A journey is best measured in friends rather than miles. Tim Cahill

May 1st, 2009  

Happy Birthday to our oldest grandson, Hunter, who turns 10 today.  We love and miss you.

We are anxiously awaiting our friend, Pam's arrival, back from New York.  She has been gone a week and while she was there, we had parts that we are in need of shipped to her so that she could bring them back with her.  Seems we are not the only ones who have asked this favor.  Since we are in such a remote place, supplies are well, in short supply.  We each have to rely on one another out here and we do.  And if anyone is coming from the states to here, well, you can be sure that some extra goodies will be packed away for those who are in need: parts, cameras, fishing gear, etc.  Pam makes it back safely, but not without a story of how the river was overflowing due to the recent rains, so she had to take another ulu ride down the raging river to the airport, since the jeep could not make it across.  She assures us that our new autopilot control head, glow plugs and water sensor for the generator all made it safely.  Yahoo! and the cash.  Since there is no ATM in the area, we had given her a check to cash.  Thanks so much Pam.  

May 2, 2009   Birthday Celebration Week

My birthday is on the 8th, but I believe in celebrating it for a week.  Birthdays only come around once a year, so I believe in making it special and memorable, and well, to do it right, one day just isn't enough.  So, today, I begin my birthday celebration and have recruited Pam to be my organizer.  She's great at this.  She invites everyone within the sound of her voice over the radio to a get together on the island and bring meat since there will be a fire and a grill.  Denis is the fire starter master, so he goes in early to get the coals good and hot.  Promptly at 5pm, cruisers are drawn to the island like bugs to bright lights.  Cooking outdoors tops cooking onboard and down below in a hot galley anyday.  Appetizers are set up on the makeshift table that is made out of driftwood.  Careful, it's not that sturdy.  The fire is perfect now, lots of coals, and someone brought in a huge round grill, perfect for placing everybodys meat on at once.  The women get together and talk which appetizers are the best, definitely the zucchini bread and the 7 layer Mexican dip.  When cruising, appetizers rule.  Women are always looking for a new appetizers, something creative and delicious and do I need to say, easy?  Aaron grills up our chicken basted with Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce, (our friend Marc's favorite) and enjoy dinner with good friends and a great setting.  George on s/v Southern Belle starts playing his guitar and Sonny on s/v Valentina, brings out his harmonica and it's a tropical jamboree.  It's a wonderful way to start the celebration!

May 3, 2009   Diesel Delivery

Getting diesel and gasoline in the San Blas can be challenging.  There isn't a dock (there are no marinas) that you can pull alongside and insert a diesel pump into your tank and fill up.  It's just not that easy.  Plan on jerry jugging it.  There is a handful of islands that sell diesel and gasoline, sometimes it is in supply and sometimes not.  But, we discovered that Geraldo, usually the man that comes once a week to sell veggies in his panga, sells diesel and gasoline.  So, we ordered 50 gallons of diesel and 15 gallons of gasoline.  Once word got a round, Geraldo was a man in demand.  He delivered first to s/v Liward, Steve and Lili, and since the fuel has to be siphoned out of a 55 gallon drum, it takes awhile, over an hour. We were next in line. Geraldo pulled up alongside and started siphoning the diesel from his drum into our jerry jug.  Aaron would then pour the fuel into our Baja filter, that filters any dirt, water, and other uglies from the diesel.  After the fourth jerry jug (20 gallons), Geraldo discovers that it is not diesel that he has been giving us, but kerosene.  We thought that the diesel looked to clear, it was as clear as water.  Hey, we were just glad it wasn't water.  Kerosene we find out will not harm our engine, it's a cleaner fuel and more combustible.  Will just go faster!  After 37 gallons of fuel and 10 gallons of gasoline, our order is complete.  The price $3.50 for diesel and $3.75 for gasoline.  It's delivered right to your door!

We finally leave the Lemon Grove and head for the West Holandes.  We hear that there is good snorkeling and lots of fish.  That's all it takes for us to enjoy a spot.  So, with Glide in tow it's off we go.  Our GPS is still not functioning, but it's a straight shot up and over a ways.  We anchor up toward the reef and set anchor.  This will only be for a few hours then we will find a better anchorage.  As Glide sets anchor next to us, it begins to rain, really a good downpour.  The freshwater rinse is so welcomed.  The salt build ups on the hardrail and lays a fine coat on everything on deck after awhile, so rain is always a good thing.  And of course, many cruisers collect rainwater to fill their water tanks. ( We have had to do that when our watermaker quit working.) Aaron decides to collect water anyways, so after a few minutes the rain has washed the salt away, so he dams the portside deck with a sandbag, opens the fillhole, plugs the scuppers, and you can hear the water drip down into our tank. 

It quits raining after 30 minutes or so, a quick snorkel of the reef, then it's time to seek a better anchorage.  The wind has shifted out of the west, thats odd, so we can't stay here much longer or we will hit the reef when we swing around.  We head over to a spot that Aaron has checked out, and as we are motoring closer, our depthsounder quits working.  Both of them.  What the hell is going on?  The display is showing all eights, we still do not have the chartplotter working, and we do not know this area.  I make the decision to turn around and head for the East Holandes where we know the way in, and the depths.  So, after we tell Glide our plan, they follow.  It's a good hour before we are setting anchor in "the swimming pool".  It's a bit hairy and scary not having depth or GPS, but what we did was from our GPS unit that is working, we got our position, and then put ourselves on the electronic chart.  We followed the same latitude over to the East Holandes and then from there we knew our way in thru the cut. 

Pam and Denis invite us over to their boat for dinner.  It's part of the birthday celebration, they say.  Over a delicious pasta dinner and wine, we go over the days events and plan on tomorrows. Snorkeling anyone?

May 4, 2009   Monday Night Potluck Island

Louis on s/v Simpatica, a Catana 47 catamarran, joins us for the snorkeling trip to the outer reef. He picks up Pam and Denis on the way.   We hear that there are caves out there somewhere, so we set out to find them.  George and Ofelia on s/v White Magic decide to be explorers as well, and so our caravan of dinghies, three in all, set out.  Our first attempt ends up at a dead end. The tide is low and we run out of water and find ourselves surrounded by sand.  We turn around and try another way, weaving our way thru the coral heads.  The sun is trying to peek out behind the clouds;  wish it would so it can give us better visibility.  We see that the deeper water is in by the mangroves so we go that way and end up in too shallow of water and have to tow our dinghy and walk the rest of the way to deeper water.  Once in deep enough water, we start motoring out towards the reef.  We find a cut thru the reef and anchor just south of it.  The current is ripping thru the cut, so Aaron and I swim towards the inside of the reef and find all kinds of grooves in between the coral.  We come across schools of snappers and schoolmasters.  Aaron spears a nice size gray snapper, and soon I am right behind him with a schoolmaster.  A beautiful spotted eagle ray gracefully swims by and a nurse shark is resting on the sandy bottom.  I have a knack for eyeing "the big ones" and indeed today is no exception.  The biggest black grouper I have ever seen swims along the reef.  Where is Aaron when I need him?  I try to keep up with him and wonder if I do shoot him, what will I do?  He finally goes into a hole and I look around for Aaron, but realize now that I am too far away from the dinghy.  I give up on the grouper, but know that he is still out there for future reference.

We try our luck in several different places, but never find "the caves".  But, it was a great snorkeling trip all the same.  We give our fish to Louis upon our return and relax the rest of the afternoon.  At 5pm, everyone heads into Potluck island for the weekly get together.  Reggie and Deb on s/v Runner have lived here mostly for the last 11 years and Reggie maintains the island every morning, sweeping the sand and palm fronds and making the island a beautiful tropical oasis.  There are about 20 cruisers who come, each bringing an appetizer to share.  The moon is three quarters full and will be a full moon come the 8th.  Perfect.

May 8th   Today is my Birthday, I get special favors

Today is the big day.  It's been a great week of fun, shouldn't it be?  On the Panama connection net this morning, many many cruisers wish me a happy birthday.  I am overwhelmed with all the birthday wishes.  Pam, my birthday organizer, advertises the birthday party tonight at 5pm on Potluck island.   And after the net, we are invited over to Glide for a birthday breakfast, homemade cinnamon rolls, bloody marys and an artichoke heart and swiss cheese omelet. Denis is a wonderful chef and Pam makes an awesome drinks.  What a way to start the day.  Pam also gives me a bracelet she has made out of beads and a sand dollar ornament.  The sand dollar she found on the sea floor in between where our boats are at anchor.  Pam, mi buena amiga, with her and Denis's thoughtfulness make this birthday such a memorable one.  After that huge breakfast, it's time to work it off with a snorkeling trip.  Out to the reef we go.  This time we know the way and Aaron and I anchor in a different spot this time and try our luck.  I am determined to spear me a birthday fish.  There are a lot of fish, but they are skittish.  After awhile, I come across two that are hiding in a small cave.  I shoot hoping that I'll hit one of them and bingo I have a small schoolmaster on the end of my spear.  I call for Aaron's help.  There has been a reef shark keeping his distance, but following us around.  Aaron takes the fish back to the dinghy for me, my brave husband.  With that, we call is a day and head back to the mother ship.  Our next stop is drinks onboard Simpatica with Julie, Louis and Ann.  We met Louis back in 2001 when both of our boats were on the hard at Salt Creek boatyard in St Petersburg, Florida.  At that time, he had a catamaran named Articus and was eventually headed to Mexico and beyond.  He made it thru the canal and into the South Pacific with another catamaran, and unfortunately a storm came sweeping thru the anchorage and he ended up losing his boat on the reef.  He eventually ended up in Australia, sans boat, and met Julie.  They are now married, sailing the oceans on a beautiful Catamaran 47.  Ann is a crewmember from Pennsylvania.  It's funny how your paths cross again.  At around 5pm, everyone headed into the island.  I decided to wear the "pumpkin suit".  Denis and Aaron began the fire earlier, so we could grill dinner.  I put on the "pumpkin suit" and make my grand entrance.  The pumpkin suit has a history, short version, we found it in Key West during FantasyFest, and it's been onboard ever since, providing hilarious stories.  My line to those in shock, was "I went to bed as Cinderella and something happened during the night".  Appetizers and jello shots and  my birthday fish grilled whole.  It was a grand night under a full moon. Celebrate! It's great to be 48!

May 14th   Off to Nargana Internet

Been recuperating and resting from the birthday celebration week and today we decide to head for Nargana, the bigger of the two islands (the other Corazon de Jesus) that are connected by a concrete bridge. Nargana is the only island here in the San Blas that has internet.  This is new since we were here back in November 2007.  I need to check our hotmail and update the website,so off we go.  The winds are light less than 10 knots, so we motor the entire 8 miles.  We arrive about 11am, and dinghy ashore but not without seeing Federico paddle out to our boat and ask if he can do anything for us, diesel, vegetables or trash.  I give him our one trashbag, hand him a $1 for his  trouble, and ask him if it will be burned. Yes yes yes, of course.  We have heard that sometimes, the trash is just opened up and thrown into the water.  We usually burn our trash, plastics and paper, on an island.  Glass and aluminum are sunk out at sea in deep deep waters.  The internet is located at the elementary school and a sign is up by the door explaining that this internet room is for educational purposes only, that it is not an internet cafe, proper dress is required, and the hours are from 1pm-8pm.  We are early, so we walk around the island and buy supplies at Tienda Eidy's and Federicos.  Between the two, there are no fresh veggies, just potatoes and onions. A case of coke in the small plastic bottles is $23, more expensive than beer, which can be bought for around $14 a case. Can't pass up the 12 pack of Diet Coke and Orange Crush either.  That's something you don't see much.  The Kunas can't afford it.  We notice that outside some of the tiendas and the internet room there are stools and on top is a small washtub with a diluted mix of bleach and water.  We find out from Federico's that the influenza is going around and it is necessary to wash your hands before entering a store or the internet room.  Hand sanitzer comes in handy.

 At 2pm, we enter the internet room.  It's wonderfully air conditioned with desks lining the walls.  There are 17 computers in all, and children are doing their homework; some in groups of twos and threes around one computer.   Wow, it's very impressive and someone spent alot of money to set this up.  The Kuna man who is charge, helps us to a table where we can plug in our computer.  I spend the next three hours in an agitated state of computer frustration.  Finally after Trend Micro has been updated, (important to do before accessing the  internet as this is our choice of antivirus software), I am unable to connect to the internet so I can't update the website. Nor can I access our hotmail.  I have a feeling that it is our Vista.  Ever since buying this new computer with Vista software, it's been nothing but problems.  That evening, we treat ourselves to a dinner out at Nali's, chicken and rice, and I have brought in my other computer that has Windows XP.  The room is occupied, some sort of local meeting, so I sit on the steps and lo and behold, I can get on the internet with no problem.  I quickly scan our hotmail to see if there is any messages that are urgent.  Our waiter finds me after 10 minutes and tells me that dinner is served.  So, updating the website will not happen unless I can manage to load the Microsoft Frontpage software on to my Windows XP and then copy all the data from one computer to the other.  I have never done this before,  but I know it can be done.  My Windows XP though has a problem; which I thought was fixed by Felix in Cartagena, my screen turns teal green.  It's on it's last legs, so it's just a matter of time before it doesn't work anymore.  So, I don't know if it's feasible to go thru changing computers or not.

May 16th  New Orleans comes to Mr G's

Yesterday, we motored 17 miles from Nargana to the East Lemmon's and tried out our new autopilot control head unit that Pam brought back with her from the states. Aaron and I had replaced the unit several days ago.  It performed well, but the sea state was calm.  Not much stress on it, but at least, we know it is hooked up properly and working. 

George and Melinda on s/v Southern Belle have graciously extended invites to all to join them for Gumbo Night at Mr. G's.  For $5, a bowl of Gumbo, salad and bread will be served. Being natives from Louisiana, this ought to be the real thing!  I believe this is a first for Kuna Yala and it has drawn quite a crowd. There are 24 boats in the anchorage!  And who else made it?  Surprise, it's Pam and Denis on s/v Glide!  For the past week, they have been in Momipitu teaching English classes.  They volunteered to do this last time they were here and have brought with them from the USA,  school books and CD's as learning tools.  It's a great service these two are doing. 

I help Melinda out with the chopping of fresh vegetables for the salad and Kay on s/v Valentina volunteers as well.  Justin, Georges' 32 yr old son and Matt, Justin's friend, both visiting from California debone the five whole chickens.  Not a fun job; that's why the "newbies" get the chore!  Five pounds of chorizo have been sliced up and Melinda goes into Mr G's tienda, where the stove is located, and begins to make the "gumbo".  The cruising crowd gathers at the tables and patiently wait telling stories and passing along information.  Bowls and silverware are in real short supply, so everyone has brought their own along with their favorite beverage of choice.  Mr G's sells $1 Balboa beer, but the cold ones go fast.  As the sun sets and the stars make their appearance, the gumbo is now ready.  A long line of hungry cruisers forms from the stove in Mr G's tienda out the door and along side the bamboo poled wall.  Afterwards, with full belly's, the cruising crowd is entertained by George and Justin, who play their guitars and sing their favorite songs.  With many many thanks to George and Melinda, this has been a wonderful evening and the first Kuna Yala Gumbo night is a huge success.  Would they do it again next week? Stay tuned.................

 May 17th  Sunday Sorrows to Smiles

Yesterday, after we had run the generator for the required hour in the morning to recharge batteries and refrigeration, we decided it was time to make an hour's worth of water, our Sea Recovery unit makes 30 gallons in an hour.  Sweet!  But, life can change rather quickly onboard when into 15 minutes of making water, our generator just quits.  No sputtering, no dying softly, just quits quick like.  Uh oh. Not good news.  We depend upon our generator for making our life onboard just a bit easier out here; not only does it cool our refrigeration/freezer, recharges our batteries, runs our watermaker, but our icemaker.  Life in the islands without ice?  No smoothies, no pina coladas, no rum and cokes with lots of ice.  So, Aaron, waits for it to cool down in the engine room before taking a look at what is causing the generator to not run.  He checks the oil; it's just a bit low.  But, that's not the problem.  We start it again, it runs for about 5 minutes this time, then quits. Eventually, it will not run without the glow plug being on.   Situation is becoming worse and worse.  Out come the operator's manual; under troubleshooting, there isn't anything listed for when it just quits and glow plug needed to run.  Of course not.  Dan on s/v Tropical Dance comes over to lend a hand, and believes it to be a sensor, electrical problem.  We had this problem almost two months ago, and it was the water temperature sensor.  We bypassed it, and it has been running fine until now.  Neil on s/v Attitude comes over and tells us that his Northern Lights generator (same as ours) did this some time ago, and it was diagnosed as a clogged mixing elbow.  Mixing elbow? Sounds like something you do in the kitchen.  He knows exactly where it is located on the generator, and Aaron takes his advice and starts to unbolt that part.  It's not easy, one of the screws is on the bottom and hard to reach, imagine that?  Neil lends a hand in the process and eventually the mixing elbow is off.  It's not clogged, but there is some carbon on the sides, so Aaron cleans it in muriatic acid.  Meanwhile Dan returns to his boat, and after the mixing elbow is back in place, the generator will not run at all.

We take a break; Pam and Denis have invited us as well as Neil and Kathy on s/v Attitude and Roberto and Ani on s/v Deux Pieds (two feet, creative name since they own a catamarran) over for brunch.  A delicious egg casserole, cheese quesadillas and Bloody Mary's.  We love this restaurant! 

Now the afternoon session begins, and Denis and Pam have offered their portable Honda generator for us to use.  We take it back to our boat, get out the 110 cable cord, plug it in to the generator and then to our 110 power source plug in, start it and our inverter panel shows reverse polarity and no 110 power.  Bummer.  Denis comes over with the manual for the portable generator and after an hour, it's time to give up on this project, and return to the original problem at hand.  Denis and Aaron give it a try, but no luck.  Dan comes back over with a MacGyver like contraption.  He has made a bypass switch.  Plug this end to the shutoff solenoid and the other end to a 12 volt source and flip the switch that is connected between the two ends.  Very simple.  Aaron and Dan connect the gadget, and the generator starts and continues to run.  Love to hear that purring sound.  The only thing is, and this is important, is that we have no gauges, no water temperature, no oil pressure, nada.  It's kinda of scary knowing that if there is not enough oil pressure then the generator will seize up and die.  But, it keeps running for over 2 hours while the batteries are recharged and the refrigeration/freezer receives it's chill down.  Dan is the man of the hour!  And life onboard takes a turn for the better. 

May 19th   Canbombia and Nabadup

We have heard that this area is really beautiful and a must see.  So, we haul anchor and motor there.  There is not much wind these days and it's only 10 miles.  We have great visibility since the sun is shining and we have no problems at all making our way thru the channel between the reefs.  We set anchor in 12 ft  just west of Nabadup and I dive in to check on the anchor.  It's on its side and not dug in very well. So, we up anchor and try again.  This time when I check, it is dug in deep.  It's a good thing since during the night we encounter a squall that passes thru with winds of 25 knots and little rain.  The lighting and thunder this time of year is quite spectacular and we could enjoy the show more if we didn't have a 60ft lightning rod, called our mast.  The worry of being struck by lightning is always there.  At night, we unplug computers, unplug the chartplotter and put the chartplotter and the handheld VHF radio in the microwave.  Computers should go in the stainless steel oven as an extra precaution.  And the single side band radio should be unplugged as well.  Protecting electronics is crucial when we rely so much on them to work correctly.  And this time of year, it's best to anchor in the outer islands, as far away from the mainland, since the lightning is greatest over the mainland.  We will do that from now on.

We spend days here snorkeling and discovering the place.  There isn't many fish to speak of, lots of little tropical fish, but nothing big for dinner. When we arrived here on Tuesday, there was only one other boat.  But, by the end of the week, there are eight boats in all.   On Friday, Aaron manages to spear two ocean triggers, so the anchorage, all seven boats,  gather on the island for a fish grill and Pam and Denis on s/v Glide bring their bounty from the freezer to share with all; cero and barracuda.  The ocean trigger is hard to filet, the skin is so thick and tough.  In days of old, the skin of this fish would be used to clean the bottoms of boats.  It's that thick and coarse.  But, grilling it whole over the fire, (after it's been gutted), the skin just peels of very easily.  Denis came in earlier to the island and made a table out of the native bamboo and it's put to use as the buffet table with bowls of potluck dishes and appetizers for all to enjoy.

May 24th  Another birthday another celebration

Today we motor back up north to the "swimming pool" anchorage in the Eastern Hollandes, to celebrate our friend Raelyn's birthday.  She and her husband Dan, (the gentleman who helped us out with our recent generator problem) are on the s/v Tropical Dance, originally from Dana Point, CA.  It's another hot and sunny afternoon, so after we arrive and set anchor, we jump in the "pool" and spend the entire afternoon in the water.  Raelyn and Dan, Pam and Denis, and Kathy on s/v Attitude, join us. It's the best place to be when it is so hot and no wind.  At 5pm, we begin the celebration on the island, everyone brings appetizers and a birthday cake!  No pumpkins at this party, just good friends.

May 27th  A Couple of Gringos get married Kuna Yala style

Our social calendar has been busy busy busy with birthdays and now today a very special wedding ceremony is taking place in the Eastern Lemmons with Mr G presiding and cruisers helping out to make it happen.  The lucky bride and groom are Lori and Klaus from Chicago.  Lori, is Jeff's sister, that is,Jeff and Una on s/v Dragonfly.  The day begins with heavy rains and big booming thunder, like someone up there was throwing a bowling ball and receiving a strike each time.  But by noon, the rain had stopped and although the clouds were still around, it helped to keep the temperature down.  At 3pm, the Kuna dancers from Wichubhuala, the island just south of Porvenir,  began their dancing ceremony.  First, the dancers performed the Monkey dance followed by the Deer dance.  There were 12 dancers in all, 5 men and 7 women.  The men played the panflutes, while the women shook mariachis.  The dance moves were similar to squaredancing, and a  2 step movement with the feet was the constant rhythm. The cruisers were invited to learn how to dance, albeit us gringos are low on the totem pole for rhythm! I gave it my best shot while shaking a mariachi.  Lori, the bride, had a dance all to herself with the Kuna dancers, and it looked quite an aerobic exercise of prancing back and forth!  She was winded afterwards and ready for a cold beverage.

After the dancing, and after a few cold beers and appetizers, the traditional wedding ceremony began.  Lori, wearing the Kuna traditional dress, and Klaus with his bright yellow puffy shirt, were good sports as the wedding ceremony consists of the groom being picked up by other men then placed in a hammock.  Then the bride is picked up and placed on top of the man.   This is done four times to be official  There are no words exchanged but Klaus and Lori, being rather grande personas, were very outspoken about being placed in the hammock. Much laughter followed and a kiss.  Jeff accompanied by the "Los Gringos" band, dedicated the Elvis tune, "Love Me Tender" while the newlywed couple danced.

A delicious dinner was prepared by Melinda and George, on s/v Southern Belle, Mary on s/v Toucan, and several other volunteers.  A huge pot of chicken and rice with vegetables, potato salad, and pasta salads were served buffet style.  There were probably over 50 people in attendance and noone went hungry.   After dinner, the Los Gringos band played and entertained the crowd for hours.  For the very first Gringo/Kuna Yala wedding, it has to go down in history as a huge success. 

May 29th   Panama City Supply Run

What's a cruiser to do when he needs parts?  Get a little help from our friends.  And luckily for us, Julie and Tom on s/v Gris Gris brought our much needed parts for our ailing generator from the states. We can't thank them enough for their generosity.  We had the parts shipped to them while they were in Florida and today I made the journey to Panama city to meet up with them and to pick up the supplies.  I flew into Panama City from Carti and left Aaron onboard while I jumped on the 630 am flight arriving in PC at 8am.  Julie and Tom just arrived last night and have much to do themselves before returning to their boat at Panamarina.  So, I met them at their hotel, loaded the parts into my bag and set off for a internet cafe to update the website and check emails.  Then onto Reba Smith's, a huge grocery store, to buy much needed supplies. My taxi driver is meeting me at noon at the grocery store and take me and all the stuff back to Carti this afternoon.  It's a go a go time.