Hanging with Panamanian ghost monkeys
X86
Rich Carey
Tue 20 Mar 2018 14:40
Best not to plan too far ahead, but when payment is demanded in advance, you can make a pretty good forecast. Having just paid $930 to visit the Galapagos (anchored, not a fancy Marina!), such is the current situation.
Plan:
Sebastian doing the canal 'practice run' (20th)
Friend from Argentina joining x86 for 6 days (24th)
Canal Transit on the 26th.
6 days at Flamingo Marina, Panama City.
Clear Panama for the Galapagos (31st)
Arrive Galapagos (6th Apr)
Leave Galapagos for Marquises (24th April)
All planing presuppose we haven't sunk, mid plan. Also - the friend that's joining from Argentina, has just said that he may spend a couple of days exploring elsewhere in Central America, rather than just Panama and back. I had such a fun trip to Tera del Fuego with him when I was in Argy Bargy, that I may join for that few days, in any local regional jaunt he may think up!
Failed to fix the VHF antenna. Screwed over by the stupid way Seawind seem to randomly choose what coax connectors to use, in which system. Chandler required. Since I cut the temp antenna to fit, I now have to use the temp temp antenna until in Panama City. Just hopeing a temp temp temp isn't required, as that's a temp too far. The mast work was dead easy to do - I sent Sebastian up :-)
Made a neat system for the filtration of shore water to our fresh water tank.
Finished cleaning the 200L barrels ready for diesel. Will fill late this week - leaving here with a total of 880 liters of diesel in 14 different containers. Main tanks 2x160L; 160L in 10 Jerry cans; 2x200L BBB (big blue barrels).
Need to plan how to swim and clean the hulls, as Galapagos do a diver inspection and may invite me to immediately leave if not up to standard! Would do it here, but ... reputed crocodile ... well the reputed seems absolutely fact. Sebastian was talking to a guy who was up his mast a few days ago, looked down, saw the frikin monster swimming right around the boats - heck, I ain't going in this water!
Failed to fix port nav light. Water ingress - buggered. Need Chandler for new front lefty (red). No worries, as x86 has tri lights as well :-). Those are nav lights at the top of the mast as backup. Backups r us (sadly I just read that toys r us, finally just went out of business). Oh well, 'r us' will live on regardless.
Managed to get the next electronic charts sorted (Pacific Islands). Paid a Chandler in P.City to prep them for my pickup next week. Charts are great - stop you banging into stuff and sinking routinely. They're about $400 for each region. Not cheap. Wrong! They're a STEAL!!
Went monkey tracking again last night, over to an area of the Fort with a small abandoned houseing estate. Monkeys all over. Brilliant. Unfortunately, while you can tune your eyes to see them (as your eye catches movement and shape), in photos they are like ghosts, seemingly not showing up!
All's well on x86, just hanging around with Panamanian ghost monkeys.
Plan:
Sebastian doing the canal 'practice run' (20th)
Friend from Argentina joining x86 for 6 days (24th)
Canal Transit on the 26th.
6 days at Flamingo Marina, Panama City.
Clear Panama for the Galapagos (31st)
Arrive Galapagos (6th Apr)
Leave Galapagos for Marquises (24th April)
All planing presuppose we haven't sunk, mid plan. Also - the friend that's joining from Argentina, has just said that he may spend a couple of days exploring elsewhere in Central America, rather than just Panama and back. I had such a fun trip to Tera del Fuego with him when I was in Argy Bargy, that I may join for that few days, in any local regional jaunt he may think up!
Failed to fix the VHF antenna. Screwed over by the stupid way Seawind seem to randomly choose what coax connectors to use, in which system. Chandler required. Since I cut the temp antenna to fit, I now have to use the temp temp antenna until in Panama City. Just hopeing a temp temp temp isn't required, as that's a temp too far. The mast work was dead easy to do - I sent Sebastian up :-)
Made a neat system for the filtration of shore water to our fresh water tank.
Finished cleaning the 200L barrels ready for diesel. Will fill late this week - leaving here with a total of 880 liters of diesel in 14 different containers. Main tanks 2x160L; 160L in 10 Jerry cans; 2x200L BBB (big blue barrels).
Need to plan how to swim and clean the hulls, as Galapagos do a diver inspection and may invite me to immediately leave if not up to standard! Would do it here, but ... reputed crocodile ... well the reputed seems absolutely fact. Sebastian was talking to a guy who was up his mast a few days ago, looked down, saw the frikin monster swimming right around the boats - heck, I ain't going in this water!
Failed to fix port nav light. Water ingress - buggered. Need Chandler for new front lefty (red). No worries, as x86 has tri lights as well :-). Those are nav lights at the top of the mast as backup. Backups r us (sadly I just read that toys r us, finally just went out of business). Oh well, 'r us' will live on regardless.
Managed to get the next electronic charts sorted (Pacific Islands). Paid a Chandler in P.City to prep them for my pickup next week. Charts are great - stop you banging into stuff and sinking routinely. They're about $400 for each region. Not cheap. Wrong! They're a STEAL!!
Went monkey tracking again last night, over to an area of the Fort with a small abandoned houseing estate. Monkeys all over. Brilliant. Unfortunately, while you can tune your eyes to see them (as your eye catches movement and shape), in photos they are like ghosts, seemingly not showing up!
All's well on x86, just hanging around with Panamanian ghost monkeys.
