FLEET UPDATE 2022-03-27

March 27, 2022

PANAMA POSSE 
FLEET UPDATE 

TOP NEWS THIS WEEK

1) GUATEMALA PACIFIC 🇬🇹 PUERTO QUEZTAL MARINA PEZ VELA 

2) THE PANAMA POSSE GROWS TO 360 YACHTS FROM  26 FLAG STATES

3) LOST SAILOR FOUND DEAD IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ MEXICO

1) MARINA PEZ VELA, PUERTO QUETZAL    
GUATEMALA  🇬🇹  PORT OF ENTRY  

http://marinapezvelagt.com/

I stayed in the Pez Vela Marina from March 16 through the 20, 2022. It
was difficult to get in contact with the marina, until I obtained the
WhatsApp phone number for Rodrigo Saway, +1-809-480-6210 .

He responded quickly and I was able to talk to him on the phone and was
very pleasant and informed me that they had room, my rate would be
$1/ft/day. The other contact is Ivan +502 2661-0948. Both were pleasant
to deal with but you must follow up regularly.

The port is an easy entry until you get to the marina. The Marina is
located within a heavy commercial shipping area. In front of the marina
the unload coal which coal dust which is regularly deposited on your
boat. The noise is not overwhelming but you know it is there all the
time.

The tanker has a stern line that partially blocks the entrance. This
requires you to go between a white can and a concrete dock used for
other tankers south of the marina (see attached photos). I was informed
by the locals that they completely blocked the entrance until they put
in the white can to connect the stern line of the coal tankers. This
happened about five years ago. 

The security in the marina is good. However, to leave the marina you need
to go through port security which to return to your vessel requires a
letter from the marina. 

The port security requires it to be stamped before you leave but this is
not consistent. We walked by the piles of coal to the port gate avoiding
large truck moving the coal. If your transportation has to enter the
port security they will be charged, I believe it was $7 (US)

The docks at the marina are in good condition, the water and power at the
docks is good. I do not know if the water was potable since I always
filter it. There are no shower facilities and the bathroom is in poor
condition. Fuel is available in the marina at about $5.60 (US) per
gallon. The fuel dock is in the marina. The marina is totally used for
tourist fishing boats except for us at that time.

A drawing of the area for cruise ship passengers 

There is a restaurant in the marina, it is very expensive meals at $20 t0 $30, with some over $50.

However, I was informed that there are 2 versions of menu prices one for tourist
and one for locals. This is due to the cruise ships arrive at the dock
next to the marina. I walked the area and it appeared very clean but
nothing was open and had not been open for a long time.

We went to City of Antiqua and the Pacaya volcano, it was a pricey trip
but I would recommend both. I hope this helps you with your future
travels.

SY CAYENNE 🇺🇸 Gary – Kingdragon Passport 40 ′

2) PANAMA POSSE GROWS TO 360 YACHTS WELCOMES OUR NEWEST MEMBERS TO THE FLEET

360 SY BELIZE 🇨🇦 Chris & Franziska  – Fountaine Pajot 38 

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

3) R.I.P.
LOST SAILOR IN THE SEA OF CORTEZ FOUND DEAD
LORETO 🇲🇽 MEXICO  

 “The Cat” on the mooring ball in Puerto Escondido Picture by Patrick from SY ORION

“CONFIRMED; HALLAN LIFTED TO CATAMARAN CAPTAIN ‘THE CAT’ AUSTIN WALTER

Sources from the General Prosecutor’s Office of State Justice (PGJE) have
confirmed that unfortunately, the body located this morning in the
vicinity of Punta Lobos, Isla del Carmen, Municipality of Loreto,
corresponds to the North American Austin William Wa Letter III.

It’s the captain of the catamaran ‘The Cat’ located abandoned in the Nopolo
area on the morning of March 12 with all his belongings on board and
even a dog that was rescued by authorities.

William Walter III had sailed from Puerto San Carlos, Sonora, heading to La Paz
and allegedly made a hike in the area known as the Painted Rock, on
Isla del Carmen.

After locating the ship, its search began with data obtained from its
Captain’s license and in it the Secretary of the Navy, State and
Municipal Civil Protection, FONMAR and fishermen of the area, being the
last ones to have found the body.

Around 12 o’clock today, Monday, a pier of Loreto’s arrived and is awaiting
the result of the autopsy  to find out the cause of death.”

RIP William Walter III
“The Cat” was not part of the Panama Posse 

4) PANAMA POSSE MARITIME AREAS 
 QUARANTINE UPDATES ONLINE >>

As COVID fades away we will keep updating this page –
 as you find changes in rules please let us know >>

5) BOCA CHICA, PORT OF ENTRY 🇲🇽 PANAMA

Boca Chica Panama 

Boca Chica Panama 

Boca Chica anchorage photos

DANGER
The
power lines are very difficult to spot.  There are no flags or
balls on them. They show in the chart but you need to zoom in close.

Location of Overhead Wire in Boca Chica

Sat Image Analysis  Straight line from 
 08° 13.0300′ N 082° 12.9066′ W  to 
 08° 12.9333′ N 082°12.9000′ W  

You
don’t need to go under the power line. The anchorage is before it. Not
scary at all. We draw 6.5 feet and at high tide it is totally fine.
Lowest depth we saw when we went in, around a full moon, was 15 feet.It
is a calm, nice spot. There is some current but the anchorage is off to
the side. Give it a try!  You will be glad you did. It looks worse
on paper. A lot of room in there.

Greetings all, we are almost through checking into Panama here in Boca Chica.
Carlos is a fun and resourceful gentleman to work with. It takes a few
days after check in to get your cruising permit. Also, the health
department must clear you in before immigration, customs and the
maritime authorities. In our case the health department came late Monday
afternoon and the other 3 came this morning (Tuesday). Very easy and
friendly. Be sure to give Carlos a good warning that you are coming and
send him all of your documents in advance. He has to round everyone up
from over an hour away. Fee summary: Carlos $90, health department $92,
immigration $75, customs $35 and cruising permit between $95 and $185
based on gross tonnage. Carlos can provide water, fuel, WiFi, dive tank
fills, mooring balls and assistance with ground transportation.

Carlos is the agent in Boca Chica Panama. 
 Speaks great English and uses whatsapp +507 6600 6191

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

6) SHORE EXCURSION REPORT 
TIKAL 🇬🇹  GUATEMALA 

ON THE MUST SEE LIST OF PANAMA POSSE 

We missed the call today, we were in Tikal. A remarkable place on the
planet and a must while in Guatemala. TAG airlines flies there as well
if you’re short on time. We stayed in the actual park of Tikal and
really recommend the Jungle Lodge for comfort, helpful staff and the
opportunity to take a sunrise or sunset tour just steps away from your
bed. Great food, awesome swimming pool and the grounds are stunning. The
monkeys may keep you up at night but it’s all part of the experience. https://junglelodgetikal.com/

https://panamaposse.com/tikal

The
closest large modern settlements are Flores and Santa Elena 40 mi by
road to the southwest. Tikal is 303 kilometers ~ 190 mi north of
Guatemala City.

Tikal
is the ruin of an ancient city which is located submerged in the
northern rainforests in the = Petén Basin in Guatemala. It is one of the
largest archeological sites and urban centers of the pre-Columbian Maya
civilization. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

 Tikal was abandoned by the 10th century.

The topography of the site consists of a series of parallel limestone
ridges rising above swampy lowlands. The major architecture of the site
is clustered upon areas of higher ground and linked by raised causeways
spanning the swamps.

 The city itself was located among abundant fertile upland soils, and may
have dominated a natural east–west trade route across the Yucatan
Peninsula. Conspicuous trees at the Tikal park include gigantic kapok
the sacred tree of the Maya; tropical cedar , and Honduras mahogany.

Gallo is a 5% abv pale lager. It is Guatemala’s oldest continually produced
beer, dating back to 1896. It is also the most famous beer in the
country, and has become part of Guatemalan popular culture. 

PSS… TAG airlines canceled our flight for the next day and put us up in a
hotel. We rented a car and drove to Volcano Pacaya. Rode horses to lava
fields and hiked up to roast marshmallows on hot lava rocks. Followed by
spa experience at Santa Teresita thermal water hotel/spa. Inexpensive
luxury to end an epic day. Rooftop bar at Hotel Las Americas was
outstanding. Great last unexpected day in Guatemala 🇬🇹.

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

7) FISH FRENZY AND SUNSET PICTURE
LAS PERLAS 🇵🇦 PANAMA

We were lucky enough to see a shark feeding frenzy and a whale.
 I caught it on this video

Sunset in Las Perlas, Panama

 SY WONOMA 🇨🇦 Christopher & Jessica  – Dufour 37′

8) PICTURE  OF THE WEEK 
NO REGRETS PLAYA HERMOSA 🇨🇷 COSTA RICA

Good holding in about 30’. 
PLAYA HERMOSA ANCHORAGE 
10 34.55 N 085 40.91W

Quiet bay with some panga and wave runner activity during the day. Panga
moorings scattered around the bay but plenty of room to anchor. Live
music at a restaurant on the beach at night. We haven’t gone ashore yet
but we did cruise the beach in our dinghy. Beach landing doesn’t look
bad, but we will test soon. 
A  little chop or swell during the afternoon winds. Reasonably breezy most of the day. Calm nights for easy sleeping. 

The
southern side is better protected from the swell which sometimes wraps
around into the bay. Anchor in 5-10m on sand with good holding. Shore
access is by dinghy to the beach, if waves are crashing on the beach the
southern end can be less boisterous.

SY NO REGRETS  🇺🇸  Bruce & Lynette  – Fast Passage 39′

9) LEAVING EL SALVADOR   🇸🇻 
CROSSING THE BAR 

Midnight Breeze leaving El Salvador this morning

SY  MIDNIGHT BREEZE  🇬🇧  Richard & Caroline  – Sweden Yachts 43′ 

10) 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

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  

 11) LAST ARROW 
 TAMARINDO COSTA RICA 

I asked if she got the Posse discount ? She said “I don’t know check your visa” LOL

MY LAST ARROW   🇺🇸  Vincent & Linda  – Nordhavn 65′

12) REMINDER ONLY 10 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. 

Dock view of  Vista Mar Marina  
SAVE THE DATE 
SATURDAY JUNE 4th
 VISTA MAR MARINA, PANAMA 

 13)   THE LIGHTNING SEASON IN CENTRAL AMERICA

The
data represents 16 years of satellite derived lightning observations
from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. 

You can get more data and view other data sets at the site.were created from the data at https://ghrc.nsstc.nasa.gov/lightning/data/data_lis_vhr-climatology.html  

The
data represents 16 years of satellite derived lightning observations
from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) on the Tropical Rainfall
Measuring Mission (TRMM) satellite. 

These charts were created by Rob on SV Avant. If you find them useful, buy him a drink, eh?’

https://panamaposse.com/lightning-density

CAPE stands for Convective Available Potential Energy and is the amount of fuel available to a developing thunderstorm.  

More
specifically, it describes the instability of the atmosphere and
provides an approximation of updraft strength within a thunderstorm. So
CAPE is used by weather officials to understand what the potential might
be for thunderstorms and how powerful those storms might become if they
do materialize.

The
standard measurement of energy is represented as Joules Per Kilogram. A
high CAPE value might also be expressed by weather experts by using the
term “high instability”. When we talk about a highly unstable
atmosphere, CAPE values are usually in excess of 2500 J/kg’s which would
supply ample energy for strong updrafts and violent thunderstorms,
should they develop.

CAPE index maps and week long forecasts are built into Predict Wind

https://forecast.predictwind.com/atlas/#CAPE

14) THE HURRICANE SEASON IN CENTRAL AMERICA 

Vessels
heading up the coast from Panama and parts in between towards
Mexico  are working on their Hurricane strategies and are looking
for a safe place.

Pacific Hurricane Strategies run the gamut with some general markers for you to ponder.

SOUTHERN ZONE

Panama on the Pacific side stay at Vista Mar Marina / Buenaventura 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  Marina Chahue 

NORTHERN ZONE

All Mexican marinas above this line on the Pacific side are in the bona-fide Hurricane Zone

(expect
for Ensenda and in Puerto Penasco ) and vessels also occasionally
suffer from lightning strikes especially in the Puerto Vallarta Area .

To
get a sense of each area’s propensity for hurricanes visit each
maritime areas page and review the historic hurricane tracks –
example 
https://panamaposse.com/mexico

SY AVANT  🇨🇦  Rob & Debra – Beneteau 43.5′

 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