Feb. 7, 2010 The sails are full!

N07deg.01'/W079deg.44'
Oh what a nice feeling to be on the water once again. We left yesterday at 11:45 with full water and fuel tanks, and the wind and waves at our backs! Once past Taboga and Los Farralones, we got a nice constant wind and sailed the night under full main. The luminescence of the wave tops from Infini's encounter, along with the trailing stream from hull and wind vane rudder was like a psychedelic show; along with the clear night sky we didn't rest much...just enjoying the ride. The pod of dolphins racing with us looked like a zillion flashing led's...it's neat to see that plankton agitated. We plan on a 7-10 day passage to San Cristobal, Galapogos.

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2-5-10 Departing Balboa, Panama...

We're Galapagos bound tomorrow morning. It's been a long struggle, as we've completely rewired the 12 volt system, designed and installed a customized bracket which supports the reefer compressor as well as the alternator, installed the new Balmar 94-165 alternator, along with the Balmar 612 regulator and Duocharge, custom fabricated new common ground and positive terminals, completely disassembled and rebuilt the Maxwell 3500 windlass, had the bottom cleaned, and completed a bunch of smaller projects as well. We've managed to go to most of the Wed. morning Dim Sam Chinese food breakfasts, as well as the Mon. afternoon book swaps. We've tracked down resources in the most unlikely of places, and have seen parts of Panama City that are definitely off the beaten track. The people we've met at the Balboa Yacht Club have been wonderful, and the launcha drivers have treated us like family. We recently met Eric Forsyth of the Westsail 42 yacht Fiona, and enjoyed chatting with him before he departed on his fourth transit of the Panama Canal. So, we're a bit anxious before departure, but feel that we've been blessed to have had such a wonderful time in Panama. It will take a while to get back in the groove, but we're looking forward to continuing our voyage and will continue to post updates and positions to our blog while underway.

Jan.25, 2010

Today is, hopefully, the last trip to Metalica Perez for our bracket. We are more than ready to have this project finished! I can't stop buying provisions I think we might need...we're definitely overloaded but keep thinking of the many months we'll be away from major supply centers...ie...we definitely don't want to run out of TP! The other day we went to the movie theater for the first time in about 4 years (!) to see Avatar in 3D with Spanish subtitles! Great entertainment...what a way to transport your imagination somewhere else. This past Saturday we had folks aboard for the annual cayuka race, a charity event. There was an adult and youth division, as well as male/female and mixed categories. We've also spent a wonderful day with Debi and Victor (sv Serenity) seeing Casco Viejo; an old, historic part of town. The National Cathedral is there, and they happened to be having the last day of the annual jazz fest in the square. The 'French Quarter' is in this area, as is Monument Square, a memorial to the first builders of the canal.

Jan. 11, 2009 Of power take offs and other progress....(a short note from M)

No, I'm not talking about airplane take offs....We got our bracket back a few days ago from Metalica Perez (they've been wonderful to work with) and I've been busy fitting and modifying it to adapt our reefer compressor and large case Balmar alternator to fit. Most of the holes and support plates were fine, with a few exceptions, but nothing we can't drill out or deal with. Now consider, I have to crawl into the engine room on my right side, lift the half horsepower Tecumseh compressor with its attached refrigerant hoses over my head one handed to sit on the surface plate of the bracket, then lift the 165A alternator one handed to its new sliding foot support bracket in order to secure it with its half inch bolt...not the easiest of positions or work. When that was all done, it was obvious that the double pulley on the crankshaft would have to move forward to align with the alternator double pulley. Hmmm. By a process of guesswork and internet search, I found what appeared to be similar to what we have on our Perkins - a PTO (Power Take Off) extension to the crankshaft. Getting it off took several hours, as it had probably been on the engine forever. I couldn't reach the bolts without first removing everything! I had to (again) remove the alternator and compressor, then take out the bracket. Perseverence prevailed, as well as sweat and a few choice words. The tapered collar was then separated off the double pulley and shaft, and I'll clean, prime and paint everything tomorrow before reinstalling the PTO. We'll be able to align the pulleys properly and figure out the tensioning arms for the belts, get them fabricated and welded onto the bracket, then clean, prime and paint everything before final installation. Believe it or not, we're making progress! Baby steps! Everyone keeps asking when we're leaving! I don't know if they're sick of us (just kidding) or just intrigued with our modifications, but we answer them "When we're ready!!­" Actually, we're hoping to depart for the Galapagos by the end of January but we're not keeping to a schedule, and you can appreciate what's going on aboard by the above discussion. So, now we all know what a PTO is, and it's certainly one of those things I never knew about, yet alone considered taking apart, before we departed to go cruising! Guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Our best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010! We've spent 2009 in Panama, have enjoyed many wonderful places from the San Blas Islands to the Perlas Islands, and have met many other cruisers as well as expats who live here. Slowing down and engaging with people is one of the reasons we mosey along in our slow way as we learn so much from these interactions with others. Of course, there is always boat work to do! Sometimes there are major projects, but most of the time it's about upkeep and preventive maintenance stuff. We're thankful for all the help we've received along the way, and are learning many of the arcane details which allow one to successfully cruise long term. We're particularly thankful for our families, and although we don't see them very often, they're always in our hearts and thoughts. We've also been fortunate to enjoy good health, with infrequent setbacks, which allows us to continue to meet the demands of the cruising lifestyle. So as 2010 unfolds, we'd like to share our prayers and blessings with all of you and appreciate your support of our endeavors as we prepare for crossing the Pacific and visiting those places that have, up to now, been dreams to us. May your dreams come true and may your hard work result in satisfaction and contentment. Our best to all, Michael & Susan

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

We wish all our friends and family a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season. We're enjoying our stay here...work aboard is progressing as we wait for the fabrication of the new mounting bracket for the alternator. Michael has completed the wiring and says it's ready to pass inspection. We've also replaced our starboard upper shroud chainplate (due to crevice corrosion cracks in the old one), and begun to put things away and straighten out the boat. I happened to have my camera when I noticed the Tall Ship Cuauhtemoc go directly past Infini. She's in active service as a sail training vessel of the Mexican Navy.

Dec. 20, 2009 Bluey

We found a squatter on our hipped dinghy when we went to use it to reinstall our starboard upper shroud chainplate. The blue footed booby (sulu nebouxii) was using it as a perch to fish from. I was thrilled to get an up close and personal visit. He didn't move when we launched the dinghy, moved it around to the starboard side and started working...until he saw a fish to dive after. One of the joys of cruising for me is to be so close to nature and I've always held a special fondness for our aviary friends. Those webbed feet are an unusual blue, and each talon, or toe has a hooked nail on the end of it. They can dive from a sitting position on the water surface, or plunge from 80 feet in the air. Their wing span can be nearly 5ft (1.5m). What a sight...they're so much more streamlined and skilled then the pelicans I'm used to seeing. Their thick necks, streamlined bodies, long strong beak and webbed feet make them great sea hunters.

Progress......Dec. 11, 2009

There's a nice big mess aboard Infini...Michael is deep in the project of rewiring and simplifying our electrical system to better reflect our full time live aboard demands. I made a quick trip to Florida to pick up a new large capacity Balmar alternator,
(a 94-165-12-IG Dual Delta Stator model), Balmar MC-612-H regulator and various other stuff. This trip coincided with the expiration of my Panama 90 day tourist visa, and to top it off I had a chance to visit with kids and grand kids! I also drove up to visit my sister in Georgia...no moss growing under these shoes! (sandals). We make progress every day, but the scope of revamping is huge, and we're both looking forward to sea trials in the near future. The evenings have been pleasantly cool, and there's been no significant rain to talk of.