008:55.2755N 079:31.7966W

As I type in these co-ordinates they sound all too familiar!  Several people have likened Panama to Hotel California 'you can check out any time you want, but you can never leave'!!!!!!

I can only apologise for the time that has elapsed since the last blog on 10th January.  We left gorgeous remote Isla San Jose in The Pearl Islands and sailed up to the next island Isla Pedro Gomez, another beautiful island which has been bought and renamed 'Pearl Island' by the Ritz Carlton group and is being rapidly developed into a luxury resort.  I'm glad to say we saw it before it is totally transformed.  Below are some happy memories of our stay in the beautiful Pearl Islands.

We needed internet to organise ordering and shipment of the rigging which had to come from UK, and sadly realised that to get things moving we would have to return to Panama City. 

The rigging arrived double quick and Syd had the lovely job of fitting it - having been quoted $50 an hour by the local rigger!  We were lucky with a few windless days and the job got done.  Then the plan was to leave after re-provisioning with food, fuel and water.  Bad to make plans, other jobs reared their ugly heads, the fridge and freezer both packed up - not great when full of enough meat to get us to Polynesia!  So another hunt for parts!  Then 3 out of 4 of our laptops died . . . . . 2 of them containing vital navigational charts - we were going nowhere.  So the weeks have passed, catching buses and taxis to go in and out of Panama City searching . . . . . . .  Lisa managed another running victory entering the Energizer Night Race 5k and getting 1st in her group and 12th woman back overall out of 359.  And $70 in prize money!

I'm not mentioning any more plans but we hope to leave for Galapagos this coming week . . . . . . . . Watch this space!