Left Panama City

On Mandag 15th we lighted the anchor from La Plaita Anchorage in Panama City. We were ready for our big trip to the Marquesas Island and the South Pacific.
The first night was spent at Isla Condatora, Pearl Islands. Going ashore on the next day David tumbled in a freak wave and fell as we reached the shore. He hurt his neck and back, a kind of  whiplash. Not a good experience!
We booked in to the lovely Hotel Perlos Real on Condatora and David has been recovering here for the last three days. Today he sees himself well enough to go back to the boat and in a couple of days we will continue our trip if all is well.
Thank you to our very good friends from s/v Time Bandit, Anne and Stuart , from Bridge of Alan who have been absolutely fantastic in helping us dealing with our needs such as keeping our spirits up with G&T, Making a support collar for David and helping getting a diver to clean the hull. We are much indebted to them.They happened to be here, not planned!

Provisioning

February 2016

Getting ready to leave Panama

Panama 4th April. We are flying home.

We were quite extatic when we arrived back at the Plaita, The Panama City anchorage and civilisation at the end of February.
We have now spent all of March here doing boat projects and meeting old and new friends. Now it is time to go home.
The generator got sorted and we got new batteries so we were quite elated and ready to sail to new horizons. Most of the sailboats coming through the Panama Canal are heading for the South Pacific. We are very tempted to do the same. BUT first of all we are heading back to Scotland for the summer. Our tickets are bought and  we leave Panama on April 15th and shall return November 10th 2015.

Panama is an amazing City, vibrant and multi- national. The Canal Zone is beautiful with colonial buildings, parks and open spaces as a sharp contrast to the city and high- rise buildings. But besides the Panama Canal, the major sights are found in Casco Viejo  with old churches, plazas and beautiful Spanish colonial buildings. This area is getting UNESCO world heritage approval and restoration- work is at present taking place and making it safe for visitors to walk around. 

While we have been here we have visited the brand new Bio- Museum, the National Theater, The Abasto fresh fruit and vegetables market and the fish market. I have started making jewelry again and was taken to shops  where I have bought beads, pearls and semi precious stones. We have been spectators at the Canal Cayoko race from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Also, we took the ferry to Island of the Flowers, Taboga Island, where we are leaving the boat on a mooring for the summer.
It is hot and humid here. Any exersice and you sweat like a pig. It will be good to get home and wear clothes again.
We are having a great time, but as always it will be good to get home to family and friends.

The Bio- Museum, just opened, designed by Frank Gehrie.

Mark container ship en route to the Canal at Balboa Yacht Club.

Victor and me in front of a mural painted of him.

My friend Nancy at the Abasto fresh produce market.

David with Bill, the caretaker of the moorings at Taboga Island.

Arrival to Panama.

Tower buildings in Panama City.

All the blue triangles are big ships waiting to go through the canal.

Passage from Galapagos Islands to Panama City. 24.02.15

We left the lovely Galapagos Islands on Thursday 5th February and arrived today 24th February at the anchorage, La Plaita in Panama City. 

We spent 10 days at sea having light, mainly head- winds and currents running against us and pushing us to the north. We had great sailing but frustrating, as we used the engine for part of the time. We realized we would be short of fuel in case of bad weather passing Punta Mala which is regarded as a bad point for small sailboats, as the  currents are continously running out of Gulf of Panama and particularly strong  in that area. The northerly winds are usually  strong and in predictable and at times gale-force. We had no other choice than to find fuel somewhere in  West Panama. We listened to the Pan Pacific Net (SSB  8.143.0 at 13.00 hours GMT) each morning to get weather  forecasts.  S/V  Serenity( in Bolbao in Panama) informed us to get fuel at Isla de Cebaco in W. Panama. S/ V  Jacaranda (in  Bahia de Caraques, Ecuador) told us to get fresh water in the same bay..........Great to communicate!
We found the bay where fuel wad supposed to be available from a supply ship. But there was no ship! We waited all from Monday till Friday and then the ship, Journey Bay, arrived at 6.00 am and we bought 30 gallons of diesel. HURAY!  Wafter was obtained from an underwater hose at a boyu in the bay, most amazing! Obviously the water came from a spring up a hill and a hose was running freely down to toe sea. The water was absolutely beautiful. We filled our tanks, 120 gal. of fresh water. Great.
Now we were happy to tackle the last bit of the passage.

The Floriana aground in Wreck Bay, Isla Santa Cristabal, Galapagos Islands.

This has been a most interesting week.
The Supply ship, The Floreana,  was in the bay with supplies to the islands. She arrived two weeks ago. We thought she was going to leave after a week, but then noticed that she was very low in the stern. Apparently she had taken in water and was unable to move by own power. Small vessels hummed around like bees to the hive. She was moved to very low water and set aground.
An emergency situation was called by the governor and no other vessel was allowed near the stricken vessel.
During this last week landing crafts and tugboat have arrived from Guayaquel on the mainland  and attended to her.

Offloading of supplies have now stopped and at the moment we are not sure what the next step.
We are watching excitedly. All action now seems slow.
Unfortunately we are planning to leave the islands on Thursday and set sail towards Panama.

The Floreana is the ship center in the photo.