Green Island

Hi again as the time flies along.... I cannot believe that it is Friday already and almost the end of February. We are still at Green Island and tomorrow we will move to the Naguargandup Cays, possibly the western side and anchor off Salardup. Well now you know exactly where we are... still in the San Blas islands... on the Panamanian coast. As I said earlier the islands here have great names many that one finds hard to pronounce. We were going to move to Nargana today but decided to have a lazy day here instead. We got a whole lot of Langoustines' and crayfish today that we cooked and then boiled up all the heads and legs to make a wonderful "Lobster Bisque". We had that for supper tonight and after one bowl full you could not eat any more, so we have soup for lunch tomorrow with crayfish salad. The veggie boats have been around almost daily with fresh produce so we have good salad ingredients.
From Salardup we will head to the Lemon Cays for a day or two and then back to Porvenir to sign out. Many boats spend a lot of time cruising here and we have only touched on the one side of San Blas. Boats that have been further east say that you step back in time as the Kuna's there live a very traditional life with little western influence. There are also hundreds of islands to visit and to see them you would have to be here for a year or so. We do not have time to do it, but there are some rivers that run up into the rain forest that one can boat up. The forest here is absolutely pristine as no one has been in to remove the trees for a quick profit. The kunas only use trees for their dugout canoes. There is a lot of wildlife and plenty of birds to be seen. Even on the islands there are lots of different birds.
From Monday there is a total ban on fishing and collecting of seafood for three months. This is applicable to everyone as it gives the fish time to breed etc. Some of the langoustines that we bought today were carrying eggs so I took them and placed them on a small reef that hopefully will not attract the attention of any the divers looking for crayfish. Many yachties here do not follow the rules as they spearfish and remove seafood from the reef. This is rather disappointing as the Kuna work on trust and do not police the area. (Fishing with a line is permitted) There is another side to this and that is a lot of yachties are spear fishing "Lionfish" These predatory fish were introduced to the Caribbean and will kill off all the fish on a reef. Nothing will go for them as they have venomous spines on their dorsal fins that are also harmful to humans. However you can cut off the spines and fillet the fish and they are apparently good eating. Many places ask divers to report any of these fish so that they can be hunted down. Because they are very territorial they do not move from an area where they have established themselves and are easy to find again.
Unlike us we are always on the move. But for now its time to put the feed up and let dinner digest ... till next time.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Green Island

Hi again as the time flies along.... I cannot believe that it is Friday already and almost the end of February. We are still at Green Island and tomorrow we will move to the Naguargandup Cays, possibly the western side and anchor off Salardup. Well now you know exactly where we are... still in the San Blas islands... on the Panamanian coast. As I said earlier the islands here have great names many that one finds hard to pronounce. We were going to move to Nargana today but decided to have a lazy day here instead. We go a whole lot of Langoustines' and crayfish today that we cooked and then boiled up all the heads and legs to make a wonderful "Lobster Bisque". We had that for supper tonight and after one bowl full you could not eat any more, so we have soup for lunch tomorrow with crayfish salad. The veggie boats have been around almost daily with fresh produce so we have good salad ingredients.
From Salardup we will head to the Lemon Cays for a day or two and then back to Porvenir to sign out. Many boats spend a lot of time cruising here and we have only touched on the one side of San Blas. Boats that have been further east say that you step back in time as the Kuna's there live a very traditional life with little western influence. There are also hundreds of islands to visit and to see them you would have to be here for a year or so. We do not have time to do it, but there are some rivers that run up into the rain forest that one can boat up. The forest here is absolutely pristine as no one has been in to remove the trees for a quick profit. The kunas only use trees for their dugout canoes. There is a lot of wildlife and plenty of birds to be seen. Even on the islands there are lots of different birds.
From Monday there is a total ban on fishing and collecting of seafood for three months. This is applicable to everyone as it gives the fish time to breed etc. Some of the langoustines that we bought today were carrying eggs so I took them and placed them on a small reef that hopefully will not attract the attention of any the divers looking for crayfish. Many yachties here do not follow the rules as they spearfish and remove seafood from the reef. This is rather disappointing as the Kuna work on trust and do not police the area. (Fishing with a line is permitted) There is another side to this and that is a lot of yachties are spear fishing "Lionfish" These predatory fish were introduced to the Caribbean and will kill off all the fish on a reef. Nothing will go for them as they have venomous spines on their dorsal fins that are also harmful to humans. However you can cut off the spines and fillet the fish and they are apparently good eating. Many places ask divers to report any of these fish so that they can be hunted down. Because they are very territorial they do not move from an area where they have established themselves and are easy to find again.
Unlike us we are always on the move. But for now its time to put the feed up and let dinner digest ... till next time.

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Coco Bandero Cays

Yesterday we sailed east from the Holandes Cays to the Coco Bandero Cays. The weather was good with winds from the ENE at 15-20 Knots. We decided to go around the weather side of the cays which made for an interesting trip. The seas were 2-3m but up to 4+ at times. This was mainly because we were in shallower water. We stayed out further from the reef than planned as the shoals at 5-6 meters seemed to be breaking at times with the larger swells. At the eastern side of the cays we had to cross a 7m shoal. It was not too bad as we did not have a large swell cross it with us.... once we crossed this area we were back into deeper water and headed for the lee of the cays barrier reef, which is four miles long, and we now only had to sail back to the west to the islands to anchor. Where we are anchored there are four main islands with others just a little away from here. The names are great ... we are anchored between Taidup, Dupwala, Olosicuidup and Guariadup (Dup means Island). None of these Islands are larger than 100m across, normally full of palm trees with white sandy beaches or reef around them. Only Taidup has some Kuna's living on it. We will spend another night here then head off to Green Island tomorrow. This lies to the SW of us and only about an hour's sail away. There is fairly open water until we reach the island but then have to get through the passages in the coral to get to the anchorage. Due to this one needs to get there when the sun is high to find your way in. The coral here is the best that we have seen in the Caribbean with many varieties shapes and sizes... including some old large corals that are still going strong. The fish are plentiful as well as colourful, however the fish at les Saints in Guadeloupe were more prolific and I reckon more colourful. Generally the islands here are extremely beautiful and in the most parts prestine. Time for lunch... "tuna melts" then a swim and snorkel and may catch some fresh fish for dinner. Last night we were trolling a rapala(lure) and caught a fish that was then eaten by some bigger fish while we were winding it in - Unfortunately that one missed the hooks.
Until we catch something or move again we will write again... till then

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

East Holandes Cays

Well another day here on the Holandes Cays in San Blas. The weather has been very pleasant with fair winds out of the North. As we are all in the lee of the islands the water is flat and still. The fishing could be better but, then again, one cannot be too greedy. Lots of smaller fish and barracudas that steal ones lures... they have razor sharp teeth. The colours of the water at the different depths are absolutely stunning, but you will need to wait till we get to the internet to download the pictures. We have had many Kuna come by with crayfish, monster crabs and all assortments of groceries. We bought a fresh chicken and roasted it (our first roast in our oven) and it turned out great... very tasty. Sandy made up for the chicken with crayfish that we bought from one of the passing canoes. The canoes that the Kuna's use are dugout canoes made from one hollowed out tree trunk. Today one came by with a small 9HP outboard on the back. He offered us some crab and crayfish and then asked if we could sell him some fuel. Out here he would be miles from any location where he could buy some. We spared two gallons around 8litres. Then he asked if we had oil. We don't carry two stroke oil, but he was happy to use some 15W40 oil and get on his way. I asked him how long it would take to make a dugout canoe and he reckons that from the chopping down of the tree to finish take around a week. The tree is felled and shaped up in the rain forest and then taken to the village where the final trimming up is done. His canoe is fifteen years old and still has many years of life left in it. They do take in water and often you can see them bailing as they go along. They normally have one large paddle that can also be used to steer the boat when they use their sails. They cover large distance and will go along the coast to Colon (70-80nm) or down to Columbia in these open canoes. You see them everywhere around the Cays with the Kuna's fishing, diving, transporting goods and people. Well the sun is high we have made our water and charged our batteries so there is only one thing left to do ...go snorkelling. Yesterday we had Ian and Wendy on board from the yacht Remedy that crossed the Atlantic with us. They arrived a few days ago from Cuba after an eight day passage. This morning we heard Barnstorm (also from the Atlantic crossing) calling them and they had just arrived from Honduras after a four day Passage. We are very close to each other, but behind different islands. Later today we will dinghy around for a chat. So off to snorkel we go... till next time, bye for now

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Provenir to Holandes Cays

Yesterday (Monday) we left Provenir and headed across to the Holandes Cays passing through Lemon and East lemon Cays. Each of the cays has several small islands all inter connected by lagoons and Reefs. These reefs are generally very shallow and there are not many passages entering the lagoons. Each island has lots of palm trees on them and little Kuna settlements on them. Some only have a few huts on them. These huts are made from natural materials. The framework is all tied together by vines that are collected from the forest on the mainland. The roofs are made from special palm leaves, also from the forest, and have a life expectancy of around 15 years. Even in the heaviest of tropical storms they do not leak. The floors are compressed sand and they have very few furnishings. Life here is spent in the hammock.
The Holandes Cays are made up of 21 islands that are mostly uninhabited due to its distance from the mainland. The Cays are protected by a 7-mile barrier reef. Been so far from the mainland the water here is beautifully clear and is not affected by the run off during the rainy season. Our anchorage we came into is tucked between two small islands and a reef of coral around the back creating a small lagoon. We almost did not come in here as the entrance is small and the sun was playing behind the clouds. As we approached we got some sun and could clearly see the entrance and shot in. We took the dinghy up to the main anchorage called the "Swimming Pool" where there were about 20-30 boats to see if there were any that we knew. After visiting and chatting we got back to the lagoon entrance and had to motor up and down to find the correct spot. The reef around the entrance is less than 0.5m so no short cuts. Once back in the lagoon we went into a small bay for a quick last throw before dark and bingo.... we caught a 3-4 kg trevally/yellow tail Jack which went into the pan within twenty minutes of us catching him. Fish again for lunch and supper today. We will do some snorkeling around here for a day or so and walk around some of the islands.... yes it is "around" the islands are very small.
One could spend ages here as there are some beautiful anchorages that are well protected is some very beautiful surroundings. The circuit that we will try do takes us to a few Cays and plenty of islands and yet we will only scratch the surface. As we go, we will let you know... till then

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Provenir;San Blas Islands;Panama

Hi there to all our blog readers
>Well the last two days the weather was great, but trying to go slow
>was a pain. The wind was great and we could easily have cruised at
>7-8 knots, but had to keep it below 4 knots so that we could arrive
>here at daylight. We had a busy last night with tons of shipping
>all heading into the Panama Canal. We chatted to one ship and asked
>how well our lights were from a visibility aspect and he said they
>were good, but did not have us on radar. We fitted new LED lights
>that use 0.1 amps per hour each compared to the old ones that sucked
>almost 2 amps each per hour. This is great as all our navigation
>lights now only use about 12 amps a night rather than 50 amps. We
>arrived at the outside of the islands at about 9 am and were anchored
>off Provenir by 10 am. Had a lovely shower and cleanup and then
>headed to Customs and Immigration. The Kuna people running these
>areas are just lovely and they hardly understand English but they
>sorted out all our paperwork with little fuss. The Kuna Indians are
>very small people and are the shortest race after the pygmy's. The
>women are beautifully dressed in fine hand stitched dresses with
>bead work on their legs and arms. They do not like to be photographed
>and get very upset if you point a camera in their direction. Sandy
>has already been spending money on the "molas" that the women
>sew.... the work is absolutely exquisite and must take absolute
>hours to complete. The people travel in lovely dugout canoes some
>which seem to be very old. Today we have just taken a break and
>visited some friends that arrived the day before us. Tomorrow we
>will go down to another island where the snorkeling is supposed to
>be good. Here will be lots to tell over the next few days and as we
>will be doing it over the radio as internet does not exist here it
>will have to be in small sections. Photos will only be added once we
>get back onto the internet possibly in Colon. Till next time Lots of
>love Colin and Sandy

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Position reportday 4 - two miserable mariners

Hi there to all our blog readers

13.45 UTC 26 Jan
Course: 250 ° Speed Ave last 12 hrs: 3.5 Knots
Distance covered last 24hrs until 06h00 UTC: 122.4 nm
Distance to San Blas: 60 nm
Position 10°02.397 N 078° 00.238 W
Well the last 48 have been something. The area we have just been through is notorious and it did not let us down. The weather for the area was 15-25 knots easterly winds with a little variation in direction and a hell of a lot in strength. We had winds of over 30 knots, and with three reefs and a fragment of our usual genoa out front we were surfing down waves (4-5meters) at over 14 knots. Finally we took down the main, but did not slow too much. There was a lot of shipping on route and we asked one what their wind strength was, to which he replied ...over 45 knots. I asked if he had an updated weather forecast for us, "Yes ... 15 -25 knots". I thanked him and we barrelled along on our way. We both were not feeling that well and Colin was on water only which was soon returned to the sea. Sandy had taken seasick tablets and was faring much better.... and we are doing this WHY??

Well today was the reverse ...we are trying to get down to 4knots average as could not make it into San Blas early enough in the day and a late arrival is not recommended as the place is littered with coral reefs. So we have been on a go slow all day and if the wind stays down tonight we can take a slow evening and arrive tomorrow with the sun behind us. The only problem slowing so much is that the swells role one around a little more. Eaten well today and both feeling great. Had a great shower today and noticed that the fly from nowhere has left... says it all.
All our love
Colin and Sandy

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Position reportday 2

Hi there to all our blog readers

We are currently at position 12*07.039 N & 73*43.604 W. (*= degrees as I can't find the degree emblem on the computer!!!)

We left Spaanse Water at midday on Monday 7 Feb for our passage to San Blas - about 640 nm in total.

We had strong winds which put us at 7 - 8 knots and a bit more. included in that was the current of about 2 knots.

We passed Aruba in the dark so all we saw of it was it's twinkling lights. At the northern end we had to negotiate our way through an anchorage of 17 - 18 ships all lit up.

There has been a northerly swell which has put an uncomfortable kick to the side of us but the frequency has reduced. The wind died down quite substantially and lost us our wonderful speed but it has picked up again and we are surrounded with white horses.

Sandy took the sea sick tablets the night before leaving which has kept the stomach stable but the side affect is an intense headache. Colin opted not to because of the side affects and is suffering from sea sickness with the accompanying stomach aches and headaches and is not able to eat. He improved for a short while this morning but got worse again from about noon.

We seem to be having fair sleeps during our watch - though we wake up once or twice in the three hour off time but manage to sleep straight away again - the worst watch time is the last 45 minutes of the three hour watch in the early hours of the morning!

We should reach the half way point some time during the night.

We will update in the next 48 hours.

Hugs and smiles
Colin & Sandy

----------
radio email processed by SailMail
for information see: http://www.sailmail.com

Goodbye Curacao

Well after a month here in Curacao it is finally time to move on. We had to wait three weeks for Colin’s new glasses as they are made up in the USA. We also had to wait as long to get our electronic charts for the Pacific and Australia.

So time to move on... we have spent the last few days loading the boat with about six months worth of supplies. We landed up getting soaked with one load on our tip from the dinghy dock to our boat that resulted in us having to wash about sixty tins plus and dry them well before storing them. Hopefully that is enough as we really don’t want them to rust. A big thank you must go to Clemens who is a fellow BSR practitioner here on Curacao. He spent two days helping us by driving us around picking up supplies and then also taking us to customs and immigration to sign out. As we would have had to lug tons of stuff around on busses we really do appreciate what he did for us. Below: Clemens and Trudy join us at Normans (at the dinghy dock) for "happy hour" after a day bof carting us around shopping. 

Packing all the supplies onto the boat is another exercise altogether. There’s no shoving of things into cupboards as they have to be ordered so that what you hope to use first is at the front or at the top of a locker. Then it all has to be secure so that if we should role onto our side it would all stay in place. Theoretically the boat should be able to roll right around and everything should stay in its place.... we would land up with an almighty mess. No Plans to be sailing in such weather if we can help it.

Tomorrow we leave for the San Blas islands on the SE coast of Panama. The islands are owned and run by the Kuna Indians, who follow a very simple non western way of life. Some islands in the area are slowly changing as there are now some cruise ships that have started to target these islands and so they will slowly be developed as a tourist destination. We were hoping to spend a few weeks here but with all the delays we may only be here for two to three weeks. Our “push” is to get to Colon and through Panama Canal as early as we can in March. But one can sit and wait for a while until the canal authorities approve your transit.

The trip to San Blas should take us around six or so days and turns out to be our second longest passage so far. Our wait here in Curacao has not been that bad an option (weather wise) as the weather on route to San Blas and along the Columbian coast is notorious and the winds the last few weeks have been very strong. The weather window for this week shows lighter winds 15-25 knots for most of the trip with slightly lighter winds towards Panama and 20-30 knots in the rougher middle section on Tuesday when we pass that area. Just add a few more knots here and there for any errors in the grib files and alls good.

We will try updating our blog as we go, via our radio, but that means no photos’ till we hit some place that has internet services... possibly in Colon where we wait for our transit to the Pacific.

Many off the goodbyes at the moment are really ”see you later” as many of the boats that we are meeting up with now, are heading for Panama and the Pacific. For now that’s it and hopefully the next update will be soon if all’s well with the radio connections. All the best

Colin and Sandy