Costa Rica to Panama

BRIDGE OF THE AMERICAS
RAINSQUALLS
OLD AND NEW
IN THE PORT OF PANAMA WHERE WE HAD TO FIND THE PROT CAPTAIN FOR OUR CRUISING PERMIT
ON SEPTEMBER CELEBRATING HANS BIRTHDAY
A ROCK THATS ONLY VISIBLE WITH LOW TODE, SO THANKS VERY MUCH FOR GPS!
SEPTEMBER MOTORING ALONG ON THE WAY TO PUNTA GUANICO, THE LAST NIGHT STOP BEFORE PANAMA
IS THAT A SHIP??????
PANAMAX (WHICH IS THE BIGGEST SHIP THAT FITS THROUGH THE CANAL), SEEN FROM WHERE WE ARE ANCHORED
THE BRIDGE OF THE AMERICAS IN A RAINSQUALL, ALSO SEEN FROM OUR BOAT IN THE FLAMENCO ANCHORAGE, SORRY HAD THIS ONE ALREADY!

A LOCAL HOUSE ON THE LITTLE ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF BAHIA HONDA, WHERE WE HAD A TOUR AND VISITED THE SCHOOL
GABY WITH SOME OF THE CHILDREN WHOM ALL WANTED TO HAVE THEIR PICTURE TAKEN
JEFF IN THE LOCAL BAR IN BAHIA HONDA AFTER OUR TOUR
THE REEF NEXT TO ISLA CATALINA WHERE WE SPEND ONE NIGHT ON THE WAY FROM
SUNSET IN PLAYA PLANTANAL (BANANA BEACH) ANOTHER OVERNIGHT ANCHORAGE


JEFF ASHORE IN THE ISLAS SECAS FOR A WONDERFUL BBQ
STRAVAIG AND SEPTEMBER AT ANCHOR IN THE ISLAS SECAS, SEEN FROM THE BEACH WHERE WE HAD THE BBQ, TOGETHER WITH THE HUNDREDS OF HERMIT CRABS
ALSO UNFORTUNATELY A LOT OF RUBBISH ON THIS BEAUTIFUL BEACH
ONE OF OUR DINNER GUEST, ARE THE COLORS INCREDIBLE?
DEBATTING WHO GETS THE BEST PIECE



GABY AND HANS WITH THEIR CATCH, VERY TASTY!
IN NEILLY, A SMALL VILLAGE IN COSTA RICA WHERE WE SPEND A DAY PLAYING TOURISTS
JEFF SURVEYING THE BEACH

BBQ BEACH




We left Golfito in a big rain squall, no visibility, so we were very happy to have our GPS chart plotter to keep us of the rocks! Once in open water it was good to find that the autopilot still functioned in part and on the way out of Golfo Dulce we reprogrammed its little box of tricks.You may recall that we had waited in Puntarenas for the delivery of a replacement for the autopilot only to find that the new one did not work either,not even a little bit!We un-installed it, put back the old one and we shall hope for better luck when it is replaced yet again in Panama.Meanwhile, our voyage through the islands on our way to Panama City was very enjoyable. The islands were beautiful, as were the anchorages on the mainland where we occasionally stayed to avoid overnight sailing. In the Islas Secas we finally encountered water clear enough to enjoy snorkeling and to clean off the bottom of the boat. Stravaig was by then covered in barnacles which were dead thanks to the fresh water anchorage in Golfito. This made our work much easier. In the Secas our friends Gaby and Hans on the Prout catamaran September caught 2 good size fish and invited us to BBQ them on the beach. We had a great evening, sharing it with several thousand hermit crabs and several spectacular land crabs as you will see in the pictures! Amazing colors! A hermit crab race was planned but somehow became forgotten as wine and conversation flowed.September left the Secas before we did and at an anchorage outside Bahia Honda on the mainland they had the misfortune of dragging their anchor and damaging their rudder on the rocks.We received an email on board from them and of course went to see if they needed any help. By the time we got to Bahia Honda they were already safely re-anchored and the damage had been surveyed and in fact did not look too bad. So all four of us after a few days exploring the local village etc. pressed on towards Panama City.During the night before our arrival at Panama City we ran into the mother of all thunderstorms and spend several hours trying desperately to keep away from the incredible bolt lightning which at times was all around us. Luckily neither September nor ourselves were hit but it came very close. Without further incident we reached Flamenco anchorage off Panama City and have been enjoying access to real supermarkets etc, although they are quite far away and our dinghy access is expensive, $5 a day for the dinghy and $5 for a bag of garbage!At this time we are making final arrangements for our new wind-pilot to be delivered and also yet more arrangements for the next replacement for the electronic auto-pilot!Hopefully these 2 issues will be resolved before we transit the canal.Sometime before we make our transit we expect to spend a few weeks in the Perlas Islands, but meanwhile we are enjoying the company of other cruising friends, new and old.

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