by Judy Handley | Feb 24, 2006 | Panama, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 130, Year 1: Taking Care of Business
Date: Friday, February 24, 2006
Weather: Another Beautiful Day in Paradise
Air Temperature: 84 degrees F daytime, 78 degrees F nighttime
Water Temperature: 76 degrees F
Location: Balboa Yacht Club, Balboa, Panama
Today was another beautiful day in paradise spent taking care of business. We first went to the French Embassy to pick up our passports with our French Polynesia Visas. We then went on a taxi adventure to find Tropigas-the place where we could get our LP gas tank refilled. We have two LP tanks that are used for cooking and the first tank was still not empty, but we decided to take it in and get it filled as it is very, very difficult to get American tanks filled in French Polynesia because of the different in connectors. With both tanks filled, we should be fine until we reach New Zealand next November.
We brought the filled tank back to Windbird and then headed out with Margaret and Patrick from Aqua Magic to go to the Capitania’s Office to begin the check-out process. Because of Carnival, all government offices will be closed until next Wednesday or Thursday, and since we plan to leave here on Tuesday, Wednesday at the latest, check-out needed to happen today. We had to take a taxi to Port Captain’s office and then get another taxi back here to the Yacht Club. The Immigration Office is here and we thought we were almost done when we were told that we needed to go to a different Immigration Office to get properly checked into Panama before checking out. How frustrating! We had asked at every point if we had done what was needed, but we had evidently not paid a $20 required fee for a Panama Visa. By the time we got back to the Yacht Club, did the final check-out with Immigration, and had lunch it was 2 PM. We then discovered Roosevelt. He is cab driver that speaks English and will take you anywhere you need to go for $8 an hour. He took us to MegaDepot, like Sam’s Club, and we bought as much as would fit into this cab. He then took us to a couple of different boat chandleries to get those last few things on the “boat list”, and finally back to the fabric shop that sells boat awning material. Aqua Magic needed to buy Sunbrella to make a dinghy cover. By 5 PM we were back at the Yacht Club and headed to our boats to put the latest provisions away.
Mark and I then went back into the Yacht Club Bar for Happy Hour and talked with Dick and Meredith from California. Meredith is originally from the Boston area, and they are now sailing their boat to St. Augustine, Florida, where they have bought a retirement home. Great couple-too bad they are not headed our way. On our way back to Windbird, we ran into Doug and Sylvia from WindCastle. Sylvia was trying to arrange the trip inland for Carnival but has found that the cost is prohibitive, so we will go into Panama City with them tomorrow afternoon to experience a little Carnival craziness here.
There are still so many things I want to see in Panama City and so little time. We’ll catch as much as we can and then head on to the next port. It’s a big world out here and there is just not enough time to see it all, but we keep working at seeing and experiencing as much as possible.
by Judy Handley | Feb 23, 2006 | Panama, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 129, Year 1: More Provisioning
Date: Thursday, February 23, 2006
Weather: Still Sunny and Warm
Location: Balboa Yacht Club, Balboa, Panama
What a busy day in the life. As always, we get up and listen to the radio nets. At 8 AM here there is local net on the VHF radio where you hear the news of boats in the immediate area. Then at 9 AM we catch the Pacific net where boats heading into the South Pacific check in. I think there are at least 15 boats headed to the Galapagos at about the same time as we are, and those same boats will be crossing to the Marquesas at about the same time as us as well. It is very comforting to get to know personally the folks that will be out there with us and to know that there are organized radio networks to keep us in touch.
The early part of the day was spent onboard doing laundry (Judy) and finishing the sun covers for our cockpit (Mark). We then headed into Balboa with Margaret and Patrick from Aqua Magic to get money for our Pacific crossing and to buy a new USA flag. We will now be able to fly the red, white, and blue, instead of the red, pink, and blue with holes. We have learned that it is very difficult to get change in the Galapagos, so better to go with small denominations of US dollars. That is what we got at the bank. We have also learned that you can use only Master Card in the Galapagos at ATM machines. Bummer. Our cards are Visa, so that is why we needed to make sure we had plenty of cash. Evidently you can spend the better part of a day waiting in line at a bank there to get needed cash.
Once we completed our errands in Balboa, we headed into the Cinco de Mayo Plaza. Margaret and Patrick needed Sunbrella from the fabric store where Mark and I purchased the Texalina for our sun covers. We went there and then headed to the 5-story department store that Barbara from Octagon introduced us to yesterday. Floor 1 is groceries, Floor 2 is the pharmacy, Floor 3 is the school supply store, Floor 4 is home furnishings, and Floor 5 is the hardware store. This really is a one stop shop, and we were able to get many of the items on our lists. We returned to the Balboa Yacht Club and had Patrick and Margaret over for dinner.
We have received word from the French Embassy that our French Polynesia visas are ready for pick-up, so that will be our first stop tomorrow. We will pick those up and then check out of Panama. Tomorrow at 3 PM is our last chance to do this until next Thursday because of Carnival. Everything closes, so by checking out tomorrow we legitimately can stay here until Sunday and probably longer. We will then continue shopping for needed items in various parts of the city.
On Saturday we might head inland to a small village that has the reputation of hosting a fantastic Carnival celebration. More about that tomorrow.
by Judy Handley | Feb 22, 2006 | Panama, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 128, Year1: Shop ‘Til You Drop
Date: Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Weather: More Sunshine
Location: Balboa Yacht Club, Balboa, Panama
I started my day by going on a shopping “excursion” with Barbara from Octagon. She is British and has been here for some time and took Margaret from Aqua Magic, Sylvia from Wind Castle, and I on an early morning shopping explore. We hopped on a provado (mini-bus van) for 25 cents and went to the Cinco de Mayo plaza. We then walked at Barbara’s very fast pace (and this woman must be at least 60 or more) to the fresh fish market. The city is not particularly clean, but the fish market was clean and the prices were unbelievable. I bought a pound of the biggest shrimp I have ever seen for $1.25. We then headed to the meat market and then on to the fresh vegetable market. Barbara was doing her weekly shopping and showing us the way for future shopping trips. We then went to a six-story department store that had everything from food to clothes to tools and more. Margaret and I will be going back to provision as this looks like the place with really good prices. FYI–Margaret and Barbara are both from England and Sylvia is from Mexico City. Sylvia told me that Mexico City is the largest city in the world with a population of 20 million, but that Panama City has only a population of 1 million.
When we were all as heavily loaded with provisions as we could carry, we hailed a taxi and headed back to the Balboa Yacht Club. When I returned to the boat, Mark was sewing away making the sun screens for the boat. Mark is an incredible seamstress and is doing a great job of getting us protected from the sun. Unfortunately, he discovered that we had not bought enough Texalena to complete the job, so he and Patrick from Aqua Magic headed into town mid-afternoon to buy the extra material. I stayed aboard Windbird and worked on editing and labeling photographs from our Canal transit. I did send those to Justin tonight, so they should be posted on the website in the next couple of days.
We are hearing that many things will be closed here from this Friday through next Wednesday due to Carnival and then Bank Day next Wednesday. This could mean that our next couple of days could be a little hectic trying to get everything done before Carnival is in full swing. Some things never change. We always seem to be rushing around to get things done.
by Judy Handley | Feb 21, 2006 | Panama, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 127, Year 1: Just Another Day in Paradise
Date: Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Weather: Bright, Sunny, and Warm
Air Temperature: 78 degrees F
Water Temperature: 76 degrees F
Location: Balboa Yacht Club, Balboa, Panama
It is late in the evening here, and I just checked the air temperature. It is currently 76 degrees F which matches the water temperature here. During the day, the temp rises to 78 degrees. But Mark swears the sun here is hotter than on the eastern side of the Panama Canal. Whether that is true or not, it is bright and sunny and warm here. Weather here is very different from weather to the east of the Panama Canal. Daytime temperatures here reach the upper 70’s and dip down to 74 degrees F in the evening. Days are sunny and we have had not rain on this side of the Canal. On the other side, we had daily rains in both the early morning hours and later in the afternoon. We are having a great time here and are really enjoying the weather.
Mark spent most of his day designing and sewing our new sun shades and copying pictures from our computer to discs as back-ups. We also helped Aqua Magic get their new dinghy motor aboard and I walked into Balboa with Margaret from Aqua Magic to help her get her documents faxed to the Galapagos to get a cruising permit there. Basically it was a typical cruiser’s day in port.
Early tomorrow morning I am going into Panama City with a woman named Barbara from Octagon. She and her husband Mike are from the UK and have lived here for about a year now. She is going to show me, Margaret from Aqua Magic, and Sylvia from Windcastle, the best fish, meat, and veggie markets in town. We will provision here with fresh meat and fish for the long trip across to the Marqueses. We will provision with fresh vegetables here only for the trip from here to the Galapagos. We are hoping we will be able to find fresh vegetables there for the ~25-day trip to the Marqueses.
by Judy Handley | Feb 20, 2006 | Panama, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 126, Year 1: Getting Organized
Date: Monday, February 20, 2006
Air Temperature: 78 degrees F
Water Temperature: 76 degrees F
Location: Balboa Yacht Club, Balboa, Panama
We just got home from a meeting of cruisers in the area headed into the South Pacific. Molly and Jeff from Kauila who spent last year in the South Pacific, and Mike and Deirdre of Cheshire Cat who spent last year here and in Ecuador, including the Galapagos, who are now preparing to head into the South Pacific, are the organizers of information. They keep a list of all boats heading out and have a wealth of information for those of us preparing to do this for the first time. It was great to meet others who will be heading our way. One of the main topics of conversation was how to get a cruising permit for the Galapagos. We hope we have that one under control, but we did learn that you can only use Master Cards in ATMs in the Galapagos. Oops! I guess we’ll have to take lots of cash as we are Visa family. The meeting was a few miles from here near the Flamenco Marina. It is at the end of the causeway and has a number of restaurants and shops in the surrounding area. After the meeting, we all went to a two-for-one pizza night at a local restaurant. We sat with Margaret and Patrick of Aqua Magic and a Doug and Sylvia of Windcastle. Doug is from California and Sylvia is from Mexico City. She gave Mark Spanish lessons while we ate, and believe me, we need the help.
We started our day at the French Embassy. We had to leave copies of our credit cards, copies of our health insurance, proof of emergency evacuation insurance, and our passports. Hopefully by Friday of this week, we will have a 3-month Visa for French Polynesia. It was easier than we had heard, but they certainly want to know that you have enough money to get out of French Polynesia if there is a problem. This first stop was in what is referred to as the old part of the city. We saw many beautiful old churches and other buildings that have been gutted and have no roof, but there were also many charming old buildings that have been renovated. We then took at taxi to the Plaza de Cinco de Mayo which is the drop off point for the downtown shopping area. We had directions to a place where we could buy Texalena, a type of plasticized mesh that boaters use as sun shades because it permits air circulation while blocking the most intense rays of the sun. We found the store and bought 10 yards. In this part of the world, finding a way to keep yourself out of the sun is very important. We then took another cab to a totally different part of the city to go to a marine store. By this time, I decided that lugging 10 yards of Texalena around was not my idea of fun, so we came back to the Balboa Yacht Club and dropped off the goods before heading to the afternoon meeting in another totally different part of the city. And we have just barely scratched the surface of seeing the various parts of town. Taxis here are cheap, almost always under $2.00 for up to 4 people, no matter how far we have gone. I’m sure it will cost more to go to the outskirts of the city, but travel is very affordable.
We will probably stay close to the boat tomorrow and work on making sunshades and continuing to read the volumes of cruising information that will help to get us organized for our South Pacific voyage. It feels good to be in one place for a few days, so we plan to stay here until early next week. After a little more research tomorrow, we will have our “flight plan” for our next stop worked out.
by Judy Handley | Feb 19, 2006 | Panama, Sailing Logs Year 1 |
Day 125, Year 1: Sunday in Balboa
Date: Sunday, February 19, 2006
Air Temperature: 78 degrees F
Water Temperature: 76 degrees F
Location: Balboa Yacht Club, Balboa, Panama
We spent our day today on Aqua Magic. Mark helped Patrick figure out a problem with his alternator and then helped to replace the seals in his water maker. We had done this on Windbird a couple of weeks of ago and it was nice to be able to share what we had learned with someone else. While Mark and Patrick were working on these projects, Margaret and I were researching the next ports of call. We are trying to decide whether to leave here at the end of Carnival and go to the nearby Panamanian Las Perlas Islands or whether to head south to the mainland of Ecuador. Our research today indicated that we would be better served by spending the first week or so of March in the Las Perlas islands and then heading for the Galapagos, but we will not make a final decision on this for a couple of days. Tomorrow at 4 PM we attend a meeting with other boats headed to the South Pacific. We will find out what others are doing and then make our decision.
There’s not much else to report tonight. We had dinner ashore at T.G.I. Friday’s and then returned to the boat. We are planning an early Monday morning trip to the French Embassy to get our visas for French Polynesia and then a day of shopping at the local marine stores. Hopefully we will be able to find many of those little items we have on our “To Buy” list.
