After a gentle motor through the night on Tuesday, yesterday morning we glimpsed 'kicker' rock at dawn and then pulled into Bahia Baquerizo Moreno, Isla San Cristobel Galapagos.
We managed to get a message to our agent, via a water taxi, that we had arrived. He came to check the boat out and give us some labels about garbage and said he would return at 4pm. About 20 past 4 a water taxi arrived with 9 people all wearing pink masks to board Askari.
We got lucky, or maybe Bolivar managed it, they came late in the day and were keen to get home so rushed through what we have heard can be a really long winded experience. We gave out soft drinks and then the park guy said he did not drink CocaCola as he did not agree with that organisation so I offered him a homemade sodastream drink and our world was easy - he loved sodastream and the fact I had eco washing up liquid and only vinegar and water for cleaning..... I was an eco warrior like him! Welcome to the Galapagos - it was all done in 20 minutes, then an fumigation guy was brought out by taxi. We all left together - fumigation smoke pouring out of Askari - scary indeed to leave her looking like that while we went out and ate sushi.
This morning the final step was for a diver to check the hull. What we didn't expect was a further food inspection - I had tucked my Kombucha SCOBY in the fridge thinking we were done, I had brought him back to life and also started making yogurt and grinding coffee beans this morning- argh well all good - phew! I don't think he dared ask....
He dived the hull but came out in a hurry as a huge shark had swum by..... Now we were finally done.
Now off to explore.....
Thursday, February 27, 2020
Tuesday, February 25, 2020
Panama to Galapagos Day 5
Askari Position Report 0800 local time (1300 UTC) 25 February 2020
00 Degrees, 24 Minutes SOUTH
087 Degrees, 47 Minutes West
24 hours 124 miles
Motoring at 6 knots
5 knots of wind from the South East
Course 230 Degrees Magnetic
Sailing and swimming across the Equator, Pilot Whales and Boobies
It may have been our slowest 24 hours ever, however what a memorable 24 hours it was. The wind continued light until lunch time so we motored slowly, enjoying beautiful rolling ocean swells and calm sea. The sky had a few clouds we recognised as trade wind clouds and just after lunch we noticed the wind come around to the south east. It was only about 8 knots but this was enough to sail - yay we had come out of the doldrums and were in the trades again.
I had made a cake and prepared a toast to thank King Neptune, I had also randomly put a waypoint on the chart with a cocktail icon on it where I estimated we might cross the equator. Andrew took this literally and when I said it would be nice if it was about 2pm so we could enjoy it without any other distractions. So yes we arrived at the spot just before 2pm, sailing beautifully in 10 knots of wind.
With no Polywogs aboard (someone who hasn't crossed the equator by sea before), these two Shellbacks (someone who has),our ceremony was a simple giving of thanks to King Neptune and sacrifice of rum (with ice) and cake. We then asked for him to keep us safe as we travel into the South Pacific. We then dropped the sails and turned around to cross again, this time Andrew positioned the boat just before the equator, protecting me from the ocean chop and I jumped off the bow and swam across - OMG one of te craziest experiences of my life. Then it was Andrew's turn - he of course dived in! It freaked me out him not being on the boat but it was so cool; we were buzzing. Andrew grabbed a snorkel and did his best to remove any growth on the hull since he cleaned it in Las Perlas. It was a bit dangerous as by now we were beam on to the swell and the boat was crashing at the stern - so we called that off and had another bit of cake.
We carried on sailing slow (about 5 knots) towards the Galapagos and just before sunset a pod of over 12 Pilot Whales appeared right alongside the boat - dark black shapes and the odd tail - the wildlife out here is amazing. Then three boobies with red feet arrived on the pushpit; they just sat there even when I went right up to them.
Over night we carried on sailing and it was perfect - just drifting along slowly under a starry sky. We both slept so well.
Now with just over 100 miles to go we have the engine on for charging, but will probably try and just sail slow again today so we arrive in the morning, rather than enter a busy harbour at night.
What an amazing day - thank you world!
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
00 Degrees, 24 Minutes SOUTH
087 Degrees, 47 Minutes West
24 hours 124 miles
Motoring at 6 knots
5 knots of wind from the South East
Course 230 Degrees Magnetic
Sailing and swimming across the Equator, Pilot Whales and Boobies
It may have been our slowest 24 hours ever, however what a memorable 24 hours it was. The wind continued light until lunch time so we motored slowly, enjoying beautiful rolling ocean swells and calm sea. The sky had a few clouds we recognised as trade wind clouds and just after lunch we noticed the wind come around to the south east. It was only about 8 knots but this was enough to sail - yay we had come out of the doldrums and were in the trades again.
I had made a cake and prepared a toast to thank King Neptune, I had also randomly put a waypoint on the chart with a cocktail icon on it where I estimated we might cross the equator. Andrew took this literally and when I said it would be nice if it was about 2pm so we could enjoy it without any other distractions. So yes we arrived at the spot just before 2pm, sailing beautifully in 10 knots of wind.
With no Polywogs aboard (someone who hasn't crossed the equator by sea before), these two Shellbacks (someone who has),our ceremony was a simple giving of thanks to King Neptune and sacrifice of rum (with ice) and cake. We then asked for him to keep us safe as we travel into the South Pacific. We then dropped the sails and turned around to cross again, this time Andrew positioned the boat just before the equator, protecting me from the ocean chop and I jumped off the bow and swam across - OMG one of te craziest experiences of my life. Then it was Andrew's turn - he of course dived in! It freaked me out him not being on the boat but it was so cool; we were buzzing. Andrew grabbed a snorkel and did his best to remove any growth on the hull since he cleaned it in Las Perlas. It was a bit dangerous as by now we were beam on to the swell and the boat was crashing at the stern - so we called that off and had another bit of cake.
Here's some of the action....
Over night we carried on sailing and it was perfect - just drifting along slowly under a starry sky. We both slept so well.
Now with just over 100 miles to go we have the engine on for charging, but will probably try and just sail slow again today so we arrive in the morning, rather than enter a busy harbour at night.
What an amazing day - thank you world!
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
Monday, February 24, 2020
Day 4 Panama to Galapagos
Askari Position Report 0800 local time (1300 UTC) 24 February 2020
00 Degrees, 20 Minutes North
085 Degrees, 51 Minutes West
24 hours 164 miles
Motoring at 5.6 knots
8 knots of wind from the South West
Course 230 Degrees Magnetic
Calm and beautiful - a whale and oh so many dolphins - plus a dip in the ocean
By Mid-morning the seas started to ease and we were sailing on a steady 18/20 knots of wind, before the wind started to ease off to about 14 knots by lunch time. The current was still pushing us along in the right direction at about 2 knots so we didn't mind we were only sailing at 5 to 6 knots.
The weather was glorious, the big rollers making the ocean look like rolling hills, we could see clouds on the horizon and spotted some rain squalls but that couldn't dampen this beautiful day - one where you just pinch yourself you are actually out here. I made fritata for lunch and we even ate it off the china plates. A whale swam by - a humpback - wow what a perfect day (probably made even better by yesterday).
Just before 5 the sails were crashing around a bit so we opted to put the genoa away and turn on the engine for a bit. As it happened the wind dropped to less than 4 knots and the ocean turned glassy. It was super hot and I decided I wanted to put my feet in the ocean, it looked so inviting that Andrew stopped the boat so I could have a quick swim - my Dad would have loved that moment x
Shortly after the swim stop we started to see dolphins coming from all directions - it was a SUPER POD! (We always say that in a US accent whenever there's more than 5 after a lady we heard on the net once…. ;-)). They were actually spinners and so incredibly cool and bubbling all around us as the sun set. Wow!
It was so calm over night we opened the windows for the breeze to come in, however we had a few bird visitors - including a little finch type thing that was desperate to get in; so we kept lights off inside. We also had two boobies on the front - I couldn't see if they had blue feet or not?!
We are trying to make it to the equator this afternoon and hopefully a proper swim - it's just over 30 miles, but in fuel conserving mode we are a bit slow. That's fine as we have sowed down trying to time arrival for Wednesday first light.
237 miles to go and Neptune we are coming with treats today.
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
00 Degrees, 20 Minutes North
085 Degrees, 51 Minutes West
24 hours 164 miles
Motoring at 5.6 knots
8 knots of wind from the South West
Course 230 Degrees Magnetic
Calm and beautiful - a whale and oh so many dolphins - plus a dip in the ocean
By Mid-morning the seas started to ease and we were sailing on a steady 18/20 knots of wind, before the wind started to ease off to about 14 knots by lunch time. The current was still pushing us along in the right direction at about 2 knots so we didn't mind we were only sailing at 5 to 6 knots.
The weather was glorious, the big rollers making the ocean look like rolling hills, we could see clouds on the horizon and spotted some rain squalls but that couldn't dampen this beautiful day - one where you just pinch yourself you are actually out here. I made fritata for lunch and we even ate it off the china plates. A whale swam by - a humpback - wow what a perfect day (probably made even better by yesterday).
Just before 5 the sails were crashing around a bit so we opted to put the genoa away and turn on the engine for a bit. As it happened the wind dropped to less than 4 knots and the ocean turned glassy. It was super hot and I decided I wanted to put my feet in the ocean, it looked so inviting that Andrew stopped the boat so I could have a quick swim - my Dad would have loved that moment x
Shortly after the swim stop we started to see dolphins coming from all directions - it was a SUPER POD! (We always say that in a US accent whenever there's more than 5 after a lady we heard on the net once…. ;-)). They were actually spinners and so incredibly cool and bubbling all around us as the sun set. Wow!
It was so calm over night we opened the windows for the breeze to come in, however we had a few bird visitors - including a little finch type thing that was desperate to get in; so we kept lights off inside. We also had two boobies on the front - I couldn't see if they had blue feet or not?!
We are trying to make it to the equator this afternoon and hopefully a proper swim - it's just over 30 miles, but in fuel conserving mode we are a bit slow. That's fine as we have sowed down trying to time arrival for Wednesday first light.
237 miles to go and Neptune we are coming with treats today.
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Day 3 Panama to Galapagos
Askari Position Report 0800 local time (1300 UTC) 23 February 2020
01 Degrees, 31 Minutes North
083 Degrees, 21 Minutes West
24 hours 192 miles
Sailing at 7 knots
16 knots of wind from the North East
Course 260 Degrees Magnetic
Sailing Starboard Tack - Broad reach
I don't like it when the wind whistles in the rig and water splashes in the cockpit!
Yesterday morning was glorious downwind sailing, poled out, blue skies, long rolling swell and 20-22 knots of wind pushing us nicely along. In these conditions we hardly feel the boat moving, Askari loves it! We noticed however the sea was really starting to get quite big, Andrew kept laughing at me as I wrote in the log it was 1.5 metres - as another one towered up over the back of the dinghy - yeah okay maybe I underestimated that….
We had a lovely warm chicken and potatoe salad for lunch and then decided we should make a little more westing. So we pulled the sail away from the pole and sailed downwind at 120 degrees on the starboard tack. No sooner had we made this change, and also set the mainsail so we weren't too overpowered, the wind picked up to over 30 knots.
It peaked at 35 and the seas quickly got even bigger, one sploshed on top of the dinghy cover and then a couple on hitting our back quarter jumped straight onto the side deck getting the cockpit cushions wet. Luckily as the seas had picked up I had pulled the fishing line in and stowed the loose cushions. I wasn't going out on the aft deck in this. Then the noise in the rig started to make me really anxious; (it's a while since I've been in these sort of conditions) seeing my white knuckles Andrew gently suggested maybe we keep sailing directly downwind until this passes. We pulled a reefed sail back over and the quiet and calm was restored, we know we are sailing towards the doldrums so just need to make the best of the sailing while we can.
After dinner the wind eased to about 25 knots and we were whizzing along at 9 knots when we spotted an AIS target south of us going 5 knots on a converging course. We thought this must be a fishing boat - maybe a long liner; we had seen them in Panama complete with their helicopters on top. Then just as we were discussing what sort of distance to give it, the signal got clearer and it declared it was a sailing yacht. 'Fleur' no less, the British yacht we transited the canal with. Nick was solo sailing towards Easter Island, on the radio he said it had been a few days since he'd spoken to anyone, he wasn't enjoying the strong winds and had broken his steering - since fixed, which must have been quite a task for one person in these seas. We sailed off behind and south of Fleur and wished Nick well.
The night was uneventful and bizarrely we still have great wind and current, we have now set a waypoint for Wreck Bay, San Cristobel - 402 miles to go!
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
01 Degrees, 31 Minutes North
083 Degrees, 21 Minutes West
24 hours 192 miles
Sailing at 7 knots
16 knots of wind from the North East
Course 260 Degrees Magnetic
Sailing Starboard Tack - Broad reach
I don't like it when the wind whistles in the rig and water splashes in the cockpit!
Yesterday morning was glorious downwind sailing, poled out, blue skies, long rolling swell and 20-22 knots of wind pushing us nicely along. In these conditions we hardly feel the boat moving, Askari loves it! We noticed however the sea was really starting to get quite big, Andrew kept laughing at me as I wrote in the log it was 1.5 metres - as another one towered up over the back of the dinghy - yeah okay maybe I underestimated that….
We had a lovely warm chicken and potatoe salad for lunch and then decided we should make a little more westing. So we pulled the sail away from the pole and sailed downwind at 120 degrees on the starboard tack. No sooner had we made this change, and also set the mainsail so we weren't too overpowered, the wind picked up to over 30 knots.
It peaked at 35 and the seas quickly got even bigger, one sploshed on top of the dinghy cover and then a couple on hitting our back quarter jumped straight onto the side deck getting the cockpit cushions wet. Luckily as the seas had picked up I had pulled the fishing line in and stowed the loose cushions. I wasn't going out on the aft deck in this. Then the noise in the rig started to make me really anxious; (it's a while since I've been in these sort of conditions) seeing my white knuckles Andrew gently suggested maybe we keep sailing directly downwind until this passes. We pulled a reefed sail back over and the quiet and calm was restored, we know we are sailing towards the doldrums so just need to make the best of the sailing while we can.
After dinner the wind eased to about 25 knots and we were whizzing along at 9 knots when we spotted an AIS target south of us going 5 knots on a converging course. We thought this must be a fishing boat - maybe a long liner; we had seen them in Panama complete with their helicopters on top. Then just as we were discussing what sort of distance to give it, the signal got clearer and it declared it was a sailing yacht. 'Fleur' no less, the British yacht we transited the canal with. Nick was solo sailing towards Easter Island, on the radio he said it had been a few days since he'd spoken to anyone, he wasn't enjoying the strong winds and had broken his steering - since fixed, which must have been quite a task for one person in these seas. We sailed off behind and south of Fleur and wished Nick well.
The night was uneventful and bizarrely we still have great wind and current, we have now set a waypoint for Wreck Bay, San Cristobel - 402 miles to go!
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
Saturday, February 22, 2020
Panama to Galapagos Day 2
Askari Position Report 0800 local time (1300 UTC) 22 February 2020
03 Degrees, 43 Minutes North
081 Degrees, 03 Minutes West
24 hours 164 miles
Sailing at 8 knots
21 knots of wind from the North
Course 210 Degrees Magnetic
Genoa Poled out to Starboard
Wind, no Wind, Wind…….
The ocean has gone from brown and confused, with weird patches of overfalls and crazy phosphorescence to much more of an ocean swell with fairly nice big (1.5m) waves pushing us south. This morning we have birds around us again as we are near the Colombian Island of Malpelo; a reserve and great dive spot. We also have beetles - seriously pretty flying beetles with shiny grey backs, red spots and green legs - but heading to the Galapagos this isn't good as they are strict about quarantine requirements.
Yesterday the wind eased off for most of the day to about 15 knots, we sailed most of the afternoon on the Starboard tack wind at 120 degrees, with a plan to make a little most westing and then pole out again for the night. So of course right at mocktail hour the wind died. It always happens…. We don't drink on passage but like to make a nice cold soft drink and watch the sunset before getting into dinner and night shifts. So instead we are trying lots of different strategies to keep the boat moving in the weird sea, in the end we opted for a few hours of engine and the main sail. It came back with avengeance at 1am. My watch, but Andrew came to help get everything set up again with the pole.
The other thing we are monitoring out here is the water temperature; it has been steadily getting warmer as we head towards the equator going from 25 degrees centigrade near Las Perlas to 29.4 degrees here. After we turn towards the Galapagos we should start to see the impact of the cold Humboldt current - watch this space!
We fished again yesterday with a deep sea lure but no luck, however the Spanish Mackerel from the day before provided the most delicious ceviche - served with wholemeal pan bread. We even had avo and coriander to make it all a little bit posh.
We are going well and pleased to be passed Malpelo - on our last trip getting to that island was a bit of a nemesis, that warranted Matt n Togs onboard Helene to pen a song about the difficulties sailing south with fickle currents. Today the current data Andrew has downloaded is paying off.
Ciao :
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
03 Degrees, 43 Minutes North
081 Degrees, 03 Minutes West
24 hours 164 miles
Sailing at 8 knots
21 knots of wind from the North
Course 210 Degrees Magnetic
Genoa Poled out to Starboard
Wind, no Wind, Wind…….
The ocean has gone from brown and confused, with weird patches of overfalls and crazy phosphorescence to much more of an ocean swell with fairly nice big (1.5m) waves pushing us south. This morning we have birds around us again as we are near the Colombian Island of Malpelo; a reserve and great dive spot. We also have beetles - seriously pretty flying beetles with shiny grey backs, red spots and green legs - but heading to the Galapagos this isn't good as they are strict about quarantine requirements.
Yesterday the wind eased off for most of the day to about 15 knots, we sailed most of the afternoon on the Starboard tack wind at 120 degrees, with a plan to make a little most westing and then pole out again for the night. So of course right at mocktail hour the wind died. It always happens…. We don't drink on passage but like to make a nice cold soft drink and watch the sunset before getting into dinner and night shifts. So instead we are trying lots of different strategies to keep the boat moving in the weird sea, in the end we opted for a few hours of engine and the main sail. It came back with avengeance at 1am. My watch, but Andrew came to help get everything set up again with the pole.
The other thing we are monitoring out here is the water temperature; it has been steadily getting warmer as we head towards the equator going from 25 degrees centigrade near Las Perlas to 29.4 degrees here. After we turn towards the Galapagos we should start to see the impact of the cold Humboldt current - watch this space!
We fished again yesterday with a deep sea lure but no luck, however the Spanish Mackerel from the day before provided the most delicious ceviche - served with wholemeal pan bread. We even had avo and coriander to make it all a little bit posh.
We are going well and pleased to be passed Malpelo - on our last trip getting to that island was a bit of a nemesis, that warranted Matt n Togs onboard Helene to pen a song about the difficulties sailing south with fickle currents. Today the current data Andrew has downloaded is paying off.
Ciao :
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
Friday, February 21, 2020
Day 1 Panama to Galapagos
Askari Position Report 0800 local time 21 February 2020
06 Degrees, 02 Minutes North
079 Degrees, 37 Minutes West
Sailing at 7 knots
17 knots of wind from the North
Course 190 Degrees True
Genoa Poled out to Starboard
Dolphins, Fish and amazing phosphorescence…
We lifted the anchor at Contadora at 10.30 am yesterday morning and are now nearly 170 miles south of Las Perlas. We started sailing slowly at 4.5 knots and the wind then dropped to under 10 knots so the engine went on at low revs for a couple of hours. Then the wind filled in perfectly. Actually yesterday afternoon we both agreed it couldn't be any more perfect (oh the water could have been blue instead of panama brown). We had a knot of and half of current pushing us south, 20 knots of wind and poled out the genoa; the sea hadn't picked up so we were just gliding along at between 8 and 9 knots.
We spent the afternoon fishing and caught three fish, however we only kept 1 as the other two had red meat and I didn't fancy that this early on, so they went back with a bit of toothache.
We had a quick visit from two beautiful dark dolphins and then settled into our night-time routine after an awesome curry (if I do say so myself). As it got dark there was no moon but the stars were super bright and the phosphorescence was incredible, if not a little unnerving as every breaking waves shone all around us making it difficult to watch for any small boats.
Today the current should ease a little and we are expecting the wind to drop a e during the day so we will make a little westing but still head south. We are aiming for a waypoint around 02 North 82 West before turning West towards the Galapagos.
Happy days and even some sleep - not bad for day 1!
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
06 Degrees, 02 Minutes North
079 Degrees, 37 Minutes West
Sailing at 7 knots
17 knots of wind from the North
Course 190 Degrees True
Genoa Poled out to Starboard
Dolphins, Fish and amazing phosphorescence…
We lifted the anchor at Contadora at 10.30 am yesterday morning and are now nearly 170 miles south of Las Perlas. We started sailing slowly at 4.5 knots and the wind then dropped to under 10 knots so the engine went on at low revs for a couple of hours. Then the wind filled in perfectly. Actually yesterday afternoon we both agreed it couldn't be any more perfect (oh the water could have been blue instead of panama brown). We had a knot of and half of current pushing us south, 20 knots of wind and poled out the genoa; the sea hadn't picked up so we were just gliding along at between 8 and 9 knots.
We spent the afternoon fishing and caught three fish, however we only kept 1 as the other two had red meat and I didn't fancy that this early on, so they went back with a bit of toothache.
We had a quick visit from two beautiful dark dolphins and then settled into our night-time routine after an awesome curry (if I do say so myself). As it got dark there was no moon but the stars were super bright and the phosphorescence was incredible, if not a little unnerving as every breaking waves shone all around us making it difficult to watch for any small boats.
Today the current should ease a little and we are expecting the wind to drop a e during the day so we will make a little westing but still head south. We are aiming for a waypoint around 02 North 82 West before turning West towards the Galapagos.
Happy days and even some sleep - not bad for day 1!
----------
Sent via SailMail, http://www.sailmail.com
Wednesday, February 19, 2020
Pacific Crossing - about time we updated the blog.....
We have just cleared out of Panama and sailed 40 miles to Las Perlas Islands to give the hull a quick spruce in the morning before we set sail for the Galapagos.
We have actually anchored here 3 times before here at Contadora, one of few populated islands here. After we transited the canal on 23/24th January we sailed straight out here for a bit of relaxation and enjoyed this spot, Mogo Mogo and Viveros.
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| Askari at Mogo Mogo |
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| Perfect anchorage at Caique River - Las Perlas- the new projector came out |
.
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| We served apps on the way to Gatun Lake |
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| We got rushed into an early lock before dark - the cat opted to side tie which was terrifying to watch |
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| Having crew means a few mins off.... |
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| Lunch on Askari |
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| Our advisors were both awesome |
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| Richard & Margaret on the bow! |
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| Askari from the webcam - thanks Mum |
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| Sunset with a view of Bridge of the America's - Balboa Yacht Club |
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| National Hotel Panama City |
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| Richard's Roof Terrace Panama City with Liz & Petter after a wonderful meal at Margaret's apartment in the old town |
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| Lunch at Taboga |
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| Our view at Taboga |
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| Engine Fixer extraordinaire! |
they gave us limes.
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| Askari is on the authorised of the break - that doesn't happen usually!! |
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| We caught at least fish a day in Las Perlas |
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| Mangrove dinghy tour |
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| Exploring Caique river - luckily no crocs |
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| Las Perlas |
We had an email on our SSB from Kate with an eta on the heat exchanger so headed back to Contadora. We had been hiding from the World ARC fleet of 35 boats that were also in these islands - usually only visited by a few yachts at any time (most people know we are not fans of rally groups). So as we sailed towards the north we started to see so many AIS targets we knew they were off.... As it happened we sailed in on port tack as they sailed out looking all colourful with downwind sails. We haven't sailed with so many boats around us since we were in the UK so it was actually quite cool. They all waved and Andrew blew the horn. Just please let them have moved on from the Galapagos by the time we get there.
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| World Arc fleet |
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| ARC boats |
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| Moving through the fleet |
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| We got a chance for a short hike and found sloths - 5 including a baby, also racoons! |
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| Just a bit of our wine stock.... |
So fully provisioned and a few lovely social times in Panama City, especially when Mariska came through the canal on Mach 3 and we made a progressive dinner between the boats and we got to keep her for a night. Then Jeff and Fergus had been left alone by their wives so a fun pizza night was arrange and finally Steve and Fi, arrived in Panama so came to stay with Ferg for a night. We so excited these guys have sailed so many miles with are coming to the Pacific too.
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| Ferg n Fi - sounds like a cafe.. |
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| So great to be with Fi again |
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| Mariska had a mini break with Mach3 and Askari |
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| Steve and Andrew - They love each other really |
Argh then the day before yesterday Andrew popped up the mast for a final rig check - I thought he was joking when he said there was a problem. A broken strand on the baby stay - are we ever going to get out of here???? As it happened we Whatsapped a place on Sunday and Monday they responded first thing - expensive but it can be done. Yesterday Andrew went back up the mast and fitted the new stay - we are off. Roger, our agent came to check us out this morning - thoughtfully wearing his Askari t-shirt we gave him. He has been the best guy in Panama by a mile.
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| We first met Roger at Panama Canal Yacht Club in 2006 |
Right - that's a whirlwind of the last few weeks. All being well we set out for the Galapagos and will post regular position reports and updates.
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