05:44.23N  081:51.940W

All well here on our third day of the passage from Panama City to Galapagos.  Still can’t quite believe how far we have come in Tashi Delek and we are very excited about being in the Pacific. 

The sea is calm but there is very little wind so we have the engine on at the moment.  The problem with this part of the world is the lack of wind and the different directions it comes from.  We have the Grib files which show us the winds and we try to make the most of what there is.  We sailed south closeish to the Panama coast and managed to find some reasonable wind there which kept us at 7-8 knots for quite some time.  We used our cruising chute for the first time and it made all the difference because it can pull the boat along in light winds that the usual sails are too heavy for.  It is the colours of the Tibetan flag by chance so very appropriate for Tashi Delek and we looked spectacular according to another boat we are on passage with.

When we arrived in shelter Bay marina before we went through the canal we were berthed next to a boat that is exactly the same as ours and we have been on pretty much the same schedule ever since, leaving Panama City within a few minutes of each other.  We are about 80 miles apart now as Dancing Bear have taken a different route and are using their engine more.  Because we have been able to sail for most of the time so far we have been able to go faster.

This morning Brad and JM caught a marlin but it was off the hook before we could blink.  It would have been good to get it close enough to photograph but we aren’t equipped for the fight it would put up if we tried to land it so we would have let it go anyway.  We have seen a couple of whales and a shark so plenty of wildlife.  But, of course, no fish.  The sushi kit is standing by, we have the limes for cerviche, Brad has promised to make fish Tacos and that is just the starters.  However, we do need to catch the fish.