FLEET UPDATE 2019-05-22
1) Panama Canal, Panama
You know the old man.
The young lady in the burgundy top is our daughter Alison
Seth with our other, granddaughter Sylvie.
FIGMENT
2) Panama City, Panama
Anyone needing a ride in Panama City or to/from shelter bay call
Carlos +507 6912 7843 he speaks good English and has a nice car
and reasonable
We also had a great experience getting our dog Snickers out of the
country, we used Family Member Vet in Panama City +507 387 7875
who rewrote the rabies certificate on her letterhead, did the
health certificate which must be done within 10 days of travel,
and went to the govt office and picked up her exit certificate ,
then we picked everything up at her office just before we left,
all for $58
Mai Tai
3) Expect very heightened SW to S swell for at least the next 10
days. Those of you in or thinking of crossing the bar in Bahia del
Sol, take extreme caution
Yes, the bar here at Bahía del Sol is closed this week due to the
swell conditions making crossings dangerous. Bill & Jean are
able to give forecasts before you depart enroute to El Salvador.
Best to use their resources or risk having to either cruise on by
or anchor outside until it’s safe to enter.
Tropical Weather Outlook
For the eastern North Pacific...east of 140 degrees west
longitude:,,1. Disorganized showers and thunderstorms are
associated with a broad,area of low pressure located a couple
hundred miles south of,Guatemala. Environmental conditions could
support some slow,development of this system by the middle of the
week while the,disturbance moves slowly westward to the south of
Mexico., ,
Formation chance through 48 hours...low...near 0 percent.,
Formation chance through 5 days...low...20 percent.
https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/?epac
FLEET UPDATE 2019-05-14
in this update ..
Red Frog Marina - Special Panama Posse Rate
RSVP - Saturday May 25th the official Panama
Posse End of Season Party
Beach Cleanup -Bahia del Sol, El
Salavador
"Fish On" 60 pound Yellowfin
Marina Chahue Update
Isla Naranjo Panama
Riddle of the week
Check in at Puerto Armuelles Panama
Official Dinghy Dock Petition in Zihuatanejo, MX
Remember your Panama Posse season with custom gear from our
online shop
Sign up for the 2019-2020 Panama Posse season - simply reply
1) RED FROG MARINA, Bocas del Toro, PANAMA
Special Panama Posse Rate
Red Frog Marina would like to extend a warm welcome and invite
the Panama Posse to our tropical paradise.
Please see our special Panama Posse rates below:
| Nights | Rate per night |
| 1-3 | $1.10 |
| 7 | $0.73 |
| 14 | $0.70 |
| 30 | $0.44 |
Will offer free Red Frog Marina T-shirts and hats.
Please contact our marina office
RFM@IGYMarinas.com
+507 6726-4500 or (281) 892-1683
Marina http://www.igy-redfrogmarina.com/
Resort https://www.redfrogbeach.com/
Our Marina is nestled between mangroves on the South side of Isla
Bastimentos, full of rainforest, wildlife and beautiful beaches.
Perfect for relaxing on your vessel or enjoying activities that
the Red Frog Resort has to offer, we promise you will not grow
bored here.
Zip lineing, snorkeling, surfing or having dinner and a cocktail
at one of the oceanview restaurants, Red Frog has much to offer.
2) Mark your calendars Saturday May 25th,
The official Panama Posse end of season Party @
Boga Bar, Vista Mar Marina, PANAMA
FREE
beer/wine and dinner (burgers and seafood risotto- plus live
music for all the Panama Posse folks.
A big
thank you to Jacqueline and everyone at Vista Mar for being so
supportive !
RSVP by May 22nd by following this link https://www.facebook.com/events/2167540473561231/
or simply reply
to this email with your RSVP.
Thank
you Suzy from Distant Drummer for helping out and putting this
together
Suzy & Neil DISTANT DRUMMER
3) Bahia del Sol, El Salavador - Beach Cleanup
Posse members along with El Salvador Rally members, the local
rotary and some select honors prisoners
cleaned up the beach area near Bahia del Sol last Saturday. Lots
of orange bags filled!
With any swell over 3 feet the bar crossings into Bahia del Sol
are treacherous at best
The bar is closed for around a week right now - please always heed
the warnings of Bill & Jean.
Dale & Kenneth - Jim & Laura
SLOW DANCER - NILAYA
4) FISH ON - Picture of the week !
Destination's first yellowfin tuna. 60 pounder!
After some confusion and a night at hotel in Panama City,
"Destination" is finally legal here at Vista Del Mar as of 6am
today .
Just in time to put niece on 9am flight out of here. We fly out
Sunday to Fla. Back in October to head to Carribean.
Thanks to all Posse members for their advice and helpful posts.
Honestly don't think our trip from Sea of Cortez to Panama
would have been as successful, reasonably priced or as safe
without belonging to such a great group. Wishing all of you safe
travels and tight lines!
Chris & AnneDESTINATION
5) Marina Chahue, MX Update
Just talked to the marina & they are still silted in. Offered
to send out send panga to do fuel.
John & TrishMARIAH
6) Isla Naranjo, Panama
Last night we anchored at Isla Naranjo Abajo,
09 25.566 N W 079 48.182 W in 12 feet of water.
Good protection from the swell. There was no wind and way too many
mosquitos.
Juan & MichelleAY CARAMBA !
7) LONGLINES - South of Manzanillo, MX
We dodged dozens of long lines and had to coast over a few of them
in this area
just south of Manzanillo. Keep an eye out for them.
Dietmar & SuzanneCARINTHIA
8) FLAMENCO, Panama
Riddle of the week ???
Saw this anchored outside Flamenco Panama. Wondering if it’s the
modern style shrimp boat.
Rick & BrendaDAD'S DREAM
9) Puerto Armuelles, PANAMA
Taliesin Rose and Shearwater officially checked into Panama at
Armuelles today.
Happy to report beer prices at $0.58 per can.
Pier in bad shape.
Today's conditions were better than yesterday, but now we are
anchored in unprotected 17knots of wind riding 6' chop.
Looking forward to some island hopping...
Victoria, Rowan & Crew - Pati & Eric
TALIESIN ROSE - SHEARWATER
10) Official Dinghy Dock Petition in Zihuatanejo, MX
We have officially petitioned Zihuatanejo to put in a dinghy
dock.DINGHY DOCK BEST PRACTICES &
ETIQUETTE
- Well maintained stable floating dock to adjust to tides
and water levels protected from waves
- Handrails from shore to the Dinghy Dock
with non skid surface on the plank
- Small strong galvanized marlin cleats
with ability to run chain through
- Long Painters on Each Dinghy &
Dipping the Eye Use only one line. Do not tie bow and
stern.
- Ability to lock dinghy to dock with a long chain and
padlock
- Do not lock out other dinghies
- Throw-able Life ring with floating line
- No fishing allowed / No Swimming / No
fish cleaning
- Well lighted area with 24/7 video
surveillance
- Guarded or in “shouting” range of
authorities
- In cellphone and VHF rage of the main
anchorage
- Nearby road to hail taxis, buses or uber
and walking distance to town
- Ability to load and unload packages and
provisions
- Establish a No Wake Zone
- Potable water spigot to take on fresh
water / wash dingy
- Trashcan
- Message Board for relevant
announcements
- Do not lift engine up to avoid damage to
other dinghies
11) Shop Panama Posse - only open till July 5th
The online shop is open for a limited time (open till July 5th
only )
To celebrate the end of the season so get your custom made gear
http://shop.panamaposse.com
Many shirts have your vessel name on the back
All profits will be donated to the future development of
Good Nautical the 501(c)3
non-profit organization focused on preserving maritime knowledge.
12)
THE LAST WEEKLY 2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE FLEET CHECK
IN and
MORNING NET on MONDAY at 16:00 UTC via LINE
Please download and install LINE https://line.me/en-US/
Works on Android / ios / Windows / MAC OS
13) Please reply to this email with any
updates -
to resign up for next season simply reply letting us know you
wish to be part of the 19-20 Panama Posse
14) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply reply
with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019-05-07
in this update ..
Remember your Panama Posse season with gear from the online
shop
Isla Otoque, Panama
Special Summer Rate in Marina Puerto de la Navidad
Chiapas, MX
Alert Entering Panama
Alert Mexican Fuel
"shortages"
Panama Posse Party at
Banana Bay Marina Golfito, Costa Rica
Picture of the Week
Mango
Festival, El Salvador
Shipwreck
found in Zihuatanejo, MX
END
OF SEASON PANAMA POSSE PARTY AT VISTA MAR MARINA
Santa Teresa Hot Springs, Bahía del Sol, El Salvador
1) Shop Panama Posse
The online shop is open for a limited time (open till July 5th
only )
To celebrate the end of the season so get your swag
http://shop.panamaposse.com
Several shirts will have your vessel name on the
back.
All profits will be donated to the future development of
Good Nautical the 501(c)3
non-profit organization focused on preserving maritime
knowledge.
2) Isla Otoque, Panama
We anchored at Isla Bona (just south of Otoque) AFTER transiting
the canal and used it as a head start for Punta Mala and beyond.
The bay on the west side was an attractive, calm anchorage, but
remote-feeling with no services. Prior to transiting the canal
it would be helpful to be closer to Panama City for the required
measuring and other paperwork, plus provisioning. Canal transits
are often crack of dawn starts, another reason to be in the
anchorage at Playita or the Balboa Yacht Club. Hope this helps.
S/V
Bill & Katy
KLICKITAT II
3) Special Summer Rate @ Marina Puerto de
la Navidad, Barra de Navidad, MX
For
your info Secundino Álvarez has
extended a special low rate
to all Panama Posse vessels.
$10.40 x foot + taxes and electricity x
month
plus as an added benefit Alaska Air
flies non-stop between LAX and Manzanillo twice a week
at a ~ $330 pp summer rate round-trip.
Harbormaster
Secundino Alvarez
4)
Chiapas, MX
The entire staff at Marina Chiapas are all helpful and most
accommodating. There is a small convenience store and one
higher end restaurant on site. The estuary and wooded areas
provide a birdwatcher many interesting specimens. The marina
is a bit isolated from town, but it is easy to catch a taxi or
van by walking to the main road at the marina entrance. If you
go south, you'll find "Playa Linda" with some small eateries
and some small hotels along the beach. One of the first you
will encounter is Villa Veleros and the Canadian owner allows
you to come in to order food and drinks for use of their pool
or beach. If you go north on the main road, you can choose to
go to the airport, Puerto Madero or Tapachula.
Madero is a small town with the usual small hardware stores,
fishing supply, restaurants, and markets. You can buy seafood
directly from the boats at the fishing dock (also Pemex fuel
dock-so accessible from your boat or dinghy) or from stores in
town. It's difficult to walk between the port and town so
you'll have to catch another van if you stop to buy at the
port.
In Tapachula, you will first encounter the Sam's Club and then
WalMart shopping mall with a Telcel for phone service, auto
parts store, fabric store and a bank. Further into town there
is an Office Deport then another large market called Chadraui
and next door is a Bodega warehouse market. In the area are
many papelerias where you can get copies and office supplies.
Besides the restaurants in the mall, in the neighborhood are
some small eateries. There are other services such as FedEx
and cooking gas. Just ask the marina staff for info on
whatever you need. Good seafood is found at what's called a
Cocteleria. Our taxi took us to Mariscos de Tiberon near the
bicentennial park. They had excellent food and drinks. There
were other similar places along the same street.
In order to get back to the marina, as two people, the cost
was 300 pesos for a taxi or grab a van for 15 pesos to get
back to Chadraui, then a van 50 pesos to the marina (should
say either Playa Linda or Zona Naval). You decide what your
time and hassle is worth.
As many other Posse members before us, we partook of some
tours while at the marina. Both guides, Luis and Miguel, do
similar tours for similar prices. We chose Miguel and were
very pleased. Tours are actually his hobby but he is very
passionate and knowledgeable. On our Chocolate Tour, we were
with two other boats staying at the marina for a total of 6
people, so he rented a tour van. It was modern and
comfortable.
We first visited two sites of Mayan ruins. Miguel had many
interesting stories regarding the discovery, history and local
impact.
After the archeological sites, we went to the town of Tuxla
Chica where many families harvest Chocolate, so the town is
nicknamed "Chocolate Town". In many of the family homes, they
have a chocolate retail store. We were shown how they harvest
and process the cocoa beans to make different varieties of
chocolate, along with peanut treats, all done on a wood fire.
The chocolate ladies also prepared an excellent meal for us
that included home made tortillas, quesadillas, black refried
beans, cheese, salsa, and tamales. For beverages, they served
a refreshing drink of combined spices including cinnamon and
achoite (commonly used as a red coloring) and of course, hot
chocolate! There were sweet breads to dip in the chocolate.
The ladies kept making more of everything until we said to
stop.
Next stop was just down the street from where we ate, to visit
the ladies who made the tamales we were served. They had
enclosed in the corn masa; stewed chicken meat, hard boiled
egg, olive, prune, mole seasoning all wrapped and steamed in a
green banana leaf. Everyone rated them as the best they had
ever tasted.
We then returned to Tapachula and spent an hour provisioning
at WalMart. It's obvious Miguel knows cruisers. It was an
enjoyable and interesting day, all included for $40 US per
person. Prices will vary depending on the details of your tour
and number of people. There are tours to coffee plantations
and other sites, and some that cover a span of days, so talk
to one of the guides and decide what works for you. We highly
recommend Miguel, Discover Chiapas 962 133 6820 toursdiscoverchiapas@hotmail.com.
We also did a self planned tour to Mexico City and the
mountains near Morelia to see the monarch butterflies. Let us
know if you would like details of our trip.
Laura & Jim
NILAYA
5)
Alert Entering Panama
Please be advised that you are obliged to check into Panama at
the first possible port of entry .
You can not put this off for 3 weeks after checking out from
Costa Rica and hang out go ashore etc.
The authorities may let it slide if you come directly to Vista
Mar after having left Golfito with a few stops along the way.
But
to be certain and avoid fines check in in Puerto Armueles or
Pedigral on a weekday -
announcing your arrival with the port captain in advance
following the well outline protocol in Good Nautical.
The recent presidential elections in Panama will most likely
bring changes to these procedures.
6) Alert Mexican Fuel "shortages"
If
you feel like you are not getting all the gas you pay for in
Mexico - you may be right - according to several recent
articles in Mexico News Daily
Around
10% of all Pemex stations use plug-in to distort sales volumes
and sell stolen fuel
Scores of gas stations in Mexico allegedly use an illegal
software plug-in that allows them to manipulate the sales
figures they
report to Pemex and tax authorities, and conceal the sale of
stolen fuel. Known as El Rastrillo (The Razor)
the plug-in allows the pumps’ volume controls to be altered,
with gas station owners choosing
between options that enable them to report sales that are 5%,
10% or 15% below their real level.
Ask
the local taxi drivers which gas stations they use to avoid
them.
7)
Golfito, Costa Rica
Looks
like a great gathering in Golfito -
A big Thanks to Maikol, Claudia and the staff at Banana Bay
Marina for hosting the Panama Posse
ATA MARIE, SHEARWATER, PARADISEA, SONAMARA, SECRET WATER,
TALIESIN ROSE, a.m.o.
8)
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
r-c
Ay
Caramaba selfie checking out the Locks at the Panama Canal.
Michelle & Juan
AY CARAMABA !
9)
Mango Festival, El Salvador
Two
weeks in El Salvador, local food, land travel, get togethers
with the small but amazing cruiser community here in Bahia
del Sol. Today Bill and Jean organized a bus for the cruisers
to attend the Mango festival. We were the only gringos I saw.
Packed with people, swimming pools, entertainment and of
course everything Mango, plus Chocolate filled Churos , this
is @SeaGlub’s kind of event. $10pp for the luxury air
conditioned bus. $3 to get into the festival. Beer $1
Annual event...plan on a stop next year if you missed this
one.
Festival Grounds
Mangos and fruits
Mango Queen
Live Music
And delicacies
Barry
& Kathy
BLUE OASIS
10)
Shipwreck found in
Zihuatanejo, MX
Here's a moment of frustration, sorry, but this is a true
side of cruising. We have been more than disappointed in
Zihuatanejo, there's just so much trash everywhere and the
ocean water is disgusting and we're so anxious to leave that
we were going to do so starting tonight.... Until we learned
our anchor had fouled a sunken panga. Our friend and great
crew mate took in on himself to dive and try to figure it all
out but alas our underwater light didn't last long enough and
now we're stuck here until the sun comes up and we can try to
free the anchor again. The best part is the water is so filthy
and polluted I begged my friend to not try this but he
insisted. Fingers crossed he doesn't contract some disease or
virus or bacteria. #zihuatneveragain
90 minutes of swimming around with our holiday hookah. The
chain had wrapped three times arrive what's left of a sunken
sailboat hull and keel. Then the chain got wedged under the
keel. So for 90 minutes I was (thankfully only 15') under
water digging around the rocks and gravel to get the chain
loose. Then in order to avoid it happening again before we
could pull it up I went and found the anchor, picked it up and
walked it (underwater) about 30 feet past the the wreck... I
should've taken pictures but the clarity was only about two
feet and I was just more interested in getting out of there
SEAGLUB
Chris, Monica & Penny
11)
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
May 25th, 2019
END OF
SEASON PANAMA POSSE PARTY AT VISTA MAR MARINA
Please RSVP Suzy Carmody <suzy@carmody-clan.com>
FROM SV DISTANT DRUMMER
12)
Santa Teresa Hot Springs, Bahía del Sol, El Salvador
-
One of the highlights of El Salvador is the hot springs near
the volcanos in the country. The best place to enjoy the hot
springs is probably “Termales de Santa Teresa” http://www.termalesdesantateresa.com
While it *might* be possible to get there by bus from Bahía
del Sol, we rented a car through the hotel for $30/day and
visited the springs as part of a 5-day, big circle drive
around the country. When you arrive at the springs, the first
person you meet tries to get $10 per person from you as
payment for a day visit to the pools. If that’s what you
want, then fine, but if you plan to stay at the resort, then
you’ll have to insist that you’re only going to the
“restaurant”. For some reason, he understands a visit to the
restaurant better than the hotel. Anyway, the best room in
the place is only $75/person per night. For that you get a
room in a duplex suite with two semi-private pools and
lounge. It’s great for a single couple and would be fabulous
for two couples to chill-out in the private outdoor lounge and
hot pools.
The public pools between the suites are a terraced series of 7
or 8 pools beginning with scalding hot at the top and
overflowing from one to the next until tepid is reached at the
bottom. So it’s easy to be Goldilocks and find just the right
temperature.
The rooms include a dinner and breakfast for each person and
we found the meals to be above average. We really enjoyed our
stay there.
Robert & Carol
SINGULARITY
13)
WEEKLY 2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE FLEET CHECK IN and
MORNING NET on MONDAY'S at 16:00 UTC via LINE
Please download and install LINE https://line.me/en-US/
Works on Android / ios / Windows / MAC OS
- Register using your vessel name as the USERNAME
ie MY CROSSROADS
- Next search for panamaposse and befriend us
-
- wait and accept your PANAMAPOSSE GROUP INVITE
Connect every Monday at 16:00 UTC and send us your
position via the message
system and listen to the vessel check ins (all free
as long you have IP connectivity
which we now know is pretty much all along the coast)
The LINE system allows for up to 200 live conference
call participants.
14) Please reply to this email with any
updates - your vessel location -
contenders for picture of the week -
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
15) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply
reply with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019-04-29
This weeks fleet updates - Headlines
Golfito, CR - Panama Posse Party Tuesday
New Panama Posse Marina Sponsor - Marina Ixtapa, MX
Pets in and out of Panama via Airplanes
Marina Papagayo, Costa Rica
Leaving the boat in Golfito, Costa Rica
No sail repair in Chiapas, MX - where to next ?
Departing Huatulco - Tehuantepec, MX
Anchoring at Isla Otoque / Panama Bad fuel in Golfito, CR ?
Panama Canal Transit (Southbound - no issues)
Panama Canal Transit (Northbound - damages)
Green Island, Jamaica
Rio Cacique- Pta Matador, Panama
Santa Ana Department, El Salvador
Mayor of Zihuatanejo, MX
1) Golfito, CR Panama Posse Party
SV Taliesin Rose I may miss the call this morning, so I wanted to formally announce that the Golfito Party will be this
Tuesday, April 30th at Banana Bay Marina at 5pm. If you are planning swoop in at the last minute...swoop a little faster. Taliesin Rose, Shearwater, Secret Water, Paradisea, and Sonomara, Ata Marie will be there - anybody else?
Victoria & Rowan
TALIESIN ROSE
2) New Panama Posse Marina Sponsor - Marina Ixtapa, MX
Happy to announce Marina Ixtapa just signed on as an official Panama Posse Sponsors -
20% discount on daily rates
25 % off rates if you stay 2 weeks or more
to make a reservation contact
Lic. Elsa Zuñiga Loeza
Manager Marina Ixtapa
Tel.+52 755 553-0222 /
Tel +52 755-553-2180 ezuniga@marina-ixtapa.comreservations@marina-ixtapa.com
3) Pets in and out of Panama via Airplanes, Panama
This is the link to what you need to do to bring your pet into Panama: https://www.aphis.usda.go/aphis/pet-travel/by-country/petravel-panama
We did not get the paper work "approved" by a Panamanian Consulat but we had no problems when we checked into Pedregal. We DID have email evidence of sending the paper work to cam@minsa.gob.pa three days prior. I think that is a must. Our Panamanian Vet indicates that all you need to pay is $3/day for the 40 days of home quarentine plus $10 to a Vet for a verification exam. BUT we also did not do that. We just filled out the paper work and emailed it and showed the Port Captain that we did so.
This is the link to what you need to do to remove your pet from Panama: https://wwww.minsa.gob.pa
We used our Panamanian Vet in Coronado (Vista Mar) that we heavily recommend. He did everything for us. He created the appropriate certification and dated it for us to have it be within 10 days of our exit. He also went into Panama City to get export permit for us, which you need. Our issue was for some reason the Airline we are using (United) thinks Panama will not permit pets on a plane and a third party has to be set up to ship (as cargo) your pet. If we did that, it was going to cost twice as much as our airline ticket. Our Vet said we should have used Copa Airlines. Don't know if that works or not, but if I had to do it all over I would have checked their flight schedules first.
Out dogs are 10 and 15 pounds, they have flown with us under our seat many times. But we had to make them our "emotional support animals" in order to get them on the plane out of Panama. For United, they have three forms which you can read about and download: https://www.united.com/ual/en/us/fly/travel/special-needs/disabilities/assistance-animals.html The three forms, one for you, one for the vet and one for the licensed mental health professional. For the Medical, We used an online service called CertaPet. After Jeariene finished her "certification" with them, she refered me and received a $15 Amazon reward for the referral. So if you want to go this route, I can submit your email (lol), or just try them yourselves. This also means you don't have to pay the airline for the pet travel, but I would still gladly fork over the $125, that wasn't our purpose. Our Vet is in Coronado (Vista Mar) Panama on Tuesday, Thursday and most Saturdays. His english is excellant, and his front desk staff also is semi fluent in english. Dr. Jorge E. Barriga F. +507 240-1468 jbarriga@cwpanama.net Good luck
Walt & Jeariene
KNOT RIGHT
4) Marina Papagayo, Costa Rica
Marina Papagayo long stay. On our way thru Culebra we took fuel at Marina Papagyo. The staff were very nice and helpful. It should be noted at that time around March 24th. The floating break water at the marina was not intact. The staff informed us that a tropical depression last summer created enough sea state that the breakwater broke apart and there was severe movement in the docks. We were surprised at the amount of fetch developed by a mild Papagyo blow while in the bay. Something to think about if leaving your boat there.
Timothy “Jake”, Burgandy & Violet
SASSAFRASS
5) Leaving the boat in Golfito Costa Rica I have an addition to SV Nirvana great info on bonding the boat in Costa Rica. We just went through the process and Maikol from Banana Bay Marina explained that Golfito is the only place in Costa Rica that has special permission to bond boats for 90 days and Customs does not charge a fee. There are three marinas here Banana Bay, Fish Hook and the new Golfito Marina. This 90 day bond also stops your original 90 day entry visa and your boat is treated as if it is not even in the country so when you come back any time after 90 days you will receive another 90 days to remain and travel in Costa Rica. Maikol at Banana Bay wants you all to know that if you have any questions not to hesitate to contact him at Banana Bay Marina. He has been wonderful to us and is a great guy that loves to help and definitely knows the system here, having worked for Customs for many years himself. His number: +506 876 1938 maikol@bananabaymarinagolfito.com We love the Golfito marina which is one of the best we have ever stayed in 22 years of cruising. Great service, friendly staff, help with checking in and out with Shuttle drive to all the offices. They make sure you are happy here.
The marina is currently going through a management change but will stay open during the transaction. The fuel dock is temporary closed until further notice and the restaurant has limited menu for the time being. But you can get fuel at Banana Bay has fuel. If you hear rumors the marina is closing that is just a that a rumor. The marina is in a quiet neighborhood. You can hear the howler monkeys in the morning and see the scarlet macaws fly over you boat, occasional Toucans. Dolphins skirting the docks and turtles taking a breath of air right next to your boat and yes you will see an occasional 1 or 2 crocodiles. The sunsets can be spectacular. A short 5 minute walk will take you to a Pharmacy and Mega Super Grocery story which in my opinion has by far the best veggies. I don't buy my meat or eggs from Mega Super, just a few stores passed after the bakery is a great butcher, best pork ribs ever, plus eggs, plus fresh milk from the cow. Right next to the Pharmacy is Cocoa Bar, that is only open from 3 pm on, but on Friday at 11 am they open for the Ex Pats here and it's always a lot of fun and nice to meet the locals. Ladies if you need a spa day, Rosi at Casa Roland is wonderful, you can find her on FB Rosibel Barboza or call Casa Roland and they will connect you with her. We love it here. Happy sailing
Sid & Manuela
PARADISE
6) Chiapas, MX
Hola, spinnaker blew out near Chiapas, MX. No good sail repair resource here in Puerto Chiapas. Heading south from Puerto Chiapas, what will be next good opportunity for a significant sail repair? While Top Cider is here for the summer we are getting fresh bottom paint, mast pulled and painted, anchor chain regalvanized. We’re liking marina Chiapas. Enjoyed touring with Miguel locally and will probably do more extensive in the fall.
Note: 18:52 SeaGlub Sorry about the Spinnaker, worst case you could have it shipped to Puerto Vallarta since you're still in Mexico it shouldn't be that complicated. There are two good sail repair shops in PV and one outfit near Playa Cocos in Costa Rica
Chuck & Sharon
TOP CIDER
7) Departing Huatulco - Tehuantepec, MX
Good morning all. Kachina departed Huatulco this morning, headed for Chiapas. Weather looks good but may have to motor most of the way. Light winds through Thursday. It’s like a lake out here right now. Making 7-7.2 with full main and engine. Just enough wind to keep the main pulling a little but not enough to support the jib. Want know actual wind speeds, as the Frigate Birds destroyed the wind instruments on the mast, in Acapulco. Have new ones that I’ll put up in Chiapas maybe. 08:25 SV Kachina Bill and Jean’s contact info please? 08:27 sv Singularity Bill & Jean Elsalvadorrally@aol.com 08:27 Rob Murray @SV Kachina phone +503 7490 6894 email elsalvadorrally@aol.com 08:31 sv Singularity Join their rally here and help support their cruiser help at Bahía del Sol http://elsalvadorrally.com
Robert
KACHINA
8) Isla Otoque, Panama
Has anyone anchored for the night at isla otoque, Panama ? Looks like a waiting point before the canal? 10:55 SV Knot Right I anchored close to the beach on the west village side. Pangas use the destroyed pier area for transit to the mainland. We hopped a ride in, walked the town. No stores or restaurants. We didn't launch the dinghy because it was way too choppy. Very cute but nothing there. We think the east town has something but we didn't stop. It might not have the protection, but if you do go into town, please let us know if anything commercial is there.
Bad fuel in Golfito, CR
FYI bad gas at Banana Bay Golfito, after 4 hrs had our 10 micron raycor filter blocked and shut the engine down 15:56 Mai Tai Johnson Put in 15 gal in a 59 gal tank 15:59 SeaGlub Water in the fuel or dirty? 16:02 Rhapsody We got fuel there, it was fine. 45 gallons, 15 hours motoring. We asked them about filters before fueling and showed us the filters on the pump. 16:08 Mai Tai Johnson My gauges say dirty, I have never had a problem with fuel until now, I should have used my Baja filters but have plenty of raycors on board 16:18 Footloose L When did u buy fuel?
MAI TAI
Argan & Gloria
9) Panama Canal Transit (Southbound)
Great crossing! We’re now in the Pacific! Everyone is awesome! Jamie Figueroa has been a wonderful host and Erick Galvez a great support! There was an ACCIDENT yesterday coming through the canal. Our friend/linehandler cruising full-time last 7 yrs and been through Canal on another boat last month. (this being his last and on way home to Houston to live on the land) is now In hospital had one surgery reconnecting his foot last night and another in 3 days if no infection. Comedy of errors starting with a boat that nested to us not paying attention to advisor. We need to stay in Panama City whole he’s in the hospital.. we also will go back to Shelter Bay to put their boat in storage as he won’t be able to walk for 3 months. They’ll be going back to Houston next week after clearance from drs. Question is - what marina can we safely leave the boat for a few days while in Shelter Bay ? 15:53 Mai Tai Johnson Location : https://maps.google.com/maps?q=8.4082489013671857,-83.149002075195284
Karen & ?
KOKOPELLI
10) Panama Canal Transit (Northbound)
We transited the Panama Canal on Saturday the 20th. Figment is now in Linton Bay. We had our entire family on board during the transit. It as special for all of us. We are now trying to get a few days in Kuna Yala with one of our daughters and her family before they all head back to New Orleans.
While checking in at Linton Bay Marina today I asked Brian Davis – seems to run the office or admin side of things – about Panama Posse. He’d not heard of the group. After my brief description he asked that he be contacted if/when the posse extends to the Caribbean side. So with that background I’m sending along his phone number. Brian Davis +507-6676-5967.
As noted in my Line comments we have a number of photos with the PP burgee on the bow pulpit with various PC background scenes. They are mostly in my children’s phones so will get what I can to you when I can get them sent my way.
Finally, since we’ve moved to the Pacific side we’ll not be attending any of the celebrations scheduled in May. Our plans are to leave Figment (and Blessed) at Shelter Bay for most of the summer. I think Blessed is planning some summer trips to Cartagena and Kuna Yala. Figment may make another/longer run to Kuna Yala as well. Then we’ll head north and east in the fall.
During our prep and transit of the PC I recall thinking at times – for all the research I’ve done, I didn’t realize … and thinking I should share it. However, at the moment those details escape me. I’ll reflect on the whole experience and see if I think I’ve any value to add to the group of those following.
I’ll relate one detail that caught us by surprise and in the end resulted in damage to our vessels. In our transit Figment and Blessed were nested together in each chamber. To refresh your memory – Figment is a 48’ Kadey Krogen and Blessed a 43’ Nordhavn. We’ve been running together since leaving Barra. The ACP (or the pilot on the large cat ahead of us) decided Figment and Blessed would nest together at the aft end of the chambers. Going up through the Miraflores/Piedro Migel chambers we made up just as we approached the lower Miraflores Lock sliding to the starboard side of the channel to do so. We stayed nested through all three chambers including crossing Miraflores Lake. Figment managed the propulsion. All went well.
As we reached the Gatun Locks we had to wait for a tub/barge unit to catch up with us. It was late afternoon. We finally received instructions to nest the two boats. We nested Blessed on the starboard side of Figment as we had earlier and started to move to the Gatun Lock ahead and to port to position ourselves to enter the chamber first. Just after beginning to move toward Gatun an ACP launch went by on Figment’s port side perhaps 50 - 75 yards off running at that speed they make where they throw a fearsome wake. I saw them pass us. There was no time to change heading to take the wake on the bow. Consequently we ended up with the two vessel rolling violently side to side – and of course out of synch. At one point I understand Blessed’s port gunnel was above Figments upper deck coaming as Blessed rose on the wave and Figment fell into the hole behind the wave.
The result was a series of enormous impacts between the two vessels. Damage was:
Figment
o teak cap rail dent and varnish removed
o stern hawse cleat forward ear folded 90 degrees from its cast position as it failed before the stern line parted
o we’ve decided to not pursue a claim though the cost may well be significant
Blessed
I’ll leave it to John to describe in detail the damage to Blessed if he cares to do so and say only there was some distortion to metal fittings and a crack in some fiberglass. Figment stands taller and is a heavier vessel
To my knowledge it isn’t yet known if the crack is superficial or deeper
The advisers on both Figment and Blessed were very angry and got on their radios identifying the offending vessel and so on. We were instructed to report any claim issues to Erick Galvez – our agent. Frankly, he has gone very formal and skimpy with the info seeming to take a position that he doesn’t want to advocate for anyone as though it might compromise his position as an agent with the ACP even indicating in his email that his line handlers couldn’t server as witnesses should a hearing occur. One of those line handlers was Erick’s son Juan who indicated to me he’d discuss the whole event with his father. I think if he were allowed to speak freely he would be a credible witness.
Fortunately there were no personal injuries.
Since this event I’ve spent a lot of time reflecting on what we could have done to avoid such damage. A bit more background – while anchored four days in La Playita I was regularly stunned at how close the ACP launches would run to our anchored vessel with no reduction in speed throwing those fearsome wakes. Fortunately Figment has some at rest stabilization equipment which was deployed to counter some of this abuse. It only served to moderate the resulting movement. However, that wasn’t possible on Gatun Lake. Same type launch, same type inappropriate behavior. My present conclusion were I to do the same thing again is to object to the advisor’s decision to make up the nest as far from the Gatun Lock entrance as we did and insist on getting very close in before doing so to minimize the kind of wake exposure we experienced. The ACP vessel operators have no concept of wake damage to others or simply don’t care.
I’d like to thank you for the value you and the group added to our journey to Panama.
Figment Figment is now in Linton Bay Marina after a week in Kuna Yala
Don & Jan
FIGMENT
11) Green Island, Jamaica
Sprezzatura @ Green Island, Jamaica Between Negril n Lucea! (Lol) Hanover Hanover Parish Jamaica : https://maps.google.com/maps?q=18.397542965372139,-78.271098525440706
Eric
SPREZZATURA12) Rio Cacique- Pta Matador, Panama.
We're in 24 feet of water at +11 high tide right now. It is well protected and beautiful. N 8 18.220 W 78 54.161. 09:49 Ay Caramba! - Juan We broke shifting cable, fixed it. On to Pta Matador N 8 29.547 W 78 51.547 21feet At +7. Good protection from N wind and moderate protection from S swell. Fishermen use the spot to collect water bathe and wash clothes. We bought lobster from Pune Indians.
Juan & Michelle
AY CARAMBA !
13) Santa Ana Department, El Salvador
Santa Ana Department, El Salvador : https://maps.google.com/maps?q=13.886457869404097,-89.534567383542054 22:03 SV BlueOasis Blue Oasis on a land tour in El Salvador @ Mikiteria lake resort on Lago Coatepeque https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coatepeque_Caldera#/media/File%3ATeopan.jpg Very cool B&B on the lake which is a volcano caldron. A bit hazy so the scenery is not as vibrant, but the El Salvadoran people are so friendly. We also visited a small artsy town of Suchitoto.
Barry & Kathy
BLUE OASIS
14) The mayor of Zihuatanej, MX Great meeting with the mayor of Zihuatanejo today. Mayor Jorge Sanchez Allec, thank you so much for taking the time to tell us your great stories and plans for Zihuatanejo!! We're looking forward to many years of bringing the Panama Posse to Zihua!
The public dock will be remodeled over the next 6 months and hopefully we'll get a floating dinghy dock.
Chris, Monica & Penny
SEAGLUB
15)Please reply to this email with any
updates and we'll include it in the next Fleet Updates.
Please take pictures of your celebrations.
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
16) Opt-out from Fleet Updates simply reply with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019-04-20
1) ABOUT AIS - Zihuatanejo, MX
Hailing Commercial Ships
When cruising from Isla Mujeres to Corpus Christi, we were hailed by a “Crane Ship” captain who had seen us on AIS. He was a “good ole boy” from the south and he was quite chatty. In the process of talking to him, he gave us this advice…whenever you are in the vicinity of a commercial ship, cruise ship or anything a whole lot bigger than you, hail them on Channel 16 because they are so big and you are so small (and they are often not watching), that they won’t even see you on their radar or on their AIS.
When you hail them, there is a record of your conversation and you alert them to your existence. Ask them if they see you on radar and AIS. If necessary, be ready to give them a definition of where you are in relation to them. i.e. 2 miles off your port bow.
We do this on a regular basis and have actually had some nice conversations with some ships, especially cruise ship captains. We also find that they respond more often to a woman’s voice, so I am generally the one that does it.
On the way south from Bahia Hadras, we were traveling loosely with three other boats, all of whom had AIS, but one only had receiving AIS, not sending. He was under sail and was very difficult to see in the dark. There was a commercial ship bearing down on all of us, so I hailed it and asked if he could see us. It took him awhile and then he finally said that he did. I alerted him to the fact that we were four sailboats in the vicinity and asked him if he saw all four of us. That took awhile longer, he said that he did see us and that he would take evasive action given that we were all under sail.
I really enjoy hailing ships both because it is a safety issue and it if fun if you get a chatty captain, but also because it breaks up the night watch a bit. I used to be hesitant to chat on the radio, but since I started hailing ship captains who don’t know me from Adam, my confidence has increased to the point that I can’t wait for a ship to come in range so that I can yak away.
John & Trish
MARIAH
2) Barillas Marina Club, El Salvador
13° 15.6562 N 088° 29.4645 W
(503) 632-1802 info@barillasmarina.com
It's not just an anchorage - the have mooring, fuel dock and not a big river bar to cross and only 30 nm from Bahia del Sol
Moorings are $ 45 for the first night and $ 16 after that - they have custom facilities and immigration
And a lovely Restaurant, Transportation
Plus they provide transportation to go shopping, get to the airport, laundry, showers and a pool
It's very relaxing and pretty
The also have fuel and water
Launch ramp next to fuel dock
Oscar & Nellita
MI PANGA 🇨🇷
3) Chiapas, MX Here is an overview of our tour. If it's already been done by others, just pitch this.
The crews of Slow Dancer and Blue Oasis joined Miguel in Marina Chiapas for a day tour.
First we went to the ruins at Izapa. Miguel was super knowledgeable about the ruins themselves as well as the Mayan and Aztec peoples.
After the ruins, we visited the small town of Tuxtla Chico. We walked through a beautiful old church and shopped a bit at the local market. Miguel is also knowledgeable about the plant life in the area and had us taste several fruits from the trees that we passed.
Next up was lunch. What an amazing feast! La Parra is owned by Josefina. This amazing woman has won competitions in several countries for her wonderful chocolate that she grows, roasts, grinds by hand and packages. We enjoyed tamales, quesadillas, rolls and hot chocolate. We enjoyed watching the making of tortillas over a wood burning stove. We also watched them make the chocolate. Next we traveled to Dona Petra's kitchen to see the tamale making process. Best tamales in the state according to Miguel. We thought so too!
Lastly, Miguel took us to see the Guatemala border and then to Walmart for some last minute provisions.
We highly recommend Miguel as a tour guide. His English is great and his knowledge of the area is amazing. Plus he's a really nice guy!
Dale & Kenneth
SLOW DANCER
4) Long Term Stay in Costa Rica
Hi All,
Here’s the info re leaving your vessel in Costa Rica beyond the 90 day basic temporary import.
There is a process called Exoneration, which provides for importation of the boat into The country for up to two years, with no import tax consequence. The proviso is that you must enter into a contract with a marina in order for this to occur. The contract need not be for two years, but for a period of time that you work out with the marina. The vessel must be physically in the marina with which you enter into the contract, while the Exoneration paperwork is completed which takes between 14-18 days.
When the Exoneration process is completed you surrender your original 90-day TIP, and henceforth the boat is in the country under the exoneration permit. With that in place, you can now leave the marina, under a zarpe that the marina puts in place and sail anywhere in Costa Rica and even out of the country and thereafter return, all under the auspices of the Exoneration. The obvious kicker is that you will still be paying whatever marina fees apply vis a vis your contract, assuming you don’t leave the country permanently, i.e., terminating your marina contract and commensurate with that, your Exoneration Permit. It is permissible to change from a one marina to another during the two year period and your Exoneration permit transfers from one contract to the next. The Exoneration Cost, which is primarily an Agent Fee to put the paperwork in place, with the Agent we’ll use through Marina Papagallo is approximately $800. BUT, Marina Papagallo offers to offset the Exoneration fee which some very attractive marina fee reductions in order to have our marina business. For a six month contract, the cost to us, net, is about what we’d pay on a monthly long term basis for Marina La Cruz, Marina Vallarta, Marina Paradise Village, and the three marinas in La Paz, or El Cid in Mazatlan.
For us, it makes great sense to do this, so we are. We’ll fly out of Liberia airport non-stop to LAX on Alaska Airlines at a very affordable fare. Liberia airport is a taxi ride from this marina. This region of Costa Rica is considerably drier than, for example El Salvador, or even Golfito, and the bottom growth comparatively is negligible. So, boat issues should be less than in Chiapas, or El Salvador, or even Golfito, and anywhere in Panama. And the bonus is, we can in the meanwhile and upon our return, sail throughout the country at will until northbound to Mexico weather suits our fancy.
I’m certain that Contract Offers differ from marina to marina, and probably even agent to agent, so all is negotiable. For those in Golfito, Miguel at Banana Bay, who used to be at Marina Golfito, was in a former employment capacity, a Costa Rican Customs official, and undoubtedly knows the ins and outs of this on par with Marina Golfito.
So, there it is. We’ll leave here in late October/early November and make Barra de Navidad for the annual Cruisers’ Thanksgiving fete,😎
If any questions, shoot an email back and I’ll clarify. Ciao,
Bob & Sherry
NIRVANA
5) Sumwood Channel, Bocas del Torro, Panama
Sumwood Channel is a convenient connection between Bahia Almirante and Laguna de Chiriqui.
It is also a beautiful ride between the mangroves. We cruised it from South to North.
We planned our route on Navionics charts. We checked the route against positions obtained from grid on Bauhaus’ photos and the ferry route indicated on Google Maps’ (!) sat images. Critical areas could be easily identified by lookout. Minimum depths recorded on approach was 8.5 m.
In the canal sometimes becomes shallow in the midst. If your attention is not distracted by the beautiful landscape, it may be easier to stay in max depths (bottom is mud ...).
North of canal Navionics and grid from Bauhaus photos shows discrepancies. Nacionics Sonar Charts are of great help.
And for those, who still rely on Pat Rains ten year old revised edition 2017:
There are no buoys anymore in the Boca del Toro Canal (as correctly reflected on the chart in Bauhaus‘ book).
Jochen
MORNING HAZE
4) Casco Viejo, Panama
The gifts of Living in Gratitude 🙏🏻 continue in abundance as we met with JAIME FIGUEROA the Tourism Ambassador of Panama and Alva, the proprietor of Panama House Bed & Breakfast this morning at the most quaint and personal B&B we were honored to spend time whilst in Panama City .. thank you Alva for sharing your home and family and hospitality with us . Thank you Jaime for your welcoming spirit to your Country and the stories, knowledge and passion you share. We look forward to coming through the Canal Sunday with the added information you enlightened us with. We also look forward to visiting with you soon. You live and share a fascinating life and we’re honored to call you a friend. Till next time - Carpe Diem - live love and laugh
Fantastic meeting with Our ambassador in Panama, jaime Figuero ! Beautiful person!
Jaime is sharing so much of his life and experiences and his passion for Panama !
To contact him email jaime@panamaposse.com
Ron & Karen
KOKOPELLI
5) LINE / FACEBOOK / FLEET UPDATES
Every Monday UTC 16:00 LINE GROUP CALL
Our cruising season in the area and for the Panama Posse is NOV - MAY based on the hurricane season.
Most participants will be staying put after June 1. Thus our last weekly LINE call will be held Monday May 20. At this time the plan is to leave the LINE chat room open and but it will no longer be actively managed. Everyone will have the choice to remain in contact with each other thru the chat room. When we start the new season in November we will open a new LINE chat room for the next seasons' members. Download from https://line.me/en-US/
We will fade out the Panama Posse Facebook group over the summer and start the new FB group page in September.
Fleet updates will stop June and start up in October for next season's posse. SO it's time for you to ....
6) SIGN UP FOR NEXT SEASON - THE 19-20 PANAMA POSSE
16 vessels have done so already https://panamaposse.com/2019-2020-vessels
If you are ready simply reply with an email and re-register (no new registration form to fill out)
and we'll take care of the rest - or sign up here
https://www.panamaposse.com/sign-up
We'll meet in Barra de Navidad in October / November for an early December kick off ( right after Thanksgiving)
7) Las Perlas, Panama
Ay Caramba ! is in Isla Parida, two different anchorages. In the N, a good first stop at N 8 07.183 W 82 20.888 un 25 feet at +7 tide.
It was rolly in the evening. The second spot near Playa Socorro at N 8 07.679 W 82 19.427 under 21 feet of water at +10. It turns out I Gamez is probably the better place for the current conditions. There's an annoying swell that seems to be wrapping around the island, we're exposed to it here. Isla Gamez at around N 8 07.722 W 82 19.062 ( just across) seems to have good protection for that. SV Octopus Garden is there. They reported a little rolliness only when the wind went to the East.
03:40 Ay Caramba! - Juan A note to vessels leaving Golfito, you will benefit significantly from timing your departure with the ebb .. ;-) + 1.5 kts.
Juan & Michelle
AY CARAMBA !
8) Panama Posse Swag ... coming this summer ...
9) Please reply to this email with
any updates - songs - pictures - alerts and we'll include it in the next Fleet Updates
Happy Easter & Happy Passover to all from
Dietmar & Suzanne
CARINTHIA
10) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply reply with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019 - 04 - 13
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 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
- Jaime Figueroa Navarro – Panama
- Bill & Jean – El Salvador
- Ralph Hewitt – Nicaragua
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.
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
11) Opt-out from Fleet Updates simply reply with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019-04-06
1) Banana Bay Marina, Golfito, COSTA RICA
Hi from Octopus Garden here at Banana Bay Marina in Golfito with Shearwater, Chantey, Nirvana, Paradise plus a few others. The marina is great, the staff is wonderful and the food and restaurant is very good. I highly recommend it!
Picture of the week - the Banana Bay Beach Band.
Jim & Susy
OCTOPUS GARDEN
2) Bahia del Sol, EL SALVADOR
Summer Storage marinas in Bahia del sol for summer storage.
Marina at the hotel Bahia del sol. $300 per slip (length insensitive). You may need to argue a bit to get this rate, they sometimes ask for more. Includes power and water. Slips available, perhaps 1/2 dozen free.
Marina at paradise fishing lodge.
Rates need to be negotiated, but you can usually get them to match Hotel Bahia del Sol. Few slips available, perhaps 1 or 2.
Bill & Jean will do boat management at either location. Security is good at both.
While Bill and Jean have moorings available now, if you want one you should reserve now. They are getting close to a full house situation, and it takes a couple for weeks to make another mooring (which he is willing to do if you book for the season).
Thanks
Rob & Debra
AVANT
3) Las Perlas, PANAMA
We on Knot decided not to go through the canal to the Caribbean immediately.
We left Vista Mar Marina on Saturday 3/23 to sail to the Las Perlas Islands. We had been stuck in the Marina for almost three months and were forgetting what this adventure was all about. So we prepped the boat for a two week visit to Las Perlas. When I dove the boat, I saw that my Gori folding prop was frozen in a half way reverse position. Barnacles and such had decided to make themselves at home. I know this had happened, because Mike on Interlude was heading back north and he too has a Gori prop, and delayed his exit until the prop was scrapped clean. After spending 2 hours on the hooka, my prop was clean but I couldn’t get to all of the gears. It would only open all of the way in reverse mode and close. Could not get it in the forward mode. I decided to finish the job the next day. Unfortunately I left my heavy plastic “reserve tank” connected to the compressor tank. With the cooling down over night and the heating the next day, the reserve tank blew apart, exceeding its 60 psi limit. The pressure hose to the regulator was still attacked, and that swing helped to redirect the trajectory of the end cap (pointed end of a football shape,about 12” diameter) to avoid my nav station at the helm. A witness said it went around 70 yards before it went into the water. No damage and no one was hurt, but the boom attracted everyone from the marina. Now I could dive without that tank, but I wasn’t looking forward to it. So there was a boat in the marina where the young french guy was a great diver and needed th money, so I let him do it. Also, I didn’t have a wet suit, so I could avoid some of the lingering jelly fish in the marina. He got my prop working and cleaned my bow thruster and bottom.
Saturday 3/23 we sailed (motored) to Bona, then did a sharp left North to get into the south bay of Otoque. THe Northerly winds changed the swells to come from the north also. So I felt extremely safe for the night. We had gotten a very late start leaving Vista Mar, and I was tempting to cancel that day (should have). Anchored late afternoon, and the anchor did not set. Sounded like solid rock. Didn’t want to re-anchor, it was getting dark so I dropped a stern and it set. The next day, se sailed to the west side town of Otoque, the chop was too great for us to launch the dinghy, so we flagged down the mainland panga ferry and he pciked us up and dropped us back on the boat after an hour. Sleepy Sunday afternoon, hardly anyone there. No shops or restaurants. In other words, not worth it. I do believe that the town on the east side might have a restaurant, but I don’t think you are protected from the Northerly.
Monday morning 3/25 we motored to Contadora.
We had some friends on Distant Drummer in the south amchorage of Contadora, it was great to see them, There is a very large anchorage and mooring field, The Hotel, restaurant and a beach bar is called Marr y Oro. The Beach bar has two for one on wine and domestic beer from 4 to 5:30. The beach landing is easy, But the tide range is 17 feet, so walk it all the way up and tie it to a stairway railing, or bring your anchor.
Some additional friends came in on Wednesday (Dandelion) 3/27 and they brought some of the ex-pats from Vista Mar (Steve and Betty). So Jearine and I we Steve a Betty rented a golf cart and drove around the island. The roads are steep, so go big with a golf cart, we had not power and sometimes no brakes.
Saturday 3/30 we left to anchor between Isla Chapera and Mogo Mogo. Mogo Mogo is where some of the Survivor episodes were filmed. We took the dinghy in and found one of the reminance of a lean-to with the survivor “buffs” still marked on one of the poles. This anchorage is a very popular place, there were 10 party boats that eventually dropped the hook. But as the sun set, they left us alone for some peace and quiet.
The next morning 3/31, we traveled south to Isla Pedro Gonzalez. There is a small town on the north shore, but it would not have any protection from the Northerlies at night. Just east of the town is a beautiful Marina, identical construction to Vista Mar Marina. Probably cabable of holding 60 Cats, big double slips. There is a hundred foot cruiser five slips away. But there is a total of four to six boats here. Beautiful “High End” restaurant (opens 18:30, call ahead of time on week days, to make sure it’s open). Showers, power, open WiFi but water is not potable. Laundry can be done, but it is $10 a load.
We could hear the music coming from town on a Sunday night, about 1 NM away. Sorry we didn’t go there, might have been fun. After I got the bill for one day at the Marina, I wish I had anchored by the town. The total was $146 for a 47 ft. $2.25/ft plus $0.65/ft for utilities. YIKES.
If you are interested https://www.inmare.net/en/case-histories/marina-pearl-island
Monday 4/1, going to leave “On Golden Pond” and head to San Jose. In San Jose, we went to the bay in the SE corner where the resort Hacienda del Mar overlooks. There are about 8 to 10 mooring balls, so we grabbed one. Also there is sufficient room for anchorage. This was the resort that Dads Dreams mentioned. Every good thing he mentioned was very accurate. We dinghy’d into the beach (very little waves), had some wine and an appetizer. Then went back to the boat. We rolled a great deal that night, which was not expected because the winds were slight. At 23:30 I heard a crash. Someone hit our bow. I thought that it was a panga that earlier I had told them that they were way too close, and they moved. But it was a small open deck sport fishing boat. The two guys must have anchored after we were in our bunks, but they too were awakened by the crash. They fought to free themselves from the area. It look like they hooked “a mooring line”. As they left, they shouted back that I was tangled up with another mooring line. The next day I took my dinghy and its anchor and used it as a grappling hook to determine what was going on. Found it almost immediately. My mooring line had angled back on the starboard side and laid on top of my bulb trailing off to port stern. We were turned 90 degrees from everyone else. No wounder we rolled all night. Fearing wrapping the line on the prop, I had Jeariene engage the bow thruster, while I nugged starboard stern around. We were successful, but heavy lesson learned. Some gelcoat scratches that I have to work on back at the marina. That day we spent a lazy day at the pool. The resort is completely empty, except for the beautiful and very noisy McCaws.
Today Wednesday 4/3, we are hired a guide for a motor tour of the island. We saw the air strip, with the island’s owner plane. We saw a WW2 antenna base on Punta Muialto (sp). All of the roads were dirt or rocks. Two hours of driving and not worth it. Next time I’ll sit at the pool and drink Cervezas. Thursday will be our last day in this bay, we will be leaving for Vista Mar Marina early Friday morning with the hopes of getting there to re-fuel before we tie up at the slip. The picture is Knot Right while overlooking the infinity pool. BTW, no cell coverage at all, but Wifi “Hacienda Del Mar” pw “islasanjose” (no quotes)
In Vista Mar, some cruisers started what we call The Bubba Cruiser's net. It starts at 1330 UTC. On marine SSB, starting on 6A, then 8A, 12A, 16A. Two of our boats are halfway to French Polynesia. For you hams, 6.224.0, 8.294.0, 12.353.0, 16.528.0 USB. It is daily. Join us if you want. Nirvana was net control, he went north and we haven't been able to hear him too much. I have been net control when I can.
Walt & Jearine
KNOT RIGHT
4) La Marina Acapulco, Acapulco, MEXICO
Blue Oasis had a fast overnight from z-Huat to Acapulco, 18 hours 12-15 behind our starboard quarter most of the 115nm. Caught a nice tuna just S of the Rocas Potosi. We ran 8-12nm off shore to keep the breeze, avoid fishing nets(didn’t see any) , only a few freighters that were 9-30nm offshore. At La Marina Acapulco resting, waiting for a new wind vane from fed ex through a dealer SS Marine Parts and Service .
Barry & Kathy
BLUE OASIS
5) Offshore Waters Forecasts for the East Pacific Ocean
Offshore Waters Forecasts for the East Pacific Ocean within 250 NM of Mexico,
Central America, Columbia, and Ecuador to Operational Effective April 16, 2019
Yay!
https://www.weather.gov/media/notification/scn19-24east_pac_offshore_waters.pdf
Rob & Debra
AVANT
6) Herradura Bay, COSTA RICA
Anchored in 30’ at low tide. All the party barges left and we’ve got this place almost to ourselves.
09° 38.625N 084° 39.4616 W
Rowan, Victoria & Crew
TALIESIN ROSE
7) Bahia Ballena, COSTA RICA Footloose anchored Bahia Ballena, CR, 20 ft, sand bottom, 09 43.078N, 085 00.606W
Celebrating Michael's Birthday !
Michael & Lisa
FOOTLOOSE
8) 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 !
9) Please reply to this email with ... anything really
- your updates
- contenders for picture of the week - links to your favorite SONGS
- relevant blog posts - and of course your valuable suggestions
and we'll include it in the next FLEET UPDATE - Keep em 'coming
Dietmar & Suzanne
CARINTHIA
10) Opt-out from Fleet Updates simply reply with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019-03-30
1) The (counter) Panama Posse.
Several vessels are now heading up the coast from Panama and
parts in between towards Mexico.
Many are working on their Hurricane strategies and are looking for
a safe place.
There are of course several options to consider.
We'll touch on these in one of the upcoming weekly LINE calls but
just as a baseline here is some info.
Please take all of this with a grain of salt.
Pacific Hurricane Strategies run the gamut with some general
markers for you to ponder.
SOUTH ZONE
Panama on the Pacific side stay at Vista Mar Marina
(no hurricanes, yes lighting strikes)
Costa Rica stay at a marina Golfito Marina Village,
Banana Bay Marina, Marina Pez Vela,
Marina Papagayo
- several offer the options with a bond which helps with
customs issues
(no hurricanes, yes lighting strikes)
Nicaragua - stay at Marina Puesta del Sol
(no hurricanes, yes lighting strikes)
El Salvador - stay on Bill & Jean's Moorings
(no hurricanes, yes lighting strikes)
There are ample electrical storms, thunder and lightning and each
season vessel suffer from lightning strikes in these places.
CENTRAL ZONE
Tehuntapec,MX is the area where the hurricanes usually originate
from
Mexico - Marina Chiapas and soon Marina Chahue - dredging
starts in May so stay tuned.
NORTH ZONE
All Mexican marinas above this line on the Pacific side are in
the bona-fide Hurricane Zone
(expect for Ensenda) and vessels also occasionally suffer from
lightning strikes.
Here are some visualizations of the historic tracks in the Pacific
the lighting strikes map
2) Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
Crew member Dan, Curtis and Fynn, from Germany, made the track
from Huatulco to Chiapas, Mexico in February.The anchorage at
Huatulco harbor, chosen due to closure of the nearby marina Chahue
proofed a good shelter, even in sometimes windy conditions. Local
population is very helpful and the view from the anchorage offers
everything from little fishing dinghies to short visits of
seizable cruise ships. The local lemonade (after a hot day) is to
die for.After watching many website based weather reports and
local advise we picked a window to cross the sometime treacherous
Tehuantepec bay; we were so cautious that we sometimes cursed at
the calm winds. Do not let your guard down here, Closer to our
destination the wind picked up behind us and hugh swells from the
NW caused for an interesting ride.Chiapas marina is a delightful
operation; fairly new and idyllically tucked away in a corner of
Puerto Marino harbor. Memo and Ralph, marina management, as well
as yard lead Ronnie, are most helpful with paper processing and
taking care of the odd repair jobs.After Chiapas the trip
continued, in March, to Bahia de Sol, outside El Salvador. As we
were going to miss our appointed time with the harbor pilot we had
to drop anchor. With the wind picking up in the afternoon, the sit
became close to uncomfortable, not to mention looking at a near
full length of anchor line pointing straight out from the bow. Not
to many options there though. Pilot Bill was hard to find in his
little dinghy amongst the seizable waves but proofed to be a good
guide across the bar into the inlet.Be aware of a good current
flowing inside the small bay including at the small marina.Next
planned stop: Golfito, Costa Rica. To be continued . . . .
Dan
WINDS OF THE WORLD
3) Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
Tips on entering Bahia del sol:
Ensure you contact Bill and Jean in advance for advice. They know
the surf and tide conditions intimately, and you want to ensure
they will be on hand to assist the pilot when you cross the bar.
elsalvadorrally@aol.com, phone +503 7490 6894, hail “Bill and
Jean” on vhf ch 16 when within range.
If they are not available (having gone to town, etc.) the pilot is
still available most days (hail hotel Bahia del sol on vhf 16) but
does not have a vhf, and will guide you in with hand signals. This
is significantly sub-optimal.
You must enter at high tide, and morning crossings are always
better.
Rob & Debra
AVANT
4) Las Perlas, Panama
We've been back on the boat for a month and left 10 days ago from
Vista Del Mar to visit Las Perlas. We have only visited Bona,
Contadora, and now Isla San Jose so far. They are all wonderful.
Our only real complaint is the water is freezing. It's been
hovering right at 68 degrees F. brrrr! Nice for SUP and yaking
but even the fish apparently don't like it because we have seen
very few (of the coral type) and caught none of the eating
varieties.There has been north winds (12-25+) pretty much every
day but with picking the right anchorages it has been very nice
except the no swimming part.We have said good bye (or see ya
later) to a number of vessels heading west, some stopping at
Galapagos and some sailing on by. Fair winds to you all.We have no
schedule and plan to visit as many anchorages as we can.
NOTE TO TE POSSE ...Office manager Yordanka of Hacienda Del Mar
on Isla San Jose asked us to invite all cruisers to come visit.
The drinks and food are same price as any 4-5 star all inclusive
resort. $4 Beer, $10 Calamari, and you have to pay $10 to go in
and use resort amenities but...the pool is wonderful, the grounds
and views are awesome, and the staff are all very friendly. The
$10 resort fee is a one time thing as we spent 4 days there and
only paid the $10 once.What you also get is a free mooring ball
(first come first serve) or anchorage, free potable water (water
faucet on the beach) easy dingy landing. Internet at the pool or
at the anchorage with a wifi grabbing device) is available. NO
cell service. Cheers!
Rick & Brenda
DAD'S DREAM
5) SAVE THESE DATES & SPONSORS
Wednesday, May 1st - Panama
Posse Labor Day Party @ Golfito Marina Village, Costa Rica
Saturday, May 25th - Season
Finale - Panama Posse 18-19 Yacht Fest @ Vista Mar Marina -
Panama
For the list of all Sponsors please
go to
https://www.panamaposse.com/sponsors
6) Playa del Coco, Costa Rica
After two and a half glorious months in northern
Nicaragua with an amazing crew of local friends and surfing a
bunch with our buddies on SV Shearwater, we finally threw off the
lines and made the overnight trip from Puesta Del Sol Nicaragua to
Bahia Santa Elena sailing mostly the whole way in comfortable
conditions. We, thankfully, were spared from the normal harrowing
Papagayo experience by waiting very patiently for the perfect
weather window, credit goes to Eric and Pati for making the call
to go. We dropped anchor in the morning to calm breezes and
gorgeous natural surroundings. By 4pm the beginnings of the next
Papagayo were already stirring. Gusts from different directions
were dramatically spinning the boat on it's anchor all night. We
had all sorts of plans for hiking and exploring the picturesque
bay for a few days, and we tossed them all out the porthole in
favor of the promises of greater shelter from the wind in Bahia
Culebra. The day passage to Playa del Coco, where we had to stop
in order to check in, ended up being some of the most pleasant and
memorable sailing of the entire Pacific Coast thus far. We poled
out the genoa and were hauling the mail, as our racer cruiser
tends to do in fresh breezes. SV Shearwater was looking regal with
all her canvas up as we sailed around the corner and past the Bat
Islands. We caught sight of a large bull shark and a magestic
giant manta ray. Rowan snagged a massive Dorado and we carved it
up right away for Fish Taco Dinner. Emmy was keen to dissect
something so I pulled out the eyeball and Rowan recalled memories
of childhood trips to the Exploratorium to give a hands-on fish
anatomy lesson. Fun fact: the lens of a fish eye looks like a
perfectly round marble of clear gelatin. Playa del Coco welcomed
us warmly with an easy and free check in process, a protected
anchorage with good holding, a great pier to lock the dinghy when
going to town and free WiFi that we could pick up with the
booster, good enough to stream a couple movies. The check in
cha-cha was pretty simple thanks to tips from our amigos on SV
Salt. First, Captain to the Port Captain in the blue building in
the middle of the main road by the beach. Second, the whole crew
walked up the road to a small white immigration office next to the
panaderia and the bus stop on the right hand side of the road.
Third, Captain took a taxi to Liberia Airport Aduana/Customs. And
finally, back to the Port Captain to check all the documents were
in order. No costs involved except the price of the taxi to the
airport. We dawdled in Cocos for three weeks enjoying the
abundance of restaurants, especially the pizza, gelato and craft
beer. We caught a local rodeo, had family come to visit, watched
the Superbowl on a bigscreen with a bunch of lively gringos, went
snorkeling at the islands just outside the bay, and even got the
chance to volunteer at a local school. Thanks to the kindness of
Pati and Eric on Shearwater keeping an eye on our boat, we snuck
away up to Bahia Salinas to try our hand at kiteboarding. Such a
gorgeous part of the country with wide open grassy fields and
aquamarine colored water. It was mostly dragging and swallowing
copious amounts of seawater, but with enough success to want to go
back for more. We also took my parents, who flew down from the
states, to Hacienda Guachipelin for a day filled with outdoor
adventure including zip-lining through slot canyon ravines, horse
back riding to a waterfall, natural mineral hot springs, and the
most delightful river tubing. We also did the hike to Rio Celeste,
where the science of nature starts to blur the lines with a world
filled with magic and wonder. The hike was good for the body and
the reward was a river and waterfall with stunning milky
tourquoise water, caused by the meeting of two clear rivers with
different chemical properties that reacted to create the
unforgettable water color. Our last few days in Playa Coco we took
advantage of the boat chandlery and the convenient food shopping
at the great grocery stores, panaderia, and fish market. Playa del
Coco was very good to us. With the safe and free anchorage, ease
of provisioning, quick access to Liberia Airport and surrounding
beauty of the bay, beaches and islands, it would be easy and
enjoyable to stay longer. But it was time to mosey.
The morning calm at Bahia Santa Elena, Costa Rica
SV Shearwater flying full canvas
Dissecting a fish eyeball
Best gelato! Yum!
Volunteer day at the school in Playa Hermosa
Rio Celeste
Next stop.... Tamarindo!
Paradisea is part of the triathlon course here in
Herradura, CR.
Victoria & Rowan & Crew
TALIESIN ROSE
7) Vista Mar Marina, Panama
Cruisers handout - thanks to Jeariene GOOD JOB OF THE
WEEK !!!
I put together an
introductory handout that should be helpful to Panama Posse folks
coming to the Vista Mar Marina in May.
I've provided it
to the marina office and was told they will create a brochure for
the marina.
This is a
springboard, but is more than the marina has had in the past, and
is basic information that I wanted when we arrived at Vista Mar.
Safe sailing!
FYI -> this handout is now online in the Panama
Posse public documents section at
https://panamaposse.com/welcome-to-vista-mar-marina
Jeariene & Walt
KNOT RIGHT
8) REMINDER
Always lock your dinghy - especially if you go on shore.
Tie it to a sturdy pole or tree and remove any valuables.
Thieves are opportunists may swim out to cut your dinghy's
painter and
then use rocks on the beach to break off locks.
Please use a (PAD) lock with a difficult point of attack and a
heavy chain
or re-in-forced stainless steel wire - see a sample lock
below.
9) Zihuatanejo, MX
BlueOasis bringing up the rear, anchored in relatively calm
small swell tonight on isla xtapa(grande) Zihuatanejo MX. Last
night we anchored in Caleta de Campos up the coast 70nm or so.
Not for the faint of heart, seemed like 6 foot swell, our ground
tackle (bow and stern) performed perfectly, but boy did we jump
around all night. Now we know why SeaGlub did the overnight to
Zihuat. We’re here and happy to explore the Zihuat area. Plan to
be in Acapulco around Tuesday/ Wed to pick up a part we ordered.
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Barry & KathyBLUE OASIS10) SAFETY/SECURITY TELEPHONE NUMBERS (Diane last
season actually called every number)
U.S. COAST GUARD RESCUE COORDINATION CENTER
Rescue Coordination Center: (510) 437-3701. This is the
number for group receiving EPIRB emergency beacon distress
signals. They will coordinate with local country Coast Guards
if boater is outside of the U.S. and they have translators, as
the numbers at the local country Coast Guards in Central
America will speak Spanish. They said it would be ok to call
them in emergency.
CENTRAL AMERICA COUNTRY COAST GUARD CONTACT NUMBERS
These numbers were given to me by the U.S. Coast Guard
Rescue Coordination Center. The individuals from these local
Coast Guards will speak Spanish when you call them. If you
cannot communicate with them, the Rescue Coordination Center
can call them, but that will take more time.
El Salvadore Coast Guard: (505) 22500210, Extension 5103
Nicaragua Coast Guard: (504)22342507
Costa Rica Coast Guard: (506) 22314924
Panama Coast Guard: (507) 60451197
CALIFORNIA COAST GUARD OFFICES WHO COULD BE called if
you cannot reach rescue coordination center, however the local
coast guards will likely just go through the Rescue Center:
Coast Guard Sector LA/Long Beach: 310 521-3815
Channel Islands office: 805 985-9822
VHF EMERGENCY CHANNEL FOR MAYDAY: 16
U.S. COAST GUARD EMERGENCY SSB CHANNELS
MHZ UTC time
4.125 2300-11
6.125 24 hr.
8.290 24 hr.
12.290 1100-2300
HAM SSB NETS
World wide emergency Ham net: 14.313 24 hr.
Pacific Seafares Net 14300 @
0300 UTC
Central America Ham net: 7.083 UTC time 1300
CENTRAL AMERICA EMBASSY CONTACT INFORMATION. Go to www.usembassy.gov/ for
further information. For Central America embassies, emergency
number is +1-202-501-4444, and press “0”, from 8 a.m. – 5
p.m. EST. When dialing embassy numbers below probably start
with “ +” depending on phone service.
COSTA RICA
+506 2519 2000
Calle 98 Via 104, Pavas, San Jose, Costa Rico
EL SALVADOR
+503 2501 2999
Final Blvd. Santa Elena, Antiguo Cuseatlan, La
Libertad, San Salvador
GUATEMALA
+502 2326 4000
Avenida Reforma 7-01, Zona 10, Guatemala Cuidad, Guatemala
HONDURAS
+504 2238 5114 (after hours X4100)
+504 2236 9320 (per embassy website, but not
communications received: 011-504 2236 9320)
Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa MDC, Honduras
MEXICO
+52 55 5080-2000
Paseo de la Reforma 305, Colonia Cuauhtenoc, 06500
Mexico, DF
NICARGUA
+505 2252-7100
Kilometer 5.5 Carreter Sur, Managua, Nicagagua
PANAMA
+507 317 5000
Bldg 783, Demetrio Basilio Lakas Ave, Clayton, Panama
REPORT U.S. CITIZEN MISSING ABROAD: 1-888-407-4747
GLOBAL MARINE DISTRESS SAFETY SYSTEM: 1-888-407-4747,
press “0” for overseas citizen emergency services.
DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION MARITIME ADMINISTATION, OFFICE OF
MARITIME SECURITY.
They provide information on piracy and safety and security,
and you can sign up for alerts by going online.
Emergency: 1-202-501-4444 (8-8 EST, M-F)
Stan & Diane
CROSSROADS ( last season's Panama Posse )
11) Panama Canal, Panama
Sprezzatura thru Canal and headed to San Blas Islands. Arrive
Bug Isle later today.
Transit was fun and easy. We were solo center lock. Great
Advisor Guillermo.
Line handling: Not for inexperienced crew and it requires more
than average strength.
Can’t emphasize enough how good Flamenco Marina Yard is. The
Manager Alejandro Cora is hands on, extremely accommodating and
gets stuff done right now!! I signed up for the “paint package”
rate and even though I had them do some other small jobs he
charged me just the quoted amount. They also did a polish and
wax job for $20/ft that produced outstanding finish. 3 step
process of wet sand with 1000/2000/3000 grit paper, polish with
3M #1, then final wax.
Marine Warehouse is a great source for equipment. They source
from US and ship from Miami at better shipping rates than Mail
Boxes Etc. which I used in Coronado and Panama City too.
Shelter Bay Marina personnel are super friendly and helpful. I’m
going back there.
Eric
SPREZZATURA
12) La Marina
Acapulco - Mexico
Rates
22 pesos x foot x day
5 pesos x kwatt
23 pesos x day water (non-potable quality 336 ppm)
Wifi at office only
24/7 security -
very safe
small store
small Chandlery
boat broker
bathrooms open from 9 to 6
no fuel - no laundry
Great
supermarket right across the street
amazing pool and
hot tub for members only ( membership 125,000 MXP x 5 years )
Contact
LUIS RAMIREZ MAGDALENO
GERENTE MARINA ACAPULCO
TEL:+52 744 483 6143
TEL: +52 744 483 7744
Cel +52 744 131 3007
marinaacapulco@jarestate.com
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
13) WEEKLY 2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE FLEET
CHECK IN and MORNING NET on MONDAY'S at 16:00 UTC
via LINE
We have over 77+ vessels in LINE and the calls are
great and very efficient and the Chatroom is open 24/7
It's a new way of doing things
- please download and install LINE https://line.me/en-US/
Works on Android / ios /
Windows / MAC OS
How to use it ....
- Register using your vessel name as the USERNAME
ie SV SEAGLUB
- Search for panamaposse or SV Carinthia or
Seaglub and befriend us -
- wait and accept your PANAMAPOSSE GROUP INVITE
- join the group chat -
it's awesome !
14) Please reply to this email with ...
anything really
- your updates
- contenders for picture of the week - links to your favorite SONGS
- relevant blog posts - and of course your valuable suggestions
and we'll include it in the next FLEET UPDATE -
Keep em 'coming
Dietmar & Suzanne
CARINTHIA
15) Opt-out from Fleet Updates simply reply with
"REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2019-03-20
1) You
are now part of 112 Vessels of 10 flag states - a.k.a.
A MULTINATIONAL FLOTILLA

USA, Canada, UK, Germany, France, Norway, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Panama and Denmark
Hip Hip Hooray to the 2018-2019 Panama Posse
2) Good Nautical and the Panama Posse - CALL FOR COMMENTS
You and many other vessels are moving up and down the coast so we challenge you to Add your comment -
It's really pretty easy - one you are logged into Good Nautical just follow the (Add new comment) link
for any Anchorage / Marina/ Fuel Dock / POI and please update these spots with your thoughts and valuable insights
You can even upload an image - just be sure to click the SAVE button when you are done filling out the form ...
3) Mexico City, MX
The crew of Slow Dancer flew from Ixtapa for
Mexico City on Feb 28 and met Nilaya's crew, who flew from
Chiapas. Together we enjoyed two days in the very modern
Mexico City and a day at the ruins of Teotihuacan
and some
very old but amazing cathedrals.
We then boarded a bus headed
for Anganguero.
From here we hired a private driver to drive
us up into the mountains
to the Monarch butterfly sanctuary at
El Rosario.
We rode horseback into the tall pines and
experienced the quiet reverence of this amazing place.
Monarchs were everywhere. They hung from trees by the
thousands. They flew all around us and they landed at water
sources.
What an awe inspiring day. We then traveled to the
hot springs at Los Azufres for a soak and a cool night in the
forest.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our inland adventure!
Ken & Dale
SLOW DANCER
5) Golfito Marina Village - Costa Rica
New Contact Infoas there has been a Management change.
and yes they will honor the Panama Posse discount so for reservations please contact
Gabriela Porras,
Guest Service Coordinator
Golfito Marina Village
Puntarenas, Costa Rica
T: +506 2775-3000
F: +506 2775-0204
C: +506 8770-3098
E: gabriela@golfitomv.com
6) Panama City Panama to Golfito, Costa Rica
Adventure between gales and no wind, but we have a way point to get out of the
strong N winds
that blow right into Naranja on the west side of the Pedasi
Penninsula:
After 7 years cruising in
Panama we are finally started our long sail north to Mexico. Hard to believe we
are leaving. Everybody knows how rough the trip can be especially rounding
Punta Mala, which I think is easier going north than south. Just a little info
for those you have residency in Panama, when you check out of the country you
both have to go to Immigration. We didn’t know and had Rogelio do our check
out. Which delayed our departure as Sid and Paradise were in Contadora waiting
for me to return from our provisioning tip. We had to sail back to Panama City.
Reason we both had to be there as Immigration checks how long you were in
Panama and for each month you stayed over it’s a fine, I believe its $50 for
each month over. When the immigration guy saw our passport he needed to see us
in person plus both our cedulas of course, it really made sense. Oh well,
cruising plans are all written in sand at low tide. We had a great sail to
Panama City but couldn’t check out the same day so I did some more
provisioning. BTW for those looking for data all the way to Mexico or down here
I am using Movistar Ilimitado for a month, cost 39.22and you get unlimited
data, YouTube, WhatsApp etc., but best of all it lets you roam for no extra
cost the entire coast, except Honduras, to Mexico. I was able to buy monthly in
advance, but just in case it does not work out I only bought an extra months.
Arriving in Costa Rica at first it did not work, guess it had to find the right
antenna to settle in, from then on it worked like magic, actually better than
the Wi-Fi the marina provides, which is working good as well. And they do sell
Movistar.
By the way we use Rogelio
to check in and out and he was our Panama Canal agent. We have known Roger
since 2000. He has helped cruisers for over 30 years and knows wherever you can
find anything from parts to foods to you name it. He has a Price Smart card and
will take you shopping for an hourly price, will get you to or from airport to
your boat, including shopping. He will help you in any way, great guy to know.
Rogelio De Hoyos
+(507) 229 2785 +(507)6717 6745 info@panamacruiserconnection.com
It was a teary goodbye,
sure will miss him, he is a great guy
and always there when needed.
February 5th
2019 at 11 am we pulled anchor and sailed out of Panama City towards Punta Mala
with heavy hearts. We will miss Panama and all the wonderful friends we made
here.
It was a 90 mile straight
shot to Punta Mala and our only hurdle was the northerly winds that blow very
strong from December on through February/March. Don’t let anybody tell you the
Christmas Winds only blow on the Caribbean side, not so, especially in the
Punta Chame to Punta Mala area. The winds can be very high with gusts to gale
force. We had it on our mind that it could be a rough trip. We did have 20
knots and at times up to 30 gust but it was actually amazingly calm on wind
waves, not to mention we were going with them. Main was out and so was the
staysail. We were sailing 6 to 7 knots which was too fast for our planned
arrival at Punta Mala just before ebb tide. Our main is fairly big and in these
conditions it’s easier to just let the jib pull us instead the main push us any
which way. You would think bringing down a big main would slow you down at
least 1 knot, but not on this trip, we actually reefed the jib 3 times to where
we could not make it any smaller and still we were going 5 plus. Our hull speed
is 6.
As we past San Carlos the
winds picked up steadily and intensified the closer we got to Punta Mala, we
now had a steady 30 knots with gusts up to 40.
There is nowhere to anchor
and wait out the weather so we kept going as it was a comfortable sail. But we
would have loved to slow down a bit.
When dark settled in after
the sunset I turned in for the first watch and Sid was keeping an eye out.
Never really fell asleep but no idea what made me get up and go over the port
side to look out, there was a lot of breaking waves on this side more so than
on our starboard side. But then what got my attention was lit up torpedoes
shooting through the water alongside our boat and towards the bow when it hit
me, it was dolphins. The splashes created by at least a dozen dolphins were all
lit up in phosphorescence. They all played with the bow for a few minutes then
they disappeared. I turned to my side again when I saw the torpedoes on the starboard
side so both of us rushed to that side and watched probably the most amazing
thing we have ever seen. I am sure you all have seen photos of dolphins surfing
waves breaking on to the beach. I count myself lucky to have witnessed this at
Zuma Beach in Malibu years ago. Now imagine about 8 dolphins side by side surfing
a wave but all you see is the silhouette of 8 dolphins glowing in solid
phosphorescence, wow. An image that will never be erased.
By still sailing so fast even
with just a hanky out we were going to sail around Punta Mala at 3 am, which in
this wind we did not want to do in the dark so we decided to anchor off Isla
Iguana which is 8 miles away from the point. There is really not much of a good
anchorage most of the time but considering not having much choice we found a
corner on the island that might be a bit more protected until just daylight. We
anchored and it was a bit rough but doable. Not to mention you can’t see in the
dark. We tried to sleep but by now a full gale was blowing we had winds 40
knots plus and it got rougher and rougher. When we finally could see oh shoot 6
foot waves bounced us around. Time to pull anchor and head towards Punta Mala,
had no other place to go. The anchor was snagged and would trip the fuse to the
windless, several times Sid had to rush down below and set it, while I was
motoring into the waves or doing a quick U-turn as far as the chain would let
me. By the 4th or 5th U-tern the anchor came up, we
figured it was wrapped around a rock or rocks. We sailed with just the little
sail up again towards the mainland, hoping the current would be less extreme
along the coast and found that to be the case. Wind away from the island slowed
down to 20 knots and the seas were half the size in the lee of the island. Our sail
around Punta Mala was with ½ the jib out very smooth, piece of cake, wow and
all the worries. Just about 5 minutes after we rounded the bay, the wind
started up again, we saw the reefs along the shore with waves of water spray
being blown up in the air from the off shore wind. The water was nothing but
white caps. Jib was pulled in to a small sail area again and Sid turned the
motor on. We knew there was a good south current but we never thought this much
of a current. Since Iguana we only had 21 miles to sail to our next
destination, a 4 hour trip that turned into 8 hours. We did not move an inch,
current was that bad with the gale force wind. Just good it was an offshore
winds so we had no waves to battle. We fought the current and with the RPMs at
full speed. When lucky we reached a few
2 to 3 knots of speed but mostly was 0.8 to maybe 2 knots. It was frustrating,
at one point we took the sail in, figuring maybe that’s slowing us. We were at
a standstill and the wind blew us further off shore. Out came the jib again. We
finally managed to sail along with 2 to 3 knots. One bay we sailed passed I saw
something rush through the water and as it came closer to Paradise I recognized
about 15 roosterfish speeding just below the water surface. I told Sid but by
the time he came on my side they were gone, but wait, there is another group of
about 8, wow. Sid said they hunt together like this, it was a kewl sight. The
sail was still sluggish and slow but then when we came to Ensenada Benao, our
destination, it was the pits. Gusts now were 40 knots pushing us literally away
from the shore it was a nightmare. I was on the helm steering the boat the best
possible way to get a 1 knot to 2. It was getting frustrating we had just a few
hundred feet to go to the opening of the anchorage when I noticed the gear
shift lever. It was a bit forward but not far enough forward as it should be
and asked Sid: “are we in gear”. We ran
the dam engine on high RPMs all day long fighting a barely existing (0.6 knot
current). I think that can go in the book of “The dumbest things we have ever
done”!!!
The worst of the trip was
over, so we thought as Punta Mala is a good challenge, well more so for
southbound boats, but. We still had another about 100 miles to deal with these
norther winds until we were out of the zone but from here on it should not be
as strong, so we thought…..
We cleaned up the mess
down below that Iguana anchorage caused and spent 2 nights resting in Benao.
The wind was just howling so we didn’t even feel like lowering the dinghy and
going ashore. We have been here on a car trip so know this beach. Beautiful
place and offers several good restaurants and resorts.
Amazing not even 2 miles
out of anchorage wind slowed from 25 to 18 as I had suspected that it is a
local condition for wind to funnel down the hill. Four miles later we had 8 to
10 knots and still in the lee of the land it was a smooth sail.
About 10 miles in to the
trip there was a canyon coming up and all we saw was white caps an indication
of lots of wind, we immediately reduced our sail as we approached the windy
area and had winds anywhere for 13 to 28 knots funneling down the hill. There
was another area blowing up to 36.7 and once cleared dropped to 13 to 28.
We noticed this wall of
clouds along the southern part and the closer we got to the west point Mariato,
the end of the Pedasi Peninsula, the wall abruptly stopped, we figured that was
there due to the high winds, hmmm, interesting.
5 miles before next
Mariato Point the wind gusted again with 30 then within 4 min wind changed from
N to SW. We were sailing with staysail up at 3.8 to 4 knots and had a slight
current.
I saw several turtles peek
their heads out next to the boat before disappearing into the depths again.
It was a great sail until
we passed Mariato Point. Just around the corner is Naranjo an anchorage we had
stopped for a few days on our way south in 2000.
Just as soon as we rounded
the point the wind turned around and in just seconds all hell broke loose. Gale
force winds hit us including 6 to 7 foot high close together wind waves. Bow
was completely under water, jerry jugs lifted out of the fore deck onto and
across the deck. Never seen so much water over deck. Then again and again. We
didn’t even have to make a decision, it was clear this was not for us and
around we turned. Anchorage Naranja was out of the question as this weather was
heading right into it. While rounding the point I noticed a cute bay with 3
beaches and that’s where we headed. We had to race the sun there before she
said goodnight for the day as there is no info on this area so obviously nobody
ever anchors there. We needed the sunlight to see hidden rocks as there seemed
to be many of them. The sun gods were with us and we found a flat area which we
assumed is just sandy bottom and dropped the anchor just before the last blink
of the sun disappearing on the horizon. This anchorage has no name but is 3
miles before the corner of Naranjo, coming from Punta Mala.
Waypoint: 07’29.445N 81’13.469W we should call it “Paradise Refuge”
(NOTE YOU JUST GOT NAMING RIGHTS !!!)
Be careful if coming in
here, lots of hidden rocks to the West side, East side has flat bottom. This
anchorage is perfect for the Papagayo winds but looks hostile with southerly
winds. We anchored in 45 feet of water, at time did not know what tide was,
calm 20 knots of wind which intensified overnight, had gust up to 40 knots, a
full blown gale again. We decided not to go anywhere until the blow is over.
When I finally went down
below I noticed the chaos, the salon hatch leaked, all fruit bowls on table had
¾ inch salt water in them. 4 pillows soaked and part of settee plus floor, a
mess.
The wind was still howling
in the morning and as the day went on the howling of the wind was jarring on
our nerves. Sid was looking for his earplug but found them all disintegrated,
all of them but the creative inventor he is he found some left over foam from a
life jacket and carved us earplugs. Oh that peace of “almost” quiet was sooooo
nice.
The rocks next to us let
us know how much the winds was blowing by the vail of a spray lifting up in the
air and out to sea.
We spent a second night
with hopes that the wind would slow down. We had no data service here and could
not check on the weather at all.
It was a nice anchorage
very scenic and we were all alone.
A couple hours later we
saw a sail boat heading east and hailed them on the radio to let them know in
case they need to hunker down there is a good place here. As it turned out they
were anchored in Naranja for protection they did not get and were so happy we
contacted them.
About 1 hour after they
anchored the wind dropped to nothing, wow, we waited another 30 minutes and
still nothing. We decided to pull anchor and head around the corner to see if
we can find data (while surprised with the waves over the deck WhatsApp got
some data) to get a weather report and in case the wind came back to return and
hunker down. Near Naranjo we did find some data but just enough to get WhatsApp
going but the wind stayed calm so we went for it. We had 10 miles to go to
Ensenada Cebaco, the weather stayed clear and dolphins had fun playing with the
bow wake before we anchored in the sheltered bay just before sunset.
No wind howling no ocean
motion we slept like babies. At 7 after coffee and breakfast we started the
motor to a really weird click noise in engine compartment but engine did not
start. Off came the box while Sid checked the engine, after checking the wires
to the starter he found a loose one a few minutes later and a few cranks we
finally started the engine, Sid put the box back on and came back to the
cockpit. I mentioned to him I smelled something funny, he did not. 5 minutes
later we both went down below when he smelled it too. He opened the engine box
and found the coolant lid gone and coolant spewing in the air. We immediately
turned the engine off as it was over heated. The fresh water pump was toast and
of course that’s the only spare part we forgot to get last time we replaced it
in Bonaire. Murphy’s law at its best again.
February 11. The good
thing was we have sails and only had 98 miles to go to Golfito so anchor came
up and hoisted sails. It was a slow sail out of the anchorage until we were
away from the lee of the island doing 2.2 knots for at least 1 hour. Around
noon the wind picked up to 10 knots and we were moving with 4.7 knots. This
held for a couple hours and all of a sudden out of nowhere we had this huge
gust heeling us over for just a few seconds then nothing for 30 minutes, we
were sailing with 1.9 knots. It was calm enough I decided to start cooking
dinner, when I noticed the dish washing soap was on the wrong side of the sink
and had fallen onto the faucet and opened it. Somebody put that darn thing on
the wrong side, if we catch that somebody…..There wasn’t much water coming out
good thing but had no idea how long it had been open and how much we lost.
Still had water so far so good. But when I turned the stove on there was no
propane coming through the hose, oh no we can’t be out, we just filled the
tank. Sid investigated for a kink in the hose or something cutting the line of
gas, nothing but then he realized the regulator was well on its end. He was
able to fix it so we had cooking gas. (We have small propane tanks which were a
nuisance to fill in Panama so we bought a local propane tank while in Panama,
once this one is empty we will switch back to our own tanks).
We still had little wind
and what we had moved us at 1.9 knots 50 degrees of course, but we were moving.
At 22.30 the wind completely shut down that was just off the point of Isla
Coiba. At midnight the wind decided to come back and with 5 knots pushed us at
a speed of 1.3. I think we can swim faster than this.
By morning we had moved 10
miles since the wind started up again and in the 24 hours since we had left
Cebaco we had moved an incredible 30 miles and had still 70 miles to go to
Punta Burrita not to mention a further 18 miles plus miles to Golfito. At this
rate it will take days to get there.
Feb 12th at
08:30 we had 67.72 miles to go and sailed wing on wing with 1.3 knots in 3.2
knots of wind. The whisker pool helped to keep the jib out. I went down below
for some water but realized: OH shit we have an empty tank! What else is going
to go wrong. Can’t make water with no engine, good thing we still have 2 gallon
bottles under salon table and 2-6 gallon jugs on deck. Not being able to run
engine we turned the freezer and fridge off during the night so not to run down
the batteries. Sid hooked up the Honda generator and we ran it to top of the
batteries. Not having batteries would have been yet another disaster as we
would have lost everything in fridge and freezer. Yes we were on survival mode,
that’s our survival mode.
At 11:49 we still had
62.34 miles go, wind was at 4 to 6 knots and our speed 2.4 knots. Sid ran the
generator for 3 hours for the water maker but water maker draws more power so
maybe only made 10 gallons of water but it was water.
At 15.33 we had 50 miles
to go and we were sailing 5.7 knots yeah, great. We had to change course to
avoid an island between us and Punta Burrita and as there were lots of
underwater rocks which were deep enough underwater to sail across but knowing
they would create lots of current we decided to sail around that area to avoid
the current. We sailed 10 miles and when we wanted to tack the wind shifted and
came from an impossible direction other than the direction we came from, so had
to sail the 10 miles back. We reached the island we now had to pass due west
but the wind completely shut down at 1.45 am. We were sitting 12.11 miles off
Burrica with no wind, so little to go. Feb 13th 11.30 am we were still sitting
in no wind and knowing that Way She Goes might be in the area and we spotted a
sailboat on the horizon we hailed them on channel 16 but no responds.
This was getting really
frustrating we were so close yet so far.
At 12:38 a puff of air,
hoping it would pick up but didn’t. At 13:29 we finally had 6 knots of wind and
were moving with 2 knots towards Golfito. 15:30 3 knots in 9.2 knots of wind
and the Geni was running to keep the batteries up. We were out of water again
so we only had made a couple gallons tops.
We had to change course
for a better angle and sailed 12 miles with 5 knots and had the perfect angle
to sail into the Golfito bay when the wind shut down again. We now were just on
the other end of the entrance than early that morning. Not a breath of air. But
we had a good night sleep with no one on watch, well we were not going anywhere
not even a drift in any direction. A good downpour of rain woke us up, what the
hell, its dry season, it didn’t rain long to collect water, just long enough to
get everything soaked. Back to bed when I woke up to dolphins swimming around
Paradise. Love it!
February 14th
Happy Valentines’ Day were 15.35 miles away from the Golfito Bay entrance and
still not a breath of air.
About 11:45 Sid had enough
of this and we lowered the dinghy and he hooked it up snug on the transom,
turned the outboard on and started pushing, we had a ¼ tank of gas and figured
to push the boat as far as it goes and amazingly it took us into the Golfito
Bay and since we still had another full tank we decided we had enough to get us
all the way to Golfito.
Sid always has said:
“never underestimate a 15 hp outboard”, he was pushing Paradise with 3.5 to 4
knots. I handed him the full tank down, an ice cold coke and an umbrella. At
one point he climbed in the boat so we could check the waypoints and to go pee
then slipped back into the dinghy.
As we inched closer to
Golfito the Golfito Marina finally heard us on the VHF radio and he organized a
boat to come out and get us. There was a misunderstanding, he took off and left
us to ourselves to bring the boat into the slip.
Just as we came out of the
channel to Golfito a green and yellow dinghy speed towards us, I be damned if
that wasn’t Wayne on Way She Goes. Together with his help after I rounded the
dock he pushed the bow of Paradise into the slip while Sid hit the reverse.
The, what would have been
48 hour trip ,turned into a 4 day trip from hell.
My hero Sid got us back to
civilization on Valentine’s Day and we celebrated it at the wonderful La Playa
Restaurant at the Marina with Sheila and Wayne.
Happy Ending
The Golfito Marina is the
newest Marina in Golfito and therefore the best one as well ,but still under
construction. Banana Bay Marina is I think the oldest and first one, it was the
favorite of all south bound cruisers when we left. We never went there as there
was a lot of break-ins and thievery in the bay. Not much has changed in Costa
but I will get to that.
We did have lunch at the
Banana Bay Marina just to see what we are missing. We are missing not much
except old worn out docks. One of the sport fishers in a slip entertained us to
no end. He has his beautiful expensive boat sitting in this ugly slip and the
entertaining part, after he got done washing the boat he went inside and in a
few minutes appeared with a hammer in his hand and went on the dock. It was
hilarious he walked the whole side dock and hammered all the nails back into
the wood, he must have hammered 60/70 nails then I guess he realized that was a
fun thing to do he went on the main dock and hammered more in. When we left we
teased him that he had forgotten some nails.
The Golfito Marina is
owned by a wealthy Naples resident who keeps his 168.9 meter $40 000 000.00
boat Annastar in this marina. The dock is well built and it had pretty flower
plants and well, makes you feel you are in Florida somewhere. The staff is
super friendly and it definitely is well guarded day and night. Every guard on
the premises carries a gun and we see the guards walk the dock at any time at
night.
Rule number one in Costa
Rica is, hide anything of value down below and don’t leave anything on deck,
even boat hooks, bumpers etc. We feel pretty safe in this marina.
It’s very quiet though,
ever since Wayne and Sheila left there are no other cruisers here except big
sport fishers.
We ordered the fresh water
pump for our engine but found out that Costa Rica charges incredible taxes and
for everything different percentage, for shampoo for instance 28%,
Household
items like coffeemaker, blender 49%, Guitar 29%, Flat Screen TV, DVD Players 49%, water heater 68.8%, Automotive parts 42.78%
yikes our part is $500
We are about 1 ½ hours (3
to 4 hours by bus) car drive away, from David in Panama so I opened a Mail Box
Etc account and have it shipped there and will take the bus to David and
back.
We are also losing a lot
of precious cruising time waiting for the part and are debating whether to
leave the boat here for our trip to Switzerland and head up to Mexico in
September. We are allowed to be in Costa Rica for 90 days and so is the boat.
In order to keep the boat in the marina here we have to obtain a bond on the
boat and boat is not allowed to leave the marina, which it won’t as we will not
be here. It’s an easy deal and all the marinas will help you to get the bond.
The boat can stay as long as you need and when you return you and the boat get
another 90 days of visa. I am not sure yet how much the bond is but heard each
marina is different. Sail Fish I know charges $100.
The marina has no pool but
Casa Roland Hotel is open for anyone. If you don’t like huge crowds avoid going
there on a weekend as all the locals are enjoying the pool. During the week if
you see 10 people it’s a lot. The restaurant has wonderful food and they make
yummy fruit cocktails.
Shopping here is basic but
they do have wonderful veggies, healthy looking and the tomatoes are vine
ripped. Every veggie I have bought so far is bigger and more colorful than in
Panama. Not much of a fruit selection other than Pineapple, papaya, apples and
grapes.
Since then it’s been a
waiting game, on the part.
Sid & Manuela PARADISE
7) SAVE THESE DATES &
SPONSORS
Wednesday, May 1st - Panama
Posse Labor Day Party @ Golfito Marina Village, Costa Rica
Saturday, May 25th - Season
Finale - Panama Posse 18-19 Yacht Fest @ Vista Mar Marina
- Panama
For the list of all of our Sponsors
please go to
https://www.panamaposse.com/sponsors
8) Pictures of the Week - it's a TIE
Juan & Michelle
AY CARAMBA
Victoria & Rowan & Crew
TALIESIN ROSE
9) Please reply to this email with ...
anything really
- your updates
- contenders for picture of the week - links to your favorite SONGS
- relevant blog posts - and of course your valuable suggestions
and we'll include it in the next FLEET UPDATE -
Keep em 'coming
Dietmar & Suzanne
CARINTHIA
10) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply
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FLEET UPDATE 2019-03-09
1) Bahia Balena, Costa Rica
Octopus Garden update in Bahia Balena CR - we’ve stayed in this beautiful place over a week now bouncing between the south anchorage (town of Tambor) and north anchorage (beach of your dreams). It’s too nice here to leave. Everything you need, nothing you don’t. Store, bar, restaurants, taxi to the little town. Really enjoyed eating casada de pescado at Christina’s, pizza at Henry’s and the beach volleyball tournament
PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Jim & Susy
OCTOPUS GARDEN
2) Zihuatanejo, MX
Venue for the Zihuatanejo Guitar Fest - an array of incredible musicians opening night, with lots more to come this week.
Plus there’s pickleball here!
Katy & Bill
KLICKITAT II3) Las Perlas, Panama
Here we are in Las Perlas and still loving it.
Since we got back from Europe we have been trying to decide where to go next! Panama really is a crossroads but having come from the north and already crossed the Pacific from the west it leaves east into the Caribbean or the south down the west coast of South America. Strong easterly trade winds make sailing in the southern Caribbean difficult before the end of March and then the hurricane season kicks in at the beginning of June, leaving us only couple of months to enjoy cruising there. We kicked around the idea of sailing south down to Equador but beating against the SE trades and the Humbolt Current did not really appeal and the few people we know who have been there were not terribly enthusiastic about it. So after mucho deliberation we have decided to stay here on the Pacific coast of Panama for the next few months . . . Da . . . Daaa!
There were a couple of other factors which weighed in: firstly we thought we’d set up shop doing BnB/sailing tours on the boat. Contadora is easily accessible from Panama City and Islas Las Perlas is a beautiful archipelago with plenty of sheltered bays for kayaking and beachcombing and reefs for snorkeling and fishing; great for 4-5 days tours. We figured it would be fun to show people our lifestyle, it motivates us to explore more of the islands and it will replenish our dwindling boat fund. We’ve had four groups of guests this month, it’s been a pleasure having them on board so it’s all going well so far.
We are also keen to get involved in cleaning up the islands beaches in some way. Although the beaches look pristine most of them have plastic debris scattered along the high tide line. Exposed to sunlight the plastic breaks down into smaller plastic particles which are washed back out to sea and are easily ingested by various forms of marine life. The best way to break this cycle is to stop putting plastic into the oceans, the next best way is to remove the plastic when it is trapped on the beach. Here endeth the lesson!
We are trying to work out a system to remove all existing plastics from the beaches and dispose of it via recycling and/or landfill, and to write a proposal in order to secure the necessary funding to make it happen. To scope out the project we cleaned up 50m of beach on the west side of Isla Mogo Mogo. It took four very hot and sweaty man hours and we collected about 1m3 of plastic. With over 8000m of beach distributed around 200 islands, this is no mean feat! What our role in all this might be we don’t know, perhaps we’ll combine sailing tours with plastic collection so you can come and have a holiday in paradise and feel good about contributing to cleaning up marine plastic. If you have any suggestions or ideas please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you.
Isla Contadora is a great little island to base ourselves at. It is the playground of the uber-rich and famous from Panama City who occasionally visit their mansions but tend to stay behind closed gates. Most of the other houses are owned by expats who live here semi-permanently or are small hotels or BnBs. A trickle of tourists come and go on the daily ferry from the City and at weekends a flotilla of gleaming white motor launches arrives and the anchorage is transformed; tents scattered on the beach, throbbing music, and jetskis zapping about.
The tiki bar at the Mar y Oro hotel on the beach has a happy hour and we have met quite a few of the locals and tourists – it’s getting to be quite sociable. On Saturday evenings Neil has been playing keyboards with John, a local guitarist, in the hotel restaurant. They play laid back blues and attract a bit of a crowd – it’s good fun.
A couple of weeks ago the World ARC rally arrived in the anchorage. This is a group of some twenty five yachts that are cruising around the world together over a period of about thirteen months. They started in St. Lucia in the Caribbean in November, have just come through the Canal and gathered in Contadora to start Leg #3 – Panama to Galapagos. Distant Drummer was suddenly surrounded by yachts, the radio buzzed with British and other European accents and the beach was crowded with dinghies. It was great to meet some other yachties and hear their tales from Caribbean shores.
They only stayed for a couple of days then it was time to move on (they move a bit faster than we do!) We puttered amongst them in the dinghy as they gathered at the start line for the departure to Galapagos. It was quite a spectacle with their brightly coloured spinnakers raised to catch the light northerly breeze. As they sailed over the horizon we listened to their chatter on the radio and breathed a sigh of relief to be living life in the slow lane.
Although we have been here for a couple of months now we are still exploring islands we haven’t visited yet. Isla Pacheca is a small island with a swathe of beautiful white sand beach and amazing clear turquoise water. We took a short walk in land looking for coconuts and stumbled upon a group of green-footed boobies nesting on the ground. They are totally unafraid of humans and sat on their nests making a croaky hissing sound to warn us to keep away. A half grown chick was strutting around showing off it’s fluffy white downy plumage, it was a treat to watch.
Isla Saboga is a large island which lies just to the west of Contadora and supplies the power and the workforce to its more glamorous sister. We went over to have a look around and to meet Alex, Yaiza and Jacob who run a campsite and sailing school there. One of their other projects is collecting garbage from the beach. They recycle the tins and glass but most of the plastic they currently burn. They have been experimenting with melting different types of plastic at specific temperatures to make plastic bricks for building construction but it is difficult to do without an oven to maintain an accurate temperature. It was interesting to hear about their experience and hopefully we can work together with them in the future.
The only downside of our Contadora “paradise” is the very limited water supply on the island so next week we will head back to Panama City to fill our water tanks. While we are there it will also be Carnival which is a major holiday in Central and South America. For four days before Lent people are celebrating in the street with parades, street parties, music, dance and feasting. It should be lots of fun!
More great posts at https://carmody-clan.com/2019/03/05/
Neil & Suzy
DISTANT DRUMMER4) Marina Papagayo Panama Posse Party, Costa Rica
Blessed - Floating Stones - Figment - Carinthia - Footloose - Ay Caramaba - Sonomara - Paradisea - Mai Tai - Toccata
Panama Posse Get together
Presentation of the Burgee to Dan Eaffaldano and Marina Papagayo
Pool Shark Michelle / AY Caramaba !
Cheryl /Floating Stones and Lisa / Footloose
3 Motor Vessels, 4 Catamarans & 3 Sailboats
Going over the anchorages south of here at the awesome cruisers lounge at Marina Papagayo, Costa Rica
10° 38.4496 N 085° 39.2371 W
VHF 23A Tel: +506 2690 3600
Tel: +1 888-863-0301
info@marinapapagayo.com
For Rental cars in the Cocos area and in the marina contact Toyota
They bring cars directly to the Marina for about 50 US x day
Call +506 6054-3279
Francisco Bolaños - Zone Coordinator
fbolaños@toyotarent.com
5) Red Frog Marina, Bocas de Toros, Panama
We are now picking our way through the Trade Winds in the Caribbean but would like to let everyone know about Red Frog Marina in Bocas Las Toros on the Caribbean side of Panama. Truly a great find! A beautiful and protected location, reasonably priced considering La Playita and Shelter Cove. Friendly staff and access to all the resort amenities.... restrauants, edgeless pool, electric carts to take you around, and great WiFi! All at a discount ! We then spent a couple of weeks on Isla Providencia with some great cruisers and are now discovering Roatan while waiting for the Trades to die down.
Doug & Nancy
FISHVICIOUS
6) Chiapas, MX
Marina Chiapas buses: Walking up the exit from the marina to the main road, after maybe a tenth of a mile, you cross the road and you can catch one of the Combi buses (vans) going into the main town of Tapachula to the left. The van has a dolphin on the side and goes by the main airport and the first stop in town is the Sam’s Club. Next is Walmart with the Home Depot across the street. The cost of the van is 25 pesos. It’s about a half hour to Walmart. You pay when you exit the van.
In the Walmart mall, there are other shops like optical shops, shoes, GNC, etc. and a little food court. To get back home, just catch a van going the other way.
Robert & Carol
Singularity
7) Marina Ixtapa, MX IXTAPA update. The dredging of the main channel is finished. There are no longer restrictions on entry times. We saw the dredger working the sides.
The tide chart for our arrival predicted a +.5’ tide and with our 7’ draft we saw 1.1’ under the keel just after the outer entrance.
While this was the only ‘shallow’ place, be sure to consult the tide chart when there are much larger tidal swings.
Jessica & Adam
VOLARE
8) Additional long term planning dates
Golfito Marina Village an IGY Destination Golfito, Costa Rica May 1st ’19)
Rally Completion & Award Event Vista Mar Panama May 25th ’19)
9) FREE GOOD NAUTICAL MEMBERSHIP
All relevant knowledge and fleet updates are being compiled into
Good Nautical an official 501(c)3 non-profit organization
All Fleet Update contributors will of course have access to all the shared data from Mexico through Panama.
Fuel docks, Anchorages, Marinas, National Parks, Routes, a.m.o.
Please email us to get your free login credentials and tutorial.
10) WEEKLY 2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE FLEET CHECK IN and MORNING NET on MONDAY'S at 16:00 UTC via LINE
It's a new way of doing things - please download and install LINE https://line.me/en-US/Â
Works on Android / ios / Windows / MAC OS
- Register using your vessel name as the USERNAME ie SV SEAGLUB
- Next search for panamaposse or SV Carinthia or Seaglub and befriend us -
- wait and accept your PANAMAPOSSE GROUP INVITE
11) PANAMA POSSE HOWLER MONKEY MARKETING and PROMOTIONPlease help us promote the Panama Posse with sailors, marinas, yachtclubs and chandleries
- if you are currently near a marina please print out this PDF in color and post it on the wall.
For extra fun (we did this last year) print it out and take a selfie with it on your vessel !
http://route.panamaposse.com/artwork/NOTICE_OF_A_RALLY_l.pdf
The Official Panama Posse Press Release - please forward it to your contacts and friends in the media
https://panamaposse.com/for-immediate-release-2018
12) Please reply to this email with any updates - your vessel location -
contenders for picture of the week - your favorite song for our list -
and we'll include it in the next Fleet Update
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
14) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply reply with "REMOVE"