Appalling

Coolrunnins
Thu 18 Nov 2010 21:34
 
08:15.533N 079:07.776W
 
05.30 Wed
 
Appalling weather. To make a long ordeal short, 8ft seas, torrential rain 24hrs, visibility 50-500 meters, wind at 12-22 knots, soaking, cold and miserable. Thank god for radar for flying blind. have trench foot and a waterfall down my neck off the sail for 18 hrs, Oh how we laughed as the autopilot gave up figting the swells after the 1st hour.
 
4.30pm arrived Punta Benao our intended overnight anchorage, exhausted and ready for some re grouping and good nights rest. Bay like a blender and complete no go unless your a surfer.
 
Turn around and back out to sea for another 20hr epic in the Panama shipping lanes North in torrential rain with radar and prayer working overtime.
 
0900 Thurs , finally at anchor having negotiated the Americas busiest shiping route off Punta Mala and into Panama Bay. Spot the light on a ship and guess at how long it will take to plough you down. Great game.
 
Now drinkin the last beer onboard in the Las Perlas Islands in yet another desert island cove, with howler monkeys being the only noise. Very pretty, but too tired to appreciate fully. trying to stay awake. Next leg, 47 miles to Balboa, with an anchorage 1 night before at taboga Island 5 miles off.
 
Home run to Balboa. Nearly there! What can possibly go wrong now.....