Log Book
- Port of departure: Isla Gobernadora, Panama
- Departure date and time: Sunday, December 22, 2013 at 10:30am
- Port of arrival: Puerto Mutis, Panama
- Arrival date and time: Sunday, December 22, 2013 at 6:00om
- Total travel time: 7.5 hours
- Miles traveled: 27.7 nm
- Engine hours: 1193.0 begin – 1197.4 end – 4.4 hours
- Fuel consumption: 34. begin – 32.2 end – 1.8 gallons used
- Fuel economy: 15.4 mpg
- Tides and currents: We High tide was at 6:00pm and we wanted to be at the mouth of Rio San Pedro by 2:30pm so that we could ride the flood tide into Puerto Mutis. The tide helped us immensely, sometimes boosting our speed upriver by more than 2 knots.
- Weather: The forecast predicted 3-7 knots from the N/NW for most of the day, briefly switching to light S/SW winds after nightfall.
A low key, beautiful ride up Rio San Pedro. We hauled anchor under sail at 10:30am when we felt a little breeze pipe up out of the N/NW. The outgoing tide was more powerful than the wind, so we drifted sideways for about 45 minutes until the wind picked up enough to let us gain on the current. We sailed upwind towards the mouth of Rio San Pedro as long as the conditions allowed. The channel narrowed and the wind was directly where we wanted to be, so eventually we doused the sails and continued the trip under motor.
Navigation of the river was easier than we expected – we followed the waypoints provided by the SV Sarana Guide as well as Bauhaus’s cruising guide and never saw depths less than about 12 feet. The incoming tide boosted our speed, especially during the last two hours of the trip. At times we were going up to 6 knots (when we usually go 4-4.5).
The light was absolutely beautiful, warm and textured. It cast a glow on the mangroves and accentuated the little hills and islands that surrounded us. I alternated between staring at the depth sound and snapping photos of the changing light.
Puerto Mutis emerged out of the mangroves, a small fishing village where bars and eating establishments seem to outnumber the people who live there. Adele’s “I Set Fire to the Rain” (sing it girl!) drifted out to the anchorage, glasses clinked, laughter bubbled up from a local bar. Though small, Mutis is far from sleepy, it’s a lively little town both day and night.
We anchored north of the boats and moorings as the sky darkened, the firebugs lit up and the bats began to swoop and chirp. T minus two days and six hours until Christmas. T minus four days until company arrives! And we have a LOT to get done: clear into Panama, figure out the local transportation system, withdraw money, learn the lay of the land in Santiago (Panama’s third largest city), fill up our propane or figure out a workaround, provision for four people for 7+ days in the islands, fill our water tanks, buy diesel, procure internet, get the outboard motor running again (fingers crossed), CLEAN the boat, reorganize to make space for two more bodies and of course, celebrate. Let’s do this!