someone in Mexico and then three years later run into them in Panama or someplace else. You usually remember the boat name and say "Hey! You're Sunny Days! We met you in Mexico!" It is a lot of fun. When we were in Guatemala, we ran into some people we had met almost two years before in Mazatlan.
The next post I write will be written underway!
"I was equal to the gods., except for the mortal part." (Euripides)
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We have caught a ton of fish on this stay here at Espiritu Santo and have eaten fish almost every other day, as well as pickling four jars of it for later on. Mike loves it and told his mom it tastes like wine herring snacks. He says I make it even better than that. It is great to snack on, like sardines or smoked oysters. I especially love smoked oysters, and if there is an open can of them, I will eat them all, without a care for anyone else in the room. I like them that much. Actually, my favorite seafood of all time is clams. Steamed clams in garlic butter and white wine. With hot crusty bread to sop up the left over sauce. With a cold beer.
Right now there is laundry drying, bedding airing, and Mike is cleaning the side of the hull. I finished the breakfast dishes, cleaned up the kitchen, and did some preparation for leaving tomorrow, mostly battening things down. I have never really had a problem with anything coming loose and flying around causing problems, but no matter how I try, there is always something that will end up on the floor. Nothing that matters or makes a problem, but I am looking forward to the day when I finally get it right.
Tomorrow we are heading out, but we will be stopping overnight about 16 miles from here to meet another boat. This is actually a better jumping off point to begin the Costa Rica voyage than where we are. When leaving the bay, you have to go way south and then shoot around a point, and head west before you can begin the northwest direction to Costa Rica. The point we have to go around in the infamous Punta Mala that gave us difficulties when we first came down to Panama from El Salvador. That was the first and only time that high seas and winds caused us to turn back and try again another day. This time we are coming the other way around, and we have been told that if we reach the entrance to the Bay of Panama about 35 miles off of Punta Mala on an outgoing tide, the tide and currents will give you a real boost going around the point. So that is what we are shooting for, and the other anchorage is a straight shot to that area. Plus, one of the other controllers on the Panama Pacific Net (the SSB radio net I help with) whom we have never met in person (only on the radio) invited us to come over there and meet them before we leave. So we are going to do that, and I am looking forward to it. I am really enjoying the net, especially now that people are actually starting to move around and check in with us. I was told it was a good way to get to know people and to help out the cruising community. And I was told correctly.
So anyway, that is about it for now. We are going to do some more fishing today, as soon as the tide comes in, and hopefully we can catch enough for us and to give some to our new friends tomorrow. Last night I cooked a fish whole (except for the head, the frying pan would not hold it head and all) for the first time, and it came out great. I stuffed the fish with onions, and lightly floured it with seasoned flour, then fried it. It came right off the bone, no problems. Oh - we found out that some friends from El Salvador will be in the same area of Costa Rica that we will be in at the same time, so we are looking forward to seeing them as w That happens a lot out here - you meet someone in Mexico and then three years later run into them in Panama or someplace else. You usually remember the boat name and say "Hey! You're Sunny Days! We met you in Mexico!" It is a lot of fun. When we were in Guatemala, we ran into some people we had met almost two years before in Mazatlan.
The next post I write will be written underway!
"I was equal to the gods., except for the mortal part." (Euripides)
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Monday, December 2, 2013
Really, Really Hot
It is, even though the temperature in the cabin is only 90 degrees with 59% humidity. That shouldn't be so bad, but for some reason it is feels oppressive. There is absolutely no hint of a breeze, so the air is completely still and the water is as smooth as a bathtub. I think it is time for a swim.
We finally ran out of rain water so it is time to make water. The rainy season is officially over, so no use expecting more. It was fun while it lasted.
The alternator (the new one Mike put in) is still not charging properly, but Mike has a new idea. He was sort of discouraged, but I have yet to see anything he can't make work, assuming he has the necessary tools and all. He discovered something about doing something with the inverter, but has not yet tried it.
We saw another boat here yesterday and for the first time I am really jealous. It was a 50 foot Mickelson (or however that name is spelled) and is just amazing. I want it. There is a stern cabin with a huge bed, and so much more. It had an all wood interior like ours, with a big open deck despite the staysail - it is a cutter-rigged sloop. TO top it off, the people on the boat were awesome and we were sorry they could only stay a day, they have a schedule to keep. It is great to meet people you really like and feel like you click with, so I am going to try and maintain contact. We gave them all the fish we caught yesterday afternoon - and then went out and caught two more, so they stopped feeling bad about us giving them all our fish. We are picking most of it, as it makes great snacks while underway. There is one large filet left that I will fix for dinner. Two or three days ago we caught several more, gave some to another boat, and then Mike fixed it with garlic and lime and it was so good I thought I might die. Both of us are getting really good at fixing fish in a variety of ways.
We are slowly but surely getting ready to leave for Costa Rica - hopefully in about four days, if all goes as planned. Both of us are looking forward to getting underway being at sea for several days, all that goes with that, even the night watches.
I am feeling absolutely slothful, so I am going to end this for now, and jump into the water.
"Plough deep, while Sluggards sleep; and you shall have Corn to sell and to keep." (Benjamin Franklin)
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We finally ran out of rain water so it is time to make water. The rainy season is officially over, so no use expecting more. It was fun while it lasted.
The alternator (the new one Mike put in) is still not charging properly, but Mike has a new idea. He was sort of discouraged, but I have yet to see anything he can't make work, assuming he has the necessary tools and all. He discovered something about doing something with the inverter, but has not yet tried it.
We saw another boat here yesterday and for the first time I am really jealous. It was a 50 foot Mickelson (or however that name is spelled) and is just amazing. I want it. There is a stern cabin with a huge bed, and so much more. It had an all wood interior like ours, with a big open deck despite the staysail - it is a cutter-rigged sloop. TO top it off, the people on the boat were awesome and we were sorry they could only stay a day, they have a schedule to keep. It is great to meet people you really like and feel like you click with, so I am going to try and maintain contact. We gave them all the fish we caught yesterday afternoon - and then went out and caught two more, so they stopped feeling bad about us giving them all our fish. We are picking most of it, as it makes great snacks while underway. There is one large filet left that I will fix for dinner. Two or three days ago we caught several more, gave some to another boat, and then Mike fixed it with garlic and lime and it was so good I thought I might die. Both of us are getting really good at fixing fish in a variety of ways.
We are slowly but surely getting ready to leave for Costa Rica - hopefully in about four days, if all goes as planned. Both of us are looking forward to getting underway being at sea for several days, all that goes with that, even the night watches.
I am feeling absolutely slothful, so I am going to end this for now, and jump into the water.
"Plough deep, while Sluggards sleep; and you shall have Corn to sell and to keep." (Benjamin Franklin)
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