Yes, we are still in Panama, at Espiritu Santo. We have completed all our boat projects, and are now just waiting for the proper winds so we can leave and head to Ecuador. Of course there is calm predicted through the rest of the week (bitter disappointment) but who knows, things can change. But if we do have to hang out, we can get some fishing done and add to our freezer for the trip south.
Our departure was also delayed because I hurt my foot. I did go to the doctor, who xrayed it and discovered no break, but said it was a bad strain of some ligaments. He also told me I probably broke some blood vessels. Anyway, the foot got all swollen and turned various degrees of color, but that went away. It did not hurt at all (after I did it, I only knew I hurt it because I looked down and saw all the swelling) until much later, when all that was left was a big knot on the top, and some swelling around what looks like a great big blood blister. That is what I have now. I keep off it as much as I can, and one of our friends here, who happens to be a nurse, is giving me some antibiotics so it doesn't develop an infection. I have a high pain threshold, which can be a bad thing because I don't stay off it until it starts to hurt, and that doesn't happen for quite awhile. But I am trying to be more conscientious about it. It is pretty ironic - I am pretty lazy and here I am not milking this for all I can. But maybe that is the difference between the merely lazy and the malingerers.
So we got everything done on the boat. One of our friends went up our mast and put the baggy wrinkles on the ends of the spreaders so the large genoa sail (a great big jib) does not fray when it passes against the spreader. If our boat was not so good going into the wind this wouldn't happen, but we can so it does. We also repaired the genoa and patched some worn spots. It isn't so much that it is a hard job, but the sewing is tedious as you go one stitch at a time and there are so many layers of stiff fabric that it takes all day to do a short segment. It is not the sail itself that is having problems, but rather the canvas covers that are along the edges. The sail cloth itself (Dacron) is crisp and stiff as it should be. We do need new sail covers - in fact, we need all new canvas. Plenty of time for that. We did buy about 14 yards of the material needed, so when we get to Ecuador, we may be able to get some of this done. The canvas we got will hopefully make a new dodger and bimini. We will see.
It has been a lot of fun out here, other than the foot issue. We have really good friends about 400 yards away, and yesterday they came over for Mike's American dinner of ribs, potato salad (ala Panamanian roots along with the potatoes), and cucumber salad. Then we all watched the new Robert Redford movie (at least I think it is new) "All is Lost." It is about a single hander whose boat gets hit by a container and then all goes to hell. The thing about the movie is that no one who was involved seemed to have any idea about sailing. We spend the whole movie yelling at the screen, things like "What the hell is he doing that for?" "Plug the hole" "That is so wrong! He needs a pliers, not a wrench" and so on. You get the picture. If you are not well versed in sailing, it is a very good movie. The photography is really good, and it is entertaining. But to sailors - and we are a critical bunch when it comes to evaluating other peoples activities on the water - there were too many things you simply would not do, even in a critical situation. Anyway, it was fun to watch with our friends, and for once Mike was allowed to talk through an entire movie. (For anyone who is concerned about us, whether you saw the movie or not, we have much better emergency gear than Robert Redford had. Much better. We have an emergency beacon that would report our position to the US Coast Guard, who would send out a call for any vessel in the area to come and rescue us. We also have contact with other cruisers via the networks on the SSB radio, and sailors use those nets to keep track of each other. We have a hand held waterproof VHF radio we could use sparingly to call out for local help. Our survival gear in the life raft is better and there is more of it, should we ever have to leave the boat and get in the life raft. We have a water maker in the life raft, along with fishing equipment that we actually know how to use. So try not to worry.)
I am going to miss Panama, but we will probably come back up for the next dry season up here, but our plans change so fast there is hardly any use in telling about them. We are actually a bit hazy as to where we want to go next. Maybe Chile, maybe Polynesia somewhere. I am toying with the idea of going around South America, but Mike isn't so keen on that as he is not that interested in sailing the Atlantic at this point. So who knows? Anything can happen, and usually does.
"America was established not to create wealth but to realize a vision, to realize an ideal - to discover and maintain liberty among men." (Woodrow Wilson)
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