09:22.043N 079:57.035W

Panama

Travel by yacht is easier!!

Our departure from the UK was not without adventure! Somewhat over-whelmed by our 86 kilos of luggage we squeezed into Bill’s car....it was dark, cold and we were not focussed! It was only after we had been dropped at the Oxford coach station we realised our error; the vital piece of hand luggage holding all our ships’ papers insurance, cruising notes etc had been left behind! Robin recalled he used to be a distance runner and proceeded to chase Bill’s receding tail lights through the Oxford gloom; alas, his legs are not what they used to be and the car disappeared from sight. Frantic phone calls ensued...Bill drove like the wind back to Suzie’s mother’s house, retrieved the offending bag from the roadside where we had left it, turned around, drove like a hurricane wind to Heathrow and was there waiting for us at the terminal desk when we arrived. What a star!!

Uncle Sam does not like us

Relieved to have retrieved our precious boat papers we proceeded to the American Airlines desk. Having already been finger-printed, eye-ball scanned and quizzed when we entered the USA Virgins early in the year, we did not anticipate any problems. Ha!! A smart eyed young inspector noticed that Suzie’s air ticket (in the surname of Roots) did not match up with the passport she was using (O’Hagan). And her ESTA (a pre-purchased USA visa) is in her UK passport. But worse was to come.....her Christian name is spelt differently in the two documents, and EVEN worse,  in her haste to rectify the situation Suzie inadvertently drops her third passport on the floor whilst trying to retrieve her marriage certificate (to prove that actually she is one and same person). The inspector’s face becomes impassive and there is some dark muttering about a supervisor being called. With a sinking heart Suzie rummages through various bags to help her case...she really IS one and the same person. Driving licenses, bank cards, bus passes, immunisation certificates, boat papers; all are carefully scrutinised and more conversations follow. Suddenly, relief arrives! Our flight is called for boarding, the officials decide we are just a couple of harmless but muddled and foolish yachties and we are free to go!

Checkpoint alarm

Suzie’s hand luggage makes the machine scream; something is upsetting it! Under the suspicious and close watch of 2 security guards ALL our hand luggage is unpacked, studied, sent back piece by piece thru the X ray machine. The first culprit is a hip flask which contains some residual Ouzo from Crete. In a defiant gesture, rather than pour the liquid away, Suzie swigs the lot......the HM Border Guard is not sure whether to be impressed or disapprove. But still there is a problem...Eureka! A Christmas present turns out to be a vial of Jo Malone shower foam. Interested, the HM Coastguard watches to see if Suzie will repeat her ‘down the throat in one’ trick. But no, foaming at the mouth is not a good look so reluctantly Suzie dumps the bottle and with much haste we repack all our over-the weight hand luggage and head for Gate 22. Panama here we come!

Arrival at Shelter Bay

We had the forethought to book a room in the marina hotel for our first night, knowing we would arrive in the wee hours. A confirming email had been received from the manager, but the left and right side did not communicate; our promised open room was definitely locked, there is no security guard to be seen. After the trials and tribulations of our journey from the UK we don’t feel like knocking on all doors to find a bed; there are two large comfy sofas in the lounge so we crash out and wonder, as we drift off, if journeys by land and air are always to be so much more trying than those by sea!.

02 December Reunion with True Blue 1

Our cherished True Blue looks a bit sorry for herself; the months of relentless rain have certainly kept her decks clean, but there is a greenish tinge to any bits of rope or string we left outside.....the teak cap rail is a grungy grey colour and some serious scrubbing and elbow grease is definitely called for! Down below she is mercifully spic and span, thanks to the dehumidifier running during our absence. And best of all there are no nasty creepy crawlies...either they can’t climb ropes or our extra super duper baits from Oz have frightened any hitchhiking critters away!

 09 December Cleaning, Cleaning and more cleaning

The major cleaning is finished, 3 coats of supposedly bullet proof antifouling have been applied and we are ready for slipping! Always a moment of some tension, we heave a sigh of relief when our trusty Yanmar starts first time. But no forward gear......and no reverse! Quick as a flash (well almost) Robin whizzes into the engine room to discover that in her zealous cleaning Suzie displaced the gear cable....a quick tweak and all is well.

16 December In the Water

Who said the rainy season finishes in November? It is still bucketing down and we realize how lucky we were to have a dry spell when we were doing the antifouling. Now there is a state of emergency; houses have slid down hills, roads are closed and we are happy to be cocooned on True Blue, dry under the pilothouse and snug (but very hot with no open ports) down below. The jobs as always continue; the new fridge arrived from Miami, and in a day of careful work we installed it without mishap. The larger motor calls for a larger circuit breaker, and there is a moment of panic before we realise this and change things over.

True Blue 1 with a beautiful blue bottom

18 December Look, no Tape Measure!

Today, True Blue was “measured” in readiness for the canal crossing. Having watched other yachts of a similar size go to all sorts of lengths to try and come in under the magic 50ft length we were prepared for the worst and resigned to paying the extra $500 for being in the ‘big boats’ category. But what a piece of historical luck! True Blue transited the canal with John, her previous owner, some 11 years previously. Our astute agent Erick had located the documents relating to that transit (gosh, the canal really does keep track of everyone!) and thus our admeasurer arrived only with questions as to the change of ownership.......when he opened his briefcase but failed to pull out the dreaded tape measure, for once Suzie had the wisdom to remain silent!.

True Blue finally in the water at Shelter Bay under an unusually blue sky between the rain squalls!

We are somewhat disappointed not to be able to meet friends in the San Blas Islands for Christmas, but the continuing poor weather coupled with our promise to line handle on another yacht on 29 December mean the trip just doesn’t make sense. Never mind, we are enjoying Happy Hour (s) at the marina bar; the stories get taller and taller as the nights get longer! And there is plenty to do; trips to Panama and Colon for the endless provisioning tasks, games of bridge, walks to see the howler monkeys and wonderful birds which abound in the forest surrounding the marina; it’s all interesting and enjoyable.

December 24, 2012

Last night an international bunch of singers had fun singing carols around all the boats; it seems everyone world-over enjoys the traditional Christmas rituals. Just before retiring, we gawped at the 220 lb pig which was ceremoniously placed on a spit at midnight. Porky was actually significantly larger than ordered so before stuffing with two turkeys (a Latin American tradition apparently), it was off with his head and off with his trotters! Such treats for the various dogs that sniff hopefully near the spit area!. The ‘spit minders’ are to do  an all night vigil tonight turning Porky every 15 minutes....no flash electric gizmos here!

Porky on the spit after 12 hours of heat!!

We are ready for our Christmas treat………..but alas there is no snow.