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 […]
Mamitupu Morning
The calmest times on the boat, whether on a passage or not, are the early morning hours. Nothing beats having a cup of warm coffee and watching the night disappear. At Mamitipu, just before dawn, I thought I was the only person on the water until I saw the outline of a canoe being rowed from the island village to land. Shortly thereafter, as the sun began to appear, another canoe and another glided past. It was morning rush hour at Manitipu, except this one was distinctly not the usual […]
Day 11 – Hanging with the Kuna
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 […]
Day 10 – Passage to San Blas
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 […]
Two Fish Guest Report
Well it’s been an experience and a half traveling on Two Fish. Jason and Gail have been great hosts and we are enjoying our time together, both onboard and ashore. Our adventure started at the Toronto airport. We ran into Bert, who saw our foul weather coats and asked if we were destined for the ARC rally like him. Turns out he is from the same town as Jackie in Cape Breton and even knows who her Dad is! What’s yer faders name? St Lucia was beautiful with its lush […]
Dreaming of a Dry Bilge
A bone dry bilge is my dream and here is what I have learned: 1). Bilge pump cycles on and off. Few things are less comforting during a night passage than having the bilge pump turn on and off. Up come the floor boards with no conclusive evidence of imminent sinking. The only real cure is to make the water collection pit bigger. Here is my logic. The pump fails to send the last bit of water overboard. This last bit is the amount from the pump to the loop […]
Day 6 – Back to Colombia
According to our chart plotter, we are 39 miles from our return landfall in Colombia. Earlier this year,we traveled light. This time we brought our floating home. We have to keep all sails out and our speed up so that we arrive before sunset, while being aware of any wind shift in this area that is legendary for strong breezes. Other boats have shared their experiences which included puffs up to 38 knots. I was active on deck during the night in what from space must have looked like a […]
Day 5, What happened to Day 4
13 Jan Offshore from the Colombian / Venezuelan border The days are blending together faster than margarita ingredients in a dive bar. We had a fire drill on board. The spinnaker halyard goes through a block at the top of the mast. This block is attached by a single screw as it expects only a downward load. We luffed the chute a few times too many and the bolt sheered. James heard the ping noise as the sheared screw hit the deck. He grabbed the binoculars to sight any damage […]
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