09.22.0290 N 79.57.0730 W

So we are in Shelter Bay! Or Shelter ‘Pay’ as many people call it. An expensive marina right at the entrance of the Panama canal. Our date is all organised for the 11th March (in a few days time) so we have been trying to tidy and clean the boat ready for the transit. There are so many boats here and everyone is so lovely and friendly. We have been spending some time with our friends Ashley and Ben ( Canadian kitesurfers on a catamaran). They are the same age as us and a great laugh. We have also been lucky enough to catch up with a number of other boats that we have met a long the way. We have been very sociable! Haha! 

As we will head through the canal in a few days we have had to get our line handlers sorted – this has come in the form of Nicks dad who is flying all the way from Colorado and a great friend of ours from Hawaii – Wyatt – who is flying in from California. We are so incredibly grateful to them both and I hope to feed them and look after them well. We will also get a friend of Wyatt’s – Luis – who lives in Panama to come and help as well. We are excited! 

In the meantime we have been enjoying the facilities here, pool, shower etc. I have been doing some yoga classes and Nick and I have been off exploring the area. It was an American military base which seems to have been abandoned and there is a nature reserve near by. This makes for very exciting evening/morning walks into the jungle. Hopefully some of the photos will do it justice. 

Anyway I better get back to jobs and organising! Not long to go till the PACIFIC!!!! Wooooo!!!!!!