Our Darien Adventure

2230, Monday, 18 Feb, 13. At anchor, Sucio River, Darien, Panama

We are in a narrow river at the end of the navigable waters of the Sucio River in the Darien area of Panama. This is one of many rivers emptying into the Golfo San Miguel and one of the rivers that have been recommended to us. After crossing over from the Perlas Islands we had to wait for a rising tide to enter. The water is quite shallow in places and a rising tide is more forgiving if, by some misfortune, we were to run aground. We are with Sundancer, Rio Nimpkish and Iris. Sundancer has been here several times and their passenger, Sam and Nancy, from Windsong, are very familiar with the area, so they led us in. The channel is quite well charted in the Bauhaus Guide but, as we got to the narrow sections, the GPS tracking and the charts didn’t quite match. Tomorrow morning we will take the dinghies up the rest of the way to the village of Cana Blanca where we hope to make friends and buy some baskets.

 

We had left Contadora on the 13^th, after only one night, and sailed down to Espiritu Santos, a beautiful anchorage, very popular with the local cruisers. We missed this on our way a few weeks ago and we were glad to get another chance to see it. It is at the junction of a fresh water stream on the East side of Isla Del Rey. It is a popular spot with catamarans and boats with twin keels as a spot where they can beach their boats to clean and refresh their bottom paint. We only had an afternoon so we decided to take advantage of the clear water give our bottom a good cleaning. This time it was a bit more demanding than a free dive so the scuba gear was brought out. It took the better part of an hour to scrape of an accumulation of small barnacles and growth with the propeller being the toughest. There was also a curious foam type of covering over most of the hull. When I got out of the water I discovered that the foam was really millions of tiny brine shrimp clinging to the hull, and by this time, clinging to me and all of my gear. What a mess to clean off!! Fran’s suggestion to use vinegar to persuade them to leave was a winner but it was still quite a chore. We now think that the particulate we saw in the water last time we were here was, indeed, the spawn of these creatures.

On our way from Contadora we were called by Beverly J and told that they and Risk Taker were finally in the area after a leisurely trip from Puntarenas, where we had last seen them. They will be heading for Panama in the next few days.

20:00, Wed, 20 Feb 2013, Anchored in Rio Cucunati.

Another quiet but windy anchorage just 5-7 miles, as the crow flies, from where we were yesterday. This area is a maze of rivers and mangrove swamps where the foothills on the Isthmus of Panama drain into the Pacific Ocean. We are with Rio Nimpkish and Iris; Sun Dancer stayed behind to spend another day with at the village where their guests Sam and Nancy have a special connection.

Yesterday morning we dinghied up to the village with as many presents we could carry. A few children met us at the landing and, as we entered the village the entourage grew to 20-25 children and a few women. The men preferred to stay back and work on their fishing nets. Just like in the newsreels of old the gringos handed out whatever we had brought as gifts. Coloring books and crayons, spare clothing, small sewing kits, candies and the like were distributed. As soon as we entered the village it was obvious that Sam and Nancy had made quite an impact on many of the residents in their last visit last April. People rarely return to this remote village and they were remembered instantly. Among other things, Nancy, a nurse, had dealt with a number of medical ailments and Sam had helped mix and pour the cement floor to little church. One lady made Fran’s day when she brought out a small basket to sell, the only one available for sale in the village. It had taken her a month to make and it is exquisite. Many photos were taken and Sam and Ron (Sun dancer) loaned their cameras to the kids to take whatever photos they wanted. We printed a few of them on our printer and sent them back today to have them distributed to the subjects of the photos. While we were there a Panamanian 2-man medical team arrived on their routine monthly stop. It was very interesting to learn that there has been no dengue fever or malaria in the area for 30 years! We had seen some signs of forestry activity on our way from the boat landing and they informed us that this is a sign of the times and one of the main sources of income for these remote villages. Although only the largest trees are taken the mess left behind is quite substantial.

 Fran's basket and its creator and family

Showing photos to the kids

A Wounaan family (minus the father)

 

We departed on the flood tide this morning for the Cucunati, another of the main river systems. We had been advised to go to a location where there would be lots of wildlife. We are anchored in a wide section of the river, surrounded by mangroves. There are a few hills rising out of the swampy ground where there should be lots of fauna but getting to them is quite impossible because of the mangroves. We had to be content with listening to the birds and howler monkeys at sunset. We did foray into the mangroves today to see the birds but, as we were put-putting up a narrow channel in the dinghy, Fran spotted a large crocodile sliding off the bank with a loud splash. That and seeing something BIG swim under the dingy shortly thereafter was enough to send us packing back to the safety of Gosling.

Before the croc!!

 

14:30, Saturday, 23 Feb , Enroute from La Palma to Isla Iguana

We have just departed the village of La Palma, the largest town in the Darien area and are headed to Isla Iguana for the night before we cross back over to the Perlas islands. It has been a couple of interesting days.

La Palma, capital of the Darien

 

 

Buzzards waiting for a meal

 

After leaving Rio Cuncunati, Thursday, we motored through the islands at the entrance to the Boca Grande, through a narrow pass that reminded us of Dodd’s Narrows in the Gulf Islands of BC and to the town of La Palma. This is a town of approx 5000 people clustered on a rocky shore at the edge of several of the rivers in the Darien wilderness. The main source of income seems to come from the stores in the town and the constant flow of pangas loaded with people or supplies arriving or leaving from a simple landing stage close to where we were anchored. The houses and shops along the shore have their fronts on the single main street but their backs supported by stilts over the water. The remainder of the town’s houses are perched on the steep hill sloping towards the shore above the main street, many painted in bright pastels.  But that is where the sketchbook description of town ends. The livelihood of the area seems to depend a lot on federal funding. There are many military personnel and several government offices. Some say that a lot of drugs pass through the Darien from Colombia but we saw no indication of this in our travels. The shore is littered with trash and debris and the population of vultures scavenging the shore seems to equal that of the town population. Restaurants are very basic but a decent meal from a pre-prepared menu goes for $3.50 a plate; chicken wings, beef, or what appeared as thick bacon strips but was advertised as pork ribs. After a meal and a bit of shopping we headed back to the boat and moved to a quiet anchorage north of the town. Sundancer stayed and found one of their dinghy wheels missing the following morning.

 

 

The following morning we headed up the Rio Sabana to Puerto Lara about 20 miles upstream at the end of the navigable waters. The trip was fascinating but we were constantly looking out for shoals and obstructions. The charts we had were fairly good but only one had details for the last 5 miles to the village. We were entering on a flood tide, as usual, and had originaly planned to anchor about 7 miles from the town rather than risk the narrower section of the river. When we arrived at the proposed anchorage it seemed too easy to continue so we did. A few hours later we were within sight of the town in 19 feet of water (Gosling draws 6 ft).  With the nearest tidal station, 7.5 miles away, indicating a range of tide of 8 feet we were comfortable to stay the night. Well, shit happened!! We were on Sun Dancer for cocktails for a few hours later that evening and watched their depth sounder go down from 5 ft to .5 ft but they were supposed to be in a shallower section. When we returned back to our boats, all of us were canted over. Iris, with her 7ft keel was over about 40 degrees while we were about 15. The change of tide was at 8PM and, although we had planned to spend the night, staying put was not an option because the next low tide at 8:30 AM was to be a foot lower. That meant a midnight departure down a river on the next rising tide following our tracks that were generated on our chart plotters on the way up. I like to refer it as bread crumbs like in the tale of Hansel and Gretel. It actually worked perfectly. Luckily we had a near-full moon so we did have some visual reference but Fran had to drive the boat blindly, making sure that the little boat symbol (Gosling) stayed on the pre-recorded line. What a trooper! And she hates video games….. We ended up anchoring at the mouth of the river a few hours later and had a peaceful night.

But all was not lost at this stop. Fat, dumb, happy and ignorant about our fate, we headed up the last few hundred yards by dinghy to the village. We were met at the dock by many children and a few village elders. Two men seemed to be the spokesmen and they immediately told us that there was a list of fees that were now being imposed by several villages of the Wounaan. The cost of everything from entry, to food to demonstrations and cultural shows was listed in Spanish and English. The list was obviously prepared by the Panamanian officials overseeing the tribes. We paid our $10 per person and were taken to a central platform where all the people in town soon converged with their wares for sale. The specialties were wood and tagua nut carvings, baskets and masks, bead jewelry and a few other trinkets, all hand-made by the inhabitants of the village. Some of the larger and more exquisite baskets were priced at $400, well out of a normal cruisers budget but everyone went back to their boats with their fill of smaller baskets and carvings and empty wallets.

Wounaan baskets and carvings for sale.

 

The expensive ones. Absolutely beautiful!

 

0900, 25 Feb 13, Anchored at Espiritu Santos

Our Darien adventure is over and we are back to the relative comfort of the Perlas islands again after a very calm crossing from Isla Iguana where we had spent the night

After our stop at the mouth of Rio Sabana we stopped briefly in La Palma again to catch up on our sleep and pick up a few supplies then carried on to Isla Iguana. Finding a decent anchorage was quite a challenge. We made 5 attempts before finding a mud bank where our Danforth would hold. It was a good thing we did because later that evening and early morning the current was running at 3 knots.

We left there early morning with the ebb pushing us out of the gulf and into the flat calm waters of the Gulf of Panama. It was an easy 32 mile motorboat ride under overcast skies (a relief from the blazing sun) to Espiritu Santos. We arrived just in time to be invited to a BBQ by the group of boats already there. Apparently this is a weekly routine on Sundays.  The location was a beautiful little beach on the other side of one of the islands, it was a great group and one of them was a Newfie called Noseworthy, brother of the Noseworthy who was in the navy on the East Coast, for those ex-naval types who might be reading this.

1600, 26 Feb, 13, At a buoy Isla Cantadora.

We have just arrived at Isla Cantadora, the third visit here and the stepping off place for our return to Panama City.  We stayed days at Espiritu Santos and had some so-so snorkeling yesterday. The visibility was about 6-10 ft but much better than it was when we first plied these waters a few weeks ago. I tried my hand at spearfishing with my trusty Hawaiian Sling but it is still fishless after many years of laying idle on this and our other boats. I did come close but trigger fish have tough scales and the spear just bounced off. I will have to sharpen my tines before trying again. I also had an argument with a lobster but he won and lived to tell the tale. Technique is everything and I am lacking in that department.

The intrepid hunter....

 

We had a nice evening on Rio Nimpkish with Leu and Claes (Whiteshell) and their 2 guests D avid and Rosaline from Cobbler Hill, just north of Victoria. David owns the music store in Duncan.

We left this morning and headed to Mogo Mogo, a small island south of Contadora where the Survivor Panama series was filmed. Fran and I had a great snorkel outing on a reef offshore with great visibility and lots of fish and coral. We then went into a beautiful cove where the shore is covered with pink shells. No wonder they chose this location for a TV series.

Pink Shell beach

 

Fran still has great legs, huh?

 

We have heard from Warren Peace and Optical illusion. They are in the South Perlas after crossing over from Punta Mala last night. It is Steve’s birthday today. Last year we celebrated together at Huatulco. We should be back together next week in Panama.

We left there about an hour ago and are now in front of the town where we have a decent internet connection and where I hope to send this section of the blog. Rio Nimpkish is also here so it might be dinner ashore this evening. Tomorrow we head back to Panama City and start preparing in earnest for our canal crossing.

Still in Panama city

20:00, Friday, 15 Feb, 2013, Anchored at the Playita Amador Anchorage, Panama City

Another quiet night with only the sounds of the flag flapping in the breeze and the odd motorcycle racing down the causeway. To the west there is a steady traffic of large ships heading to and from the Canal and to the south the lights of the many anchored ships make it look more like a city than an anchorage.

Hard to believe that it has already been over a week since we arrived. It has been a busy one, mostly work but some play to make it interesting.

The day after we arrived we went into the city for our internet chips and a “disposable” telephone, an indispensable item if you want to get anything done in this town. Our first taxi driver was Frankie, a local who speaks very good English and knows the city well. Frankie has become our lifeline and at $10/hr he is keeping us on schedule and has facilitated many of the tasks that we have had to do. Checking into the country is always an onerous task but with his help we were able to cut some corners and get things done efficiently. Shopping for anything or finding special services is difficult from where we are. We are located at the end of a long causeway at the southern entrance to the canal. It was built from residue from the original Canal excavation so nothing is close. Busses are not an option when you have to run from one end of the city to the other, especially when you have to carry your purchases which tend to be heavy and bulky. We have been able to share the cab expenses with other cruisers too.

So far, Panama is turning out to be much cheaper for most services and goods that Costa Rica. Fuel is a dollar less and the basics (like beer and rum) are almost half price. Checking in is much more costly because Panama has a “Cruising Permit” requirement. Ours came to $213. That and the $215 for immigration make much more of dent that the check-in/out costs of all of the other countries of Central America. And that is only the beginning. Our Canal Fees should add up to something close to $1500. We also have a few essentials to buy here like bottom paint and repairs to a few items. The VHF radio has already cost us $35 and repairs to the zippers of the cockpit enclosure another $135.

Last weekend was the start of Carnival. It culminated with the Mardi Gras parade on Tuesday night. For the entire weekend this town was nuts. We tried to avoid most of it but succumbed to the lure of the Afro-Caribbean event on Sunday and the Tuesday festivities and the parade downtown. The locale of the parade was the main road approaches of the Bridge of the Americas. The entire area was fenced off and, entry was only through gates where everyone was searched, presumably for weapons. They had a separate “foreigner” entrance for anyone with a foreign passport but everyone was searched. There were thousands of people queued up at the other entrance.  Once inside you were besieged with hundreds of stands selling anything from those cheap Chinese-made light-up trinkets t, people selling spay foam and spray silly string cans, beer stands,  and many different food choices. The most popular were skewers of marinated meat cooked over a makeshift BBQ. You don’t need a permit to do this in Panama and it was obvious that most were your next door neighbor type trying to capitalize on the hordes. Surprisingly it was all cheap. When you consider that all the beer sellers were selling at $1.00 it makes you wonder how we get gouged back home. Mind you, here the beer sells for less than $12.00 per 24. The parade itself was an anti-climax. It was about 1 hr long but only 10 floats, a few band and lots of crazy people in semi-organized groups marching or dancing to loud music emanating from massive speakers on the back of beat-up cars. This was not the Carnival in Rio or New Orleans but it was an interesting spectacle. We left right after the parade and there were still thousands of people lined up to get in.

The following day Fran and I, with our friends, Leu and Claus (White Shell) decided to try out the bus system. With directions from another cruiser we set out to find a marine store downtown. After 1-1/2 hours of riding busses we ended up in a “not-so-good” part of town, at least that is what the tourist police who picked us up told us…. Thinking we were close to our target we got out of the bus and started hiking to our goal (or so we thought). A police van stopped us and asked us where we were going. We told them, they rolled their eyes and told us to get in. After a scolding (in English) about wandering in a bad part of town they drove us to our destination.

Carnival Queens

Beer ice

Today we went on an organized tour to a village about 2 hours north of the city called Valle. It is actually located in an extinct volcano’s caldera. All along the way our guide pointed out the many gringo enclaves that have sprouted up over the past few years. Many Americans and Canadians are retiring here, including Ken and Sandy, former neighbour’s when we lived in Ottawa. We are hoping to meet the in a few weeks. Valle was a refreshing change from the big city. We saw a very interesting zoo of indigenous wildlife and plants and a hike to a waterfall. This was topped off with a visit to the local craft market. The Panama hats were a popular purchase. Fran says I look pretty good in mine……

Photo Op with caldera mountains in the backgroud

Valle Zoo: Cayote above and rare golden frog below

 

!900, 16 Feb, at a mooring ball at Cantadora

We have returned to Cantadora with Rio Nimpkish. This is a stop on our way to the Darien River system on the Panamanian mainland, south of the Canal and close to the Columbian border.  We have heard lots of good reports of the area from friends and have mapped out a number of places to see. This is an area of indigenous peoples who had not had much contact with the civilized world and who produce beautiful baskets. Fran is hoping to get a few for her collection.

On our way here we saw large areas of red tide. We had seen it close to shore but it is much more widespread than we had anticipated. It appeared to be a layer about 4-8 ft below the surface. We also found that the water has warmed up 6-10 degrees since we were last here. Maybe we’ll get a chance at snorkeling before we head back to Panama City in a week or so.

Must complete this entry and post it as we will most likely be out of cell tower range once we cross into the Darien.

Panama

21:00, Saturday, 26th of Jan 2013, Domingo’s anchorage, Bahia Honda, Panama What a gorgeous night! The full moon is being reflected on the still waters of this peaceful anchorage. The only sound is a tree frog calling from ashore. The French-Canadian part of me finds that very soothing…..The people living in the houses on the shore must have turned in because all is dark, but, then again, there is no electrical service on this side of the bay. It has been a very eventful few days since we left Golfito. On our last day we had planned an early supper with Gil and Lexie but nature intervened in the form of a torrential downpour just before we were to board the dinghy to meet them. After waiting 45 minutes for it to abate, we changed into our swimsuits and packaged our change of clothes into a plastic bag and, after bailing out buckets of water from the dinghy, we headed ashore. This would have been a good test of the rain-catcher Fran had just made but we had already filled our tanks in preparation of leaving. We didn’t have to go very far for dinner but without Gil and Lexis’s umbrellas we would have arrived looking like a bunch of drowned rats. The rain continued for another few hours and by the time we were ready to head back to the boat it was all over. Gosling was very clean by this time. Amazing what a fresh water wash can accomplish! We bid our fond farewells to Gil and Lexie once again and departed Golfito by 22:00 and did a night passage to Isla Parida, part of the western Panamanian islands and where we were to meet the other 2 boats. They had left the previous day and had stayed at a small bay just north of Punta Burica which forms the border between Panama and Costa Rica. There they met up with Chasing the Sun, with Jeff and his Venezuelan wife Egles, who had joined him in Golfito for the remainder of his trip to Venezuela. As we rounded the cape the other boats were all setting off for Isla Parida. We all put out our fishing gear, the first time since we left Bahia del Sol and within minutes we had fish on but most were the Mexican Bonitas, a garbage fish. Later on that morning Russ lost a sailfish but brought in a nice Dorado and J-G also got one, a 20 lb monster that fought him tooth and nail for a good 30 minutes. Our small freezer is full and we have been eating Dorado now for every meal…… Note to self: catch smaller fish.

The anchorage at Isla Parida was quite nice but we didn’t get to enjoy it much as the small outboard decided it needed a carburetor cleaning. By the time that was done it was nap time after the all-nighter passage, then a communal dinner on Nautimoments. We did get a visit from a local boy in a dugout canoe who wanted to trade coconuts for “regalos” or presents. We found a few bags of Halloween candy for him.

21:00, Saturday, 26th of Jan 2013, Domingo’s anchorage, Bahia Honda, Panama What a gorgeous night! The full moon is being reflected on the still waters of this peaceful anchorage. The only sound is a tree frog calling from ashore. The French-Canadian part of me finds that very soothing…..The people living in the houses on the shore must have turned in because all is dark, but, then again, there is no electrical service on this side of the bay. The anchorage at Isla Parida was quite nice but we didn’t get to enjoy it much as the small outboard decided it needed a carburetor cleaning. By the time that was done it was nap time after the all-nighter passage, then a communal dinner on Nautimoments. We did get a visit from a local boy in a dugout canoe who wanted to trade coconuts for “regalos” or presents. We found a few bags of Halloween candy for him.

Our next stop was Isla Cavada in the Islas Secas group and this was truly the nicest anchorage we have ever done. The water was crystal clear with visibility to 30-40 ft. Snorkeling on the reefs was pure joy with the abundance of fish and sea life. This entire area is famous for its water clarity; in fact, we are relatively close to Isla Coiba, a national marine park that is very popular with scuba enthusiasts. The next morning we all left early for another beautiful snorkeling bay at Isla de Afuera but, on arrival, we could not find a decent place to anchor so after a short stop we continued on to Bahia Honda. Bahia Honda was quite fun. It was totally sheltered and we were immediately visited by Domingo. Domingo has earned quite the reputation amongst the cruising community and is mentioned in most of the cruising guides as an enterprising old gent who sells or barters his home-grown veggies and fruit. His son Kennedy has now gotten into the act and it seemed that the two are in competition with each other. We acquired some really nice spinach, lettuce, bananas, avocadoes and grapefruit for a bit of cash, fish-hooks, batteries and old shoes for the wives. With his grand-children in the dugout canoe it was hard to refuse his requests for candy and cookies. There is a small village close by but other boats that visited here report that cruising boats seem to be the only source of income for these people. 17:00 28 Jan 2013, Anchored in Bahia Cebaco, RPA Another quiet anchorage. We arrived here mid-afternoon yesterday after a really good sail, yes “SAIL” from Bahia Honda. We actually sailed more than we powered with winds varying between 10 and 20 kts and, for a short while, actually got Gosling up to 8 kts. We decided to stay the day here and leave early tomorrow morning for the 72 mile passage to Baneo, the last shelter before rounding Punta Malo. Chasing the Sun has already left to take advantage of the winds and will meet us there. Cebaco Bay is the location of a floating fishing lodge. Actually it is an old rig tender that has been anchored here and serves as accommodations for guests that are flown in from Panama City and lodged in the cabins aboard the ship. The company has several yachts/tenders used to take guests out and a small shore base which, is expected to be turned into a small resort if the fishermen continue to come. At the present time, there are no guests so that project will probably stay on hold. The ship also serves as a fuel stop and resupply location for passing vessels, however, supplies are limited and expensive. With diesel at $6.30/gal we skipped on the opportunity.

21:00, 29 Jan 2013, Anchored in Ensenada Baneo, RPA What a day!! We expected a long day with a 72 mile passage but weren’t ready for what we actually got. We left Cebaco in calm conditions at 3AM. By 5 there was a good wind which we took advantage of as we proceeded south towards Punta Mariata, the most southerly point of our passage, just below 07*12N. Before sunrise we had a great view of the Southern Cross. After rounding the point we were besieged with fluky winds blowing down through the valleys between the mountains on this remote and wild shore. Rapid changes of direction and unexpected calms interspersed with 15-18 kt winds made sail trim a challenge but we were glad to get another opportunity to sail. The time we reached Punta Morro Del Puerco the wind had increased to 25 kts right on the nose, forcing us to power the remainder of the way in order to arrive at Baneo in daylight. By mid-afternoon we heard from Chasing the Sun as they were crossing the rough area and having a bad time of it. We caught up with Jeff and Egles and escorted them into Baneo. They were very relieved to finally arrive after a very rough few hours of tacking back and forth across the entrance of the bay and not being able to enter. Bahia Baneo is more famous for its surfing than as a cruising haven but this is the last shelter before rounding Punta Mala (Bad Point). It is appropriately named because of its strong currents and high winds. Boats wait here, in Baneo, until a window opens so that they can continue on to the Gulf of Panama. Lord knows when we will be able to continue. Moloda, a boat from Nanaimo on its way to the UK, has been waiting here for a few days for a chance to continue up to Panama City. If the conditions in the anchorageare any indication Punta Mala must be Mala indeed. It is blowing 20-25 kts here in the anchorage. 0600, 31 Jan, 2013, Enroute to the Las Perlas Islands, Gulf of Panama We are about 3 hours out from our next destination, the fabled islands of the Las Perlas group, that we have heard so much about. Dawn is just breaking to the east and the seas have moderated significantly over the past few hours. Gosling is motor-sailing in a 5-6 kt headwind and, finally, we are heading in the right direction. Is has been the coldest night passage so far this trip with temps in the low 70’s in the main cabin but cooler up top in the wind. We are far enough from land that we can only see an empty, wet seascape of waves and water. We departed Baneo much earlier than planned. One of the boats in the anchorage left in the early hours of the morning and reported from offshore at Punta Mala that the seas were calm and were supposed to remain that way until later in the day with worsening conditions for most of the following week. So much for our plans to relax for a day or 2…. Jeff needed to get fuel and a few provisions before departing. No-one else needed anything so Fran and I and Jeff and Egles shared the $50 cab to the closest town with a supermarket and gas station. Just over an hour later we were hauling our fuel jugs and groceries over the wide sandy beach to the dinghies and back to the boat. Within 30 minutes we were underway, the other 2 boats having left just as we returned to the beach. The offshore wind allowed for a nice sail for most of the afternoon but, as the evening wore on, the wind picked up and the seas responded accordingly. We remained under sail for much of the night with headwinds between 16 and 22 kts and seas from 3-5 ft, forcing us to bear off to sail with some comfort. We also crossed the main shipping channel for the Panama Canal, dodging freighters for a good part of the night. Although we bounced around a lot, Gosling took it in stride. By 03:00 the wind started to abate and the seas to flatten out and we were finally able make better headway to our destination. The conditions were too much for Chasing the Sun, Jeff opted to head directly for Panama City, following Moloda who has departed earlier yesterday morning. Jeff and Egles hope to get through the Canal in the next week or so and spend more time in the San Blas Islands. Since Baneo the beautiful deep blue ocean has been replaced by a smelly (seaweed odour) green water with lots of particulate. The temperature has also dropped 18 degrees F. This is most likely the influence of the Humbolt current that comes up from the west coast of South America. Other cruisers report that the area has been besieged with a plankton bloom similar to the red tide up north. If these conditions persist our stay in the Perlas Islands will be cut short.

10:00 Sunday, 3 Feb 2013, Enroute to Isla Contadora from Rio Cacique Another day, another island. We are skirting the coast towards Isla Contadora where there are lots of cruisers today. Today is Superbowl Day and Contadora has a large town with bars and TVs. We aren’t so interested in the football but really need an internet connection so that we can get some banking done. Also affecting our decision to hurry north are the water conditions. They have not improved and it is still cold and murky, not good conditions for the snorkeling we had hoped to do here. Over the past few days we have stopped at Bahia Playa Grande, Isla San Lucas and Rio Caique with a short stop for fresh produce at a small village on southern Isla Del Rey. At Playa Grande we were with 5 other boats, 2 of which are now on their way to the Galapagos (Swiss and German boats). From there we sailed across the strait and rounded the southern tip of Isla Del Rey and motored from there against a freshening north wind. We arrived off of the village of Esmeralda in mid-afternoon and were immediately besieged with children in dugout canoes asking if we wanted to buy bananas, papayas or diesel. Our candy supply took another hit to get rid of them. The native people here are much darker skinned than those of the remainder of Central America. More of a mulatto colouring, much like the people of the Caribbean. Fran and the other ladies and a few of the guys went to town in a panga and got a few things and we proceeded up to Bahia Rio Cacique. At any other time this would have been an idyllic stop but with these water conditions it was disappointing. We did some exploring of the beaches but there were few treasures to be found. We did have a good sundowner event on Finisterre an American boat that has been with us for the past 2 days. The boat is on its way from California to the East coast of the US. The owner Tom lives in Indianapolis and his two buds, Ken and Gary are crewing for him. Today we are in the company with Finisterre, also on their way to Contadora. They are determined to get a good seat for the Superbowl game. We have split away from NautiMoments and August Moon. Lexie (Sunday) had it spot-on when she said that 3 boats in company rarely work out. We have heard on the morning SSB net that Rio Nimpkish is in Panama City already and that Warren Peace, Liberte and Optical illusion are fast-tracking to get to Panama by mid-month. We now plan to wait for them there. We have a lot of supplies to get, some repairs and, hopefully, a visit with some old friends from Ottawa who now live in the mountains north of the city. We also have to get checked into the country and organize our Canal crossing. Since we left Chasing the Sun a few days ago, after rounding Punta Mala, we have not heard anything about them. Moloda is now at Tobago Island and has not seen them either. Hope they are all right. If all is well they should be arriving in Panama any time now. 1930, 6 Jan 13, Anchored in La Playita anchorage, Panama Well, we have finally made it to the Panama Canal. We are anchored at the Playita anchorage, a few hundred yards from the channel leading to the locks and will be here for a few weeks. We are in good company with lots of other boats from all over the world, some we have known from our time in Mexico. There are quite a few Canadian boat including Rio Nimpkish, Moloda, Guevevere 1 and Sun Dancer. The last 3-4 days have been a blur. We stayed 2 days in Contadora where they have set out mooring buoys to encourage cruisers to stay a while. The holding is poor so anchoring was not a good option. Apart from the holiday/retirement homes there isn’t much on the island. There are a few bars, restaurants and one or 2 tiendas with a very limited supply of goods. The small airport was very active and there was a steady stream of yachts coming and going as this is a popular spot for Panamanians and other cruisers to spend a few days. Our next stop was at Isla Tabago where we took a mooring at Chuy’s mooring field. Chuy has about 10 buoys that he rents out and, during the summer months, all the moorings are taken up by boats being stored for the summer season. Our old friend, Royal Exchange has been on the mooring for the past 2 years but is looking pretty good. Chuy takes good care of his wards. We were dismayed to learn that Lin and Lee will not be coming back to the boat any time soon. Lee was involved in a serious accident and it will be some time before they will know what their future will have in store.

We departed the following morning, leaving Finisterre and headed for the Canal Zone. The guys on Finisterre have discovered that the bottom fishing at Tabago is excellent and will remain at the mooring for another few days. The trip over was another motor boat ride. The wind was non-existent with a calm sea. In some places the surface of the water was covered by the scum we have experienced since we arrived in the Perlas. We have since found out that it is coral spawn and is common at this time of year with the influx of the colder Humbolt current water. At night the bio-luminescence is extremely bright. Apparently, after the coral spawn we have the influx of baby jelly fish to contend with. We are getting very concerned about Chasing the Sun. We have had no news from them and no-one has heard anything for the past week. We have many boats looking out for them and calling them on VHF 16 but still no response. We are now settled in to an anchorage routine with lots of projects to accomplish in the next few weeks. There are lots of services available here in Panama City and a pleasant cruiser community so we will have to take advantage of the location before we proceed east. This afternoon, after putting up the awning, we took the time to go ashore to a large mall where we obtained our internet chips and a cell phone so; we are now fully connected for the next month. Our next stop was Isla Cavada in the Islas Secas group and this was truly the nicest anchorage we have ever done. The water was crystal clear with visibility to 30-40 ft. Snorkeling on the reefs was pure joy with the abundance of fish and sea life. This entire area is famous for its water clarity; in fact, we are relatively close to Isla Coiba, a national marine park that is very popular with scuba enthusiasts. The next morning we all left early for another beautiful snorkeling bay at Isla de Afuera but, on arrival, we could not find a decent place to anchor so after a short stop we continued on to Bahia Honda. Bahia Honda was quite fun. It was totally sheltered and we were immediately visited by Domingo. Domingo has earned quite the reputation amongst the cruising community and is mentioned in most of the cruising guides as an enterprising old gent who sells or barters his home-grown veggies and fruit. His son Kennedy has now gotten into the act and it seemed that the two are in competition with each other. We acquired some really nice spinach, lettuce, bananas, avocadoes and grapefruit for a bit of cash, fish-hooks, batteries and old shoes for the wives. With his grand-children in the dugout canoe it was hard to refuse his requests for candy and cookies. There is a small village close by but other boats that visited here report that cruising boats seem to be the only source of income for these people. 17:00 28 Jan 2013, Anchored in Bahia Cebaco, RPA Another quiet anchorage. We arrived here mid-afternoon yesterday after a really good sail, yes “SAIL” from Bahia Honda. We actually sailed more than we powered with winds varying between 10 and 20 kts and, for a short while, actually got Gosling up to 8 kts. We decided to stay the day here and leave early tomorrow morning for the 72 mile passage to Baneo, the last shelter before rounding Punta Malo. Chasing the Sun has already left to take advantage of the winds and will meet us there. Cebaco Bay is the location of a floating fishing lodge. Actually it is an old rig tender that has been anchored here and serves as accommodations for guests that are flown in from Panama City and lodged in the cabins aboard the ship. The company has several yachts/tenders used to take guests out and a small shore base which, is expected to be turned into a small resort if the fishermen continue to come. At the present time, there are no guests so that project will probably stay on hold. The ship also serves as a fuel stop and resupply location for passing vessels, however, supplies are limited and expensive. With diesel at $6.30/gal we skipped on the opportunity. 21:00, 29 Jan 2013, Anchored in Ensenada Baneo, RPA What a day!! We expected a long day with a 72 mile passage but weren’t ready for what we actually got. We left Cebaco in calm conditions at 3AM. By 5 there was a good wind which we took advantage of as we proceeded south towards Punta Mariata, the most southerly point of our passage, just below 07*12N. Before sunrise we had a great view of the Southern Cross. After rounding the point we were besieged with fluky winds blowing down through the valleys between the mountains on this remote and wild shore. Rapid changes of direction and unexpected calms interspersed with 15-18 kt winds made sail trim a challenge but we were glad to get another opportunity to sail. The time we reached Punta Morro Del Puerco the wind had increased to 25 kts right on the nose, forcing us to power the remainder of the way in order to arrive at Baneo in daylight. By mid-afternoon we heard from Chasing the Sun as they were crossing the rough area and having a bad time of it. We caught up with Jeff and Egles and escorted them into Baneo. They were very relieved to finally arrive after a very rough few hours of tacking back and forth across the entrance of the bay and not being able to enter. Bahia Baneo is more famous for its surfing than as a cruising haven but this is the last shelter before rounding Punta Mala (Bad Point). It is appropriately named because of its strong currents and high winds. Boats wait here, in Baneo, until a window opens so that they can continue on to the Gulf of Panama. Lord knows when we will be able to continue. Moloda, a boat from Nanaimo on its way to the UK, has been waiting here for a few days for a chance to continue up to Panama City. If the conditions in the anchorageare any indication Punta Mala must be Mala indeed. It is blowing 20-25 kts here in the anchorage. 0600, 31 Jan, 2013, Enroute to the Las Perlas Islands, Gulf of Panama We are about 3 hours out from our next destination, the fabled islands of the Las Perlas group, that we have heard so much about. Dawn is just breaking to the east and the seas have moderated significantly over the past few hours. Gosling is motor-sailing in a 5-6 kt headwind and, finally, we are heading in the right direction. Is has been the coldest night passage so far this trip with temps in the low 70’s in the main cabin but cooler up top in the wind. We are far enough from land that we can only see an empty, wet seascape of waves and water. We departed Baneo much earlier than planned. One of the boats in the anchorage left in the early hours of the morning and reported from offshore at Punta Mala that the seas were calm and were supposed to remain that way until later in the day with worsening conditions for most of the following week. So much for our plans to relax for a day or 2…. Jeff needed to get fuel and a few provisions before departing. No-one else needed anything so Fran and I and Jeff and Egles shared the $50 cab to the closest town with a supermarket and gas station. Just over an hour later we were hauling our fuel jugs and groceries over the wide sandy beach to the dinghies and back to the boat. Within 30 minutes we were underway, the other 2 boats having left just as we returned to the beach. The offshore wind allowed for a nice sail for most of the afternoon but, as the evening wore on, the wind picked up and the seas responded accordingly. We remained under sail for much of the night with headwinds between 16 and 22 kts and seas from 3-5 ft, forcing us to bear off to sail with some comfort. We also crossed the main shipping channel for the Panama Canal, dodging freighters for a good part of the night. Although we bounced around a lot, Gosling took it in stride. By 03:00 the wind started to abate and the seas to flatten out and we were finally able make better headway to our destination. The conditions were too much for Chasing the Sun, Jeff opted to head directly for Panama City, following Moloda who has departed earlier yesterday morning. Jeff and Egles hope to get through the Canal in the next week or so and spend more time in the San Blas Islands. Since Baneo the beautiful deep blue ocean has been replaced by a smelly (seaweed odour) green water with lots of particulate. The temperature has also dropped 18 degrees F. This is most likely the influence of the Humbolt current that comes up from the west coast of South America. Other cruisers report that the area has been besieged with a plankton bloom similar to the red tide up north. If these conditions persist our stay in the Perlas Islands will be cut short. 10:00 Sunday, 3 Feb 2013, Enroute to Isla Contadora from Rio Cacique Another day, another island. We are skirting the coast towards Isla Contadora where there are lots of cruisers today. Today is Superbowl Day and Contadora has a large town with bars and TVs. We aren’t so interested in the football but really need an internet connection so that we can get some banking done. Also affecting our decision to hurry north are the water conditions. They have not improved and it is still cold and murky, not good conditions for the snorkeling we had hoped to do here. Over the past few days we have stopped at Bahia Playa Grande, Isla San Lucas and Rio Caique with a short stop for fresh produce at a small village on southern Isla Del Rey. At Playa Grande we were with 5 other boats, 2 of which are now on their way to the Galapagos (Swiss and German boats). From there we sailed across the strait and rounded the southern tip of Isla Del Rey and motored from there against a freshening north wind. We arrived off of the village of Esmeralda in mid-afternoon and were immediately besieged with children in dugout canoes asking if we wanted to buy bananas, papayas or diesel. Our candy supply took another hit to get rid of them. The native people here are much darker skinned than those of the remainder of Central America. More of a mulatto colouring, much like the people of the Caribbean. Fran and the other ladies and a few of the guys went to town in a panga and got a few things and we proceeded up to Bahia Rio Cacique. At any other time this would have been an idyllic stop but with these water conditions it was disappointing. We did some exploring of the beaches but there were few treasures to be found. We did have a good sundowner event on Finisterre an American boat that has been with us for the past 2 days. The boat is on its way from California to the East coast of the US. The owner Tom lives in Indianapolis and his two buds, Ken and Gary are crewing for him. Today we are in the company with Finisterre, also on their way to Contadora. They are determined to get a good seat for the Superbowl game. We have split away from NautiMoments and August Moon. Lexie (Sunday) had it spot-on when she said that 3 boats in company rarely work out. We have heard on the morning SSB net that Rio Nimpkish is in Panama City already and that Warren Peace, Liberte and Optical illusion are fast-tracking to get to Panama by mid-month. We now plan to wait for them there. We have a lot of supplies to get, some repairs and, hopefully, a visit with some old friends from Ottawa who now live in the mountains north of the city. We also have to get checked into the country and organize our Canal crossing. Since we left Chasing the Sun a few days ago, after rounding Punta Mala, we have not heard anything about them. Moloda is now at Tobago Island and has not seen them either. Hope they are all right. If all is well they should be arriving in Panama any time now. 1930, 6 Jan 13, Anchored in La Playita anchorage, Panama Well, we have finally made it to the Panama Canal. We are anchored at the Playita anchorage, a few hundred yards from the channel leading to the locks and will be here for a few weeks. We are in good company with lots of other boats from all over the world, some we have known from our time in Mexico. There are quite a few Canadian boat including Rio Nimpkish, Moloda, Guevevere 1 and Sun Dancer. The last 3-4 days have been a blur. We stayed 2 days in Contadora where they have set out mooring buoys to encourage cruisers to stay a while. The holding is poor so anchoring was not a good option. Apart from the holiday/retirement homes there isn’t much on the island. There are a few bars, restaurants and one or 2 tiendas with a very limited supply of goods. The small airport was very active and there was a steady stream of yachts coming and going as this is a popular spot for Panamanians and other cruisers to spend a few days. Our next stop was at Isla Tabago where we took a mooring at Chuy’s mooring field. Chuy has about 10 buoys that he rents out and, during the summer months, all the moorings are taken up by boats being stored for the summer season. Our old friend, Royal Exchange has been on the mooring for the past 2 years but is looking pretty good. Chuy takes good care of his wards. We were dismayed to learn that Lin and Lee will not be coming back to the boat any time soon. Lee was involved in a serious accident and it will be some time before they will know what their future will have in store. We departed the following morning, leaving Finisterre and headed for the Canal Zone. The guys on Finisterre have discovered that the bottom fishing at Tabago is excellent and will remain at the mooring for another few days. The trip over was another motor boat ride. The wind was non-existent with a calm sea as we picked our way through the forest of ships anchored off the Canal Zone,waiting to transit the canal or either waiting for cargo or to unload at any one of the port facilities in the area.

In some places the surface of the water was covered by the scum we have experienced since we arrived in the Perlas. We have since found out that it is coral spawn and is common at this time of year with the influx of the colder Humbolt current water. At night the bio-luminescence is extremely bright. Apparently, after the coral spawn we have the influx of baby jelly fish to contend with. We are getting very concerned about Chasing the Sun. We have had no news from them and no-one has heard anything for the past week. We have many boats looking out for them and calling them on VHF 16 but still no response. We are now settled in to an anchorage routine with lots of projects to accomplish in the next few weeks. There are lots of services available here in Panama City and a pleasant cruiser community so we will have to take advantage of the location before we proceed east. This afternoon, after putting up the awning, we took the time to go ashore to a large mall where we obtained our internet chips and a cell phone so; we are now fully connected for the next month.