The Journey to Panama II

March 21

Behind the Shelter Bay Marina was a jungle with some walking paths as well as the remains of Ft. Sherman which had been a major jungle warfare training location for the U.S.Army during the 60's.  I enjoyed several walks through that jungle while the guys worked on the boat.  (My electrical expertise is nil)  I saw monkeys playing and chattering in the trees and a coatimundi which took off across the path when I walked by.  Leaf cutter ants were prolific and from one day to the next their numbers increased dramatically.  Sadly, the sloths avoided me.  

I saw a variety of stairs to nowhere, walls covered over by jungle as well as a number of virtually destroyed buildings all of which I presumed were remnants of  Ft. Sherman.  The local story is that when it  was turned over to Panama in 1999, all of the barracks and army buildings were looted and in many cases destroyed. 

path through the jungle

church being devoured by the jungle growth

Stairs heading nowhere

stone wall, presumably remnants of Ft. Sherman

leaf cutter ants, next day the line was 10 times as wide!

Ft. Sherman buildings behind chainlink fence

there is a monkey - somewhere  - believe it or not

After a week in Panama, Chak, a friend of Seth's arrived.  He is a French Canadian professional photographer and had hoped to photograph his adventures sailing with Seth.  His first order of business, however was to help reposition the water generator. 

Chak and Jim running wires

Chak tested his submarine camera. (I don't think that is what he called it, but in short he and his son had built a waterproof case for a camera, which they could move through the water by controlling three small propellers with a hand held remote control connected to the vehicle by a cable.)  He had  hopes of using it around the reefs.

Chak and his submarine camera

A few electronic demons were still at work with the auto pilot and the charging of the batteries, but both the electrician and Seth were convinced that it would be safe to take off for the San Blas Islands!! We headed out of the marina and immediately hit heavy seas.  This time we were facing pretty much into the wind and had to motor sail.  It was again very rough and uncomfortable.  The bashing of the bow into the water was amazingly violent and the creaking and groaning of the boat was disturbing as I tried to rest down below before my watch. (It required hanging on for dear life trying not to be tossed out of the bunk.)  The smell of the diesel from the engine was making Chak sick and the motion of the boat was making me sick.  After being underway for a number of hours, Seth became concerned about the charging of the batteries so he and Jim worked on the problem for awhile.  They thought they had it fixed but then it resurfaced.  Finally Seth decided we should turn back.  So after 12 plus hours of bouncing, we arrived back at the marina the next morning.  At this point I think all of us were discouraged.  Plans were up in the air and time was moving forward and the canal crossing date was fast approaching.  

After consultation with the electrician, Seth contemplated trying again for San Blas.  However, time was so short that we would have had only two days there at best. Travel time would have been two days there and two days back. At that point, I had to admit that I was unwilling to face another ocean voyage.  Winds were still strong and the chances of them abating significantly were not good.  So at that point Jim and I decided that it was time to start our land based travel.  We would get to San Blas another way and then try to return to be line handlers for the canal transit. 

For a variety of reasons Chak also decided that this was not the adventure that he had hoped for and that he too was going to leave the boat.

packed up and ready for the taxi

The next day the three of us took a taxi to Panama City.  As it turned out, Seth did not go to San Blas, but instead to Porto Bello (about 1/3 of the way to San Blas) and had a lovely time exploring cute restaurants, fortifications and meeting someone who joined him on the boat for a while.

So, bottom line...are we glad we did it?  Absolutely.  We had an "adventure", we learned alot, we took a journey that I don't think we would have tried on our own.  Would we do it again?  I think not.  

The Journey to Panama in Three Parts - Part I

March 20, 2018

Our journey to Panama started off with a flat tire on our rental car before we had gone 3 miles.  Should we have seen this as an omen??  After it was replaced, which was handled very quickly and efficiently, we sped off to Orlando to connect for lunch with my cousin John and his wife, Joann.  After a lovely visit, they headed off to Disney Springs to buy some special chocolate, we checked into our hotel and then met up again with them, this time  joined by our son, Jeremy and his family.  Family get togethers are very special to me especially since our family is strewn far and wide. 

With cousins John and Joann Coppes

 The following day, we joined Jeremy and family for a day at Epcot.  I think Cy's favorite was Tech Trek where you get to design your own race car.  Much to his delight, his beat ours though ours had a better safety record!!  (Perhaps a reflection of the age of its "designers"!!)  It rained much of the day, and other than a very strong gust of wind that turned Cy's brand new umbrella inside out and our sloshing around in soggy sandals we had a great time. 

Slightly soggy, but still having fun!

The next day we headed to Miami to catch our flight to Kingston.  One of the complications when we arrived into Jamaica was that we were carrying a wind generator for Seth's boat.  The customs official felt it was necessary to charge us a huge sum of  money even though we were bringing the item to be installed on a boat that was in transit.  Did not make sense to us so we were able to store the two large items in quarantine to await Seth who had much more experience about such things than we did.

We spent a couple of relaxing days in  a hotel with a beautiful view, but situated in a residential area with nothing but homes in the neighborhood, one restaurant, and nothing else within walking distance. 

View from the Jamaica Inn

After trying to find something to do in Kingston, we decided the most interesting things in Jamaica were to be found far from Kingston - with one exception - the Bob Marley Museum. 

Bob Marley Museum

Statue of Bob Marley in front of Museum

An early picture of his family

His former home has been turned into a showcase for family fotos, his platinum, gold and silver record awards, notable achievements and a photo journal of his remarkable yet very short life.  All visitors must go through the museum as part of a group with a tour guide.  This limit to one's wandering around at one's own pace is well counterbalanced by the knowledgeable guide we had who clearly enjoyed sharing fun anecdotes and stories while singing bits and pieces of Marley's music!

Serendipity at Sea arriving in  Jamaica

After our two nights in Jamaica, Seth arrived in the evening at the Royal Jamaica Yacht Club and we were there to greet him on the dock.  However, he had not cleared immigration so he couldn't get off the boat and we couldn't go on it!! We had a nice visit and then the next morning after the formalities had been completed we were allowed to move onto the boat.

And here begins our official "adventure".

An "adventure" is defined as  "an unusual and exciting, typically hazadous experience or activity, often involving the exploration of unknown territory"  Yes, indeed!  That about sums it up!   I am guilty of using the word "adventure" a little loosely, so I plan to be a little more cautious and circumspect in its use and my desire for one.

Seth's boat is an Island Packet 38, named Serendipity at Sea.  It is a very solid, seaworthy boat that is nicely laid out inside to make it feel much larger than 38 feet.  It is also very well equiped with redundant systems in preparation for a round the world trip.  En route to Jamaica Seth had determined that the engine was not charging the batteries consistently so by the time we arrived at the boat he had already contacted J.R., the resident electrician for the boatyard to sort that problem out as well as assist with the mounting of the Hydrovane water generator that we had brought with us.  (Seth was able to get it out of Customs with no problem!)

J.R. and Jim installing the hydro generator

And so began our week in Kingston - working on the boat.  Jim worked as J.R.'s assistant, Seth was both the boss and the one who had to drive all over Kingston getting parts.  (No West Marine in Kingston!  The closest thing to such a store was an old house that a wise old sailor had converted to a storehouse of boat parts.  I wish I had taken a picture because it was a maze of rooms, shelves, nooks and crannies and was always filled with both customers and visitors.  And he had almost everything we needed and more amazingly yet he or one of his helpers could always find it! )

Finallly on Feb 15, the boat seemed to be ready altho it still had a few electrical quirks which we hoped could be sorted out  in Panama.  The next five days were brutal.  Winds 20 - 25 knots from the aft quarter, confused seas with waves from 10 - 12 feet, but worst of all 15 foot swells coming at us from the side.  Not only were we bouncing up and down, but the swells were flinging us to the side.  Even holding on to the handrails inside the cabin I was flung off and landed head over tea kettle.  Other times I held onto the ceiling hand rails and when a swell came my feet were lifted up and I was swinging from the rails.  Jim and I were both sick the first two days (despite the fact that I was wearing a patch and then took Stugeron)  Needless to say it was a very long 5 days (2 half days and 3 full days).  An adventure!? Getting into Shelter Bay Marina just north of Colon was a wonderfu relief!!  Seth is clearly a very stalwart sailor - no sea sickness for him! 

After a visit from the Panama Canal Transit agent and a trip to Colon to go through immigration and shop for some various parts for the boat we were ready to tackle the continuing electrical problems on the boat. Seth was able to make contact with an electrician who with Jim and Seth as helpers went to work to sort out the electrical issues.

And so began our week in Panama at Shelter Bay Marina - working on the boat yet again.

Seth and Stuart working on the boat

Ft. Myers - a Reprieve

02 February 2018

Catching up.....

We arrived at the Matanzas Pass mooring field at Ft. Myers Beach with the luxury of knowing that we could stay for a week and just explore.  No repairs, no injuries, no drama!!

Times Square is a hub of restaurants, ice cream parlors, shops with all manner of beach equipment and souvenirs, live music and just general high energy tourism.  It seemed like the right occasion to have my one drink a year!  I don't like the taste of alcohol but this was a rum drink with strawberries, mango and banana and tasted like an icy fruit punch.  I suspect it could become habit forming!!

We were on the same mooring ball as last time and we like it because it is on the very end of the field and we don't have the sense of being with a lot of other boats.

View from the mooring field looking east

Thanks to a neighbor boat we learned about the Matanzas Pass Preserve which is a part of the Great Florida Birding and Wildlife Trail.  It is 60 acres with 1.25 miles of trails, with transitional wetlands, maritime oak hammock and mangrove forest. It became our favorite place to get some exercise altho we had to dock our dinghy in a rather "sketchy" area to get there.   (We decided it was the hangout for the down and out who may have been homeless but still had a dinghy.  They were always friendly and despite the warning from the office not to dock there we had no problems.)

Entering the Preserve

Hardly need the Trail Map with the Boardwalk

Typical section of boardwalk

End of the trail

The cold caught up with us, but was motivation for Jim to bake Tucker bread.  We are lucky to have an Argentinian "niece-in-law" who lives in Australia and I think she must have creatively combined Argentinian and Australian cooking.  It has become one of Jim's specialities.  He tried to transcribe her recipe (difficult since she is of the "pinch of this, two pinches of that" persuasion) but I think finally has it down.

Getting ready to roll out the dough with his thermos bottle

2/3 traditional recipe, 1/3 peanut butter and jam

Ready for baking

Done and Yum!

Apparently baking the Tucker Bread did not heat up the boat as much as we would have liked!

  

Sunrise at Matanzas Pass just before we left

When it was time to leave (after waiting out some nasty weather) we left early in the morning, refueled, filled the water tanks and headed up the Intracoastal Waterway to one of our favorite stopping off spots:  Cabbage Key. 

After hiking their short trail around the island, we actually stopped for a "hamburger in Paradise"!

This little guy was ever hopeful for some handouts!

Looked like a weeping willow succulent!

Spanish Moss gave the pathway an eerie atmosphere

We headed off to Hog Island, our usual stopover spot where we stage for going through the lock.  We waited until a few hours before high tide and proceeded to the lock entrance about 4:30pm.  Still ran aground but because it was a rising tide we finally floated off and went through the lock with no problems.  It was approaching sunset but we managed to arrive at Safe Cove before dark and tie up along the dock.

Safe Cove visible in the distance

Our last sunrise while at the dock was lovely and despite much heavier winds than we like to maneuver in we were able to back into the "well" and the pros here lifted us out and moved us into our new spot where the boat will be for the next 10 months or so!

Sunrise from the boat before haul-out

And now off to Panama ......

...the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!

08 January 2018

Thank you, Judith Viorst, I couldn't have said it better myself.

The day began by running aground - twice - and ended with the anchor windlass breaking with a loud crash and catching Jim's jeans, ripping a huge hole in them and in the process pinching and tearing off a portion of the skin on his thigh!  And inbetween the beginning and the end, it was a most unpleasant and interminable slog in 3-5 foot confused seas and 20 - 25 knot winds gusting to 29 right on the nose.  Need I say the weather was not what we anticipated. 

Howling wind and white caps in our anchorage - time to leave 

White Pelicans the night before we left

After waiting at Russell Bay for a good weather window and evaluating some conflicting information about wind speeds and directions as well as wave heights, it became clear than unless we wanted to wait several more weeks, it was the best time to leave.   We were expecting 10-15 knots from the northeast which would have given us one nice sailing tack and one motoring tack.  

last sunrise at Russell Key

Jim pulled up the anchor and within minutes of getting it off the bottom, we ran aground!  We had barely moved. The tide was coming in and I was following the "cookies" on our GPS.   I was exactly on the track we used entering.  What???  We got loose, went a few more feet and ran aground again!  Since we were right in the middle of the channel, we didn't know whether to go right or left... We fiddle faddled around for about a half hour and finally got clear and headed out to the Gulf.  Once out of the protection of all of the islands, the water was much choppier and the winds much stronger than anticipated.  We needed to head west around the Romano Shoals and then north.  We knew we would be able to sail for a short while on the westward portion. The winds were good for sailing altho a little strong.  We pulled out our jib only and made good progress in very choppy and confused seas.  Soon the 2 -3 foot seas became 5-6.  Winds settled in at 25 gusting up to 29.  A little more than we had bargained for. It was time to change course or we would have ended up in Mexico!  (Eventually!) The wind was now on our nose so we had to pull in the jib and turn on the engine.  Despite our RPM's at 2400, we were barely making 2-3 knots.  At that rate we knew we would not get to Marco Island before dark.  The ride was very uncomfortable and I was feeling worse and crabbier by the minute.  We tried doing a crossword puzzle and listening to our audio books, but it is very hard to concentrate on anything in those conditions!

It was an interminable six hours and was indeed dark by the time we got to the Marco Island Channel.  At least we had been there before - channel markers can be very confusing at night and this particular entrance does some zigs and zags.  Again we followed our "cookies" and this time they did not lead us astray.  But I was exhausted and scared.  With Jim beside me, helping me to stay on track, and ignoring my shaking, we made it to our favorite anchorage spot.  When I was backing down to ensure that the anchor was well set, the snubber slipped, something broke loose on the windlass and Jim's jeans got caught.  The ripped hole was insignificant compared to the huge bruise on his thigh and the pinched skin.  I took a picture but decided it was too gross to put on the blog.  After getting him patched up, and relaxing awhile, we could appreciate that the day was over and that we were safe and sound.

The three days at Marco were a lovely respite.  The weather warmed up and we met our anchorage mates from Russell Bay for lunch. (They had had a worse trip than we did.  They  had engine problems and could make no headway against the wind and waves, so had to be towed into Marco!).  We resupplied our milk and cheerios, went out for key lime pie, had good internet and all was well.

Key lime pie at Snook Inn at Marco Island

What seemed like compensation for a less than wonderful trip to Marco island, was the sail to Ft. Myers Beach.  Winds had calmed down and for the first time this season we were able to set both the mainsail and the jib, quietly glide along with the rippling of the water the only sound, the occasional company of dolphins and the sun warm on our faces.  

A peaceful sail from Marco Island to Ft. Myers Beach

There was no mooring ball available for us at Ft. Myers, so we spent one night anchored out in the bay before moving into the mooring field the next morning.  We have stayed here before, but never had the chance to explore the area.  This time we will.....and it started with ice cream!

An obscene amount of ice cream but it did not defeat us!

Things that "growl" in the night

02 January 2018

Because it gets dark early and because we are very conservative in our power usage after the sun has gone done, we tend to play cards, do crossword puzzles or read (with our headlamps on).  One of our first nights in Russell Key we heard what we thought was something rubbing against the hull.  Several checks outside revealed nothing.  Then a second louder sound started and it caused a slight vibration under our feet in the cabin. The two sounds went back and forth as if in conversation.  Still nothing visible outside and in fact the sound was loudest inside the boat.  It was a bit unnerving.  Finally Jim speculated that it might be alligators!  What??  A little exploring on youtube and we were finally able to listen to alligator bellows, growls and what sounded like loud belching!!  That was what we were hearing, altho it wasn’t as loud.  Noise travels well through the water so they were probably not as close as it sounded. Apparently we were eavesdropping on an alligator conversation!!  We heard them for several nights in a row and they proved to be "chatty" but unobtrusive neighbors!

A few projects:

A 12 volt outlet added to the cockpit for charging our electronics.

Repair to the sacrificial on our mainsail - a UV protection system

Jim sitting on the boom to repair sail

Laundry done in my new "washing machine" 

The new agitator

Agitating!

And then the “Arctic Freeze” hit with a vengeance.  With all due respect to my family and friends in Minnesota and Michigan, it was COLD!!  38 degrees above, not below, but in Florida??? As "Murphy" would have it, our heater in the boat was not working.  We obviously didn’t bring our winter gear on the boat, so evenings we put on just about everything we did bring, put an extra blanket and an opened sleeping bag on the bed and have managed to survive.  Everyday we appreciate the cockpit enclosure.  It protects us from the brutal winds and the suns beats in and warms it up to a balmy 65 degrees.

For three days we kept close watch on weather hoping for a weather window to head north.  Small craft warnings kept us where we were!!  Another boat joined us and despite being no more than 100 feet apart, with the extreme current (5 ft tides twice aday) and 20+ knot winds we didn’t feel comfortable dinghying over for a visit.  The waters were choppy and the wind howled although we were somewhat protected from the worst of it  

Finally it looked like a decent weather window and we were ready to head out.  So we did, and therein lies a tale for another blog!

To Fish or Not to Fish?? That is the Question!

29 December 2017

Two years ago, in a fit of enthusiasm, I walked into a fishing shop in Bradenton.  When a nice young man came up and asked if he could help me, I said “yes, I want you to outfit me with the right kind of equipment to catch fish”.  I could image what was going on in his mind and at first he was very hesitant.  After he asked me lots of questions, he finally figured out that I did not know the first thing about fishing and he became intrigued with the challenge of making me a successful fisherman.  I set his parameters:  keep it simple, keep it relatively inexpensive, and sell me everything I need to get started.  So he did!

Time passed and while at anchor in Camp Lulu, I finally pulled the rod out from the lovely teak holders that were in our aft cabin and the plastic box of tackle from a small lazarette.  I watched a youtube video on how to rig the rod.  Line put on - check, sinker attached - check, two hooks attached - check, and salami cut up for bait.  (couldn’t think of anything else I had that might work.)  I was ready!!  Let’s just say that my casting was very amateurish as you might expect, but I was having fun trying to get the hang of.  Casting between standing rigging, running rigging, life lines and other miscellaneous ropes is challenging at best.

I had no expectations of catching anything, but sitting on the side of the boat was pleasant and my casts were getting a little more coordinated.  Suddenly there was a tug on my line.  I would love to say that I gave it a practiced yank, but in fact I just jumped and the hook was set.  With visions of grandeur I yelled for Jim to get the net, which I most certainly did not need.  I pulled the fish onto the boat and the hook that had gone through its cheek caught on a jib sheet.  (a rope attached to the jib) So, here I am with a squirming fish, not only caught on the hook, but also on the jib sheet. Jim started to release the hook then realized that he needed pliers and a towel to protect himself from the barbs both on the hook and on the fish.  My excitement for having caught a fish was slowly turning into distress for the fish and a sinking feeling in my stomach!  Jim first got the fish loose from the sheet and then loose from the hook and threw it back into the water. (my request) It was between 10 – 12 inches.  I pulled out a book on Gulf fish and identified what I had caught as a Channel catfish – excellent eating according to the book.  There was no way I could have eaten that fish and in fact I was so upset that I put the fishing gear away and contemplated whether or not I ever wanted to fish again.  

My first fish!

Back in the Land of Internet - catching up!

December 28, 2017

After a few relaxing days at Hog Island, we were ready for some socializing and headed over to Fisherman’s Village where we met up with some friends from “C” dock at Regatta Pointe.  Fun to get caught up on people that we tangentally keep up with on Facebook or through other people”s blogs.  Lunch with Sher and Steven with a stop-by from Robert and Joni filled our knowledge gap.  

Sher, Steven, Joni, Robert (former "C" dockers)

Sher and Steven took us to Publix for the a resupply of milk and sent us back to the boat with homemade Christmas cookies. I predicted they would not last until Christmas and they didn’t but they were a wonderful treat!

Off to Cabbage Key the next day for frozen key lime pie and then onto Ft. Myers to take a few days to write Christmas letters and treat ourselves to a few restaurant meals, laundry facilities and showers!

Matanza Bay Bar and Grill

Our sailing plans such as they were, had us making an overnight stop at Marco Island before heading to Camp Lulu in the 10,000 islands of the Everglades for Christmas.  After a false start trying to enter on the wrong side of Factory Bay at Marco, a good Samaritan sailor who saw we were headed for grounding trouble contacted us on the VHF radio, and talked us in to a spot where we successfully anchored – on the second try.

The next day, December 24 we planned to travel to Camp Lulu where we would spend Christmas Eve and and Christmas Day.  Wrong.  We were on our way out the Marco Island channel when Jim popped up from down below to tell me to turn around and go back.  There was water in the engine room which was coming from a leaking stuffing box - the last line of defense to keep water from entering the boat from around the propeller shaft.  We found an easy anchoring spot outside Factory Bay and Jim worked on a repair.  We headed out again, but the leak persisted and we returned to the same anchor spot knowing we would have to spend the night. I was disappointed, but at least there was no time pressure on Jim and after some strategizing, he was able to fix it permanently. In the meantime, he remarked that the good news was we had confirmation that our bilge pumps worked well and could handle the incoming water!

After our traditional caramel yeast rolls the next morning, we headed out to Camp Lulu and arrived in time for a beautiful Christmas sunset.

Sunset at Camp Lulu

This was not the isolated island that we had anticipated and after several days of being inundated by fishing boats and campers who arrived via kayak, we went to Russell Key, a delightful bay, further south and east into the Everglades. Not another soul in sight and it was a beautiful spot to stay, do some dinghy exploring and get a few boat projects done.

Our private anchorage at Russell Key - Well, Why Not? in the background