08:54.79N 79:31.61W

 

30 miles south of Panama city are the pearl islands. Having spent our last evening in Panama on the “party Bus”, a hollowed out American school bus with a DJ, barman or girl in this case, we very quietly took our aching heads to this very tranquil place. We pulled in late afternoon to find our friends from Hebe anchored in the bay we had chosen for the night.

 

We arrived at high tide, something we’re not used to is being back in the tides, and with 5 metres of them to think about when you anchor it adds another dimension. This morning the place looked completely different, with reefs and dried out rocks everywhere. It’s always pleasing to realise that the patience and caution really is worth it when we come into new bay.

 

Today was spent swimming and barbequing on the beach, under the shade of a great big tree that was perfect for the job. To top it off we caught a small tuna on the way to the beach. Cooking within 20 minutes of being caught! Doesn’t come much fresher than that. The tide eventually came to us and extinguished our fire so it was time to come back to the boat. Tomorrow we haven’t decided what we are doing, only that we have to be back in one of the northern islands for our departure to the Galapagos on Wednesday for a skippers briefing.