Log book
- Port of departure: Isla Gamez, Panama
- Departure date and time: Friday, March 14 at 1:15pm
- Port of arrival: Boca Chica, Panama
- Arrival date and time: Friday, March 14 at 4:30pm
- Total travel time: 3.25 hours
- Miles traveled: 9.6 nm
- Average speed: 3 mph
- Engine hours: 1218.4 begin – 1218.9 end – 0.5 hours
- Fuel consumption: 32.6 begin – 31.8 end – 0.2 gallons used
- Fuel economy: 48 mpg
- Navigation notes: Roca Buey is covered at high tide but just look for the waves breaking on top of it; it can be quite impressive and give you some indication of the size of the swell. We used the entrance to the right of Isla Saino (see the Bauhause guide) and had big swell behind us, breaking at times to our starboard side when it overcame shallower sections of the channel. Apparently this entrance should be avoided during the winter months (rainy season) when there is big southerly swell since the swell directly enters the channel. The entrance that hugs Isla Ventana and Isla Boca Brava is shallower, but also much more protected from the swell and surge.
- Tides and currents: High tide was at 2:45pm so we were working against an ebb current coming into Boca Chica.
- Weather: No forecast.
Hard to believe that nearly a week passed out at Isla Gamez. Our time there was simultaneously relaxing, exhausting, and a lot of fun. We had two nights to ourselves, two nights with our friends on SV Chrysalis, one night with our friends on SV Brio and numerous visits from some new friends who live on Isla Parida. In the time between social time Jeff did a bunch of work on the motor, I cleaned our bottom and finished up some other little boat projects, we picked up trash from the beach, and I baked lots and lots of bread (that’s been on the list for a good long time and I am the joyous recipient of a ridiculously easy and delicious recipe from our friends on SV Ashika).
Following a late night with Brio we had a late, lazy morning – coffee, computer games, morning radio net, dish washing, a visit from some local friends who brought fresh mangos from their heavily laden tree (yum), chill time on the beach, a visit with our neighbor from SV Best Day Ever. At about noon we were wading in the water on the beach, keeping cool as best as we can, inspecting strange floating creatures in the water when our friend Carlos from Isla Parida dropped by in his kayak. After a short exchange we offered to give him a ride over to Boca Chica – he just had to deposit his kayak back on Parida and pick up some things for a weekend in David with his wife and son.
We moseyed back to the boat, cleaned up and waited for Carlos to be transported to Serenity by his brother. As soon as his sun baked feet hit the deck we were busy hauling anchor and sails with a small but building SW breeze (what can I say, we really like sailing off of the anchor now). The wind was confused until we cleared the shadow of the island, at which point it allowed us to take a broad reach towards our destination. With about 10-12 knots at our back (towing two dinghies with lots of drag) we were making anywhere from 3-4 knots. We weren’t going to ride the tide in, but we’d entered under sail with an adverse current before so it didn’t worry us too much.
Though a bit lumpy, the sail was pleasant. The highlight of the passage was getting to know more about Carlos, his family, Isla Parida and the surrounding area as well as sharing some of our sailing experiences with him. He knows these waters in a way I am not capable of knowing them. His life will span a time of great change in this area. It’s hard to imagine what this place was like two decades ago…and what it will be like two decades in the future as more and more land is bought up and set aside for retirees, tourists, and wealthy second (third? fourth? fifth?) home owners. I’m glad we’re here to enjoy it now.
As we neared the entrance we started to feel the ebb tide work against us and noticed that the swell increased in size as it squeezed between the islands flanking the channel. I stood at the front of the bow to look out for rocks, to keep an eye behind us on the swell that picked up our stern and shoved us along, and to sporadically yell frantic commands at Jeff who, unlike me, felt that the situation was very much under control.
When our speed dropped to 1.8 knots, due to the adverse current and the greatly diminished wind, we doused the sails and let our motor have a little time in the sun. We wrapped up the trip under motor, which allowed us to take our sweet time finding a place to anchor. Evan from SV Margarita waved from his side deck, “Welcome home!” It is a sort of home and a lovely home at that. Carlos caught the first water taxi he could flag down and we made tentative plans to meet up at some point either in David or back on Parida. A perfect day of sailing.