1) Panama Posse SSB net
8297 (8B) and fallback to 4417 (4C) USB @ 13:00 UTC

Anchorages  Ballena N 09 43.162 – W 085 00.692 19ft
Anchorages  Samara N 09 52.040 – W 085 30.713 15.6ft
Water is more clear and warmer.

A big Panama Posse thank you to Mike from EASY – you are on frequency every day paying it forward THANK YOU !



2) Welcome to the Panama Posse
MANUKAI – Thor & Tanya – Mexico
WIND DANCER – Matt & Nancy – Mexico

3) KNOT RIGHT – Mexico
Looks like  the T-Peck is going to let up for a few days. We are heading to Chiapas around 5 PM this evening (15 Mar). Haven’t gotten any return phone calls from Memo Garcia at Chiapas. I hope he’s expecting us. I need a haul out for the season. One other question, anyone down in Chiapas know if they have a pump out station. My replacement macerator won’t get to Chiapas before I’m hauled out and I’m flying back to the states. BTW, my crew leaves Tuesday 20 March, and I leave Thursday 22 March. Flat mail delivery if you need it.

Walt

4) CARINTHIA – EASY – Costa Rica
Jungle river cruise from Bahia Ballena – following the tracks of Dad’s Dream – Interlude & Amante

minimum 3 feet at mid tide – so ample room at high tide for your dinghy – see our track in and out

Dad’s Dream – Amante – Easy – Carinthia – Interlude @ anchor in Bahia Ballena

Wide bay and surprisingly good basic provisioning – sports bar – pizza
Public dock you can tie up your dinghy to and purchase fish from local fisherman – quick walk to village
– catch a bus 9 – 11 AM to go to the waterfall at Montezuma – bus returns 14 – 16 – 18 PM
The anchorage on the north side of the bay is stunning with a picture perfect white sandy beach open too all.
The yacht club is defunct and are looking to work with the owner’s son to re-open …

Michael, Mike, Mike, Rick & Brenda, Suzanne & Dietmar




5) OCTOPUS GARDEN – Mexico

Lessons learned on our Chiapas tour

1-carry your passport and visa there are many immigration stops

2-unless you are young and very fit 3 days in a row was too much, build in a rest stop

3-if guides are included English speaking guides were always extra and we even had a guide tell us he was here to lead us, if we wanted him to talk and answer questions that was extra!

4- try to make all long trips in a real bus the 14 passenger vans are very uncomfortable especially in the back row

5-The drivers are professional, friendly and helpful. They are NOT tour guides they know nothing about the attractions

6-you will be deluged by little kids selling and begging. Do not talk with them or engage them in any way. You must totally ignore them. They will get very aggressive don’t engage them!

7-Chiapas is beautiful. The native guides barely speak Spanish and can’t read or write in some cases. Don’t expect them to be naturalists or historians. They are also intolerant of outsiders (us) yet are in the tourist business. They can appear as rude or uncaring. So be prepared with a smile.

8-our tour included meals which were good if bland, small portions, and drinks other than 1 glass of flavored water were extra. We were always hungry and thirsty. I’d carry something extra.

9-carry and use bug spray in the jungle. Carry lots of water. Have a small backpack for each person. Pace yourself you don’t have to climb every pyramid

Spend extra time in San Cristobal it’s wonderful!

Jim & Susy



6) SEA GLASS – Costa Rica

While in Playa Del Coco see Alan and Danielle at Coco Marine for all your boat mechanic needs.
(Alan, phone number 8410-8419. Or 6076-8938 Danielle) email cocomarinesupply@gmail.com
He is a Mercury Marine ourboard dealer and certified marine technician who fixes all make and models.
Repairs generators. He helped us change out the raw water pump on SEA GLASS and has a fully equipped shop.

(note by Annapourna )
fixed my outboard too. Worked hard to find parts, got them delivered quickly and installed them the next day. Hevfound creative ways to repair without new parts when it became apparent that some of the parts could not be delivered for several weeks. He is also a really helpful guy to know in Coco del Playa.

Chris & Amanda


7) RESPITE – Costa Rica
White faced capuchin monkey. We saw many of them in the Curu Nature Preserve. Definitely a must visit place!

Chris & Janet



8) AVANT – MEXICO – Marina Chiapas

Marina Chiapas update.

Dry yard refinishing will probably be finished end of this week (they can still haul for short term, bottom paint, etc.).

This will be my last marina chiapas update, as Avant is scheduled to depart bound Bahia del Sol later this morning.

Rob & Debra



9) HALCYON – Costa Rica

Thank you Amanda from Sea Glass for making Halcyon this absolutely killer surfboard bag, we love the bag almost as much as we loved getting to spend so much time with you! — at Papagayo Marina @ Papagayo Peninsula

John & Becca


10) TOTEM – Panama
What’s it going to cost for canal transit? I’ve got a breakdown here that attempts to gather all the various fees. I wish Is understood it better before (good news, we thought it would cost more). Happy to help with any follow up info, resource links, etc. – just let me know. Kinda jammed this post out while it was fresh!

http://www.sailingtotem.com/2018/03/panama-canal-the-cost-for-a-big-shortcut.html

Closest anchorage to Pacific canal entrance: La Playita side of Isla Culebra.
Totem had a sweet one-day transit yesterday and is very happy to be back in the Pacific!
Lat/long and map view at https://farkwar.com/waypoints/37615 or 8 54.40 N / 79 31.51 W.
Northbound in a couple of days.

Behan & Jamie



11) LIQUID – Costa Rica

Is it the end of Papagayo season???

Water temperature has jumped 10 degrees and clarity has improved dramatically here in Playa del Coco. The wind has even dropped over the last few days.

Hope this is the sign of the new season

(note from all the Papagayo Survivors YES – this is the end !!!)

Marc & Laura

12) CROSSROADS – Panama
Device Name: CrossRoads Spot
Latitude: 8.47358
Longitude: -79.90573
GPS location Date/Time: 03/16/2018 08:56:00 CDT
Message: Motor vessel CrossRoads is OK!

Stan & Diane

13) Picture of the Week – FRED AGAIN III 

Fred Again III has arrived in Playa Del Coco, CR. We had a smooth sail from Costa Del Sol with average sustained winds of 15k and no issues except for cargo ship Anne which attempted to squash us in the middle of the night (insisting it was a mile away when it was clearly no more than a half mile away). We are ready for a day of paperwork cha cha and then tomorrow  the crew leaves to go back to the states.

Here is my favorite pic from the passage- a bird resting on the back of a tortoise about 10 miles off the shore of Nicaragua.

Robert, Michael & Laura



Keep em coming