Beat, Caroline, dogs & Heyson Garcia – YES PLACENCIA YACHT CLUB IS UBER DOG FRIENDLY
We,
Caroline Imfeld and Beat Rettich are running this place since January
2021. We moved from Switzerland to Belize in 2019 and found this
treasure while looking for a dock for our yacht.
Simplicity on a high level is our aim and to make our guests happy.
FOR RESERVATIONS AND MOORINGS @ PLACENCIA YACHT CLUB
3) EXCLUSIVE LOW POWER 12 VDC AC PRODUCT DEMO FOR THE OCEAN POSSE
There
is a special product demo this week with a company we met at the
Annapolis Boat show it’s a small AC unit which runs on 12 V – we are
getting a private demo this week via zoom –
…this is a Most Unwelcome Aboard classic Diesel bug.
Found doing tank inspection in Pacific crossing preparation.
SY TIAMAT 🇺🇸 Stephanie & Owen – Fountaine Pajot 44’
ABOUT THE DIESEL BUG
Vessel
in the the tropics may check the stored diesel. Fuel in tanks
deteriorates over time, as it reacts with the oxygen in the air.
Usually, fuel can stay in a usable condition under storage for up to a
year, after which it may begin to develop sediments. Fuel is not just
affected by these residues, but also bacteria and fungi.
Water
that forms in fuel tanks due to condensation (when the tanks heat up
during the day and cool down at night and are not full, for example),
creates the perfect petri dish for bacteria. One of the most common
microorganisms that can grow under these circumstances is the diesel
bug, deteriorates your fuel and create a sludge capable of damaging your
engine.
Once you get underway it shushes around and the fuel pickup hose quickly gets clogged. The bug clogs the fuel system.
ACTUAL CAUSES
Humidity in the air
Fuel tank condensation
Fuel tank insulation
Air leak on seals on fuel tank filler cap inc damaged o-rings
Poor fuel station storage quality
Low volume of sales at fuel station
REMEDIES
Once you have the bug …
1) Separate the water from the diesel
2) Shock and kill the diesel bug with biocides
3) Remove sediments from the bottom of your tank
To Prevent the bug
1) Fill the tank
2) Use a fuel filter to take on fuel from the pump
3) Use Enzymes to prevent the bug from forming in the first place
(2) PANAMA POSSE AWARDSFUN ACTIVITIES, GOLF, POOL, DJ LOUNGE, + MARINE EXPO
SAT. MAY 11 ’24 BUENAVENTURA MARINA 🇵🇦 PANAMA
This is a very exclusive signature event in the Hamptons of Panama.
The upscale resort Buenaventura is just 80 minutes west of Panama City
and is one of the most charming and reserved places on the Pacific coast
of Panama. Only 60 nm from the Las Perlas.
Mark and Kathryn on SY SERENITY carefully planned and careened their vessel earlier this week.
Report:
6h45 min for hull exposure. Keels exposed (dry land) about 4 hours.
Touchdown” was 07:45. Refloating at 16:45. Very decent window.
Our “landing spot” elevation was 2.7 feet.
This was the tidal chart on SERENITY’S Careening day
Furry crew, Lapa, was trying to help by rolling in the muddy sand.
SY SERENITY 🇺🇸 Mark & Kathryn – Antares 44′
Thank you for Sharing your Adventures on the water !
8) SHARING YOUR ADVENTURES is the heart and soul of the Panama Posse
Please
share pictures of your adventures, your award entries/nominations, your
breathtaking sunsets, and picturesque anchorages on our group
communications platform for others to enjoy in real time and/or email
Maurisa at editor@panamaposse.com
to share in the upcoming newsletter. Maurisa is a sailor among
us. She is part of the Ocean Posse crew and enjoys writing fun and
helpful updates to the Panama Posse.
Kristine cooling down with the dinghy in the Perlas, Panama 🇵🇦
Recent report from SY COURAGE :
Our
Panama Canal Northern transit is done! We have experienced a manmade
marvel and know what it feels like to be on a six-lock water escalator
with a yacht. This has been an incredible experience – the engineering
of it all over 100 years ago boggles the mind; the professionalism of
all the lock workers and hired crew and pilot; the test of close-quarter
maneuvers required at all times to stay where you need to be; nesting
and un-nesting in really strong currents and narrow passages which test
your skills and nerves; the delicious food of breakfast burritos, ham
& cheese sandwiches, chips and salsa, and a lasagna, garlic bread
and salad Kristine served made the entire passage a culinary
extravaganza; and the elation of completing a dream passage is now woven
into our tapestry called life. Truly that was a great day! And,
we thank Erick Galvez for his stewardship and excellent instructions,
equipment rentals and line handlers. Everything progressed where, when,
and how as Erick said it would…
9) POSSE PERK:
SHARING INTEL ON CHART ACCURACY
Blue line drawn in over chart showing large actual reef extension to be cautious of.
SY FRENCH KISSING LIFE Trip Report:
FYI all, here at the eastern end of San Blas, (Panama) just
off village of Ustupo, the Navionics charts are completely off
regarding the reef indicated above. If passing this way, take note.
As
we were approaching the supposed safe area indicated on the chart to
continue moving out and away from shore, northbound, we could see
breaking waves in a miles long line. Thought we were in the wrong place
initially, but eventually figured out that it is simply unmarked. The
reef that is indicated on Navionics probably extends at about 2 miles
farther west. Submerged at all times, but in high seas, it creates a
surf line.
Also, the Bauhaus waypoints have been spot on throughout this section of coast.
SY FRENCH KISSING LIFE 🇺🇸 Tess&John – Bavaria 45’
10) MARINA CHIAPAS, MEXICO 🇲🇽
SPONSORS THE PANAMA POSSE
14° 41.67′ N 092° 25.185′ W
DISCOUNTS AT THE MARINA CHIAPAS FOR PARTICIPATING VESSELS
7 days – 1 day free
2 weeks – 2 days free
three weeks monthly fee
Night use of the barbecue area and luck for the participating boats, if
free use of the pool
a little party when we have 10 boats as a happy hour in the pool
CONTACT
Tel: +52 962.111.82.91
Tel: +52 962.620.40.38
EMAIL: memogarcia@marinachiapas.com.mx
EMAIL: rmarichal@marinachiapas.com.mx
Marina Manager, Memo, (left) and office manager, Rolf (right)
Yachts
and sailboats of more than twenty countries have gone through Marina
Chiapas to feed and enjoy the surrounding area which makes this enclave a
mosaic of interesting characters from anywhere in the world.
Marina
Chiapas has a water space for 70 large draft vessels and drydock with
space for 200. Many sailors leave their vessels in Marina Chiapas
storage shelter during the hurricane season where they have a range of
services for maintenance.
Marina
Chiapas is located at the southernmost port in Mexico. It is a
great location from which to explore the beautiful state of Chiapas.
Past Posse Members created this great guidebook to the birds one
can see while visiting Chiapas.
PANAMA POSSE SUMMER SPECIAL
JULY – OCTOBER for vessels up to 60 feet
$ 350 for mono-hulls x month $ 400 for catamarans x month
11) WATER MAKER MEMBRANE CARE
Presently
Panama Posse members are well in the middle of their cruising ‘season’
Regular use and maintenance of all our onboard systems is a big
part of life afloat. Rich Boren of Cruise RO watermakers recently
shared an article about watermakers maintenance. In it he
describes the typical lifespan of RO Membranes and what ‘bad practices’
to avoid when living aboard and desalinizing water as a standard
practice aboard. Sharing here to spread the wisdom from his
experience:
The
RO Membranes have a realistic lifespan of 5-7yrs. The Membranes
are rated for 24Hours/Day 365Days/Year, so you will never wear a
membrane out early from over-using it. In our experience the
reason membranes fail early is from what we call, CDT or “Client
Destructive Testing”…🤐
CDT consists of things like:
1. Letting the water maker sit for the off season without proper system storage reagents inside.
2.
Not keeping a Fresh Activated Carbon filter in your freshwater
flush loop and allowing Chlorine to oxidize and destroy the membrane.
What is the definition of “Fresh”? Change it every 6
calendar months from the day it first gets wet…not 6 months of use,
but from the day it gets wet.
3.
Too long of intervals between running or fresh water flushing when out
cruising resulting in your product water getting “rotten egg smelly”.
Doing this one time won’t destroy the membrane, but that smell is
from rotting/dead animals in your water maker giving off hydrogen
sulfide gas. Every time you do it, you are taking months away from
your Membrane life.
4.
Freeze Damage when the water maker is left in a freezing environment
without proper protection by using Propylene Glycol as a Preservative
and Winterizing agent. (Another solution is to never keep your
boat where it freezes…stay in the warm Tropics my friends!
Cheers
From Rich Boren. Cruise RO
12) GOOD NAUTICAL:
ISLA DEL TIGRE 🇭🇳 HONDURAS
in Gulfo Fonseca
Isla
Tigre is a Honduran island in Gulfo Fonseca. This anchorage can
be used as a Papagayo anchorage sheltered from chop behind El Tigre and
small rock islands. Tuck in as far as your draft will allow. The passage
between El Tigre and the rocks is shoal and dries at low water.
It
is our pleasure to have our beautiful marina as station for all sea
adventurers. Located in Puerto Lindo, Colon, Panama, we have a
strategical geographical position for hurricanes safe haven and last
stop heading to or from the San Blas Islands.
Our
Marina offers 80+ slips with 7+ moorings with enough depth for shafts
up to 5 meters, fuel station, restaurants, 24 hr. security, dry storage
and the biggest Travel Lift in Panama with a capacity of hauling out up
to 160 tons!
We
will give all Panama Posse members a discount of 15% for daily and
weekly rates in our slips as well as a 30% discount in haul outs and
work areas in our yard. Just remember to mention your membership when
arriving.
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Hi,
we’re Maarten, Marianne, Daniel (11) and Matias (9), on board sv Pinta.
We’re a Dutch family, sailing towards the Netherlands, where we aim to
arrive coming summer. We (Maarten and Marianne) left the Netherlands in
2011 with Pinta, a steel van de Stadt Caribbean 40. We sailed south
towards Argentina and Chile and we thoroughly enjoyed Tierra del Fuego
and Patagonia. In spring 2013 Daniel was born in Valdivia, Chile. Once
he was big enough and we felt comfortable sailing again, we went onto
the Pacific. From Juan Fernandez to Easter Island, the Marquesas and the
Tuamotus, we went up to Hawaii and then made landfall again in Sitka,
Alaska. We slowly sailed down along the coast towards Vancouver Island,
as by that time our second son, Matias was on the way. He was born in
Victoria, Canada at the end of 2014.
As we didn’t feel like sailing many long distances with two small
children at that time, we decided to stop for a while. We found work
teaching at an International school in Armenia, so we left the boat on
Vancouver Island and went there. After five fantastic years in Armenia,
we changed to a similar school in Northern Italy and stayed for three
years.
With
the boys growing up, but before high school age, we felt it was a good
time to come back to the boat and take a year together with the four of
us and sail back to the Netherlands. Last fall, we sailed down the west
coast of North America towards Panama and having just transited the
canal, we feel we are about halfway home. In the coming months, we’ll
make our way north in the Caribbean to cross the Atlantic in May.
We
have had a wonderful trip so far. Being on the boat with the four of
us, spending time together, exploring, swimming, sailing, but also doing
chores and school together feels really good. Simultaneously, it also
feels really good to sail home. It is time for us the settle, stay in
one place for a while and have the boys enjoy school, friends ,and
family throughout their teenage years. At least, that’s the plan for
now…
SY PINTA 🇳🇱 Maarten & Marianne & Daniel & Matias – Van de Stadt Caribbean 40′
17) BAHIA EL SOL 🇸🇻 EL SALVADOR 🚫 DO NOT ENTER UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
One
of the Panama Posse vessels on a Thursday’s bar entry hit the bottom –
broke of it’s keel and sunk following the pilot vessel into the estuary –
this is a devastating loss for Mark and we will do everything to
support him –
DO NOT ENTER THE ESTUARY UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE 🚫
THE RISKS ARE TOO HIGH !!! YOU CAN LOOSE YOUR VESSEL
UNTIL THE FOLLOWING ITEMS ARE MET
🚫 DO NOT ENTER
AN ACCIDENT REPORT
DREDGING AND RE-DREDGING SCHEDULES
WRITTEN PILOT VESSEL PROCEDURES
CHANNEL MARKERS
VALIDATED AND UPDATED GPS COORDINATES
CLEAR ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
STANDARDIZATION & CONSISTENCY
KNOW DEPTH THROUGHOUT THE ENTRANCE
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES
COMMUNICATIONS PROTOCOL
DO NOT ENTER THE ESTUARY 🚫
UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
ALERT
SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR LAND TRIPS
1. KNOW THE SAFETY CONTEXT OF PLACES YOU PLAN TO CRUISE
Talk with fellow posse members that have gone places you plan to go.
Be open minded, courteous and respectful of locals.
Follow your gut. Go where and when you feel safe.
2. KNOW REPATRIATION LAWS IN THE COUNTRIES YOU PLAN TO CRUISE TO WHEN TAKING CREW ACROSS INTERNATIONAL BORDERS
different countries have different rules.
know the rules where you are going
long
passages can strengthen crew relations…they can also ruin crew
relations. Be very considerate when bringing on crew and crossing
international borders.
3. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS FOR LANDTRIPS
In
a dynamic situation, situational awareness is embedded in a loop where
the environment affects SA and decisions made under a particular level
of SA affect the environment
4) “Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they aren’t after you.”
Make 4 left turns to see if you are being followed ( unless you ar looking for a parking spot )
The
theory behind this is that if you make 4 turns then you are
successfully completing a circle from your original starting point. If
the person/car is still behind you after you have made a circle, you are
most likely being followed.
In that case make your way to the nearest 5 star hotel and ask to speak with the hotels security officer
18) MUST SEE:
COCOS ISLAND NATIONAL PARK, COSTA RICA 🇨🇷
In
December 2021 Costa Rican President, Carlos Alvarado, signed a decree
expanding the Cocos Island National Park, increasing the fully protected
area in their Pacific waters by almost 53,000 square kilometers.
Cocos
Island National Park, located 550 km off the Pacific coast of Costa
Rica, is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with a tropical
rainforest. Its position as the first point of contact with the
northern equatorial counter-current, and the myriad interactions between
the island and the surrounding marine ecosystem, make the area an ideal
laboratory for the study of biological processes. The underwater world
of the national park has become famous due to the attraction it holds
for divers, who rate it as one of the best places in the world to view
large pelagic species such as sharks, rays, tuna and dolphins.
The
Committee inscribed Cocos Island National Park under natural criteria
and because of the critical habitats the site provides for marine
wildlife including large pelagic species, especially sharks.
There are four main bays to explore.
The island rises steeply out of the ocean with lush and diverse vegetation.
Coco Island Anchorage
The underwater world is a major attraction at Isla Cocos
Swimming Turtle in Costa Rica’s Galapagos
Fish are protected around Isla Cocos
Isla
Coco was not always so protected. The island is said to have been
discovered by a Spanish pilot, Joan Cabezas, in 1526. Thanks to its
palm trees and plentiful drinking water, this oceanic island became very
well known. During the 17th and 18th centuries, it served as an
excellent hide-away for the pirates who flourished along the Pacific
coast of Spanish America. Supposedly there are at least three
buried treasures on the island. Fishing and extracting activities
are banned at Isla Cocos so the fabled treasures remain….or do they?
21) PANAMA CANAL AGENT CENTENARIO CONSULTING ERICK GALVEZ
To
arrange for transit with the Panama Canal Authority please contact Eric
Galvez our dedicated Panama Canal agent and sponsor of the Panama Posse
and the Pacific Posse
Erick Gálvez
info@centenarioconsulting.com
www.centenarioconsulting.com
Cellphone +507 6676-1376
WhatsApp +507 6676-1376
22) WAYPOINT YACHT SERVICES
“Our
vision is to provide a top tier service to our customers while covering
every potential need they may have when approaching shore.
Small
yachts (up to 38.1 meters LOA) are expected to experience substantial
delays, and in the meantime, we will be able and willing to help you
mitigate this impact and serve you.
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