FLEET UPDATE 2020-05-31
- BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT AWARD and runners up
- HIGHEST WIND RECORDED AWARD
- BIGGEST MISHAP AWARD AKA THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD and runners up
- MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD AWARD and runners up
- SPEEDY GONZALEZ AWARD
- PANAMA POSSE YODA OF THE YEAR AWARD and runners up
- PICTURE OF THE YEAR AWARD and runners up
- GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
- Marina Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua, Panama Posse Dinners
- ANNOUNCING the 19/20 PANAMA POSSE T-SHIRTS
- SIGN UP FOR NEXT SEASON
- Add you comments and findings to Good Nautical
- A special thank you to our sponsors
Panama Posse virtual final party smashing success and below are the winners of this years fleet awards
1) ๐ฅฅ BIGGEST FISH CAUGHT AWARD
PRIZE: one free week dockage at Marina Pez Vela, Costa Rica courtesy of MARINA PEZ VELA
WINNER: SEA LARKS
Jeff & Paula
SEA LARKS
Runner Up
SIRENA
Greg
SIRENA
Runner Up
REEF DANCER
Jerry & Debra
REEF DANCER
Runner up
SUSIMI
Hazel & Paul
SUSIMI
2) ๐ฅฅ HIGHEST WIND RECORDED AWARD
PRIZE: One week of Dockage at Marina Papagayo, Courtesy of Marina Papagayo, Costa Rica
WINNER: BLESSED LIFE
49 knots of wind recorded at Playa Cocos, Costa Rica
Bob and Margie
BLESSED LIFE
3) ๐ฅฅ BIGGEST MISHAP AWARD AKA THE CAPTAIN RON AWARD
PRIZE: one month of free mooring in El Salvador courtesy of Bill and Jean El Salvador
WINNER: MOONRISE
For their ordeal in reaching Marina Chahue from South of Acapulco
- oil sipping engine - how much oil can an engine burn over 200 nm ? answer - 1 liter per mile @ 4 knots
Stephen & Ana Veronica
MOONRISE
Runner Up
VOLARE - Exiting El Salvador with a splash
Jessica & Adam
VOLARE
Runner Up
GREENFLASH - kissing the dock in Costa Rica 
Bob & Joan
GREEN FLASH
Runner Up
HALF MOON - Adventures in Anchoring in Zihuatanejo 
Brain & Elizabeth
HALF MOON
Runner Up
HAPPY DANCE - Dripmore Shaft 
Sue & Marty
HAPPY DANCE
Honorable Mention: Personal Head Injury in El Salvador 
Matt & Britt
MALOLO
4) ๐ฅฅ MOST UNWELCOME VISITOR ONBOARD AWARD
PRIZE: 1.75 Liters of Flor de Caรฑa Rum
Winner: JO
"Jay" & Kelley
JO
THISLDU
Garrett & Audrey
THISLDU
5) ๐ฅฅ SPEEDY GONZALEZ AWARD
Prize: One year full access to 330 Good Nautical's Global Regions
WINNER: TRANCE - sailing from Virigina to Oregon in 6 months 
November 30th 2019 - Virginia
May 24th 2020 - Bodega Bay Northern California
Dan & Marlene
TRANCE
6) ๐ฅฅ PANAMA POSSE YODA OF THE YEAR AWARD
Prize: One week at Red Frog Marina courtesy of Red Frog Marina, Panama
Winner: AVANT
For his exceptional support and informational updates during the C19 Crisis and his tiredless support and satellite chartmaking for Open Cpn
Rob & Debra
AVANT
Runner Up: KNOT RIGHT
For being a positive force and his continued participation in the Panama Posse
Walt & Jearine
RUNNER UP
Runner Up: SEAGLUB
For committing to providing top swell forcasts, relevant weather information 
Chris
SEAGLUB
9) ๐ฅฅ PICTURE OF THE YEAR AWARD
https://panamaposse.com/panama-posse-2019-2020-picture-of-the-year-entries
PRIZE: one free week stay at Marina Vista Mar, Panama, Courtesy of Marina Vista Mar, Panama
WINNER: ROSA LEE
Sunset by SV Rosa Lee
Gary
ROSA LEE
Runner Up: HALF MOON
Moonrise by SV Half Moon
Brain & Elizabeth
HALF MOON
Runner Up: ROSA LEE
Crossing the Bar
Gary
ROSA LEE
Honorable Mention: JEAN ANNE
Whalestale
Steve & Chelsea
JEAN ANNE
FYI Follow this link to listen to Steve's Awesome MIXES -> https://soundcloud.com/djlifeguard/
7) ๐ฅฅ GOOD SAMARITAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
PRIZE: Futue round of golf for 2 Barra de Navidad, MX
WINNER: HO'OKIPA
Lucky Chucky and Lisa made a special donation of 6000 Pesos
to the Barra Navidad Feed the locals Fundand as Wilderness Survival Experts
went digging deep into a foot to take a metal splinter out.
Lucky Chucky & Lisa
HO'OKIPA
8) Marina Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua, Panama Posse Dinners
Second Wind still at Marina Puesta del Sol where it will be for the summer. Here is a photo of six of the seven (so far) Saturday night dinners hosted by Roberto Membreรฑo, owner of the marina and resort. Juanita Garcia Uriza, the resort manager, orchestrates these dinners. You can see that our numbers have been dwindling. They are the chronological order.
Vessels TALIESIN ROSE, GARGOYLE, SECOND WIND, HALF MOON, THISLDU
Taliesin Rose is currently in Barra de Navidad Mexico.
Thisludu are at their new home in Charleston, SC.
Laurin SECOND WIND
9) Panama Posse SWAG we will send one more email out as soon as the
2019-2020 Tshirts orde form with your vessle name will go live
( expect this to be in about 2 weeks )
10) sign up for next season-
here is the list of valiant entrants, explorers and adventurers
for the next season - to do so reply with "SIGN ME UP AGAIN"
https://panamaposse.com/2020-2021-vessels
Dietmar & Suzanne
CARINTHIA
11) Things you can do while sheltering in place ... Add you comments and findings to Good Nautical !!!
For the next 3 months you still have free access to Good Nautical so please add your findings.
If you sign up again for next season you will of course once again get access -
alternatively you can make an annual tax deductible donation and keep getting access
Log into Good Nautical and make your relevant comments in any of the places you have been 
Please make your reports - simply ADD A NEW COMMENT in Good Nautical for each spot
12) And a final and very special thank you to our sponsors
- Marina Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta โ Mexico
- Marina Puerto de La Navidad โ Barra de Navidad โ Mexico
- Marina Ixtapa, Ixtapa โ Mexico
- La Marina Acapulco, Acapulco โ Mexico
- Marina Chiapas โ Mexico
- Marina Bahia del Sol โ El Salvador
- La Palma Moorings โ Bahia del Sol, El Salvador
- Marina Puesta del Sol โ Nicaragua
- Marina Papagayo โ Costa Rica
- Marina Pez Vela โ Costa Rica
- Banana Bay Marina โ Costa Rica
- Vista Mar Marina โ Panama
- Shelter Bay Marina โ Panama
- Red Frog Marina โ Panama
- Bocas Marina โ Panama
Official Panama Canal Agent
Official Panama Posse Ambassadors
- Jaime Figueroa Navarro โ Panama
- Bill & Jean โ El Salvador Rally, El Salvador
- Ralph Hewitt โ Nicaragua
Panama Posse Partners
- Vicenteโs Moorings โ Acapulco โ Mexico
- Discover Tours Chiapas โ Mexico
- Park Avenue Villas โ San Juan del Sur โ Nicaragua
- Coconutz โ Annual Papagayo Victory Party โ Playa Cocos โ Costa Rica
- Abernathy โ Chandlery โ Panama
- Advertising Partners โ Las Vegas
- Safe-Esteem.com โ Delaware
THANK YOU !
FLEET UPDATE 2018-01-15
1) LATEST VESSEL SING UP - "FRED AGAIN III" -
Greetings! We are happy to have joined the Panama Possee and
hope to be catching up to some of you within the next few weeks.
Our 8 am report is as follows:
Currently anchored in Tenacatita (anchor depth 29 feet)- just
south of the jungle river. 19.17.118N 104.52.201W.
We plan to depart for Bahรญa Navidad this afternoon- short motor
sail with light winds. We are trying to get a slip at the marina
for a night.
Thank you!!
Bob, Laura, Michael
2) Crossing the BAR - El Salvador - Crossroads - Carinthia - Liquid
( all over the bar now )
Quick recap
- The Estuary Bar entrance is dangerous to cross at night or with
poor visibility for inbound or outgoing traffic
- The Marina provides a Pilot who will guide you in only at high
tide and during daylight only for safety reasons
- When you are one mile out call "Bahia del Sol" on VHF 16 and
the pilot will come out and bring you in
- Radio note: VHF's are set to "USA" not "INTERNATIONAL"
- El Salvador is on Central Standard Time - there are a
lot of pangas outside mayor ports - best avoid them -
Carinthia snagged a big long line
- Show up exactly on time for high tide ( check with the La
Libertad Tide station for details ) - and send an arrival time
email as you leave Mexico or Guatemala to elsalvadorrally@aol.com
- upon arrival at the dock get ready to
be swamped by drinks welcomes - cruisers - staff - etc -
it's a proper welcoming party - the marina charges 25USD for the
pilot and $1 x day x foot on the dock- most of us stayed one
night to catch up on sleep and then anchored out
- 15 USD gives you 1 week of resort access - wifi - pool - 30 %
discount to meals and dinghy dock access - trash bins - BUT
IMPORTANT water on dock is NOT potable - power is good - make
water on incoming tides only
- you will need to pay in USD - there are no ATM's here so have
about 100 USD avail to get you checked in for visas etc - ATM do
dispense USD - marina takes credit cards - customs and immigration
do not
- the guides and charts are wrong - its' a straight shot over the
bar currently - do not deviate especially with bigger swells -
follow the pilot boat - here is our track in
- Inside the estuary you can anchor in up to 21 feet - max tidal
range is 8 feet
- Bill will rent moorings for 8 USD x day
- Most important there are 2 WELCOME PANAMA POSSE BANNERS IN EL
SALVADOR courtesy of Bill & Jean
- The marina has plenty of slips available. Do you want a
"back in" slip? The "docks" have 30 and 50 amp service.
- You can contact the marina directly for slip costs (gerente@bahiadelsolelsalvador.com).
3) SERAFINA - ACAPULCO
We are in Acapulco! After a great sail from Ixtapa, we arrived this morning around 8. We hooked up with Vincente and he hooked us up with a mooring ball. As soon as we get some sleep, we plan to tour this amazing city. During our night sail, we were visited by dolphins that left streaks of bioluminescence in their wake. We could see them darting under the boat because of their trails. It was magical. We also saw whales off Papanoa. The rest of our little group is on their way here from there, where they stopped for a few hours. Ted and I canโt wait to meet even more of you as we press southward. Ted and Eliza on SV Serafina 4) MYLA - Zihuatanejo Hola,
We left Zihuatenajo today and now we're in Papanoa. We had
very light winds so motor sailed, with the emphasis on motor.
Pretty flat seas, but some swells. We decided to drop the hook
on the south side of the point off of Playa Escondido. Lovely
little cove that reminds us of Chamela. Several other boats
coming in soon, Interlude, Shearwater, and Sarafina. Hoping we
all can snuggle into this cute cove. Meanwhile, a little
excitement on this jaunt. While sticking our bow into the
breakwater entrance of the north cove (Papanoa/Puerto Vicente
Guerrero), we decided that it might be more open to the swell
direction, so at the last second, we did an about face. We were
maybe 20 feet from entering the harbor. Immediately off our
stern after we turned about, a rather large whale surfaced. It
may have been actually exiting the little harbor exactly as we
were considering entering. Whatever prompted us to do an about
face at that precise second and head to the southern cove may
have helped us avoid some unwanted excitement. Nothing like
being within 20 feet of a whale in a relatively confined space!
All is good! Lots of turtles, dolphins, fish boils...the sea is
alive! We plan to head to Acapulco tomorrow or maybe the next
day.
Fairwinds,
Just arrived in Acapulco. Vincente greeted us waving a
PanamaPosse flag and guided us to a mooring. Sarafina joined us
for a sunset beverage, and Shearwater is here, too. Furthest
south we've been and the real adventure is just beginning.
Getting excited!
S/V Myla 5) SY EASY
Tehuantepec Easy's crossing direct from Puerto Angel.
I hit long lines at:
14 59.641 N
93 22.233 W
15 01.517 N
93 22.986 W
14 45.590 N
92 37.640 W
Did hit winds around 30 knots in the first 80 miles. The.
Turned to a lake rapidly. No traffic at a all was easy going.
I found the current was in my favor till halfway across and
turned in my favor the last quarter or so.
I caught an excellent window to go direct from Puerto Angel
took 49 hours with 30.2 hours motoring.
Good Luck
MIKE
6) Respite - FUEL QUALITY - ACAPULCO & beyond
Just a heads up this
was in the fuel filter with a Baja filter
6) Fleet locations as of today January 15 2018 ( please fill in the gaps fro next update )
| AIYA | San Diego | USA |
| RAVEN | Bahia Chemela | Mexico |
| CARINTHIA | Bahia Del Sol | El Salvador |
| BULA |
|
Mexico |
| XENIA |
|
Mexico |
| RESPITE | Chiapas | Mexico |
| MAGIC |
|
Mexico |
| MORA |
|
|
| AVANT | Chiapas | Mexico |
| SANS FRONTIERES |
|
|
| GEORGIA | Barra de Navidad | Mexico |
| ISLEรA | Bahia del Sol | El Salvador |
| REBELLIOUS |
|
|
| GADABOUT | Near Barra | Mexico |
| VOLANTE III | Acapulco | Mexico |
| LIQUID | Bahia Del Sol | El Salvador |
| VITESSE |
|
|
| SEA GLASS | Chiapas | Mexico |
| ANNAPURNA | Acapulco | Mexico |
| WILDFIRE |
|
Mexico |
| CROSSROADS | Bahia Del Sol | El Salvador |
| SEPTEMBER SONG |
|
|
| FIREFLY |
|
Mexico |
| PINEAPPLE |
|
Mexico |
| SAMAYA |
|
|
| TAPPAN ZEE |
|
|
| MYLA |
|
Mexico |
| ARGUS |
|
|
| INTERLUDE | Acapulco | Mexico |
| SYCAMORE |
|
Mexico |
| SHEARWATER |
|
Mexico |
| TRUE BLUE |
|
|
| KEA |
|
Mexico |
| COLIBRI |
|
|
| EASY | Chiapas | Mexico |
| WAPONI WOO |
|
Mexico |
| DADโS DREAM | Chiapas | Mexico |
| SERAFINA |
|
Mexico |
| JULIA MAX | Chiapas | Mexico |
| EL CAZADOR |
|
Costa Rica |
| EPIPHANY |
|
|
| CHANTEY |
|
Mexico |
| ANILA | Zihuatanejo | Mexico |
| OCTOPUS GARDEN |
|
Mexico |
| BERTIE |
|
Mexico |
| FRED AGAIN III | Tenacatita | Mexico |
7)
if you are not on this list and feel confident about a particular
skill set you could offer to the
Panama Posse Fleet please email us back and we will update the
list.
| RAVEN | |
| Neil, Tally, Jan |
Repairs, Running Rigging, Splicing, Sail making, Movie Library, Check in Procedures |
|
CARINTHIA |
|
| Dietmar, Suzanne |
Computers, Public Relations, Provisioning Scout |
| XENIA | |
| Tara, Mike |
Diving, Commercial Diving |
| RESPITE | |
| Chris & Janet |
Sewing, Physical Rehabilitation, Massages, Problem Solver on Boats, Fix anything |
| MAGIC | |
| Curt & Mary |
Has done the trip knows the coast, anchorages, surfspots and weather |
| GEORGIA | |
| Lucie & Ben |
Net Control, Shipbuilding |
| VOLANTE III | |
| Tony |
Tech, Communications, Radio, Satellite (yes Tony actually launched a satellite ) |
| LIQUID | |
| Marc & Laura |
Welding, Sewing, Shore Based gatherings and special events |
| SEA GLASS | |
| Chris & Amanda |
Sewing, Research |
| ANNAPURNA | |
|
Robert & Debbie |
Fiberglass, Composites, Engineer, |
|
CROSSROADS Stan & Diane |
Fixing a little bit of everything, Researcher for safety procedures, embassy list, note taker |
| SEPTEMBER SONG | |
|
Debbie & Ted |
Spectra Watermakers,SSB |
| INTERLUDE | |
| Mike |
Solar Installations and all boat troubleshooting |
| SHEARWATER | |
| Pati & Eric |
Towing, Mast Rigging, Diver and Dive Compressor |
| KEA | |
| Erik & Kaitlyn | Sewing, bottom cleaning |
| EASY | |
| Mike | Free Diving, Mast climbing |
| COLIBRI | |
| Christopher & Diana Dual license Professional Mechanical and Electrical Engineer, AC & DC power systems, Carrying a plethora of tools that a power boat allows |
|
8)
To contact each other please use this link below - sign in - fill out the captcha and use password after login โposse2017โ
https://www.panamaposse.com/2017-vessel-contact-sheet
9)
Chime in on the facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/panamaposse/
9)
The Panama Posse SSB net operates daily at 15:15 UTC on 8 294 Mhz ( 8 297 fallback)
Panama Posse
FLEET UPDATE 2018-03-31
1) SV EASY - Costa Rica
Matapalo 32' high tide N 08 23.518 W
083 16.519
I like it. Good surf. Beautiful, it is not a lake, other than
more people it still is old costs rica.
My friend sold out. Monkeys and loads of wildlife.
Drake's Bay @ 22' mid tide. N 08 41.864 W 083 40.131
Manuel Antonio
N09 22.923-W084 08.886 in 22 feet 3'above low tide
Punta Quepos
N09 24.269-W084 10.113 25' low tide
Mike
2) GETTING KNOTTY
Andrew
Welcome to the Panama Posse !
MC BETTY
Rodger & AliWelcome to the Panama Posse !
3) SV LIQUID - Costa Rica
Latitude: 10.52106
Longitude: -85.79123
GPS location Date/Time: 03/30/2018 11:38:57 PDT
Message: This message serves as our one of our traveling check
ins. Just letting you know all is ok :-)
Has anyone heard of this holiday called โEasterโ that lasts all
week. I guess the Port Captain has.
Stuck in the Playa del Coco area until Tues morning since the Port
Captain is on Holiday for Easter.
We decided to cruise the local bays while we wait. We are in Bahia
Guacamaya til Sunday then off to
Bahia Huevos then back to Coco Monday. Checkout Tuesday am then
off to Bahia Ballena
Marc & Laura
4) VOLANTE III - Nicaragua
Device Name: Volante III
Latitude: 12.78343
Longitude: -87.74261
GPS location Date/Time: 03/30/2018 02:49:11 CST
Message: Hello from Volante III. Checkout my current location.
Battery Status: Low. Replace batteries as soon as possible.
Tony
5) SV MYLA - Panama
In La Playita Marina anchorage. We have an excellent electrician
we can recommend: Tom Valentin at +1-507662598
Also, just got prices from Shelter Bay Marina. Their rates aren't
too bad and offer discounts for 6 months or more.
They can store in a slip or on the hard.
John & Julie
( note - can we put our logo on that ? )
6) SV JULIA MAX - Panama
As we sit in Shelter Bay Marina on the Caribbean
side with mv Crossroads, we want to extend a heart-felt thanks
to all our friends in the Panama Posse. We will be heading
north towards the Grand Cayman Island early next week. Here
is a brief report on our Canal Transit with a few photos.
Love you guys,
Panama Canal Transit 2018
The First Day
What an exciting day! We arrived in Panama on March 2, and
were given a transit date of March 25. So the intervening
days helped build the excitement and anticipation for making
the Transit. We woke at 4:30am, received our one
professional line handler at 5:45 am, and left our slip to
receive our Traffic Advisors about 7:00am. We were off to
the Miraflores Locks following a Big Boy, a car carrier
called Grand Orion. We side-tied up to a tour boat,
Fantasia del Mar, behind Grand Orion. We used tires and
regular fenders between the boats, and two long lines plus
regular mooring lines as spring lines. Going north, we were
lifted in the locks, so the mild turbulence was from water
coming into the lock. The significant turbulence was when
Grand Orion moved ahead out of the lock. The ship wake
provided up to a 4 knot current on our bow with waves, rips
and eddies. But we easily moved away from the tour boat,
and headed up to the next lock. Then repeat. Once through
Miraflores Locks at 10:30am, we moved on to the Pedro Miguel
Lock entering at 11:15am. This time the tour boat was tied
up to a tug. When we tied up in the remaining space next to
the tour boat with 20' to spare on the starboard side. We
had two Traffic Advisors, the seasoned Ricardo, and the
capable Victor who was doing his final exam. Looking at the
remaining ship traffic northward they said we were the last
'line handler' (cruising boat using hand lines) for the
day. And the last Big Boy named Alpine Link was catching up
to us in the adjacent locks. Of course there was no way we
could keep up to Alpine Link after they passed us in the
Gaillard Cut. So it was obvious we could not go through the
Gatun Locks today, and that we would be mooring overnight
before the Gatun Locks. Gatun Lake was beautiful, green
island scenery. As we continued on, the southward traffic
was plentiful with maybe 20 ships transiting. The winds
picked up and were blowing 15-25 knots, with the
accompanying cresting waves. After mooring to an ocean ship
buoy, the winds settled down. Our Traffic Advisors left,
and we settled in for the afternoon. So tomorrow we
expected to leave sometime before noon to go through the
Gatun Locks, and on to Shelter Bay Marina, our final
destination.
A special event was going on in the Gaillard Cut. There
were upwards of 25-30 four-person racing canoes racing
through the Canal. Most were four-man teams, but there were
many four-woman teams as well. What a site to see such
energy from paddlers 14 years on up. People (moms and dads)
were cheering them on from shore. The canoes had their
canoe names on the side of the canoes, such as, Marry Me,
Strong Panama, etc.
Second Transit Day
After the first night tied up to an ocean mooring buoy, we
all woke up to a beautiful morning. Our agent phoned us to
inform us we would receive our Traffic Advisor at 12:30pm.
So the morning was spent taking a swim in fresh-water Gatun
Lake. Only after getting out of the water did Ricardo, our
experienced line handler, tell us some stories of crocodiles
in Gatun Lake..... The surprise and entertainment of the
morning was seeing the Coral Princess cruise ship come
through the upper lock, and then slowly turn around and stop
between the old locks and the new locks. What was it
doing? We thought: someone had jumped overboard, maybe it
was a ship exercise, maybe it was dropping some people off
since life boats were deployed. Only later did we learn
that the cruise ships sometimes go through the Gatun Locks,
stop, disembark passengers so they can take land tours, go
back to Colon where the passengers will meet up with the
ship to continue on.
At 12:55pm our Traffic Advisor arrived telling us we
needed to leave immediately. To his surprise we had the
engine running, we released lines from the mooring buoy, and
we are off at top speed. We had to meet up with a ship that
was about one mile away, and get in front of it, tie up to a
tug (yeah)...and the ship was not going to stop to let us
in. We made it with a hundred yards to spare!!! Gatun
Locks are three separate locks: Higher, Middle, and Lower.
We learned quickly that there are currents, eddies, and
winds off to our port. We tied starboard side to a huge
tug. The ship 'Great Beauty', a petroleum tanker, took up
most of the lock width with 5' on each side to spare. They
were three boat lengths away from us: 150'. Going down,
there was less turbulence. Tied up to the huge tug was
reassuring. But then came the Middle Lock. The advisor
told me to stay on the left side of the lock while the tug
went on to the far end to tie up. But when I went to the
left side, we tied the bow to a bollard, and then Julia Max
shifted quickly 90 degrees perpendicular to the lock
sidewall. All I could think of was to spin around with a
'back and fill' maneuver. It would work in calm water and
no wind. But we had currents and wind. I spun 180 degrees,
thinking how the tug and the pilot on Great Beauty were
taking this in. A lock person was jumping up and down
wondering what we were doing. Then the wind kept catching
our bow, and preventing my finishing coming up into the
wind. Panic. But we kept trying, and slowly she came
around. Prayers answered. We went to the left side, but
stayed in control of our heading, the tug passed us, we tied
up to them when they were set, and the pilot of Great Beauty
continued forward probably with a few more gray hairs.
While waiting for the water to lower, I suggested that we
should center our steering wind vane and tighten it down, so
that when I had to back up it wouldn't affect our
maneuvering (so I thought). But when we entered the Lower
lock, I was having great difficulty controlling Julia Max.
The currents caused by fresh water mixing with salt water,
the winds at 15 knots, and my steering vane rudder centered,
were affecting my steerage. We were headed sharply towards
the right side wall. People rushed forward with fenders and
tires. At first I thought, with enough power I should be
able to turn. Then I tried reverse. The steering vane was
released. We came up, and bounced off the side wall using
the fenders. No damage! Great work, people!! We tied up to
the tug for the third time. The water dropped, the gates
opened, and we headed out in 15 knots of wind as fast as we
dared. Thanks to a great crew, we came through the Panama
Canal unscathed, and more knowledge than we wanted.
We had about four miles left to drop off the Traffic
Advisor, and settle in to Shelter Bay Marina where we would
be for the next few days.
sv Julia Max (officially 48.67โ Peterson Ketch with anchor
and davits)
###
George & Sue
(note: congratulations - we miss you too !! )
7) CROSSROADS - Panama
Stan & Diane
(note: congratulations - we miss you !)
8) GADABOUT - Nicaragua
After a very sporty bar crossing on our departure from Bahia
del Sol, a full day/night of strong currents, and loads of panga
dodging last night, Gadabout made it to Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua
first thing this morning with calm seas and no breakers at the
channel entrance. Now itโs time for some sleep.
Gadabout made it to San Juan del Sur and we are enjoying the nice
calm anchorage. Just kidding... itโs not. Blowing a steady 25+,
gusting to mid- to upper-30s. Weโre assuming the port captainโs
office is closed for the holiday so at least we donโt need to rush
to shore. Happy Easter, everyone!
Arthur โWagsโ & Paula
( enjoy one of the best Pizzas at Pizzeria La Terraza in SJDS
- the owner is from Italy and stock up on Rum - it's 4 x the price
in Costa Rica )
9) SV ARGONAUTA - Costa Rica / Panama
Hello Everyone
We are new to the group. Had a great time at Goudy and
Carol's yesterday. Special thanks to Sea Glass for including
us,
We are heading back North to Pacific Mexico after spending
several years in Central America and the Caribbean Home port
Ventura Ca. We may start 6 months on and off.
Yesterday several members asked us about our canal and other
experiences ..... so I thought I would share
Have been thru the canal both ways and Dave has assisted
cruisers another 4 times.
It's a great time and really fun, not hard. Have plenty of
bottled water for your pilot. It 's required ..... Also a
"proper lunch" no sandwiches. We have met cruisers that did
not comply and the pilot ordered his own lunch delivered and a
large expense to the vessel! Dave barbecued chicken thru the
lake.
A great read before you go thru the canal is a Path Between
the Seas by David McCllough. It really makes the canal
experience come to life. You understand what is beneath Gatum
lake and all that went into building of the canal
We did use an agent both times. We had company flying (two
of our line handlers) in and were date sensitive. Your agent
can tell you when you must arrive in Panama City to obtain the
date requested. It varies by time of year. You need to be
measured the first time... under 50 ft is the magic number.
First time our agent was quick, easy and cheaper than our
second agent but keep reading.. First agent Eric Galvez,
second agent Alex ASA @shipsagent.com
. During our first crossing the canal authority had us
sidelined for another boat, At completion of the locks we were
told we owed the penalty 800.00 US (our crossing was too
slow). Our agent did not help us. He accused us of being
beneath our stated speed. At our request our pilot wrote a
letter stating what really occurred and our penalty was
dropped. In many ways the canal authority does not always know
what their counterparts are doing.
We had one experienced hired line handler the other two were
friends. Rick(hired line handler was great) he rented us
fenders and lines at a cheaper price and was great company and
had a lot of knowledge of the area. Rick 506-6427-3044 You
never know ahead of time what configuration for the crossing
you will have, despite your request, We were nested that last
time, We were the center boat. The other two boats had no
experience causing the trio to cross like a snake, coming
dangerously close to the cement walls. Lines were too tight
and then too loose. At the end both boats started to un group
and forgot to release our stern lines from theirs We almost
lost our cleats. Rick was great and helped save the sides of
our boat mates and our cleats.
We hired the same driver both times for Panama city. The
four of us to toured old town, found boat parts and supplies
and arranged a panga to monkey island. He charged 100.00 US
per day Much cheaper than any " tour" for four people Speaks
perfect English nice guy and knowledgeable of the area. Avil
506-6706-8343
It's fun and a good idea to visit the Miraflores locks and
museum before making the crossing. Your friends at home can
see you cross thru a live cam at the Miraflores locks... see
website
Hope this helps have fun
David & Marilyn
10) SEA GLASS - Costa Rica
Going back in time made memories with Panama Posse which I
can now call my extended family and friends for life. I would
truly recommend joining the Posse to new sailors alike and those
who have been sailing for a long while. Knowing that you are not
alone out there, not just for moral support but to share the
experience of new and exotic places. I canโt express enough
gratitude to all that have helped us thru our journey. Best wishes
to fair winds and following seas. HeHe....I sound like a sailor!!!
Chris & Amanda
11) CINDERELLA - Nicaragua
Cinderella is trucking along. After a night of
dodging pangas and reefing sails we are passing El Transition.
Got a late start yesterday (the wind, swell and current were
too much for the windlass so we waited until it mellowed)
Turns out, after we passed Puerto Sandino the wind fell off
the nose and we don't have to tack! The current is still
kicking though.
We are leaving the storm jib
up full time now and run as a cutter when the wind is light.
In a mile or so we should be able to crack off a few degrees
and get moving.
Hope all is well out there!
And! Here is our
tracker in case we lose signal http://www.sailingcinderella.com/where-are-we-now
I spoke a little too
soon. The further south we got, the crazier the
gusts. Way over the predictions, probably
double. After spending the wee hours of the
night hove-to we turned an ran back to
Masachapa. We are anchored and excited to get
some sleep.
Update : Cinderella lost our primary anchor while bashing
into mean swell. We have a secondary anchor but it is not
optimal. We are currently (3:49am) heaving-to outside of
Astillero, Nicaragua. About 15-20 miles from San Juan del
Sur. The current is pushing us so we are losing some
ground but at least manage to be moving towards shore.
The wind looks like it may be building tonight and so
not sure if proceeding to sjds is a good idea. Even though
services are there. At least
at Astillero there is said to be better protection and
we'd like to wait until sunrise to enter.
Wind is higher than predicted.
Just wanted the other boats to be aware of our
situation. Good thoughts for us please!
Thanks to
everyone who responded with helpful and
prompt insight, we owe you some hugs. After
a rowdy heave-to for a few hours the gusts
kept building, we turn and ran to Masachapa.
Anchor holding well in 30' Now for nap time.
Pavao, Pajo & Ava
(note we need
your pictures)
12) RESPITE -
Panama
Bahia Honda. We
anchored in Domingo anchorage.
7 d 45.746 N 81 d 31.812. Depth 10 ft in low
water.
Enjoy!
Domingo anchorage at Bahia Honda. Calm and peaceful after
the locals finally quit trying to trade with us.
They are very isolated and really need D cell batteries,
rope, fishing hooks and anything else you can spare. Kennedy
has assorted fruits to trade.
We now have a pet on board, called, what else? Giko!
Checking out of Costa Rica started out wonderful with the
friendly immigration officer and went downhill from there.
Took us about 5 hours to go through the process. Counting
spending time talking to said officer !
Chris & Janet
13) TOTEM - Nicaragua / Panama
For your canal planning pleasure: the purpose of this
post is to walk through the dynamics of the transit with
point about the roles aboard, what actually happens, how
to avoid getting caught in the spinning raft of doom, and
our takeaways on how to have a good/safe transit. The
shortlist of tips from our POV based on factors in your
control:
1. Clear decks. The area around bow and stern cleats must
be as clear as possible. We moved (stern rail mounted)
outboard to rest on deck
near Totemโs mast to free up space near the stern
cleats.
2. Youโre either a line handler or youโre not. If you
want to take photos or text or adjust your GoPro or
message Facebook friends or, or, or, when in the locks,
then you are not a line handler.
3. Fair leads! You know your boat: if the bow line has
to pass through the bow pulpit for a clear path to the
cleat, then have it run that way at the start.
Re-leading in the moment takes time you may not have if
currents start spinning the raft.
4. Stern lines: Jamie felt these took the most load: a
strategy to consider is running them to a cockpit winch
with the stern cleat as a guide. This gives far better
control when easing a loaded line and more muscle to
tension when required.
5. Repeat the instruction given by the advisor. This
makes the advisorโs job easier by confirming you heard
and are responding to the action called for. It may
serve to clarify the advisorโs intentions when issuing
rapid instructions.
6. Mitigating an un-engaged advisor. If the lead advisor
is distracted or communication is poor (and even if
theyโre not), proactively talk through maneuvers before
they need to happen. We felt the boats rafted to us
struggled a couple of times due to less attentive
advisors.
7. PAY ATTENTION! The lead advisor (who is not
necessarily on your boat) may call for rapid engine and
or steering changes. One of the boats rafted to us wasโฆ
less attentive. It created a couple of fire drills and
added to our burden to prevent the raft from spinning.
Bonus: an awesome advisor like we had ... Roy and
Jamie's bromance photo below. A couple of elated guys as
we got into the Pacific!
More at http://www.sailingtotem.com/2018/03/anatomy-of-a-panama-canal-transit.html
Totem kids dolphin spotting on our way into Playa
Hermosa a few days ago (doubled back from Huevos)...
looking at taking off tomorrow. Next stop... Chiapas?
Not sure, looks like we might be able to catch a T'Pec
window in the bargain.
Behan & Jamie & ...
14) PINEAPPLE - Nicaragua
Quick tip for anyone who finds themselves in
Chinandega, Nicaragua (near Puesta del Sol and Corinto):
Check out "More Than Coffee" for excellent coffee
(including proper espresso!) and snacks. The owners,
Mayela and Augusto, are super friendly and generous.
It's a gem!
John & Michelle
15) SV RAVEN - Mexico
Raven is in Chiapas after an easy Tehuantepec
crossing. We need to have our transmission
fixed...again...but will be heading to Bahia del Sol in a
week or two.
Neil, Tally, Jan
16) XENIA - El Salvador
Xenia crossed Bahia Del Sol El Salvador with some
awesome cruisers today! Xenia made 13.8 knots. What a
rush!!!
Tara & Mike
17) FRED AGAIN III - Panama
FredAgain III is departing Golfito this afternoon for
Panama.
Robert
18) Carinthia / Agape / Dad's Dream - Costa Rica
Panama Posse Deal at Hotel Oasis
Ask for Cruiser friendly Agatha Willhelm & Staff
private dinghy dock
free WiFi
showers
bar
restaurant with local snacks and basic good fares
pool
music chill
free potable water (TDS 325)
$ 1.75 beers
dog friendly
all day access 3,000 colones x day ~5.50 USD
but they did not charge us on day 2 because they like
cruisers so stick around)
You can also take the ferry across from here to
Puntarenas if you need to provision
Anchorage @ 09 56.361 N 084 57.845 W @ 13 feet
(8' tidal range !)
18) Carinthia / Agape / Dad's Dream - Costa Rica
Panama Posse Deal at Hotel Oasis
Ask for Cruiser friendly Agatha Willhelm & Staff
private dinghy dock
free WiFi
showers
bar
restaurant with local snacks and basic good fares
pool
music chill
free potable water (TDS 325)
$ 1.75 beers
dog friendly
all day access 3,000 colones x day ~5.50 USD
but they did not charge us on day 2 because they like
cruisers so stick around)
You can also take the ferry across from here to
Puntarenas if you need to provision
Anchorage @ 09 56.361 N 084 57.845 W @ 13 feet
(8' tidal range !)
We celebrated Ricks (Dad's Dream) Birthday and
ran our own power-cord to our little Palapa for some
R&R and device charging off the boat
Dietmar, Suzanne, Rick, Brenda, Joshua & Rachel
Picture of the Week - SV AGรPฤ
Costa Rica - Punta / Playa Naranjo @ Oasis
Keep em coming
Happy Easter, Passover and Panama Posse bliss
We celebrated Ricks (Dad's Dream) Birthday and
ran our own power-cord to our little Palapa for some R&R and device charging off the boat
Dietmar, Suzanne, Rick, Brenda, Joshua & Rachel
Picture of the Week - SV AGรPฤ
Costa Rica - Punta / Playa Naranjo @ Oasis
Keep em coming
Happy Easter, Passover and Panama Posse bliss
FLEET UPDATE 2018-01-29
1) Marina Bahia del Sol
in El Salvador
Gustavo Argueta - GM of the property and Marina has extended a
special discount rates
for the marina to the Panama Posse - going forward
0.80 USD x foot for 1 - 6 days (check in rate)
0.70 USD x foot day for 1 week
0.60 USD x foot x day for 2 weeks
0.50 x foot x day for 1 month
Weekly resort access pass for 15 USD with discounts on F&B and
pool / dinghy dock access (if anchored out or on Bill's Moorings)
The Hotel also has a minivan w/AC for shopping or excursions to
San Salvador and beyond.
2) VITESSE - Panama
I hit the reef going into Shelter Bay too.Bart Goodell
"Vitesse"
( note Bart - can you email us the lat and long ? )
3) Welcome to the Panama Posse
Winds of the World - Dan & Fernando currently in
Manzanillo
4) VOLANTE III
is still waiting in Huatulco for a weather window to cross the
Tehuantepec. I was hoping Thursday would be the day but that
window closed. Fred Again arrived last night so that makes four
Panama Posse boats waiting to do the crossing. I was talking
with one of the long term boats here in the marina and their
weather window going north ended early. They had 15 foot 6 sec
seas. The sea state was so bad they lost their engine and had to
be rescued by the Mexican Navy.
5) RESPITE
Question for all of you further south of Mexico. Are there any
specific things we should stock up on before leaving? Are things
pretty available and reasonably price in El Salvador?
We may be leaving soon! Autopilot is installed and we are doing
a sea trial today. Hope to see you soon
(answer - Tequila is much more expensive - think at least double
)
Respite and Dads Dream are leaving Chiapas this morning planning
Bahia de lSol 12:23 high tide
Dad's Dream & Respite just crossed the Bar and are now in
Bahia! ( Sea Glass )
6) JULIA MAX - Cost Rica
Julia Max, Marina Papagayos Costa Rica. We could not check into
the country here unless we paid $580 for an agent and waited 48
hours. So we took a panga into Playas del Coco and checked in
along with Crossroads who shared the taxi into the airport. Took
5 hours due to waiting at Liberia and with Port Captain and
Immigration. Misunderstandings with the National Zarpe led us to
believe we had to detail every stop along our way sourth. That
is NOT the case. Dan, the Harbormaster at Papagayos Marina will e-mail
the port captain in Playas del Coco with a national zarpe from
here to Golfito and ALL PORTS IN BETWEEN. This will make your
cruising much easier. You still have to check in with the port
captains along the way, but no worries about going ashore
wherever it looks enticing or you want to anchor for the
night.
Marina Papagos has many slips available with special for Posse
participants, fuel @4.75/gal, electricity, potable water on
the dock, trash, laundry, swimming pool, restaurant, marine
store and a concierge for car rental and excursions. We took 2
excursions from the nature center in the peninsula resort
attached to the marina.
This is a 5 star+ resort and community. Dan, the Operations
Manager, from Florida, will take you on a property tour to see
the lovely environment with all the amenities available to you
for a price.
We have rented a car and are presently on a personal tour of
the national parks in the north country. No guide yet.
7) CARINTHIA - Nicaragua - 3 day Land trip to Leon -
Managua - GRANADA
4 hour drive to Lake Nicaragua via Leon and Managua ( GREAT
PROVISIONING ) to the fabled city and Unesco world heritage site
of GRANADA.
Absolutely "must see" and lots of global explorers and expats in
town - we stayed at a local condo Hotel Xalteva and walked
around all day - Stunning
Multiple Spanish
colonial landmarks that have survived repeated pirate invasions.
The cityโs main plaza, Central Park, is dominated by the
colorful, neoclassical facade of the
Cathedral of Granada, originally dating to 1583. All of this of
course set to a Sandinista backdrop.
Heading to San Juan del Sur Nicaragua on Tue/Wed.
The Marina owner and former cruiser Robert at Marina Puesta del
Sol is working on making cruising in Nicaragua easier.
Stay tuned for updates - We need to check in and out of every
port ( and pay a nominal fee) and even some port anchorages are
subject to a fee.
Suzanne & Dietmar
8 ) MY CROSSROADS
Some days cruising are perfect....,others not so much! Two
nights ago we were at Bahia Portrero, CR. The next day was one
of those cruising days where not much of anything went per plan.
The plan was to leave Portrero at 4:30am to be able to get into
Bahia Ballena, CR before dark so as to avoid the numerous long
liners we have been warned about as you come around the point
into Gulfo de Nicoya. It started unraveling almost immediately
when I spotted several pangas in the darkness with their little white lights
in my intended path. Having seen their long lines in the
daylight I give those things a 3 mile berth in the dark and
Iโm not sure thatโs enough. So I detoured around them but
because of the small islands and the rock gardens around
Portrero it was a big detour! We still would have made the
plan but before too long we ran into the TWO KNOT adverse
currents mentioned in Charlieโs Charts. The current stayed
with us most of the day and killed our chances of getting in
before dark. To add to our less than perfect day we had wind
up to 30 knots on the beam for a couple of hours. Oh and let
me not forget that our stabilizers decided to take the day
off.
So we ended up in Bahia Carrillo which is
uncrowded and wide open. A little rolly but I deployed the
flipper stopper which seemed taking care of it pretty
well.......for a while. We rolled our eyeballs out all night
only to discover in the morning that the flopper stopper had
become detached and was held on to the boat only by the
retrieval line. An imperfect end to an imperfect day.
I almost forgot, I spent three hours on the phone with Tmobile
and Square Trade trying to get my phone unlocked so that I can
use the new SIM card in it. How very entertaining that was!
On the plus side it only took me about 1-1/2 hrs to get the
stabilizer problem sorted and I took a nice swim off the back
of the boat.
Yesterday we moved the 54 nm from Carrillo to Ballena in a
perfect powerboat day.....no wind. Ballena is a large
uncrowded Bay and weโre looking to do some exploring over the
next few days. We miss the Posse!
Cheers,
Stan & Diane
M/V CrossRoads
9 ) BERTIE is heading southwards tomorrow ~ on to
Acapulco! See you there!
Weโre in Acapulco. On
Vincentโs mooring. โญ+52 (744) 439 8184โฌ $10.00 a
day.
Weโve been sick and might leave tomorrow to
anchorage area. Very nice here.
10) SV EASY
currently at
http://map.iridium.com/m?lat=13.303258&lon=-88.892855
11) PANAMA POSSE
NET โจSSB Net 8294 USB @ 15:15 UTC ( 9:15 local time )
fallback 8297 USB
Please confirm your net control and time with ROB with an
email rap84040@gmail.com (
cc'ed above )
If you can please volunteer for one weekly slot as a fallback
Monday โ VOLANTE III
Tuesday โ ANNAPURNA - Confirmed
Wednesday โ EASY
Thursday โ CARINTHIA - Confirmed
Friday โ INTERLUDE
Saturday โ CROSSROADS
Sunday โ RESPITE
here is the script
https://panamaposse.com/ssb-radio-net
12) PANAMA POSSE PARTICIPANT INFO
to access each other please visit https://panamaposse.com/2017-vessel-contact-sheet
- THIS IS CONFIDENTIAL
- check off the captcha
- login with your username and password
- document password โposse2017โ
Keep these reports coming
PANAMA POSSE
FLEET UPDATE 2018-09-26
1) Welcome to the 2018-2019 Panama Posse!
We are excited to welcome back ...
Dad's Dream
Rick & Brenda
2) SAVE THE DATE
(Counter) Panama Posse Seminar for those heading N/NW currently in Panama
THIS Saturday Sept 29, 2019 at noon 12:00
at Vista Mar Marina in the AC Cruiser's Lounge
- route planning
- recommended stops
- weather
- provisioning
- points of interest
- OpenCPN ( bring your laptops )
- a.m.o.
3) We also Welcome 2 new Marina Sponsors
(with substantial seasonal discounts for all 2018-2019 Panama Posse participants)
Marina Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta โ Mexico
Red Frog Marina IGY, Bocas del Toro - Panama
4) Several vessel on the Panama (counter) Posse will aim to make it the Panama Posse send-off
party in Barra de Navidad and will provide us with the latest updates and intel over the next few weeks.
Save these dates
Meet in Barra (week after thanksgiving ) Seminars and Kick-off Party will be held
at the official HQ & Sponsor Marina Puerto de la Navidad Barra de Navidad, MX
Route Overview Monday Nov 26, '18
Weather and Safety Tuesday Nov 27, '18
Provisioning & anything else Wednesday Nov 28, '18
Kick of Party Thursday Nov 29 Nov, โ18
5) Here are several soft dates to help you with your forward planning
Turtle Release Parties Zijuatanejo, MX (Mid Decโ 18)
New Years Eve in Acapulco Vicente's Moorings, Acapulco MX
Mayan Adventures & Pot Luck Party Chiapas, MX (Dec-Apr)
Bar Crossing Celebration - Drinks on Dock Bahia del Sol, El Salvador (Dec-Apr)
Flor de Caรฑa Rum Tour Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua - (Dec-Apr)
Papagayo Survivors Party Coconutz , Playa Cocos, Costa Rica (Febโ19)
Golfito Village Marina an IGY Destination Golfito, Costa Rica (~May 1st โ19)
Rally Completion Award Event Vista Mar Panama (Middle to the end of May โ19)
Acapulco as seen from SV Easy / Mike - last year - Fireworks all around the bay
6) Reminder - Check your document expiration dates - this is a 6 month rally.
Be sure to check all your passports - vessel registration papers, credit cards,
Drivers licenses for expiration dates (have at least 180 days+ on them)
7) Official Panama Posse Marina Sponsors - 10 places to relax and enjoy !
- Marina Puerto de La Navidad โ Barra de Navidad โ Mexico
- Marina Puerto Vallarta, Puerto Vallarta โ Mexico
- Marina Chiapas โ Mexico
- Marina Bahia del Sol โ El Salvador
- Marina Puesta del Sol โ Nicaragua
- Marina Papagayo โ Costa Rica
- Golfito Village Marina (an IGY Destination) โ Costa Rica
- Vista Mar Marina โ Panama
- Shelter Bay Marina โ Panama
- Red Frog Marina โ Panama
8) Good news - cell towers are almost everywhere ...
Jim of SV Octopus Garden testing local "comm" gear in Central America
9) Wildlife and other encounters to come
A lovely Rufous Motmot as per SV Julia Max - Costa Rica
10) Plenty of Fuel docks along these 2,000 nm.
Here is picture from SV Sea Glass after a little chat with a super yacht to get off the fuel dock ...
11) Keep 'em coming
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
FLEET UPDATE 2018-04-05
Congrats to us all,ย 70 boats now part of Panama Posse 2018 and we have 15 already signed up for 2019.ย ย It's been a tremendous first year.ย Many thanks to everyone in making this an epic journey of cruiser karma and just wonderful experiences.ย Just 2 months left to conclude this season's Panamaย Posse. Big Bash Panama Posse Party in Marina Vista Mar at the end of May details to follow.
1) Panama Posse Netย
Please tune into theย SSB net at 1300 UTC ( 7 am local time ) on 8297 Mhz usb .ย
Propagation has made it difficult to hear everyone everyday,ย tune in to see if you can share your latest adventures real time.
Latest fleet updates from PANAMA
2) M/V CROSSROADSย - Panama
We have had a great time in Panama. We have mets lot of interesting people, made new friends and experienced a transit through the Canal on our own boat. However since we have arrived on the Caribbean side on the 21st we have been pinned down by 20-25 knot winds and steep, short period 8-12 ft seas outside the harbor. Finally, the weather is supposed to break tomorrow and now it is time to move on. Leaving Panama to head north on a small boat is easier said than done....unless of course you enjoy pain and suffering. For the winter months and into early spring the winds and seas generally come from the east and the northeast, exactly the directions you virtually have to go to leave Panama. Bashing head-on into the prevailing winds and seas in a boat is really not a lot of fun. Of course you could wait until summer when the winds abate somewhat, but then you have to contend with squalls, thunderstorms, hurricanes and belligerent insurance companies.
Our intended route to the Colombian Isla Providencia off the coast of Nicaragua and on northward to Grand Cayman Island takes us past numerous shallow banks, shoals and tiny islands. We will steer clear of those but because there have been a number of reports of piracy off of the Nicaraguan and Honduran coasts over the past few years, we will travel 150 to 200 nm offshore to hopefully avoid any trouble areas. The entire route is a bit over 600 nm.
The first leg of the journey to Providencia (where we hope to take a break for a day or two if the weather holds) should take us about 36 hours, the second leg to Grand Cayman should be about 48 hrs. If it looks like the weather is going to close in on us, we will skip Providencia and head straight for Grand Cayman.
The current plan, which seems to change every few hours, is to leave early on Easter Sunday. Hoping the seas lay down for us!
For those who want to follow along here is the link to our SPOT satellite tracker:
Device Name: CrossRoads Spot
Latitude: 9.36820
Longitude: -79.95035
GPS location Date/Time: 04/01/2018 06:24:11 CDT
Message: Motor vessel CrossRoads is OK!
Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/uQbZI/9.36820N/79.95035W
Cheers,
Stan & Diane
3) EASY - Panama -
VISTA MAR MARINA PROMOTION
Greetings from Panama and thank you for your email. Great news to be able to welcome you at Vista Mar Marina for that long, there is no need to make a reservation. Yes! .35$/ft/30 is our monthly rate. We do have a promotion, if you make a minimum 3 months pre- payment you get our promotional long term price, which would be .25$/ft/30 days.ย
We hope you like our promotion and we are looking forward to welcome you very soon!
Kind regardsย
Jackieย
(507)66118528
Mike
( NOTE: YEAHย !!! )
4) FRED AGAIN III - Panama
is in Panama...at Taboga Island, the little town of Las Flores. Anchoring off of El Morro, I experienced poor holding. Mooring balls are $10.00/day. There are no services here...a few fun looking bars but no water and no fuel. Ferry to the mainland is $10.00 each way and runs several times per day.
Off of Punta Mala, the currents and rip tides are ferocious. Be prepared for strong headwinds all the way across to Balboa. Have lots of fuel and lots of patience for this crossing. Winds were out of the north 18 Kts, gusting to 24 knots, for hours and hours...
No services here, on Isla Taboga...None at all! It looks to be a great little resort town; a couple of great looking boutique hotels, two churches and a population of only 950. There are no motorized vehicles...a few electric golf carts and the odd service vehicle, but that's about it.
I'm down to fumes in diesel fuel...I wasn't expecting that extra 24 hours in the Gulfo Panama!! I'll leave the boat here tomorrow on a mooring ball ($10.00 per day), and take the ferry ($10.00 each way), to the other side for diesel. Once I have fuel, I'll be a bit more mobile.
Anyone else around...where are you?
Robert
5) MYLA - Panama
We are kind of dead in the water here in panama. Just got a new alternator to correct charging problems, and it works. Great electrician named Tim Valentin. Then replaced thermostat to correct engine overheating issue... didn't fix the problem. Sea water intake clear. Sea strainer clear. Exhaust elbow has no issues. Any ideas out there?
ย RESPITE
Julie John -We had a Volvo before we replaced it. We had a heat exchanger problem for a couple of year couldnโt get any rpm or it would heat up. Thought we saw a Volvo dealing here? Let us know if we can do anything.
ย AVANT
Heat exchanger or bad sensor. My gauge reads ~185ยฐ when my engine is at ~165ยฐ due to sensor creep. Since I know that, I donโt worry. Have you managed to get eyes on the heat exchanger?
CROSSROADS
You need to verify the actual operating temperature of the engine. Shoot the area near the sensor. It should be in the neighborhood of 180-185 deg f. If that is what you have you have a bad sensor or faulty wiring. If the engine is actually overheating take the end cap off of the seawater inlet end of the heat exchanger. Clean out any debris there (you will often find broken impeller bits in there), also take a coat hanger wire or something similar and push it through each of the exchanger tubes in the bundle. Any bits that come out should then you out the exhaust or you can open the other end and clean them out.
RAVEN
We had some overheating issues on our way down as well. I'd pressure test your transmission cooler and oil cooler and check all the raw water lines. We found a few kinks in the lines that were causing restrictions. You can also test the thermostat by boiling water to 180 degrees and placing the thermostat into the water. It should "pop" if it is functioning correctly.
John & Julie
Fleet update from COSTA RICA
6) VOLANTE III - Costa Rica Device Name: Volante III
Latitude: 10.92033
Longitude: -85.79165
GPS location Date/Time: 04/05/2018 07:36:21 CDT
Message: Hello from Volante III. Checkout my current location.
Tony
7) LIQUID - Costa Rica
Device Name: SVLiquid
Latitude: 9.71720
Longitude: -85.00800
GPS location Date/Time: 04/05/2018 05:18:11 PDT
Message: This message serves as our one of our traveling check ins. Just letting you know all is ok :-)
Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/uZYzL/9.71720N/85.00800W
Marc & Laura
8) EASY - Costa Rica
Golfito, 33' high tide. N 08 37.269 W 083 09.211
Easy underway to Burica, Interlude too and Halcyon leaving Golfito also today.
Mike
9) DAD'S DREAM - Costa Rica
Anchored Bahia Herradura 09 38.533 N, 084 39.445 W 21ft low tide. Not too swelly...yet...
Weโre staying at hostel Room2Board in Jaco. $60/nt but no frills. Voted best hotel in C.R. Not sure how they got that, maybe for hostels? At anchor We were greeted by a local capitan on a tour trimaran. Seemed nice...Neil from kayakjaco@gmail.com. FYI watertaxi $5pp per way. Paid $10,000 colones. Taxi captain said he is there every day 6am to 6pm. Will see what happens on return. He called a cab for us which was prompt and picked us up at bus station on beach. Stopped by atm then store an โAutoโ, very nice and will be a. Stop on the way. Back to boat. $10,000 colones. Nice but out of the way on south end of Jaco. Hoping for part delivery.
1. No laundry service in the marina but dry cleaning available thru nearby Marriot.
2. $3.50/ft/day + taxes and need to make prior arrangements to reserve slip they are 99% full as you can see
3. No propane service @ Marina
4. fishing/tackle store near front gate called small chandleryย Bristol marine supplies at 2637-6295 with very good boat parts.
5. You cannot leave dingy there and travel thru Marina/resort into town (unless of course you are in a slip)
6. Water taxi (Zapatia..8928-1715 or 8778-3041 or vhf ch69) is available to pick you up at your boat and drop you off at shore to provision etc.
7. Water - DIESEL ( 3.80 USD x gal )ย -ย outboard fuel are available at fuel dock but hail marina on 16 prior to request dock access - you need paperwork chacha
8. Carinthia met with CR Marine Supply - nice chandlery walk-able from the bus stop ( see sat map below of bus stop vs beach vs marina )
Kensy Chaves +506 2637 7419 Ocean Plaza 50m North of los Suenosย kensey.chaves@grupomontecristo.com
9. International Marine Electronics - Kerry Monteleone can get parts from Florida - +506 6011 - 2300 email: international.me.cr@gmail.com
ย where you will hang out for bus to Jaco ( 240 colones )ย
- or up the street to the auto supermercado and Laundry lady
- visit the local bar with a new Jersey bartender
and get propane picked upย and delivered by this guy !
Jaco Gas and he will meet you at the Bus off the main beach
stop and fill your tanks ( takes ~ 3 days ) call +506 2637 6161
2 tanks for 8000 Colones
note - USE A STERN ANCHOR in HERRADURA BAY - point the bow of your vessel SW - SSW - lot's of swell here.
Rick & Brenda
10) HALCYON - Costa Rica
Hey Posse! Have any of you checked in or out of Panama at Puerto Armuelles?
We are trying to figure out if we will make a stop there to check in, or wing it until Panama City.
-s/v Halcyon, currently sweating in Golfito
RESPITE Checking in at PC was the easiest check in so far one building Port Captain and imagination right next to each other easy walk from La Playa anchorage
John & Becca
11) CINDERELLA - Costa Rica
Cinderella made it to Playa Blanca at 2am. Very little service . Finally catching a break this place is amazing!
Cinderella departed Masachapa towards San Juan Del Sur. Mario and Luigi found a nice weather window to beat the big boss! Winds are gusting to about 20-25, predicted 8 gusting to 15. #classic
Pavao, Pajo & Ava
( note we still need your pictures ! )ย
12) SEA GLASS - Costa Rica - PICTURE OF THE WEEK
Easter sunset right now with S/V Interlude, Danika,Easy on anchor and Annapurna, Sea Glass at Fish Hook Marina.
Chris & Amanda
Latest fleet updates from El Salvador
12)ย GETTING KNOTTY - El Salvador
left bahia del sol on the 2nd with 3 solid waves over the bow.
๐คฆ๐ปโโ๏ธ dislocated 2 fittings on the bimini which were quickly fixed. had a great 15k beam reach for several hours before it shut off and had to put up the iron jenny. cut across the bay of fonseca with no issues. following day we experienced good winds, albeit, constantly from different directions, from 10am till 9pm. great conditions so we passed puesta del sol and headed south. currently anchored in masachepa trying to get some sleep.
Andrew
(We need your picture !)
13) WAPONI WOO - El Salvador
Waponi Woo is on the way to Bahia del Sol. We anticipate a Thursday evening arrival. We did end up at the Marina Chiapas fuel dock. It was a little exciting and our deck fill was not large enough for the pump so we had to put everything through our Baja filter making it an extra long fuel stop. At the moment we are under sail with 10kts on our beam.
We are excited to be finally heading south.
finally returned to Waponi Woo. Monday morning we are supposed to do the paperwork office visits to check out for a Tuesday departure. For those of you who visited the fuel dock here (Marina Chiapas), how was it?
Ryan, Caroline
14) HALCYON
Thank you Becca & John -
The Panama Posse article is out
48ยฐ North - https://48north.com/the-magazine/
PAGE 46/47
John & Becca
Latest fleet updates from Mexico
15) Welcome SV GOBLIN - Mexico
Vessel # 70 Alan, Jennifer & Katie Please email us your pictures asapย !
Keep em coming !
FLEET UPDATE 2018-12-13x
1) The Panama Posse is now 61 vessels strong and growing and on the move with 7 flag states flying the Panama Posse burgee !
2) Picture of the WEEK from SV FOOTLOOSE
Thank you for sharing this lovely moment and for a great write up on the Panama Posse on your blog
https://www.sailfootloose.com/index.php/2018/12/09/season-three-panama/
Michael & Lisa
FOOTLOOSE
3) Marina Puesta del Sol, NICARAGUA
Now at Marina Puesta Del Sol, very reasonable price with the Posse discount.
Highly recommended. We are doing some tours of the country with Luis.
Be sure to negotiate prices for the tours.
Jim & Suzy
OCTOPUS GARDEN
4) PIRATES in Barra de Navidad, Mexico
Pirates!! We had our first encounter with true pirates last night. We're all safe but I can't say the same for our food! After a day trip to Manzanillo where we bought some fresh avocados and other items, we woke up this morning to a mess in our forward stateroom. Even though we may not really need it, we're still running with air conditioner at night as long we're plugged into the dock. We close off the forward stateroom by closing the connecting door, no need to air condition a room we really are not using, but we do leave the forward hatches open. Barra Marina has a lot of hungry little coatimundi raccoons. They found their way into our forward stateroom last night and had their way with the groceries we had failed to put away. Clever little critters.
Chris, Monica & Penny
SEAGLUB
(note1: Penny - you had one job ... ) (note2: wait till you encounter the Capuchin Monkeys at Manuel Antonio Park in Costa Rica )
5) LONG LINES - Mexico
Long Line Alert
17 54.678 N102 22.397 W
10 miles off from Lazaro Cardenas.
Saw nothing until 2 pangas heading my location at high speed. Then saw one small white float. Fortunately we didnโt pick up anything and pangas went on their way. Proceeding to Isla Ixtapa.
Long Line semi-Alert
Another long line 6 miles out about 15 miles from Isla Grande (Ixtapa).
We headed toward the panga tending the line and asked how far was the end and he said 1000meters. All orange floats.
Then he told us to go between floats. I asked was the line deep enough and he said yes. Went through without issue.
Sample image of a Longline marker
Eric
SPREZZATURA
(note as we mentioned in the safety seminars - be on the lookout for these long lines - here is what they can look like -during day time - imagine spotting this at night ;-( and have a plan to stop your vessel - stop your engine(s) and cut them off - kitchen knife attached with hose clamps to our boat hook )
6) Maruata Bay, Mexico
Ahoy Panama Posse,
Dec 5th Mad and Simple Life anchored in Maruata Bay, a lovely piece of water and beach. Lots of room.
Our pos was 18 16.06 N 103 20.5 W in 10.4 meter, good holding in sand. Saw turtles swimming.
Simple Life went ashore, we did not. People were friendly. No cell phone coverage.
http://www.goodnautical.com/mexico-pacific/anchorage/bahia-de-maruata
We had to replace the remote control for the anchor winch next morning and as we saw on the gribfiles from Sailmail we would have wind in the afternoon. So we all set sail and had a lovely sail on spinaker, sometimes making 7-8 knots.
7) Of course we realized we could not reach Caleta de Campos before dark, but we figured the bay would not be that difficult. We barely reached Caleta at 7 pm, could see a little bit. We anchored near the breakwater. Simple Life came in an hour later and they anchored a bit more in, to the east. We both had not expected the bay to be so small and hearing the surf so close by was not very nice.
Our position was 18 04.32 N 102 45.02 W depth 7.7 m good holding. We were comfortable but Simple Life was not and they left very early this morning for Isla Grande. There is not much wind, and on the nose, we will anchor just east of Lazardo Cardenas and continue tomorrow. We did not have GE charts of Maruata and Campos.
http://www.goodnautical.com/mexico-pacific/anchorage/caleta-de-campos
OpenCPN was way off, Navionics fairly accurate. I will send you pics when on land, not by Sailmail.
Huibert & Maaike
MADELEINE
8) Good Nautical is now an official 501(c)3 and holds the detailed links for anchorage info and sooo much more. Just follow these links
above and enter your membership credentials (which have been emailed to you)
If you need help login in or how to use the site just send an email to dietmar@goodnautical.com
9) Costa Rica - For those of you heading their please feel free Alejandro on SV REBELLIOUS
our Panama Posse participant. He'd be happy to meet up with you in Costa Rica !
donacuisa@gmail.com
+506 881-00001
Alejandro
REBELLIOUS
(Note: he may be able provide some logistical help ;- )
10) High resolution Pictures of the Panama Posse kick off event are available for all to see and download !
To check them out go to https://panamaposse.com/2018-vessels/2018-2019-panama-posse-kick-off-party
11) WEEKLY 2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE FLEET CHECK IN and MORNING NET on MONDAY'S at 16:00 UTC via LINE
We have over 40+ vessels in LINE and the calls are great and very efficient and the Chatroom is open 24/7
It's a new way of doing things - please download and install LINE https://line.me/en-US/
Works on Android / ios / Windows / MAC OS
How to use it ....
- Register using your vessel name as the USERNAME ie SV SEAGLUB
- Search for panamaposse or SV Carinthia or Seaglub and befriend us -
- wait and accept your PANAMAPOSSE GROUP INVITE
- join the group chat - it's awesome !
12) Please reply to this email with ... anything really
- your updates
- contenders for picture of the week
- holiday decorations of your vessel - links to your favorite SONGS
- relevant blog posts - and of course your valuable suggestions
and we'll include it in the next FLEET UPDATE
13) Panama Posse Teaser
Preview of Maya script, also known as Maya glyphs the writing system of the Maya.
The only Meso-American writing system which has been substantially deciphered.
Palenque a mayor archeological site has an excellent museum so you can view them up close
- reachable from the Chiapas Marina with an organized tour
http://www.goodnautical.com/mexico-pacific/point-interest/palenque
14) Keep em 'coming
Dietmar & Suzanne
Carinthia
15) opt-out from the Fleet Updates simply reply with "REMOVE"
FLEET UPDATE 2018-09-18
1) Welcome to the Panama Posse!
We are excited for the growing list of vessels signed up for this next season and welcome ....
Floating Stones
Bryan & Cheryl
Colmena
Kevin
Raven
Neil, Tally, Jan & Otter (woof)
Sprezzatura
Eric & Sam
2) The 2018-2019 burgees are here - the burgees are here !
Your registration fee includes this lovely 2018-2019 burgee - and here is how to get them:
- mailed to you in the US via USPS - please email us your shipping address - deadline this Friday Sep. 21
- they will be at the seminars and send off party in Barra De Navidad, MX between Nov. 26th and 29th
- left for pick with the Marina Staff at Puerto de La Navidad, Barra de Navidad MX after Dec 1st.
- in the Vista Mar Marina, Panama as of next week
- on board last years lead vessel Carinthia currently in Vista Mar Marina, Panama
- on board this years lead vessel SeaGlub currently in Marina Nayarit, La Cruz, MX
3) Speaking of this year's Lead Vessel meet SEAGLUB
Chris, Monica and Penny (woof)
are working hard behind the scenes and have finished their haul out.
PENNY
3) Reminder - Check your document expiration dates
Be sure to check all your passports - vessel registration papers, credit cards, Drivers licenses for expiration dates
(have at least 180 days+ on them) BTW you can renew your USCG vessels registration directly online
Here is the official link https://www.dco.uscg.mil/Our-Organization/Deputy-for-Operations-Policy-and-Capabilities-DCO-D/National-Vessel-Documentation-Center/
We did this last week and already got our new docs in the mail within 7 days !
And get ready for the paperwork Cha-Cha, bring lot's of copies of these documents
as both authorities and marinas "love" them.
Here is an immigration Officer in Playa Cocos - Costa Rica
4) Marinas and Ambassadors
The following is a growing list of marinas who are supporting the Panama Posse and providing substantial discounts and more !!!
- this is for your long term planning and we'll go over the route and must see places at the Seminars at
Marina Puerto de la Navidad in Barra between Nov. 26th and 29th.
Contact the Harbormaster Extraordinaire
Secundino Alvarez harbormaster@islaresort.com.mx
to reserve your slip with your discounted rate.
Details, including approach, can be found here https://panamaposse.com/start
Official Panama Posse Sponsors, Partners and Ambassadors
- Marina Puerto de La Navidad โ Barra de Navidad โ Mexico
- Marina Chiapas โ Mexico
- Marina Bahia del Sol โ El Salvador
- Marina Puesta del Sol โ Nicaragua
- Marina Papagayo โ Costa Rica
- IGY Marina Village Golfito โ Cost Rica
- Vista Mar Marina โ Panama
- Shelter Bay Marina โ Panama
(+more to come)
Panama Posse Partners & Ambassadors
- Vicenteโs Moorings โ Acapulco โ Mexico
- Luis Sanchez Tours โ Chiapas โ Mexico
- El Salvador Rally โ Bill & Jean - El Salvador
- Ralph Hewitt Park Avenue Villas โ San Juan del Sur โ Nicaragua
- Coconutz โ Annual Papagayo Victory Party โ Playa Cocos โ Costa Rica
5) Have a look at visit this fun Youtube channel
by our own SV "Angelique of Vancouver"
CLICK HERE to watch it.
Mike & Jacquie
6) Notice of a Rally - please print it out and post it at your yacht club or marina !
Click here to download a Printerfriendly version of it
7) If you plan your trip down from the Puerto Vallarta area
here are (some of) the anchorages we used -
you can easily day-hop your way down or one quick overnight passage.
-> Marina Riviera Nayarit - Punta Ipala - 44 nm
FYI: The Punta Ipala Anchorage is rolly especially if you have been in a marina for a while
so check the weather for less swell and a calm time to round Cabo Corrientes
-> Punta Ipala - Chamela - N - 48 nm
-> Chamela - N - Tenacatita - 32 nm
-> Tenacatita - Barra de Navidad - 14 nm
See you in Barra de Navidad !
Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia
8) We are still finalizing designs here is the
2018-2019 PANAMA POSSE SWAG PREVIEW
9) To add any of your findings please email us back at registration@panamaposse.com
or if you wish to opt out of these FLEET UPDATE emails simply reply with the words OPT OUT
FLEET UPDATE 2018-10-05
1) Welcome to the Panama Posse 2018-2019
SHEARWATER
Pati & Eric
SECRET WATER
Annie & ChrisSLOW DANCER
Dale & Kenneth
2) Early Birds leaving Panama on the "counter" Posse
MOOR PASSAGES
Roy & Christina
NAUTILUS
Michele & Randy
Just left Marina Vista Mar, Panama and are en route to Costa Rica - their goal - to make the Panama Posse Send off party in Barra de Navidad Nov 26th.
3) Save the Date !
Sunday 14 October 2018 - 3PM - 6 PM @ - Marina Vista Mar, Panama AC Cruisers Lounge - please RSVP
Open CPN Satellite Navigation Seminar
to provide a free / backup navigation system for poorly or inaccurately charted areas
You'll need a basic WINDOWS Laptop with a USB port and 2 Gig's of free space and have backed up all your data -
We'll install
OpenCPN Google Earth and GE2KAP and a whole bunch of Satellite charts - thanks to the diligent work of
Panama Posse veterans SV Liquid (Marc & Laura)
4) Some of the world most fascinating UNESCO / World Heritage sites
and National parks are along this route and are not to be missed - here is a "short list"
Morelia (MX)
Palenque (MX)
Monte Albรกn (MX)
Antigua (Guatemala)
Tikal (Guatemala)
Joya de Ceren (El Salvador)
Leon Viejo (Nicaragua)
Volcan Masaya (Nicaragua)
City of Granada (Nicaragua)
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (Costa Rica)
Corcovado National Park (Costa Rica)
Piedras Blancas National Park (Costa Rica)
Coiba (Panama)
Casco Viejo (Panama)
Below are just a few pictures to make this point -
breath taking excursions and experiences you can share with your fellow Panama Posse vessels - so buddy up
Granada - Nicaragua
Palenque - Mexico
Guardian near Yaxchilรกn on the riverbank Guatemala and Mexico
5) Route Planning
We have put together a few more details and recommended stops - here is the list
Email us for your free good nautical username and password to follow the links.
6) Panama Posse Safety Alert
Please, please, please always hoist your dinghy up and lock it at night !
Always lock your dinghy - especially if you go on shore.
Tie it to a sturdy pole or tree and remove any valuables.
Thieves are opportunists may swim out to cut your dinghy's painter and
then use rocks on the beach to break off locks.
Please use a (pad) lock with a difficult point of attack and a heavy chain
or re-in-forced coated wire - see a sample lock below.
7) Here are several soft dates to help you with your forward planning
Turtle Release Parties Zijuatanejo, MX (Mid Decโ 18)
New Years Eve in Acapulco Vicente's Moorings, Acapulco MX
Mayan Adventures & Pot Luck Parties Chiapas, MX (Dec-Apr)
Bar Crossing Celebration - Drinks on Dock Bahia del Sol, El Salvador (Dec-Apr)
Flor de Caรฑa Rum Tour Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua - (Dec-Apr)
Papagayo Survivors Party Coconutz, Playa Cocos, Costa Rica (Febโ19)
Golfito Village Marina an IGY Destination Party Golfito, Costa Rica (~May 1st โ19)
Rally Completion Award Event Vista Mar Panama (Middle to the end of May โ19)
Coconutz @ Playa Cocos
8) Keep 'em coming
Dietmar & Suzanne
Carinthia
FLEET UPDATE 2018-04-18
1) SAVE THE DATE - May 1st, 2018 -ย Costa Rica - Golfito Marina Village
Panama Posse Party in Costa Rica
- details to follow but it's gonna be a Howler Monkey of a time, so make your way south !
SAVE THE DATE - May 23, 2018 - Panama - Marina Vista Mar
Panama Posse Arrival Party
2) EASY - Panama
Ensenada Naranjo N 07 16.475 W 080 55.438 in 19 feet.
Much of panama has only cell data. Is amazing.
Awesome, the best water was Isla Seca.
Thanks for the Panama Party Dates.( May 23rd )ย
My 49th is the 20th
Ensenada Benao N 07 25.552 W 080 11.421ย ย ย 37' feet
Interlude arriving at the first anchorage in Panama "Balsa"
Mike
3) PANAMA POSSE MARINA SPONSOR -ย SHELTER BAY MARINA - Panama
Hola Panama Posse Crew!!!
It was a pleasure meeting John and Julie from S/V Myla today in Panama City!!! Here in Shelter
Bay Marina, we are very excited and eager to start in welcoming some of the vessels and are
preparing several attractive offers and special discounts to the registered vessels of The
Panama Posse.
Shelter Bay Marina is a full service marina located within the Panama Canal Breakwater, on the
Atlantic/Caribbean coast. We have the Panama Coast Guard on the property, plus the Shelter
Bay Marina Staff for 24/7 security. Also, being below the Hurricane Belt, will definitely eliminate
your Hurricane Anxiety, making Shelter Bay Marina your all-season year-round marina.
Following a list of some of amenities and services offered at Shelter Bay Marina:
โข Full Service Yard - we will work together with Edwin our yard manager and his crew to
take care of all your repair needs
โข Secured Dry Storage Area
โข Self-work area for the do-it-yourself boaters
โข Sail storage area
โข Mini warehouse facility with individual storage units for rent
โข Rigging, electronic, electricity and mechanical services available on site
โข Welder operation to be moving into the facilities within 2 months
โข Boatcare Program, both standard and custom available
โข New sail loft, reopening in May 1
โข Chandlery store with next-day delivery (if available in Panama; shipping services
available)
โข Hotel
โข Restaurant
โข Pool
โข Mini Market
โข Free daily transportation to Colon, Cuatro Altos Shopping Area
โข Panama Bus Line every other week for $15.00 per couple or pair
โข Plus, much more!
At Shelter Bay Marina, regular and special occasion activities are organized between the marina
and the cruisers to help support the boating community some of them are movie nights, cruisers
palapa bbq night, and much, much more! We strive to support the boating community and make
Shelter Bay Marina your home.
By being a registered member of the Panama Posse, we at Shelter Bay Marina are proud
to offer the Panama Posse Specials!
โข Welcome or departing activities (to be coordinated with Panama Posse administration)
โข Discounted haul out rate:
o Regular rate is $16.00/ft. catamaran; $12.00/ft. monohull
o Panama Posse Discount rate is $12.00/ft. catamaran; $9.00/ft. monohull
โข Discounted rate based on the length of stay as follows:
o 1-4 days you get the 5-13 days rate
o 5-13 days you get the 14-29 days rate
o 14-29 days you get the 30 to 89 days rate
o 30-89 days you get the 3 to 6 month rate
o 3 to 6 month you get the 6 month plus rate
โข Dry storage discounts also available. Call for a quote
Note: These discounted rates will depend on the size and type of vessel, so feel free to contact
me directly for a quote based on your vessel or requested service
Remember, Panama is more than a Canal and by making Shelter Bay Marina your homeport
while preparing your vessel for your next cruise, you will get to experience all of it at a
secured, safe and friendly port!!!
Saludos!!!
Juanjo Boschetti
General Manager
Shelter Bay Marina, So Much More!!!
www.shelterbaymarina.com
+507-6813-5327
juanjo@shelterbaymarina.com
4) ANNAPURNA - Panama
Annapurna is scheduled to transit the canal on 29 April. We want line handlers. Please reply if you can help.
Rob & Debbie
5) SEA GLASS - Panama
Chris & Amanda
6) PANAMA POSSE MARINA SPONSOR - Golfito Marina Village - Costa Rica
Welcome Package for Panama Posse
| NIGHTS | RATE PLF PER NIGHT | รย Dockage rate up to 65-foot vessel. รย 65 + will be on case by case priced. รย Swimming pool, tennis court & gym access at Casa Roland Hotel www.casarolandgolfito.com/facilities/ |
| 1-3 | $1.00 | |
| 7 | $0.80 | |
| 14 | $0.70 | |
| 30 | $0.60 | |
| ย Advance payments on dockage will have an extra 10% discount not refundable. Please contact our main office. + (506) 2775-3000 |
||
| ย Golfito Marina Restaurants:ย ย ย La Playa & Paka Paka Will offer 10% discount on food and 15% discounts on Pizza. This offer does not include beverage and alcohol drinks. www.laplayacr.comย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย ย www.pakapakabar.com |
ย At your service,
Maikol Barrantes
Dock Master
Golfito Marina Village
Golfito, Puntarenas, Costa Rica
T: +506 2775-3000ย ย ย
C:+506 8360-5464
E: maikol@golfitomv.com
www.igy-golfitomarina.com
7) CINDERELLA - Costa Rica
Any boats in need of yoga in Playas Del Coco, Costa Rica, Yoga with Miranda was amazing and $10 class incl. the mat.
Studio located in proximity to Migracion house / bus stop in a little shopping strip. Namaste.
Pavao, Pajo & Ava
8) VOLANTE III - Costa Rica
Device Name: Volante III
Latitude: 9.86365
Longitude: -85.48636
GPS location Date/Time: 04/14/2018 06:45:11 CDT
Device Name: Volante III
Latitude: 9.72073
Longitude: -85.00827
GPS location Date/Time: 04/16/2018 06:24:21 CDT
Tony
9) LIQUID - Costa Rica
Device Name: SVLiquid
Latitude: 9.71787
Longitude: -85.00748
GPS location Date/Time: 04/14/2018 15:31:58 PDT
Message: This message serves as our one of our traveling check ins. Just letting you know all is ok :-)
Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/uyjO4/9.71787N/85.00748W
If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=9.71787,-85.00748&ll=9.71787,-85.00748&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
You have received this message because "SVLiquid" has added you to its SPOT contact list and attempted to contact you.
FindMeSPOT.com
We had a different experience to the posse posting of a few weeks ago at Manuel Antonio National Park and I thought I should let you know.ย Maybe it's a bit of a "luck of the draw" but.....
ย Turns out that you are not allowed to land on the national Park beach and leave a dinghy (or in our case kayak).ย It was confiscated some time while we were walking around and took 2-3 hrs to get back from their locked storage compound, requiring proof it was ours, passports, signed letters of release blah blah.ย The (friendly but firm) officials say you must land on the public beach (where they acknowledge security is poor).ย They suggested maybe to pay one of the "watersports" rental places to look after the dinghy.
Also, we couldn'tย pay for anchoring.ย They said it must be done at a particular bank that is not nearby (would not accept at the ticket office or take cash).ย We're here on Sunday when banks are closed anyway and the park is shut tomorrow.ย After lots of calls and talking, they said to just forget it.ย So we're not sure what others have done.
We talked with them for a long while.ย At first they were quite hostile, thinking we hadn't paid entry or tried to pay anchorage.ย Once they realised we had paid entry and the morning staff had confirmed we tried to pay anchorage, they were more friendly.ย Still it was a hassle and really without a clear resolution as to what boats should do.
We are not on Facebook and prefer not to post under our name but thought I should provide you with this information which seems at odds with your experience.
Cheers,
Rodger & Ali
(note pay 8 USD in local access fee at the booth and simply use that as anchorage currency)
11) SV LORIEN - Welcome to the Panama Posse
Julie & Chris - Currently in Nicaragua
( Pictures please )
12) SV ROSA DEL MAR - Welcome to the Panama Posseย
Bernie
13) COLMENA - Nicaragua
Colmena is anchored in Estero Paso Caballos above Corinto Nicaragua. 12 31.58 N 87 11.97 W 10'. Corinto is a challenge because of the lack of a good landing spot for the dink. The Samara guide shows a place called "Marina Corinto" up the estuary which no longer exists. So it took a little creativity to get myself to town, and get checked in. But all's well that ends well.
Kevin
14) PANAMA POSSE - Meet up - Cost Rica
Playa Pochote - representinโ the Posse in Bahia Ballena for happy hour yesterday.
Danika,Gadabout, Pineapple and Liquid
Jason, Jenn,ย Paula, Wags, John, Michelle, Marc, Laura
15) Danika - Costa Rica - Picture of the WEEK
is anchored in Samara. Cinderella (pictured) is here as well.
Beautiful spot and only slightly rolly. These south swells are making for some uncomfortable nights!
Jenn & Jason
16) CARINTHIA - Cost Rica
Drake Bay - Costa Rica dinghy landing area - bring a long non floating line and a dingy anchor - drop the anchor into the middle of the river mouth
( there are a lot of tour boats in here ) and you can tie up to the tour out fit and then push the dingy into the center
- when you return pull the dingy back to the dock with the long line
- as always lock it !
watch for breaking waves just south of the entrance - hence the dogleg to enter this bay
Dietmar & Suzanne
17) MANU KAIย - Mexico
Manu Kai update:Our land travel adventures. Chiapas, San Cristobal, Tonina Ruins, Agua Azul, Pelenque, Tikal and Flores. We are currently on our way to Antigua after a breakdown on the bus our 9 hour bus ride in now 12 and counting. Kids are troopers and taking in the experience. Hope to be back to the boat in Chiapas by Tuesday. Missing sea level.
Thor & Tanya & Crew
18) EPIPHANY - Mexico
Hello to the PPPPosse!!! We are leaving La Cruz, MX in about 2 weeks, headed to Panama. Expect to be there in June.
We are planning now and would love to get your favorite stops/anchorages/must sees along the way.
Thanks, in advance, for your tips and advice.
George & Suzanne
19) SSB Panama Posse Net Reminder
Please tune into our SSB net at 1300 UTC ( 7 am local time ) on 8297
Mhz usb and introduce yourselves to net control tomorrowย
Keep 'em Coming - simply reply to this email with your report
or post @ย http://www.facebook.com/group/panamaposse/