At 11 am Panama time the Rally committee the starting gun to begin the leg to the Galapagos. It was a downwind start with a half knot of current pushing us across the line. A racing mono hull was early and luffed us up at the start to avoid crossing the line early. Cruising cats can not respond with equally nimble behavior to a racing mono hull. I turned the helm hard to starboard and the Two Fish crew luffed our jib. We slowed the boat and avoided the racing […]
Boat Repair
This one is for those of our readers who prefer boat fix-it adventures rather than sunsets and hikes. DST (Depth, Speed via paddle wheel, and Sea temp transducer) Shortly before our departure from Mogo Mogo to Isla Contadora, I noticed that the chart plotter was not showing depth data. I consulted the emergency protocol with anything running Windows. The protocol instructed me to reboot. This had fixed this problem a few days earlier but was not the cure this morning. After a bit of messing about, we weighed anchor since […]
Day 31 – More screwball adventures
We started the day with an early morning swim to our expansive private beach. Large rocks trapped pools of water that 20 small fish used as a home as they waited for the tide to return. In a few hours our private beach was back underwater and the green water prevented further fish sightings. After a hearty breakfast, the kind captain announced that a dinghy trip to the village of Canas was departing shortly. All aboard! The downwind trip was delightful. There is no sign of humans in most of […]
Day 29 – Not always like the guide book
We had planned a busy day, so we weighed anchor at first light. We rolled out the screecher and enjoyed a brisk ride in 20 to 25 knots of breeze. Black Fish, the screecher, pulled us along at 8 knots, which is much faster than an ox cart. The Eastern side of Isla del Rey is windswept and pounded by waves, so affords no anchorages. During the downwind trip we were entertained by black clouds of birds. The tern, the pelican and many more which I could not identify swarmed […]
Day 28 – On the hook in Las Perlas Islands
Sometimes we get a break from long sails, boat repair and crew floggings. Today we bobbed at anchor and enjoyed doing very little. Gail paddled me to the nearby island. We looked for a trail that would lead inland but none were to be found. Instead, we walked the varied coast line which is comprised of hard sand, large boulders, and mud flats. Each surface required a different technique since I was wearing flip flops. I must remember to wash my flip flops or the smell of the sea will […]
day 27 – Escape from Balboa
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, […]
Day 26 – The canal was easy
Despite predictions from canal veterans, our boat was not crushed by a closing lock door, no one fell overboard to be killed by the strong currents or hungry crocodiles and the two day passage was pleasant and stress free. The rally folks showed their value as we were never bogged down with agents, paperwork and fees. Two hundred meters before the lock, boats nest in pre-arranged sets of three. Our nest partners were our sister ship Kristal and a small monohull. The now fifty-five foot wide craft was half the width of the canal […]
Doing Nothing Becomes Busy
We rejoined the ARC fleet three days after our unsanctioned early departure. We had missed the awards dinner for Leg 1. Two Fish grabbed a trophy – third for the catamarans. The day after we left, Port Control of Santa Marta shut down the port. The rally organizers tried to change Port Control’s decision; I found this to be curious. Another curious decision was to make the leg to the San Blas a “racing” leg. It is a leg with heavy wind and difficult reefs. Enough of me judging things […]
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