Panama!

We left Golfito, last port in Costa Rica, on July 10 (ish). We had an overnight run down the coast to the first anchorage in Panama. Actually, we could have gone to Isla Partida in one day but it’s a national park and they charge $25/day just to anchor. Needless to say, that translates to a case of beer/day to anchor, thus we kept going. We had a rough sail, against swell and wind the entire way down, arriving in the Seca Islands exhausted. After a tall rum and coke, we crashed for 13 hours straight.

The anchorage was beautiful, well protected. Some gringo put in a “5 star” resort there consisting of 5-7 yurts. These yurts are more than just tents…air conditioning, power, water, full kitchens, big decks with views, etc. Two of them were located on their own islands, thus you had total privacy. Of course, they also installed their own air field on the island as well. The book says we couldn’t go on shore but of course, we did. We roamed around and explored and never got a visit from the live on site security guard.

After the tour, I tackled cleaning up the stern of the boat. When you run an engine that burns and leaks as much oil as mine, the stern of the boat slowly turns black. If you keep up with it every stop, it’s not bad. If you let it go for 3-4 months (like me), it a full day job of floating in the water and scrubbing with WD40, fiberglass cleaner and wax and laundry detergent (yes, this breaks down oil better than anything). Next, I’ll begin cleaning and waxing the hull, probably breaking it up in quarters to make it easier. While I was outside, Erin was inside scrubbing the cabin sole, galley and head (that’s the floor, kitchen and bathroom for all you land-lubbers).

We’re now anchored over in Bahia Muertos, heading to Bahia Honda tomorrow. There we can get some basic provisions (bread and beer) and plan our route south. Once we turn the corner and head into Panama Bay (where the Canal, it’ll be against wind and current, not a fun run. That will be our last overnight before going through the Canal.

The plan is to spend a few weeks exploring the Perla Islands before going through the Canal. My parents plan on flying down the last week of Aug, first week of Sept to go through with us. Also, Timo will moor his boat in the Perlas and help us go through as well. There’s a lot of prep work to do on the boat beforehand (remove solar panels, bimini and perhaps some welding). Not sure on the welding yet, will need to wait to see what the pilot says about the position of my cleats and guides. Anyway, we’ll need 4 strong line handlers, thus I plan on using Erin, Dad and Timo. I know a lot of other boats going through around the same time so I’m hoping I can pick up one of my friends from along the way.

From the Canal, I plan on cruising the San Blas Islands, then making my way to Cartagene, Colombia. From there, I need to decide to either beat my way towards Bonaire or head up and try to reach for the BVI’s via Dominican Republic and/or Puerto Rico. From there, I’ll be ok and can pinch my way down the islands, probably ending up in Trinidad for a haul out and new paint job some time in March timeframe. From there, I may sail my boat back to the states and put her on the market. Love the boat but I eventually need to go back to work sooner or later….not looking forward to that at all.