Last week in Panama

 

me and my Hobie Cat

       Hello faithful readers!  In our last episode, the crew of Milagro was struggling to find the source of our electrical problem.  It seemed that way too much voltage was being fed to the batteries, a situation that could seriously damage them.  After much diagnosis and help from electronics wiz Stewey, it was determined that the problem was not the voltage regulator, but rather, the alternator.  So we removed the device and shipped it off for repair.  But it won't get back until long after I depart.

view of anchorage from the marina

      And due to issues related to having no alternator that I won't bore you with, we cannot run the boat's engine for more than a minute or two.  Which means we're kinda stuck here in this anchorage.  No more exploring other parts of the archipelago, and no downwind sail back to where we started.  Yeah, IN THEORY, we could sail our way back with no engine, but it's too risky, as there are ships and other hazards along the way.  Not to mention the difficulty of leaving a crowded anchorage thusly.

      I ALMOST hitched a ride back to Shelter Bay.  I put the word out on the morning sailors' net that I needed a ride because our boat was disabled.  A couple in a 51-foot catamaran said they were headed that way, and I was welcome aboard.  But they later changed plans and decided to stay here in Bocas for another week or two.  Bummer.

      But fret not, for there are ample entertainment options here at the Bocas del Toro.  At the top of the list, I went and rented myself a Hobie Cat sailboat for the day!  I had a blast, sailing that little boat all around the anchorage, the marina, along the downtown waterfront, and even way out into the adjoining Almerante bay.  The wind was fickle and variable, but when it did pipe up, that boat would take off like a rocket!  Like all catamarans, though, it was really hard to do a come-about thru the wind.  To change direction, I had to do a wide, sweeping 270-degree gybe.

Eric & Patty

      Then there are Cocktails in the Cockpit, a time-honored sailors' tradition.  Anchored next to us is Sheerwater, a magnificent 55-foot ketch with the classic wooden-boat design (although the hull is actually made of fiberglass).  It is crewed by Eric & Patty, absolutely the nicest, sweetest couple you could ever meet.  They gave us a tour of their spacious vessel, which was loaded up with creature comforts and storage space that could make a landlubber envious.  After the sun went down, Patty realized, horror of horrors, that suppertime had come and gone!  So she headed for their feature-loaded galley and whipped us all up a hearty meal.  The eating, drinking, and sailor talk continued on till the wee hours.

swap meet

      Also on the entertainment list was a swap meet at the marina on Saturday.  Everybody was there!  What a great opportunity to meet and greet old friends and new friends.  They had all sorts of stuff for sale or trade:  boat parts, books, charts, food, electronics, cookware, even some hand-embroidered bikini tops.  Robert scored a new winch and handle.

tangle of anchor rodes on foredeck after we reset anchor

      Our stint here at anchor had its moment of drama, also.  On Sunday, a monstrous storm blew in.  Wind was howling and waves were crashing.  Next thing we knew, we were DRAGGING ANCHOR!!  Never a good thing, with reefs and other boats all around.  We'd been safely hooked here for a week, but the constant rotation due to the ever-shifting winds evidently entangled the anchor.  A couple of our boat neighbors (including Eric, introduced above) immediately boarded their dinghies and rushed to our assistance.  In the pouring rain, we deployed a secondary anchor via dinghy, winched it in, then pulled up the primary anchor and re-deployed it in the same manner.  Meanwhile, another dinghy pushed hard against our bow to turn it into the desired direction. 

      After a good hour of fighting the elements, we were finally, safely re-anchored.  Check off yet another item on my sailing bucket-list.  (My apologies for the lack if photos in this dire emergency.)  Thru it all, I kept hearing the song in my head:  "If not for the courage of the fearless crew, Milagro would be lost!" 

Daniel

      I met a lot of lot of interesting people here.  One super cool dude was Daniel.  He's Panamanian, and speaks fluent English.  He owns a little waterfront business, and their services include dinghy parking, ice, bike and Hobie Cat rentals, day-sailing charters on his trimaran, and a few other odds and ends.  He has a couple of "watch" dogs who just sleep as you step over them.  Daniel was able to make arrangements to ship off our alternator for repair.  And he was a valuable source of information about anything in Bocas. 

me and Skye

      Another interesting person was Skye.  I guess you could call her the Village Flirt.  Everybody knows Skye.  She was from South Africa, and crewed on her dad's boat Mitanga, anchored nearby.  She recently helped deliver a boat across the Atlantic from Capetown to Miami, complete with the Official Cross-the-Equator-At-Sea Ritual (inquire within for details).  In conversation, we discovered that we both worked in the same industry for a while: teaching online English classes to Chinese kids.  Also, in my previous blog about The Floating Bar, she's the gal pictured fixing to jump from the upper deck.

hot, fresh bread, delivered to your boat

      Throughout my stay aboard Milagro, one thing we definitely have had in abundance is good food.  Robert is one awesome chef who just LOVES to cook!  He has some amazing recipes that he conjures up in our tiny galley.  And when the farmers and fishermen pull right up to us with their wares, shopping is a breeze.  I successfully re-gained much of the weight I lost earlier this year working hard on Dragonfly.

waterfront shack in Almerante

        Getting home was an adventure in itself.  First I caught one of those water taxis that we saw zooming by the anchorage all day long.  There were about two dozen people aboard.  When the skipper gave it full throttle, I estimate we hit about 40 knots!  Across the open bay, the ride was a little bit rough.  We disembarked in the village of Almerante, allowing a closeup view of Panamanian life on the waterfront.  From there I caught a bus to Panama City.  The first three hours of the bus ride was over the Continental Divide on some extremely narrow, twisting, turning, winding roads.  It caused a bit of turmoil down in the gut.  Then catch a flight home from there.

       And so ends my sailing adventures in Panama.  But stay close to your email, for there's always something else good emanating from my keyboard!

just a couple of girls walking down the street in Bocas Town