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At first light the clattering of our anchor chain could be heard as it returned to its locker. Two Fish was escaping from Balboa, Panama and heading off to explore Panama’s Las Perlas Islands. We used our motors to thread through 40 ships waiting for their turn to pass through the lock. Ships pay more for express passage so I suppose most of these were on the discount program. Busy season for the locks is in advance of the Christmas shopping season. We are in the middle of low season, a good time for sailing yachts to pass through. The anchorage has large wakes that mercilessly tossed Two Fish side to side. This forced us off the boat to explore a charming old town and a vibrant city. Confession: we spent one afternoon at a modern mall. Panama looks like a nice place for Americans to retire since the prices are decent and the weather warm. We joined the pizza night for “regular” cruisers instead of the Rally’s party bus. We met boats heading to Easter Island and Thailand. Also heard the story of a boat who cleated their line to the wall while in the lock. The line became extremely loaded when the water left the lock and they could not un-cleat it. They cut the line, causing the boat to become lopsided and touch the concrete sides of the lock. Thankfully we had great line handlers.

Thirty minutes after raising anchor, we were able to turn off the engines and propel ourselves to Isla Bayoneta. The breeze built so much that black fish (schreecher) was doused and the genoa rolled out. The breeze topped out at 30 knots causing us to reef the main. Promptly after reefing, the breeze declined while the current pushed us off course. As we approached the island, the wind dropped to a kind 10 knots and we sailed slowly down the coast watching various birds play. While we tried to find the right path in the reef, we reduced our speed to investigate twenty birds floating in the water. Were they just floating or were they on a reef? We gathered up the courage to approach and realized there was plenty of water. The algae are blooming currently so it is impossible to see the bottom. We cautiously approached our anchorage and found a good spot in a large area with only two boats. Balboa’s anchorage was filled with forty boats, two of which had dragged when the breeze rose to a meager 20 knots. I felt excited to have escaped from Balboa.

We have a week in Las Perlas before we head towards the Galapagos. We will spend the next week circumnavigating the island chain before catching up with the rally.

The route to the Galapagos is often blanketed with light breezes. Our hope is that the “gap wind” from the Caribbean comes over the isthmus and propels Two Fish for the first few days. Worst case, we will use our 900 miles of fuel to get to Darwin’s islands.

9,000 miles as the crow flies until Australia. Can’t wait for a kangaroo sandwich, does it come with fries?

Jason
www.twofishcat.com

1) A bunch of rumors were stirring on various chat forums about fees for the San Blas. Here is what we paid.

205 USD for a 1 year cruising permit.
125 USD per person (20 of which is for Kuna Congresso)
20 USD per boat (Kuna Cogresso)

2) We entered in the south at Mamitupu. The South is much nicer because there are fewer boats. However, one should NOT use C-map charts. They are useless. The Bauhaus chart book is the way to go. Better yet, scan your own Bauhaus guide and use it in SeaClear II with an external GPS puck on your PC.

3) We checked into Panama/Kuna Yala in Porvenir. It can get crowded in the anchorage, but we had good holding in 13 meters. You need to spend time with four government departments. They are all in the same building. There is a dinghy dock nearby. You need to bring your passports, three copies of your crew list, an original and a copy of your Zarpe from Colombia and your ship’s registration papers.

a) Cruising Permit: They take only cash (US dollars) and there is no ATM. They will give you a fist full of papers. They will also stamp a bunch of these papers. Cruising permit, 2 Zarpe forms, 2 receipts.
b) Kuna Congresso: Quick process to pay the $20 per person and $20 for the boat. They give you one receipt.
c) Immigration: They will stamp your passport into Panama. Check to make sure they have done the stamp correctly. (i.e. dated, signed, your boat name, duration of entry and a tick in the tiny box). They gave me two receipts.
d) Police: They seem to write your passport numbers down but do not demand any money. No paperwork given.

The process can take one hour but you might need to wait longer if there are other boats checking in.

We have a more fun post written with plenty of photos but waiting for big lights and wifi of the canal in order to post.

Jason
www.twofishcat.com

Kuna, pronouced Guna, are the inhabitants of a chain of islands off the coast of Panama. Generations ago, when the Spanish invaded, they fled the mainland. Kuna Yala (aka San Blas Islands) are an obvious stop for canal crossers. We did a bit of research and decided to go 60 miles south of the main anchorages. We would face more difficult navigation in an area known for boat-eating reefs and useless charts. The Bauhaus guide of Panama is an amazing resource to navigate this area. To make his charts easier to use we cut out and scanned the charts. Then using a free application called Map Cal I made them into raster charts. This is a must for the southern San Blas Islands.

We walked onto the island of Mamipitu and fell back in time. The small lanes, communal kitchens and lack of utilities are signs that this island life is a world apart from life on Two Fish. Many of the residents are bilingual (Kuna and Spanish) but we found that the women are better Spanish speakers. We had a hard time communicating with some men who were relaxing at their fishing port. There was plenty of boat traffic; all were dugout canoes powered by stubby paddles. The passing canoes were transporting a few coconuts, a log, of which we were unsure of its purpose, jungle fruits and a pair of rubber boots. The boots seem misplaced but they may be used on the mainland or in the rainy season. The kuna people are small in stature with a deep brown skin and very white teeth.

The village has a few solar panels but no electric grid. There were a couple of stores that had a tiny inventory of lollipops and sugary sodas. Kids were playing a form of tag in the village lanes with laughing as a key element. Gail invited some of the locals to play in our dinghy as we were leaving. One kid borrowed Gail’s glasses and pumped up his chest in a macho pose. I wonder if the little guy has a headache now. They would have stayed with us until dark when non-kuna must leave the island. After dark they have a meeting led by the chief and issues are dispatched. We gingerly navigated the dinghy away from the island avoiding a few hazards and thinking how lucky we were to see another culture. We were still excited by the experience as we ate Gail’s tasty tofu stir fry and watched the setting sun from the cockpit.

Before we anchored here, the second day of the passage to Kuna Yala was much like the first. It became a fun game to control the boat speed for a sunlight arrival. At one point we were down to 4 reefs in the Genoa. The winds are usually light this close to Panama but the 35 knot winds in Colombia are creating havoc. The World ARC fleet have been held up by the Port Captain in Santa Marta. They hope to leave today. The Coast Guard chased down one boat and forced them to return to port. I am happy we snuck out early.

A couple of folks have asked why the photo quality has dropped on our posts. We are now posting using our Iridium Go; this is as fast as the formation of coal. So please bear with the low quality – at least we don’t have to wait weeks for wifi. As an aside, I am very happy with the Iridium Go. I can get text-only email and weather with little effort while lying in bed. In super rough conditions sitting at the nav station is headache-inducing. Also the Iridium GO consumes almost no electricity versus the KVH. The ARC Rally gave us Yellow Brick tracker, which does a bunch of things from email to tracking. After a bit of beta testing we like it but I prefer the Iridium Go. May be a future post on our extensive communication strategy.

Off to play.
Jason
www.twofishcat.com

Last night, while heading to the cockpit to respond to a large wave, I felt something squishy underfoot. I was shocked to find it was a live sardine in the middle of the salon (aka our living room). The fish had come into cockpit via a wave and then jumped inside the salon to relax for the evening. I tossed the live fish back into the sea and laughed that I had never seen that one before. Plenty of flying fish land all over the boat only to be discovered as dried out relics in the morning. But a live wingless sardine in the salon is a new record. Now I have to clean some fish scales off the floor.

Another new experience is Cartagena Port Control’s AIS warning messages. The messages instruct the large ships to contact port control but they make a startling noise on Two Fish’s chart plotter. Another modern feature of Colombia is their use of virtual buoys. They are created using a GPS broadcast message via AIS and show up only on our chart plotter. Cool.

This leg has been safe but not the most comfortable. The wind has been 27-32 knots and the seas have built over the last 24 hours. But I have used the opportunity to learn more about sailing Two Fish. First lesson was stow the main early. We dropped her 10 minutes into the 2 day trip. Second lesson is when the autopilot oversteers keep adding reefs and comfort will follow. At one point last night we were on the “4th reef” in the genoa. At dawn we returned to 2 reefs. Nice to know the genoa furler is in great shape after James and to a much lesser degree I improved the bolts retaining the foil.

Food service has been suspended as there are no takers of my fine reheated Gail cooking. In preparation for the canal crossing I have been listening to the book Path Between the Seas. I am enjoying it as the author finds no detail too small.

The water temp has risen 5 degrees as a welcoming clue the San Blas islands are near. I hope the winds abate as reef crossing in this weather is not a good idea. We snuck away from the rally a couple of days early because I wanted more time in the San Blas and less in Colombia. We were chided by rally control for missing the fancy dinner but the trade off worked for our goals. Looking at the weather the rally boats may hold back a day or two in Santa Marta as the breeze is forecasted to be 35 knots with 3 meter seas.

We made it to NYC! 8,000 miles of sailing and we are back in our home waters. The 3 a.m. arrival made the once familiar New York Harbor seem very foreign. At night, the Staten Island Ferry blends into the city and looks like a block of apartments. I am shocked that the city will not spend the 900 dollars to equip the Ferry with an AIS transceiver for safety. While transiting the harbor, we got an errant AIS message. A tugboat’s AIS was malfunctioning and indicated that she was on a collision course with Two Fish. After a few frantic hails by me, they turned off their AIS. This was the second time we encountered an AIS ghost – it reminds one that  eyeballs are still the best navigation device on board.

MYC talk part 1 from Two Fish on Vimeo.

While in New York, we had plenty of visitors and I gave a speech about our experience at my home sailing club, the Manhattan Yacht Club. Since the talk was 45 minutes, I have edited it a bit. Above is part one of two.

I am interested in the transition between the sea and the air.   The color changes as you dive underwater.  The textures are very different even in such close proximity.   The boat’s underwater appendages look ominous underwater.

Two worlds

Framing a shot while treading water is really a mater of luck.   The camera becomes the boss and the photographer the passenger.

Hailing Port

Gail ended her swim early after seeing a crab with a big claw.  Peace is easy to find at a Bahamian anchorage with little breeze.

Bow

Sea rescue

Shortly after arriving in Black Point we heard a boat wishing to enter the cut with no motor.   I volunteered to help them through the cut with Frank from Dream Weaver.   I  gave wind updates on the cut as Dream Ketcher approached “You will have a beam reach in 12 knots of wind.”   As Dream Ketcher rounded the point we side-tied the two dinghies and brought her into the anchorage.   It was a very wet and wild ride aboard One Fish (our dinghy).   I think I should have had more slack in the painter.  I was offered a bottle of wine by the nice crew of Dream Ketcher but declined as I only needed some shade.

Stray cat

This silver dollar size fish has followed me around during my swim the last two days. The fish is fearless and likes to swim 6 inches away from me.    The fish will not flee when I thrash the water during my free dives.   Is the fish mesmerized by my goggles or swim shirt or like a stray cat looking for a home?  I have not told him that the last fish guest was dinner.

Rain Shower

Bahamian weather has been kind to us so far.   Daily we have seen ominous clouds and with luck and radar we have only received glancing blows.   The CAPE index (measurement of convective activity or thunderstorms) is forecasted to be high the next few days.   We will stay safe and enjoy the colors of the storm cells we dodge.