Well, we never made it to Nicaragua.
I re-read my last post and noted I had discussed the need to maybe have to stop in Costa Rica and wait out the winds. I also noted we were enjoying our sail, with the winds sort of pulsing up and down.
Things kept up like that - it was actually sort of fun. We kept reefing the sails down when the wind hit, and then letting them out again when it died down. Our first clue that something might be changing came when we noticed the wind was coming up faster and harder. We finally left the reef in even when the wind was down, although that made us go slower than we wanted to. But reefing the sails is difficult once the wind has already come up, and since the gusts were getting closer together and stronger we decided sacrificing speed for control was worth it. Of course eventually the winds, which gusted up to about 40 knots, with sustained winds in the 30s.
Along with the increased winds came the dreaded fetch. Fetch occurs when wind blows accross the water and stirs up waves. If the current and the wind are acting in opposition, giant waves can be the result. We did not have that, but the waves that did develop were large and choppy enough to constantly knock the boat off course, affecting the speed and making things generally uncomfortable. We should have been able to fly along under reefed sails in that kind of wind without too much problem, but the wave action caused our speed to drop to less than 2 knots. The only way to improve that situation was to head towards shore and hug the shore as much as possible. Since these were easterly winds, coming off the land, the water closest to shore was the calmest. So we turned on the engine and headed towards shore.
We sailed along for awhile, but after checking our weather information, it became apparent things were not going to get better any time soon. The further north we went, the worse it was going to get. And since we couldn't make any speed, it would be days of misery to work our way north. So I insisted we stop in Costa Rica. After studying our sailing guide books, we chose an anchorage and dropped anchor.
Now, a word as to why we didn't want to stop in Costa Rica. (I hope I am not repeating myself, but I am far too lazy to re-read my old posts and see if the issue had been addressed previously or not.) When we left El Salvador in 2012 or so, we discovered right after heading out to sea that our depth sounder was not working. We did not want to try and anchor without a depth sounder, so we bypassed Nicaragua and Costa Rica and went straight to Panama City, where we knew we could get it fixed. And additionally, most cruisers bitch constantly about Costa Rica. Most of the people we knew were either lukewarm about it or flat out dislked it. The major complaint is that Costa Rica is expensive. And it is true, it is not cheap here. It is a LOT more expensive than Mexico or Salvador, but less than the US, for the most part. Nothing crazy by our standards. The other complaint is that the officials are hard to deal with. Stories abound about people who have had to flee in the night after being threatened with boat confiscation for small infractions. The officials were described as hostile and uncooperative.
After sitting around for a few days on the boat, we started to talk about what we wanted to do. I admitted to being tired of feeling like I was always running away from something, like weather issues or immigation requirements. I didnt want to just give up the whole thing, but I wanted something to change.
It seemed to me we had reached a strange and difficult point. What to do next? We decided that if we wanted to cross the Pacific, the boat needed some major upgrades, startng with new sails. There are also a lot of little things to fix as well. And then once you get there, where do you go? There is Australia or new Zealand. Both are a long way from anything else. And the weather between Polynesia and those countries is starting to get more and more dicey, with no real storm season any more. And then where to go from there? After the burglary, I did not want to go back to Puerto Amistad in Ecuador. There wsa supposedly another place to go n Ecuador, but couldn't get any sensible information about it. It just seemed too overwhelming. I wanted to stop, regroup, and sort things out. I kept most of this to myself because I was not ready to have that converstion with Mike. I did not think he would react well to any suggestion we not keep moving on. But he did agree that we should check in to the country and take a rest at the marina here.
I was stoked about that. We reached the marina by email, and arranged for a slip. We found out that the check in services through the marina required the use of an agent and would cost about $750.00. Forget that! So we raised sail and went a bit closer up the coast to Playa de Cocos, the check in point. The next day, we went to the Port Captain at 9 am to begin the process. We had all our paperwork in order and the officials could not have been more pleasent. They were thorough, asking questions that no other country asks, but did not ask us for a cent. After that, we walked about three blocks to immigration. Again, everyone was wonderful and did not ask us for a dime. Then it was back to the Port Captain, and then we caught a bus for the airport at Liberia, to handle customs. The bus ride is about half an hour. We then went to customs, handed in our papers, and within another half and hour we were done. Even with a stop to get our phones set up with service and internet, we were all done by noon.
That gave us the right to stay here for 90 days. We really started to like it here. The marina turned out to be a marvelous place, with great services and amenities, like a work out room, a nice pool, and a laundremat. The bar also serves decent food. It costs us about $1300 per month to live here, including water and electricity. The marina is part of a big hotel and condo and really fancy home complex. We can hear howler monkeys, and the water in the marina itself is so clean and clear it seems like we are docked in a giant aquarium. The depth is about 25 feet, and we can usually see the bottom. None of the other boats here are liveaboards - most of them are fishing boats or huge catamarines with absentee owners. We are the only people actually living in the marina. It is kind of odd, but fun too.
We also rented a four wheel drive car. Costa Rica has good roads, but also has a lot of dirt roads and jeep trails. We have been exploring all over this area, and love it.
So here is what happened - Mike decided he loved it here and was in no hurry to leave. Of course I was in agreement. Then, while visiting with the marina manager, I discovered there was a way to keep the boat in the country for two years. Without gonig into a lot of details, it seemed to me that it would meet all our needs for the time being. We do have to live in the marina, but as long as we are paying our fees here, all we have to do is file a "float plan" with the marina and we can sail where ever we want to without all the usual formalities, which are a bit onerous here. And this is a great place to sail - it is easy to day hop from anchorage to anchorage, all within an easy day sail of or marina slip.
So we decided to stay here, for at least the next year or two. There is way less lightning here, although it remains an issue. But the risk is way less, especially here in Northern Costa Rica. The other really great thing about being here is that Mike has a cousin living here. They have not seen each other since they were children. She and her husband have lived here for 20 years. We have visited with them twice and we all get along well. There is also a very large expat population here, and we are finding it easy to make friends. And the Costa Ricans are wonderful - I cannot say enough. By the way, "Pura Vida" means "Pure Life" and is sort of a Costa Rican "aloha." That sort of tells it all, better than I ever could.
"Before all masters, necessity is the one most listened to, and who teaches the best." (Jules Verne)
Thursday, September 10, 2015
Saturday, June 27, 2015
Now Voyager
Right now I am sailing off the coast of Costa Rica, and it is gorgeous! We have had a pod of dolphins around us for a whole day now, including last night. We have seen jumping marlins, a Giant Pacific Ray, all sorts of interesting birds and butterflies, and a host of other sea life I am happy beyond belief to report that the lightning is noticeably decreasing as we get further north. The last couple of nights it has only been behind us, and not close enough to make us nervous in the least. That is not to say we are ompletely out of danger, but we have mitigated our risk somewhat.
As much as I love Panama, it was good to finally be able to put it behind us and get moving. It is very unusual for there to be such a lack of wind in the area. That is why we are a month behind - when I looked a over our logs, I realized that it too us over a month from the time we left Panama City until we finally cleared out of western Panama. We did get to see some beautiful new anchorages, and we have vowed to return on our way back and check them out again. Panama really does have something for everyone.
We are not planning to stop in Costa Rica other than to wait out the winds, and hopefully that will not be for more than a week. Then we will head on to our destination, Puesta del Sol in northern Nicaragua. We decided to go there after talking to some friends about it. Sine it sounded really nice, we decided since we had been to Salvador we should try some place new. If we don't like it, we can continue north. But I have wanted to check out Nicaragua, and I also want to have visited every country in Central America. We may seem to be inconsistent, but that is just the way we do things, changing our minds on the fly.
Everything is fine here with us Our food supplies are holding out just fine, and we are nowhere near running out of coffee, which would be the only thing we would really hate to do without. I don't want to jinx anything, but we also seem to be losing weight nicely. So no negativity here, and we are both simply enjoying the cruise. Today the wind keeps going up and down, in a pulsing sort of way. We think we are starting to feel some of the winds we will be avoiding later. They are called papagayo winds, and are caused by strong winds in the Caribbean blowing through a gap in the land area across and over Lake Nicaragua, in southern Nicaragua. This is something everyone out here has to deal with, as they used to occur solely in the winter, but now seem to blow almost all hear round No one can tell me there is no such thing as global climate change For proof, I can tell you that all the cruising route books are practically useless now, as the weather patterns are no longer reliable at all. There have already been three hurricanes in the Pacific, and that is way too many for this early in the season.
But enough of that. As I said before, we are fine and happy. Here is a little quote on what is required of a sailor
"And last on this short list, he must heal well Scrapes, gouges, bruises, cuts, sprains, strains, and occasionally burns appear as if miraculously, often without my knowing their cause; a kind of stigmata of the sea." (Webb Childs, "Storm Passage: Alone Around Cape Horn.")
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As much as I love Panama, it was good to finally be able to put it behind us and get moving. It is very unusual for there to be such a lack of wind in the area. That is why we are a month behind - when I looked a over our logs, I realized that it too us over a month from the time we left Panama City until we finally cleared out of western Panama. We did get to see some beautiful new anchorages, and we have vowed to return on our way back and check them out again. Panama really does have something for everyone.
We are not planning to stop in Costa Rica other than to wait out the winds, and hopefully that will not be for more than a week. Then we will head on to our destination, Puesta del Sol in northern Nicaragua. We decided to go there after talking to some friends about it. Sine it sounded really nice, we decided since we had been to Salvador we should try some place new. If we don't like it, we can continue north. But I have wanted to check out Nicaragua, and I also want to have visited every country in Central America. We may seem to be inconsistent, but that is just the way we do things, changing our minds on the fly.
Everything is fine here with us Our food supplies are holding out just fine, and we are nowhere near running out of coffee, which would be the only thing we would really hate to do without. I don't want to jinx anything, but we also seem to be losing weight nicely. So no negativity here, and we are both simply enjoying the cruise. Today the wind keeps going up and down, in a pulsing sort of way. We think we are starting to feel some of the winds we will be avoiding later. They are called papagayo winds, and are caused by strong winds in the Caribbean blowing through a gap in the land area across and over Lake Nicaragua, in southern Nicaragua. This is something everyone out here has to deal with, as they used to occur solely in the winter, but now seem to blow almost all hear round No one can tell me there is no such thing as global climate change For proof, I can tell you that all the cruising route books are practically useless now, as the weather patterns are no longer reliable at all. There have already been three hurricanes in the Pacific, and that is way too many for this early in the season.
But enough of that. As I said before, we are fine and happy. Here is a little quote on what is required of a sailor
"And last on this short list, he must heal well Scrapes, gouges, bruises, cuts, sprains, strains, and occasionally burns appear as if miraculously, often without my knowing their cause; a kind of stigmata of the sea." (Webb Childs, "Storm Passage: Alone Around Cape Horn.")
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Saturday, June 13, 2015
A Slow Progress
We continue our way on towards either Salvador or Nicaragua, but I think we have decided on Nicaragua. We haven't been there yet, and the facilities sound like we would like it. And if we don't, we can always head on to Salvador later. The place we are heading is called Puesta Del Sol, which means sunset. There is a marina, mooring field, and a hotel complex which means there is a pool, to cool off from the hot Nicaraguan weather. Friends of ours have been there, and speak highly of it. And I planned to visit there anyway, at least on a land trip from Salvador. That also means that the trip will be about 100 miles shorter than to Salvador, which helps with our fuel consumption issue. We also had a great discovery in the fuel realm - we have been averaging about one half gallon of fuel per engine hour, which is damn good.
Right now we are in an anchorage called Bahia Honda, and I think it may be the prettiest anchorage I have ever been in, bar none. We are surrounded by jungle, with birds and moneys calling out to us. The fish are jumping all over the place, and the rays are also throwing themselves up out of the water and landing with a loud splat. If you have never seen a ray jump, you have missed something. I have never seen anything that looks so simply joyful. A local man came by yesterday right after we got here, and sold us some avocados and limes. He is supposed to come by today with pineapple, onions, and potatoes, as well as bread. We still have plenty of meat in the freezer, and the other day we caught a big sierra, which Mike was able to filet into eight separate meals. So with this new produce, we have better meals than ever. The onions were the most important part, truthfully. Almost everything we make uses an onion.
Mike and I are lucky in that we have pensions, and don't have to live off a "cruising kitty." All we have to do is tighten our belts for a couple of months, and we an afford pretty much whatever comes our way, especially something bad (like a lightning strike) because we are insured. But there are a lot of cruisers who are not insured, and when something really bad happens, they are completely out of luck. Sometimes it means the end of the whole thing. We know a man in Panama City, whose boat was struck by lightning last year and all of his electrical systems were completely destroyed He can't even really live on it anymore, let alone sail it anywhere The sad part is he lives on social security with apparently little to no savings, and he is stuck. Really stuck. He can't afford to get it fixed, and now I suppose he will have to sell it for a song and where he can live as cheaply as he does now, I do not know. I suppose he couldn't afford insurance if he wanted it, but I know a lot of people who say their insurance is "prudent seamanship" I have also heard it said (by one who is not insured but I know could afford to be) that people who are insured are not has careful as those who aren't. Prudent seamanship is all well an good, but it is no good whatsoever against a lightning strike. We are at least as careful as the uninsured, maybe even more so. Interestingly, there are a lot of libertarian types out here who simply do not agree with the whole concept of insurance, asserting it constitutes "betting against oneself" I don't think so, but maybe I am wrong. All I know is that if something bad happens, we will be pretty much okay. If I decide I want to stop cruising, so be it, but I want to make the decision myself and not have it made for me by some horrid accident.
The local guy just came by and brought us pineapple, more avocados, the potatoes, the onions, plantains, bread, and some delicious bananas. We paid for the stuff and also gave him some fishing line, a nice lure, and some hooks. He promised to come by tomorrow with some papaya.
So I guess that is all for now. We got some rain, enough to wash the deck off. Now we need more so we can collect some water. Nothing beats drinking rainwater.
"For what's the point of breeding children, if each generation does not improve on what went before?" (Hilary Mantel)
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Right now we are in an anchorage called Bahia Honda, and I think it may be the prettiest anchorage I have ever been in, bar none. We are surrounded by jungle, with birds and moneys calling out to us. The fish are jumping all over the place, and the rays are also throwing themselves up out of the water and landing with a loud splat. If you have never seen a ray jump, you have missed something. I have never seen anything that looks so simply joyful. A local man came by yesterday right after we got here, and sold us some avocados and limes. He is supposed to come by today with pineapple, onions, and potatoes, as well as bread. We still have plenty of meat in the freezer, and the other day we caught a big sierra, which Mike was able to filet into eight separate meals. So with this new produce, we have better meals than ever. The onions were the most important part, truthfully. Almost everything we make uses an onion.
Mike and I are lucky in that we have pensions, and don't have to live off a "cruising kitty." All we have to do is tighten our belts for a couple of months, and we an afford pretty much whatever comes our way, especially something bad (like a lightning strike) because we are insured. But there are a lot of cruisers who are not insured, and when something really bad happens, they are completely out of luck. Sometimes it means the end of the whole thing. We know a man in Panama City, whose boat was struck by lightning last year and all of his electrical systems were completely destroyed He can't even really live on it anymore, let alone sail it anywhere The sad part is he lives on social security with apparently little to no savings, and he is stuck. Really stuck. He can't afford to get it fixed, and now I suppose he will have to sell it for a song and where he can live as cheaply as he does now, I do not know. I suppose he couldn't afford insurance if he wanted it, but I know a lot of people who say their insurance is "prudent seamanship" I have also heard it said (by one who is not insured but I know could afford to be) that people who are insured are not has careful as those who aren't. Prudent seamanship is all well an good, but it is no good whatsoever against a lightning strike. We are at least as careful as the uninsured, maybe even more so. Interestingly, there are a lot of libertarian types out here who simply do not agree with the whole concept of insurance, asserting it constitutes "betting against oneself" I don't think so, but maybe I am wrong. All I know is that if something bad happens, we will be pretty much okay. If I decide I want to stop cruising, so be it, but I want to make the decision myself and not have it made for me by some horrid accident.
The local guy just came by and brought us pineapple, more avocados, the potatoes, the onions, plantains, bread, and some delicious bananas. We paid for the stuff and also gave him some fishing line, a nice lure, and some hooks. He promised to come by tomorrow with some papaya.
So I guess that is all for now. We got some rain, enough to wash the deck off. Now we need more so we can collect some water. Nothing beats drinking rainwater.
"For what's the point of breeding children, if each generation does not improve on what went before?" (Hilary Mantel)
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Saturday, June 6, 2015
Rain and More Rain
It has been raining every day here, as we sit and wait for some wind to come along and help us work our way to our destination, which seems at this point to be years away. Not really, but it does seem that way. So we download weather information, and what do we see? A crazy weather pattern, that looks for all the world like a hurricane where a hurricane should not be. We have been watching it for a couple of days now, and it is not really going to become a hurricane, but it is going to cause our current anchorage to become untenable. With no wind to speak of now, we are going to have to move to a safer place and we will leave tomorrow. There is a really good spot not all that far from here, and we will just have to motor there if we can't sail it. This diddling around would not bother me at all were it not for the fact that there is family business requiring signatures and I am worried that I am holding the process up. However, we will arrive eventually and then all will be well.
One of the benefits of being out in the middle of nowhere is that you an only eat what you brought on board when you provisioned up in Panama City. So if a person is smart, and not hungry when shopping, that person will not choose to buy him or herself a bunch of fattening snacks and things like that. And I am smart. When Mike buys candy and chips, I try to make sure he gets the kind I don't like. So that way, there is nothing but healthy things for me to eat. I am remembering the things I learned in Weight Watchers, like drinking a lot of water, using glasses of water when I get the urge to eat without really being hungry. I am only eating when I am actually hungry. So without jinxing it (I hope) I am losing weight. Hopefully on my next visit to the US, I will look as awesome as a nearly sixty year old woman can look.
Otherwise, I do not really have anything newsworthy to report. We listen to the howler monkeys every day, and one day we got to see them all perched in a tree that did not have a lot of leaves. Usually we can hear them but not see them because the foliage is too thick. That was a treat.
I am trying hard not to get edgy and nervous, but sometimes my generalized anxiety gets the best of me - it took me years to recognize free floating anxiety as something that just happens and is not related to anything being wrong in reality. It is something that will pass, especially if I sit quietly and take deep breaths picturing myself blowing all the anxiety out of me through my exhales. I used to sit and frantically review everything that was happening, trying to find a reason why I had that overwhelming feeing of doom. The only way I can describe it is this: it is the exact same feeling I got as a child when I was walking home from school with a bad report card, knowing without a doubt how much trouble I was in and how I was going to get yelled at. That sick feeling in your stomach, like you are going to throw up but not quite, and throwing up won't help anyway. Now I can stay on top of it, and just do my deep breathing until I can blow it away (most of the time, anyway). If anyone reading this has this problem, try the breathing - take deep breaths, hold them a bit, then blow them out hard like candles on a birthday cake.
But I digress. I am reading a lot of English history these days, so if anyone is curious about the Plantagenets, just ask me. Or the War of the Roses. When we still had internet access, I downloaded a three volume set of English history. If anyone has any suggestions for any good books about French history, let me know. That is going to be my next stop. BUt you know, I can't get over the fact that nothing ever seems to change. Just when things look like they are settling down, someone gets a bug up their ass and everything goes to hell again. Same hassles, new faces. And everyone has God on their side.
So with that, I will end this post - a rambling, pointless post, the result of too much time on my hands and too much time to think about things. But it is still better than the best day working, so I still feel lucky.
"Chance favors the prepared mind." (Louis Pasteur)
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One of the benefits of being out in the middle of nowhere is that you an only eat what you brought on board when you provisioned up in Panama City. So if a person is smart, and not hungry when shopping, that person will not choose to buy him or herself a bunch of fattening snacks and things like that. And I am smart. When Mike buys candy and chips, I try to make sure he gets the kind I don't like. So that way, there is nothing but healthy things for me to eat. I am remembering the things I learned in Weight Watchers, like drinking a lot of water, using glasses of water when I get the urge to eat without really being hungry. I am only eating when I am actually hungry. So without jinxing it (I hope) I am losing weight. Hopefully on my next visit to the US, I will look as awesome as a nearly sixty year old woman can look.
Otherwise, I do not really have anything newsworthy to report. We listen to the howler monkeys every day, and one day we got to see them all perched in a tree that did not have a lot of leaves. Usually we can hear them but not see them because the foliage is too thick. That was a treat.
I am trying hard not to get edgy and nervous, but sometimes my generalized anxiety gets the best of me - it took me years to recognize free floating anxiety as something that just happens and is not related to anything being wrong in reality. It is something that will pass, especially if I sit quietly and take deep breaths picturing myself blowing all the anxiety out of me through my exhales. I used to sit and frantically review everything that was happening, trying to find a reason why I had that overwhelming feeing of doom. The only way I can describe it is this: it is the exact same feeling I got as a child when I was walking home from school with a bad report card, knowing without a doubt how much trouble I was in and how I was going to get yelled at. That sick feeling in your stomach, like you are going to throw up but not quite, and throwing up won't help anyway. Now I can stay on top of it, and just do my deep breathing until I can blow it away (most of the time, anyway). If anyone reading this has this problem, try the breathing - take deep breaths, hold them a bit, then blow them out hard like candles on a birthday cake.
But I digress. I am reading a lot of English history these days, so if anyone is curious about the Plantagenets, just ask me. Or the War of the Roses. When we still had internet access, I downloaded a three volume set of English history. If anyone has any suggestions for any good books about French history, let me know. That is going to be my next stop. BUt you know, I can't get over the fact that nothing ever seems to change. Just when things look like they are settling down, someone gets a bug up their ass and everything goes to hell again. Same hassles, new faces. And everyone has God on their side.
So with that, I will end this post - a rambling, pointless post, the result of too much time on my hands and too much time to think about things. But it is still better than the best day working, so I still feel lucky.
"Chance favors the prepared mind." (Louis Pasteur)
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Monday, June 1, 2015
No Weather Today
That is about how things stand right now. We are waiting for some wind, any wind, to get us moving toward Salvador. we are still in western Panama, in a beautiful anchorage that we have all to ourselves. It is starting to be the off season now for cruising between Mexico and Ecuador,so when I run my radio net it takes way less time and there will come a time when no one checks in. A few of us just keep it going until the season picks up again. I have been doing this net for a couple of years now, although I couldn't do it from Ecuador and I am not sure if I can do it from Salvador. There is radio reception there of course but maybe not clear enough to actually run the net. The anchorages are up river estuaries, and there can be a lot of interference. To be honest, I know very little about how the radio stuff actually works, I just know how to use the mike and talk on it.
As I said, it is gorgeous here, so if we have to be stuck, this is the place. We are here alone 99% of the time, except for the monkeys we hear in the jungle. There are lots of birds, and there is always fish actiOn to watch. By that I mean big jumpers out towards open sea, which we don't want to catch. A really big fish is hard to handle,and our freezer is only so big. Our sport fishing days are over. Now we just fish for food. And even more fun to watch - there are schools of small fish that hide underneath our anchored boat and come out periodically to feed on alga or plankton, or other even smaller fish. Never a dull moment.
Although we do have an engine and fuel, we don't carry enough fuel to motor all the way to Salvador, at least I don't think so. We need to save the fuel for things like dodging lightning cells while underway, getting into tight anchorages, avoiding shores if the wind and currents are trying to push us there, things like that. Plus the engine is loud and it is almost impossible to get any decent sleep with it going. This is an especial problem for Mike, who never gets enough sleep anyway when we are underway. We ave a watch schedule, but if something goes south on my watch, I need to get him up to help me deal with it. There is no way around that. Certainly I do not get him up for every little thing, there are many things I handle on my own with no problems. It seems like everything goes smoothly on his watch, and then as soon as he is settled in the bed, everything changes. As time as go on, I have learned to handle lots of stuff alone, but some stuff requires more strength than I have. Plus, to be honest, Mike is a bit of a control freak, and there are things I am under orders not to even try to do alone. And I am too lazy and without enough ambition to complain about that. I get plenty of sleep while we are underway and there are few things I like better than being all comfy in my bed, listening to the water rush by outside the boat. It is an amazing feeling to think that only a few inches of fiberglass separates me from the open ocean. I really love it. Sometimes I just lay there listening. If only I did not feel so guilty about getting so much more sleep than Mike! But I guess it cannot be helped. But I must add that another great feeling is when Mike is asleep and I am running the boat. I feel very tender towards him, like I would fight anyone who ever tried to hurt him. There are times when my heart feels like it is full to bursting during my watches, like I am overflowing with love for him. Maybe this is too personal, too much about me, but it is one of the best things about being out here. It is just us, and we need to take of each other.
We have already run out of beer, but who care about that, it will help us lose some weight. I have not missed it at all. We did save two cans for en we arrive in Salvador to celebrate. We don't drink at all when we are actually underway, it is a generally bad idea. The only thing it would be a true tragedy if we were to run out of would be coffee. At that point we would probably swim to Salvador, towing the boat behind us. Otherwise, we have plenty of food aboard and can stay out here quite a wile if we had to. But we are hoping to get out of here at the end of the week, as the weather gribs look as though the wind might pick up then. Until then, here we float. As Vonnegut would say, "and so it goes."
"Beauty is an enormous, unmerited gift given randomly, stupidly." (Khaled Hosseini)
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As I said, it is gorgeous here, so if we have to be stuck, this is the place. We are here alone 99% of the time, except for the monkeys we hear in the jungle. There are lots of birds, and there is always fish actiOn to watch. By that I mean big jumpers out towards open sea, which we don't want to catch. A really big fish is hard to handle,and our freezer is only so big. Our sport fishing days are over. Now we just fish for food. And even more fun to watch - there are schools of small fish that hide underneath our anchored boat and come out periodically to feed on alga or plankton, or other even smaller fish. Never a dull moment.
Although we do have an engine and fuel, we don't carry enough fuel to motor all the way to Salvador, at least I don't think so. We need to save the fuel for things like dodging lightning cells while underway, getting into tight anchorages, avoiding shores if the wind and currents are trying to push us there, things like that. Plus the engine is loud and it is almost impossible to get any decent sleep with it going. This is an especial problem for Mike, who never gets enough sleep anyway when we are underway. We ave a watch schedule, but if something goes south on my watch, I need to get him up to help me deal with it. There is no way around that. Certainly I do not get him up for every little thing, there are many things I handle on my own with no problems. It seems like everything goes smoothly on his watch, and then as soon as he is settled in the bed, everything changes. As time as go on, I have learned to handle lots of stuff alone, but some stuff requires more strength than I have. Plus, to be honest, Mike is a bit of a control freak, and there are things I am under orders not to even try to do alone. And I am too lazy and without enough ambition to complain about that. I get plenty of sleep while we are underway and there are few things I like better than being all comfy in my bed, listening to the water rush by outside the boat. It is an amazing feeling to think that only a few inches of fiberglass separates me from the open ocean. I really love it. Sometimes I just lay there listening. If only I did not feel so guilty about getting so much more sleep than Mike! But I guess it cannot be helped. But I must add that another great feeling is when Mike is asleep and I am running the boat. I feel very tender towards him, like I would fight anyone who ever tried to hurt him. There are times when my heart feels like it is full to bursting during my watches, like I am overflowing with love for him. Maybe this is too personal, too much about me, but it is one of the best things about being out here. It is just us, and we need to take of each other.
We have already run out of beer, but who care about that, it will help us lose some weight. I have not missed it at all. We did save two cans for en we arrive in Salvador to celebrate. We don't drink at all when we are actually underway, it is a generally bad idea. The only thing it would be a true tragedy if we were to run out of would be coffee. At that point we would probably swim to Salvador, towing the boat behind us. Otherwise, we have plenty of food aboard and can stay out here quite a wile if we had to. But we are hoping to get out of here at the end of the week, as the weather gribs look as though the wind might pick up then. Until then, here we float. As Vonnegut would say, "and so it goes."
"Beauty is an enormous, unmerited gift given randomly, stupidly." (Khaled Hosseini)
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Friday, May 29, 2015
Back on the road . . . sort of
Here we are, on our way to Salvador. We left Panama City on May 7, and since that time we are still here in Panama, slowly sailing with either no wind or lightning. Neither are optimal for our purposes. I used to love thunder and lightning, but now I am in horror of it. I have too many friends and acquaintances who have been struck and lost all of their electronics - usually to the tune of at least $30,000 to fix, not to mention the hassle of trying to find someone who can actually do the work and do it right.
The night before last, we had to use the engine to literally dodge around lighting cells. Mike was masterful, handling this boat like one of those NASCAR drivers, only slower. We pulled in here at 3 am with no moon, so we couldn't see anything and had to navigate in using our radar. Then, to add insult to injury, it started to rain. The problem with rain is that when you are using radar to navigate, rather than to see what is way up ahead of you, the rain shows up on the screen and causes the screen to be one big blob, instead of several little clearly defined blobs that are indicative of things to be avoided. But here we are, safe and sound, so we managed. I mean Mike managed - I sat there helping him look out. Too bad I no longer have the excellent night vision I had as a kid. Moonless nights with cloud cover are difficult. A fact of sailing life. So now we wait, for some kind of break in the weather.
At least we are in a gorgeous anchorage. Yesterday we heard the howler monkeys calling. In fact, they have just started up again. The beach butts right up against a dense jungle, and the air is thick with the smell of plumeria. There are wild orchids everywhere,growing on the big ceiba trees. We can see and experience all this from the boat. We also have a bucket of mangoes that we picked at our last anchorage, so we are living well. Our only disappointment is that the fishing has been terrible. I have caught basically nothing this year. Everyone, including the local panga fishermen, are talking about it. Thank goodness we have a freezer full of store bought food. If it were solely up to me this year, we would starve.
The Panamanian military came by and checked our paperwork, which of course is in perfect order. Even though it is always in perfect order (except once when I lucked out) I still break out in a sweat every time someone in a uniform asks to see my papers. Too many WWII moves, for sure. Even though none of these guys sound like Claude Rains. And they usually smile. And they are usually 18 years old. But still.
But other than that, things could not be better. I do not mind going slowly,I just feel bad because there is some family business I need internet to take care of and I don't have it now, and won't until Salvador. I can send and receive basic email with no attachments, via SSB radio (the way I am posting this and why I have no pictures to accompany it) but that is all. So it is frustrating because I do not want to be a hold up to the process. It is one of those "serenity to accept the things I cannot change" things, and the virtue "Patience" has never been my strong suit.
Anyway, this will be a short post. I am fine, Mike is fine, Magda Jean is fine. Although our pace is slow, we are learning to stop expending energy fussing over what may happen next, but to simply accept and experience as deeply as possible what happening in this moment. Not as easy as it sounds, but when it works it is amazing. The adventure continues.
"Please don't understand me too quickly." (Andre Gide)
----------
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The night before last, we had to use the engine to literally dodge around lighting cells. Mike was masterful, handling this boat like one of those NASCAR drivers, only slower. We pulled in here at 3 am with no moon, so we couldn't see anything and had to navigate in using our radar. Then, to add insult to injury, it started to rain. The problem with rain is that when you are using radar to navigate, rather than to see what is way up ahead of you, the rain shows up on the screen and causes the screen to be one big blob, instead of several little clearly defined blobs that are indicative of things to be avoided. But here we are, safe and sound, so we managed. I mean Mike managed - I sat there helping him look out. Too bad I no longer have the excellent night vision I had as a kid. Moonless nights with cloud cover are difficult. A fact of sailing life. So now we wait, for some kind of break in the weather.
At least we are in a gorgeous anchorage. Yesterday we heard the howler monkeys calling. In fact, they have just started up again. The beach butts right up against a dense jungle, and the air is thick with the smell of plumeria. There are wild orchids everywhere,growing on the big ceiba trees. We can see and experience all this from the boat. We also have a bucket of mangoes that we picked at our last anchorage, so we are living well. Our only disappointment is that the fishing has been terrible. I have caught basically nothing this year. Everyone, including the local panga fishermen, are talking about it. Thank goodness we have a freezer full of store bought food. If it were solely up to me this year, we would starve.
The Panamanian military came by and checked our paperwork, which of course is in perfect order. Even though it is always in perfect order (except once when I lucked out) I still break out in a sweat every time someone in a uniform asks to see my papers. Too many WWII moves, for sure. Even though none of these guys sound like Claude Rains. And they usually smile. And they are usually 18 years old. But still.
But other than that, things could not be better. I do not mind going slowly,I just feel bad because there is some family business I need internet to take care of and I don't have it now, and won't until Salvador. I can send and receive basic email with no attachments, via SSB radio (the way I am posting this and why I have no pictures to accompany it) but that is all. So it is frustrating because I do not want to be a hold up to the process. It is one of those "serenity to accept the things I cannot change" things, and the virtue "Patience" has never been my strong suit.
Anyway, this will be a short post. I am fine, Mike is fine, Magda Jean is fine. Although our pace is slow, we are learning to stop expending energy fussing over what may happen next, but to simply accept and experience as deeply as possible what happening in this moment. Not as easy as it sounds, but when it works it is amazing. The adventure continues.
"Please don't understand me too quickly." (Andre Gide)
----------
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Thursday, May 7, 2015
"I've been one poor correspondant . . .
I've been too too hard to find. But that doesn't mean you ain't been on my mind." Okay, quoting America of all bands is not going to win me any prizes for either the depth of my intellect or my level of music appreciation. And they had to be one of the most overplayed bands of the seventies or whenever it was. But it still describes how I feel about letting this blog go as long as I have.
And there is no real good answer - my usual general laziness mixed with what we had going on.
I think we left off with us in Panama. I did tell of our two guests/crew members who rode with us from Ecuador to Panama - Wayne and Marcos, hailing from Newfoundland and Australia respectively. We met them in Bolivia, on a bike and boat trip that took us from high in the Andes down into the Amazon basin. Marcos was the guide and Wayne was another of the participants. We had a blast with them on the boat.
After they left, we spent some time enjoying the Perlas Islands. At that point, we dove on the boat (which means diving under the boat to see what is going on down there) and discovered that when the Ecuadorian pilot caused us to run aground, we did suffer damage to the rudder skeg (part of the boat that hangs down to protect the rudder. Here, it did its job well.) To fix it required us to have the boat hauled, which was planned anyway for new bottom paint. So we spent most of the month of March with the boat on the hard (in the shipyard). We do not stay on the boat when it is on the hard, and I don't think this yard would have let us do that even if we wanted to. So we stayed in a nearby hotel, so we could go everyday and check on the boat. It is always sort of a treat to stay in a hotel - there is the big king-size bed, the unlimited water for showers, air conditioning (which makes one truly appreciate the HOT shower. We have the ability to have hot showers on the boat, but we never go there. It is too hot to want to take anything but a nice cool shower. I do not want any more warm water on my body, thank you. The constant sweat is warm enough.), and of course Cable TV, which usually includes the following English presentations: CNN International along with one other channel which seems to play the many, many permutations of the show CSI, as well as NCIS or whatever the initials are for the one about naval intelligence. We just sit there eating junk food and watching junk television, but who cares - it is never for very long. But I always miss the boat, especially sleeping in my own little bed with the nice soothing rocking motion.
So the damage was fixed, and insurance did pay fort some of it, although most of the work fell within the deductible. Then, right after we got back on the boat, I went to the doctor because I had a slight case of conjunctivitis, and knowing how icky it is, I went in right away to catch it before it got bad and before Mike caught it. So while I was in there, i decided to have the doctor take a look at two spots on my skin, one of which my sister (who is a nurse and knows about these things plus she is a survivor of two malignant melanomas) told my did not look good. I of course blew that off. Then right before I went in I noticed a spot on my upper arm that looked funny. You must know that I am covered with freckles and various other spots and skin tags and whatever, so it is hard to keep track of all the spots and what they might be doing at any given time. But I decided "What the hell, I am here, I might as well get this addressed now so I don't have to periodically think about it." The doctor looked at the one on my chest (we never got to the one on my arm) and she said "You need to see a dermatologist." "okay" says I. "No" she says. "you need to see one this week.) So I did, and of course you can guess the rest. I had a malignant melanoma on my chest, and a basal cell sarcoma on my arm. The dermatologist/plastic surgeon got all of the cancer, so I am right as rain currently.
It did give me a scare, though. I had been walking around with the melanoma for well over a year, and had it not been for the conjunctivitis, it would still be there. I have a cousin who died of skin cancer, and I am told it is a bad death. I feel like I dodged a bullet or something. I suppose I am making too big a deal out of it, but it scares me to think I really could have screwed the pooch here but for something completely unrelated. I guess this also messes with my master plan of getting through my fifties without any cancer.
Now I have no choice but to be careful with the sun and I would be horribly remiss if I did not warn everyone to be careful with this sun before it is too late for you. The price of a beautiful golden tan is not worth it! Go to the salon and get a fake one if you simply must have one. I was never one of those who baked themselves all summer, and was always pretty careful to use sunscreen, but it still happened. I endured my high school years at Laguna Beach High School in the early seventies being constantly asked (and always in a snotty tone) "Don't you ever go outside?" I would patiently explain that as a redhead tanning wasn't really something I would ever excel at. Then they would point out someone close to redheaded with a nice tan and tell me that I could do it if I really tried. I hope things have changed at that level, because that is when the damage starts that ends up with surgery and cancer. What I had is not the result of my being on the boat, it is damage that set in a long time ago. But I have now moved from tank tops to long sleeved t-shirts, and if anyone anywhere asks me why I have no tan I am likely to want to punch them in the nose.
But enough of that. I am fine now and that is all that matters. Things are fine, the boat is in great shape, and we are ready to move on to new adventures.
One thing happened that was very interesting and I doubt we will ever experience anything like it again. One morning we got in the dinghy and went in to the dock. Our plan was to do some shopping and then get a few beers and something eat. As we pulled up to the dock, we saw our favorite driver, Roosevelt, waving to us from the top of the ramp near the dinghy dock. He told us he had a favor to ask of us, One of his relatives had died, and the family wanted to ashes scattered in the Panama Canal. He asked if we could take two family members along with the ashes into the entrance to the canal in our dinghy so this could be done. Of course we said yes and so that happened. Our anchorage is right by the entrance, so we went up in there and sat quietly while that family said a prayer and then released the ashes into the water. I felt pretty honored that we were able to be of assistance. If my sisters are reading this, I would like to tell you it went smoother than it did when we took mom out on Islandia Sport Fishing.
Later on, another local friend asked if he could come on our boat, as he had never been on a sailboat. So we took him out for a couple hours just sailing around the bay (thank goodness we chose a day where there was enough wind to do so!). It was a fun time for all three of us.
Once the boat was fixed, it was time to think about what we are going to do. Staying in Panama is not an option due to the horrendous lightning once the rainy season is in full swing. (It is just starting now.) The best way to avoid it is to return to Ecuador, but there are two reasons why I do not want to do that. There are only two truly viable anchorages in Ecuador - one is in Bahia Caraquez (where we were before) and the other is near two towns called Salinas and Puerto Lucia.
I won't go back to Bahia Caraquez, and I have never said that about any other place, even those I was not fond of. The anchorage there is supposed to be secure, with round the clock security, but after we went to Colombia for two weeks, upon our return we discovered we had been burglarized. I did mention this before, but as time has gone on, we have discovered that more and more things were stolen, and all indications are that the burglars had plenty of time to not only go through the boat completely and then put things back the way they were. Right away we noticed the missing computers (three out of the four were broken, ha ha ha) and some of the boat equipment (i.e. our best ratcheting winch handle!). But it was not until later, much later, when I dug deep into one of the closets for the few pieces of jewelry that I saved. The thieves got in there and stole all my gold chains, plus (and this is the one that hurts and I cannot forgive) my sapphire ring that Mike gave me when we first got together. That is the only piece of jewelry i have ever really cared about, and I do not want to return to Caraquez and have to look at all those workers around the anchorage (and we know it was one of them, there are no other possibilities) and wonder which of those people I regarded as friends did this to me. And yes, I am taking it personally. We were not the only boat this happened to, and everyone else feels the same way. The people running the anchorage do not seem to care. So I am not going back. It would be too hard and I am not good at staying suspicious and angry, it is too hard.
The other place is an unknown entity. There are two yacht clubs there, and supposedly there are some moorings that can be rented, but nobody knows for sure and nobody knows how much it costs. The clubs do not answer emails (I have sent them in both Spanish and English), and the only person who has actually been there was on the hard for repairs and spent no time there in any anchorage. I do not want to get all the way down there only to discover the alternatives are really expensive mooring rentals or a crappy anchorage with no decent place to dock the dinghy. So that is out, since we really need to keep our expenses down and save up some money.
While we were ruminating over what we wanted to do, our friends suggested we go back up to El Salvador, but to a different place than where we were before. While El Salvador does have lightning issues, it does not seem to us to be as bad as Panama. El Salvador is very inexpensive, especially compared to Panama. I had been intrigued by this place (called Barillas) since before we went to Salvador originally, but we went to Bahia del Sol instead as that was where the El Salvador Rally went and where our friends at the time were going. Again we will be anchored in a river estuary, and will rent a mooring (affordable!) near a really nice resort where we have use of the pool, etc. If we don't like it, we can go further north back to Bahia del Sol. We can also go south when the rainy season winds down and stop in Nicaragua. I do hope we can do some travel in Costa Rica and Nicaragua while we are there - Costa Rica has a lot of lightning issues too, which is why we are not spending the season there. But I do want to see both of them, and who knows what will happen.
We had planned to return to Ecuador and go from there to the Galapagos and on to Polynesia, but the medical stuff and the boat damage through our scheduling off. So we plan to head back here (Panama) and do all the preparation for that big trip to begin in February next year. We need two new sails and a bunch of other things to make a sail that long and serious a true reality for us. This year, a number of boats trying to make the trip had to head back this way because of boat problems like rigging issues and things that MIke wants to replace on MJ before we head out. We know of one boat that sank and the couple aboard was rescued by another sail boat. Both of those boats were over 1000 miles from any shore. There is another one out there now that is creeping towards Polynesia with damaged rigging, and a mast that is swaying in the breeze. I don't want to be any of these people. And we could very well be, so the most important thing is to make sure the boat is in the best shape it can be in.
So now I have brought things up to date. This has been a really dynamic year so far - and even with all the bad things I can't say it has been a bad year so far. I don't feel that way. I (we, actually, Mike agrees) have had some experiences that taught us a lot, not only about the boat, but about each other. Things between the two of us may never have been better, and that is because both of us have taken some lessons from people and things we have encountered just in this very short time period, of less than six months. It is amazing how much one can learn when one wants to learn. But you have to be willing to accept and recognize the lesson when it comes to you. And for Mike and I, that is key.
Anyway, I am going to wind this down now. We are currently in the Perlas Islands, and are slowly meandering up to El Salvador. For those that worry, we are in touch every day on SSB radio, and there is always someone out there who knows where we are and can help arrange for assistance if everything went south, which it is not going to. So I wish everyone all the best possible.
"How sad to think that nature speaks and mankind doesn't listen." (Victor Hugo)
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And there is no real good answer - my usual general laziness mixed with what we had going on.
I think we left off with us in Panama. I did tell of our two guests/crew members who rode with us from Ecuador to Panama - Wayne and Marcos, hailing from Newfoundland and Australia respectively. We met them in Bolivia, on a bike and boat trip that took us from high in the Andes down into the Amazon basin. Marcos was the guide and Wayne was another of the participants. We had a blast with them on the boat.
After they left, we spent some time enjoying the Perlas Islands. At that point, we dove on the boat (which means diving under the boat to see what is going on down there) and discovered that when the Ecuadorian pilot caused us to run aground, we did suffer damage to the rudder skeg (part of the boat that hangs down to protect the rudder. Here, it did its job well.) To fix it required us to have the boat hauled, which was planned anyway for new bottom paint. So we spent most of the month of March with the boat on the hard (in the shipyard). We do not stay on the boat when it is on the hard, and I don't think this yard would have let us do that even if we wanted to. So we stayed in a nearby hotel, so we could go everyday and check on the boat. It is always sort of a treat to stay in a hotel - there is the big king-size bed, the unlimited water for showers, air conditioning (which makes one truly appreciate the HOT shower. We have the ability to have hot showers on the boat, but we never go there. It is too hot to want to take anything but a nice cool shower. I do not want any more warm water on my body, thank you. The constant sweat is warm enough.), and of course Cable TV, which usually includes the following English presentations: CNN International along with one other channel which seems to play the many, many permutations of the show CSI, as well as NCIS or whatever the initials are for the one about naval intelligence. We just sit there eating junk food and watching junk television, but who cares - it is never for very long. But I always miss the boat, especially sleeping in my own little bed with the nice soothing rocking motion.
So the damage was fixed, and insurance did pay fort some of it, although most of the work fell within the deductible. Then, right after we got back on the boat, I went to the doctor because I had a slight case of conjunctivitis, and knowing how icky it is, I went in right away to catch it before it got bad and before Mike caught it. So while I was in there, i decided to have the doctor take a look at two spots on my skin, one of which my sister (who is a nurse and knows about these things plus she is a survivor of two malignant melanomas) told my did not look good. I of course blew that off. Then right before I went in I noticed a spot on my upper arm that looked funny. You must know that I am covered with freckles and various other spots and skin tags and whatever, so it is hard to keep track of all the spots and what they might be doing at any given time. But I decided "What the hell, I am here, I might as well get this addressed now so I don't have to periodically think about it." The doctor looked at the one on my chest (we never got to the one on my arm) and she said "You need to see a dermatologist." "okay" says I. "No" she says. "you need to see one this week.) So I did, and of course you can guess the rest. I had a malignant melanoma on my chest, and a basal cell sarcoma on my arm. The dermatologist/plastic surgeon got all of the cancer, so I am right as rain currently.
It did give me a scare, though. I had been walking around with the melanoma for well over a year, and had it not been for the conjunctivitis, it would still be there. I have a cousin who died of skin cancer, and I am told it is a bad death. I feel like I dodged a bullet or something. I suppose I am making too big a deal out of it, but it scares me to think I really could have screwed the pooch here but for something completely unrelated. I guess this also messes with my master plan of getting through my fifties without any cancer.
Now I have no choice but to be careful with the sun and I would be horribly remiss if I did not warn everyone to be careful with this sun before it is too late for you. The price of a beautiful golden tan is not worth it! Go to the salon and get a fake one if you simply must have one. I was never one of those who baked themselves all summer, and was always pretty careful to use sunscreen, but it still happened. I endured my high school years at Laguna Beach High School in the early seventies being constantly asked (and always in a snotty tone) "Don't you ever go outside?" I would patiently explain that as a redhead tanning wasn't really something I would ever excel at. Then they would point out someone close to redheaded with a nice tan and tell me that I could do it if I really tried. I hope things have changed at that level, because that is when the damage starts that ends up with surgery and cancer. What I had is not the result of my being on the boat, it is damage that set in a long time ago. But I have now moved from tank tops to long sleeved t-shirts, and if anyone anywhere asks me why I have no tan I am likely to want to punch them in the nose.
But enough of that. I am fine now and that is all that matters. Things are fine, the boat is in great shape, and we are ready to move on to new adventures.
One thing happened that was very interesting and I doubt we will ever experience anything like it again. One morning we got in the dinghy and went in to the dock. Our plan was to do some shopping and then get a few beers and something eat. As we pulled up to the dock, we saw our favorite driver, Roosevelt, waving to us from the top of the ramp near the dinghy dock. He told us he had a favor to ask of us, One of his relatives had died, and the family wanted to ashes scattered in the Panama Canal. He asked if we could take two family members along with the ashes into the entrance to the canal in our dinghy so this could be done. Of course we said yes and so that happened. Our anchorage is right by the entrance, so we went up in there and sat quietly while that family said a prayer and then released the ashes into the water. I felt pretty honored that we were able to be of assistance. If my sisters are reading this, I would like to tell you it went smoother than it did when we took mom out on Islandia Sport Fishing.
Later on, another local friend asked if he could come on our boat, as he had never been on a sailboat. So we took him out for a couple hours just sailing around the bay (thank goodness we chose a day where there was enough wind to do so!). It was a fun time for all three of us.
Once the boat was fixed, it was time to think about what we are going to do. Staying in Panama is not an option due to the horrendous lightning once the rainy season is in full swing. (It is just starting now.) The best way to avoid it is to return to Ecuador, but there are two reasons why I do not want to do that. There are only two truly viable anchorages in Ecuador - one is in Bahia Caraquez (where we were before) and the other is near two towns called Salinas and Puerto Lucia.
I won't go back to Bahia Caraquez, and I have never said that about any other place, even those I was not fond of. The anchorage there is supposed to be secure, with round the clock security, but after we went to Colombia for two weeks, upon our return we discovered we had been burglarized. I did mention this before, but as time has gone on, we have discovered that more and more things were stolen, and all indications are that the burglars had plenty of time to not only go through the boat completely and then put things back the way they were. Right away we noticed the missing computers (three out of the four were broken, ha ha ha) and some of the boat equipment (i.e. our best ratcheting winch handle!). But it was not until later, much later, when I dug deep into one of the closets for the few pieces of jewelry that I saved. The thieves got in there and stole all my gold chains, plus (and this is the one that hurts and I cannot forgive) my sapphire ring that Mike gave me when we first got together. That is the only piece of jewelry i have ever really cared about, and I do not want to return to Caraquez and have to look at all those workers around the anchorage (and we know it was one of them, there are no other possibilities) and wonder which of those people I regarded as friends did this to me. And yes, I am taking it personally. We were not the only boat this happened to, and everyone else feels the same way. The people running the anchorage do not seem to care. So I am not going back. It would be too hard and I am not good at staying suspicious and angry, it is too hard.
The other place is an unknown entity. There are two yacht clubs there, and supposedly there are some moorings that can be rented, but nobody knows for sure and nobody knows how much it costs. The clubs do not answer emails (I have sent them in both Spanish and English), and the only person who has actually been there was on the hard for repairs and spent no time there in any anchorage. I do not want to get all the way down there only to discover the alternatives are really expensive mooring rentals or a crappy anchorage with no decent place to dock the dinghy. So that is out, since we really need to keep our expenses down and save up some money.
While we were ruminating over what we wanted to do, our friends suggested we go back up to El Salvador, but to a different place than where we were before. While El Salvador does have lightning issues, it does not seem to us to be as bad as Panama. El Salvador is very inexpensive, especially compared to Panama. I had been intrigued by this place (called Barillas) since before we went to Salvador originally, but we went to Bahia del Sol instead as that was where the El Salvador Rally went and where our friends at the time were going. Again we will be anchored in a river estuary, and will rent a mooring (affordable!) near a really nice resort where we have use of the pool, etc. If we don't like it, we can go further north back to Bahia del Sol. We can also go south when the rainy season winds down and stop in Nicaragua. I do hope we can do some travel in Costa Rica and Nicaragua while we are there - Costa Rica has a lot of lightning issues too, which is why we are not spending the season there. But I do want to see both of them, and who knows what will happen.
We had planned to return to Ecuador and go from there to the Galapagos and on to Polynesia, but the medical stuff and the boat damage through our scheduling off. So we plan to head back here (Panama) and do all the preparation for that big trip to begin in February next year. We need two new sails and a bunch of other things to make a sail that long and serious a true reality for us. This year, a number of boats trying to make the trip had to head back this way because of boat problems like rigging issues and things that MIke wants to replace on MJ before we head out. We know of one boat that sank and the couple aboard was rescued by another sail boat. Both of those boats were over 1000 miles from any shore. There is another one out there now that is creeping towards Polynesia with damaged rigging, and a mast that is swaying in the breeze. I don't want to be any of these people. And we could very well be, so the most important thing is to make sure the boat is in the best shape it can be in.
So now I have brought things up to date. This has been a really dynamic year so far - and even with all the bad things I can't say it has been a bad year so far. I don't feel that way. I (we, actually, Mike agrees) have had some experiences that taught us a lot, not only about the boat, but about each other. Things between the two of us may never have been better, and that is because both of us have taken some lessons from people and things we have encountered just in this very short time period, of less than six months. It is amazing how much one can learn when one wants to learn. But you have to be willing to accept and recognize the lesson when it comes to you. And for Mike and I, that is key.
Anyway, I am going to wind this down now. We are currently in the Perlas Islands, and are slowly meandering up to El Salvador. For those that worry, we are in touch every day on SSB radio, and there is always someone out there who knows where we are and can help arrange for assistance if everything went south, which it is not going to. So I wish everyone all the best possible.
"How sad to think that nature speaks and mankind doesn't listen." (Victor Hugo)
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Monday, February 23, 2015
Here in Limbo . . .
Which is where we are until we can get this boat hauled out and determine the amount of damage she has actually suffered. The skeg itself can likely be a pretty easy fix IF we can find someone here in Panama who does fiberglass work and that should be pretty easy. Our concern is that the skeg is really strong and the force it took to break it off may have damaged the integrity of the hull itself. The best way to explain it would be as of there had been an earthquake that did some noticeable damage, but in actuality damaged the foundations as well. And the purpose of the skeg is to protect the rudder itself from damage, and it did it's job there, but now that is partly missing, the rudder is no longer protected. So that is where we are and what we are waiting for.
We are still in these gorgeous islands, swimming, beach combing, and trying to catch some fish, although my fishing luck this year has been terrible. I will keep trying. Tomorrow we leave for Panama City, as our crew member, Anya, is leaving the boat and I will miss her. We had a lot of fun together, and I loved having another woman around. I have learned that having crew changes the dynamic of the boat. It has been interesting.
Two days ago the three of us boarded a friend's boat, and the five of us sailed off to another island for the day. This island has a store on it (albeit with a very limited, expensive selection)and all of us were able to obtain more beer, eggs, and produce. We also got some frozen pork chops! It was great fun to sail on someone else's boat. In fact, I love riding on a boat when I am not responsible for it. Being a passenger is great fun. It is also very interesting and educational to see how different types of boats sail. This particular boat seemed very easy to sail, or maybe it was because our friend is so skilled at handling it. It was a ketch, with a center cockpit. I liked it.
There really isn't anything more to report, news-wise. We are fine and healthy. Lots of our time right now is spent trying to plan for each and every scenario that could arise depending on what happens with the boat. To top that off, we were, even before the damage was discovered, thinking about selling this boat and getting a different one. Things are up in the air, and that is exciting but also stress inducing. It is really hard and uncomfortable for me to have to just sit and wait and let things unfold. I want to come up with a solution NOW!!! But I can't and I just have to deal with that, and not get crabby about it.
Since it is close to my birthday, I always use this time of year to reflect on me and what I want for my life. I know that sounds self centered, and I even sort of cringe when I read it. But it is my life, and while I do not ignore the needs of the other people in my life, I need to know what I want for myself. I do feel that everyone has a basic right to consider their own wants as long as the needs of others are not trampled on. I know I seem to be the sort of person who has no problem standing up for myself, but in truth I am full of hot air and not nearly as together as I present myself. (Of course, there is always a good chance that I am way off base and everyone knows what a wimp I am.) But as I get older, and realize that I have outlived my mom and will have outlived my dad in seven years, it is starting to occur to me that I really only have a certain amount of time left. I do not want to waste it, and part of not wanting to waste it is realizing that I better think about what I want so I do not waste the time I have left thinking no problem, maybe some other time. There is no "some other time". There is only now. So I need to step up and take care of my own needs and wants. Nobody is going to read my mind and drop something into my lap, so to speak.
Anyway, enough of that sort of nonsense. I am here in these beautiful islands and I will enjoy them while I am here. I will also enjoy what Panama City has to offer me, and I do not hate cities like Mike does. To compare the islands and the cities is the height of apples and oranges and I will not do so. I like them both. So on I go.
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We are still in these gorgeous islands, swimming, beach combing, and trying to catch some fish, although my fishing luck this year has been terrible. I will keep trying. Tomorrow we leave for Panama City, as our crew member, Anya, is leaving the boat and I will miss her. We had a lot of fun together, and I loved having another woman around. I have learned that having crew changes the dynamic of the boat. It has been interesting.
Two days ago the three of us boarded a friend's boat, and the five of us sailed off to another island for the day. This island has a store on it (albeit with a very limited, expensive selection)and all of us were able to obtain more beer, eggs, and produce. We also got some frozen pork chops! It was great fun to sail on someone else's boat. In fact, I love riding on a boat when I am not responsible for it. Being a passenger is great fun. It is also very interesting and educational to see how different types of boats sail. This particular boat seemed very easy to sail, or maybe it was because our friend is so skilled at handling it. It was a ketch, with a center cockpit. I liked it.
There really isn't anything more to report, news-wise. We are fine and healthy. Lots of our time right now is spent trying to plan for each and every scenario that could arise depending on what happens with the boat. To top that off, we were, even before the damage was discovered, thinking about selling this boat and getting a different one. Things are up in the air, and that is exciting but also stress inducing. It is really hard and uncomfortable for me to have to just sit and wait and let things unfold. I want to come up with a solution NOW!!! But I can't and I just have to deal with that, and not get crabby about it.
Since it is close to my birthday, I always use this time of year to reflect on me and what I want for my life. I know that sounds self centered, and I even sort of cringe when I read it. But it is my life, and while I do not ignore the needs of the other people in my life, I need to know what I want for myself. I do feel that everyone has a basic right to consider their own wants as long as the needs of others are not trampled on. I know I seem to be the sort of person who has no problem standing up for myself, but in truth I am full of hot air and not nearly as together as I present myself. (Of course, there is always a good chance that I am way off base and everyone knows what a wimp I am.) But as I get older, and realize that I have outlived my mom and will have outlived my dad in seven years, it is starting to occur to me that I really only have a certain amount of time left. I do not want to waste it, and part of not wanting to waste it is realizing that I better think about what I want so I do not waste the time I have left thinking no problem, maybe some other time. There is no "some other time". There is only now. So I need to step up and take care of my own needs and wants. Nobody is going to read my mind and drop something into my lap, so to speak.
Anyway, enough of that sort of nonsense. I am here in these beautiful islands and I will enjoy them while I am here. I will also enjoy what Panama City has to offer me, and I do not hate cities like Mike does. To compare the islands and the cities is the height of apples and oranges and I will not do so. I like them both. So on I go.
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Thursday, February 12, 2015
Celestial Navigation
I know it is surprising, two posts in such a short time period, but I am trying to get better, so this is a good start.
We are still at anchor in the Perlas Islands, and now there are a total of five boats in our anchorage, and all of them are Canadian. We are calling it Little Canada and there has already been a Prime Minister elected. Alas, since we are not Canadian, the best I think we can hope for here on Magda Jean is refugee status. Anyway, one of the other boats is having a birthday today (Feb 11) so we are having a party on the beach and then drinks and stuff on their boat. It will also be a good time to get acquainted with the boats we have not met yet, as two of them just came in yesterday and I have only talked to them on the radio. I am now doing one day a week as a Net Controller for the Panama Pacific Net, but one day a week is all I will do - I did it alone for several months, and had only one or two other Controllers for many months when we were here before. I love doing it, but not all the time.
The other exciting news is that we (yes, WE, I am actually learning something myself) are learning celestial navigation. We each have our own sextants. I have only just begun to actually use mine, and have to practice it a lot more, just learning how to get the shots lined up before we ever start trying to make real plots. Oops, it is time to try it again, I will be right back!
I am back now, and it only took me two minutes to go up on deck and get the sun in focus and lined up with the horizon. So now I have to get accurate. The math involved is not hard, just basic arithmetic, but the concepts are hard for me to get my head around. It is all geometry, lines and arcs and angles and points and I was never really good at that, but I do finally understand the concept of everything being measured in degrees and minutes, and these degrees can correlate with time and distance and all sorts of things. Luckily, most of the really complicated computations are contained in these almanacs, so you look up your numbers and find what you need to determine where you really are. It seems like (at this early stage) that the almanacs assume certain things, and you have to do the math that makes your numbers translate to the numbers in the almanacs. Something like that. I guess if I can't explain it, I have a lot more work to do.
It is HOT out here, and the humidity is pretty high. At least we have the whole ocean to swim in and cool down. The fishing has been terrible - in fact, I was reduced to buying fish from a local who brought his panga aside with a nice selection. I could not help but notice that most of the fish were reef fish, rather than the migrating ones that we usually catch. The more I fish, and the more I learn about fish, in some ways I don't want to catch them anymore. But I know that would be hypocritical, since I have no plans to stop eating them.
Otherwise, there is really no news to report. We plan to stay out here through the month if we can, but our stores are running low. The locals have plenty of beer and stuff like that, but the tiny village never has produce (other than potatoes and onions if we get there on a good day)or eggs for sale. We did get some papaya and some wonderful limes, but that is all. When mangoes are ready, we will be able to get plenty of those and there are a lot of mango trees on these islands. Mango season is not quite here yet, too bad for us. Oh I forgot - we did get some plantains, and Mike fried up some patacones, which are little plantain rounds. They taste a lot like potatoes when they are green like the ones we have. As they get riper, they get a bit sweeter, but never as sweet as a banana, and you always want to cook them. Anyway, with the stores running low and the fishing pretty bad, we have been reduced to going through what we have and trying to conjure up decent meals out of our meager produce and meat rations and canned stuff. So far it has gone pretty well. Mike made a dish with that colored pasta shaped like corkscrews with canned diced tomatoes, fresh onions and garlic, and spam (of all things). I was highly skeptical to say the least, but it was really quite good. We also found that a can of chopped up spam will flavor split pea or bean soup quite well when there is nothing else available. Who knew?
So anyway, that is it for now, and I am going to go up and take another sun shot, see how it matches with the other ones. I feel like Captain Cook!
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We are still at anchor in the Perlas Islands, and now there are a total of five boats in our anchorage, and all of them are Canadian. We are calling it Little Canada and there has already been a Prime Minister elected. Alas, since we are not Canadian, the best I think we can hope for here on Magda Jean is refugee status. Anyway, one of the other boats is having a birthday today (Feb 11) so we are having a party on the beach and then drinks and stuff on their boat. It will also be a good time to get acquainted with the boats we have not met yet, as two of them just came in yesterday and I have only talked to them on the radio. I am now doing one day a week as a Net Controller for the Panama Pacific Net, but one day a week is all I will do - I did it alone for several months, and had only one or two other Controllers for many months when we were here before. I love doing it, but not all the time.
The other exciting news is that we (yes, WE, I am actually learning something myself) are learning celestial navigation. We each have our own sextants. I have only just begun to actually use mine, and have to practice it a lot more, just learning how to get the shots lined up before we ever start trying to make real plots. Oops, it is time to try it again, I will be right back!
I am back now, and it only took me two minutes to go up on deck and get the sun in focus and lined up with the horizon. So now I have to get accurate. The math involved is not hard, just basic arithmetic, but the concepts are hard for me to get my head around. It is all geometry, lines and arcs and angles and points and I was never really good at that, but I do finally understand the concept of everything being measured in degrees and minutes, and these degrees can correlate with time and distance and all sorts of things. Luckily, most of the really complicated computations are contained in these almanacs, so you look up your numbers and find what you need to determine where you really are. It seems like (at this early stage) that the almanacs assume certain things, and you have to do the math that makes your numbers translate to the numbers in the almanacs. Something like that. I guess if I can't explain it, I have a lot more work to do.
It is HOT out here, and the humidity is pretty high. At least we have the whole ocean to swim in and cool down. The fishing has been terrible - in fact, I was reduced to buying fish from a local who brought his panga aside with a nice selection. I could not help but notice that most of the fish were reef fish, rather than the migrating ones that we usually catch. The more I fish, and the more I learn about fish, in some ways I don't want to catch them anymore. But I know that would be hypocritical, since I have no plans to stop eating them.
Otherwise, there is really no news to report. We plan to stay out here through the month if we can, but our stores are running low. The locals have plenty of beer and stuff like that, but the tiny village never has produce (other than potatoes and onions if we get there on a good day)or eggs for sale. We did get some papaya and some wonderful limes, but that is all. When mangoes are ready, we will be able to get plenty of those and there are a lot of mango trees on these islands. Mango season is not quite here yet, too bad for us. Oh I forgot - we did get some plantains, and Mike fried up some patacones, which are little plantain rounds. They taste a lot like potatoes when they are green like the ones we have. As they get riper, they get a bit sweeter, but never as sweet as a banana, and you always want to cook them. Anyway, with the stores running low and the fishing pretty bad, we have been reduced to going through what we have and trying to conjure up decent meals out of our meager produce and meat rations and canned stuff. So far it has gone pretty well. Mike made a dish with that colored pasta shaped like corkscrews with canned diced tomatoes, fresh onions and garlic, and spam (of all things). I was highly skeptical to say the least, but it was really quite good. We also found that a can of chopped up spam will flavor split pea or bean soup quite well when there is nothing else available. Who knew?
So anyway, that is it for now, and I am going to go up and take another sun shot, see how it matches with the other ones. I feel like Captain Cook!
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Monday, February 9, 2015
Recap
Ok, Ok, I am really sorry that I let this go so long. I really have no excuse other than my normal ones of laziness and some technical issues. But we are well and happy and doing fine. Since I do not have internet access where I am, this is being posted via SSB radio, and that means I can't check to see where I was the last time I wrote. I am pretty sure I reported that we had completed our land trip to Bolivia and Peru, and returned to Ecuador. This all happened in early November.
Anyway, both Bolivia and Peru were amazing beyond belief. Peru gets a lot more visitors (because of Machu Picchu) than Bolivia, so their tourist structure is better. But the Bolivians are wonderful, gracious hosts. When we were in La Paz, we ate lunch at this little place that catered to locals, but the food was cheap and plentiful, so we started going there. Every time we came, the staff all came to welcome us, and other customers would come to our table, introduce themselves, and shake our hands while asking where we were from. And even though our government is not a big fan of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, (and vice verse) the people are happy to meet Americans and ask questions about us. It was a wonderful experience. Peru was the same way, although to a lesser extent since they are used to tourists. Being in Lima was like being in a cold, cloudy, LA. La Paz is very different, definitely a developing nations type place. (By the way, I have learned that nobody uses the phrase "third world" any more. The proper phrase is "developing nation". And if they are coming out of a big civil war, like poor El Salvador, the proper phrase is "post conflict developing nation.") The smaller towns in Peru were more like Bolivia, with out the sophistication of Lima or the Machu Picchu staging areas.
So anyway, we got back to Ecuador and everything was fine, except we were missing a really nice (and fairly expensive) ratcheting winch handle. We use it to help winch the sails in, and while we do have other handles, this one was the one I preferred. We had left it in the cockpit, so I suppose we should have known better. But that was all, and the work we had contracted to have done was done very well. There were no real problems with the boat that we did not know about before we left, which was good. One of the problems with a boat is that when they sit around for awhile, they tend to have things just stop working for a myriad of reasons. We knew that the alternator was not working properly, and we did not have the fridge working, because we had to replace the evaporator. So Mike got all that done, and did a fine job. We had an engine pro come in and look at the alternator situation (because it kept not working right after a fix) and he figured out what the problem was and fixed it, so we are now in real good shape. And Mike got the evaporator changed and the fridge fixed; so we are happy about that.
We had also made plans for some friends we met while traveling in Bolivia to come and meet us in Ecuador and sail with us back to Panama. But because of that, we were going to have visa trouble - so without going into all the boring details of how visas work in Bolivia, the easiest way to solve the problem was to leave the country for a couple of weeks. We ended up hopping on the bus and going to Colombia for two weeks. This time we headed north out of Ecuador and went through Quito, which is a really interesting mix of old and new. It was one of the first cities in Latin America to be declared a World Heritage Site. Then we ended up spending two weeks in southern Colombia, in a really rural area full of coffee fincas, forests, jungles, rivers, and lots of waterfalls. We fell in love with it and I really thought Mike might buy a coffee finca. It was tempting. We learned how to make maracunya (passion fruit) juice. I have now eaten cuy (guinea pig), goat, llama, alpaca, at least as far as I know. All were really good, with the alpaca being my least favorite although I think what I ate was just not prepared very well (it was really tough and a bit gamey). So now we can hardly wait to get back to Colombia and see more of it. I want to go to Cartagena.
When we got back to Ecuador, our friends showed up, and we all took off for Panama. Our friends (an Australian and a Newfoundlander)
were real troopers and handled the trip well. One of them had sailing experience, for the Newfie, well, it was his first time in a sailboat. This is not a really fun trip or a nice sail. The water tends to be rough and somewhat disorganized, so the boat rolls around a lot. The current is against you coming this direction, as was the wind. Because these guys had to be in Panama by dates certain to get back to their jobs and whatnot, we ended up having to motor a lot rather than try and tack down sailing into the winds. The engine is loud, so it is hard to sleep. But they claimed to enjoy themselves, and asked to return again some time. I reassured the Newfie that this was NOT an example of a fine sail. If the conditions were always like that, no one would ever do it. Another wonderful thing was that our Newfie friend bought us a present - a bottle of Scotch (Macallan or Macallen) that cost SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. It was not nearly as horrible as other Scotches I have tasted, but Mike appreciated it more than I did. Still, it was impressive. I felt sort of sorry for the bottle - I bet it planned to live out its days in a fine oak cabinet with leaded crystal panes. Now it lives above our stove, living next to a bottle of cheap local rum and a can of Crisco.
After we returned to Panama, we re-provisioned, took care of some chores, and set off for the Perlas Islands, where we spent a number of months in 2013, and a bit of 2014. That is where we are now, and have been out here for over a month. We don't have internet out here. We also have a crew member, a woman from Oklahoma we met in Panama City. She will be with us until we get back to Panama City (in a couple of weeks) and then we have boat stuff to do.
Now the kind of crappy stuff. While we were in Colombia, our boat was broken into and burglarized. They took four computers (two of which were old and did not work well, one that was totally broken, and one really cheap one that did work. Luckily, they left one (A good one) and we had our newest one with us. They also stole a bottle of hot sauce (which made Mike furious). The hatch over the vee berth is broken now. The area was supposed to be patrolled, but there have been a number of break-ins there, and it really seems like the people running the place do not give a shit. It is all really sad. And then - but a bit of background is necessary. This anchorage is in an estuary, and you need a local pilot on board to guide you through the entry, as it is very shallow other than a narrow channel. You also have to go over a surf break. AND it is very important that you go through on the high tide, not before and not after. So our pilot was late, and while he was directing us we ran aground about four times. The pilot looked totally clueless, and really had no idea which way we needed to go to unground ourselves. Mike finally got us going again, and while we sailed on to Panama, we did not notice any problems with navigation or how the boat performed. But when we got to the islands, Mike and I dove under the boat and noticed (to our horror) that about a third of the skeg (a part of the boat that hangs down in front of the rudder to protect it) was torn away. We seem to be sailing okay without it, but it is very important to have. And the fact that it broke right off might indicate some serious problems with overall hull security. It could be like the beginnings of a cracked foundation on a house. So we are hauling the boat out and will have to get a surveyor out to assess the damage. We are going to call our insurer once we get back and find out how they want us to handle it, as the damages might be high. I am hoping they have a local agent (and in Panama that is a real possibility) that can help shepherd us through this. SO keep good thoughts for us that all works out well. We had to have the boat hauled anyway for its yearly bottom painting, so we will have to see. We should know in about a month - that is how long it will take us to decide to leave the islands and head for Panama City (about 45 miles from where we are anchored) and get our haul out scheduled. It is a total bummer, but we will just have to wait and see what happens with it.
That brings us up to date here. I apologise to anyone who was worried about us, but remember that no news is usually good news here.
We have a lot of safety stuff including emergency GPS beacons that can be set off if we are in trouble, and any ship that is close will come and rescue us. We always have people know where we are going and when we can expect to get there, and other cruisers watch out for each other and keep in touch while traveling via the SSB radio. So again, all is well, sailing is great, and the beaches and
warm water cannot be beat! (P.S. As an added safety feature, we are studying celestial navigation.)
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Anyway, both Bolivia and Peru were amazing beyond belief. Peru gets a lot more visitors (because of Machu Picchu) than Bolivia, so their tourist structure is better. But the Bolivians are wonderful, gracious hosts. When we were in La Paz, we ate lunch at this little place that catered to locals, but the food was cheap and plentiful, so we started going there. Every time we came, the staff all came to welcome us, and other customers would come to our table, introduce themselves, and shake our hands while asking where we were from. And even though our government is not a big fan of the Bolivian president, Evo Morales, (and vice verse) the people are happy to meet Americans and ask questions about us. It was a wonderful experience. Peru was the same way, although to a lesser extent since they are used to tourists. Being in Lima was like being in a cold, cloudy, LA. La Paz is very different, definitely a developing nations type place. (By the way, I have learned that nobody uses the phrase "third world" any more. The proper phrase is "developing nation". And if they are coming out of a big civil war, like poor El Salvador, the proper phrase is "post conflict developing nation.") The smaller towns in Peru were more like Bolivia, with out the sophistication of Lima or the Machu Picchu staging areas.
So anyway, we got back to Ecuador and everything was fine, except we were missing a really nice (and fairly expensive) ratcheting winch handle. We use it to help winch the sails in, and while we do have other handles, this one was the one I preferred. We had left it in the cockpit, so I suppose we should have known better. But that was all, and the work we had contracted to have done was done very well. There were no real problems with the boat that we did not know about before we left, which was good. One of the problems with a boat is that when they sit around for awhile, they tend to have things just stop working for a myriad of reasons. We knew that the alternator was not working properly, and we did not have the fridge working, because we had to replace the evaporator. So Mike got all that done, and did a fine job. We had an engine pro come in and look at the alternator situation (because it kept not working right after a fix) and he figured out what the problem was and fixed it, so we are now in real good shape. And Mike got the evaporator changed and the fridge fixed; so we are happy about that.
We had also made plans for some friends we met while traveling in Bolivia to come and meet us in Ecuador and sail with us back to Panama. But because of that, we were going to have visa trouble - so without going into all the boring details of how visas work in Bolivia, the easiest way to solve the problem was to leave the country for a couple of weeks. We ended up hopping on the bus and going to Colombia for two weeks. This time we headed north out of Ecuador and went through Quito, which is a really interesting mix of old and new. It was one of the first cities in Latin America to be declared a World Heritage Site. Then we ended up spending two weeks in southern Colombia, in a really rural area full of coffee fincas, forests, jungles, rivers, and lots of waterfalls. We fell in love with it and I really thought Mike might buy a coffee finca. It was tempting. We learned how to make maracunya (passion fruit) juice. I have now eaten cuy (guinea pig), goat, llama, alpaca, at least as far as I know. All were really good, with the alpaca being my least favorite although I think what I ate was just not prepared very well (it was really tough and a bit gamey). So now we can hardly wait to get back to Colombia and see more of it. I want to go to Cartagena.
When we got back to Ecuador, our friends showed up, and we all took off for Panama. Our friends (an Australian and a Newfoundlander)
were real troopers and handled the trip well. One of them had sailing experience, for the Newfie, well, it was his first time in a sailboat. This is not a really fun trip or a nice sail. The water tends to be rough and somewhat disorganized, so the boat rolls around a lot. The current is against you coming this direction, as was the wind. Because these guys had to be in Panama by dates certain to get back to their jobs and whatnot, we ended up having to motor a lot rather than try and tack down sailing into the winds. The engine is loud, so it is hard to sleep. But they claimed to enjoy themselves, and asked to return again some time. I reassured the Newfie that this was NOT an example of a fine sail. If the conditions were always like that, no one would ever do it. Another wonderful thing was that our Newfie friend bought us a present - a bottle of Scotch (Macallan or Macallen) that cost SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS. It was not nearly as horrible as other Scotches I have tasted, but Mike appreciated it more than I did. Still, it was impressive. I felt sort of sorry for the bottle - I bet it planned to live out its days in a fine oak cabinet with leaded crystal panes. Now it lives above our stove, living next to a bottle of cheap local rum and a can of Crisco.
After we returned to Panama, we re-provisioned, took care of some chores, and set off for the Perlas Islands, where we spent a number of months in 2013, and a bit of 2014. That is where we are now, and have been out here for over a month. We don't have internet out here. We also have a crew member, a woman from Oklahoma we met in Panama City. She will be with us until we get back to Panama City (in a couple of weeks) and then we have boat stuff to do.
Now the kind of crappy stuff. While we were in Colombia, our boat was broken into and burglarized. They took four computers (two of which were old and did not work well, one that was totally broken, and one really cheap one that did work. Luckily, they left one (A good one) and we had our newest one with us. They also stole a bottle of hot sauce (which made Mike furious). The hatch over the vee berth is broken now. The area was supposed to be patrolled, but there have been a number of break-ins there, and it really seems like the people running the place do not give a shit. It is all really sad. And then - but a bit of background is necessary. This anchorage is in an estuary, and you need a local pilot on board to guide you through the entry, as it is very shallow other than a narrow channel. You also have to go over a surf break. AND it is very important that you go through on the high tide, not before and not after. So our pilot was late, and while he was directing us we ran aground about four times. The pilot looked totally clueless, and really had no idea which way we needed to go to unground ourselves. Mike finally got us going again, and while we sailed on to Panama, we did not notice any problems with navigation or how the boat performed. But when we got to the islands, Mike and I dove under the boat and noticed (to our horror) that about a third of the skeg (a part of the boat that hangs down in front of the rudder to protect it) was torn away. We seem to be sailing okay without it, but it is very important to have. And the fact that it broke right off might indicate some serious problems with overall hull security. It could be like the beginnings of a cracked foundation on a house. So we are hauling the boat out and will have to get a surveyor out to assess the damage. We are going to call our insurer once we get back and find out how they want us to handle it, as the damages might be high. I am hoping they have a local agent (and in Panama that is a real possibility) that can help shepherd us through this. SO keep good thoughts for us that all works out well. We had to have the boat hauled anyway for its yearly bottom painting, so we will have to see. We should know in about a month - that is how long it will take us to decide to leave the islands and head for Panama City (about 45 miles from where we are anchored) and get our haul out scheduled. It is a total bummer, but we will just have to wait and see what happens with it.
That brings us up to date here. I apologise to anyone who was worried about us, but remember that no news is usually good news here.
We have a lot of safety stuff including emergency GPS beacons that can be set off if we are in trouble, and any ship that is close will come and rescue us. We always have people know where we are going and when we can expect to get there, and other cruisers watch out for each other and keep in touch while traveling via the SSB radio. So again, all is well, sailing is great, and the beaches and
warm water cannot be beat! (P.S. As an added safety feature, we are studying celestial navigation.)
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