FLEET UPDATE 2022-03-20

March 20, 2022

PANAMA POSSE 
FLEET UPDATE 

TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

1) NORTHERN PEARL’S COVID ODYSSEY CIRCUMNAVIGATION 

2) THE PANAMA POSSE GROWS TO 359 YACHTS FROM  26 FLAG STATES

3) PANAMA REQUIRES BOOSTER SHOTS 

1) THE COVID ODYSSEY CIRCUMNAVIGATION 
KEVIN 🇨🇦 SV NORTHERN PEARL 

SV Northern Pearl Kevin underway 

Greetings !

Below is a brief summary of our journey.

SV Northern Pearl is a 1983 Baltic 42 (DP).

Although a Canadian registered boat, I purchased her in Mexico early 2021 and renamed her soon after.

My 40 year old dream of sailing around the world is almost complete.

In
April of 2021 myself and 2 crew mates sailed to French Polynesia, just
as the COVID madness started to kick in…. I was part of Panama Posse and joined the Pacific Posse 

Now
my first (and only) mate, Jona, wasn’t able to get a transit visa to
return to Mexico so stayed on until we reached Fiji where he could
access a US Embassy…. Upon arrival we were informed the airport was
shutting down and the US Embassy closed for in person meetings.

Without
many options, Jona decided to stay on with me and complete the journey
which at that point, was to include Europe and Eastern North America.

By
the time we reached Cape Town in late December 2021, I had to re-think
the plan and as we were en route to St Helena and the Auto Pilot packed
it in, I came to the realization that traveling on a time line is not
conducive to cruising so instead of forcing myself through Europe and
NA, I have decided to focus on the circumnavigation and cross the Panama
Canal and make my way north to Mexico, officially complete the mission
and decide from there how I get Northern Pearl back to Vancouver…..

Either
push north in May/June or leave the boat for the summer/winter and come
back next spring and sail to Vancouver via Hawaii!

The “fly in the ointment” is my sons wedding in July…..originally I was going to fly home from Europe….

I have some options….so time will tell.

Crossing the Panama Canal will technically complete the Circumnavigation so that is our immediate objective!

However it works out…..It’s been fantastic up to this point!

SV Northern Pearl Kevin 

A FEW OF KEVIN’S LOG ENTRIES – read them all  here
 https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/NorthernPearl/

Tue Apr 13 2021 
Day 1, out of PV

Mon Jul 12 2021

Departed Bora Bora this morning at 8

At 5:30 we dropped anchor off of Uturoa as we learned this afternoon that our keel was too deep to enter marina….

Hope for improved results tomorrow!

Sat Jul 24 2021 
Fiji Bound!

After
a stalled exit on Friday the 17th (immigration said they needed up to 2
weeks to process our exit papers….Tahiti Crew jumped in and got things
in motions) we were able to leave Uturoa at 10am on Tuesday thw 20th
with assistance from the fine crew on Amanacer! 

Anyhow, we (unlike Sea Glub) are down a body so pulling 3 hour watches with 2 people. No so bad at this point…

Got up for my shift this morning to 12 knots of speed and 30+ knots of wind.

Jona rose us through a squall….15 mins into the shift we were down to 10 knots….let’s see where the next 48 hours gets us!!

Sun Aug 01 2021 
Lord Tunderin Jesus!

Well, our first test in adversity with storms!

In the end it was no where near the strain than it was during the first dual with a weather front…

Today
the sky was dry but we had our early morning douce of breaking waves
and our clothes and the deck of the boat are all coated in salt and an
overall dampness presides on board.

Let’s see what the moon and stars bring us over the next 12 hours!

Sun Aug 08 2021
Night Moves…

After
almost a 4 day customs ordeal (30 hours to get in and 48 hours to get
released with permits), we departed SuvaSuva at 0500, under starlit sky
and unlit harbour?.?.?.

On our way under power (no wind) to do some reef dancing…

First
is Nasonisoni Pass and then out on the western side, across Bligh Water
and in through Nananu Pass where we will anchor tonight and hopefully
make the final run to Denerau tomorrow….

Sat Aug 21 2021
“Grand” Illusion

Last night we would have passed the first 1,000 mile mark on this passage.

Based on initial forecasted distance, we have another 5,400 miles ahead of us….

So, I’ll cal it 15% done!

We are looking forward in increments and over the last few days, waypoints have been the easy increments.

Next waypoint for us is 585 miles which, was 685 when we started yesterday afternoon so similar percentage to our overall goal.

The
next big geographic point will be the Torres Straight at the northeast
peak of Australia and just south of Papua New Guinea and I expect that
to be our next waypoint.

Once there, we should be 25% complete!

No
highlights on board yesterday except Jona getting attacked by one of
his fine feathered friends….he says attack, I think they just like his
hair….the bird tried to land on his head and came in from behind so it
was a nice side show for me to watch him freak out.

My
final watch this morning was a wet one! If I didn’t have all the
cumbersome rain gear, I would have geared down for a nice shower!

Thu Feb 17 2022
Smoke on the Water…Fire in the Sky……

The sunset (and rise) at these latitudes are incredible!

We
experienced similar deep orange horizons in Mauritius, Fiji and French
Polynesia but what we have seen over the past 2 weeks (including St
Helena) is incredible.

Watching
it develop from a golden yellow to the pink, the light orange and dark
orange is impressive and even though there are probably hundreds of
sunrise and sunset images on my phone, it is hard to resist taking a few
more!

Sat Mar 12 2022
Take Me To The River

When
I looked at the chart today and saw the mouth of the Amazon River 90
degrees to our port side, I thought it was a cool landmark, even though
it’s 300 nautical miles away from us….

Made me think of the Talking Heads hit from the 80’s……

As
we enjoy a peaceful day today (steady and mild wind, sun with light
cloud and no rain – yet….) I was thinking back to the last few days and
wondered if this was how I envisioned things last year before departing
on this journey….I don’t have a definitive answer….

The
washing machine waves, sudden gusts, monsoon rains, unannounced squalls
with 30+ knot winds that physically take over the boat when not
prepared, the growl of thunder somewhere overhead followed by just that
one bolt of lightening that strikes about 5 miles off your port side is
about enough to make you alert, shake the butterfly’s and breath a
confident little “bring it on”……

Admittedly,
I would have been the fire sale guy had Friday been my first on water
experience but once you experience most of what will be dished out, you
realize the boat is your shield and it is very unlikely it will let you
down as long as you are there to support it….

The
water and weather on this passage have possibly been the most complex
and unpredictable of all the crossing we have done to date.

Once
we get across this final 1000 miles and officially cross the Atlantic
into the Caribbean we’ll be just a short hop (900 nm) to Panama and then
into the Pacific which will be a whole other game plan given our push
North, into the wind……

We’re getting there!

Fri Mar 18 2022
In Through The Out Door

At
some point yesterday we crossed through the Atlantic Ocean and entered
the Caribbean Sea…officially adding the check mark beside the final
ocean in our circumnavigation!

Sadly (maybe due to fatigue) we missed the fact that yesterday was St Paddy’s day! …

I was awoken early on the third shift to luffing sails, pumping mast and massive healing……

I was fourth shift and experienced all of the above plus about 2 hours of rainfall….

Kinda like, nice to meet ya, now piss off!

Let’s see if the Caribbean Sea is a little more hospitable!

NORTHERN PEARL LOG ENTRIES – read them all 
https://forecast.predictwind.com/tracking/display/NorthernPearl/

SY NORTHERN PEARL  🇨🇦  Kevin & Jona  – Baltic 42′
PACIFIC POSSE 21 and PANAMA POSSE 21-22

Entry into the explorer of the year award 

2) PANAMA POSSE GROWS TO 359 YACHTS WELCOMES OUR NEWEST MEMBERS TO THE FLEET

359  SY BELLEROFONTE  🇮🇹  Marco  – Tayana 55

 Panama Posse fleet tracking is now active
to add your vessel follow this link >>

3) PANAMA REQUIRES BOOSTER SHOTS   🇵🇦   

FYI the entry requirements for Panama changed again on March 18th.  
 As of February 22, 2022 Panama to No Longer Recognize Two Doses as “Fully-Vaccinated” – you need a booster ! 

https://igopanama.com/covid-entry-requirements/

COVID-19 vaccination in Panama City a Panamanian health worker receives the  COVID-19 vaccine at the

https://panamaposse.com/quarantine#panama

SY  KNOT RIGHT 🇺🇸  Walt & Jeariene  – Beneteau 47′

PANAMA POSSE MARITIME AREAS  QUARANTINE UPDATES ONLINE >>

4) TAPACHULA, CHIAPAS 🇲🇽 MEXICO

Tapachula
is one of the most important cities of Chiapas economically as the
capital of the agriculturally rich Soconusco region as well as port for
trade between Mexico and Central America. 

Its
economic importance has come since the late 19th century with the
establishment of coffee plantations. This agricultural production began a
history of migration into the area which continues to this day and has
left the city with a significant Asian and German cultural presence as
well as large Mayan and Nahua indigenous populations. 

Jean-Philippe in the Museo Arqueológico del Soconusco

We
had a wonderfully surprising day in Tapachula, Chiapas! Don’t miss the
museum featuring the history and making of the Marimba. Live music,
history and intense cultural experiences make this place a unique stop
(and you can seriously shop…Home Depot, Walmart, Liverpool, Autozone and
more!) Thank you Marina Chiapas!

Totally a fun experience – Right next to Marina Chiapas 

Peaceful Marina Chiapas at nighfall

SY PATHFINDER 🇺🇸   Jean-Philippe & Nicole Lagoon 39′

5) RED TIDES IN  🇨🇷 COSTA RICA

A
red tide is a phenomenon of discoloration of sea surface. It is a
common name for harmful algal blooms occurring along coastal regions,
which result from large concentrations of aquatic microorganisms, such as protozoans and unicellular algae 

Humans are affected by the red tide species by ingesting improperly harvested shellfish and in some cases skin contact.

SY BOHEMIA 🇺🇸 Tom & Peter  – Beneteau 36′

6)  ENTRY INTO BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT 

SY LUMOS 🇺🇸 Jeremiah & Carrie – Fontaine Pajot 40′

NOT TO BE OUTDONE 
ANOTHER ENTRY INTO BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT 

 SY BIJOU DE LA MER   🇺🇸  Tanner – Island Packet 42′

AND ONE MORE 

SY ALKA  🇬🇧  Julius & Ringailė   Beneteau 37′ 

7) PICTURES  OF THE WEEK 
TOUR OF  TOLANTONGO  🇲🇽 MEXICO

Now that’s a   pineapple 

Overhang and waterfall 

Pozas El Paraíso Tlantongo 

Pozas El Paraíso Tlantongo

And touring the mining town of Mineral del Monte and Basaltic Prisms of Santa Maria Regla

Pueblos Magicos Turquise waters and running basins 

SY ANIMAL CRACKER 🇺🇸 Scott & Tami – Hunter 46′

8) DOMINICAN REPUBLIC  🇩🇴
ROAD TRIP

Dominican road trip! This is a beautiful, wild country! Las Terrenas Beach

Made
it to the Dominican Republic! A tough 4 days and 4 nights of 3 hour
shifts, big seas, high winds and squalls, but we did it! Now to explore
the country.

Local fishermen  wrestling their panga on the beach 

Presidente
is a brand of Pilsner beer that is owned and produced by Cervecería
Nacional Dominicana (CND) at several breweries in the Dominican Republic

At the Saltos de Damajagua

Shrimp cleaning on the beach

Dale & Kenneth on the beach 

Caribbean Colors in full display int  the Dominican Republic 

SY SLOW DANCER  🇺🇸  Dale & Kenneth – Hunter 39′

Dominican Republic is in Good Nautical 

9) SEND US YOUR UPDATES, STORIES, PICTURES, DANGERS, SUGGESTIONS, EXPERIENCES >>  

Call for Service provider data and fuel price data  

Every
vessel has their own journey and along the way you have encountered
service providers – please let us know about what works and what doesn’t
we’ll publish this list and facts to the Panama Posse fleet

We
all want to know the good the bad and the ugly please provide your
feedback on service providers you have used with this simple form –
we’ll update the results as soon as we get this data from you – just
takes a few seconds and helps the next yacht !-> https://panamaposse.com/service-provider

10)    MARINA PAPAGAYO 🇨🇷  COSTA RICA 
 EMERGENCY HEALTH CHECK UP

Kudos
to the Costa Rican medical infrastructure! Since we’re on a remote
peninsula, they have an 24×7 EMT station to cover broken bones from kite
surfers and dehydration of tourists. 

Being
at a fancy marina, I got norovirus from a family that had it at the
beautiful pool, either from the water or sitting on the cushions they
sat on.

The
EMTs were onboard S/V Enjoy in 10 min, and checked back today to make
sure my numbers were good. I gave them a new fishing lure I made in
appreciation. 

Lesson learned. Stay on anchor and stay healthy

This
time it’s kudos to the Ski patrol at Copper mountain. No more skiing
have calf injury they call it tennis leg. I did get a half day in of
glorious skiing with our son Josh  

SY ENJOY 🇨🇦   Nina & Don –  Lagoon 42′

 11) SECOND WIND IN GOLFITO 
🇨🇷 GOLFITO COSTA RICA 

The Calm anchorage inside Golfito in Southern Costa Rica 

SY SECOND WIND 🇺🇸 Chris & Laurin – Tayana 37′

12) PUESTA DEL SOL 🇳🇮 NICARAGUA 
 

Sunrise on the Coast of Nicaragua

Views of the Nicaraguan Coastline with the Masaya Volcano 

View of the Nicaraguan Coastline with the Masaya Volcano 

MY SEA TRIAL 🇺🇸  David, Toni  & Crew – Nordhavn 55′

Marina Puesta del Sol Nicaragua sponsors the Panama Posse

13) EXIT  COSTA RICA

Drake Bay Costa Rica

A view of MY Red Rover from the hillside 

Welcome to Panama !

MY RED ROVER    🇺🇸  Kevin & Alison   – Nordhavn 55′

14) REMINDER 11 WEEKS LEFT TO ENTER AND WIN 

SAVE THE DATE SATURDAY JUNE 4th 
VISTA MAR MARINA, PANAMA 

PANAMA POSSE 22′ AWARDS 

HERE ARE THE AWARD CATEGORIES 

    BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT* ✔ 

    PICTURE OF THE YEAR ✔  

    PANAMA POSSE YODA OF THE YEAR ✔  

    SPEEDY AWARD – SEVENSTAR AWARD ✔  

    THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD ✔ 

    MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD ✔ 

    HIGHEST WIND RECORDED ✔ 

    SPIRIT OF EXPLORATION ✔ 

    GALLEY GOD(ESS) ✔ 

    GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR ✔  

    NEWLY ADDED – BOAT YOGA POSE OF THE YEAR ✔

*no bill-fish entries

Every
season at the awards ceremony in Panama we give out some valuable
liquid prizes and free weeks in marinas to the winners and sometimes
even to the runners up , and of course Flor de Caña Rum. 

Aerial view of  Vista Mar Marina and surrounding areas 
SAVE THE DATE 
SATURDAY JUNE 4th
 VISTA MAR MARINA, PANAMA 

 15)  ” THE BIRDS OF MARINA CHIAPAS “

A
lovely ebook has been made available by the Panama Posse S3 veterans
and bird watchers extraordinaire Bill & Lisanne – 
Please follow this link to view it https://panamaposse.com/birds-of-chiapas

SY ROCINANTE   🇺🇸  Lisanne & Bill – Pearson 44′

16) PARTICIPANT WEBSITES 

With over 100 current and past participants website there are links to exciting stories for everyone 
https://panamaposse.com/participant-websites