On to Panama

February - March    2003

Monday February 17, 2003 - Golfito, Costa Rica

Saturday, we made fuel runs to the gas station not too many yards from the dinghy landing.  We only needed 25 gallons of diesel to top things off.  We also purchased about 8 gallons of gas for the dinghy. 

Yesterday we took the day off and traveled up the mangrove channel to the Rio Coto entering just inside of its mouth.  Three dinghys with 6 folks made the journey: Ferdy and Jutta, Pipe Dream, Trudy and Delbert, Mariha and us.  Our trip in required some paddling as the tide was low and the channel quite shallow.  The return trip was in a full channel at high speed.  It looked like a river for the return when going in looked like a wet ditch.  We crossed the Rio Coto to the Playa Zancudo area and after some walking on the town’s dirt road we found some Sodas, small restaurants, where we enjoyed a few cold beers before our return.  The 6 of us then enjoyed barbequed tuna on Pipe Dream.  It was fish that Ferdy had caught on his way to Golfito.

Today I made another full-pack grocery run and we had a late afternoon rainstorm that lasted into the evening.  A group of 8 cruisers went out for a grand feast at Margaritas place just out of town to the south.   When we returned, late, I went to bed but Bill stayed up to read the last four of our web pages that he plans to upload before we head out of Golfito.

Wednesday February 19, 2003

Yesterday was check out day and last grocery run.  We met up with the other cruisers for a last lunch at Soda Cubana, our favorite lunch spot in town.  Then a dinghy run to top up the dinghy gasoline after our Sunday excursion.  A few hours spent at the internet café by Bill and we were ready to leave.  I made use of the water collected Monday afternoon by washing all the available laundry that I could find.  We still had one 5 gallon jug of rain water to carry with us and two full tanks  I also spent some time yesterday repairing the starboard sunshade, having repaired the port one earlier in the week.  The sun here even breaks down the sunshade fibers.  I have made covers for everything we have outside including the radar and GPS antennas as the strong rays of the sun do not take long to make plastic real brittle.

Today we left Golfito with the early sun and crossed the Gulfo Dulce to Puerto Jiminez where we anchored at the edge of a shallow sandbar.  On one swing we were in 12 feet of water but on another we were hanging out over 75 feet.  The anchor was actually dropped in 36 feet but who knows how far it slid down the slope.  Bill cleaned the prop and I cleaned the anchor chain but it was mostly a day of rest. This anchorage is full of sea life as we had turtles swim by the boat, several groups of dolphins swim by and some pilot whales just off shore, in addition to the usual fish boils and fishing seabirds.   In the late afternoon we went in to see the town with Ferdy and Jutta.  It was a cute clean looking town with a nice dock that we tied Pipe Dream’s dinghy to.  Friendly people and a good grocery store.  Several beers were enjoyed at a “Mexican” restaurant along with chips and a sort of hot sauce.  Jutta fixed lentil curry for dinner and it was great!!!  It was early to bed for all.

Friday February 21, 2003

After a day resting yesterday we upped the anchor about four in the afternoon to make an overnight passage to Panama.  We had a nice almost 3 hour sail as we left the Gulfo Dulce but after that the wind was so light that we motor sailed the rest of the way.  This morning was one of those spectacular off shore mornings.  We had billowy tropical clouds to our south in an otherwise clear sky and when the sun hit them it was magical.  To top it off a pod of dolphins danced at our bow.   We arrived at Isla Parida in the early morning and followed Pipe Dream around about 2/3 of the island in a deep channel to anchor off Isla Gámez.  After settling the boats in we all jumped overboard for a nice swim only to discover that we were in fairly strong current.  No matter, we managed to get to shore to begin our exploration of the tiny island and then entered the water up current from our boats to arrive home safely.

Monday February 24, 2003 - Panama

In the last few days, besides swimming against the current between the two boats; (we moved to anchor quite close to Pipe Dream), and enjoying happy hours on each others boats, Jutta and I took their kayak out for several long paddles.  There are lots of small islands nearby and the water here is quite protected from the sea swell.  Bill helped Ferdy track down yet another electrical gremlin on Pipe Dream and then spent some time yesterday with my antenna tuner problem.  Ferdy had a spare tuner with a bad chip and we may use my good chip on his tuner to get one that works all the time, but Bill first tried the removal of my tuned-indicator-led which he thinks is flakey bad.

Last night with Happy Hour on La Vagabunda del Mar, a nice powerboat, Bill discovered that they had a problem with their navigation computer.  This morning he spent several hours helping Chuck and Jeanette getting their computer navigation working again.  It was a hot cloudless day so Jutta and I went swimming at least 5 times.  We visited a family from David (the third largest city in Panama) that were camping on the island and on their way home they stopped by Pipe Dream for a short visit.  We also were visited there by another local and his family that we had met the day before at their little village which was made up of his extended family. 

Friday February 28, 2003

Tuesday we declared mango day as Ferdy, Jutta and I  went onto the Island and after burning our trash on the beach, we hiked into the forest a short ways and found 4 mango trees with lots of mangos on the ground around them.  Of course we gathered a nice share of the luscious fruit. 

Wednesday a panga came by loaded with fresh fish.  We purchased a nice size Rooster fish for a T-shirt and a bag of rice.  Then Bill spent the rest of the day getting Dream Weaver’s computer running again with its new hard drive.  Ferdy cooked the fish on Pipe Dream along with 4 pargo that they had purchased.  With pot luck side dishes we had a real feast! 

Yesterday, Thursday,  we moved into the channel near the small village of Boca Chica.  We anchored NE of the town as there is now electrical wires passing over the channel before you reach the town.  It is a nice dinghy ride into the village.  From there arrangements can be made to take a  taxi into David for shopping or whatever.   There we met up with La Vie Dansante David and Viva Bob who we had not seen in half a year.   They led us into town to the one bar where we enjoyed some $0.50 beers. 

Today we explored by dinghy the channels and islands near to our anchorage.  We took the hand held GPS with us so that we could later mark the shallows and rocks on our charts.  Lots of interesting small islands are nearby.

Saturday March 8, 2003

Yesterday we returned from a week off the boat.  After spending last weekend on the boat with afternoon beers in the town of Boca Chica we took the van bus into the big city of David on Monday morning.  There we discovered that there was not much activity in town associated with Carnival and no parades but all official offices were closed until Thursday.  After looking in our guidebooks we decided to head for the hills and take the trail from Cerro Punta to Boquete.  The trail passed around Volcan Baru in the national park.  Tuesday we caught a bus to the town of Volcan where we were told there was a wonderful restaurant.  We did manage to find the restaurant, Cerro Brujo, with the help of a taxi.  The restaurant was a small three table affair on the front porch of the cook’s home.  The gourmet meal was wonderful and the surrounding flower gardens added to the event.  Two hours later we waddled out of the restaurant, walked back into town and caught the next  bus to Cerro Punta.  After checking into a hotel we checked out the town but not much was there and even less was open.  Back on the bus we road the short distance to the Guadalupe at the end of the road.  There there were stands with jellies and berries for sale as well as such delicacies as strawberries and cream or fresh made yogurt.  The fields and the countryside were quite picturesque.  We returned to the hotel before sunset and enjoyed a few beers in the restaurant, as it seemed to be the only open one in town, while we watched some of the town's children playing a game of kickball.  

Wednesday morning we were all up early for breakfast, a taxi ride to the end of the pavement and then a hours hike up the road to the ranger station and the beginning of the trail.   About half way up to the ranger station a trail took off to the top so we took it hoping that the walking would be more enjoyable.  It was not any easier than hiking up on the road but was much more pleasant.  Both were almost straight up.   It was very cold at the ranger station with a nice wind blowing and we felt like we were on top of the world - we were over 7000 feet high.  We checked in and two children that lived up there showed us their new born goat before we started the long trek down.   We were lead to believe that it was a long gentle down that would take no more than 4 hours.   It took us 6 hours to reach the rocky road on the other side with much climbing down steep slopes and many sets of wooden stairs.  The trail was well maintained with the jungle trying to crowd in and take over.  There were even some areas cleared off with picnic tables under roofed shelters.  The forest and scenery we passed through was wonderful.  We were tired by the time we reached the road and hiking down (with some ups) the road was a real killer.  We did not reach the paved road with a bus stop until 5:30.  After some confusion over when the bus would come we started walking toward Boquete but, thankfully, the bus soon came along.  The bus driver took us into town and all the way to our chosen hotel even though it was not on his route.   Thursday morning we explored the little town before returning down the hill to David.  Friday we officially checked into Panama in the morning and in the late afternoon returned to Boca Chica and Lanikai.

Tuesday  March 11, 2003

We have been mostly getting our “act together” again since our return.  Jutta and Ferdy are back in David; they have friends flying in Wednesday and needed to get their paperwork finished first as well as gather a few supplies.  We are keeping an eye on their boat while they are away but the northerly winds have picked up making the island anchorages quite rolly so we are in no hurry to move anyhow.  Elan came in today and anchored nearby after two sleepless rolly nights at the Secas.  I loaned Guy my spare ICOM 706 ham radio, so he is back on the air again.  We enjoyed some beers with them and heard lots of great tales about this area.  We are looking forward to spending time snorkeling at the Secas and other islands.

Saturday March 15, 2003

Yesterday we moved the 26 miles to the Secas where we anchored fairly deeply at 40 feet.  Elan came over and said that they usually anchored at about 60-70 feet here to stay away from all the reefs.  The water is quite clear and there are lots of reefs   The trip over was in light southerly winds so after trying to sail with the autopilot continually loosing it,  we ended up motor sailing most of the way so that the autopilot could steer.

The clouds came in and we got a good rain last night.  Today continued cloudy with intermittent showers and even a downpour or two. 

Sunday March 16, 2003

The clouds finally cleared this afternoon and Bill and I took off in the dinghy to try out the snorkeling.  With the clear water, lots of small corals and a great variety of fish we had a great time.  We even saw lots of trigger fish, Bill’s favorite spearing variety.  It rained again in the evening so maybe the rainy season is getting off to an early start.  We were eating trigger fish on Pipe Dream when we realized that rain was about to dump on us so Bill made a fast trip to Lanikai to close her up.  The rain really dumped so Bill was stuck on Lanikai until the downpour ended but he did get home in time to seal her up against the rain.

Wednesday March 19, 2003 - Plans change!

Big change in our plans!!!  Yesterday I received an e-mail from our youngest daughter that Bill’s mom is starting the final stages of failing.  We decided that we really need to be in San Diego to visit her before she is gone and then Bill needs to be around after the fact to help.  In order to pay for the trip, and add some cash to the cruising kitty, Bill will try to get work.  We therefore will be in the states for some time.  We decided that  taking Lanikai back  to El Salvador is our best option for long term storage.  We have lots of friends there that will keep an eye on her.

Friday March 21, 2003

Still at the Secas, the snorkeling is great.  Lots of schools of fish, interesting coral and Bill even saw a couple of turtles as he snorkeled yesterday.  Siesta anchored nearby on Wednesday and Pipe Dream returned Thursday so we have had company for snorkeling.  Pipe Dream had us over for fresh fish dinners both last night and tonight.  Ferdy is a great chef when it comes to fish.  They still have guests on board that love to fish although the most recent dinners were care of the "pocket fisherman" and a nearby panga full of fish. 

Wednesday March 26, 2003

The last few days have been busy.  Saturday afternoon we moved back into the Boca Chica Anchorage and Sunday late afternoon we took Victor’s minibus (with the folks from Pipe Dream) from Boca Chica to David.  The fair was in its last day on Sunday so after enjoying $1.00 hamburgers, at the hamburger stand near the hotel we checked out the fair.  Lots of vendors and of course the animals just like the fairs stateside. 

Monday we checked out of Panama and Bill took the opportunity to use the internet café to check out flights for our trip from San Salvador to the US.  Then Monday late afternoon we were back  in Victor’s van heading back to Boca Chica and our waiting dinghys.  We arrived in town just as the rain but got a nice break in the weather to return downriver to our anchored boats.  We surprisingly, got very little rain on the anchored boats considering the amount of lightening and the blackness of the clouds inland of us.

Tuesday morning we moved back out to Isla Gamez to await the arrival of Mamouna and our mail package that has been following us for a month or so.  Pipe Dream showed up a few hours later and Jutta and I enjoyed several nice swims while the men worked on Ferdy’s voltage controller that proved to be dead.

Thursday March 27, 2003

Mamouna, along with two other boats, showed up yesterday afternoon.  Jutta, Lisa and I took off swimming soon after Mamouna got her hook set.  We swam between the boats and then over to the beach.  Returning to our home boats we discovered that the current had picked up but we all made it back without having to yell for a dinghy pick up.   Before Mamouna’s arrival, Ferdy Jutta and I had made a swim to the shore where I found a nice big conch that I swam back to Lanikai with.  A nice shell for granddaughter Emily.

Saturday March 29, 2003

Last night Pipe Dream had us over for a farewell dinner.  Ferdy does a great job with fish and Dewey from The Great Escape brought over fresh caught tuna that he barbequed so we feasted of fish.  With 8 boats in the anchorage we had a evening bonfire on the beach.  Preceding the fire the folks from Cruising Time along with Dewey, The Great Escape, and a fiddle player from Dream Catcher entertained us with great blue grass music.  Jutta even made a dinghy run back to Pipe Dream to bring a bag of shakers and rattlers that she had on board. 

This morning after a last swim with the girls we upped the anchor and started northward.  The weather report does not look to promising for a direct run to El Salvador so we are planning a stop at Herradura in Costa Rica to wait out predicted strong northerly winds.

Monday March 31, 2003 - heading north

Here we are anchored again in Bahia Herradura after a 40 hour motor from Panama.  Well actually we got about 50 minutes of sailing in just as we approached Punta Burica and the Costa Rican boarder and then we sat idle for about another hour with the main slating while Bill bled air from the engines fuel filters.  We finally picked up winds, right on the nose, as we rounded Isla Herradura that marked the western point of the anchorage making for slow going the last few miles as we also had the current against us.  We anchored about 3:00 this morning.  Dream Weaver arrived about 10 this morning and anchored nearby.

We are getting strong winds today, not from the predicted north direction but from the south.  Thankfully this anchorage is protected from the south as well.

Thursday April 3, 2003

Tuesday night sometime in the middle of the night we got hit with the strong northerly winds.  They lasted well into the early afternoon before switching back to lighter southerlies.  We did not leave to continue north until Wednesday after the morning radio nets.  Dream Weaver was going to head out as well, up into the Gulf of Nicoya to position themselves to enter the estuary at Puntarenas at high tide. 

Wednesday, we motored all the way to Punta Guiona when we finally got some wind.  An hour plus of sailing and the wind died but picked up again after we rounded the point.  The wind was up and down so we continued to motor sail with the main only.  The wind did give us a good push as Lanikai was over 6 knots some of the time but with the wind varying from 30+ to less than 10 mph it was better not to fight the jib in the dark.  We anchored just after 7AM this morning in Bahia Brasilito just off the southern beach (this is the bay just south of Marina Flamingo).  The air is dry and the sky blue and we sure had wonderful star viewing all night.  In the Gulf of Nicoya we were entertained by a large pod of dolphins that were leaping, seemingly in unison, as they crossed our bow.  They sure can get a long way out of the water.

Tuesday April 8, 2003 - Bahía del Sol, El Salvador

Back in Bahía del Sol, El Salvador, we have enjoyed meeting up with old friends.  Our trip up from Costa Rica was wonderful with lots of great sailing.  Traveling the direct route from Bahía Brasilito, around Santa Elena kept us about 25 miles off the Nicaraguan coast with 15-20 mph of wind.  Just perfect for great sailing.  We did occasionally experience some higher winds and some periods of winds closer to 10, but we sailed until we were approaching the Gulf of Fonseca area where the opposing current and the dying winds had us motoring much of our second night out.  We did get in a few more hours of sailing as we approached landfall in El Salvador.  We arrived off the bar a few hours early and anchored just west of the opening to wait and get ready.  The crossing was uneventful with only a few small waves that Bill slowed down to let pass under us.  We were in and anchored by 5:30 PM.  Paper work here is so easy; Migration came out to the boat and checked us into the country, Bill talked to the navy and checked the boat in the next morning. 

Soon after the anchor was set Victor drove up in the panga.  At 10 years old he is now a great panga driver and was waiting for the rest of the family at the launch nearby when he saw us arrive.  After he picked up his mother Latita and the other children they all stopped by to say hi.  It is really great to see old friends again.  The baby is now 15 months old and walking, no longer really a baby!!  We also received friendly greetings from some of the workers at the hotel and the few cruisers that are still here from last summer.

Sunday April 13, 2003

We have now been here in El Salvador one week and much has been accomplished toward preparing the boat for a long rest.  We have removed all the sails, wiped them down with fresh water, folded and stowed below.  The water at the resort is somewhat brackish this late in the dry season but we discovered that mid-week it is only slightly brackish.  Therefore Bill has transported much water to Lanikai that I have used to wash many seldom washed items on the boat including our lightweight blankets and cockpit cushion covers.  I also have wiped down much of the interior with bleach water to try to inhibit as much mold production as possible.  We have cleaned out the food lockers distributing unneeded items to friends and let loose a bug bomb in the main cabin to, hopefully, clean out the residual weevils that were left in the cupboards.  We have decided that it is impossible to be completely bug free in the grains down here but I do try to keep them under control by sifting and freezing any bags of flour that I find the little critters in.  The noodles seem to be the worst carriers of the bugs and those I also freeze after we pick through the macaroni leaving the bugs behind to toss overboard.  Any residual bugs float to the surface when the noodles are boiled and can be easily skimmed off. 

It has not all been work this last week as we spend most late afternoons at the pool and I even went swimming with our young friends from the island yesterday.