New Year
MALARKEY
Jo & Trevor Bush
Wed 1 Feb 2012 02:19
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8:37.4N 79:02.0W
Contadora, Las Perlas
Still in the festive spirit, we spent New Years eve
with Brian & Sue at Geralds Restaurant on Isla Contadora. It was a grand 6
course meal with mucho vino and a glass of fiz at the stroke of midnight. This
was followed by fireworks and............ the 'conga' down the runway of the
local airport......try that Heathrow!! I don't know whether it was the
belly full of booze that did it but it just seemed the right thing to do at the
time. And besides, who can say that they've done the 'conga' down a runway, not
many I would venture.
Ho hum, with the Christmas & New Years
festivities behind us, we headed back to Panama City to provision the boat ready
for the Pacific.
What a fag. We decided we would buy enough food
& booze to last us til Tahiti (5 to 6 months)..... Do you have any idea how
much stuff that is? Well we do and it weighs about 3/4 tonne. No wonder I
am such a lardy arse. There is a lot of effort involved in provisioning a boat
for 6 months. Not just the finding, buying and carrying the stuff but the
storing of it too. Every little hole on the boat is stuffed with
something quaffable and there are boxes of grub & booze where there
were once seat or beds. We have become a floating larder. But bless her cotton
socks, Jo has done a great job keeping the boat balanced and comfortable
while looking after our special needs (ie beer & chocolate).
A break in shopping was urgently required before we
both threw ourselves overboard in despair. The Beijing Circus was in town and
provided the light relief.
  It brought back memories of being a kid
going to the circus. I am glad they are keeping the ancient tradition alive.
Everyone seemed to enjoy it, little kids and big kids alike.
Well back to the provisioning. I could bore you
with the huge list of the stuff that has been loaded on the boat but save
to say it is extraordinary and we shant go wanting of grub n grog for sometime
to come......well hopefully at least until we get to Tahiti.
Of course, we haven't taken into account any fish
we might catch along the way. This could never be relied upon in the Caribbean
or Med but here in the Pacific, its a different kettle of fish (excuse the pun).
Its difficult not to catch them here. They virtually leap into the boat. We are
so confident of catching fish that my major boat project was making a fish
filleting tray. Yes, while most cruisers were fixing freezers and wind
generators or alike, I was making a fish filleting tray.
  The fish monger at
work
Our last catch, large Pargo, Tuna & Mahi Mahi
So, here we are, back in Isla Contadora, Las
Perlas ready to leave tomorrow (1st Feb), ready or not, for the Galapagos.
We will post regular position reports and let you know how we get
on.
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