Blog Post 50 – Kickin’ it at Shelter Bay, AGAIN

12/04/16 – 1/18/17

9:22.09N – 79:57.01W

The sail down from Bocas Del Toro was magnificent. We were buddy boating with Jack and his dad, with us leading the way. There was one spot in Bocas that we wanted to see before we left, Zapatillas Cayes. These are two tiny islands, surrounded by a reef with a patch of dense jungle taking up most of the space. Dive boats come out here on day trips and it is supposed to have some of the best snorkeling/diving in the Caribbean. Or so we had been told by many other cruisers and locals. We dove the reef but there was not much to see. There was one other boat in the anchorage. We got to talking and the couple told us that the sailboat they were on was actually an AirBnB they booked that included a overnight stay in 2 different anchorages in the Bocas area. How cool is that? We took off the next morning and headed for our favorite little island on this side of Panama, Escudo Veraguas. It did not disappoint. We dove the reef on the east side of the island. There were deep canyons with some huge fish swimming around. It was a real treat. We spent the night and continued on south towards Colon. Right after we took off, Jirig went to the engine room to check on things and it was lucky for us that he did. A fuel injection hose on our port engine had ruptured and diesel fuel was squirting out of it. There was no way to repair it while we were underway, so we shut down the engine and made our way on just the starboard engine. Surprisingly it did not make that much difference in speed, maybe slowed us down from 6 knots to 5.

Figure 1 - Zapatillas Cayes

Figure 2 - Savarona at anchor in the Zapatillas

Figure 3 - The jungle comes right to the high tide line

When we were once again settled in Shelter Bay, we went about trying to find the replacement for the fuel injector hose. This is easier said than done. You go to one shop, they send you to another, and yet another. What would take you a couple of hours to do in the states takes you a week here. After running all over Colon, then going to Panama City, looking for the part itself or to have it fabricated for us,  to no avail. We could not get the part here in Panama. We would have to order it from the states. Since we were ordering it we took the opportunity to get additional spare engine parts, a submersible water pump and some electrical supplies as well.

Figure 4 - Escudo Veraguas

Figure 5 - Going snorkeling in Escudo with Jack & Nico

Figure 6 - Jack & Nico having one of their numerous wrestling matches in the water

Figure 7 - A storm brewing in the distance

Then we settled in to wait. This is the hard part of cruising. You have to sit around in a marina and wait for your parts. We took road trips to Panama City, went exploring in the jungle and did everything we could to keep ourselves busy. We immersed ourselves in boat projects. Jirig replaced all the window covers and did all the design, sewing and snaps himself. We cleaned the deck, shined the chromes and cleaned everything inside and out. It was a long, boring but productive wait. The parts were late and we decided to stay in Shelter Bay through the holidays. We would stay here until January 15 when Daniel arrived and then we would head for the San Blas. So much for my wish to spend the holidays in Cartagena.  When you are cruising, you learn to adapt and be flexible. If you do not, you will inevitably be disappointed.

We spent a lovely Christmas at Shelter Bay and then Jirig and I took a trip to Panama City to celebrate our 24^th wedding anniversary. We stayed in a nice hotel and spent a couple of days shopping and doing a little sightseeing. We had a perfect date on our anniversary. We went to old part of Panama City, Casca Antigua and found a lovely little restaurant in a square. There was a classical guitar player playing lovely music and we sat down to have a fabulous dinner. Nico stayed back in Shelter Bay on the boat so we had the whole weekend to ourselves. He got a little space of his own as well.

Figure 8- Christmas in Panama City

Figure 9 - The park across from our hotel

Figure 10 - Anniversary dinner in Casco Viejo\

Figure 11 - Cruisers Christmas Potluck at Shelter Bay

One of the challenges with Shelter Bay us that it is very remote. In order to get in to the city of Colon can be a 2 hour ordeal. As the crow flies, Colon is just 2 miles across the water. The problem was that body of water was the entrance and exit to the Caribbean side of the Panama Canal. It is a very busy waterway. You have to take a car ferry across the channel and the Panama Canal traffic takes priority. You just sit there and wait until all the ships have passed thru. To get to the city can take up to 2 hours on a bad day. The city of Colon is, unfortunately a dump. It has long been neglected by the Panamanian government and it languishes in poverty and disrepair. There are basic super markets but nothing in the way of good meat or fruits and vegetables. For that you have to schlep to Panama City. Needless to say provisioning is a royal pain in the ass.

Figure 12 - The car ferry to cross the Panama Canal from Shelter Bay to Colon

Figure 13 - Waiting for the ship to pass so we can cross on the ferry

Figure 14 - THe loely garden spot that is the city of Colon

Figure 15 - Beautiful Colon

The one highlight of our 2nd stay in Shelter Bay was when the Catamaran, Tanda Malaica sailed in. On board were some of the finest, most fun loving, down right decent people we have met in a long time. Not only did they have teenagers aboard, they had 4 teenagers! Nico and Jack were in heaven. I ran into the mom, Belinda and one of her daughters, Micah at the pool and we became instant friends. The kids were amazing. Danny and Belinda had a blended family, they had 11 children between them. They were sailing around the world with their 4 youngest kids. There was Jude 19, Micah 17, and twin 14 yr olds, Emma and Aiden. Our kids and theirs, the entire families became a pack at the marina. The kids did everything together. Daniel arrived mid-January and unofficially became head of the pack of teens. The kids were gone 18 hours a day. They hiked in the jungle, swam in the pool and at the beach, went camping, played games, watched movies, shared music and generally just hung out literally every day, all day.

Figure 16 - The gang on our way to go hiking in the jungle

Figure 17 - The gang on a hike to Fort San Lorenzo

Figure 18 - Nico and his best buds Jack and Aiden. These kids will be friends for life!

We had been hanging out way too long in Shelter Bay waiting for Daniel to come and then waiting for a weather window to head to the San Blas islands and then on to Cartagena. The kids were bummed, they did not want to leave their new friends and ours, but it was time to go. We got our weather window and prepared to leave for the San Blas.

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