1) La Marina, Acapulco, MX

Happy to announce our latest addition to Sponsors of the Panama Posse

16° 50.4790′ N  099° 54.4468′ W – deep draft and length up to 200 feet

20% discount of daily rate ( $1.00 x foot  x day – 20% discount) up to 60 feet
20% discount of daily rate ( $1.20 x foot  x day – 20% discount) up to 61-100 feet

25% discount for 2 weeks stay ( $1.16 x foot  x day – 20% discount) up to 60 feet
25% discount for 2 weeks stay ( $1.29 x foot  x day – 20% discount) up to 61-100 feet


Base  Rates for 1 month+ stay 

$ 11   35-39 feet
$ 15   40-50 feet
$ 17   51-60 feet
$ 25   61-80 feet
$ 34   81-100 feet

5 MXD x kwh

+16% Tax IVA on all fees
For reservations please contact

LUIS RAMIREZ MAGDALENO
GERENTE MARINA ACAPULCO
TEL: +52 744 483 6143
TEL: +52  744 483 7744
MOVIL: +52  744 131 3007
email : marinaacapulco@jarestate.com

24/7 Security and friendly dockworkers
30/50 AMP electricity
300 TSS Water
Small Store 
Small Chandlery
Wifi (in the office only)
Showers / Bathrooms (9 AM – 6 PM)

Amazing Superama (owned by Walmart) grocery store right across the street
ATM inside the Supermarket (so probably one of the easiest places to provision from in all of Mexico)
Lavanderia in walking distance and
Bus stop right outside the gates for the $1 yellow air conditioned bus which takes you all around the bay of Acapulco
Lot’s of collectivos and taxis stop on this bus stop too and are happy to take you to see the cliff divers or

For 500 MX x day we hired the very dedicated and extremly hard working
Jose Miguel Carbajal Leyva to help us get the “Tehuantepec salt” off
+52 744 2058184  AND +52 744 263 7112

We had fuel brought to the dock in Jerry cans by Vicente
or you can go to the main Pemex fuel dock
⌖ 16° 50.8644 N 99° 54.3474 W  (they all charge between a 12-18% premium for fuel)

2) Tamarindo, Costa Rica

We finally unglued ourselves from the comforts of Playa El Coco to begin again our journey southward. We popped up to Marina Papagayo for some fuel. As we had already checked into the country there were no issues, but we wouldn’t have been allowed if we were not already cleared through immigration and customs.
The fuel pumps did their work quickly and as the sport fishing fleet are the main customers, the fuel was clean, no need for a baja filter. As we headed out of Bahia Culebra we saw hundreds of jumping Mabula Rays trying to catch flight in hopes of catching a mate, apparently. Yet again, the the breezes were allowing for pleasant sailing.

We pulled into Bahia Portrero for a quick overnight, with the crew of Shearwater over for dinner on board. The lights in the mooring field are bright, supposedly to prevent theft. We had no issues at all in our spot between the two groups of fishing boats and pangas. We we’re up in the morning to get a head start and pop around the corner to Playa Conchal. Due to the name we had dreams of some shell collecting but the shells had already been ground up to make the beautiful light color sand. A walk along the beach revealed a few souvenir vendors on the side of the gravel path. And the beach clubs for two hotels. Not open to the public, unfortunately. But we had planned to picnic anyway, and not long after we picked our lunch spot, a man with a cooler came by, offering ice cold beers and coco frios. It was a perfect lunch-hook stop-over. The afternoon graced us with more good sailing weather and we enjoyed snapping pictures of Shearwater flying full canvas.

We pulled into Tamarindo just as the sun was setting behind us. We picked a spot near the mooring field. We spent the next week taking full advantage of all Tamarindo has to offer with our buddies, Pati and Eric. We took the dink and anchored outside the lineup at Playa Grande and caught some fun party waves at the beach break near the river.  We beached the dinghy and headed into town most days. We found the best landing at the jet ski launch. We did lock the two dinghies together but never had any issues. Each time we found our dinks just the way we had left them. We sampled the microbrews at Witches Rock Surf Camp. We found a street off the beaten path that had a coffee shop called Breaking Bread that Walter White would approve of, Nacho Libre tacos at Little Lucha, and the open air El Mercadito with lots of options including poke bowls and a bar in a sailboat. The roadside BBQ skewers near the beach were cheap and delicious. We had a great meal at the beautiful Bamboo Sushi Club.

We checked out the funky shops more for the air conditioning than anything else and came away with some cool shirts from the five dollar bin. Pati arranged an estuary tour and we saw a ton of birds and a few crocodiles. If you go at high tide you can see monkeys as well. The Papagayos were still howling and at one point we were slowly dragging along the rock bottom and had to reset at the edge of the mooring field and a little closer to the beach, but there was no fetch to speak of so it was still pretty comfortable even in the high winds.

We got to meet up with Dietmar and Suzanne as they pulled into the bay to deliver a Posse Burgee to the Shearwater crew. Tamarindo is pretty busy with a lot of crispy gringos escaping the snow and soaking up some rays. But even with the crowds, the vibes are mellow and there are plenty of chilled out spots to find a lounge chair or hammock and an umbrella drink.  We almost skipped it since we had been before, but from the water, Tamarindo is a real treat!




Pura Vida!

Tamarindo Swings for Crew

Tamarindo

Tamarindo Beach Bar


Tamarindo Sunset

Captain Rowan celebrating his birthday in Golfito with a cold imperial and a beautiful sunset,
before meeting up with fellow cruisers for happy hour at Fishhook!
Victoria, Rowan & Crew

TALIESIN ROSE




3) The 2018-2019 Panama Posse now stands at an amazing 120 vessels !
HIP HIP HURRAY to all of you from 14 different nations !

but WAIT THERE IS MORE !!!

2019-2020 Registrations are open
www.panamamposse.com/sign-up/
and there are already 11 vessels signed up for next season
including  3 “re-posse” vessels 😉


4)  We wish to thank all of our
Official Panama Posse  Sponsors, Partners and Ambassadors

  • Marina Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta – Mexico
  • Marina Puerto de La Navidad – Barra de Navidad – Mexico
  • La Marina Acapulco, Acapulco – Mexico 
  • Marina Chiapas – Mexico 
  • Marina Bahia del Sol – El Salvador 
  • La Palma Moorings – Bahia del Sol, El Salvador 
  • Marina Puesta del Sol – Nicaragua 
  • Marina Papagayo – Costa Rica 
  • Marina Pez Vela – Costa Rica 
  • Banana Bay Marina – Costa Rica 
  • Golfito Marina Village – Costa Rica 
  • Vista Mar Marina – Panama 
  • Shelter Bay Marina – Panama 
  • Red Frog Marina – Panama 

Official Panama Canal Agent

Official Panama Posse Ambassadors

Panama Posse Partners

  • Vicente’s Moorings – Acapulco – Mexico
  • Luis Sanchez Tours – Chiapas – Mexico
  • Discovery Tours – Tapachula – Mexico
  • Park Avenue Villas – San Juan del Sur – Nicaragua
  • Coconutz – Annual Papagayo Victory Party – Playa Cocos – Costa Rica
  • Abernathy – Chandlery – Panama

5) Acapulco & Marina Chiapas, MX

Blue Oasis used the main Pemex fuel dock in Acapulco by the cruise ship docks. Very helpful staff. We took on 370L of fuel successfully. The dock has a big surge, and angle bracket underwater perpendicular to the float. The surprise was a commission/docking fee that was a percentage. Since our Spanish is not up to negotiation skills. We paid ~14%!very pricey diesel indeed all in 25pesos/L . On our way South this am to Puerto Angel, MX. Entrance to Tehuantepec.

Blue Oasis arrived safely in Marina Chiapas this afternoon. We had a brilliant crossing of the Tehuantepec: sailing starting Thursday morning until 2 in the morning Friday. Off the wind, fast beam ride. Seas were following and not too churned up, current with us from the afternoon through the night to Chiapas. We did catch 2 long lines as we left Bahia Huatulco about 12 nm off shore. We were very careful, but were sailing a a good clip. We had to cut one stuck on the keel, the second one slipped off. Tons of Sea turtles and  several mating pairs in the middle of the Bahia de Tehuantepec. All toll about 32 hours crossing. Predict Wind Offshore was spot on PWG was a little closer than PWE. Slow Dancer we’ll be over to say hello after some rest.

BLUE OASIS

Barry & Kathy




6) Clearing in Panama

Simple Life UK Thank you all….final question: is the Cruising Licence the equivalent of a TIP?  We plan to leave the boat in Vista Mar, dry storage, leave the country next Wednesday, return in October. So must I procure the cruising licence now, or can I defer until October?

Figment Reply: Just looked at our Cruising Permit. It expires one year from date of issue. Says it must be renewed prior to expiration or we will face a fine if found to be navigating in Panama with an expired permit.  So no TIP in the MX sense.
Immigration was more fully staffed the Sunday we visited. The Port Capt’s office – not so much it seemed. When we arrived at the building – before we met up with Erick Galvez – we asked one of the local employees for directions. He started to take us in then noticed a lady sitting outside with a uniform of some sort. Seemig to recognize her he spoke with her about going to the Port Capt’s office and she shook her head no and he then changed his attitude and wasn’t going to take us to the Port Capt’ns office. About that time Erick showed up.
We managed to get in on Sunday. Both offices are located on the second floor of the Fuerte Amador Resort and Marina Building (Flamenco Marina). When we were there the stair was roped off. We gained access. But don’t know if we would have been allowed to pass without the presence of Erick Galvez. We retained him as agent to assist with the canal transit – we did get our requested date – and he also then worked the clearing in process. So rambly response – open on Sunday but for walkins – don’t know.

A small adder. The Panama Cruising Permit takes 1 day or 2 or 3 to process at the Port Captains office.  My advice is this.

1. Don’t go to Vista Mar and make multiple trips (you CAN or stay in Panama City and tour a bit). Go directly to La Playita anchorage, pay the $50/week dinghy dock charge and get all your paper work done by walking to the building across the street near Flamenco. Then go to Vista Mar.
2. Vista Mar haul out capabilities are not great. You load onto a “trailer” and they tow it up the lunching ramp that looks dicey. Maybe it’s ok but your bit best be shallow and light. On the plus side Marine Tech Ollie is setting up shop at Vista Mar and he’s excellent for mechanical work.
3.  Flamenco is a Great Yard for haul out if you need it. Manager Alejandro is the best I’ve met. Not sure they have dry storage though.

Eric

SPREZZATURA



7)
A different adder from Carinthia (if you are not in a hurry to go through the Canal like Eric or plan to spend the season in Panama) Go to Vista Mar – get settled in – take a bus to Albrook Mall and Uber to Flamenco –
pack a light bag for 3 days and go to Panama – check in with Port Captain at Flamenco spend 1 -2 nights in a cute boutique hotel – celebrate a great meal at Tio Navajo
at the Casco Viejo District and tour this stunning city.

then pick up your cruising permit and head back to Vista Mar.

https://theculturetrip.com/central-america/panama/articles/the-best-boutique-hotels-in-casco-viejo-panama-2/

Playa la Ropa Anchorage, Zihuatanejo, MX

8) Playa la Ropa Anchorage, Zihuatanejo, MX 20′ but need to deploy a  Stern anchor.
Much cleaner water than the municipal anchorage near downtown

http://www.goodnautical.com/mexico-pacific/anchorage/zihuatanejo-bay-playa-la-ropa
Chris, Monica & Penny

SEAGLUB

9) Panama Posse Weekly Line Net – we currently have 78 vessels taking part

MONDAY’S at 16:00 UTC via LINE  and open 24/7 to all !
( go to line.me and download the app works on WIN/MAC/IOS/ANDROID )

– Register using your vessel name as the USERNAME SV CARINTHIA
– Search for panamaposse or SV Carinthia or Seaglub and be friend us
– wait and accept your panamaposse GROUP INVITE
–  send us your position via the message system and listen to the vessel check ins
– the LINE system allows for up to 200 live conference call participants  !

To Drop your location and share it in the Panama Posse group simply click on (+) and drop your location PIN

10) Call for testimonials and feedback

We are about 6 weeks from finishing this season – can you believe it ?
so please take a little time out from your grueling cruising schedule reply to this email with
any testimonials or what we could all do to make next season’s Panama Posse better.

– your updates
– contenders for picture of the week
– relevant blog posts – and of course your valuable suggestions and testimonials

Keep em ‘coming

Dietmar & Suzanne

CARINTHIA

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