On the launch pad

By Nicole

So as it turns out, prepping for an ocean passage and provisioning for, oh, the next 6–9 months, is a lot of work! We had visions of cruising the rivers of the ultra-remote Darien region and of taking a road trip to the Caribbean before we set off for the Galapagos. But that darn project list was nagging at us, so instead of playing, we buckled down and got to work getting the boat ready for her next big adventure.

Vying for the top spot on our project list (along with “install watermaker”), was to locate, purchase and install two new 100-watt solar panels. Our solar capacity wasn’t quite sufficient to keep up with the fridge and laptops, and a few nights a week, you could hear our generator humming in the cockpit. But those days are over – now we’re rocking 400 watts of POWER! Between getting the panels ordered and delivered, having the support structure fabricated at an aluminum shop, finding the right electrical components, sourcing stainless steel tubing, running all the wires and hooking up a new solar controller (the old one was damaged in the lightning strike), it ended up being quite the project. But as you can see, Aaron did an awesome job. POW-POW!

Our two new solar panels make us look a bit like a satellite.

While Aaron was busy wiring up the solar panels and watermaker, I managed to bring thousands of pounds of provisions aboard (I swear) and squirrel it away in every available nook and cranny. With the sheer volume of pasta we bought, I’m fairly certain we can feed a small nation. Hope they like bowtie …

Storing food for the apocalypse. Or a trip to the South Pacific. (And this is just one of our holds!)

I spent hours planning and making lists (and lists of my lists) about what to buy, and I’m sure I overdid it on some things (and probably skimped on others). But heaven forbid we run out of maple syrup, right? As I was hefting bags bulging with coffee and tomato sauce into the dinghy the other day, I met a guy on the dock who gave me this piece of advice about provisioning for the Pacific: “Go back to the boat and put all these groceries away,” he said. “If you still have room left, go buy more stuff! When I see you in Tonga, you’ll thank me.” Oh my.

So after 75 trips to various grocery stores, hardware stores, marine chandleries and the aluminum fabrication shop, Bella Star is as ready (and as full) as she’ll ever be. It was a hectic, stressful and expensive month spent rushing from one errand to the next, working on one project after the other. And yes, the yellow legal pad still has a list of “to-do” items on it. Judging from the way I feel right now though – peaceful, eager, happy – I know the time is right to move on.

Although saying goodbye to Panama forces us to bid farewell to our long-time friends and buddy boat, Knee Deep. They’ve been one of the constants in our cruising life, and we’re going to miss them tremendously. Have a blast in the Caribbean and the East Coast, Doolittles! And don’t forget about our grand California reunion.

Hasta luego, Knee Deep! Thanks for the laughs and memories (and all that Clos and Red Dog! Woof-woof!)

So here we sit, at anchor in the Las Perlas Islands, checking the weather multiple times per day. As Aaron likes to say, “We’re on the launch pad.” The Galapagos Islands beckon, and with Bella Star ready and loaded, all we wait for now is the wind … and it looks like tomorrow is the day! Onward to Ecuador!

Mogo Mogo! Las Perlas Islands, Panama

By Nicole

For the last 6,000 miles, the wind, swell and current often forced us to spend more time motor-sailing than sailing-sailing. But lately, that’s all changed. We’ve felt the warm, 10-15 knot trade winds blowing steadily from the north, bringing great sailing weather and natural air conditioning. For a boat from Seattle, these winds are quite a treat!

After a false start getting out of Panama City (ahem, barnacles fouling the propeller), we set sail – literally – for Las Perlas Islands, about 40 miles to the southeast. We had a lovely trade wind sail, with seas and winds on the stern quarter all the way. Fabulous. Las Perlas, (the Pearls) were once famous for, well, pearls. So much so in fact, that Spanish conquistadors attacked the native peoples, defeated their king and enslaved the pearl divers. Apparently you can still find oysters with pearls in them here, but I have yet to even see an oyster … In any case, Las Perlas are amazing. A taste of the South Pacific in the Bay of Panama, perhaps.

Bella Star anchored in the channel between Islas Chapera and Mogo Mogo, Las Perlas

Besides pearls, these islands also have another claim to fame – a season of the TV series, Survivor, was filmed here. I wonder how they kept the cruisers from wandering into shots and offering the contestants cold beers.

After an overnight on Isla Contadora, we hopped over and anchored in the channel between Isla Chapera and Isla Mogo Mogo (which is really fun to say). We spent a couple days exploring, swimming, socializing and generally soaking up the awesomeness.

Pretty nice, right?

Fun times on a random beach swing

 
Two more islands conquered! Beat that, Palarran!

The first time we brought the dinghy to shore on Mogo Mogo, I stepped on this great purple clam shell. Always searching for cool shells, I stopped pulling the dinghy out of the water (much to Aaron’s displeasure) and picked it up. Neat! Not two steps further, though, I saw that the entire beach was littered with them. Hm.

Keep clam and carry on

 Looking across the channel from Isla Mogo Mogo to the anchorage off Isla Chapera.

Teal-colored water, interesting rock formations and Aaron off exploring

I finally caught up to the bold explorer

We heard rumor of a citrus tree just off the beach on Mogo Mogo with fruit free for the taking. Free anything? Yes, please! If cruisers are one thing, it’s cheap, and the word “free” always makes our ears prick up. Plus how fun is it to pick your own produce? Of course we had to check it out, so we packed a picnic lunch and zoomed over. We’d heard the tree referred to as the “Mogo Mogo lime tree,” but after seeing it and looking it up in my tropical plant field guide, my best guess is that it’s actually a sour orange tree (citrus aurantium). The fruit is tart like a lime with a floral hint and reminds me of the limon mandarinas that were so popular in Costa Rica. In any event, we stood in the shade and picked a bag full, as I fantasized about all the delicious things I could make with them.

Isla Mogo Mogo sour orange tree loaded down with fruit. We picked the low-hanging ones.

We picked a variety of colors (the green ones are extra tart) … add a bit of sugar, rum and ice for a Mogo Mogo cocktail! Or bake up some Mogo Mogo Meltaway Cookies.

Mogo Mogo Meltaway Cookies. Holy crap, these buttery, sweet-tart gems are
amazing. Amazing! It could be my new favorite cookie. But then again, I do have
quite a thing for citrusy desserts. And breakfast treats, like …

… Mogo Mogo Scones. To keep ourselves from scarfing the entire batch,
we sent our friends on Sundancer off with a few for their sail back to Panama City.

The beauty of Mogo Mogo is incredible, and one day on the island just wasn’t enough. With our speedy new outboard, we were able to zip around to the other side of the island and do some real exploring. (That’s right. A new outboard, that doesn’t poke along or die whenever if feels like it, was our very romantic Christmas gift to each other.)

I like long walks on the beach …

… And collecting sea treasures (yes, the milk crate is a treasure, too, thankyouverymuch).

Treasure! Anyone know what the puffy sand dollar things are?

Iguana tracks

A few of the cruising boats in the anchorage invited us to a fish grill and bonfire on the beach. Our friends on Sundancer, who we met in El Salvador (and who did the Canal transit with Aaron), were there too – fun!

 Ron from Sundancer and Aaron, the mighty driftwood hunters

In true El Salvador-style, the boys lit the fire with a washed-up flip flop (works like a charm!). Just don’t tell the EPA.

 Ben from Knee Deep expertly ignites a bamboo log (while holding his beer, no less) …

… and entertains us with a fire show. For free!

It’s been so much fun buddy boating with Ben, Molly and the boys again. Until we reconnected in Panama City, we hadn’t seen each other since we left Bahia del Sol in May! One day, we all decided to cool off by heading to shore for a little beach time.

J.P. gets a turbo boost from Aaron

Swimming, with Bella Star and Knee Deep in the background.

Molly and I stopped the horse play long enough to pose for a respectable picture

After drying off and cleaning up, Sundancer had everyone over for a make-your-own pizza night – we brought the toppings, they supplied the fantastic crust and sauce (and an oven big enough for a large pizza!) So good. The view from their boat that evening wasn’t half-bad either. Thanks for the picture, Ron!

There are over 200 islands and islets in the Las Perlas archipelago, so we’re off to see what other interesting places we can find. Soon enough, we’ll be back in Panama City finishing up projects and getting the boat loaded down with South Pacific provisions. That basically means rum. Lots of rum. :)

From Golfito to Panama City

By Nicole

Panama City! The Bridge of the Americas (spanning the Panama Canal) is to the left, and the city skyline is to the right.

Here were are, anchored near the glittery skyscrapers, giant cargo ships and noisy bustle of Panama City. It’s certainly a departure from the remote cruising grounds we found on our way down rom Costa Rica. Without a doubt, Western Panama is an amazing place to cruise—you can day-hop from one secluded anchorage to the next, getting your fill of tropical beaches, lush mountains and warm water. We spent three fantastic weeks poking our way to the big city, and if you were so inclined, you could easily spend twice that. Gorgeous.

While we settle in to city life for a bit, here are a few pictures to give you a little taste of the trip …

Arriving in Panamanian waters! Up goes the courtesy flag.

Wish you were here.

 As you can see, Aaron had no trouble getting back into the swing of cruising after two months at the dock. He spent the better part of two days just chilling and napping between two palm trees.

That’s the anchor chain sitting on the sand in 25’ of turquoise water. Cool!

Bella Star anchored off the sand spit on Isla Carvada.

My fun, new shorts (thanks, Andrea!).

A lone palm tree

The poor dodger and bimini are self-destructing in the sun. I do what I can to ease their suffering
with a few stitches (in between beach walks and snorkel outings, of course).

Hiking the trails at Ensenada Naranjo, mainland Panama … just watch out for cow pies!
The free-range cows roam the hills and take naps on the beach.

Dad, this one’s for you.

Looking down at Bella Star and Ensenada Naranjo—our last stop before rounding Punta Mala (the Bad Point) and entering Bahia de Panama.

 Back at sea level. The beach may look like mud, but its fine, sparkly, dark brown sand (very soft on your toes!)

Vancouver Island-style rocks (minus the starfish, mussels and seaweed—and 42 degree water)

 We wanted to collect water from the falls for a shower, but we couldn’t get close enough with the swell and rocks.

So we settled for a more accessible stream to fill the jugs for our showers.

Three things I love: the Sun Shower, free water and deserted anchorages!

Relaxing at sunset in Ensenada Naranjo after having the Panamanian military escort us in, watch
us anchor (hovering on their jet boat not 15’ away) and then board us. They just wanted to check
our paperwork and have a look around. They approved of our Christmas decorations.

Good morning, sunshine! On the way to Punta Mala.

 Goodnight, sunshine. Rounding Punta Mala.

The tiny, protected anchorage on Isla Bona was the just the ticket after sailing close-hauled in 20 knots of wind and bashing into steep seas all night. Phew. Rusted out remnants of an old manufacturing operation litter the beach …

We heard there were wild bananas on Isla Bona, but (drat!) someone beat us to them.

Nothing classes up an arm shot like a machete strapped to your back.

More on Panama City to come, including a visit to the Panama Canal and a reunion with s/v Knee Deep!