Lat: 02:46.5 N: Long: 84:20.0 W

28^th February 2013 Leaving Las Perlas Islands, Panama to Galapagos

We’ve been at sea nearly four days and have 373 miles to go.  Panama seems a long time ago, probably because we didn’t actually do very much there – we were too busy getting ready for this and the next long sea passage. Fortunately though, Will and Jack did manage to sample the nightlife, with cocktails at the Trump Tower Hotel which boasts an impressive view over the waterfront.

We had been warned many times over – in guide books, by friends who had already visited Panama,   by officials and even the local taxi-drivers – about how unsafe the city is, with armed guards and police-officers outside shops,  banks and on street corners, but our experience was very positive.  Yes, there certainly were a lot of firearms on display but no-one seemed intimidated by them and there was a friendly easy-going atmosphere.

The brilliant Panamanian osteopath who I visited twice was so friendly that he asked a waiting client to take a photograph of himself with his arms around Alan and myself and when we left him the second time he gave us both an enthusiastic bear hug! He certainly knew his business too – sorting out my back problem through a variety of techniques including a form of acupuncture. He also gave me a set of exercises to perform three times a day to strengthen my spine – easier said than done though, on a boat which is heeling or behaving like a bucking bronco, which Sulana has been doing for the past two days.

We enjoyed a short trip from Panama to Las Perlas Islands, arriving at Casaya, before being given a tip by Paul, the skipper of Lush, about a fabulous resort they had just visited for lunch.  Next day we made our way to the Hacienda Del Mar on the second largest island in Panama’s Pearl Islands archipelago and found Paul had not exaggerated. It is a truly beautiful gem of a resort with just a clubhouse featuring a sports bar, restaurant, a natural spring-fed pool and a dozen cabins dotted around carefully-manicured lawns with 14,000 acres of virgin tropical rain forest as a backdrop.

We only saw a couple of their advertised 57 beaches but they were stunning, as was the wildlife. The trees were teeming with birdlife including macaws, love-birds, grackles, birds of prey, doves and humming birds, while on the lawn a fat Iguana mosied by.  

The first day out from Las Perlas was perfect (well, apart from Alan having to spend the whole morning dismantling, cleaning and then re-fitting a malfunctioning loo) with the spinnaker flying and we were making great progress.  Then came a weather change and two and a half days of choppy seas making life in the galley most unpleasant. Thank goodness for Will and Jack who have added cooking to their list of skills. They are both very willing workers and lovely to be around - their mothers should be proud of them!

Unfortunately their fishing skills since Las Perlas have not been quite so impressive - we’ve had two that got away and no catches, but they are confident of success tomorrow.

Three nights ago we were treated to a spectacular full moon and last night Alan spotted a series of random lights flashing in the water. Had they been in the sky he might have thought he was seeing the same phenomenon as Questor reported the day before, of unidentified lights, but using binoculars he was able to detect a type of buoy under one of them. There was also a fishing boat in the vicinity so he came to the conclusion the fishermen were using some sort of lighting system on their nets or longlines. Anyway, it livened up an otherwise uneventful watch.

So far we have been carefully avoided by all types of marine life – no playful dolphins or whales in sight. Tomorrow perhaps?