July 18 2009

Well we did play pack mule for our four 50lb. bags....plus we shipped 3 big boxes! We're joined by our dear friend David (our 4th son); who was recently laid off from his architect job. He's volunteered to help us with our many projects and to line handle when we go through the canal. How lucky are we? Our three boxes also made it here. We picked them up.....but are still wondering where it will all go! For now the boat is torn up again; tools everywhere. The prop and shaft are out----and the engine hoses are all getting replaced. Life on the hard is not easy, as we can't use the head or sinks....and schleping our gear up and down the ladder constantly; but hopefully things will go smoothly and we'll be back in the water soon.

July 8, 2009 Back in Florida

After seeing friends and family in both Mich. and Florida, we had a wonderful trip to Europe. We spent a few days in London, Rome, Florence, Cinque Terre, and Venice before visiting our son in Utrecht, The Netherlands----the highlight of our trip. Ty and Amber were the best tour guides ever; our week was over way too quickly. We can see why Ty enjoys it there. I've never seen so many bikes commuting and not crashing into each other....I'm glad we had mostly country roads to contend with when we bicycled one day. I'm really glad we had the opportunity to make this trip!

May 1, 2009 Shelter Bay Marina

We're on the hard in Shelter Bay Marina (Colon, Panama) where we'll leave Infini for a few months while we go back to the States, celebrate two college graduations, and visit family. The haul out went very smoothly and there's been lots of prep work to do before departure. We're hauling back four fifty pound bags of "stuff" and expect to ship other stuff back to Panama by commercial shipper instead of playing pack mule. We continue to meet lots of interesting people and see some amazing boats here. One notable personality we visited with (and came through the breakwater at the same time) was Webb Chiles. He's completing his fifth (!) circumnavigation and, as you can imagine, has lots of stories. Great fun! So, for now, we're off to do some land cruising, and don't expect to make any blog entries until our return mid July. Hope everyone has a great summer and we'll update this Blog in a few months. Ciao!

April 24 Portobello, Panama N09 deg 33min; W079 deg, 40 min

We're working our way west. We had a great sail (no engine!) from the San Blas back to Isla Linton with the wind over our starboard aft quarter. The swells gave us a sleigh ride and our boat speed averaged 6-7 knots; a real treat. It's been fun to meet up with some other boats we know.
The dinghy engine (Tohatsu) had been acting up so Michael took the carburetor off for a thorough strip down and cleaning and it's running fine now. We had picked up the 'crazy ants' somewhere, so it was exciting to find a boat with the liquid ant poison drops we could put around which resulted in a quick easy fix that I hope lasts! We'll be hauled out next week at Shelter Bay Marina, so we're in the process of deciding what we can bring home to lighten the boat some, and make room for what we'll be bringing back with us. We've found that the longer we're aboard, the less "stuff" we need...and that you can find most things eventually!

April 17 Still in San Blas

We enjoyed a quiet night in the W. Holandes, anchored by Miriadiadup; then on to the E. Holandes, the infamous 'Swimming Pool' once more. We arrived for a rare 'classical music' concert on BBQ Island. Susan from sv Wooden Shoe is a professional cellist player/composer/teacher. One of her former students was on holiday sailing with her, so there was classical guitar also. We've been snorkeling different reefs from the last time we were here. The wind has been 12-15 kts. pretty consistent, so that determines where we go to snorkel. I never cease to be amazed by a great feeling when drifting over a big, beautiful aquarium. Watching a school of squid hover around me, coming within a hands length away, changing colors and doing their wonderful squid maneuvers is special. I'm thrilled to join in the 'fitness classes' on the beach at 10am. Yoga was being done until Suzanne moved on; now the classes are with various fitness trainers. Oh, how out of shape I've gotten!...This is a real good wake up call to keep some type of exercise routine aboard...I do miss it!

April 3 W. Lemmons

We're anchored between Nuguarchirdup and Tiadup Islands. (We don't even try to pronounce them.) We've been here before with our son Ty, but Waily's Kuna Lodge wasn't open for guests then. The lodge appears fairly primitive but we haven't visited there; there's limited electricity via a generator, etc.; the few thatched huts for rent appear clean. One of their workers rakes the beach daily! At Infini, resident Kuna paddle by trying to sell their catch of fish and lobster (it's closed season for shellfish, but they don't seem to care), and the women try to sell molas. My response is "gracias, pero tengo mucho molas, no quiero mas". Most do speak a little Spanish, but not English, so they politely leave us alone, and seem to remember the boat as to not visit daily. They're usually alongside newly arrived boats before the anchor is down though...I guess that's a Kuna tradition by now.

April 10 E. Lemmon Cay

We're swinging gently at anchor between Nuinudup and Banedup Islands. One of the pleasures out here is to find old friends sharing the same anchorage. David and Damon on Bruadair are here...it's nice to catch up and share stories. And of course meeting new folks and snorkeling new sites keeps us busy when we're not cleaning, reading, or whatever....It's dry season, so the hatches stay open; a constant easterly breeze is refreshing and so far it's been bug/noseeum free! We can see why this is one of those 'sticky places'! The picture is of the cruiser potluck on Easter Sunday.

March 28 Back in Kuna Yala Land

N09deg.35' W078deg.52'
We had a nice motorsail to Chichime in the San Blas (45mi.) It's great to be back to the world of small, sandy, palm tree covered islands with friendly Kuna Indians. The crystal clear water...sound of the surf, and many places to explore underwater will be a nice way to spend our last month before we fly back to the states & Europe for graduations! This area sees a significant increase in the number of visiting yachts every year flying flags from many different countries. Some anchorages are very crowded...but there's always another choice not far if you want solitude.