March was one of the most social months we’ve had. The cruising “pack” finally started to catch up with us. We met several new cruising couples in Boca Chica and said farewell to others as they make their way up the coast or across the ocean to Ecuador and the South Pacific. We also made several more friends in and around Boca Chica. After receiving our new, shiny propeller in the mail Jeff and I went out to Isla Gamez for a week to do the install and enjoy the clear, warm water.
The install was a success and we’re grateful to have our motor back online, though we still intend to sail as much as possible. On our third night at Gamez our friends Dave and Leiann rolled into town and we spent two nights hanging out together and swapping stories over a beach bonfire and some freshly grilled lobster. Just as we were preparing to make our way back to Boca Chica we heard our friends Jon and Leah from SV Brio were on their way. We postponed our return to Boca Chica to enjoy a night out at the island with them. Though we hadn’t yet met John and Leah in person, knowing them only via email and through the radio, it was like we’d been friends for ages. They’re another young, newly married cruising couple and we enjoyed reflecting on and processing our cruising experiences with them. During that week alone we had dinner gatherings on 5 out of 7 nights, which is some kind of record for us.
We also celebrated my 30th birthday. When Jeff asked what I wanted for my birthday I responded: “A square bed and a hot shower. Oooh and I also want to be cold enough to wear a sweater and wander around drinking hot coffee. And pizza. I want some pizza.” Since we can’t find any of these things on the boat (with the exception of pizza) we celebrated with a short inland trip to David, to check out the cabalgata (big cowboy parade) and feria (fair, kind of resembling our state fairs), and then on to Boquete in the mountains where I unpacked my sweaters and guzzled Americanos in true Pacific Northwestern style. On this trip we were accompanied by Dave and Leiann who were on the search for a little casita in the mountains. They’re transitioning from the life of boaters to the life of backpacker – on their way to explore and volunteer in South America. At the end of March we made our final preparations for finally getting around Punta Mala and to the big city where we’ll be meeting up with our friend Stephanie.
Here’s the quick recap in numbers:
153.4 … miles traveled
5.3 … gallons of diesel used
29 … miles per gallon
30 … nights at anchor
1 … nights at sea
0 … nights on a mooring
0 … nights at a marina
4 … days it took for our propeller to arrive in David once it was shipped from Ft. Lauderdale (that’s FAST)
5 … dinner “parties” enjoyed with friends
1 … bonfire on the beach at Isla Gamez
4 … lobsters enjoyed over said bonfire
$5.00 … per pound, cost of lobster at Isla Parida
60 … pounds, approximate amount of garbage collected from Isla Gamez
20 … rpms, the “sweet spot” for our new propeller
$5,000 … listed price of SV Chrysalis, our friend’s boat that was for sale in Boca Chica (didn’t take long for that sturdy little boat to sell)
5,000 … approximate number of caballeros (i.e., cowboys) participating in the cabalgata (basically a huge parade) in David
3 … times we’ve run into Jane and John of SV Decision (once at Carlos’ marina, once in downtown Boquete, and then at the cabalgata in David)
12 … flavors of gelato at the gelateria in Boquete (splurge!)
4 … freshwater showers taken (pure luxury)
6 … over-priced Americanos enjoyed in Boquete while wandering around town in a sweater (bliss)
$3.00 … average cost of a typical Panamanian meal known as comida corriente (the direct translation is “fast food”, but it’s anything but: rice with lentils, salad, plantain, meat and a drink – so delicious)
$40.00 … total per day cost of the car we rented to fill up our propane tanks
$5.00 … the cost of the car itself – it’s the insurance that’s so expensive
4:00pm … time that the propane places close
4:30pm … time that we arrived at the propane place
6 … days a week the propane place is open, closed on Sundays (naturally)…and of course we showed up after business hours on Saturday (time to invest in a calendar)
2 … hitchhikers picked up with our rental car
14 … people (6) + luggage (8) squeezed into the rental car
$1.08 … per liter cost of gasoline
3.8 … liters in a gallon
$65.00 … total cost of rental car (that we didn’t actually end up using)
$40.00 … quoted price from a taxi-man to drive Jeff back to Boca Chica (thought he could make a quick buck off of Jeff, but Jeff waited for the cheap [SLOOOOW] option)
5 … hours Jeff waited at the David bus station for the bus to depart for Boca Chica (after returning the rental car)
$3.00 … cost of a water taxi from Boca Chica to our boat
50 … knots, max windspeed clocked in the Boca Chica anchorage during a particularly gusty Norther
3 … times we’ve gotten wrapped around a mooring (once in Puerto Mutis, once at Isla Cebaco and once in Boca Chica)
25 … pounds, the weight of the new Rocna anchor we have onboard after Chrysalis swapped it for a Danforth (we love our new anchor!)