“It doesn’t matter where you are.
You are nowhere compared to where you can go.”
– Bob Proctor
SPREZZATURA’S JOURNEY
What A Long, Great Trip
M/Y Sprezzatura
Barra to Barra
December 7, 2018, 09:12, Depart Barra De Navidad, Mexico
January 5. Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
January 10, Puerta del Sol, Nicaragua
January 12, Playas Cocos, Costa Rica
February 11, Isla Parida, Panama
February 18, Panama City, Panama
March 27, Transit Panama Canal
April 14, Bocas Del Toro, Panama
April 27, Montego Bay, Jamaica
May 2, Mathew Town, Bahamas
May 20, Cape Canaveral, Florida, USA
August 13, Portland, Maine
December 16, St. Augustine, Florida
January 15, 2020, Bimini, Bahamas
February 22, Grand Cayman Island
March 18, Bocas Del Toro, Panama
14 day quarantine, 30 day curfew
May 28, Colon, Panama
4 month hauled out at Shelter Bay Marina
October 31, Panama Canal Transit
December 8, Golfito, Costa Rica
January 2, 2021 Chiapas, Mexico
February 24, 2021 1500, Arrive Barra De Navidad, Mexico
- 3 Years
- 1 Month
- 24 Days
- 12,111 Nautical Miles,
- 2,220 Hours
Bravo Zulu ERIC !!! SIGNIFICANT SIGHTS IN JAMAICA
The Blue Lagoon
Ken and Dale enjoying Jamaica
Goats on the move in Jamaica
Can you say Jerk Chicken
Large Mansions along the shoreline
Made it to Matthew Town Great Inagua, Bahamas !
SY SLOW DANCERtook the lifting winds from a large NE system for a sweet sail to the Southern Bahamas Threading the Windward Passage !
SV GARGOYLE utilized that same weather system to sail from the Cayman Islands towards Turks and Caicos
The Windward Passage
Fri Mar 05 2021Tonight we’re navigating the Windward Passage, that stretch of water bordered by Haiti to, the east and Cuba to the west. This is certainly one of those storied stretches of water that counts as a bucket list accomplishment. However tonight it is a rather quiet stretch of water with a high pressure ridge stalled over this area, giving us a quiet weather window for our run east.Currently, we’re crossing the traffic seperstion zones, which usually indicate high traffic areas. Tonight though, there’s on one ship on AIS. All is quiet, just the way we like our night watch. We have a 1 knot “push” from the currents on the eastern side of the channel, which is helping us along quite nicely.Unfortunately, we’ve had very little sailing on this passages, motoring for almost 90% of the time. While we planned for this quiet stretch it goes against our nature to motor. That said, if we were to sail we would likely get caught Monday in 30 knot plus winds and 9’ seas which is even more not in our nature. Moo, we’ll be tucked into an anchorage off the Caicos island doing what is in our nature, having a cocktail, while that wind blows through. Here’s to weather windows. Boring but safe.Star Light, Star Bright, First Star I See TonightThu Mar 04 2021As dusk settles softly over the seas between Cuba and Jamaica I wait for the first star and I remember other nights from another time. As is often the case on Night Watch the veil between now and the past is thin. I can practical smell those magical evenings as the sun slowly set and the air was filled with anticipation. We would gather in the yards and play endless games of kick the can. Slowly night would fall until someone would notice that first star and we would pause and whisper those magical words to make that wish. What did I wish for back then? Did I wish to be a sailor, exploring distant shores? It was all so very long ago.Tonight though is now and I make my wish on the star Rigel, at the foot of Orion. This I know not because I’ve grown wise over the years but rather due to what would have seemed magic to that childhood me, am Android app, SkyMap. The magic of yesterday and we hold it in our hands, unappreciated.What did I whisper out here on the sea? Some would wish for fair winds in this position. Others a safe passage. And yet more a beautiful destination. Yet none of those even occur to me. No, I’ve learned the hard way to wish for one more Corona with a friend, feet up in our flip flops, laughing. One more slice of grandmother’s home-made cherry pie. A hug from Mom.Now, unlike when I was a child, I ponder my wishes carefully. Unlike that younger version of me, I now know that those precious wishes, like these warm starry nights, are not infinite. I only have so many and I will try and use them wisely.
SY ORION USING FAVORABLE EASTING CONDITIONS
(USING THAT SAME SYSTEM)
TO SAIL FROM ROATAN TO SAN ANDRES VIA PIRACY PRONE WATERS 
FRIDAY As of 1600, no change in status. Alternator is down. No wind and motoring.2000 report. Wind has picked up a bit, which is helpful.It’s midnight, and we’re still trucking SATURDAY 0400 AM and dodging a number of radar tracks this morning.The two of concern appear to be moving away from me in unison approximately 14nm to my SE.0500 We’ve gone past them…. no issues.0800 AM Status. Winds up, motor is off, sun is shining, conserving fuel and making electricity. 150 nm to go 
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Exceptional diving of Roatan, Honduras
looks like a painting – or pattern for a tie
healthy reefs
diving through reef canyons
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reefs and drop-offs provide a fertile habitat for species
soft coral
the long dock undergoing repairs
on the calm horizons
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🇨🇴 BOTERO Fernando Botero Angulo (born 19 April 1932) is a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His signature style, also known as “Boterismo”, depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political criticism or humor. He is considered the most recognized and quoted living artist from Latin America, and his art can be found in highly visible places around the world, such as Park Avenue in New York City and the Champs-Élysées in Paris. 
Self-titled “the most Colombian of Colombian artists” early on, Botero came to national prominence when he won the first prize at the Salón de Artistas Colombianos in 1958. His art is collected by many major international museums, corporations, and private collectors. In 2012, he received the International Sculpture Center’s Lifetime Achievement in Contemporary Sculpture Award. 
“The Captain‘ was created by Fernando Botero
“The First Lady‘ by Fernando Botero
‘El presidente’ by Fernando BoteroBOTERO MUSEUM IN BOGOTAThe Botero Museum is located in Bogotá. The museum houses one of the most important international art collections in Latin America. Located at Cl. 11 #4-41, Bogotá, Colombia 04° 35.7383′ N 074° 04.3433′ W
COVID VACCINE ROLLOUT: RACE TO NORMALCY Most Embassies are not offering vaccinations for citizens abroad apart from their own staff, meaning private-sector personnel abroad need to arrange their own vaccinations, either by accessing locally available vaccines or by returning to their countries. This report provides a country-by-country overview of the state of the vaccine rollout as of the end of February 2021 as per “our world in data”The statistics were accessed on March 5, 2021 and reflect reported Cumulative COVID-19 vaccinations per 100 people (%) from countries who report this Canada 5.75Cayman Islands 36.53Colombia 0.41Costa Rica 2.94El Salvador 0.25Guatemala 0.01Honduras 0.03Mexico 2.06Panama 3.49United States 24.95source March 5,2021 https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations
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PANAMA POSSE “PODS”
PANAMA POSSE pods based on your cruising plans 💰 🍹🌿 ☠️ 🥥☸️ 🦜🌊 🏝️Based on seasonal gathering spots here are the “sub pods” with line calls after the main calls starting Mondays in November to save everyone’s time (great suggestion Eric Sprezzatura) 
🇲🇽 SY MOONRISE IS ON THE MOVE ! ENGINE REBUILT
As a special they scouted a new Tehuantepec anchorage @ ARISTA with cell phone coverage now in GoodNautical
MOSQUITOS, MALARIA and the PANAMA CANAL
The US was not the first country to attempt the feat. As early as the 1840s the British thought about digging a canal across the Isthmus of Panama, but were deterred by the hostility of the politics and geography
French Panama Canal Bond Certificate – 1880 In 1881 the French, buoyed by the successful construction of the Suez Canal in Egypt, decided to take on the project. But they did not account for the deadly mosquitoes: 22,000 of the project’s workers died after contracting malaria and yellow fever. The loss of life caused construction costs to spiral, leading to the bankruptcy of the canal’s owners in 1889 after they had spent $287m on the project ($7 billion at today’s prices). The canal lay abandoned and incomplete.
There is a cemetery on a hillside next to the town of Paraiso , on the Pacific side of the canal entrance that, as a child, was always pointed out to me as being “the French Cemetery”. Only the French Cemetery at Paraiso appears to include Frenchmen, although it also includes West Indian laborers who amounted to the largest number of fatalities during construction days. 
In 1904 the US Army was tasked* with helping construct a canal (* there is a lot more to this…) to connect the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean.The American government bought* (* there is a bit more to this…) the land in 1904 and quickly realized that it needed to protect its workforce from the diseases. To do so, it tried to kill as many of the disease-carrying mosquitoes in Panama as possible. Thousands of American troops were sent in with orders to destroy every habitat that could harbor the mosquitoes.Swamps were drained. Pools and lakes of still water were tainted with oil or simply blown up with explosives. Buildings in the area were fumigated and high-risk areas were doused with insecticide. The scale of the operation was huge: around 700,000 gallons of oil and 124,000 gallons of insecticide were used during the construction of the canal each year. And it was success, at least in relative terms. The death toll among the workforce was 5,000 by the time the canal opened in 1914.HOW IMPORTANT IS THE PANAMA CANAL ?
1914: The first $50 Federal Reserve Note was issued with an allegorical figure of Panama between a merchant and battle ship on the reverse.
One of the cruisers from a few seasons ago met with an infectious disease specialist in early Dec at the Ochsner Medical Center in New Orleans so as to address vaccination needs related to travels. Bottom line – no Yellow Fever in the parts of Panama and CR that most plan to visit – coastal areas and San Blas. The guidance document provided for Malaria risk is low throughout the year in all areas including the Canal Zone and Panama City. Risk is highest in Darien, Guna Yala, Panam and San Blas Provinces. No Risk – Cruises along the Panama canal will not necessitate anti-malarial medication. Adopt bite avoidance measures.Transmission does not occur on the San Blas Islands, but it is necessary to transit areas with known transmission risk en route to the islands. Daytime insect precautions are essential for UN-vaccinated travelers.”https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/preparing-international-travelers/yellow-fever-vaccine-and-malaria-prophylaxis-information-by-country/panama 
TROPICAL STRENGTH BUG SPRAY ! PANAMA POSSE <-> CREW
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🇵🇦 UPDATE FROM BOCAS DEL TORO, PANAMA 
🇲🇽 PICTURE OF THE WEEK 
Pink Flamingo Business in Barra de Navidad, Mexico 
TAKEAWAY FROM THE ECONOMISTS OCEAN SUMMIT 
The Climate and Ocean Risk Vulnerability Index (CORVI) is a tool to identify the financial, political, and ecological risks that climate change poses to coastal cities.Report on Climate change which is stressing social and environmental systems, impacting coastal ecosystems and the societies that depend on them. 
https://www.stimson.org/2020/corvi-understanding-and-measuring-climate-risk/
Under the Ecosystems category, ecosystem services such as coral reefs, sea grass beds, and mangrove forests, were amongst the highest scoring indicators. Experts noted that this risk is concentrated around Kingston’s international airport, where mangrove removal has heightened the risk of flooding, both for the airport and the two-lane road which connects it to the city. While recent mangrove replanting projects have helped, this risk still remains.Under financial risk, GDP per capita, urban unemployment, and public debt indicators scored highest in the Economics category. Informal housing construction also scored as high risk. While this indicator measures national levels of informal settlements, local experts noted that unregulated construction has occurred in key watershed areas, increasing flood risk in Kingston.
Sample from https://www.stimson.org/2020/corvi-risk-profile-kingston-jamaica/REMINDER WEEKLY PANAMA POSSE LINE CALLS MONDAYS @15:30 UTC for CARIBBEAN 16:00 UTC for PACIFIC
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IT WOULD NOT BE A RALLY WITHOUT A CONTEST by the end of May 2021 we will announce the winners in these highly competitive fields BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT HIGHEST WIND RECORDED BIGGEST MISHAP aka THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD SPEEDY GONZALEZ AWARDPANAMA POSSE YODA OF THE YEAR PICTURE OF THE YEAR GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR
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