We Are Back!!!!!

After 16 months of silence, we are finally back to updating the website. Following our trek to Macchu Picchu in November 2007, many events have dominated our time, some on Dream Caper but most on land.

2007 to June December 2008

From December 2007 to March 2008, we managed to spend some time in the San Blas Islands enjoying the gorgeous islands, buying more molas, spearfishing, kayaking, socializing with cruisers from around the world, and, of course, working on boat projects. Remember: Cruising is fixing one’s boat in exotic places!

We had a number of guests visit us in the San Blas Islands during this time. Mako (Portia’s son) flew to the islands the week before Christmas and we had a blast snorkeling and spearfishing. Mako got his first fish with the spear! Mako also took the helm and enjoyed our robust sails between islands. On New Year’s Eve we had 17 cruiser friends for a party on Dream Caper. It was cozy. One couple brought a large stuffed turkey! At midnight we shot off old flares.

For 2 weeks in early February, 2008, we left Dream Caper in the care of a French couple at Panamarina, a mooring marina, on the coast of Panama, some 50 miles west of the San Blas Islands. We flew to Guadalajara, Mexico for the Guadalajara Senior Tennis Tournament at the plush Guadalajara Country Club. We spent a few weeks getting ready while staying with Portia’s brother, Geff, and wife Debbie in Chapala, Mexico. It is a doubles only tournament with no mixed doubles. Steve had fun playing with his partner, Roland (from Belgium), as did Portia with her partner, Mari (Mexican). It was 4 days of fun tennis and social events.

Immediately after the Guadalajara tournament, Portia flew to Tucson, Arizona to conduct an arbitration. Someone has to pay for the boat repairs!! After returning to Panama City, we flew to California for Steve’s mother’s operation. We just wanted to be close during this time. She did fine, not really needing our help at all.

A week later we were back in Panama City. Our close friend, Sahika, who owns the Panama Sailing School and who lived in our Panama City condo for over 2 years, and her 13-year old daughter Jamila (our “niece”), Steve and Portia drove to Punta Chame, one hour from Panama City, to take kiteboarding lessons. It was a challenge. Definitely something to work on.

We finally returned to Dream Caper in early March. In our absence, Michel, a wonderful French mechanic, had repaired our generator which was still under warranty. Miraculously, the repair part arrived and Michel repaired it in our absence. Sometimes things work smoothly.

Sahika and Jamila, stayed with us for 4 days in the San Blas Islands. We frolicked in the Caribbean, snorkeling in our favorite spots, and played Mexican Train (dominoes). Luck was with us when our (Sahika’s, too) British cruiser friends on Songline, John and Barbara, came through the San Blas Islands on their way to Cartagena, Colombia and called us. It was a fun reunion.

Xavier (Belgium), our kiteboarding teacher, flew to the San Blas Islands and gave us 5 days more instruction in this sport, but with only 2 days of good wind. We improved our kiteboarding skills, but still did not manage to stay up for long. The highlight was Xavier getting his kite stuck in a palm tree when he hotdogged too close to shore. It became an international incident when a Kuna Indian came by and took a few whacks of the palm tree with a machete. The nearby cruisers went up in arms and the chopping stopped. This was a big tree so there was very little damage done. Ultimately, another Kuna came by who knew how to climb palms. He quickly scampered up to the top of the 75’ palm and cut the kite loose.

Our cruiser friend whom we met in the Sea of Cortez in 2004, Sandy, and friend Chuck, spent a week on Dream Caper in the San Blas. Despite their colds/flu we managed to show them a few of the beautiful San Blas Islands.

In late April we returned to our French mechanic to add a switch to the generator set up and to Shelter Bay Marina to have Dream Caper’s hulls repainted since the paint job in November did not seem to work well. We had too much bottom growth for such new paint, and some bare spots. Luckily, the marina warranted their work and did not charge for the haul-out or repainting. Hauling Dream Caper out of the water is always an event and causes us a lot of worry, but all went well.

In mid-May, our long time friend, Jim, from Detroit, and his wife Edie, traveled with us on Dream Caper from Colon to Portobelo, then to the Chagras River and then back to Shelter Bay Marina (Colon) during a quick 3-day visit. We had wonderful weather and even found a little waterfall and fresh water pond off the Chagras River.

On May 26, 2008, we transited the Panama Canal, arriving in the Pacific Ocean on May 27, after an overnight on Gatun Lake. It was a rainy but beautiful night transit ending in sunny weather the next day in the Miraflores Locks as we entered the Pacific Ocean. Immediately after passing under the Bridge of the Americas, we stopped at the Balboa Yacht Club, dropped off 3 of our crew, and took on representatives of the Helle Hanson Clothing company who are sponsors of Sahika’s Panama Sailing School. We sailed around the Causeway islands and anchored in front of Panama City for hors d’oeuvres and drinks. It was exhausting, transiting the canal and then entertaining, but it all went well.

We spent the first 2 weeks of June getting Dream Caper ready for skippered only charters with Sahika’s sailing school. Steve built a mooring for Dream Caper. It was made of a large tractor tire, a bus tire, lots of rebar and cement. Once all was put together it was dropped in the water by a large backhoe and then moved by a floating winch to its resting spot. It worked! Dream Caper spent June through April, 10 months, on this mooring while being watched over by the sailing school. Unfortunately or fortunately, depending how you look at it, there were few charters primarily because of Sahika’s departure from Panama due to medical reasons..

June 2008 to February 2009

During this time, we flew to California, in mid-June 2008, and proceeded to do land travel. First, a trip to Southern California to visit friends and family. On the way South, Portia finally got to see Hearst Castle. We also spent a few weeks in the Tahoe-Reno area visiting Portia’s brother, Geff, and participating in a World Team Tennis event playing on Geff’s team. We took second place, even though we finished with more points than the winning team, because they had beat us in the first round by a few points. It was a fun event.

Then we spent a month in Kauai at our Poipu Kai condo playing tennis, enjoying the beauty of the place and relishing the island food. Our friends, Marie and Roy, from Mill Valley, joined us for a week. We hiked the wild Napali Coast trail, truly one of the prettiest and challenging hikes in the world. A Kauai friend loaned us a beat-up minivan which we happily used during our stay. We truly looked like locals as we dragged out our kiteboards and thrashed around in the surf.

We spent October and November in Chapala, Mexico. We were lucky to be guests of Danny and Eileen for a month in their lovely lakefront home before moving in with Geff and Debbie, in their hillside rental house. We enjoyed biking to the tennis courts and around town. We played tennis 5-6 days per week in matches that were challenging and fun. There are many consistently good players at the courts.

We happily flew back to California to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner with Steve’s family and Mako. This was the first Thanksgiving in the U.S. in five years. It was great to be with family!

In early December we spent 2 weeks in Panama City, meeting with Sahika and helping her pack up some of her belongings. In September, she had to suddenly move to Florida to seek cancer treatment. It was wonderful spending time with her, but sad that she was bidding Panama farewell. We spent a week cleaning out the condo and getting it ready to be rented. A friend who lives in the condo complex agreed to be our rental agent. We will rent the condo out on a short term basis.

We agreed to allow Sahika’s sailing school to continue chartering Dream Caper through February, and flew to Guadalajara, back to Chapala for 2 months. During this time, we played lots of tennis, enjoyed wonderful dinners with friends and Geff and Debbie, and just plain had fun. Raspberries are grown on the shores of Lake Chapala 10 months out of the year. We enjoyed fresh raspberries for only $2 a small bucket! We also entered the Guadalajara Tennis Tournament again and had some great matches.

February 2009 to April 2009

In mid-February we returned to Panama City to reclaim Dream Caper. We have been enjoying staying in the condominium while we get Dream Caper back into cruising shape. With Sahika’s departure, Dream Caper was not as well cared for as we would have hoped. As a result, we had her pulled out of the water where she remained for 8 days for repairs and repainting. She had developed blisters in her fiberglass hulls which took a few extra days to grind these out. While she was on the hard, the diesel mechanic worked on the saildrives, both of which had water in the oil and needed new seals. We had the stains rubbed out of the fiberglass above the waterline, and then covered the cleaned and freshly painted hulls with a polymer coating which will hopefully not only protect the finish but make it slip through the water faster!

We spent a few weeks managing some of the finances of the sailing school for Sahika. She has taken on a few partners, but leading up to this change in management we have been helping Sahika, who is still in Florida, collect income, pay salaries and pay operational costs. On April 1, the new management took over and we were greatly relieved to go back to being retired and just working on our boat.

We now have a new dinghy, made in Venezuela. Our 6-year old dinghy sprung some leaks which required pumping twice a day to keep it rigidly inflated. Since the dinghy is our main connection between boat and land, we decided to make this purchase in Panama City before we leave for parts unknown. We have also just received a new solar controller for our solar panels. For some reason the old controller, and both engine alternators burned out last week. The alternators are back on line as well.

On Thursday, April 2, we attended the American Society Auction to benefit a local children’s charity. The last item of the auction was an Rocna (New Zealand) anchor. Almost everyone had left so we won the bid at $65 for a $500 anchor! We know the distributor, so we have now arranged to trade in this anchor (33 pounds) for a bigger one (55 pounds) which will replace our Bruce as our main anchor. The Rocna anchor is designed to instantly set and reportedly has great holding power.

So, with newly painted bottoms, a new solar controller, new dinghy, new anchor and a new attitude to get back out on the water, we are ready to go!! We now have an estimated time of departure and itinerary! We expect to sail out of Panama City on April 12, to the Perlas Islands, some 60 miles south of Panama City where we plan to stay for 3 weeks. From there we will sail south past Colombia to Ecuador, a 5-7 day sail. Ecuador is out of the hurricane zone and does not have heavy rains or electrical storms like Panama during the rainy season. We plan to leave Dream Caper in Bahia de Caraquez, an estuary on a river, just north of Manta, Ecuador from June through December. We will be traveling in the U.S. and Mexico during this period, and, in September, traveling to Okinawa, Japan where Portia has an arbitration scheduled. When we return to Ecuador we expect to spend some time traveling inland to visit Ecuador and other parts of South America before deciding where next to take Dream Caper.

MACHU PICCHU, PERU

Machu Picchu sparkled at our feet in the early morning sun, 1100 feet below and one mile away. It was a spectacular sight not only because of its beauty and vast size on the lush green mountain top high in the Andes of Peru but because it was our reward for having endured the last 3 ½ days of camping and trekking 27 miles on the Inca Trail.

We signed up for the Imperial Service 4-Day Inca Trail Hike along with Portia’s brother Geff and wife Debbie, and with Brant and Shirley, two good friends whom we met while cruising last year in the San Blas Islands. After spending a night in Lima, we flew to Puno to visit Lake Titicaca, the world’s highest navigable lake, and to spend a few days at an altitude of 12,200 feet in preparation for the almost 14,000 feet passes we would be encountering on the Inca Trail. In Puno, a few of us experienced headaches but no other serious side effects from the altitude. It was cold and rainy, and a big change from the tropical weather of Panama. It was so cold that our bed and breakfast family placed hot water bottles in our beds! We took a boat ride to the reed islands on Lake Titicaca to visit islands totally built of reeds with reed houses, reed boats, indigenous people who eat reeds and reed-eating guinea pigs, all floating amongst the reeds growing in the lake. It was unusual.

After 2 days in Puno, we took an 8-hour bus ride to Cuzco, stopping at 4 Inca ruin sites and going over a 14,200 foot pass. At this point Steve and I were chewing on coca leaves, drinking coca tea and sucking on coca candy which effectively took away our altitude headaches. The cocaine in these leaves is so minute that we would have to eat bushels of it to experience anything other than a thinning of the blood to relieve headaches. We continued our addiction to coca leaves for the next week especially chewing on them as we hiked the Inca Trail.

Cuzco was the “belly button,” the center, of the Inca Empire in the 12th Century and today it is the hub for travel to Machu Picchu and the Sacred Valley areas. We found many restaurants surrounding its attractive main plaza and many Inca ruins in the city itself. On Thanksgiving Day, before dawn, the 6 of us were bussed along with our 10 porters and guide to kilometer marker # 82 to start the hike. Reservations are a must; passports and permits were checked by officials as we entered the trail. Strict rules are posted to protect the environment and each porter’s load is weighed by officials to ensure porters are not overloaded.

Our first day was the easy “flat” day’; we hiked for 7 hours (8.5 miles) going from 9000 feet to 10,800 feet. As we marched along the trail, our 10 porters overtook us at their quick pace, carrying our belongings, tents, sleeping bags, food, chairs, cooking pots, plates, cups, eating utensils and dining table. Each day after breakfast we happily walked off with the guide while the porters broke down our camp into neat packs. They would then quickly pass us on the trail and then have a delicious lunch waiting for us in our dining tent, table set with folded napkins, as we straggled in. Before every meal, a warm bowl of water, soap and a towel were provided to each of us. After lunch we again strolled off while the porters packed everything up only to pass us soon and have “happy hour” snacks and juices/hot drinks ready upon our arrival at our next camp site, followed by an abundant dinner expertly prepared by the porter-cook.

The second day was the “long day,” 11 hours (9.5 miles) during which we climbed to 13,800 feet, descended to 11,700 feet and then climbed to 13,200 feet. Steve and Debbie outpaced us all, arriving at the passes with seemingly little effort. Shirley suffered from altitude sickness in the form of cramping in both legs and extreme breathlessness which made her progress slow. Brant at age 73, without aid of coca leaves or walking stick, carried Shirley’s pack. Geff and Portia progressed steadily until hitting the 13,000 feet mark, at which point they had to stop every 30 feet to catch their breath. At lunch Shirley took altitude sickness prescription medicine and within 2 hours her cramping ceased and she forged onward at a steady pace. Rain and mist at the passes made the trek more interesting and a sauna effect was created by our bodies from the ponchos we wore. Our 4-man tents (big enough for 2 people to sleep in or 4 people to huddle in balls) were very comfortable and kept us dry but our sweat soaked shirts from the day’s hike never dried in the humid environment of the tent.

The third day was a short, “down, down, down” day. After a little climb to 12,100 feet from 11,800, we descended to 8800 feet, mostly in the rain over a period of 5 hours and covering only 6 miles. Most everyone’s knees hurt, except Debbie and Brant. Geff was hit with altitude sickness symptoms of nausea, lack of appetite and extremely sore knees but recovered by the next day. We all happily fell into out sleeping bags after a farewell ceremony for the porters following dinner at which time we presented them with their tips. Their regular pay is $17 per day each; they look forward to the tip money. And they certainly deserve it! They carry about 60 pounds each on their small frames (average height was about 5’2”) and most wear open toe rubber sandals as they carefully step on the uneven surfaces of the Inca Trail.

Our camp site on this last night was crowded and very wet. We were in the cloud forest and it poured off and on. There is a restaurant/bar with real flushing toilets and beautiful Inca ruins (Winay Huayna) nearby, all only accessible via the trail. Many one-day Inca Trail hikers stay one night here before descending into Machu Picchu. Because of the limited camping space, our tents were positioned so that the entrances were only a few inches from a ledge and we all feared falling into the abyss (about a 10 foot drop into heavy wet brush) during a night bathroom run. Speaking of bathrooms, there was some form of toilet at each of our lunch stops and campsites, ranging from a simple hole in the floor, to a flushing hole in the floor, to the fancy flushing toilet without a seat, all of which challenged one’s thigh muscles as one orchestrated keeping pant cuffs off the usually wet floor, careful balancing, flashlight strategically aimed, and paper ready. Enough said, probably too much information for some, but an interesting reality fact to others.

On the fourth day, we were up at 4:00 am, breakfast at 4:30 and on the trail by 5:00, because the final official checkpoint before entering Machu Picchu opens at 5:30 am. After a brief wait in line, we walked the one hour to the Sun Gate, the vista overlooking Machu Picchu. Flowers including orchids, colorful moss, and all forms of lush greenery abound in this area. The last 50 steps up to the Sun Gate were so vertical and uneven that we did not look up as we climbed for fear of falling backwards. 70% of the amazing Inca Trail is original, dating back to the 12th Century. Miles and miles of the Inca Trail were constructed on the sides of steep mountains, raised high in the air by enormous walls built of fitted rocks with hundreds of feet drop offs on one side. What an engineering feat! Whenever we heard the call, “Porters!!” we quickly moved to the uphill side of the path rather than chancing being knocked off the ledge/downhill side. At a few places, the trail itself goes right through caves in huge rocks, one for a distance of 30 feet.

As we descended from the Sun Gate (this was a control gate once used by the Incas), the views of Machu Picchu were fabulous at every level. And then upon arriving at the site, the huge size of the one time city/temple becomes apparent. From the incredible walls of rock which have been ground to fit perfectly together, to the Sun Temple with its windows positioned to precisely receive the sun’s light during the Winter and Summer Solstices, to the amazing water system running through small grooved channels in the rocks, to the beautiful vistas of the river far below and towering 20,000 foot mountains nearby, Machu Picchu is truly spectacular and is justifiably one of the 7 wonders of the world. Since we arrived just after sunrise, the crowds had not yet appeared and we were able to enjoy unencumbered access to the highlights of the site as wonderfully described by our Inca Trail guide.

After a fond farewell to our guide, we took the bus down the hairpin turns to the river, to the small town of Aguas Calientes where the end of the line train terminal is located. Because the train is the only way to access this town, its quiet narrow streets are free of cars. Only the buses ferrying visitors to and from Machu Picchu move up and down the wide road along the river until dark. We checked into our hostal (room with private bath and breakfast) overlooking the river for $35 per night. A nice hot shower after 4 days on the trail was simply delicious and socially necessary since we planned to meet for dinner later. The next day Steve, Portia and Shirley indulged in one-hour massages at a cost of $25 each, a well deserved treat. After enjoying an early dinner, we caught the train for a 3-hour ride back to where we started the hike, and from there we endured a hair-raising van ride in the dark back to Cuzco. This ride served as a reality check and made the 4-day hike seem like a walk in the park.

In Cuzco from our quaint bed and breakfast, we leisurely visited historical sites within the city and visited 5 Inca sites during a one-day horseback ride on horses that were so skinny that we should have carried them! We found a few delicious restaurants and lots of desserts to satisfy even the biggest chocoholic in the group, Steve. After returning from our 4-day trek, we happily discovered that we were able to more easily climb the steep stairs leading to our bed and breakfast. Our legs were definitely stronger as were our lungs! After 13 days in Peru, we were ready to leave Cuzco at 11,000 feet to seek a warmer climate at sea level. We had endured living and breathing at high altitudes, visited the miraculous Machu Picchu and numerous other ruins, cruised Lake Titicaca, visited the reed islands and SURVIVED the 4-day hike on the Inca Trail!!!!

November 10, 2007 - Back in Panama

In mid-June 2007, Dream Caper was hauled out and stored on the hard at Shelter Bay Marina, Colon, Panama for the lightening/rainy season (June to November). Panama is south of the hurricane zone so at least we don’t have to worry about hurricanes, only lightening strikes to the mast that can burn out our entire electrical system. We just keep our fingers crossed!

We flew to the Bay Area for a few days and then drove to Monterey to celebrate our wedding anniversary. We enjoyed lunch at Pebble Beach overlooking the 18th hole on a gorgeously sunny day and had 2 wonderful dinners with Portia’s son, Mako, who lives in Santa Cruz and is the head skydive instructor at Skydive Monterey. Our hotel was right on the beach (It seems we are always drawn to the ocean). We played tennis in Pacific Grove and visited the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After a few days in the Bay Area, we drove south to LA-San Diego, to visit good friends and relatives for a few weeks.

We then spent a week at the Northstar Resort in Tahoe attending its tennis camp where we tried to improve our tennis games while huffing and puffing at 6500’ elevation. We then flew to Kauai (Hawaii) for 5 weeks. We enjoyed Portia’s condo which is in the Poipu Kai Resort right next to the tennis courts. It was good tennis everyday with wonderful local players. We play tennis nonstop when on land because for the 6-7 months we are on Dream Caper, there are no tennis courts on the many small islands and inlets at which we anchor.

We moved on to Mexico on Sept 29: first, one week in Puerto Vallarta and then 4 weeks at Lake Chapala (south of Guadalajara). Lake Chapala is where Portia’s brother spends over 1/2 the year to get away from the Tahoe snows. Lake Chapala is at 5200’, is surrounded by large hills and is a vast shallow lake with small communities on its shores. Many Canadians and Americans retire here because the climate is moderate with low humidity. Wonderful restaurants abound in the area: Eastern European, Japanese, Greek, Barbeque, Chinese, Mexican, Argentinian, Italian, Coffee Cafes, and much more. There is great tennis at Cristiana Park (6 courts) in the City of Chapala. We have become acquainted with many of the players so we have been busy playing 4 to 6 sets a day, pretty much everyday. We arrived here 2 weeks before Portia’s brother because he was delayed by the remodeling project on their house in North Lake Tahoe.

Happily we stayed in luxury at a friend’s house right on Lake Chapala. Last year we met JR in Bocas del Toro, Panama at the marina there. Dream Caper was tied up just across the dock from Moon & Stars, JR’s and his wife Lupe’s 47’ catamaran. We became good friends with JR who we saw again at the Miami Boat Show and then in Colon. JR’s wife, Lupe, owns a beautifully landscaped 6 acre estate on Lake Chapala. The grounds are absolutely stunning! The estate is maintained by 6 full time gardeners and 3 maids. When Lupe offered to have us stay in one of the 2 large houses on the property, we eagerly accepted. Because Lupe lives and works in Guadalajara and Puerto Vallarta, we unfortunately only saw her once during our stay. Before leaving Chapala, we had a “Behind the Wall Party” at the estate. There were 36 tennis players and partners in attendance. It was with great sadness we left Chapala on Nov. 7.

We are now on Dream Caper which is “on the hard” (out of the water) and much work is being done to install our new generator, rearrange the electrical system, and finish a number of repair projects. Boat projects never end!!!! And, it is raining, raining, raining. The rainy season is still here. Chris, our mechanic/electrician friend, on the sailing vessel Aquamarine is helping Steve install the new generator and upgrade the electrical system. When he completes work on Dream Caper, Chris and his family will transit the Panama Canal and sail to the Galapagos and then the S. Pacific. We hope to join them on the crossing in April 2008. Before splashing Dream Caper back into the water, we will have both hulls painted and take care of other out-of-the water projects.

On Nov. 16, we will fly to Peru for 13 days, during which time we will visit Lake Titicaca and then hike the Andes to Macchu Picchu. Portia’s brother and wife, Geff and Debbie, along with Shirley and Brant, cruisers on the sailing vessel Bruja, will join us in Peru. It should be an interesting trip gasping for air at 14,000 feet!!! We are looking forward to seeing the beauty of Peru with this fun group of people. We will be back on Dream Caper by Dec. 1. We guess it will take us a week to get her ready to sail to the San Blas Islands for the months of December to February. If all systems are working well on Dream Caper, if the stars line up properly with the sun and moon, and if the timing is right with our business circumstances, (so many factors here!), we will re-transit the Panama Canal and sail to the Galapagos in March 2008 with a planned Pacific crossing to the Marquesas in April. We shall see….Life is ever changing. We just go with the flow.

Panama City, Panama

In late March we returned to Panama City (from our one-month stay in the U.S.) where we spent a few days with our good friends, Sahika and Jamila, at the condo and then provisioned for our expected 2+ months in the San Blas Islands. Panama City has most everything one could want in provisioning. At the large Super Kosher Market, we purchased kosher salami and pita bread. At the Mini Max Fruteria, we loaded up with short grain rice, wasabi, sushi seaweed, fresh vegetables and herbs, and other necessary Asian items. At PriceSmart, the Costco of Central America, we bought large quantity items such as toilet paper, paper towels, tuna, almonds, walnuts, and cheese.

From Panama City, we hitched a ride with our generator mechanic (who was scheduled to come to our boat) for the 2.5 hour car ride to Shelter Bay Marina in Colon. We then sailed Dream Caper east, arriving in the San Blas Islands on March 27. It was wonderful seeing our friends on Nautibear, Bruja, KimTah and Sipapu. We immediately spent a week visiting the populated islands of La Maquina, Rat Island, Soledad Miria and Rio Sidro where we purchased molas and fresh Kuna bread. Kuna bread is large cigar shaped breads with pointed ends and are delicious when hot from the oven. Day old Kuna bread is also yummy when fried or toasted and used like crackers. Cost: 3 to 5 cents each.

On these populated islands, the dirt on the pathways and in the huts are so tramped down from use that it forms a very hard surface. Because we were a group of 6 cruisers visiting these islands, the Kuna Indian women readily displayed their molas on fences or in their hands as we walked past. Kuna children greeted us with “Hola! Hola!” and the older children loved to have their photos taken so they could look at themselves in the viewfinders. When going onto these islands the Sahila, chief, usually greeted us and welcomed us to the island. The Kuna Indians were all friendly and tolerant of foreigners taking pictures and walking through on their small pathways. We were invited into the homes of two master mola makers, Vinasio on La Maquina Island, and Bellasario on Rat Island. The huts are thatched with reed walls. The only furniture are hammocks in which they sleep and which are put away during the day. There were a few plastic lawn chairs for visitors and the kitchen is usually just a fire pit. The molas we have purchased all have a smokey smell to them, the smell of the inside of their huts. Plumbing is non-existent. Toilets are all located on the outer edges of the islands over the water. Waste goes directly into the sea.

After our visit to the populated islands, we anchored at the smaller islands of Gunboat Island (one hut/one Kuna family on the island), Salardup (uninhabited), and Los Crullos Island (small hotel/restaurant, 7 rooms with sand floors) before returning to the main anchorage at the “Swimming Pool” in E. Holandes. We snorkeled on the reefs that surround or border one side of the islands. We practiced yoga on Salardup until the no-seeums scared us away.

While anchored in the “Hot Tub” anchorage in E. Holandes, Steve was working on our dinghy outboard because it would not run. The outboard had not recovered from when the dinghy flipped over in January during Steve’s attempt to rescue a sailboat on the reef. A powered grocery ulu (canoe) came by and Geraldo, the outboard operator on the grocery boat, asked what was the problem and after he finished his run to all of the boats in the anchorage, he returned to carefully open up our motor, totally clean out the carburetor and put it back together. The engine immediately ran smoothly and during our 2 months in the San Blas it worked like it was new. What did Geraldo charge? A few gallons of gas for his own outboard motor.

We did not have the services of our watermaker the past 2 months because our main generator is beyond repair and it powers our watermaker. So, luckily we received lots of wonderful rain, at times collecting 50 gallons at once. With our new (used) sewing machine and sunbrella fabric, Portia made a gutter style raincatcher which fits under the edge of our salon roof. This replaced the one we made last year out of blue tarp material which has since sprung a leak. Speaking of sewing, after making very careful measurements, we made a sunbrella sun cover for our Hobie (foot pedaled) tandem kayak (purchased in Panama City last December) which we keep on deck. It was quite a chore since Portia has never sewn something so large. The kayak is 14.5’ by 3’ in the middle. Happily the cover fits like a glove. It is zippered (13’ zipper) and has drainage vents on the bottom. The sewing machine has been very useful this season. Portia refurbished the salon curtains, made a vegetable hammock out of netting and repaired the mainsail coverlet. Next season’s sewing project will be a big one, a cover for the dinghy.

Steve spent many hours spearfishing. He regularly provided us with plenty of fish for our meals and for the Monday evening potluck dinners at Potluck Island in the “Swimming Pool” anchorage. We met lots of cruisers at these potlucks and tasted some delicious food. We spent many fun evenings playing a game called Baja Rummy with Alan and Dee from Sunflower (Australia). Alan helped us on a number of projects, including new radio antenna, diagnosis of our portable generator problem, and getting the frozen padlock off of our outboard motor lock. Portia was able to do yoga on several occasions on Potluck Island while anchored in the “Swimming Pool”.

In late May, the lightening and accompanying thunder began. Many boats have been hit by lightening in the San Blas during the previous rainy seasons, from June to November, but the winds are less and the water calmer during this time. One night we were anchored next to a small island on which 7 of the 10 palm trees had no tops, presumably blown off by lightening. When the lightening came that night, we were very nervous! All and all it was time for us to leave the islands. We could feel the thunder vibrate in the boat and the lightening crack and thunder were getting closer together. It is time to take Dream Caper out of the water and store her on land. We returned to Shelter Bay Marina in Colon, Panama on June 2 and after 3 days of getting the boat cleaned and ready for 6 months of storage, she was hauled out on June 5 by the marina’s new 100-ton travel lift. It was done very professionally and without any problems.

We spent one week in Panama City from June 6 to 13, visiting with friends, taking care of legal matters, using the internet, playing tennis, taking long showers, letting water run out of the tap to wash our hands, and just hanging out in air conditioned places. While on the boat, Steve and I use a total of 5 gallons of water per day for drinking, washing dishes and showering. Therefore, unlimited water from the tap is purely luxurious for us. We enjoy Panama City very much and can see possibly living here full time down the line. It has modern stores and restaurants. We both just obtained out Tourista Pensionada status which is residency status in Panama. We have 2 year visas whereas visiting tourists must renew their visas after 30 days. With this status we receive the following discounts: 25% on airline tickets, 25% at restaurants, $2 movie tickets (full price is $4).

We have really enjoyed cruising the Caribbean coast of Panama this year. We are finding it difficult to make the decision to leave this wonderful country. Maybe next year? We plan to re-transit the Panama Canal in March 2008, and head to the Galapagos Islands and then the South Pacific. But, then again, we have been planning to head to the South Pacific for the past 3 years. We shall see where we end up as our cruising plans are set in jello and we like it that way! But, for now, we are looking forward to heading back to the U.S. to see family and friends, to play tennis, to enjoy the extraordinary conveniences the US has to offer and to travel to Hawaii and Mexico. We leave the U.S. for Puerto Vallarta and Lake Chapala (Guadalajara) in Mexico on September 29 after which we will return to Dream Caper on November 15.

If you would like to learn more about molas, go to
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mola_%28art_form%29

RESCUE Operation

On January 11, 2007 at 2:30 am we heard a cry for help on the hailing radio channel. As it turned out only 3 of us in the anchorage (7 boats) heard the call. A boat was stuck on the outer reef less than a mile from our anchorage. Steve and I jumped into the dinghy with flashlights and headed to the stricken sailboat. The other boat also went in their dinghy but because we were closer and had a bigger motor, we got there first. It took us 40 minutes to go 1 mile because we had to go through a reef in the dark and bash into 4 foot waves to get there. It was so dark that the distressed vessel had to set off a flare so we could see him.
The 35' sailboat was heeled over on the reef but not enough to take on water. We could not get close to the boat because it was surrounded by very shallow reefs. We held our position for about 30 minutes until he radioed that he was no longer being smashed on the reef and believed that he was not breaking apart as he had thought. Another boat named Melody, 5 miles away, heard what was happening on the radio and offered to motor out immediately, expecting to arrive at first light. Since the singlehandler was no longer in danger of drowning we returned to Dream Caper at 5:00 am. At 5:30 am, Steve took our dinghy and picked up Derek, who was in the other dinghy, and headed to After You, the boat on the reef because Melody had no one on board to help him in the rescue. At about 6:30 am on the radio, I hear Keith, the singlehandler on After You, screaming "Man in the Water! Man in the Water! My God the dinghy has overturned!" several times. Knowing our dinghy was the only one on the scene, I knew it was Steve. Needless to say it was 10 very tense minutes before I heard that Steve's life vest was inflated and that he was swimming toward the rescue boat. He got aboard and was not injured. I was very relieved when Keith reported that Steve was okay. Unfortunately, the dinghy was floating upside down, onto the reef.
After spending 45 minutes trying to raise someone else on the radio in the anchorage to please retrieve our dinghy, another boat responded and headed to the reef in his dinghy. After an hour he was able to get it off the reef, so it was upside down for about 2 hours, the motor totally submerged. Another friend on another boat next to us, came over a few hours later and thoroughly rinsed the dinghy motor with fresh water. The lid/top of the motor was gone and the handle was broken in half. Of course, everything inside the dinghy, including the dinghy anchor, 2 docklines, Derek's mask and fins, his lines, a fender and a bunch of other stuff were lost. The gas tank for the motor was also retrieved. Steve continued in the rescue operation mostly on the rescue boat until 3:30 pm. At least 12 dinghies from other anchorages showed up and a huge effort was made to get After You off the reef. Unfortunately in the process the hull cracked so the rescuers filled their dinghies with valuable items just in case it sank.
At 4:30 pm, after Steve had returned to the boat from exhaustion and after a large power boat arrived to help out, After You was successfully pulled off the reef! Unfortunately because of the 5' long crack in the hull it sank in 1 minute, in 125' of water. Luckily, the rescuers on board including 10 local Kuna Indians who were bailing and pumping water out of After You were able to get off in time so no one was lost or hurt. However, it was a frantic few seconds for all of them as they scrambled off the boat some getting tangled in shrouds, bimini, and wind generator as the boat headed toward the bottom. The rescue power boat had to cut the lines to save himself as After You sank. Heartbreaking after all of the efforts by everyone! But, no one was hurt. Cruisers from miles away sent water pumps and heavy lines via local Kuna Indian boats. We contributed 4 125' 1" docklines, the ones we used to go through the Canal and they were all either broken or went down attached to After You. We also lost 2 docklines that were in the dinghy, a headlamp and miscellaneous items like hat, night light flasher, etc. Keith of After You has offered to reimburse us and everyone who had a loss because of the rescue attempts. He is a retired veterinarian from Missouri who left the East Coast 1.5 years ago in an attempt to circumnavigate the world. I think only the 2 rescue boats will accept compensation for the diesel used and others for water pumps lost. We expect no compensation as it might be us in trouble next time. This is just giving back to the cruising community.
If our outboard motor is revived, we will be happy. It just needs a new lid. A friend on another boat is a mechanic and via out HAM radio we were able to have him talk us through the process of reviving a submerged outboard motor. Another cruiser provided some stainless steel plate and bolts, and helped Steve bolt the broken handle back together. The motor seems to be coming back to life. We need to do a few more oil changes before we can tell if it is okay. We are hoping for a full recovery.
It took volunteer divers including Keith on After You, 4 days to locate where the boat had sunk. Fenders were floating from lines still attached to the boat when it sank but the next day the fenders were gone. It is speculated that Kuna Indians came by and salvaged as much line as they could taking the fenders with them. Keith on After You said it was very interesting seeing Kuna Indians bailing out water on his boat helping him to keep her afloat, yet helping themselves to his t-shirts and other apparel in the process. After You is in 150’ of water and they are going to try to float her within the next week.

Postscript (Jan. 30, 2007): During salvage attempts on After You, some of our lost items have been recovered: part of a large line, 2 docklines, and dinghy anchor. The owner of After You, Keith, is now looking for a replacement boat on which to continue his trip around the world. Salvage attempts are being made by cruiser-divers and items are being returned that were lent in the rescue attempt.

Cruising the San Blas Islands

From December 9, 2006 to February 7, 2007, we cruised the San Blas Islands on Dream Caper. During that time we thoroughly enjoyed the picture perfect islands and made lots of new friends. The cruising community is generally ½ American and ½ European. Also, there are many more catamarans in the Caribbean than in the Pacific. In one anchorage there were 2 other boats of the same model as Dream Caper.

Our days were spent snorkeling, kayaking and exploring many small islands. We took a wonderful hike up the Rio Sidro River on mainland Panama with several other cruisers visiting a Kuna Indian cemetery on the way. Kuna families and friends often cook and eat dinner in the cemetery to be near their loved ones. It was wonderfully refreshing to frolic in the freshwater river and wash the salt water out of our hair. On the return trip we hiked right through the river rather than taking the trails back. It was a blast jumping off rock cliffs and swimming in order to continue our progress back to the ulu. The “ulu” is a dugout canoe. For this trip, the ulu was large and motorized, capable of carrying 14 adult passengers. Our boats were anchored some 6 miles away at a wonderful island named Salardup. Through the waves it took us an hour in the ulu. The cost of the hike including the ulu ride? $8 including a Kuna guide.

We are often asked what we do in a typical day on the boat. Here is an example: Portia is usually up by 6:30 am, after the sun has been up for a ½ hour. She checks email over the HAM radio using the computer. Steve is usually up by 8:00 am. We eat breakfast and listen to the Panama Connection Cruisers’ Net on the Ham radio at 8:30 am. Most cruisers listen to the Net to hear what is happening in the cruising community. Boats check in and report on weather and sea conditions from Cartagena (Columbia), Honduras, Ecuador, Belize, Costa Rica, the Galapagos and Panama City. Any boat emergencies or news of interest involving cruising in our area are reported. Sometimes significant world news is also reported. Those cruisers needing information or repair parts or assistance ask their questions. It is remarkable how most of the questions get satisfactory answers and how often some solution is found for needed parts or information. The cruisers connect with each during the Net, often giving one liners to each other or changing to another frequency to carry on a conversation.

Immediately following the Net which usually lasts until 9:15 am, we take the dinghy or kayak to a nearby island to do yoga with Shirley from the sailing vessel Bruja. We enjoy wonderful yoga on towels under the palm trees, with the sounds of water lapping on the beach. It is truly invigorating and good for us. After visiting a little while afterwards, we usually get back to the boat around 11:30 am, just in time to clean up and have lunch. There is always something to be repaired on the boat so we usually do chores for a few hours. In mid-afternoon, we are normally in the water snorkeling or kayaking. We often take the dinghy to coral reefs in the area looking for good snorkeling locations. Steve likes to spearfish so we are often in the water for a few hours. The air temperature is usually about 85 degrees and the water temperature is 84 degrees. After snorkeling or kayaking we usually relax before cooking up the fish for dinner. Often times we have another boat over for drinks and snacks or we go to other boats to do the same. A favorite evening is “Burn Garbage” night when all of the cruisers in the area bring their burnable trash to the beach to be burned in a large bonfire. We all bring drinks and snacks to enjoy as the sun goes down and our trash gets burned. It is always a happy occasion to get the garbage off of our boats. There is no trash service in the San Blas Islands. Often Kuna Indians will take cruisers trash for a fee and them simply throw it in the water. So, we either carry out what we have brought in or burn it.

By dark, all cruisers are normally back to their boats unless they are visiting another boat for dinner or an evening of dominoes or cards. Even then, a late night is 9:00 or 10:00 pm. On evenings when we are alone on our boat, we are usually in bed around 8:30 to 9:00 pm. It is dark by 7 pm so 2 hours of using electricity for overhead lights is enough draw on the batteries. Many evenings we pick a movie from our 350 movie CD library on board. We often exchange movies with other cruisers for variety.

Cruising in the San Blas Islands is outstanding in so many ways. Besides being surrounded by outrageously gorgeous scenery every day, there is an abundance of delicious fish to catch and cook. Steve regularly shoots small reef fish for every day eating. We drag 2 fishing lines with lures when we sail between islands. In early February we caught two 10# tunas at once on the drag lines. The tuna rolled in sesame seeds and singed in a hot pan for a few seconds resulted in yummy sashimi dipped in wasabi! Steve shot a huge grouper while snorkeling a few days later. It was 25# and it bent the steel spear into a pretzel. It was delicious and we invited 2 other couples over for dinner, sent them home with fresh grouper to cook, and later gave pounds of it away in Colon when we returned to the marina. On our sail from the San Blas to Colon, we caught a nice sized Wahoo. We have been providing fish to lots of cruisers in the past month.
There are a few enterprising Kuna Indians who sell fresh fruit and vegetables to cruisers. Thank heavens, because the small tiendas (stores) on the islands have very little to offer in the way of fresh produce. For the 2 months we were in the San Blas our generator was not working and since it powers our watermaker we had to obtain fresh water from islands close to the mainland, mostly river water. It was a chore to tie up at the small island docks and have water carried in 5 gallon jerry cans until our 160 gallon tank was full. On the other hand, it gave us a chance to see village life on the more densely populated islands.

After securing Dream Caper at the Shelter Bay Marina in Colon, we spent 2 days in Panama City before departing on February 14. We flew to Miami for the big Miami Boat Show mostly to check out generators, buy a few boat parts, and view some of the new catamarans on the market, just out of curiosity. After 3 days in Miami, we flew to San Francisco to do taxes, check up on our properties, visit friends and family, and ski a few days on fresh Sierra snow. Portia’s son Mako joined us for great skiing through the trees!!! After 3 weeks we will fly back to Panama City and then Colon, to Dream Caper and return to the San Blas Islands for 2-3 more months before putting Dream Caper on the hard at the Shelter Bay Marina sometime in June, assuming their new lift and storage area will be completed and ready for us.

Christmas in Panama/San Blas Islands

On December 7, 2007, we left Shelter Bay Marina, Colon, Panama for the 100 mile trip east to the San Blas Islands. We made 2 overnight stops on the way and arrived at Chichime anchorage (San Blas Islands) on December 9. We checked into the Kuna Yala Port Captain’s office on December 10, paid the $8 fee and started our exploration of these beautiful islands. Most of the islands are only a few miles apart. The tradewinds at this time of year are wonderfully cooling making sleeping at night very comfortable. Temperatures are in the mid-80’s with the water temperature is between 83-84 degrees. The longest trip we have made within the islands is from Porvenir, port of entry island, to Nargana, some 20 miles east.

On December 19, we left Dream Caper anchored off Nargana in the care of Frederico, a trusted Kuna Indian, who at night sleeps in the cockpit of our locked boat to guard it. We took a flight in a Twin Otter via Aeroperlas Airlines to Panama City, a one hour flight where we met Portia’s son Mako who flew in from California. We spent 3 days in Panama City staying with our friends in the Albrook Condo and enjoying Panama City. On December 22, we, along with Mako, flew back to Nargana. We took Dream Caper to various islands over the next 5 days, snorkeling and kayaking. We spent Christmas anchored in the “Swimming Pool,” named because the water is swimming pool blue. In the evening we attended a Christmas potluck on “Barbecue Island” where 70+ people attended including a dozen local Kuna Indians. The food was delicious and the camaraderie enjoyable. On December 27, we sailed to Porvenir where Mako flew back to Panama City to catch his flight back to California. It was wonderful spending time with Mako.

INFORMATION: SAN BLAS ISLANDS, PANAMA

The San Blas Islands are located 100 miles east of Colon, Panama on the northern coast in the Caribbean Sea. There are over 340 islands in this archipelago. They are governed by the Kuna Indians with little interference from the central Panamaniam government. All islands are owned by the Kuna Indians and most are uninhabited. Only huts are built on most of the islands. Some of the islands which are closer to the mainland are densely populated with narrow passageways between the reed walled homes.

A few of the islands have forsaken the traditional Kuna ways and have used concrete in their buildings. Every palm tree is owned by a Kuna Indian and therefore taking a coconut from any of the islands is stealing. Columbian boats regularly visit the islands to collect coconuts for export. The Kuna transport themselves by paddling in their dugout canoes, called “ulus.” The women dress in bright traditional skirts, head scarves and blouses with strands of tiny colorful beads often totally covering their calves and lower arms. Some of the women have gold rings in their noses and some a line of paint down the bridge of their noses. The women hand sew “molas,” a colorful reverse appliqué cloth product of intricate design. They are priced from $10 to $100, with the average in the $25 range. Molas are now sewn primarly for the tourist trade but are traditionally made to decorate the women’s blouses, front and back. Although some understand Spanish, they speak their own Kuna language. We communicate with broken Spanish and sign language. Many enterprising Kuna row to anchored yachts with molas stored in 5-gallon containers often bringing their children with them. Many of the Kuna men come by to sell lobster ($3-$5 each) or crab ($2-$4 each). We are told that scuba diving is not allowed in the San Blas Islands because it would compete with the Kuna’s ability to free dive deep to collect crab and lobster to sell.

The islands are absolutely gorgeous! Most are sandy white beaches with palm trees in the middle. The various hues of blues surround the islands and shallow reefs fringe most of them. They vary in size from a tiny sand spit with one palm tree to a ½ mile long covered with palms. The reefs contain healthy hard corals and numerous reef fish. Several long time cruisers in this area have informed us that in just the past 2-3 years many of the beaches on the islands have shrunk or been eroded by rising waters. We have seen numerous fallen palm trees with exposed roots lying in the waters around many islands. We have also heard of several islands that have disappeared under water. What a great shame it will be if these beautiful islands are wiped out by the rising waters caused by global warming.

Colon to the San Blas Islands, Panama

On December 6, we left the Shelter Bay Marina in Colon and first motored to the Panama Canal Yacht Club Marina for diesel. As was usual the fuel dock was occupied but we were told to raft up (tie up) to the power boat that was taking on fuel because it was going to be there overnight. After carefully attaching ourselves with bumpers to cushion the contact points, we walked over the power boat to shore. They were taking on 1000 gallons of diesel so we decided to eat at the Chinese restaurant at the marina. Upon our return, the powerboat was still fueling so they took a break and let us fill our tanks. We only took 29 gallons. The power boat crew laughed. We burn about 1 gallon or less diesel per hour for both engines.

From Colon we motored through the breakwater avoiding the large ships which were transiting the Panama Canal to a small island called Isla Naranjo Abajo, some 15 miles east. We had to carefully avoid the coral reef that surrounds this island. At dusk, a bird that resembled a Sanderling landed on our dinghy which hangs on davits off our stern. Steve was showering on the starboard swim steps at the time. We took flash photos of it and it didn’t budge. That night it rained heavily with winds registering 25 knots and the next morning at 6:00 am our guest bird was still there. At 6:15 pm, he looked around and quietly flew away. We guess that we were just his lodging for the one night.

The next day we motored the 17 miles to Isla Linton where we anchored in a quiet spot next to the island along with 14 other boats displaying mostly European flags. We took our dinghy the one mile ride through dense mangroves to the next bay where Panamarina is located. Panamarina is a business run by a French couple who provide boat caretaking on their buoys and mostly French food at their restaurant. We ate a delicious lunch with a decadent dessert.

On December 9, from Isla Linton we motor sailed 40 miles to Chichime, at the entrance to the San Blas Islands. It is all we expected. White sandy beaches circling each palm covered island with reefs nearby, surrounded by the beautiful blue hues of the Caribbean Sea. We anchored in 20’ of water and immediately jumped in. A short distance from our boat, we found several large sea urchin shells and other lovely shells for our collection. The next day we took our new kayak, a pedal powered Hobie tandem, for a spin around the nearby island, to a tiny island with one palm tree, and out to the reef to snorkel. We kayaked about 4 miles total. That evening John and Angie from the boat named Blue came over for a visit. We had met them in El Salvador last year, sailed a distance with them down the coast of Costa Rica, and Steve help them transit the Panama canal this spring. After spending 6 months in the San Blas Islands, they are now heading to Guatemala and Belize.

On December 11, we motored the 5 miles to Porvenir where the checkin officials (Kuna Indians) for the San Blas Islands are located, as is a small air strip. A small red plane landed which reportedly buys lobster for the Red Lobster Restaurants. We paid the $8 cruising fee and were sent on our way. We then pulled up anchor and headed toward Nargano, an island area where the Kuna Indians who govern these islands have foregone their native ways and have established some commercial businesses. There is also a small airport here. We bought some groceries at the local store, ate lunch at the main café near the footbridge that connects the two islands, purchased 30 gallons of diesel which were delivered right to our boat, and made caretaking arrangements for Dream Caper and flight reservations for next week when we fly to Panama City to meet Portia’s son, Mako. We then motored 3 miles to a small island surrounded by reefs with a huge name, Gannirguinnitdup Island, where we had nice snorkeling on the reef. Steve found a good sized conch, our first. After reading directions from our fishing book and struggling with how to get the critter out, we had a tasty appetizer similar to abalone.

The next day we purchased 2 mid-size lobsters from locals in an ulu (canoe) for $3.50 each. We wanted to buy the crab but it was too large to fit in any pot we have on board. We motored another 3 miles NW to the Coco Bandero Island Group which is a popular anchorage as it is surrounded by 4 lovely islands with reefs everywhere. There were 8 boats at anchor. We made another rain catcher to collect rain that comes off of our bimini. Because our generator is still not working which powers our watermaker, we have to rely on rain for fresh drinking water. Luckily, it rains quite frequently in spurts. Portia used her “new” sewing machine that we purchased from a boat in Shelter Bay to sew the new rain catcher. This was much quicker than the old hand stitching method that she used to make our first rain gutter last year in El Salvador.

The dry season in the San Blas Islands is January, February and March. When we listen to the Panama Connection on our single side band radio, many boats are heading to the San Blas from Colon and Cartagena, Columbia. We wonder how crowded it will get here. There are about 360 islands in the San Blas area so we will be able to find solitude when we want it. One fact of interest is that every coconut tree on every island is owned by a Kuna Indian who makes money from the coconuts. Therefore, if we take a coconut off the ground, we are stealing from the Kuna. A Kuna came by the other day with 2 coconuts for sale. We bought one for 50 cents and gave a candy sucker to each of the 2 small children riding in the canoe. We have found the Kuna Indians to be both friendly and helpful. A small powered boat comes by the main anchorages once per week with fresh vegetables, fruit, some dry goods, wine and beer. Special orders can be made for diesel, gas or other necessities. We can see why many boats spend months and years here.

Bocas del Toro to Colon, Panama

We left Bocas Marina and the no-seeums (tiny nasty stingy things!) on Sunday, Nov. 26. We motored 24 miles east to Bluefield Lagoon, just east of the Bocas del Toro Archipelago. We dropped anchor for the night and it poured. This place is extremely green and we can see why. The next morning we motor sailed 26 miles east to Escuda de Veraguas, an island 25 miles off the coast and 100 miles from Colon, our destination. It was a little lumpy where we anchored but not bad. Unfortunately, the water was so churned up from the storm a few days ago that the clarity was not good and we didn’t do any snorkeling. We heard on the single side band radio via the Panama Connection Net which “meets” every morning at 8:30 am, that the fierce winds from the storm had caused several sailboats at anchor in Colon and further east to drag anchor. One boat sank when it hit the rocks and several others sustained damage from colliding with other boats or hitting the rocks. This is the storm that kept us in port in Bocas.

At 10:30 pm that night we decided to make a non-stop sail to Shelter Bay Marina in Colon, 106 miles east, leaving at 2 am, just 3.5 hours later. We wanted to make sure we would arrive at the breakwater at the entrance to the Panama Canal in Colon before dark. It was disorienting pulling up anchor at 2 am, in the black of night. The overcast sky provided no moon or stars. Because the island has no electricity, there are no lights on the island and we could not even see an outline of it. Being in very shallow water, 17’ and about 75 yards from the shore, we had to make sure that once the anchor came up we moved directly away from the island. In the complete darkness we could not see which way to go and it was disconcerting. The compass was our trusty guide. We calculated the heading needed to get away from the island to which we headed as soon as the anchor came off the bottom. It worked beautifully. We crept along in shallow water for about 20 minutes before we felt comfortable that we were clear of the island and shoals before we took our direct heading to Colon.

We motor sailed averaging 8 knots and hitting 9.5 knots. The seas were 4-5 feet with winds averaging 12-15 knots from the NE. We arrived at Shelter Bay Marina at 3:30 pm, in 13.5 hours. The marina had room for us and Steve expertly backed Dream Caper into the slip. Within the hour we were connected to the marina’s wireless internet. We had stayed at Shelter Bay Marina in May. It now has a restaurant/bar and has maintained its fancy multi-jet showers and Jacuzzi tubs.

The next day after our arrival, we celebrated Steve’s birthday. The husband and wife managers of the marina, Judy and Dennis, who had befriended us on our last stay, drove us in the marina’s bus to Hotel Melie and Casino in Colon. On the way to Colon, we have to cross the Gatun Locks of the Panama Canal. Usually the wait is 20 minutes while huge ships float past. When the lock gates are closed, we are allowed to drive across a one-way lane metal bridge at the base of the lock gates while the locks are filling with water. We had a fancy dinner in the hotel’s steakhouse and then did a little gambling in the casino. It was definitely a “wild” night for us as we managed to gamble for over an hour before we lost our usual $20 each. Judy was the big winner. She hit a $25 jackpot on the penny machine!!

On Thursday, Nov. 30, we took a taxi to Panama City because Portia had to have her signature notarized on a legal form which had to be FedEx’d to the U.S. The only place to get a U.S. recognized notary outside the U.S. is at the U.S. Embassy in Panama City. We stayed with our cruising friend Chris in Panama City and he was kind enough to let us borrow his car. After an hour and $30 for one signature at the U.S. Embassy our mission was accomplished. We then went shopping. The Albrook Mall is huge, 2-story, modern, indoor and air conditioned with a full food court just like in the U.S. Since it is nearing the Christmas season, it was mobbed. Just by chance we saw some Hobie kayaks in the window of an outdoor clothing store. The tandem one was the exact model that we wanted to buy in the U.S. but we could not figure out the logistics of getting it shipped to Panama. This kayak is 14.5 feet long and is foot pedal powered similar to a recumbent bicycle. It can also be paddled. We had tried out a friend’s pedal kayak when we were in El Salvador last year and loved it. Our friend Chris graciously offered to drive us and the new kayak back to Dream Caper. We accepted and we are now zipping around the marina and out to the bay averaging 4 knots per hour. We topped out at 5.5 knots per hour. Not bad. Our legs are definitely getting stronger. Good for snow skiing when we ski the Sierras in February. This kayak is our birthday and Christmas/Hannakah presents to each other for this year! That took care of any gift-giving dilemma!

We use buoyweather.com for weather reports. The wave and wind report looks good for Dec. 7, when we plan to sail to the San Blas Islands, some 100 miles east of here.