tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29221218480113406302024-02-07T11:28:48.008-08:00SeaparentsTwenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones that you did do. So, throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.
-Mark Twain-seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.comBlogger55125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-91013606480766525842011-07-17T09:48:00.000-07:002011-07-17T10:31:37.068-07:00Our Little home on Little Corn Island<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8V5rxomaBHOMbXSNTcq0ZiiHHPJ8J5eVsIUcD5AqBY9ZlvQXGlKGcMNLJqbGHgFP1eZXDB0LCLX76Ae64w0B7w2bAqdH_nbO-DSjuITRQNVUFPfViCRWge6S0qIc0RM0l9z9T_pb-m8Q/s1600/IMG_1971.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV8V5rxomaBHOMbXSNTcq0ZiiHHPJ8J5eVsIUcD5AqBY9ZlvQXGlKGcMNLJqbGHgFP1eZXDB0LCLX76Ae64w0B7w2bAqdH_nbO-DSjuITRQNVUFPfViCRWge6S0qIc0RM0l9z9T_pb-m8Q/s200/IMG_1971.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630372839155546882" /></a><br />Ok, sorry about the delay in posts, but we have had an eventful three months. First, we returned to Little Corn Island and closed on our beachfront property. Then it was time for the permits, which in Central America is like everything else we have done so far...convoluted. We had the property surveyed by a guy with no survey equipment or a tape measure for that matter (apparently this is not out of the ordinary) He basically walked along and said, “right here”, which was where the prior owner had established his property lines.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwAg6Rbcg5bnVLlUSktEp7LhmzLEOFd1Il8wAlxqp7q-lIUD6tEMmFHnAzng9B5lfP0i_bwGNCb_dOixOtX0oMONIZy-ljurbTV4wdznE5S1bwc7rpQKKHqtDlkgYM6eyxHrCQQb6Zved/s1600/IMG_1950.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqwAg6Rbcg5bnVLlUSktEp7LhmzLEOFd1Il8wAlxqp7q-lIUD6tEMmFHnAzng9B5lfP0i_bwGNCb_dOixOtX0oMONIZy-ljurbTV4wdznE5S1bwc7rpQKKHqtDlkgYM6eyxHrCQQb6Zved/s200/IMG_1950.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630371686915310130" /></a> The same person, for $120, started the application for our building permit. We gave him a set of plans, a materials list, estimated cost and a few other things and waited. Brady’s mom came for a visit and after a few weeks, we were told that we would be receiving our permit in the next week or so. We waited and my dad flew down to help with the construction. The next week passed, still with no permit. I stressed that we needed to sail south to avoid the hurricane season and that I would like to get materials and get started. I was told by the official building department representative that I could go ahead and get started since everything was fine and our permit would arrive soon. My pops and I wasted little time and we had our little beachfront cabana built in a few weeks. Brady made a trip over to the big island to check on our permit and found out the the representative had been fired for taking money and other misdeeds and our application had not even been filed...HMMM<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjs-GUUNWbUTszcErED8yxjn0mT4ohZwbYL32qb7iyIE114QSMkwaFcUKzySGk5ZHt_ZTEacK3O48mvl3tVMz3XRrkP-O_J6nDvU3PLqMMi7PBJsbNDST36siTle333-rHklSKqkw7dL5x/s1600/IMG_2051.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjs-GUUNWbUTszcErED8yxjn0mT4ohZwbYL32qb7iyIE114QSMkwaFcUKzySGk5ZHt_ZTEacK3O48mvl3tVMz3XRrkP-O_J6nDvU3PLqMMi7PBJsbNDST36siTle333-rHklSKqkw7dL5x/s200/IMG_2051.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630369075097489618" /></a>. No permit and house already built...I did not fret about it too much as this is Nicaragua. The lot is titled and registered on the main land with an official survey stating the dimensions and such. We had enjoyed several beach barbecues in our new fire pit and even camped out on the hard floor for a night...not the brightest idea. We put the finishing touches on the oiled exterior, painted the shutters and varnished the floor. I have already bought the kitchen and bathroom sinks as well as the toilet and only need to install the septic and plumbing on our next visit. Just as we were preparing for our sail to Bocas del Toro, I received a nice letter from the building department stating that I had built without a permit and needed to pay a $3300 fine...HMMM. I spoke with several other folks who have had similar permit problems who were fined $250. I guess it’s time to try to squeeze the gringo. Since the house only cost around 5K I don’t think I am going to pay. A Nica attorney should do the trick, so I am told. There are always trade offs in life right? Cheap beachfront land, perfect climate, awesome water, but a few hitches. We saw a lady arrive, get land, permits and start construction in two weeks...Of course she took the building department rep. to dinner several times. I am apparently not fully aware of the grease the palm trick, but am a fast learner. In a nutshell, Little Corn Island is a slice of heaven. We found a place that has no cars, motorcycles or roads. There are only walking trails that lead from place to place. One side of the island has most of the restaurants and bars and the other has the best beaches and the hotels, which are more like cabanas.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCIIUp3hXE1L_13RjwgIXQu1b5IhvdeTSK3Wa6WsJvYa7JS2wmhpD8UIFRtyHjgRz2wVQxizUqEfOKdsOXv7kumDKwE7802GSVzI9yntd5L3HebCmZhDq30zIRMvkjrV3p9Oi0ooaKv1H/s1600/IMG_2070.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTCIIUp3hXE1L_13RjwgIXQu1b5IhvdeTSK3Wa6WsJvYa7JS2wmhpD8UIFRtyHjgRz2wVQxizUqEfOKdsOXv7kumDKwE7802GSVzI9yntd5L3HebCmZhDq30zIRMvkjrV3p9Oi0ooaKv1H/s200/IMG_2070.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5630373911125231682" /></a> The diving is world class and we snorkeled with hammerheads. We meet great people and have made many friends. The “panga” arrives twice daily with a fresh load of travelers from all over the world. The food is great and the local people friendly. We left our dinghy on the beach for hours everyday and in the water every night with no problems. For those of you who need an affordable, off the beaten path vacation...this is your place. We finally had to leave and made the sail to Bocas del Toro in 36 hours with our two Aussie friends aboard. We are officially out of the hurricane zone and are awaiting our next adventure, although I have to admit I didn’t want to leave what felt like our new home!seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-13923612172470020612011-03-29T11:07:00.001-07:002011-03-29T11:27:44.438-07:00Providencia and Corn IslandWe heard that Providencia was the laid back little sister of San Andres. After a 50 mile sail, we arrived into a very scenic anchorage that was the fortified site of many a pirates raid by Captain Morgan back in the day. There were fourteen sailboats in the anchorage and we were ready to explore! The town turned out to be about 2 square blocks and there was not much beach to speak of and what little there was had a few too many sand fleas for our taste. There was nice hiking for Brady and a great seafood lunch for me. We did manage two potlucks on the beach and met some wonderful cruisers. Snorkeling was so-so (we are getting a little picky). In our opinion, San Andres is the better option.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLaVn6ZzNwISEJ4LGzyp_RiTAMm-IZrq3ppxSGUIpqg89IsCirN4x5PVPvXKb0AcaFmxvMxK8Oq-rbPEhvibcZaIepWAQiGnK-OEJ7r8i5ykyb5ngjh67fkCtTEcgGSok7bD7V_9lv-gG/s1600/IMG_1451.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVLaVn6ZzNwISEJ4LGzyp_RiTAMm-IZrq3ppxSGUIpqg89IsCirN4x5PVPvXKb0AcaFmxvMxK8Oq-rbPEhvibcZaIepWAQiGnK-OEJ7r8i5ykyb5ngjh67fkCtTEcgGSok7bD7V_9lv-gG/s200/IMG_1451.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589566424794768882" /></a><br /><br /> From here we left for the Corn Islands to meet up with Brady’s sister. It was downwind the entire 120 miles or so and Brady caught our first shark. We covered the distance in a bit over 24 hours and found ourselves in another picture perfect anchorage with no other boats. We thought that this was not a port of entry, but we had to clear in after the navy paid us a visit. Big Corn has an airstrip, cars, and not much else. We actually heard about this place several years before we left from a fireman who had honeymooned here. After picking up Brady’s sister Kara and her beau Ron (Thanks for coming guys, we had a wonderful time and in case I forgot to mention, thanks for the sunglasses...and Brady’s purse...and the kids stuff...and we miss you), we left for Little Corn in about 20 knots of wind. The swell was running large enough to make the trip a little interesting for our two new guests. This was before we were hit incredibly fast by a squall bring 35 knots of wind and rain. Ordinarily this is no big deal, but in this case we were only slightly offshore of the reef on Big Corn and we were quickly being pushed aground. Fortunately, we were able to tack away from danger with the help of both motors....we were in 12 feet of water. The squall disappeared as fast as it came and we were soon in the next perfect anchorage on Little Corn. This place is very unique from our perspective. The island is pretty small with no roads and motor vehicles of any kind are not allowed. This means that to get around you have to take one of many walking paths/hiking trails that run all over the island. There are two dive shops, a few stores and probably 40 gringos a day that come from Big Corn by panga. There are a handful of trendy cabanas for the tourists and an organic farm with tons of fresh produce. In our explorations we met 2 couples from Colorado who own property on the island and we have to take this moment to recommend Little Corn Beach and Bungalow. Scot and Christine (Hey guys!) from Fort Collins run this fantastic spot on the beach and would love your patronage, www.littlecornbb.com. We also met, Nick (Canada) and Gusuma (Thailand) with whom we made immediate friends. Gusuma had us over for traditional thai food, which was excellent. Apparently we all made enough of an impression on each other to warrant becoming neighbors. Brady and I always said that we would keep our eyes open for property that we felt could be our home someday. This place is affordable, has a great climate, nice people, good beach and just feels right. Sooo...we are currently under contract for 1/4 acre of beachfront and hope to build a house for all to come and visit. In the meantime, we shall sail on and continue living the dream (while planning another home construction). <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8jvtQzhm0zukYzRJ-H9y57D45kC-K5ZdcLey2uw7zh7Y_SPkgrt1OrVZHSFr30GQWKc1fqAqArldAICbJS9xM70aqpXDBUxMWqR08AwIkUDBpMMOnxsSP40VHm-yWOdTjj3wNwwzf3Iy/s1600/IMG_1517.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX8jvtQzhm0zukYzRJ-H9y57D45kC-K5ZdcLey2uw7zh7Y_SPkgrt1OrVZHSFr30GQWKc1fqAqArldAICbJS9xM70aqpXDBUxMWqR08AwIkUDBpMMOnxsSP40VHm-yWOdTjj3wNwwzf3Iy/s200/IMG_1517.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589569957451205426" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPuQB_t2lsL-avzjfdoOM5RGfwBK84vhWZ8AEqDuuqdqOIISrhToE6sDR2VqaNfkfhrFUn1ef32oLcA06HDJ_ykoO_MPLF1eDcezTqGliiWGnOPfRbNCJEOVsBEijgI1mo1yKG7R7bRUC/s1600/IMG_1530.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyPuQB_t2lsL-avzjfdoOM5RGfwBK84vhWZ8AEqDuuqdqOIISrhToE6sDR2VqaNfkfhrFUn1ef32oLcA06HDJ_ykoO_MPLF1eDcezTqGliiWGnOPfRbNCJEOVsBEijgI1mo1yKG7R7bRUC/s200/IMG_1530.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5589569953074141362" /></a><br /> At risk of sounding like I have been at sea for a little too long and am a little dinghy (haha) I am pretty sure I saw an alien spacecraft. Brady is really laughing hard right now, but also has no rational explanation for what we both saw. OK seriously, while sailing towards San Andres again, at around 5 AM, I saw a bright orangish white light that at first seemed like a masthead light or a light from a container ship. After checking to make sure we were not going to hit anything, I realized that the light was a bit high in the sky and did not appear to be moving. No, it was not a star, but please laugh at the picture. It was about five times the size of the biggest star I have ever seen and was the brightest object in the sky. It dimmed periodically and then got bright enough to leave a reflection on the ocean surface. It was Brady’s turn to watch and the exchange went something like this. Troy (very tired):”Hey honey, keep this course, let me know if you need anything and keep an eye on that alien spacecraft.” Brady (while laughing):”WHAT the *&%$?” She made several attempts at an explanation, which I had already done while waiting to be abducted by aliens, before I went to bed. I am pretty logical but am going with UFO for lack of better evidence.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-73338330727728472962011-01-26T09:56:00.000-08:002011-01-26T10:13:02.730-08:00San Andres, ColombiaWe opted for a trip to Isla San Andres before we headed to the Corn Islands. San Andres is a Colombian territory along with Isla Providencia and several surrounding cays (read: land and coral in the middle of nowhere that will eat your boat if you don’t pay attention!) San Andres was a bit tough for us to get to because the winds from Bocas del Toro are predominantly north and that is the way we needed to go. Once again, our sailboat made the trip as mostly a motorsailer. The trip was 193 miles offshore from Panama and we made it in about 50 hours and sailed the last 10 with no motors. We were immediately shocked by the beauty of this place. The main town is sheltered behind a several mile long coral reef and the bottom is white sand. This gives the water that tropical turquoise look and feel that we have been searching for all our lives (or at least for the last year and a half). We have explored the entire island and found a rather unique place. There are lots of tourists here, but they are all from mainland Colombia and it has been described as the Hawaii of Colombia. It is very upper class, but the feel is still very local. There are a few high rise hotels and some all inclusive resorts. The people are Colombian, but with a Jamaican sort of flair and the people are a mix of Latin and caribbean islander. Spanish is the main language with a surprising number of locals who speak English as a first language. The town itself has an incredible number of supplies and services considering the distance from the mainland. You will find all manner of American brands and stores along with a fantastic white sand beaches and the clearest water we have seen. I can see the bottom in 50 feet. For you potential tourists, there is snorkeling, diving, glass bottom boats, swimming with the mantas, and weather to match. We have not had a drop of rain during the day and full sun with a trade wind to keep the temperature just right. We have broken the record for the cheapest meal out in a local restaurant of which there are plenty. The meal was rice, beans, salad, chicken and soup with a definite local flavor. We left with full bellies and a bill for $8.50. I have informed Brady that we can eat out for two meals a day for less than our grocery bill. I do think we would pack on a few pounds on this diet :) After a week of this torture in paradise, we decided to head for Providencia, 55 miles to the north. We left after dinner with the hopes of arriving the next morning and were 8 miles into a perfect sail when a 15 foot seam on the mainsail decided to let go (read: the sail ripped in half). I did not want to motor the whole way, so I guess it was back to paradise. The next morning, I inquired about a local upholstery shop to help us out and was quickly distracted by an American boat needing help with getting their boat into the dock in 20 knots of wind. When we were finished, I was met by a local who was here to fix our sail. I was totally taken by surprise that not only did the (very local) marina know someone who could help, but they called and he came right away. I removed the sail and sent it off with Miguel, who fixed it the same day and for only $100. This place has met our definition of the perfect place: Super nice people, Beautiful scenery, Great climate, and Cheap cost of living. If there were a downside, it would be lots of traffic (cars, motorcycles, and golf carts) although it is still nothing like the U.S. (there are still no stoplights!). There is an international airport and I think this place will continue to grow as more people discover it. Troyseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-22879925675932665422011-01-15T11:47:00.000-08:002011-01-15T12:37:01.167-08:00BOCAS DEL TORO!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilB1O_HsmvoqghfFaCCOBIewEbDHfCbkK1eUpLq_v5h8a8iOZ4RLQTLxObNSfsJ3hhww46diZWc6YMpu8devLZJsrYHW2MISbkffk2htIRqrdghYGzXrb_FAxWJXoGhwOqf8klzxQskyMT/s1600/IMG_1018.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilB1O_HsmvoqghfFaCCOBIewEbDHfCbkK1eUpLq_v5h8a8iOZ4RLQTLxObNSfsJ3hhww46diZWc6YMpu8devLZJsrYHW2MISbkffk2htIRqrdghYGzXrb_FAxWJXoGhwOqf8klzxQskyMT/s200/IMG_1018.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562512211527175234" /></a><br />Bocas del Toro is an absolute breath of fresh air. We had to fight a headwind and an incredible current to get here, but we are here at last. It is 133 miles from Colon to Bocas and it took us 72 hours to make the trip with good wind! We moved at a snails pace since we had to tack against the wind and fight the current the whole way. We did stop at an island called Escuda de Veraguas for some rest after the first 48 hours, but got wind and waves directly into the anchorage and did not sleep much. We caught our first Atlantic fish (36” wahoo) and had Brady’s house special sushi the first night and fish tacos the next. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNA8DCviw4ihkk0gGxKSoGyFxkBjmQuVyEGpN_VpWgDsAob_tNGft-JFfxDnWHfLZrEylA-o11WwvNnGBWrIPMh_EGQ_1b5H5bVgeBF1ma5u3_s5ggBsuChAGckQDxXz4Nnxn4H8s1vbc/s1600/IMG_1093.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjNA8DCviw4ihkk0gGxKSoGyFxkBjmQuVyEGpN_VpWgDsAob_tNGft-JFfxDnWHfLZrEylA-o11WwvNnGBWrIPMh_EGQ_1b5H5bVgeBF1ma5u3_s5ggBsuChAGckQDxXz4Nnxn4H8s1vbc/s200/IMG_1093.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562513187111508178" /></a>We entered Bocas del toro (on one engine again...tracked it down to a broken clamp on a fuel line later after changing both filters and spending 3 hours bleeding the fuel system-probably could have used some stitches on a cut finger too). The first thing we noticed was that everything is on the water-literally. Bocas del Toro is situated on an island and has hotels, restaurants, bars, stores and houses built on pilings or stilts on three sides. All of these places have docks that are available to customers and basically it is a boaters paradise. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqNdaB2pKxnK0HQz0a8mAC7H1J0NOiKT0qH1t5VdWT-Er0kn5peYETlfs49RffGALdI1NpbTYJdNtsl8izMyLL0lQPtH7kf8CaJEwuFtkBJm2NQWPXph33D4v9SsX1ksEljfsslTxq5UD/s1600/IMG_1064.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyqNdaB2pKxnK0HQz0a8mAC7H1J0NOiKT0qH1t5VdWT-Er0kn5peYETlfs49RffGALdI1NpbTYJdNtsl8izMyLL0lQPtH7kf8CaJEwuFtkBJm2NQWPXph33D4v9SsX1ksEljfsslTxq5UD/s200/IMG_1064.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562512962134401634" /></a>There are surf and dive shops (both with excursions), resorts, hostels and even a firehouse with a dock on the waterfront. The town itself is about 8 blocks long and three blocks wide with an airstrip and ferry service to the mainland. We hope that any of you adventurous souls will put this on your list of places to see. The prices run the gamut from U.S. pricing at the nicest places to the local places where beer is still a buck and we can feed the family for $15. We have visited the Zapatilla cays (snorkeling photos attached), Starfish beach, and several other locales. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxvqftokSogwrny4FfKF-4UbsqPt3MAFIGjgbV5XWDAiePm6onMm4RmoCOeRkPiut9VyVoaa3LbQFq_bEvKXuYRUeOv-QSC5-whcUky7r8mzvQnj4P_DpjrqPYgLDlEF79Nn9AkIIH-ru/s1600/IMG_1042.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpxvqftokSogwrny4FfKF-4UbsqPt3MAFIGjgbV5XWDAiePm6onMm4RmoCOeRkPiut9VyVoaa3LbQFq_bEvKXuYRUeOv-QSC5-whcUky7r8mzvQnj4P_DpjrqPYgLDlEF79Nn9AkIIH-ru/s200/IMG_1042.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5562512643082425282" /></a> We entered the boat in a lighted boat parade and won some really cool stuff and are soaking it up until we head for the Corn islands in the next few weeks. Ta ta,<br />El Capitanseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-52857835400053525932010-12-23T09:25:00.000-08:002010-12-23T09:33:12.713-08:00Crossing to the CaribbeanSince we last wrote, my sister Stacy has come and gone after being indoctrinated into our way of life in a big way. When she arrived, the weather had not been perfect for several days and the wind was blowing at 25-28 knots. We had plans to go to the Perlas Islands and she opted to just get it out of the way. The seas were 8 feet in spots, but we averaged 7.5 knots and made the trip in five hours. Sloppy for sure, but wow was it fast! When we arrived, I managed to run over one of our fishing lines and fouled our starboard propeller. With one engine, we were unable to cross a patch of water with a lot of cross current and after re-hoisting the sails had to sail into the anchorage. I spent an hour under the boat cutting away the lines and then we were off to explore the rest of the Perlas in the coming days. All was well until the last three days of her trip when we lost a belt on the starboard engine. I had used our last spare on the port engine before we left, but all is well on a catamaran with two engines right? The new belt on the port engine gave out two hours later and we were left with sails alone. Fortunately, the wind held out and we sailed into the anchorage on Isla del Rey. We sailed to our last stop and then decided to leave with the wind back to Panama City. I had an improper sized belt from another boat on one engine just in case. 15 hours later, after two rain squalls, reefing (reducing) the sails twice, and tacking (changing direction) six times, we arrived back in the anchorage to drop off my sister and troubleshoot my latest engine problem. With everything fixed, and all things considered , the decision was made to cross the Canal into the Caribbean.<br /> It has been a bit of an inauspicious start to our little change of plans. On the day of our scheduled crossing, we had three guests onboard to line handle and picked up two canal advisors at 0545. We were on our way until, for the first time in 20 years, the Panama Canal was closed to ALL traffic for bad weather considerations. It had been raining for several days and all of the spillways were at full open. Debris was littering Gatun Lake and it was determined that navigation would be hazardous. We were placed on the schedule again three days later. Brady went back to the store for fresh food and we hoped this would be the end of it. I called the scheduler to confirm our time and found that we were delayed again for one day. The day finally came and we up-locked into Gatun Lake without incident. We spent the night on the lake with all guests aboard and down-locked the following afternoon in lots of rain. We were finally into El Caribe!...and were met by 30 knots of wind and terrible conditions (inside the breakwater!). The anchorage in front of Club Nautico is large enough for 4-5 boats and we were the 10th to arrive. Not ideal, but the anchor was down and it was time for much needed sleep. This could be the end of our little story, but OH NO. The next night in 30 knots of wind and 3 foot waves entering the anchorage, our anchor slipped for the first time. We were both asleep and if not for hitting the cruise ship channel marker, would have drifted on past leaving about 100 yards for the anchor to re-catch...or not before hitting a container ship or the rocks. We almost needed to rename the boat Ran-aground-parents. The marker did not damage the boat and we were able to motor our anchor free (it did get caught briefly on the buoy). We re-anchored and you can imagine how well I slept for the rest of the night. We had intended to wait for our friend to cross the Canal a few days later, but could not take Colon (pronounce it without the spanish accent and you may BEGIN to get a feel for how nice this place is). Most of the town was built during the canal construction around the early 1900’s and it looks like not much has been touched since. The town looks like the most dangerous place I have been ever. Everyone we have spoken with advised us to take a cab EVERYWHERE or risk being robbed. So, despite visits from cruise ships (?????) you can all safely remove Colon from your list of must see places. We are off to Bocas del Toro for X-mas and I hope to keep the blog updates coming with lots of new stuff. Ta-Ta for now,<br />El Capitanseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-36507354568910693122010-11-26T04:41:00.000-08:002010-11-26T05:01:30.939-08:00CHANGE OF PLANS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXkM9hvAdeavfcL6s5gVg6nrlPJYRo7zmN6LHXSj3wqmQRnpJHGgN5lA8ysbsZhyphenhyphen0ujOKUPRdSzDq6oIGh91b2ToM8pxPE5_FIlFHz0IU9C5uaGdL3VzK2-lkCDJhTndfUjSGOCMNLy-v/s1600/alfredo-maiquez-coconut-palm-trees-on-key-in-san-blas-islands-panama.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglXkM9hvAdeavfcL6s5gVg6nrlPJYRo7zmN6LHXSj3wqmQRnpJHGgN5lA8ysbsZhyphenhyphen0ujOKUPRdSzDq6oIGh91b2ToM8pxPE5_FIlFHz0IU9C5uaGdL3VzK2-lkCDJhTndfUjSGOCMNLy-v/s200/alfredo-maiquez-coconut-palm-trees-on-key-in-san-blas-islands-panama.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5543842338491467986" /></a><br /><br />Since last we wrote we have changed our plans and are now going through the canal. This winter will be spent cruising the beautiful San Blas islands. Every cruiser we have spoken to has said that the San Blas islands are one of their favorite places in the world, which leaves us with great anticipation for our next season of travel. We are planning on crossing the canal in 1-2 weeks and should have plenty of details to start blogging again (hopefully nothing too dramatic). We are getting excited to start moving and seeing something besides Panama City's skyline, not that it isn't wonderful. We have really enjoyed Panama City and have met some amazing people, but are overdue on a departure. For all those who have dreams of traveling the caribbean by sail boat, you are always welcome to meet up with us. We love having visitors. Wish us luck on going through the canal. Bradyseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-37620609675756125612010-11-01T06:10:00.000-07:002010-11-01T06:29:10.195-07:00SORRY!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlyGts8d5u8uHYCQolE6hyphenhyphenU57ZafTxM5wxMAj4rIGmnTqCm7Vh4MS-9QSbDEvzEOeQWEc7L2IhLVeg9ZHC1F7Ps5RVCvAtR_Ij93riBRZZ7lClAkK0ERpvar_JjGgWcfaAluZNrYh0swq/s1600/IMG_0775.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixlyGts8d5u8uHYCQolE6hyphenhyphenU57ZafTxM5wxMAj4rIGmnTqCm7Vh4MS-9QSbDEvzEOeQWEc7L2IhLVeg9ZHC1F7Ps5RVCvAtR_Ij93riBRZZ7lClAkK0ERpvar_JjGgWcfaAluZNrYh0swq/s200/IMG_0775.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534570773576457554" /></a><br />I know it has been a long time since our last entry, but I have excuses, really. OK, not really. The truth is that Panama is not a very big country and we have already seen the majority of what it has to offer us on the pacific side. My sister, Stacy, is coming for a visit on the 3rd of November (WOO HOO!) and we are seriously getting the itch to move on. The reason for the layover is that we can only visit parts of Colombia, which will not take long, and Ecuador does not have much to offer either. From there, crossing the Pacific should happen around February. This is when all of the Pacific Puddle Jumpers set sail from Mexico, Panama and Ecuador for the islands of the south pacific. The cyclone season in that region is from October to March and you shouldn’t arrive too soon before March unless you like hurricanes...Since we last posted, there have been a plethora of mechanical problems and I am learning to fix most of them myself. A brief re-cap: replaced headsail bearing, rebuilt fresh water pump (port side), replaced upper sail-drive shaft bearing (starboard), portable generator fell into the ocean, while running (still working on that one), replaced faulty wiring on bilge pump (port), repaired hole in fresh water line, re-plumbed refrigerator cooling line from salt to fresh water. So you can see that I have at least been busy. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBoIEcZJ8TJ_QC8DoxrPEEGXJnUOwybmQKfn-Kch3B3FNm98cZfrzNQerc4H4KZOI5U_gNb4_35qVWHlhq8anuYfEIoCZGYKdQzO9zIrkgJmw1UUXe_Rrl_tm4_LgOodXjukrxwHhZX4H/s1600/IMG_0671.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpBoIEcZJ8TJ_QC8DoxrPEEGXJnUOwybmQKfn-Kch3B3FNm98cZfrzNQerc4H4KZOI5U_gNb4_35qVWHlhq8anuYfEIoCZGYKdQzO9zIrkgJmw1UUXe_Rrl_tm4_LgOodXjukrxwHhZX4H/s200/IMG_0671.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534570766764720178" /></a><br />Fortunately, Panama is a good place to find supplies. Brady has been back to the U.S. to visit her mom, we have re-visited the Perlas Islands (three times), and will probably head back again with my sister. Hopefully, we have come to the end of our boat project list (wishful thinking) and will be heading south before too long. Meantime, we are exploring the city one little bit at a time. Apparently, Panama has a family day at the...horse track. Wouldn’t want to wait too long to expose the children to the wonders of gambling at the track, so of course, we went. The kids enjoyed seeing all the horses and Dad gave a good lesson on why you shouldn’t bet the horses by losing every time I did. Finally, Halloween was an altogether different experience. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlal1f7lNw5QgfZKidEagkxo3RGtaBAqqv_pforr_euKGq9H4Xs_S_EexsskOOedbrfdan3BfTiP4btxG2xnKsyuGH2ZbwelA0qS1L8wzpkEMZ9sgkIc5sh51R5iwVwl2DsJuXQiamENw/s1600/IMG_0597.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUlal1f7lNw5QgfZKidEagkxo3RGtaBAqqv_pforr_euKGq9H4Xs_S_EexsskOOedbrfdan3BfTiP4btxG2xnKsyuGH2ZbwelA0qS1L8wzpkEMZ9sgkIc5sh51R5iwVwl2DsJuXQiamENw/s200/IMG_0597.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5534570766313111714" /></a>One pirate captain, one pixie princess, two fairies, and mother nature set off in a dinghy to trick-or-treat through the anchorage. Surprisingly, they got a pretty good haul before hitting the shore. From there it was off to our friends neighborhood for some real candy action. About one in 10 houses was decorated to the nines and that is the candy signal here in Panama. We walked around for about an hour and saw four other kids motivated enough to trick-or-treat. The rest just followed behind us asking for our candy...The concept hasn’t quite caught on fully, but it was a great time. The final stop was the Multiplaza mall, but it was near closing and most of the stores were out of candy. One McDonald’s dinner for the me and the kiddos and another Halloween is over. Until next time...Ciao! Troyseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-87292054712446096122010-08-22T15:38:00.000-07:002010-08-22T18:52:28.852-07:00Panama Canal!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeH5pkVLiiY0eXPOartROso4H8LWgT48FSG-LQEPWh_LFvPq7mmemlvdboStZAuNAwlbgbZ5S7SZ5BeXb88lV4aPH8zJ44cOl9Nnbmvmpz5ziLD3soKubV9beXt_iqTsaPCp7-TDkAN5oN/s1600/IMG_0420.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeH5pkVLiiY0eXPOartROso4H8LWgT48FSG-LQEPWh_LFvPq7mmemlvdboStZAuNAwlbgbZ5S7SZ5BeXb88lV4aPH8zJ44cOl9Nnbmvmpz5ziLD3soKubV9beXt_iqTsaPCp7-TDkAN5oN/s200/IMG_0420.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508415941109555682" /></a><br />Well, so much has happened since our last post. After my dad left, we jumped headlong into some overdue boat projects. When returning from the Perlas, our roller furling headsail became jammed several times when we needed to bring it in and our single sideband radio was not transmitting. After several trips into town, we located most of the parts and service we needed and stopped at a local firehouse along the way. I met Jose Rodriguez of the Panama City Fire Department and traded several DFD shirts for a Panama City Fire hat and shirt. We became instant amigos and have since had dinner at his place and had him out to the boat for a visit as well.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7xKJR_WgaZG_R2-vhCpRmS4s2BSdHJ4TeBbzddmVDDW-ouIeJrMjr_5wfFjuYHuWu1Yhg3XplG9kX2jOhzGJ5nnh0sVvD1YkEtbmGUkVISiq5ekPYtu9zb_U-pYmJm4ZTgVotD4d6tx-/s1600/IMG_0453.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY7xKJR_WgaZG_R2-vhCpRmS4s2BSdHJ4TeBbzddmVDDW-ouIeJrMjr_5wfFjuYHuWu1Yhg3XplG9kX2jOhzGJ5nnh0sVvD1YkEtbmGUkVISiq5ekPYtu9zb_U-pYmJm4ZTgVotD4d6tx-/s200/IMG_0453.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508415954533003298" /></a> We were planning to take him and his family over to Isla Taboga for a day trip when Brady, the kids and I were offered a trip through the Panama Canal if we served as line handlers in the locks. The boat was a beautiful 65' steel ketch called "White Falcon". Andreas, the captain, needed one more set of hands, so I offered it up to our new friend Jose, who was thrilled at the opportunity to see his country's beautiful canal by boat. We started the trip at 0600 and headed into the first, of two, Miraflores Locks around 9.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalSb41laVwgj2jLw8FErGIEc2meDstOLP54QU5Jw1RfgvhFItQ1Aj191p7LqnNe3s7V7CAMhgpGH1lHo25avSF4EnaqyvmHTG7Cyo8U4iGYWIOyKq1YjMKO9cddIbW52sUPVZqAd4-Vfw/s1600/IMG_0506.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjalSb41laVwgj2jLw8FErGIEc2meDstOLP54QU5Jw1RfgvhFItQ1Aj191p7LqnNe3s7V7CAMhgpGH1lHo25avSF4EnaqyvmHTG7Cyo8U4iGYWIOyKq1YjMKO9cddIbW52sUPVZqAd4-Vfw/s200/IMG_0506.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508415964178684514" /></a> We held the boat in the middle of the chambers with four lines and could feel the rush of water lifting us from below. After going through the locks, we crossed Miraflores Lake to the final up lock. The Pedro Miguel Locks were the only thing separating us from Gatun Lake and our brief trip to the Caribbean. We traversed 30 miles or so of the freshwater lake and arrived at the 3 Gatun "down locks" around 3 P.M. The story gets a bit interesting at this point. Every sailboat that goes through the canal has an "advisor", or canal employee, on board. Ours failed to mention a few important details on how to tie up alongside a tug boat. We were joined in the locks by a giant container ship behind us and a tug boat next to us. Usually, this is much easier because you only need to manage lines on one side. In our case, we got the bow line to the tug, but could not get the stern line attached before the White Falcon drifted helplessly sideways with no steerage and a lot of cussing. We managed to get the boat into position backwards in the lock and secure for the trip down. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1wKdeuFHLFPpFjPWMydfbAjKQ0eucgV_nNdzm11GpgpZxu08hVgqatxy8EPTPDlpRghZtrWxVVmwp3ZI25DFglH08jKnrrLZbcW8PW7Un7fwhyphenhyphenR7ACOeSK0k8RRHFPQMSbTeLgsaZYMm/s1600/IMG_0434.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg1wKdeuFHLFPpFjPWMydfbAjKQ0eucgV_nNdzm11GpgpZxu08hVgqatxy8EPTPDlpRghZtrWxVVmwp3ZI25DFglH08jKnrrLZbcW8PW7Un7fwhyphenhyphenR7ACOeSK0k8RRHFPQMSbTeLgsaZYMm/s200/IMG_0434.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508415951988622338" /></a>A we were lowered, we were informed that the boat still had to turn around before moving into the next chamber. This was also a bit tricky since sailboats do not steer well until they have forward motion and most do not steer at all in reverse. After pushing off the bow and drifting sideways through the locks for a bit, the captain did get the boat turned around and we were once again secured to the tug boat. We opted to leave the lines attached at this point and let the tugboat drag us alongside into the final chamber. We were finally through and without a scratch, despite the small mishap. What lay ahead-the sunny skies and crystal clear water of el caribe? Nope, we never got to the other side of the giant breakwater and headed straight for the Shelter Bay Marina in lots of rain. From here, we got a glimpse of post U.S. control of the Panama Canal and the consequences of our withdrawal on the local community. As sometimes happens when a major military base is removed, the local economy struggles and Colon, Panama is a prime example of this. We were always told that Colon is dangerous, but I did not realize that when the U.S. military base was closed, there was a political power play in Panama City that basically decided to let Colon go, so to speak. What we found was a lawless, grungy and rather scary place. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCJYvKt8LKZOn7eTG74e2whQp4BPicHzZYNjHmjHHoyRb_17urH3_hRa7jkM7TsBZAjvxpl9L5RLEG7HfDTdgtWSO2QWMFl8FBE0kAsiecLtxPrPiE7J_k-g6RlNvCLDEUPq0qydYfuN-/s1600/IMG_0428.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizCJYvKt8LKZOn7eTG74e2whQp4BPicHzZYNjHmjHHoyRb_17urH3_hRa7jkM7TsBZAjvxpl9L5RLEG7HfDTdgtWSO2QWMFl8FBE0kAsiecLtxPrPiE7J_k-g6RlNvCLDEUPq0qydYfuN-/s200/IMG_0428.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5508415949128745682" /></a>It was a $20 ride from the marina to the city and we were told to pay very inconspicuously to avoid being seen with any money, cameras, phones, anything basically. I asked why and the reply was that if you are seen with any money, there will be an armed robbery. That being said, we did not stick around to see any more of the city and took the direct express bus back to Panama City. The experience was a grand one and today I fixed the headsail, installed a new bowlight, and reattached the radio tuner behind the girls bathroom wall. Hopefully, we are headed to the Perlas in the next few days for some clean water in the islands, snorkeling and R&R. Ta-Ta for now,<br /><br />Los Vagabundos Medinasseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-62956185604662659042010-07-30T08:41:00.000-07:002010-07-30T10:01:33.751-07:00WOW!Where do I begin on this one? Panama is absolutely fabulous by boat. I am trying to picture how we would vacation here by land and I think it would be a bit difficult if we were expecting a resort experience. I have yet to see a large resort complex and love this place for it. My dad and sister just left after a two week visit and we treated them to all manner of local experiences. After a $.25 pp bus ride toward the city proper, we walked to Casco Viejo. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_RhVO8-IxQ6dq3TEkFn7taYGa51Ny21G_vbR9eXGkfBl49eBHKhUEAj-crPIaQyh0uZi83F3WNtN_PHndU7sBN4jimeW93FiaXGoEgdA_4Ev_nRkoQ6-8qhgCeDSaMm4nQMjqonwL_vQ/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5_RhVO8-IxQ6dq3TEkFn7taYGa51Ny21G_vbR9eXGkfBl49eBHKhUEAj-crPIaQyh0uZi83F3WNtN_PHndU7sBN4jimeW93FiaXGoEgdA_4Ev_nRkoQ6-8qhgCeDSaMm4nQMjqonwL_vQ/s200/IMG_0094.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499739146151579874" /></a>This is an area of recently refurbished, but very old historical buildings including churches, houses, businesses and a theater. After that, it was off to a local fonda (restaurant) which set us back all of $17 for the seven of us including drinks. One torrential downpour and another bus ride and we were back to the boat. We opted to take our first sail the next day and ended up motoring over to Isla Taboga in 26 knots of wind and driving rain...no fun at all really. From there it was off to Las Islas de Las Perlas with our friend Greg, who sailed over on his boat Sweet Dreams. Only 35 or so miles from Panama City are about 200 islands that boast beautiful beaches, clean water and very local villages. Isla Contadora is a weekend retreat for wealthy panamanians and has a nice calm anchorage. The town has a few small stores and not much else. We introduced my sister to snorkeling, which was an instant hit. After this, we hopped around several other islands looking for towns and snorkeling spots. The next town was really a few houses with nothing else. Brady and I tried to strike up a conversation with little luck, but saw some local women shredding coconut for "coco rice". We headed back to the boat and a few hours later were visited by two young boys offering a container of coco rice for us to try. I donated some gas for their return trip and Brady gave a necklace as a gift for their mother. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ9zMR0n6VGvn2-fc5Zp9mowzfjja_i82v8mHfCz6XMK3TF5nobp-e4SWd5VBtK3gxA3-dzm-R1qFrn2J5GCaHgXaxgrvNW814OFNBYoHVnZXk9R8tWOBm5JhDxgDxebn5bgokR59wzA_/s1600/IMG_0342.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSJ9zMR0n6VGvn2-fc5Zp9mowzfjja_i82v8mHfCz6XMK3TF5nobp-e4SWd5VBtK3gxA3-dzm-R1qFrn2J5GCaHgXaxgrvNW814OFNBYoHVnZXk9R8tWOBm5JhDxgDxebn5bgokR59wzA_/s200/IMG_0342.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499739158342510914" /></a>The hospitality and graciousness of these folks is impressing me daily. Our best stop by far was Isla Pedro Gonzales. We met another local kid on the beach who seemed to be enthralled with the gringo visitors. It turns out his mother was killed in a fiery bus crash, that left him scarred as well. With our new 15hp outboard, I towed our kids, my sister, Greg, and our new friend Juan David behind the dinghy on both the boogie and surfboard. I think we may have made not just Juan David's day, but possibly his life up to that point. He may still be smiling. In return, he rounded up a 25 lb. tuna as a gift and offered to show us where to dive for fresh lobster. Greg and I jumped at that opportunity and found the best snorkeling experience of our trip. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHFcSTG3tP7ng_2Oox5KxVfo9hxGT0V9C1SJIjJd5RCddKPcbsgzuT17k2LUKDzy12cnZ50uQJHQvtCaCOi1ZfD9ys0tMDytQBD5UtyxqxHYCWcLx_Eqi_KFBLeRfPAiiqEw1nfIHSqi_/s1600/IMG_0351.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFHFcSTG3tP7ng_2Oox5KxVfo9hxGT0V9C1SJIjJd5RCddKPcbsgzuT17k2LUKDzy12cnZ50uQJHQvtCaCOi1ZfD9ys0tMDytQBD5UtyxqxHYCWcLx_Eqi_KFBLeRfPAiiqEw1nfIHSqi_/s200/IMG_0351.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499739168711048386" /></a><br /><br />Around the Northeastern point of the island, we snorkeled in about 25 feet of water and saw thousands of fish, a beautiful starfish, manta rays, 5 sharks (four bottom feeding nurse sharks and a white tipped reef shark), and lobster. If that wasn't enough, we saw a whale about 100 yards away playing in a pile of floating trash of all things. We coasted up a little closer and killed the motor to watch. I suggested that we get in the water to get a better look, but Greg was not to savvy on that plan so I went solo. The next thing I heard was, "Troy, it's getting pretty close!". <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYIuJMeMJytlfFHnb8hGpBroHtdg2AtP_FMXHlVidktlGbAnwiozGYo96WUxHs22xQG2SzupeFoFzmWHktbzRHNmraGpYFt43jUE1DZjXvHRRZ_r5QYF62dR2PsAXPhD3UqX2Q589z9-z/s1600/IMG_0166.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUYIuJMeMJytlfFHnb8hGpBroHtdg2AtP_FMXHlVidktlGbAnwiozGYo96WUxHs22xQG2SzupeFoFzmWHktbzRHNmraGpYFt43jUE1DZjXvHRRZ_r5QYF62dR2PsAXPhD3UqX2Q589z9-z/s200/IMG_0166.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499739153710744786" /></a>Out of the deep blue about 25 feet in front of me emerged a giant humpback whale headed in our direction. My bravery gave way as well and I made haste back into the dinghy. The whale headed away when Greg fired up the motor and we hurried back to get my dad and the girls for another round of snorkeling. Two weeks flew by and we had to get back to the city, but we all visited the Miraflores Locks Museum to learn about the canal and watch a ship head through the locks toward the Atlantic. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUxfTAtB0i5UkqnCtZbWCbZQrGKpOQMsG0jjoL0E4h6fdXkPza175XfMCDOJlYq80H0IDnFRb6pH-iK4sEu8TLD9HxenvABzgRFFXnu7xTUMQnuw2dk9U-wLOAubiSDdeMwbqOVfH5Rqe/s1600/IMG_0376.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBUxfTAtB0i5UkqnCtZbWCbZQrGKpOQMsG0jjoL0E4h6fdXkPza175XfMCDOJlYq80H0IDnFRb6pH-iK4sEu8TLD9HxenvABzgRFFXnu7xTUMQnuw2dk9U-wLOAubiSDdeMwbqOVfH5Rqe/s200/IMG_0376.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5499739172944159026" /></a>One cruiser pizza night later and my dad and sis were off again to Colorado. Back to normal for us as well with laundry, grocery shopping, and boat projects to be done although we treated ourselves to a grand mall experience complete with Taco Bell and a movie before resuming school for the ladies. Oh, and Brady needs feedback on the blog. Think of sad Brady face and post a comment or two please :) Until next time...Troyseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-80810271777914255652010-07-14T07:21:00.001-07:002010-07-14T08:23:53.719-07:00A word from Emily<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nUAZcJPcuDItrna_TAj4drO_Eh5uyiRvFefETXJxVARZu_swb50348jKz6Qj-u-uejweJdRVI9m0YH2uxxM3_pLEvrsXlqx4M8tt-nm4i9CJdYSjIynT1Ol2rF4xywDnm3EOcA3hOnxR/s1600/IMG_0004.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-nUAZcJPcuDItrna_TAj4drO_Eh5uyiRvFefETXJxVARZu_swb50348jKz6Qj-u-uejweJdRVI9m0YH2uxxM3_pLEvrsXlqx4M8tt-nm4i9CJdYSjIynT1Ol2rF4xywDnm3EOcA3hOnxR/s200/IMG_0004.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5493767317872824050" /></a><br />I love Panama so far it is awesome. We have seen a lot of dolphins in Panama. I love the towns in Panama. There are a lot of islands in Panama too. Panama city is so big it is bigger then Denver. We all love Panama. We have done a lot of school. Panama has a lot of pretty towns. There are a lot of boats. There are a lot of trees in Panama. There are a lot cars driving by in Panama city. We are in Panama city anchored in a giant anchorage. We have met a lot of boaters in Panama. There are a lot of big buildings in Panama city across the anchorage we can see them but not even close to all of them. There are long beaches in Panama. We see a lot of buses and trucks in Panama city. We see a lot of big rocks in Panama city. It also is clean water in Panama city.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-72707576913682191802010-07-11T18:26:00.000-07:002010-07-11T18:39:49.130-07:00PANAMA CITY!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY0MepFDkeRtS65JTkEF4trAshru6Zjriuv_NoJsUr-U5UmW9aKGTaGT5MNRGn2A8rlnYQ3lL4Ze1mRxqKB96UO75HSs8WWFdnB7-yKi2Sqdhw9Y1sbrOxHFxAI1FjvCtdZskxJYei2CZ/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqY0MepFDkeRtS65JTkEF4trAshru6Zjriuv_NoJsUr-U5UmW9aKGTaGT5MNRGn2A8rlnYQ3lL4Ze1mRxqKB96UO75HSs8WWFdnB7-yKi2Sqdhw9Y1sbrOxHFxAI1FjvCtdZskxJYei2CZ/s400/IMG_0011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492826025895992978" /></a><br /> VIEW OF PANAMA CITY FROM THE BOAT.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKD4IFXgGt_wbY5poiQqNlDCT2S-P3N_o6wFQ59b9tblDjU93jIoouZjkrp1zf07211fwZmn5I3ROo23Tni3iGEjqnJO1lNT9aacNr6NpV9ec08dES2kgAXFoLqPSABmBx00FIidkg0O9X/s1600/IMG_0653.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKD4IFXgGt_wbY5poiQqNlDCT2S-P3N_o6wFQ59b9tblDjU93jIoouZjkrp1zf07211fwZmn5I3ROo23Tni3iGEjqnJO1lNT9aacNr6NpV9ec08dES2kgAXFoLqPSABmBx00FIidkg0O9X/s320/IMG_0653.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492825666914647266" /></a><br /> BRIDGE OF AMERICAS AND THE PANAMA CANAL.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrZLG3FgU2PSBwJ8q2dLguShx1hLcSb99X3wu7aGs-wa70YxIEZX__NmjaiA8_RPrVthxwJQ7ssr1EkaBEAiS_QIh_KQ_but3MW5RX8HLZKJ5GC2wKlxsBgJVfpcvRiZzsD7Bq7ZdI3hH/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrZLG3FgU2PSBwJ8q2dLguShx1hLcSb99X3wu7aGs-wa70YxIEZX__NmjaiA8_RPrVthxwJQ7ssr1EkaBEAiS_QIh_KQ_but3MW5RX8HLZKJ5GC2wKlxsBgJVfpcvRiZzsD7Bq7ZdI3hH/s320/IMG_0010.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5492825660400363218" /></a><br /> THE ANCHORAGE.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-15253589547043088262010-07-07T11:54:00.000-07:002010-07-07T11:57:03.556-07:00WE LOVE PANAMA!!!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJgSGGHYByzCqRc4GOig_Q_RHq5KuIuq_Y1t0fgAFSkwQCu9SuJJ3vpZgrebuMASONqwlzu7c4MML-u2z-NH8TxbLU1W1Ufn_EoRVbpLcRQUl8Nll_y_RgpbSolQrNkmIbGXwJPkcV8pX/s1600/IMG_0599.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJgSGGHYByzCqRc4GOig_Q_RHq5KuIuq_Y1t0fgAFSkwQCu9SuJJ3vpZgrebuMASONqwlzu7c4MML-u2z-NH8TxbLU1W1Ufn_EoRVbpLcRQUl8Nll_y_RgpbSolQrNkmIbGXwJPkcV8pX/s320/IMG_0599.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5491240289298171650" /></a><br /><br />Golfito and Panama!<br /><br />After Isla del Cano was Puerto Jimenez. This was a sleepy little town with a calm anchorage. The people were once again very friendly and inviting. After several days our approaching visa expiration could not be put off any further and we were off to Golfito the last port of entry/exit on the southern pacific side of Costa Rica. We ran into our friend Greg from sweet dreams again in this perfectly flat calm ancorage. As it turns out, we wished we could have spent more time here since the anchorage was full of sailboats and the shore services were great. Tim and Katy from Tierra Mar (former cruisers) provide a dinghy dock, laundry service, showers, and internet. We met Julio, Livia, Theo, and Valeria a family on Ilha do mel, who had sailed from Brazil and several other colorful characters. We filled our propane tank, got groceries, cleared out of the country, fueled the boat, and had a great potluck dinner before setting sail for Panama. We were hoping to travel with Greg until Panama City, but 2 hours into our trip he radioed to tell us that “something big broke” in his engine. We offered to help, but he turned around solo and we hoped all was well. The setting sail part was rather optimistic since we motored all day to Punta Balsa, which was surprisingly calm. Our first experience with the locals was a breath of fresh air. An elderly man greeted us at the beach to welcome us and shake my hand. After a walk down the beach in a torrential downpour, it was back to the boat and off to Isla Parida the following morning. After a 2 hour sail, a 6 hour motor and another downpour, we rounded the corner of the island towards our anchorage to find a dinghy headed right at us. Lo and behold, it was Greg! His big problem turned out to be an alternator bearing that only held him up for a day and $60. He left overnight and headed straight for the island and we managed to pick the same anchorage. Isla Parida is a picturesque location with clear water, beautiful beach and lush jungle. There are several other islands within dinghy range and we enjoyed snorkeling, hiking and a picnic lunch. After Isla Parida was Isla Cavada in the Secas Islands. This Island was as beautiful as the last and we finally found what we have been looking for all along: countless islands, pristine beaches and endless snorkeling reefs with an abundance of fish. We next headed to Ensenada Pixvae which was a small local town. There was one phone in the whole town and more kids than we have ever seen in one place. We walked through the town with a local who kindly offered his guide services. We were actually looking for some produce, but found only fruits...on the trees! So, we got a few cokes, beers, 45 bananas on the bunch (still not ripe a week later by the way) with some fresh limes thrown in, 4 coconuts including a how to open with a machete demo, fresh sugarcane, and some locally grown and hand separated brown rice (very, very whole grain...read tasted like dirt)-all for about 10 bucks including a bag of candy that we passed out to the local kids. Greg has been having more luck at the fishing than Brady although she did catch a 3 foot spanish mackerel. Greg, meanwhile, has reeled in three tunas and some mahi mahi. Next was Playa Benao, which was where we were supposed to wait for a weather window to pass around Punta Mala (bad point) towards Panama City. This was a terrible rocky rolly anchorage, but ashore was more paradise. There we found a beautiful beach side restaurant owned by a great couple with four kids. Their family recently sold everything in California and bought the entire beach for a different life. They now have a bar/restaurant along with some rooms to rent in a little boutique hotel. Our kids played for hours with theirs on the beach and the trampoline. We took a bus to the next town called Pedasi and Brady is officially ready to put Panama at the top of our list. One more sleepless night and we opted to head for Punta Mala with a favorable weather picture. This turned out to be the best sail of our trip. As we rounded the point the wind came around behind us at around 25 knots, and with spinnaker alone we managed to sail for 14 hours straight at up to 10.5 knots. We covered the 130 miles to Isla Tobago in about 20 hours. This anchorage is also beautiful and has a pretty big town on the island. From the boat we can see all the ships at anchor waiting to transit the canal and the very dramatic Panama City skyline. We will be moving over to the city in the next day or two and will get our fill of all that it has to offer before my dad and sister visit for two weeks.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-31817327689227986132010-06-17T12:16:00.000-07:002010-06-19T06:28:32.478-07:00SHARKS<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1o8ez4oXSeybfNy8wBQscxsohGcQd1RP8qgfhicg1qsPABVxw5LkYDuU-xBXE0PpvbvQdq56m_QcN5ZAky9js71UU0_pGSLS0qj1CWtEwl1jKS86J-YgGPfiFMMQZ6kpbAMH1lCz8MG7/s1600/IMG_0528.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge1o8ez4oXSeybfNy8wBQscxsohGcQd1RP8qgfhicg1qsPABVxw5LkYDuU-xBXE0PpvbvQdq56m_QcN5ZAky9js71UU0_pGSLS0qj1CWtEwl1jKS86J-YgGPfiFMMQZ6kpbAMH1lCz8MG7/s320/IMG_0528.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5484476061821947650" /></a><br /><br />After leaving Drakes Bay we thought we should take a little detour to Isla Del Cano, a famous diving island. This area is infamous for having a large population of sharks so I ran the idea of snorkeling at the island by the kids. We read that the reef sharks are non-aggressive and as a family we decided to risk the sharks for the beautiful snorkeling, hoping that the guide books were indeed correct about the sharks. <br /> The guide books were wrong about one thing. We didn’t see a single shark. Not that I was sad about the missing sharp toothed fish, and it was definitely nice to have made it out of there with all my limbs attached. I did keep a good look out for them though, left, right, behind my back, kind of manically. What we did get to swim with were graceful turtles, lobsters, brain coral, parrotfish, clown fish, and all of Nemo’s other friends. The reef was amazing and active with colorful schools of fish. <br /> I am glad in the end that we didn’t let our shark fears get the best of us and that we were able to explore the beautiful reefs of Isla Del Cano. This trip was about seeing the world on and off land and this island was an important part of the journey. So, we are reminded every day why you look past your fears and embrace the incredible life that you have been given. <br /><br />-Brady<br /><br /><br /> <span style="font-weight:bold;">PMS ALERT<br /><br />I know many of you have expressed concerns for the close quarters that we live in and the affects that it can have on a relationship. Well, I have to admit the certain times of the month can be quite challenging to say the least, but I am so lucky to have a wonderful, understanding husband. The tip of the week- if you are ever sailing on a boat with PMS, a patient spouse is a must.<br /></span><br />-the less sane spouse of the weekseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-91250138159168176182010-06-14T11:40:00.000-07:002010-06-14T11:43:24.203-07:00Drakes Bay<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdpLX4UjBCFlaiWw7WRQ0hxq7KiBeMzIz5jM2OI9WGgAd-aS_gjcANZ0fteNawZNqGh6LyJLDbRc74wo3C23kkp_FqiSJwwlcqFIkZ3J8N-xPFI3Ct4RBUz4iEg2YR_GLK5kuO3Uty3I5/s1600/P1010053.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrdpLX4UjBCFlaiWw7WRQ0hxq7KiBeMzIz5jM2OI9WGgAd-aS_gjcANZ0fteNawZNqGh6LyJLDbRc74wo3C23kkp_FqiSJwwlcqFIkZ3J8N-xPFI3Ct4RBUz4iEg2YR_GLK5kuO3Uty3I5/s320/P1010053.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5482701789837633506" /></a><br /><br />We have started heading south and have found ourselves in the prettiest part of Costa Rica, Drakes Bay on the Osa Peninsula. If you come to Costa Rica this is a must visit spot. This area is filled with scarlet macaws soaring over head, hiking trails with the most fragrant flowers, wildlife peaking out of the rainforest, beautiful beaches, and friendly folks. The town isn’t huge, but the houses are adorable stilt houses with views of the gorgeous bay. This is the Costa Rica that I had envisioned before we came down here. I am just sorry that none of our visitors got to see this amazingly unique area. -Brady<br /><br />Ditto, on all of that. We heard that this was the place to see and so far, we have not been disappointed. After my mom left, we did some grocery shopping and headed south. The trip here took about 18 hours and we managed to avoid every thunderstorm that surrounded us. The water at the anchorage is crystal clear, the houses are beautiful, the beach is long and sandy, the trails leading to and through the Corcovado National Park are seemingly endless, and all in all a paradise. We are going to take the dinghy up a local river to check out the wildlife and then head to Isla del Cano for some snorkeling. Supposedly, this is second only to the likes of the Galapagos and Isla del Coco for snorkeling on the Pacific. Then it is off to the Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf) to clear out of the country and head for Panama. We can’t wait to see my dad and little sister, who are coming for their second visit in July. This will hopefully be followed by Suzi’s (Brady’s mom) second visit in as many months. We are truly thankful to our wonderful families for their love and (sometimes reluctant :) support and their continued efforts to visit us in tropical paradise.<br /><br />-Troy-seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-528521237920740842010-06-01T16:13:00.001-07:002010-06-01T16:13:59.920-07:00Ahhh...Boat life!Shortly after the last blog entry, we left for Isla Cedros in the rain for a change of scenery. The trip was a wet one with intermittent rain squalls, but we made it safe and sound to a very quiet anchorage. During the rain of the past week, it has come to our attention that several hatches are not exactly watertight and need re-bedding (remove, clean, recaulk, replace). This left lots of tools wet and rusting along with a bit of a damp bed for Ashley. Ahhh...the little joys of living on a boat. While in Bahia Ballena, there was a lot of leaves and trash in the water and it kept clogging our refrigerator cooling line. Ordinarily, this is no big deal because I just remove the line from the through hull (fitting that lets water into the boat for various reasons), clean it and replace it. Well, today was a little different. As I was removing the line, the entire shut off valve broke loose releasing a steady stream of water INTO the boat with no immediate way of shutting it off. I’m sure you all can imagine my intial expletive laden response. Apparently we would have no refrigerator for awhile, not to mention a HOLE IN THE BOAT! While I plugged the hole with my finger, Brady trimmed a cork to the appropriate size so I could temporarily stop the leak. The copper fitting that the valve was attached to sheared off leaving about 1/2 inch to work with. Fortunately, I had some plastic tubing that was the right size and with a few hose clamps and salvaged parts, I stopped the leak and was able to keep the refrigerator going. A proper repair will have to wait until we haul the boat out in Panama for bottom paint. The rain has since stopped and I was able to re-bed the leaking hatches. With all crises averted for the moment, we moved again and anchored near playa Naranjo in the Gulf of Nicoya. We were hoping for a town, but found only a ferry dock with a bar/restaurant. Brady and two of the girls did manage to find a quaint little village about 30 minutes walk from the ferry dock. After three days we headed back to the Costa Rica Yacht Club for some time at the pool and Sam’s B-day.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-27192726132208641142010-05-27T07:30:00.001-07:002010-05-27T08:06:04.389-07:00Rain Forest!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1DIWF6R1GI03Pd3Nne5eL48nRzQuKHOZAdfQVeo1T-DpagmREj5-jJC7-ZAkzmN48aSKJObsAWtpe_U3-l37KH-e2rXqkVLTq7l9AgLvMKZVmrVt8QXy0I_utWU0ZSAnmhyZ4P27m1tQ/s1600/IMG_0483.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY1DIWF6R1GI03Pd3Nne5eL48nRzQuKHOZAdfQVeo1T-DpagmREj5-jJC7-ZAkzmN48aSKJObsAWtpe_U3-l37KH-e2rXqkVLTq7l9AgLvMKZVmrVt8QXy0I_utWU0ZSAnmhyZ4P27m1tQ/s320/IMG_0483.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475965064103856082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenHi7b82kdHqBEu9uYdoxPBsUZNiipooXFGbqcLCn2R-t5zDjAFhOPcf2is5L3_q4at6JCP-Ic5Y-prta0_35BW1zPXeYrB0eQQ32hzVntjtcmJiDbICyWdh-0rVp7a7Jtw4crJ_mcMEL/s1600/IMG_0497.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenHi7b82kdHqBEu9uYdoxPBsUZNiipooXFGbqcLCn2R-t5zDjAFhOPcf2is5L3_q4at6JCP-Ic5Y-prta0_35BW1zPXeYrB0eQQ32hzVntjtcmJiDbICyWdh-0rVp7a7Jtw4crJ_mcMEL/s320/IMG_0497.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5475965059930490450" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">(photo info: Picture #1 is a great swim if you like to get eaten by crocs! Picture #2 is at Punta Leona at the slippery tidepools- Brady fell here as well.)</span><br />Hello all,<br /><br />It is time for another post as we sit on the boat for the fourth consecutive day. Apparently rainy season and rain forest means that it rains A LOT. Who knew? We left the Los Suenos marina area for Bahia Ballena again to kill some more time before my mom arrives on the 4th of June. We entered the bay by GPS and Google Earth alone as we could not see the land 1/4 mile away. Brady finally had to get off the boat yesterday, for sanity purposes and we landed on the rocky shore in a slight drizzle. Brady proceeded get her leg crunched by a piece of driftwood the size of the dinghy (still attached and no marks, so don't worry). This was followed by Brady catching her flip flop on the dinghy and tumbling into the water. Grace is her middle name (her line, not mine for all of you mothers and wives out there). A few tears of frustration later and we were off to donate comforters, clothes and shoes to some local squatters, who happened to be among the nicest people we have met. Their houses were made of bamboo, corrugated metal and black plastic to keep out some of the rain. They were very appreciative and we wish we had more to give. The local school is flooded due to the rain and some help with education and construction would go a long way here. We have considered, albeit briefly, squatting next door, but we are leaving soon if the rain ever stops. We walked to the local town for treats and avoided the worst of the rain inside the store. The return dinghy trip was just about as eventful. We were all doused by salt water and dirt from an incoming swell and Sam briefly lost a flip flop. We are hoping to head to some other spots before heading to the Costa Rica Yacht Club for Sams's birthday (10 this year, wow) before heading back the Jaco area. <br /><br />Ta-Ta for now,<br /><br />Waterloggedseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-62634818469205097562010-05-13T18:11:00.000-07:002010-05-13T18:21:33.707-07:00Back from the USHola All,<br /> I had two wonderful trunkshows and countless visits with friends and family in Colorado. I do have to say that nothing is better than boat life. I enjoyed seeing everyone, but I don't know how you all put up with the rush of American lifestyles. Life on the water is full of entertainment, but without the havoc. I am back in my comfortable habit with swimming off the boat and hiking daily. My mom is visiting for the week, which she seem to be getting her sea legs in gear. I will give you a better update when she leaves. i can't leave my guests unattended for long:)<br /><br /><br />Bradyseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-83199610185643453742010-04-22T13:49:00.000-07:002010-04-22T13:51:05.908-07:00More news from Costa RicaAfter our guests left, we did our grocery shopping, checked our emails and returned to the boat to find that we were relieved of our new to us and still unused surfboard. We had been warned about petty theft in this country from other boaters, guidebooks and even locals, but at the end of the day we have a boat full of stuff in compartments that, by design, cannot be locked. The surfboard is a bit large to put anywhere and on most boats they are tied up on the lifelines. We did the same thing and did not have any way of locking it down. Brady had been insistent on putting it inside, but this would have required me moving it in and out every time we left the boat and every morning and night. Add sand and salt to the board and inside was not a good place to store it (I think she still deserves an I told you so!) In retrospect, it should have at least been out of reach of the lifelines and thus partially out of site. I feel a bit fortunate that nothing was damaged and that this was the only thing taken since we have plenty of other, more valuable things. Prior to our visiting here, Costa Rica was very high on our list of places to see. Since arriving, we have had high winds and desert like vistas in the north, rolly anchorages with few spots to land the dinghy, locals that are less friendly than in prior countries, very high prices, and our surfboard stolen. Brady and I are fairly optimistic people and we hope the rest of our visit goes a little smoother. On the brighter side, this end of the country is beautiful green and wildlife abounds. Brady’s mom and my mom will be visiting in the next couple of months and we will have lots of national park visiting and monkey watching to do. I, for one, am ready for Panama.<br /><br />Capitano Troyoseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-63714099791795560512010-04-17T12:01:00.000-07:002010-04-17T12:05:37.174-07:00Costa Rica!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCPvpmLIz4TysTP8Ce1_Rgh4l5p_m7zAKEPzSmS7AZD_-AJwT-20PCbcaKn1t839BhCTBjfdPpvQpzNsC6rq5Wwoqq6aDBDVSxzeXjaPQAdEkrbOHPSyrKTN98eEIHbrjfYGdWKgCplTu/s1600/IMG_0334.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFCPvpmLIz4TysTP8Ce1_Rgh4l5p_m7zAKEPzSmS7AZD_-AJwT-20PCbcaKn1t839BhCTBjfdPpvQpzNsC6rq5Wwoqq6aDBDVSxzeXjaPQAdEkrbOHPSyrKTN98eEIHbrjfYGdWKgCplTu/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5461184458640913154" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br />We left San Juan Del Sur after several days of wind (25+ knots) through the anchorage. It was well protected from waves, but the wind was a little much. We got our zarpe (international clearance) for Costa Rica and headed for Bahia Junquillal. As we left the bay, the wind stayed at 25 knots and we covered the 20 or so miles in a little over two hours. Brady and I expected Costa Rica to be lush tropical jungle, but this far north was still very desert like. Our new anchorage gave us one nights break from the wind and when it built in the morning (gusts to 30), we moved one bay over to Bahia Tomas. This was not much better, so we headed over to Bahia Santa Elena the following morning. As we left the anchorage, we were met by 40 knot winds and hoped this move would be better. When we arrived, the wind was noticeably diminished, but a boat anchored inside informed us the gusts were up to 50 (#$%&). We stayed for several days exploring the trails and meeting new boaters (Paula Jean, Pacific Voyager and Emma Joe). We decided to move on to Playa del Coco to check into the country officially, despite the wind. As it turned out, the wind wasn’t so bad outside the bay and we covered the 38 miles before dark and found our first real gringo hotspot in Costa Rica. This a very cool town with lots of bars and restaurants (We recommend Coconutz for great atmosphere, live music, food and a pretty cool new owner-Hi Dan!). Oddly, there are four grocery stores in this small town and I found Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper for the first time in many months :) Unfortunately, this would be too expensive for us in the long run and you can expect American pricing and more if you visit. There are not many services on the beach (like food, chairs, umbrellas, or anything...), but overall we like the town. Costa Rica has built its economy around tourism, and other than the windy anchorages and the high prices, we have seen: turtles, dolphins, parrots, monkeys, manta rays, sea snakes, and a yet unidentified giant lizard. Hopefully, we will see plenty more of the sights while we are here. The next stop was Playa Tamarindo. This is another very cool town, but again, lots of gringos and high prices. Brady and I had a bit of trouble anchoring here since we are a bit short of anchor chain these days. This means that we have to put out most of the chain and then attach a rope (rode) to the end and then let out the rest of the chain and more rope. Then we have to pull on the anchor to set it and hope that we do not have to pull it all up and try again if the bottom is foul. We had to do that here and after anchoring twice, we were ready for some R & R. We have been on the same track as Danny and Paula from Paula Jean and we headed south together to Bahia Samara. Today, in this location we got a real taste of what our new lives are like. After homeschool, we snorkeled to the island that we were anchored near. After swimming back to the boat, we had lunch and towed Danny and Paula on their kayaks with surfboard in tow across the bay to the town. Danny threw in free surf lessons for the five of us and we were all up in a snap, with the girls being the quickest learners. They all rode several waves in and apparently we are now in the market for a surfboard and a kayak along with a new outboard for the dinghy. Next, we toured the town and then readied ourselves for the craziest return ever. The surf had built and the breaks were pretty stiff, so Danny and I pushed the dinghy out past the breaks and I motored in circles until Brady and the girls swam out. We towed our new friends back to their boat and had chicken tacos for dinner. We are all tired and are leaving again for Bahia Ballena en route to Puntarenas to pick up our first guests since Mexico! Wow, so much has happened since the last line! We went to the puntarenas yacht club to wait for Todd and Jessica and got groceries, propane and the laundry done. Puntarenas was a very local town with plenty of services. After we left, our first stop was Isla Cedros, an abandoned prison island turned park. The area was very dry and dead, but the prison was neat. We saw howler monkeys in the trees and a nice beach on the other side of the island. It was still early, so we went to Isla Muertos for the night. This anchorage was very calm, but there were no services for us or our guests, so after a quick dinghy trip and walking tour, we were off to Islas Tortugas. These were touted as highly visited with snorkeling and some of the best white sand beaches in Costa Rica. The water was murky at best and the beach was OK, but we stayed for about 20 minutes and then took the dinghy across the bay to the Curu biological preserve. This hike afforded us a fantastic view of the bay and capuchin monkeys. Brady pointed out some yet identified sloth like monkey creature that Todd hereafter referred to as a slonkey. The next morning, we were off to Jaco. This is another small town and the dinghy landing required the kids to bail out and swim to shore while I rode the dinghy like a surf board. One night here and off to Quepos. This town has the best services and is finally lush green. It is a short ride to the smaller town of Manuel Antonio and the national park of the same name. We passed on the park since Todd and Jess had seen it already and we will see it when both Brady’s mom and my mom visit in the next few weeks. Next was Dominical. This is a sleepy little surf town with bars restaurants and a well stocked store. There was a restaurant that overlooked the ocean on both sides and a great ice cream shop. We stayed a night and then back to Quepos to drop off our visitors. We did and saw a lot in a short time. We all laughed a lot, motored a lot, drank a few and had a great time.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-61375505035102918382010-04-07T18:59:00.000-07:002010-04-08T06:24:01.484-07:00Costa Rica!!!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLgdKiWJRVOJ-RE2KEvRDWjFUx5baJjPDRrB2I6mEYAcfN2V1ARTdSHllU1THcXyiA3t9n3tz3uR9cza19ix6qfrLffNSIjyrJ503-Y7yMD5i2tGpiXFW1d7GxkFl9bLMfapqU6FNam-l/s1600/IMG_0405.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFLgdKiWJRVOJ-RE2KEvRDWjFUx5baJjPDRrB2I6mEYAcfN2V1ARTdSHllU1THcXyiA3t9n3tz3uR9cza19ix6qfrLffNSIjyrJ503-Y7yMD5i2tGpiXFW1d7GxkFl9bLMfapqU6FNam-l/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457756615165347122" /></a><br /><br />We left San Juan Del Sur after several days of wind (25+ knots) through the anchorage. It was well protected from waves, but the wind was a little much. We got our zarpe (international clearance) for Costa Rica and headed for Bahia Junquillal. As we left the bay, the wind stayed at 25 knots and we covered the 20 or so miles in a little over two hours. Brady and I expected Costa Rica to be lush tropical jungle, but this far north was still very desert like. Our new anchorage gave us one nights break from the wind and when it built in the morning (gusts to 30), we moved one bay over to Bahia Tomas. This was not much better, so we headed over to Bahia Santa Elena the following morning. As we left the anchorage, we were met by 40 knot winds and hoped this move would be better. When we arrived, the wind was noticeably diminished, but a boat anchored inside informed us the gusts were up to 50 (#$%&). We stayed for several days exploring the trails and meeting new boaters (Paula Jean, Pacific Voyager and Emma Joe). We decided to move on to Playa del Coco to check into the country officially, despite the wind. As it turned out, the wind wasn’t so bad outside the bay and we covered the 38 miles before dark and found our first real gringo hotspot in Costa Rica. This a very cool town with lots of bars and restaurants (We recommend Coconutz for great atmosphere, live music, food and a pretty cool new owner-Hi Dan!). Oddly, there are four grocery stores in this small town and I found Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper for the first time in many months :) Unfortunately, this would be too expensive for us in the long run and you can expect American pricing and more if you visit. There are not many services on the beach (like food, chairs, umbrellas, or anything...), but overall we like the town. Costa Rica has built its economy around tourism, and other than the windy anchorages and the high prices, we have seen: turtles, dolphins, parrots, monkeys, manta rays, sea snakes, and a yet unidentified giant lizard. Hopefully, we will see plenty more of the sights while we are here. The next stop was Playa Tamarindo. This is another very cool town, but again, lots of gringos and high prices. Brady and I had a bit of trouble anchoring here since we are a bit short of anchor chain these days. This means that we have to put out most of the chain and then attach a rope (rode) to the end and then let out the rest of the chain and more rope. Then we have to pull on the anchor to set it and hope that we do not have to pull it all up and try again if the bottom is foul. We had to do that here and after anchoring twice, we were ready for some R & R. We have been on the same track as Danny and Paula from Paula Jean and we headed south together to Bahia Samara. Today, in this location we got a real taste of what our new lives are like. After homeschool, we snorkeled to the island that we were anchored near. After swimming back to the boat, we had lunch and towed Danny and Paula on their kayaks with surfboard in tow across the bay to the town. Danny threw in free surf lessons for the five of us and we were all up in a snap, with the girls being the quickest learners. They all rode several waves in and apparently we are now in the market for a surfboard and a kayak along with a new outboard for the dinghy. Next, we toured the town and then readied ourselves for the craziest return ever. The surf had built and the breaks were pretty stiff, so Danny and I pushed the dinghy out past the breaks and I motored in circles until Brady and the girls swam out. We towed our new friends back to their boat and had chicken tacos for dinner. We are all tired and are leaving again for Bahia Ballena en route to Puntarenas to pick up our first guests since Mexico!<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4rofonIvyNMMWwbff_YRaU0rD98CeE4lyv1RydsxqB9vPEg4cO_z6ZayAaQ6DR-vwcvQYsc6nIh5tp6_JEAZkdMmRK2QweRdoe29oSsj-A1xCrz9lIceiJuF1TyMkSRCoUSlqxNX-m-A/s1600/IMG_0373.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS4rofonIvyNMMWwbff_YRaU0rD98CeE4lyv1RydsxqB9vPEg4cO_z6ZayAaQ6DR-vwcvQYsc6nIh5tp6_JEAZkdMmRK2QweRdoe29oSsj-A1xCrz9lIceiJuF1TyMkSRCoUSlqxNX-m-A/s320/IMG_0373.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5457756246612308434" /></a>seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-28429052312013482102010-03-14T16:38:00.000-07:002010-03-14T16:45:12.023-07:00Nicaragua<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJB9IK-4-Ujx3TNgb1lH-yfpwZH33I_TnTT9ANuSWWBUqvfIpC_yN9NaMxMz7XrlNnfSUYyF3x-80wHNSkW0z3JVVpHHF9tDsflFSAZwxGgE87UXp2H2t7j_a3lnou2FlY7qZRyk-sBpr/s1600-h/IMG_0205.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyJB9IK-4-Ujx3TNgb1lH-yfpwZH33I_TnTT9ANuSWWBUqvfIpC_yN9NaMxMz7XrlNnfSUYyF3x-80wHNSkW0z3JVVpHHF9tDsflFSAZwxGgE87UXp2H2t7j_a3lnou2FlY7qZRyk-sBpr/s320/IMG_0205.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448639427946462162" /></a><br /><br /><br /> AHHH!!!! NICARAGUA<br /><br />I bet you don’t hear that everyday. From the marina in El Salvador, we headed to an island in the Gulf of Fonseca (still El Salvador) and anchored for a few calm days. We had to hike to the other side of the island to check out the local town. They don’t mess around with their hikes (see photos). When we left the anchorage, we were met by 30 knot winds and crazy confused seas, but sailed along at 7+knots and found ourselves at Marina Puesta Del Sol in Nicaragua by dinnertime. The marina was great, but a bit pricey when you consider the area and the fact that they burn sugarcane fields miles away and the ash rains down incessantly on the boat. Other than that, we have nothing but fantastic reviews for Nicaragua and would recommend it to anyone interested in an off the beaten path vacation. Check out www.labahiabeachhotel.com and the attached photos of a beautiful hotel/restaurant near the marina. Though many of the houses are little more than sticks and plastic and the children go dirty and unshorn, they are a very happy and pleasant bunch of folks. We ate at the shackstaurant of a Portuguese sailor, who circumnavigated the globe twice, once each direction, that settled here and founded the pueblito of Joe Portunica. I am starting to see why. The beaches are beautiful and the climate beats a sharp stick in the eye. We sailed for twelve hours from Puesta Del Sol and motored the last bit to San Juan del Sur to find a grand little touristy town. The houses are very colorful and there is an abundance of local services. The water in the bay is very clean, along with the town, and once again very friendly. I think Brady and I would seriously consider moving here. Don’t worry Todd, we are only 25 miles or so from Cost Rica and we will reluctantly move on.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLh6MyuHjsColz63fJB04RiADSkmFevzqMJrdPPEMlIjZpisYv0k02aIICFf6v4mluroBwdptMRz9QiH-Ok8jKvjXvk5wCLTJYHMdfj98xvk_mZmZU6AI05P4RHY2FzwS8xLy0HXJnrip/s1600-h/IMG_0237.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHLh6MyuHjsColz63fJB04RiADSkmFevzqMJrdPPEMlIjZpisYv0k02aIICFf6v4mluroBwdptMRz9QiH-Ok8jKvjXvk5wCLTJYHMdfj98xvk_mZmZU6AI05P4RHY2FzwS8xLy0HXJnrip/s400/IMG_0237.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5448638914183266658" /></a><br /><br /> YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE<br /><br />While traveling, we have come across many that are less fortunate than ourselves. Nicaragua is one of the poorest countries in the western hemisphere and, in places, people walk miles to get water from a local well. They have to deal with rolling black outs and live in conditions that would bring you to tears. We have tried to think of ways that we could help improve the lives of the many people we have met. In San Juan Del Sur we ran across an organization that is making a difference. A well travelled young man, with parents from Norway and education from Denver approached the local population and asked what needed the most attention. The overwhelming response was the schools. He formed a non-profit organization called proyecto remedios educativos. They help by building schools and providing computers and other much needed supplies in Nicaragua. If you would like to make a tax deductible contribution to a great cause their website is www.prehelps.org. We will continue to post any information of this nature as we find it and hopefully, we can all make a small difference.seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-31043711490710238742010-03-09T07:24:00.001-08:002010-03-09T07:43:18.392-08:00El Salvador<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzCfxAu-qD1zRv8byuKoNpwE4jjsdNsL3CFs5bg-dz0xswX9AP3VxajYJ_Hh6uCO97SoGFhdNaN7v-Jo6lP3d56-F4hyndy6_sDGF__iP-OQiZYfP7YgUYoziMZG4zs64Nb70albmFM37/s1600-h/IMG_0126.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPzCfxAu-qD1zRv8byuKoNpwE4jjsdNsL3CFs5bg-dz0xswX9AP3VxajYJ_Hh6uCO97SoGFhdNaN7v-Jo6lP3d56-F4hyndy6_sDGF__iP-OQiZYfP7YgUYoziMZG4zs64Nb70albmFM37/s200/IMG_0126.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446658930036598050" /></a><br /><br />Thoughts from the kids:<br /><br />Samantha- All of our family adventures have been great. We have been taking turns staying up with mom and dad on their night watches. So far only Emily and Ashley have had turns and my turn is coming up soon. The next place that we are going is Nicaragua. I hope that in Nicaragua we are going to a marina with a pool. This life is great and I would not trade it.<br /><br />Emily- We have met lots of people and all of the people are very nice. My favorite place is Puerto Angel . When we meet people it feels good. All the places we have gone to are okay. I like Puerto Angel because the water is so clear. I like the boat a lot. When we sail there is lots of wind that blows in your face. We see lots of dolphins when we sail. We also see lots of whales. We got a new kids fishing pole, which I am glad about. I have been fishing a lot now. I have not caught anything yet but I try. We have school every day but school is fun. We are at Isla Meanguera right now. We are very close to Nicaragua. Yesterday, we hiked a big hill to go to town. On our way to town we saw lots of cows.<br /><br />Ashley- El Salvador was okay but Puerto Angel was the best because it had restaurants and a stone path and the water is so clear. We met a guy named Ed and his boat name is Lorien. The marina in El Salvador has 2 pools. The pool was fun and we were with other boaters like Steve and Sherry on Demaris and Greg on Sweet Dreams. Now we are at Isla Meanguera and have to hike to get to town. We are so close to Nicaragua, we can see it! I love living on the boat. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPKdMAOg6i_XGl9TPeLe89Z8bUEObXgIO_4ZnU5W77W_2CKD-6If1Z5WKDlE9RPgDix4qER2jgUCDYa7NpSqanxqrVdApIqXPdfczuepllIAzzCIxNiTR1rRkfpBNnXaqNcZxxZrw1O1V/s1600-h/IMG_0193.jpg"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHPKdMAOg6i_XGl9TPeLe89Z8bUEObXgIO_4ZnU5W77W_2CKD-6If1Z5WKDlE9RPgDix4qER2jgUCDYa7NpSqanxqrVdApIqXPdfczuepllIAzzCIxNiTR1rRkfpBNnXaqNcZxxZrw1O1V/s200/IMG_0193.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446658923781420018" /></a><br /><br />Onward!<br /><br />So, All went according to plan with our repairs and we left Puerto Madero for El Salvador. We passed Guatemala due to the fact that there is basically one entry port ($500 for five days) and no real services in the port. We entered into El Salvadorean waters with little fanfare and lots of motoring. Of course, we arrived at night and could not enter into Bahia del Sol without a pilot (guide) to take us over the ever moving sandbar entrance. We anchored off the beach with a six foot swell and waited for morning. At around 8 AM, I radioed the marina to request the pilot and was told to wait until around 10. A few minutes later, I heard a familiar voice from the trimaran Demaris on the VHF informing us of the tsunami warning now in effect due to the Chilean earthquake. To be safe, we headed out into deeper water about two miles off shore and waited for what turned out to be a non event thankfully. At 12:30 or so, we were met just outside the breaking waves by Rogelio, the local pilot, on a jet ski. We entered the estuary with the incoming tide and had no problems. Finally, we tied up to the dock and kicked back at the resort/marina pool with some $1 beers. It was nice to wash the salt off the boat and have easy access to the services. As it turned out, there was a 6+ foot tide, which meant a crazy tide current. This added to the local panga traffic and it was time to move to a mooring ball in the middle of the estuary. We tried the local fare (almost everyday) called pupusas, which are basically extra thick stuffed corn tortillas. They put beans, cheese, pork, shrimp, etc... inside and you top them off with a tomato sauce and pickled cabbage. Near the resort, these could be enjoyed for $.50 each and three is plenty. Up in the mountains, I found them for $.25. We took a guided day trip with some other boaters for a 13 hour tour of San Sebastian (old fashioned looms and crafts), Joya de Ceren (ancient town buried by ash similar to Pompeii), San Andres (mayan pyramids), Santa Ana (Spanish colonial town), and Price Smart (basically Costco for groceries). After realizing that the barnacles on the mooring ball were shredding the gelcoat on the boat, it was time to leave again. After refueling and ordering pupusas for the road, we headed for Isla Meanguera in the Gulf of Fonseca. This is a quiet anchorage on a big Island administered by El Salvador. We hiked to the town on the other side of the island this afternoon. When I say hiked, I mean up a 45% grade on a cow trail with the cows. The town was small and had a cool hotel owned by a retired american. We had tacos at a stand run by a mexican and talked with locals making fresh french fries in the street. We are within sight of Nicaragua and are headed there next. For those of you looking for off the beaten path vacations, I would not put this at the top of your list. There are plenty of sights to see and you can travel between the countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua by land fairly easily, but overall, there is no great beach areas with restaurants and services and the towns are sketchy without local knowledge. If you must, the town of Santa Ana was very scenic and clean and there are several hotels (Bahia del Sol, Comfort Inn, etc... on the Costa del Sur) that would be fine. The price structure is odd as the food is dirt cheap, but everything else including property and hotel rooms are basically american prices. I hope I am not boring everyone to death with the details, but I am trying to be as informative as possible. As far as I am concerned, this really is neat. It has been everything I expected and more. There are definitely ups and downs, but I have absolutely nothing to complain about right? Work on the boat never ends and we are not on vacation by any means, but this lifestyle suits me. We are able to interact with local people and customs and have seen some truly amazing things already and we have barely travelled over 1000 miles. We have met people on boats from all walks of life from the 30 foot sailboats to the 80 foot yachts. Single handers and families all just traveling for the sake of it. I met a couple (yes you Volo) who have been sailing for 40+ years. After circumnavigating in a basic boat, they upgraded and went back for more traveling from Australia to Alaska to here en route to a trip around the tip of Chile. Life is short, play hard!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZJBWbWhGRR7sHsWjv0vyumErq2XsyAeXQTmYXxpGd3Qpp3NI0ZT3NauGLYtF2gyQW6bXR_x9eP5XyOk7ZpwlvQvEz6UyZi095R-rbGJYB16-9cVekxH1gVW28wwRaHAECIZSpDdfEaJj/s1600-h/IMG_0144.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWZJBWbWhGRR7sHsWjv0vyumErq2XsyAeXQTmYXxpGd3Qpp3NI0ZT3NauGLYtF2gyQW6bXR_x9eP5XyOk7ZpwlvQvEz6UyZi095R-rbGJYB16-9cVekxH1gVW28wwRaHAECIZSpDdfEaJj/s200/IMG_0144.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5446658926258293714" /></a>seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-76263725725966263012010-02-28T05:17:00.001-08:002010-02-28T05:17:40.726-08:00Gulf of Tehuatepec to Puerto Madero<div style="text-align: left; padding: 3px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39554524@N06/4394196633/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2711/4394196633_229864e9e7.jpg" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" alt="" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/39554524@N06/4394196633/">Ruins</a>, originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/39554524@N06/">seaparents</a>.</span></div><p>HOLY $#%@ !!!<br /><br />So, I am checking wind/weather by weather fax (Shortwave radio connected through the computer via NOAA) and a few other sources. The few other sources as previously mentioned are less than accurate, but the weather fax has been spot on. So we were waiting in Huatulco for a weather window to cross the dreaded Gulf of Tehuantepec. Apparently, winds funnel across the narrow section of southern Mexico from the caribbean and accelerate up to 60+ knots on our route. We have been doing nothing but motoring, so I was actually looking forward to SOME wind. The other boats waiting to cross the gulf were planning on leaving this past Thursday with nothing but motoring in mind. The weather fax showed a gale warning through Wednesday, diminishing on Thursday. The weather bulletin from the port captain showed 25 knots both days, so I figured since we had 60 miles to cover before the bad section of the gulf (Salina Cruz), we would arrive at the tail end of the wind and sail through the gulf pretty quickly. Let’s just say that forecasts are basically wild ass guesses and I will wait until there no signs of a gale warning before leaving in the future. We had 20 knots of wind all the way to Salina Cruz and covered the 60 miles before dark. The wind started to build and we reefed the sails (reduced sail area) at around 26 knots and then further at 33 knots (both times were more difficult than I thought it would be, but it went pretty smooth). The waves were steadily building as well, but nothing to worry about. I took the first watch and Brady and the kids went to bed around 8. The wind was dead on the nose at this point, so I took the main all the way down. I learned that in 35 knots of wind, the boat will not go straight ahead very well. We did not have enough forward velocity for the rudders to work properly, so the wind actually pushed the nose of the boat to leeward. With the helm all the way over, the boat headed off course 30 degrees. During the lulls, the boat would come back on course and then push the other direction if the auto pilot corrected too far. At this point, the wind was gusting to 40 knots and backing to 20. I was wearing my life jacket and attached myself by harness to the boat just in case. Other than the occasional salt spray we were making progress toward the beach past Salina Cruz. I had to steer by hand through 4 container ships anchored directly in my path, but made it through despite the steering issue. As we reached the beach, the waves disappeared. This happens because the wind comes from the land to the ocean and the waves do not have a chance to build up yet. What I didn’t mention is that I had to steer a course in 35 feet of water, 1/4 mile from shore, in the dark....GREAT! 3 GPS’s side by side and maybe I could get some sleep since it was 3 AM by this time. I woke Brady and gave her the rundown. She had some obvious reservations about taking over, especially since we were coming up on a lagoon entrance that we would have to pass 2 miles off shore (think bigger waves and a more uncomfortable ride). She agreed to stay up with me at the GPS’s while I steered our course from outside (in winds that gusted to 49 knots!). Despite the wind and waves (6-8 feet), the boat remained incredibly stable, which I am thrilled about. Brady is a little less aware of the actual stability and is convinced that we were mere minutes from reliving the movie Titanic. I can tell you that not only were the kids sleeping soundly this whole time, but she fell asleep on a stool at the navigation station (clearly uncomfortable huh?) We passed the lagoon entrance and returned to the relative calm of the beach. At 5 AM, I finally got to bed and the winds calmed down to the forecast 25 knots. Woo hoo!, we made it...maybe. The following afternoon, after making great time with the sails, the wind slowed and the mainsail started to flog. Just as we were getting ready to take it down, I hear a rrrrriiiiiiippppp. Not good, but we could use the headsail and motor the 280 miles to El Salvador. I turned on the port side engine and nothing, nada....HMMM. One engine and one sail. Maybe we better stop in Puerto Madero, Mexico, about two hours away. This after spending several hours clearing out of Mexico in Huatulco. I contacted the port captain and let him know that we would be making an unscheduled emergency stop for repairs, in the middle of the night of course. We entered in the dark again, but found an anchorage and went to bed. Ten minutes later, there was a commotion outside and we were visited by the navy for a standard entry inspection with drug sniffing dog Cassiopeia in tow. We have heard nothing but bad things about Puerto Madero, but the people have been very nice. The mainsail did not actually tear, but a seam blew out and left a ten foot hole. Brady and I spent three mornings working with our non existent sewing skills and I think I tracked the problem with the engine down to a bad starter. I had a new starter sent from Mazatlan and as soon as it arrives, we should be back to both engines and both sails. I cleared out of Mexico again and we are leaving as soon as the starter arrives, hopefully tomorrow. As a sidebar, we were able to take the kids on a great field trip today to the Olmec ruins (pyramids and carved stones) in Izapa. We are pleasantly surprised by everything we have found on our accidental side trip. P.S. Don’t worry Todd, we will make it in plenty of time...or not :)<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />A SHORTER AND MORE DRAMATIC VERSION. HOLY CRAP!!!! Troy definitely has more tolerance for gales than I do. Picture yourself in a little boat, because at this point I felt like I was in the dinghy, being blown so hard that the ocean was drenching el capitano Troyo and the waves felt like they were going to flip the boat. Troy has ensured me that I am being a drama queen and that we were not in as bad of weather as we are going to be in the future. So, I am not sure about crossing the Pacific yet, maybe the Bahamas will be our next destination. OK, maybe a little over reaction, but next time lets skip the wind and motor. Sailboat or not, 49 knots is a little too much adrenaline for my blood. Peaceful cruising with a corona in hand is the picture I had in mind. So, please pray for future safe calm passages for us in the future. I am just so happy that we are in safe harbor in an unexpectedly beautiful place. ( Warning: I have added some of my creative expression to make a better blog entry. Don’t worry.)<br /><br />P.S My night watch didn’t go so well.<br /><br />P.S.S This is why Troy was the firemen and I just played with stones. Mas cajunes!</p>seaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-41043296255309561122010-02-16T07:26:00.000-08:002010-02-16T07:51:35.564-08:00UPDATE ON OVERNIGHTING<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHkXMIoBXIWmqa0tGF5uIv1L_WE6JNyYT27pUz5yWQJIpvxbZXt09kF_g2lczkNN2Tr9iQU4bVlQlRQYmlR3OFzhgaG6jTjFalY7roJVTZuwgoVvNNcXgb-wK91uyNByjtp90ys2OomZI/s1600-h/IMG_0352.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisHkXMIoBXIWmqa0tGF5uIv1L_WE6JNyYT27pUz5yWQJIpvxbZXt09kF_g2lczkNN2Tr9iQU4bVlQlRQYmlR3OFzhgaG6jTjFalY7roJVTZuwgoVvNNcXgb-wK91uyNByjtp90ys2OomZI/s320/IMG_0352.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5438868576478152498" /></a><br />Since last time I wrote on the blog we have done several overnights...... I know, you are thinking I crashed or slept or did a 360, but I made it through the night with no mishaps. Not as good of a story as my previous overnights, but Troy actually gets to sleep now and I have figured out how to stay awake. At present we are at a marina waiting for a weather window to cross a notoriously dangerous bay. I think that we could possibly be sailing for 5-8 days straight. This will be our longest overnight trek yet and I hope my new skills for staying awake will work for this long of a journey. I guess you never know until you try. I will let you know how it goes. Hopefully my next blog entry does not include any sleeping at the helm or crazy stunt tricks. Until next time, " See you on the flip side" - Bradyseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2922121848011340630.post-68694366377126621562010-02-07T11:29:00.000-08:002010-02-07T11:42:02.627-08:00News from the drifters<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWumtFMbo9oRF0nVzMtHLUvvV3zf8U5pBSQRNuJWkNTnYHwYOVNmX8zGYjCY7jKzDUFGP1kA9JASc_Cn8xdjzmfpVZ-Yndxjm7siQvFkXmQhO9wCVG4nkPqOofLgJXEE2pItRw5rR7IkmK/s1600-h/IMG_0023.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWumtFMbo9oRF0nVzMtHLUvvV3zf8U5pBSQRNuJWkNTnYHwYOVNmX8zGYjCY7jKzDUFGP1kA9JASc_Cn8xdjzmfpVZ-Yndxjm7siQvFkXmQhO9wCVG4nkPqOofLgJXEE2pItRw5rR7IkmK/s200/IMG_0023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435589007843247762" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXW5yfdv57tRSvuSIs62nX98kYPVtB_gwBl8y_4H2RVY8qUsvHFXP7zyUUqx6tMrtBepjzQ7tbgVy7SEjfVIeWBBMDBGbUJyO7JjCO4mtp-PGOtqk_PYpt0lv2uRZaDLeNNnETuLWFUL_/s1600-h/IMG_0001.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimXW5yfdv57tRSvuSIs62nX98kYPVtB_gwBl8y_4H2RVY8qUsvHFXP7zyUUqx6tMrtBepjzQ7tbgVy7SEjfVIeWBBMDBGbUJyO7JjCO4mtp-PGOtqk_PYpt0lv2uRZaDLeNNnETuLWFUL_/s200/IMG_0001.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5435587999039114322" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Hello Again!<br /><br />We finally left Acapulco, but I have to tell all of you that this is no vacation. When I pulled up the anchor chain a bit, I realized that our second anchor rope had twisted itself around the chain several times. After untangling the mess, we were able to bring up the primary anchor only to realize that our extended time in Acapulco furthered the corrosion on our chain. The chain will have to be replaced ASAP as we are down to 50% of the original 3/8 in spots. The good news was we were leaving. I spent three hours cleaning the barnacles off of our anchor bridle (the rope used to take the tension off of the anchor windlass while at anchor). The barnacles on the chain went into the locker and has started to produce a nice rotten fish smell...sweet! After several hours of motoring, we were able to sail awhile. The guide book showed an anchorage about 80 miles down the coast, but after checking the chart, they missed the mileage by 60 miles! The trip to the anchorage was now going to require two overnights to cover the 140 miles. Brady and I opted to shorten the shifts to three hours and start them at 8 PM. This seemed to help with the drowsiness and we opted to skip the anchorage and head straight to Puerto Escondido (approx. 40 more miles). We caught two fish en route (little tunny according to the fish ID book), which Brady beer battered and pan seared for some awesome fish tacos. The trip took 52 hours and we motored for 44 of them (not exactly the sailing adventure we planned), but we saw lots of dolphins, sea snakes, sea turtles, and a humpback whale w/ baby 50 feet from the boat and every bit as big. As we arrived in Puerto Escondido, the famed guide book showed two possible anchorages. The first was completely crowded with local pangas and the second was an anchorable shelf in the middle of the bay. There was another sailboat there, so we moved in along side in 35 feet of water. As the anchor hit bottom we heard the telltale sound of a rocky bottom, but the anchor caught and we settled in for some much needed rest. I sat down for all of 5 minutes when I heard the anchor slip on the rocks, so time to move. This proved easier said than done. As we raised the (dwindling) chain, the anchor was clearly stuck...@#$% After 20-30 minutes of maneuvering and breaking and attachment point on the crossbeam (bridle pulled on the bowsprit cables-oops my fault...@#$%) we were loose. Good news except the freshly clean bridle rope was knotted beyond removability from the stuck anchor. I had to cut it loose...#%&$ I checked the depth over the whole shelf but lost faith in the bottom, so time to move closer to the beach. Unfortunately, we were in 60 feet of water which means all of the crappy anchor chain plus some additional rope had to go into the water. Too tired to really care at this point, we were finally anchored and Brady and I slept like teenagers. Yesterday, we had A.M. homeschool and then finally off to the beach for some R & R. The kids tore up the waves with a boogie board and later we headed off to the town proper for some street tacos and groceries. The store was very well appointed and we headed back to the boat before dark. I wish we could have spent more time in Puerto Escondido. The town was a perfect size with many services, friendly locals, lots of expats, and an awesome beach. I did not get a chance to check the property values, but there is an airport and we could definitely live here. Unfortunately, after spending three long weeks in Acapulco, we need to continue South at a quicker pace. So, as I write this, we are motorsailing to Puerto Angel (someone please tell bloater about this and give him our email as this was a recommendation of his several years ago) which is about 40 miles down the coast. With any luck we can shut off the engines and still get there before dark. Hasta luego for now<br /><br />Seaparentsseaparentshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00759893343416816780noreply@blogger.com1