Log book
- Port of departure: Puerto Mutis, Panama
- Departure date and time: Saturday, May 10, 2014 at 1:00pm
- Port of arrival: Boca Chica, Panama (by way of Isla Leones, Isla Uva, Islas Secas and Isla Gamez
- Arrival date and time: Wednesday, May 21, 2014 at 10:00am
- Total travel time: Ten days, probably about 36 hours in motion
- Nautical miles traveled: 120 nm
- Average speed: Let’s say about 3.3 nmph
- Engine hours: 1287.0 – 1298.1 – 11.1 hours
- Fuel: 5.6 gallons
- Fuel economy: 21.4 mpg
- Tides and currents: Can’t remember
- Maintenance: CLEAN boat!
- Forecast: Light and variable.
The final passage notes of the cruising season! That’s pretty exciting. We may do some short trips out to the nearby islands over the next few months, but I’ll be taking a little break from the passage notes. They’re starting to feel a bit repetitive since we keep going to and from the same places.
On the 10th of May we picked up our final stowaway for the season, our friend Michael. As a professor of Classics at a new university in a new city, his school year had been full and fast-paced and he was ready to kick off summer break with some very intense relaxation. When asked what kind of trip he wanted, he responded with a set of very easy-going requests: 1) not too much travel, 2) a slow, easygoing pace, 3) lots of reading, 4) preferably in hammocks on the beach, 5) lots of swimming, 6) no internet, 7) games, 8) cold beer. Keeping the beer cold was our biggest challenge.
I won’t bore you with the details about the passage(s) because truth be told, not much happened. The wind was gentle, the seas were calm, and we were (surprisingly) able to sail for much of the trip with the wind at our back. The sailing, though slow, was downright lovely. I’ll just share the highlights of the trip:
We departed Mutis on the falling tide (as usual) and only made it as far as Isla Leones when we saw a dark as night cloud oozing towards us. The anchor was set on the North side of Leones just as the clouds started dumping buckets of rain on us. It was the heaviest rain I’ve seen to date – so heavy in fact that it helped us identify a couple new leaks (not to worry, they’re easy to address). The rain cooled the air to the point of shivering and we warmed up by jumping into the ocean. The ocean was like a big, silky blanket that kept us warm while the cold rain pelted our faces.
After swimming, drinking, eating, playing games and waiting for the rain to subside, the boys made the decision to sail through the night with a nice North wind that trailed after the storm. We set out at midnight with the spinnaker leading the charge. I fell asleep to the sweet sound of best friends conversing. Michael lasted nearly until sunrise (he has night owl tendencies like Jeff). Jeff woke me at sunrise and with the wind still blowing from the N/NE, kept us moving towards Isla Uva while the boys slept.
To cap off what was a nearly perfect day of sailing I saw THE Green Flash. I’ve heard stories and doubted its existence for a long time, but I assure you that it’s real. For those of you unfamiliar with the Green Flash, when the horizon of the earth engulfs the sun, sometimes the sun will send out a brilliant (you guessed it) Green Flash. I’ve been eyeing the horizon voraciously since we started the trip and only now just saw it.
While Isla Uva is lovely, it was just a stepping stone on the way to Islas Secas where we spent three lovely nights – one night in the rolly SW anchorage at Isla Pargo and two nights at the northern most anchorage (with a great little upwind sail in between). Isla Pargo had an fun little hike (to the bay where we had considered anchoring in February…so glad we didn’t), an unfinished palapa from which to hang our hammocks, a plethora of great rocks and shells to examine, and body bashing surf. At the Isla Cavada anchorage we read books, worked on arts and crafts, played lots of games and spent an afternoon snorkeling around a little rock island to the East. The snorkeling (in my very inexperienced opinion) was fantastic…especially the micro-snorkeling.
Jeff and I traded off rainy season colds. Apparently everyone gets a cold down here when rainy season begins. Fortunately, our guest was spared the headaches and lung clenching cough.
Isla Gamez offered us lazy days on the beach, lovely clear water swimming and an afternoon of drinking cold Coca Cola while playing cribbage at the local “bar” (if you can call it that…seeing as they were out of beer). Gamez was also a perfect storm watching platform since it allowed us to see dark clouds approaching and lightning splitting the sky from all possible directions. Night-time skinny dipping was also on the docket.
While at Gamez we met a few groups of fishermen on their way out to the wide open ocean and discovered what a raw deal it is to be a fisherman in Panama. It’s tuna season right now and they pull in many many tons of tuna, which gets sold to an intermediary who then turns around and sells it for a pretty penny to US consumers. The Panamanian fishermen, the ones who risk their lives, who spend 330 days out on the water and don’t get to be home for birthdays and holidays, barely make ends meet while the fat cat intermediaries watch the money roll in. This encounter launched a multi-day discussion/debate onboard Serenity about how to create a more egalitarian supply chain.
We wrapped up our adventure on Isla Boca Brava, wandering around the paths and beaches, getting bit by mosquitos, chatting with other tourists and drinking the afternoon away at Hotel Boca Brava. A fitting end to a mellow journey.