$40 Laundry

March 1, 2010 - Panama City
Apparently, after the U.S. gave control of the canal to the Panamanians in 2000, the Chinese have been buying up the cargo facilities on either side of the canal. There is a large Chinese population in Panama City.

We found few services close to the anchorage, so had to taxi our huge load of laundry to a lavanderia and were told it would be ready at 4:30 and would cost $21. That's a lot for laundry but we had a lot of dirty clothes and some other errands to run with the taxi. Anyway, when we returned for the laundry, the Chinese clerk wanted $40 for it. We paid, Steve told the taxi driver who became incensed and went to the police. The police went back to the laundromat with us and after lots of arguing and tension, we split the difference and got back 10 of the $40. We now have clean, but expensive, clothes, sheets, and towels. There is more than one divide in Panama.

You'd think with 30 boats in the harbor at time in one of 2 anchorages, there would be a laundromat, cafe, wifi, drug store, etc. close at hand. No. It's a mile walk to the wifi cafe and store, and a bus or taxi for laundry. I'm looking forward to the first world again.

New Crew
Gary and Karen flew home to Wisconsin the first week of March. Three new crew -- Gary from England (and Madeira), Dan from U.S. (most recently Orlando, FL), and Clive from Spain (but currently residing in Panama) -- joined us for the next leg of our trip. To keep matters simple, they all go by the name "Brian" so we all don't have to remember new names in a pinch. Future blog entries will feature escapades of the blue-eyed sailors. (Steve's gray eyes turn blue in a blue environment, such as the ocean.)

Panama

Feb. 2010 - Our overnight sail from Puntarenas, C. R. to Puerto Armuelles, Panama was bliss. It took 36 hours and we were eating spaghetti in the cockpit when a panga pulled alongside and asked for the captain. The port captain, aduana, and a few others were aboard and wanted to check us in to Panama. They took our passports and told Steve to meet them in the officina at 8 the next morning. So, we all had a good night's rest and Gary took Steve to the old banana pier to walk to town in the morning.

Well, it cost about $300 all told, but we got some fuel and food (pineapples, watermelon, mango, bananas) and after a dip in the turquoise water, left for Isla Parida. There was a small resort there and a huge yacht anchored in the well protected bay.


The next day, we had a good sail to Isla Seca, where a "resort" of high-tech tents was situated among the tropical jungle. We swam a little, but didn't walk the white sand beach.

The next day, we sailed to Coiba, the largest island in MesoAmerica. We anchored off an idyllic island straight out of Gilligan's Island. Ahhhh! Watch the current when you dive in. The park "rangers" came over in the morning and took the captain to their office to pay the $120 park fee. Ouch! But we dinghied to the island, snorkeled, and came back to the boat in the rain. It was a long shower and washed the salt off the boat -- and us. Can you feel the humidity?

Continuing toward Panama City, the Cap'n said we'd sail overnight to the harbor just before Punta Mala, the bad place. But the wind came up, and the sun set, and the waves built and we decided to head for Bahia Naranja. Of course it was unlit and the wind was 18-20k and we were rocking and rolling. Ugh. But we found the right spot, got the sails down, and anchored in a snug harbor for the night.

Next stop, Benao, a surfing hotspot, not that it mattered to us. But what a nice surprise to find $6 scrambled eggs and bacon ashore at a nice hotel, a hard sand beach with a surfers hangout at the other end with $1 beers. Another Hallberg-Rassy, "Ever After," showed up just before we left at 4:00. They were from Finland and would soon be heading to the South Pacific.

We motored around Punta Mala (chili for dinner) with about 8-10k wind and calm seas, thank the gods. Everything felt damp even though the moon was in and out of the clouds showing us big freighters far off in the shipping channels heading to and from the canal.

We landed in the Las Perlas islands and eventually made our way to Contadora, the closest in the archipelago to Panama City. More current to deter swimming, but fancy houses on the beach. Steve and I went ashore and walked about a mile and that's all there was to the island: an airstrip, Restaurant Romantico, fancy hotels, a mini super (with more $1 Balboa beer), and a little swimsuit shop.

Tsunami
Lest I forget, we awoke one morning (the morning after the earthquake in Chile which we didn't know about) and saw a lot of activity with one of the boats. Then, the woman onboard starting blowing a horn and then a whistle. We turned on the VHF and heard another boat ask if there were any concerns about a tsunami in our area from the earthquake in Chile. Soon every boat was taking up anchor and heading out, us included. But there was no problem. We milled around a few hours until we got word that any tidal activity would be minor and over by 9 o'clock our time.

Sail to Panama City


Feb. 28 - we left the anchorage at 9:20 and had an awesome sail to Panama City. 20k wind, 3-4 seas to starboard, one reef in the main; we went 8 knots and got to Panama City in 5 hours with no engine and lots of cool breeze. Sitting on the high side was pretty comfortable. Thus the champagne. We are in the La Playita Anchorage awaiting paperwork and a crew change.
08`54.347N
79`31.547W
Aloha.

I'd Like to Sail Away

I am writing this on Litha in Panama. Between now and the last writing, these things have occurred with Litha:

Feb. - Mar. 09 - Sailed from La Paz to San Carlos, Mexico; put in dry dock.
Sept. 09 - weathered Hurricane Jimena in San Carlos.
Nov. 09 - sailed back to La Paz
Jan. 2010 - sailed to Zihuatanejo, Huatulco; no problem in Tejuantepec; arrived in Quetzal, Guatemala
Feb. '10 - Papagayo: mainsail shredded in 30k winds and 15' seas; arrived Puntarenas, Costa Rica.

The new mainsail arrived on Feb. 15 and we left on Feb. 17 for Panama. Just a note to other cruisers: Puntarenas is no cruising port. It is a shallow estuary that requires careful maneuvering. Checking into customs, etc. is 3 days. Use Koki (Jorge on Ch. 16) for this. Getting fuel is a chore. Use Koki for that also.

We've had a pleasant sail to Puerto Armuelles where we are anchored at the old banana pier. Thanks for fans, freezer, watermaker, and the new sail that performed beautifully. We just won't go into the details.

Quetzal, Puntarenas, and now Pto. Armuelles are all industrial harbors. This has not been a pleasure cruise so far.

Man, is it hot! The thermometer has read between 85 and 95 at various times on the day and night. The humidity is like a pitcher of water. I feel like a wet, greasy rag.

Espiritu Santo

We spent a week in La Paz. Some of us spent it getting over Montezuma's Revenge. Kat and Brian explored the city and Brian sampled his share of the six peso fish tacos available on almost every corner. Steve got the boat checked in to customs, met with a canvas guy to order new covers for some of the boat's outside fixtures, and did some other mechanical fixups.



Los Islotes
It's hotter here than I remember. After a week in the heat, we left for nearby Espiritu Santo Island. The next day, Steve and Brian dove at the sea lion colony at nearby Los Islotes. Steve has trouble diving because of ear issues, but was able to go deeper than before on this dive. So they went again the next day. I ventured in a for closer look with my snorkel on and got back out quickly when a big sea lion dove underneath me. Still, Los Islotes is a special place -- wild, and alive with sea lion barking.



We stayed out a few more days, visiting anchorages on the island's less visited east side. It was hot, the beach was white, and the water was aqua. Kat went for a swim and got stung by "string of pearls." This is basically a tentacle from a man-of-war jellyfish. The water was loaded with these and we all got stung, but Kat was very sensitive and didn't fare very well. Vinegar, cortisone cream, benadryl, tequila: these work. We did a little snorkeling.



Thanksgiving
We returned from Espiritu Santo the day before Thanksgiving. After being gone five days we needed to wash the boat, replace the depleted refrigerator contents, and get Kat some medicine. Steve and I had a great turkey dinner for mucho dinero at a nice restaurant then attended a classical guitar concert at the cathedral in town. Ruben Barranco - par excellance!


Uptight
Every time I take a walk, my back hurts so I went to a chiropractor for the first time today. I got a cab at 8:00 and we eventually found the doctor across town 30 minutes later. The doctor and I conversed in Spanglish. The massage was great and two pops of my back and neck later, I was smiling again. Dr. Ramses Orozco is good and charged me 250 pesos plus tip (around $25 US). I'm going back next week for a follow up.

Roz in La Paz
Finally, someone has put together a web site for other gringos about what's happening in La Paz. RozinLaPaz.blogspot.com.

La Paz

La Paz, BCS, Mexico -
We left Cabo early Monday morning to avoid high winds rounding the cape and motored all the way to Cabo Pulmo. We anchored just off the beach and three of us swam ashore and walked the beach. There is a small community there and if you are looking to get away from it all, this would be the place. You can rent kayaks and the dive shop offers tours of the Pulmo Reef, the largest living reef in Baja.

The next day, we were chased away by reports that the area was off limits to anchoring and so we had to leave before diving the reef. Not sure if the report was correct or not, but the gendarme had been called and we didn't want to risk it.

We had a good sail to the next anchorage north, Bahia de Muertos, arriving at dusk. We put the dink in the water and went into the restaurant on the beach. The next day, Kat and I snorkeled while the guys dove the small reef. Among other fish, we saw a large school of yellowtail surgeonfish.

The next morning, we made the final push to La Paz. Getting through la ventana is best going with the tide, so we got an early start and still had a hobby horse ride the first few hours. Kat's stomach didn't like that, but as we got into the San Lorenzo Channel, we turned more westerly so we could sail in 10-15 knots of wind.

Marina de La Paz had a slip waiting for us and we introduced Kat and Brian to one of our favorite restaurants for dinner. Ah, it's good to be back in La Paz.

Kat's Awesome Gourmet Eggs


Mix:
-1 egg per person
-1 tsp sour cream per 2 eggs
-2 tsp milk per egg

Mix the following into the eggs:
1/4 tsp Herbs de Provence
1/4 tsp dry or fresh chives
1/4 tsp parsley

Pour eggs into hot buttered pan.
Add 1 tsp cream cheese per egg and let melt.
Fold over eggs when set.
Cut into servings and serve.
Can top with avocado, Swiss cheese, cheddar, etc.
Enjoy!

Cabo San Lucas

Cabo San Lucas - The last leg was really just an overnighter, but what a ride! We had 10-20 knots from the start and up to 25 or so most of the way. We rode the spinnaker on the pole all day and night (freaking out me) and pulled it down an hour after we crossed the finish line, 22 hours later. There's a story there. Some of the quotes go like this:
Brian-"I was airborne twice,"
Steve-"Susan, you steer."
Steve-"I should've woken up before I decided what to do."

Around Town
Anyway, we had showers, went to the fuel dock, and found that their water was "unpotable." Ugh. It's hot and our water tank has only 1/8 left. Hmmm. Time for a beer.

We anchored, got the dinghy out, loaded it with some ripe laundry, and headed into town. Cabo is quite different from the relative wilderness we've been in the past how many days? What day is this?

For another take on the Haha, see Latitude 38's (the sponsor) web site:
Leg 1
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2008-10-31&dayid=188

Leg 2
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2008-11-03&dayid=189

Leg 3
http://www.latitude38.com/lectronic/lectronicday.lasso?date=2008-11-07&dayid=191

Haha, Leg Dos

Cabo San Lucas, BCS, Mexico - We were warned of pretty good winds for leaving Turtle Bay (about 1/3 the way down Baja), but they were AWOL upon departure. They showed up two hours later and we sailed all day with the spinnaker, making 9-10 knots with six foot seas and blue skies. Occassionally it was Mr. Toad's wild ride with big rollers, but overall a great sail.

On day two, we needed to turn more southeast, so we took down the spinnaker and pulled out the genoa sail on port tack and had a good, if slower, sail all day. At sunset, Kat made an awesome pasta salad and we ate in the cockpit. The elusive finish line was still about three miles away and we poled out the the jib to catch all the dimishing wind we could. We still made around seven knots.

We crossed the leg 2 finish line at 7-ish and still had 15 miles or so to go to Bahia Santa Maria. We continued to sail since we were doing almost as fast under sail with just the jib as we would under power. We pulled into the bay and took down the rig and in the dark didn't see that the jib furling line had gone overboard, fouling the prop. That's what made the engine stop unexpectedly as we were looking for an anchoring spot. We were exhausted and went to bed.

Diver Down
The next morning, Brian (he's a big diver) dove under the boat and unfouled the (severed) jib line. The prop is fine and we'll deal with the furling line.

Bahia Santa Maria
Bahia Santa Maria is a huge bay with hills on the north side and a white sand beach wrapping the rest of it. There is no town, just a few hardscrabble shacks for the handful of fishermen who live here.

Lest I Forget...
...the thunderstorms coming into Turtle Bay.
...my backache; Steve's leftover soft tissue injury in his hand from Washington; Kat's fight with sea sickness; and Brian's general stiffness from being the strong-arm on the boat.
...the flying fish that flew in the galley window while I was standing there.

Cool
Baja is Usually dry, but is rather humid now. Hurricane Norbert crossed it three weeks ago and we know there's been a low pressure system west of here. The humidity is causing our refrigerator to go haywire. At first, it caused the compressor to freeze, so when we hit dryer air offshore, it started working again. Then, in Bahia Santa Maria, it stopped working again. Steve tore apart the boat and spent the day researching it and fixing it.

Election Day
Novemer 4 was party day in Bahia St. Maria. We went ashore for swimming, beach combing, and fish dinner for all "Haha-ers." That night on the boat, we listened to XM radio for the latest on the election. At 10:00, we heard Obama's acceptance speech and knew the country will soon be on the right tack again. Happy Obama Day! Yes We Can!