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Sept 1, 2007    A very sad day for us

Aaron's Dad, Clarence, passed away today.  He had had surgery on August 3rd and never recovered.  We knew that it was coming, but still the shock of the day that it does,  is overwhelming.  Our thoughts continually relive memories shared with him.  It's hard being so far away and not able to be there with family at this time.  We made the decision to make the trip back home for the funeral .  I  have good luck in finding and booking flights and luckily, the marina had a slip for us.  So on Monday,  we travel 36 hours straight.  But, we make it safely and with no delays, we arrive on Tuesday afternoon, tired and exhausted.  The next week we spend as much time as possible with family and celebrate the life of Clarence rather than mourn the death.

Clarence & Rosemary on board Blow Me Away, we will miss you and love you always.

We arrive back at the marina, after the long trip, in the late afternoon, only to discover that our inverter/charger has quit working.  The freezer is thawed, but still cool so we know that it has only been a couple of days since it quit. A power surge we are told happened a couple of days ago, so that was what probably did it.   Aaron bypasses the inverter and since we are plugged in to shore power, we have electricity now.  We quickly set up the drop in the hatch air conditioner and sleep for the next 13 hours.  And, our brand new outboard motor was delivered to us on time, on Sept. 1st, and we are glad to see it sitting on our sternrail.  There have been some thefts in this area, so there is always a concern of security.

We are also concerned about the recent cases of dengue fever.  A fellow cruiser came down with it and ended up in the hospital.  This disease is passed on by a mosquito and there are four different kinds.  The symptoms are a rash then a high fever and it feels like your skin is on fire.  A terrible headache and achiness in the joints and bones, kinda like the flu but worse.  One of the kinds of dengue fever is the hemorrhagic type, internal bleeding,  which is the worst.  The city of Bocas is fogging certain areas prone to mosquitos.  Overall advice is to be sure to spray yourself with deet, bug repellent and wear long sleeve shirts and pants.  We think it is time to get outta here!  

September 15, 2007   Fiesta del Mar

Every year here in Bocas in the fall, a fair called the Fiesta del Mar is put on, which is celebrated for 4 days over a weekend.  We decide to check it out with 2 other couples, Mike and Gloria on s/v Respite and Pam and Dennis on s/v Glide.  We walk the 4 long blocks to the entrance, pay the $1 entry fee, and discover to our amazement, alot of activity.  There are booths on each side of the road, some selling leather shoes, art, jewelry, baskets and molas.  The food booths display their entrees right out in front on huge trays.  There are also educational booths set up:  the Panama Canal expansion, agricultural displays, and local crafts. There is a ferris wheel, kiddie rides, and even cotton candy for sell.  But to our disappointment, there are no corndogs!  Latin music is blaring from the speakers as we walk the entire length and decide to quench our thirsts with some beer.  A bottle of local brew is $.60 cents. 

After surverying all of the food booths, we choose one that has the food covered by plastic windows and looks the freshest.  We enjoy a plateful of chicken and rice and watch the passerbys.  There is also a rodeo going on, but by the time we get there, it is over.  Darn, I would of liked to seen some Panamanian cow roping!

 We also enjoy watching the various performances that are happening on the stage.  A lot of dancers, youngsters mostly, dressed in costumes perform their acts.  The local police with their dogs show the crowd how well their dogs are trained.  Night is falling fast and we decide to head for home.  A TV camera crew is broadcasting live while a mariachi band plays in the background.   This is a big affair!

September 18, 2007   Inverter relief and Starfish Beach

When we had discovered that our inverter had quit, we performed several tests according to the manual and we had Hugh, a friend who is an electronic guru take a look at it, and he confirmed that it was indeed not working.  I went onlline to the Xantrex website, which is the maker of our Heart Inverter, and found an authorized service center located in David, Panama.  I sent an email to them, and received a reply that same day from Victor Saldana.  Aaron telephoned him then on Monday, and Victor said that he was going to be in Bocas on Tuesday and he would pick up the inverters then. What good luck that is!  We had to purchase another inverter last year when we were in Marios marina in the Rio Dulce.  We unfortunately were close to another boat who took a lightning strike and several of our electronics were fried as well.  The Heart 25 inverter being one of them.  So, we decide to let Victor fix both of them, since the newer one is still under warranty and it would be nice to have a spare. 

On Tuesday, Victor, a very nice gentleman who speaks English pretty well, comes by in his panga,   and picks up our inverters.  We stress that we would like to have them fixed in a prompt manner and he understands.  While we are waiting for their return, we take a little trip up to Starfish beach and meet up with Gary and Kaija on s/v Kaija's Song for a couple of days of relaxation.  The water is so much cleaner and we enjoy swimming, a walk along the beach, shelling, playing cards, and catching up on some reading.  On the way there as we were just motoring the 6 miles, the thermostat on the main engine displayed 200 degrees.  Not good news, since Aaron had just replaced the impeller.  The next day, Aaron flushes out the raw water side of the engine with a muriatic solution and finds that there was alot of crud in the lines.  On our return back to the Bocas anchorage, our thermostat stays at a cool 180 degrees!  Good news that is, but unfortunately, our tachometer has quit working.  It is always something!

September 22, 2007   Yahoo, Victor comes thru

 It's Saturday, and we are back in the Bocas anchorage.  Kaija and I take Doc for a walk this morning, up in the hills behind the marina.  It is a beautiful day, sunny, and the sweat factor is over the top.  We come across a small, very old cemetery, where a couple of  the headstones are still readable.  One is dated back to the 1900's and states the location being Bocas del Toro, Republic of Columbia.  Panama wasn't a country officially until 1903.  We also come across spiders and their webs and marvel at their creation.  But, I still don't like them or snakes.  The view from the top of the hill overlooks the anchorage.  And after an hour's hike, we are ready for a shower.

  Later on, Gary and I head into town to do some internet work.  I have managed to get all of my frontpage website data back onto the computer in its proper place, but have discovered that I am not able to publish for some reason.  I decide to call Jim, my personal computer tech consultant, ( he also goes by the name of Sir Maximo, don't ask why!) We had met Jim back in the Rio and he is now  one of the co-owners of Marios marina.  I have good luck in downloading Skype today, where I had trouble with it the other day, go figure.  Anyway, it was great to hear Jim's voice and catch up on the latest Rio news and he helps me out with the problem of publishing.

While I am in town, Aaron stays onboard and waits for Victor to show up.  He does and drops our two inverters off.  The circuit panels were bad in both of them.  The newer one, the Freedom 20, has just one board, and it was replaced for free under warranty.  The other Freedom 25, has two circuit panels and both of them had to be replaced at a cost of $475.00.  It is still cheaper than buying a new inverter.  Aaron hooks both of them up, one at a time, to be sure that they work.  They do, they do!  We would recommend Victor to anyone who needs work done on their inverters.  The quick response and even prompt turn around service was a godsend. 

Aaron also replaces our alternator again.  We are trying to figure out why we are going thru the alternators; has to be a problem somewhere.  We carry 2 spares at all times just for this reason.  We've got to get this one fixed before moving on, but we know a guy who can do that for us and it should only take a day. 

September 26, 2007   Really, we are moving on.................

Happy Birthday to our granddaughter, Drew who turns 5 today!

Well, the spare alternator did not get fixed, since the mechanic is out of town til Friday, so we decide to leave anyway and hope to get it fixed in Colon.  With last minute provisioning done, the gasoline jerry jugs full and the mainship all fueled up, we are moving on down the Panama coastline..   It's time to get back on island time mon! 

September 27, 2007  Cayo Agua here we come!

This morning we awoke to knowing that we were no longer in Bocas anchorage and enjoyed that feeling immensely!  Yesterday, we motored the 15 miles southeast to an island called Cayo Agua (water cay). The Crawl Cay cut was easy, plenty of water and  we could see the Zapatilla Islands sitting off in the distance.  As we made our way nearer we could see Kaija Song, Sea Feather (Captain Gary) and Daniel's trimarran, all bobbing at anchor.   Daniel owns land here on Cayo Agua, operates a charter business with his trimarran, and owns the marine store in Bocas Marina.  He is an ambitious and busy man!

Today's adventure was an island hike.  Kaija with her dog, Doc and Aaron and I set off to explore.  Gary is onboard Kaija's Song, working on the transmission again. This island is hillier than other places we have been, which just means we get a good butt workout!  Lots of Arriba, (up) Aaron's favorite! NOT!  Lots of beautiful views, tropical jungle fauna as we walk along the cleared path.   Afterwards, we take a swim to cool off.  The water is refreshing but stirred up, so the visibility is not very good.

Later in the day, two small cayucas (canoes) came by our boat, each one had 2 small boys in it.  I dazzle them with my cavespeak Spanish and find out that the oldest is actually asking me if I would like to buy johnnycakes.  Johnnycake is a round flat bread, best described as a soft pretzel minus the seasalt.  They are very tasty and we buy the whole bag, seven of them for a $1.50.  Aaron passes out suckers to each of them which puts a smile on their faces.  Since we have been here, we have been observed up close by locals paddling in their cayucas.  They just stare and stare some more.  We say Buenos Dias and Hola to them and after they tire of gringo watching they paddle on. 

Finding out that Gary on Sea Feather's birthday is today, we decide to celebrate his special day and invite him over along with Gary and Kaija for happy hour.  Over appetizers and drinks, we exchange histories and how we got to be where we are.  Gary used to be a merchant marine way back when and after retirement, he travelled down here to Panama looking to purchase land, but the land didn't call him, instead boat ownership did.  He found Sea Feather for sale in the marina and bought her two years ago.

September 29, 2007   A day at the Zapatillas

Yesterday the wind blew steady from the north, 15knots, causing the water to be choppy with whitecaps.  But rising today, there is very little wind; seas are calm.  Gary and Kaija invite us along to explore the Zapatillas, of which there are two: Zapatilla Uno and Zapatilla Dos--not very creative but effective.  These islands are a part of the Bastimentos National Park, therefore, no fishkilling allowed.  Fresh fish for dinner will have to wait.  Kaija's Song has been having an issue with its transmission and Gary has labored extensively in trying to solve the problem.  So today is a tryout and off we motor the 4.5 miles across the bay.  Anchoring in 15 ft of water, we hop into our dinghies looking for reefs to snorkel.  We head to the northern tip where the guidebook says the reefs are located and rounding the corner, we see other tourist boats here.  This is  a popular spot and a charge of $10 per person is usually the norm.  The water is the clearest we have seen since the Albuquerque Cays, and it is a joy to see tropical fish: sargeant majors, blue tangs, parrotfish, and queen angelfish.  The reefs are not the prettiest we have seen; being void of sea fans and finger coral, but there are a few nice size brain coral and a patch of large elkhorn coral.

  Kaija and I, along with Doc, swim to shore and take a leisurely stroll along the beach.  Doc, who loves the cruising life as much as we do, gallops along with a coconut trenched in his mouth, trying his best to break the husks by swinging his head side to side.  We find a few shells along the way, but mostly we are just enjoying being back into the island life once again.  It has been way too long, since May 1st when we arrived in Bocas del Toro.  The guys show up later with the dinghies and we decide to scoot on back to the mainship, delighting in the fact that we have not been charged the $10/per person.  Back on board, we rinse off, weigh anchor and motor back to Cayo Agua. 

Daniel has since arrived when we were gone and has brought friends with him this weekend for a little R & R.  The invitation to the BBQ has been extended to us, so we pull a couple of steaks from the freezer, pack the picnic bag and dinghy to shore.  We meet Brian, a native Canadian, and Worth and his family, Natalie and his 6 yr old daughter Kaylee.  A tranquil tropical evening, with lively conversation while jazz played on the MP3 player, we all sat around the picnic table and enjoyed the BBQ feast.  Daniel, part Columbian and Italian, but raised in Peru,  explains to us how hard it is to be a landowner; the main problem is finding good workers and teaching them about conservation. Also, all of his supplies, like water, propane, rice, and  condiments are all gone.  He is fluent in Spanish and therefore can communicate with them and scolds them about using his supplies, since he does pay them every month he expects them to buy their  own food.  Then he asks one of the young men to build a bonfire, exclaiming  to us "Their Indians,  at least they know how to build a fire!" All I am thinking is, It's hard to be king!

September 30, 2007  Snakes, frogs and wind by God!

Mid morning, I pick Kaija up and dinghy to Daniels dock.  We are going on a frog hunting expedition.  Worth has volunteered to be scout, since he tells us that he already found some earlier this morning.  But before we go, he shows us his snake, a red boa, that he caught at Bocas marina.   Worth used to be a snake handler so he is very informative and experienced in such matters.  I, on the other hand, am not, and cringe at the sight of this 4 foot long asp.  She is very pissed off and I don't blame her.  She has been kept in a bag since leaving the marina, but Worth plans on letting her go free.  Red boas are not poisonous, but they can bite.

After the snake performance, we set off along the cleared path.  Worth takes his metal cane like stick and pokes at piles of leaves and turns over logs while looking for movement. We don't have to wait long before he finds a little green frog.  He is the same size as the red frog, about thumbsize, and he is also poisonous.  Kaija and I are now frog enthusiasts, this being are third sighting and take many pictures of this cute little creature.  Yes, frogs can be cute!  Think of Kermit!

We walk the whole trail as it loops around Daniels property and find only one more green frog.  Worth tells us about his snake handling days and how he made alot of money in breeding snakes, fetching $6000 for a king cobra.  He also travelled around to different schools, teaching kids about snakes, the environment and conservation. 

The wind has picked up, whitecapping, which means its blowing around 15knots.  By the time, I arrive back onboard BMA, it is blowing 20 knots and the boat is hobbyhorsing.  Aaron and I decide it's best to seek a better anchorage with protection from these north winds.  Besides, we are dragging slowly backwards, which is not a good thing since there is a shoal directly behind us.  We up anchor quickly and motor into the north wind riding the waves up and down.  I go down below and stow as many things possible, like the coffee maker, computer, and any other breakable items.  We set course for the Bluefields, a large lagoon with good protection.  It's about 10 miles away and as we make our turn around Cayo Agua, being careful to miss the reefs that extend northwards, we now have the wind on our beam and so are the waves.  We unfurl the jib and motor back and cruise along at 7 knots.  The waves are breaking aft of beam, making for a rough ride like being tossed around a wave pool.  It takes us 2 hours with the last hour being the roughest since the waves have had time to build up to 4 - 6 ft and the winds 25 knots.  There are glass bottles clanging in their lockers, books falling on to the cabin sole, and we are glad knowing that as soon as we get into the lee of the land, it will be calmer.

  The Bluefields is actually a peninsula that extends out from the mainland.  The lagoon is easy to enter and there are several local  villages on each side and one at the very end of the lagoon.  We decide to anchor towards the back end and notice that the bottom is like a canyon, it is deep in the middle 60 feet or so then gradually shallows up on either side.  We  set anchor in 40 feet in the middle; it is hard to drag anchor up hill.  Dusk is falling and a squall is approaching fast. We can see the dark frontal line as we tidy up the boat and secure items down below and zip on the side panels of the cockpit enclosure.  The rain comes as a blast with winds of 25 knots or more, but the wind gradually dies to around 10-15k after 15 minutes, but the rain is a downpour and continues most of the night. The rain is a nice way of nature giving BMA a freshwater rinse. The anchor drag alarm is set and puzzling enough the depth sounders are reading different depths.  One is showing 37 ft and the other is 5.9ft.  Granted they are on different sides of the boat, and we don't feel like we are hitting the bottom, however, it does give us a pause of uncertainty.  We fix dinner and the lightning and thunder add to the nights ambiance.