Captain's Logs

There is not much to wax poetic about these days. We are on the hard at the ship yard Astizur in Progreso, Yucatán, Mexico. Ten days ago I brought Second Star and the sailboat Ganymeade around from Isla and put them into the yard for complete paint jobs. And as one can imagine it has been somewhat crazy getting two boats ready simultaneously. I picked this yard because we can live aboard (ah life in a boat yard) and work seven days a week, plus it is much cheaper than the yard in Isla Mujeres. So here we sit.

We were in Progreso maybe 10 years ago doing a major hull job on a big power cat. The place has changed yet still is the same commercial fishing port. The Malecon has been transformed with lots of new restaurants and bars catering to a mostly Canadian expat/tourist crowd. Where before Aeon and I would walk the Malecon and be the only gringos, now we see gringos regularly. Our friends who live here say that Canadians are buying homes and moving here. I can understand the draw (kind of). You are only 20 minutes by car from Merida, which has everything Cancun offers plus actual culture, and you have the ocean. You also get lots of pot holes, swaths of swamp and large areas of economically challenged housing which makes for low prices in the housing market.

Ganymeade, the Sparkman and Stevens 56' sloop, will be ready for bottom paint in a couple of days after which we will focus and getting the topsides ready for paint. In addition to all the painting the owner also wants me to try and rejuvenate his teak decks. That is going to be a technically challenging job.

Bringing Ganymeade into the port was an interesting challenge. As it approached the entrance channel it became apparent that there are high tension power lines across the entrance. These are not shown on any of my charts, nor on Ganymeade charts. Now Ganymeade has a bridge clearance of 23 meters. So we stood off and tried to contact the port Captain, no joy, then the marina at the entrance of the port. They indicated 22 meters at the lowest point of the power lines, mid channel. So I had the crew take me to the mast head in the bosun's chair so I could take down the attendees and the masthead light, then sight along the masthead as we proceeded at dead slow. By moving as far to starboard as possible in the channel I was pretty sure I had a sighting which showed we would clear. As we are approaching the lines passing boats are yelling no possible and people have gather at the marina who are yelling no, no, no. After a deep calming breath I verified my sightline and signaled the helm to proceed. I figured if we arced to the line I would never know about it. At about 10 meters from the cables I was sure we would clear by about 2 meters and called for more speed. And we were under. Who says Captains don't have exciting lives.

Second Star will take a week or so to take care of some issues below the water line as well as a complete service of the running gear: new cutlass bearings, have the propellers balanced and polished, have the propeller shafts trued, repaint the couplings, Polish and balance the shaft unions and repack the propshaft glands. Hope to have here bottom done in two weeks, then move up to the hull topsides in preparation for paint.

Thanksgiving was a work day for us in the yard, however Aeon produced a complete turkey dinner with all the fixings from her magic freezer. I guess last year she saved a complete meal of Turkey, stuffing, gravy and potatoes by vacuum sealing and freezing. She made fresh cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie to round out the feast. She never ceases to amaze me.

Since we have been here the local yacht club came by to welcome us, something about my reputation preceeding us. We are invited to the 2019 Awards Banquet on this coming Friday at the head table. Go figure.  

Thoughts on the 1600 hr watch 7 October 2019

The texture of the surface is soothing. A soft roll begins at the stern port quarter, a gentle lifting, carrying forward the length of the hull, a nudge to the port, a subtle urging forward as Second Star straightens and relaxes to starboard as the wave passes by. A lulling motion as uncounted waves march Southwest across this factor the earth, each one whispering along the waterline; "come with us, here let me help, oh I cannot wait for you but follow, follow..." And we do.

Ships bells don't call out the time aboard Second Star, dividing the transit of the heavens into watches of work and rest.  The tolling of those bells has passed into history along with the ships and the men who sailed them.  The ships clocks of today chime the hours as a moment of historical interest, of reminiscence and nostalgia. I have set the watches for many passages, but the watches on this voyage are a familiar rhythm of 3 on/ 3 off. I have the 10s and the 4s, Aeon the 1s and 7s. My watch times are a leftover habit of using a sextant to navigate. Two watches at night and the noonsite watch. Here we are in the days of satellite navigation and I find myself uncomfortable at sea without those watches. Some old habits offer assurance that  the stars are still a trusted guide and the Sun is a daily affirmation of the time and longitude; all is well with the Universe. The Ships Bell still tolls in the hearts of mariners to mark the rhythms of those who leave the lands side and venture out where the horizon is a dark blue circumference, unbroken for days. It is a demarcation that separates all the daily dealings of shore life, then distills the remainder into these three tasks: keep the people in, keep the water out and keep the ship moving. The work of seafarers.

The waves are calling, follow follow.....

The wind has clocked around to a more easterly bearing, the waves are more insistent in their migration to the southwest. Jostling Second Star along, not at all uncomfortable but like a small child wanting attention; take notice. Astern lays the warm moist Peninsula of Florida, named by the early Spaniards because of all the flowers. Moving off the land behind us is a long line of dark clouds, taking up the eastern horizon. Radar indicates rain showers scattered along the line about 24 nm behind us.  That squall line still has a couple of hours of daylight to soak up more energy to be spent as the sun sets and the atmosphere starts to cool. A demonstration of the Cycle of Water that makes this planet, so far, unique in Creation. So we proceed, along our heading, 219 degrees by the compass. The Captain of a tall ship would tell the helmsman "steer  Sou'west as she goes",  answered "Aye Sir, Sou'west as she goes".

Second Star has no cloth to draw her across water, so lost are the sounds of strain on the rigging, the rattle of a block, the luffing leach of a sail needing attention, the clicks of a winch being ratcheted, the sough of the wind passing through ropes and wires. Instead, a low, rumbling thrum from deep in boat, more felt than heard, a particular cadence, a constant, a comfort, lost in the background of awareness, unless it changes. Let one of those engines miss a beat or change RPM and it is like the snap of branches nearby in a dark forest. Suddenly focused, your heart rate jumps. But right now all is well and steady and the thrum disappears from awareness like your pulse.

The skies have clouded over with multiple broken layers, like old curtains with rips and holes, that let the blue sky shines through. We are pulling away from the rain bands astern, but have a broken rain band forming 16 nm in front of us. Rain of varying intensity is patched across a 30 degree arc. The sun has descended to a handwidth above the western horizon and trying valiantly to shine through above one of the rain cells. A glowing misted light settles on the sea. There is real potential for a beautiful sunset. Second Star is closing on the rain bands ahead. The Sun, broken free of its veil, has paved a path of gold off to the West.  It calls to turn to starboard and follow that path, like walking in the direction where the rainbow points at the pot. But as Mr. Whitman faced his dilemma in a snowy wood, I too have promises to keep. The rain cells ahead are 12 nm away. On the radar I can see intensity and if needs be can steer through the lightest areas. But the final path is yet to be seen, they may dispute, or drift off our heading, or delay until after my watch and then the decision falls on the next watch officer. For now we hold our course and speed.

(later)

A hole in the water.

Even before her hull passes through the water, Second Stars presence is announced by a pressure wave which sets in motion her passing. Down and out the waves are shouldered, making a hole in the sea for Second Star to pass through. The waters part grudgingly but with mathematical precision form vees, flocks of water geese in formation with hull. Astern, the ocean leaps to fill the void left by our passing with a cataract of water thrust aft by the propellers, which jostles and foams until the trapped air escape leaving a flat shining streak, a smudged line towards the horizon, that marks Second Star's path. Like Hansen and Green and the cookie crumb trail, our flocks of geese slowly subside until there is no mark of our passage on the face of the deep.

8 October 2019 watch thoughts and commends

Rain cells have been the prevalent feature of today. From horizon to horizon the bands have drifted like bulwarks canyons running southeast to northwest across our course. They roughly cut a 45 degree diaganol coming along from the port side. Those that pass astern don't bring sluice the decks with rain, the ones we have to penetrate do. The amount of rain clutter brings many opportunities to hide an approaching vessel from view, even from radar. In the current squall line across our bow, radar has intense cells inside the curtain of rain. Those we try to avoid not only because the hide obstacles but the potential for micro bursts of wind caused by the cells down draught which can be severe.

The rain curtain is 250 meters away, Second Star is positioned to pass between two of the cells. The wind begins to rise and the leading edge hits the windscreen carry moderate rain. Wind strength is approaching gale force, but does not have the time or the fetch to develop significant waves. The most unique feature is the rain driving into the water surface with enough volume and intensity to cause a mist to cover sea. It is ethereal as each wave and wavelet turns silvery white and streaks away with the wind in weaving patterns like blowing snow over uneven ground. The noise level rises as the rain strikes against Second Star and the wind groans. Ahead the sea surface brightens, there is the glow of pale sunlight, the rain lessens as suddenly as it started and we are through. A few minutes at most watching Mother Earth's machinery. Off to starboard the cells spend their energy in the deluge and slowly dissipate to be reborn again, somewhere, sometime. 

The decks are awash with the burden of the rain making to the scuppers. The sun briefly breaks through and looking aft a double rainbow brackets the wake. From inside the cocoon of the helm, the radar shows the next squadron of cells trekking across our path. Classic Cubano musica romantico is on the radio. Coffee with cinnamon tastes good.

The midnight watch, 0000 hrs 9 October 2019.

The Moon, a growing gibous, strides westward from her zenith towards the horizon. Shyly hiding behind the thin clouds she appears with a nimbus of light. Some odd combination of atmospheric conditions make her bulging leading edge appear pink, like a blush from stolen kiss. The Moon, for all her moods and glory is not a favorite of the sextant. While she is close and distinct in the heavens, she is also nimble and fleet which makes an accurate measurement of declination and time a challenge for navigator. Her movement requires a special set of tables to translate angle to a spot on the earth. Yet, she is useful as a source of light. When all the rest of the world is dark she illuminates with her reflected radiance. Her halos show us ice crystals high in the stratosphere, precursors to changing weather. Her attraction makes the tides rise and recede. A full moon calls to the sexual urge of the aquasphere: corals to eject egg and spermnin dense clouds over the tropical reefs of the world, the tiny grunnion to arrive with the full moon and high tide to fling themselves on the beach in a mating frenzy, the newly hatched sea turtle to run the gauntlet from the nest to the sea following the moon beam.

I believe all ships masters have a special place to stand. Ahab had a hole in the quarter deck, a socket for his peg leg. For most it is a weather rail somewhere near the helm. Mine is in the forward corners of the bridge. The hardtop supports offer good handhold while the bulwarks are just right for leaning. Especially at night I like these spots. The feel of the wind, the smell of rain on the ocean, lightening ballet along the horizon. Another planetary phenomena, not unique to Earth, but magical none the less. I read somewhere that 100 lightening bolts a second strike the earth, or more accurately rise from the surface to disapate mega watts of electrical energy. Even with scientific understanding of the process, lightening is awe inspiring, especially up close. No wonder early man created a pantheon of explanations while huddled in the back of a cave, while the atmosphere threw a thundering tantrum of unfathomable power. Just because we understand the physics doesn't mean it isn't holy.

The radar, whose cyclonic eye reachs beyond my visual horizon, shows the coastline of Mexico. A safe quiet harbor is just a few hours away. Waiting is a full nights uninterrupted sleep.

Thoughts on a night watch to Isla Mujeres, Nov 2018: Some Nights are extraordinary, immerse your Self!
We had a struggle getting out of our dock on Whiskey Creek. I made an attempt before full high tide and the mud bar repulsed my every effort. I tried from several different approaches and the results all came up the same. Stopped. Finally gave it up and with great difficulty manuevered Second Star around and back to her berth. I got to close to the port outboard pile on the way in and rub it. Unfortunately the point of contact had a nail sticking out. I am mortified that I put a large (deep) scratch on the bulwarks. Oh well, we are planning to repaint her in the Spring. Mostly, I suppose, the main damage is to my ego. Captains hate to mess up.

We made a second attempt just before high tide and it required some doing, but we finally did get clear of the bar and into the Caloosahatchee, then downstream into the Gulf of Mexico. Second Star cleared the Sea Buoy just before 1600 hrs and set a westerly course  and we were off to Isla Mujeres. Now some trips we clear the Sea Buoy and enter onto a world of wind and waves. This day we sailed forth on a calm seascape with a cool breeze. 

Aeon left the bridge to me and went below to have a nap before dinner and watch change. Over the years and miles we have found that a 3 on 3 off, based (loosely) on I take 4 to 7 and 10 to 1, Aeon takes 7 to 10 and 1 to 4, works the best for us. There is give and take in the schedule depending on what is going on at any given time. Daylight watch are especially fluid, with both of us up at the helm, visiting, listening to music, or just to be in each others company. Now you would think on a small boat you would want to be apart as much as possible, which at times is true, however the immensity of being offshore seems to make me want to spend more time with Aeon.

A calm passage is always a welcome delight; enjoying being on the bosom of Mother Ocean, instead of over her knee. The first leg of this crossing takes us just South of due West and from about 1600 hrs on, traveling the golden road paved by the setting sun. Beautiful, but brutal as the Sun's declination drops below the brow of the hardtop and then the Sun seems to focus all its energy into the helm window. Somedays the Sun sinks behind a cloud bank above the horizon, days like today it is clear all the way to the dark blue line where the sea and the sky kiss. After enduring the gaze and glare of our Star for 2 hours I decided to measure the time between the Sun's lower limb touching the horizon and the upper limb disappearing from view. Slowly the color of the orb darkens and takes on a reddish hue, like the coals of a campfire. The optical illusion that makes the globe seem to grow and liquefy to elongate along the hozion begins to happen about 2 solar disks above the sea. Our golden path turns orange towards red as the lower limb touches edge of the earth. It reminds me of TIG welding aluminum when you have the base metal puddled and you touch the filler rod and watch it flow into the weld. I watch the sun flow into the sea. Our illuminated highway changes hue as the Sun sinks into the horizon and 3 minutes and 22 seconds later it falls below the curve of the Earth. As I stare at the last red edge of the Sun as it disappears I am rewarded with a wink of bright green light in place of the last edge of the sun. They call this the green flash, but to me it is more of a subtle reward for watching the sunset. Now I can bear witness that you have to watch about as many sunsets as you have to kiss frogs, before you get a princess; but that little solar gift is one of the reason why I love my planet.

Now in the tropical latitudes twilight doesn't linger like it did when I lived in a northern clime. There the gloaming seemed last forever and the day slowly gave ground to the night. On the ocean in the tropics the Sun finishes it shift picks up its lunch pail, turns out the lights and closes the door. Depending on the cloud formations sometimes it leaves with a spectacular drapery of fading colors, but tonight it was all business. Sundown, a fading glow at the horizon and dark. 

Night seems to a swooped down from the East over our stern before the glow was gone. It is balmy with heat of the day off the surface of the sea and a gentle fresh breeze. A long sleeve cotton tee and shorts are comfortable wear du joir. We enjoy a dinner together on the bridge. Left over chicken and dumplings is a great crossing fare. Aeon relieves me at the helm.

A nice sleep and it is my watch. The only light is the soft glow of the instruments and the pale red dome of the compass. Our steaming lights send forth faithful beacons into the black velvet surface of the sea. Without the light pollution of land based humanity, the heavens spill forth in a precise light show as old as time itself. Mariners are comforted by the majesty of the heavens and look upon the face of the sky with wonder and consolation. Ahh, there is Betelquese, and Rigel, and just there is Sirus and for those of us in the Northern Hemishere there is Polaris tucked neatly into Ursa Major. These points of light have led intrepid explorers around the globe, and beyond as we use the lights of the Universe to navigate our first tottering steps into Space. My appologies for waxing on, but a moonless night under the Vault of Earth's Cathedral is precious time that cannot be deducted from my life. Kind of like time spent fishing. Aeon comes on watch to relieve me.

Sleep is tranquil with a gentle roll to my berth as Second Star's steady strides take us ever closer to the next Port of Call. A quick shower at 0340 hrs, check the engine room and bilges, get a cup of coffee and make my way to the bridge to releave Aeon from her watch. I am greeted by two tiny winking LEDs on the SPOT locator beacon. That means aeon has completed her log entries and is ready to turn over the helm watch. A few words of what the current status is and she is off to a well deserved respite. After a scan of the instruments, I dim the helm lights and go to sit on the bench at the forward edge of the flybridge and let the darkness envelop me. As my eyes adjust to the lack of light the sanctuary curtains are withdrawn and the last act of the Celestial Ballet continues before Sol makes his grand entrance and another day begins.

Greetings 

Well here it is the last day of August and Second Star is back in Isla Mujeres, sitting in the rain on the south dock at Marina Paraiso, waiting for the customs officer.

We left Ft. Myers Monday morning, 28 August 2017 after loading the aluminum for the Bertram job aboard and having a shower to freshen up.  At1030 hrs were were underway, making way for Mexico. With Jordan and Desiree aboard it was expected to be an easy watch schedule for the passage. 3 hrs on 9 hrs off. You know you are are real cruiser when that schedule represents LUXURY!!!  Just as we were pulling off the dock it started to rain. At first a light drizzle, but by the time we had entered the ICW on the Caloosahatchee River it was gale force winds and sheets of rain. The mini fronts only lasted 10 minutes or so but they accompanied all the way to the demarcation line and into the Gulf of Mexico. Once again aeon and I thanked the gods for an enclosed helm.

Second Star was seriously burdened (again) with aluminum, nida core, plywood, lumber, epoxy resin, bottom paint, a v-twin engine, 2 gensets and all the various and assundry items for the cruising community. You know she has a load when her forward through hulls and main engine exhausts are underwater.

The Gulf was still stirred up some from Harvey over in Texas and the lingering depression over Florida. We breasted our way into a 3 to 5 foot head seas and occassional rain shower for most of the afternoon. By sunset the seas were settling and the ride smoothed out some.  The sun settled into a cloud bank on the western horizon and night rode the sky on a gray mare. I came off watch at 1900 hrs and the four of us enjoyed a hot meal while we rotated into the night watch schedule. As Captain I have the luxury of assigning and took the 0400 to 0700 and the 1600 to 1900 hrs. So I had the luxury of 8 hours of sleep only interupted by watch change engine room inspections.

0400 hrs Tuesday 29 August 2017 and all is well. The stars are out and the seas are calmer. The moon is gone so the dome of the heaven looks close enough to touch. Around 0500hrs I heard the sighing of what I suspect was a couple of Pilot Whales in the aftpressure wave off the starboard stern, but I never got a glimpse.  Slowly the black surface of the sea ed to gunmetal and the swells became visible. Overhead the constellation Orion was heading for the westrn horizon with Jupiter behind pulling the terminator above the horizon. The eastern sky lightens and the dark line of the horizon waits for the rosy glow to become a gilded edge then suddenly a a spear of brilliant light as our Sun heralds the new day. The sea changes from gunmetal to cobalt in a breath and all is well in the world.

Watches change, food is prepared and eaten, engine room checks are made all accompanied by the bass thrum of Second Stars engine. That quiet rumble through out the boat, more felt than heard, but as reassuring as heartbeats. I am always aware and thankful for the constant thrum that means all is well with the machine. And the machinery propels us through the sea at a steady stately pace. But let one of the engines miss a beat and the whole world goes on high alert. Very peaceful off watch until mid afternoon. Aeon and I were sitting on the bridge visiting with Jordan who was on watch, when a white anomalous object was spotted about 400 meters off the port bow. I had Jordan alter course to investigate. What we found was a large cooler with wheels on one end and a handle floating upside down. Passing by revealed a large school of Almaco Jacks and down in the depths flashes of blue and gold. MAHI!!!!!! Aeon relieved Jordan on the helm while he and I went to deploy lures. Aeon took us in a slow sweep and brought the box down the portside. Almost immediately Jordan reel screamed as the line was being stripped out against the drag, announcing "FISH ON". I started to bring my lure in when a fish came at it from about 20 meters off looking like a surfacing torpedo. FISH ON. We had a double of Mahi. Jordan brought his in first and took the knife to the carotid artery to bleed it out. By the time that was done and the fish secured I had my fish closing on the transom. Before we could bring it to gaff it threw the lure. Aeon brought us around and we lined up for another port pass on the cooler. Again two lines out and as we passed the box another Mahi on Jordans lure and I had to bring mine it amongst a flurry of Jacks trying to take the lure. My line is clear. Jordan and I are at the wet deck rail, he is working another Mahi in while I wait with the gaff. The gulfstream waters are washing up around our calves in an ebb and flow timed by the waves. my soul nudges my conciuosness and I am reminded of the blessings my life gives me. The cerelean sky like a dome above, indigo water exploding with the skyward leap of a gold/electric blue fish, the waves washing over my feet and legs. All is right within my microcosim. Desiree is up on the aft deck with her camera now. All the excitement must of woken her. Another mahi landed, bled and in the bucket. Once again aeon arcs around on the box as we deploy lines again. Passing the box I see a flash of color closing rapidly on the position of my lure and with a sudden surge and the reel screaming as line is being stipped off I call out to aeon "fish on". The engines idle down and disengage from the propellers. The boat is moving one way and th fish is moving the other. Line is leaving the reel at a terrific rate. As Second Star slows I increase the drag and the line loss eases. A little more drag applied to the reel and the line loss stops. I glance at the spool, hmmm maybe 400 meters out and fish is breaking away to starboard. Now is the time to get from the aft deck to the wet deck and play the fish in while Jordan retrieves his lure and gets the gaffe ready. This is a large fish. The drag is set to about 20 lbs and it can still peel off line when in runs. The fight is on. I am trying to ease the fish in my direction slowly returning line onto the reel and the fish is the opposing force trying to get free of the thin teether. We exchange line several times of the next few minutes, but slowly I am winning the war. When the fish runs out on the surface in wild aerial displays or plunges for the depths I have to be patient and let the drag do the work. When the fish pauses to rest I gently turn it towards the boat and continue the methodical process of bringing the line back onto the reel. Turning the crank smoothly and holding the rod at a ready angle slowly the line builds on the spool, guided by my thumb to lay level, left right left right. Eventually the fish is insight about 30 feet down just aft of the wet deck. A beautiful Mahi, biggest of the trip, is slowly circling in the depths, flashing the golden hues which give them there spanish name "Dorado". Easing the fish towards the surface it ke a burst for the depths and I pause to wait for the energy to be consumed. Rod out over the rail I ease the drag slightly and once again raise the fish towards the surface. Again a plunge for the safety of the sea, but shorter and weaker. Ease the drag some more and apply the pressure needed to coax the fish to the transom, where Jordan waits with the gaff. The swivel and leader knot break the water. The mahi hangs on a 6 feet down, tired but still full of resistance. I can see the lure its hook hanging in the edge of the lower jaw. Ease the drag some more. A sudden jerk could tear my connection with the fish free. Slowly the fish circles as I raise the rod tip to grap the leader. The moment of finality is here. A wave washes up over my calves and as Second Star spills the water off the wet deck and settles in the next trough the fish comes to the surface and Jordan strikes clean with the gaff and lifts this fish onto the deck. Again aeon brings Second Star around for another pass but the box is nowhere in sight. We look carefully and pass over the previous coordinates but alas it is gone. Probably sunk by our wake. Oh well we have lots of fish aboard to filet and Isla is still waiting.

1600 hrs Tuesday

I relieve Aeon at the helm and settle in to some Charlie Daniels and Lynerd Skinerd. At times I do love classic southern rock and Charlie Daniels is a great story teller. The minutes and miles slip by as the sun descends from its perch to settle on the western horizon. The sea turns to burnished bronze as the heat of the day fades with the twilight. Afew minutes of glory at the western edge of my world, then darkness, which has been sidlingup from the east, throws it cloak over the world. I smell lasagne and meatballs before it arrives. We all share dinner in the last glow of the sunset and I turn the helm over to Desiree.

0400 hrs Wednesday

I relieve aeon who reports that we are alone in our universe. Even at 36 miles the radar shows nothing. She has observed a string like length spinning around the shaftof the port engine raw water pump. I go and take a look. Looks like a piece of the fan belt. Nothing serious but it will need to be changed when we get to Isla. I also notice a crusting of salt crystal on the inlet for the generator water water strainer. That definitely needs close observation as it is below the water line. 

Back on the bridge a scattering of clouds play peek a boo with the stars. The sea is polished black mercury, viscous and calm with a slow pulse to the swells. The world sleeps as Orion passes overhead to dive head first towards the black line of the western horizon. I am back many years in a memerory of my first time in the southern hemisphere where my familar stars and constellations had abandoned me. From the deck of a sloop headed for Apia, Western Samoa, I was taking an evening celestial sight when a feeling of being lost swept over me. As I sought the unfamiliar stars and constellations of the southern sky for the navigational stars, I felt homesick for the heavens I had grown up orienting to. Ah, but here rises the same sun. My relief will be up in a few minutes. Time to fill out the working log and send out Spot, before going to the galley to prepare breakfast for the crew.

Isla is drawing closer. At the rate of this crossing we will arrive to early. My plan is to pass in the lee of Isla Contoy. I have heard it is doable with a controlling depth of 2 m. As the afternoon drags on I have an internal debate about late afternoon visibility and shallow water. I have a wayponit set just the the NW of Contoy for us to head to. Once there I can make a decission.

Passed through a fleet of Pulpo (octopus) boats. The mother boats are about Second Stars size with 15 to 20 nested ny row boats. The little boats deploy in the afternoon and row around setting lines of traps to be retrieved in the middle of the night. As we pass through we sight some baitfish activity ahead. Thinking tuna we all gather on the bridge to see if more fishing is going to happen. As we approached it became apparent it was a school of whale sharks feeding and all the bait activity was the little fish fleeing the open maws of the sharks. Second Star passed right amongst them and what an awesome viewing.

Now we are only a few hours out and just north of Isla Contoy, time to make a decission. The sun is still bright and the shelving water is very clear so it is decided to pass on the inside of Contoy. Everyone is on the bridge to act as watch as we weave our way through the shoals and sand bores. After 2 days in the open ocean it feels great to be in protected waters. The only downside was the eau de ave coming off the island. Since it is a bird sanctuary and breeding ground the scent of guano was abundant. Don't think it would be to pleasant to anchor off Contoy with an easterly breeze. Phew. Coming out from behind Contoy puts us on familar waters. Isla is only an hour away, waiting on the horizon, surrounded bt the topaz waters she is famed for. Will be in before dark.

All in all a great passage with plenty of rest and good company.

Captain Johne

16 May 2017

Buenos dias Compadres,

This last trip from Ft. Myers was interesting from the very beginning. Never have we carried a load like this trip. There was barely room to move aboard Second Star with the aft deck, VIP, forepeak and our cabin full. Along with a full load of fuel which burdened the vessel 2" below her waterline. And add to this we towed a 23' Sea Pro center console back.

We departed on a good weather window from David and Denise's Whiskey Creek boat house. The tide was on the ebb which helped us down the river, but unbeknownst to us at the time it meant we squished their underwater snook light which had been on the bottom beneath Second Star.

The ride down the river was quiet and it gave a chance to adjust the tow for the best ride. Part way down we heard a "PanPanPan" from a sailboat with a failed engine, dead batteries and stuck on the mud near the Matanzas Bridge pass. The Coast Guard was asking for vessels in the vacincinity and several boats were attempting to get it clear. A catamaran was standing by to offer communication. The captain of the stranded vessel was worried because of a 3' swell. That got our attention because NOAA had called for 2' or less offshore. As aeon and I listened to rescue efforts, the Coast Guard came in with a Securite announcement for seas 4' to 6' out 60 miles until 1800 hrs. WHAAAA!!!!!!!This was not on any of our weather forecasts at 0600 hrs. Coming under the Sanibel Bridge and out into the bay, the swells differently where picking up. Crap. This was not what we had hoped for, but there we were and on we plodded. The rest of day was a slog in port quarter head sea. About sunset the Securite was withdrawn and the seas were subsiding, slowly but subsiding.

As evening approached  I had aeon slow us down to minimal steerage and head us into the waves. As she positioned Second Star I hauled the the tow up to the transom. What with the burden on Second Star even the 2' waves made the water waist deep on the wet deck as she rose and fell with each passing swell. After a breif battle to quiet the tow between swells I was able to climb about the Sea Pro. I checked her for flooding and then turned on the navigation lights for night time.

As always the first night of a crossing is high alert time for the Captain and crew, especially with a tow. During the off watches both aeon and I would jump up at every little creak and groan. The tow had been doing some surfing and slewing during the day which had put some serious stress on the towing gear, but with each check it appeared secure. During the day I had rigged a safety preventer in the event something failing.

When I relieved aeon for my 0400 hrs watch the sea was smoothing out and the waning hours of dawn brought a clear sky and calm seas. The 2' or less we were advised of had arrived. Now this is passage making. Second Star was making way at 7 knots and 850 RPM. The load and tow were slowing us down about 22%, but it was expected. I had laid a course further North than our usual line to take whatever advantage could be gain by encountering the Gulf Stream further North and letting it carry us South as we crossed it. The Stream was about to spawn a gyre which is a donut of current which then drifts NW into the Gulf of Mexico. The plan was to intercept the current and let it carry us South then West to an exit point about halfway way between Cabo San Antonio Cuba and the Yucatan peninsula. Still the odd wave would give a shove and make the tow veer but all in all it was a great day. Warm, some lingering low level wisps of cloud, and aeon in just a sarong or not, made for a great day. 

We were both looking forward to more rest than the night before.

At 0310 hrs Monday morning I awoke to a loud noise. As I lay in our berth trying to figure out what I had heard the hand held VHF by my head came alive; "Captain to the aft, Captain to the aft deck" aeon was calling me. I hopped up. It is amazing how you can go from sound asleep to wide awake in a moment. Grapped my shorts and met aeon on the aft deck. The starboard stern rail stanchion on the aft deck, which we use as a towing bitt, had failed and the tow was on the the port stanchion and the safety line. Crap! This never happens in the middle of a nice afternoon. The tow was steady, but I assumed the veering that occured on Saturday must have weakened something. No time to ponder the cause right now, it is time to secure the tow and spread the load back across the bridle and retrieve the damage aluminum rail pieces which are still attached to the bridle and washing around in the waist deep waves on the wet deck. Back in the washing machine I go. Once on the wet deck it is a dance to secure the loose end of the briddle, get the aluminum pieces off it and refasten the briddle to to another hard point. All of this without being dashed into anything by the waves, which are on the port stern quarter, or clotheslined by the towing hawser. All the while aeon is trying to keep Second Star as steady as possible and match the speed of the waves. Ahhh, the joys of cruising.

I am now awake and after a toweling and a cup of coca tea with ginger, I relieve aeon early from her watch and take over the helm. In the daylight I am going to find out what failed in the stanchion. But right now I am just going to enjoy the coming of dawn.  The pearling of the eastern horizon preludes the fading stars. The horizon becomes a distinct line; below the slow molten roll of black steel, above the pale yolk glow of the approaching terminator. In one breath the sea becomes cobalt blue and the sky glows with the approaching day under lighting the few clouds. There a diamond burst of light, like a plasma arc on the horizon that grows in a nuclear furnace as planet Earth rotates to face our star.

Time to have a look at the tow failure. Besides the obvious broken welds and hanging pieces of railing it becomes apparent the stantion did not fail. The pressure sheared the heads off the mounting bolts. The welds held on but they too finally let go.  Looks like it will be 3/8" for the repair, instead of 1/4". Another project to que up.

Aeon came on the bridge about 0730 hrs and I went down to get us coffee and some oatmeal with fresh berries. The ongoing breakfast of cruisers. At the 1000 hr watch change we were 78 NM WNW of Cabo San Antonio, Cuba. About time to exit the Gulf Stream gyre and adjust our course from 226 to 195 degrees magnetic. For the rest of the day and night we will try to stay in the relative current free zone heading South between the two branches of the Stream. The sea is still calm, and there is a scattered layering of sea clouds like puff balls of thistledown.

Lots of birds on this passage. Seems like Second Star has become a floating aviary. Yesterday we hosted three snowy egrets, multiple barn swallows and a small wren like bird with orange shoulder patches I did not recognize. This is in addition to the normal seabirds. The egrets rested for a bit and flew on off to the NE, the swallows and small wren-like spent the night roosting in various places. In the morning only one swallow remainedand it had died overnight. I saw at 0400 during a forward bilge check and it was perched in the pantry area on the edge of a bag. Aeon found it on the floor, expired when she got up. I will need to remember to put out some fresh water for these little travels, so they can rehydrate on whatever journey the are making so far from land.

By midday we are lining up to enter the begining of the Yucatan Channel and the sea state is changing. Even with all the careful planning and use of the Gulf Stream, there comes a time it is a true negagtive force. Right now it is only a knot of current against us but when you are only doing 7 knots through the water it knocks your speed over ground down15%. Looks like a this may turn into a slog and it is becoming apparent that the chance we can make Isla Mujeres overnightis dwindling. Plus we are being affected by two different swell sets; one from the NE and one from the SE. When they bunch together the stand up very straight and slap at Second Star and push the tow around.

This is an area of the passage that has traditional been heavily trafficed with big ships and this is no exception. With ships coming North from the Mexican ports and ships coming North through the seperation zone off Cuba and ships coming West down the Staights of Florida and ships moving South from the Gulf Coast states of the USA it is a busy intersection. On more than one occassion we have had radio contact with some bulk carrier or container ship to make sure we each know the others intentions. Then you have numerous greyhounds, aka "horizontal hotels", weaving along at 20+ knots. Thank the sea faring gods for the AIS and ARPA technology. It makes this navigational task much easier.

Evening brings the potential of a great sunset  due to patchy rain cells around us. Aeon and I wait as the colors grow from overhead. Lighting the nimbus clouds with pastels. As the sun approaches the horizon the low lying layer is to oppaque and our sunset fades to grays and night falls. During my 2200/0100 watch I notice a bright red/orange light creepy up from the direction of the seperation zone off Cuba. Must be a ship with a tow since it is to deep to be anyone fishing. A quick check of the radar reveals nothing. Hmmm still there visually, but no radar mark. Now we have seen naval vessel at range with visual contact and nothing radar, could this be a military ship operation? still the light rises from the sea, but slowly changing to a salmony red, then more orange. The horizon below it brightens and the moon slides into view, also red. The red light I first saw was Venus and now the moon through the smoke of fires burning far away in the Everglades of Florida. As the pair rises into the vault of darkness the color washes away and all is serene on the face of the sea.

 Overnight the conflicting swells increase in size and our smoooooth ride becomes lumpy again. Now as we are clearing the South edge of Cuba it is definitely a confused sea we travel. There is no predicting which colliding sets will rear up or cancel out. It is just going to be an unpleasant day afloat. It is necessary to heave to again and retrieve the tow close in so I can jump aboard and check the bilges and swap the battery switch over. Once aeon has us in position and I have the bow of the tow at hand it becomes apparent that this will be a tricky maneuver.  The waves are making the tow surge and jump in an unpredictable dance. Just keeping from crashing in Second Star is a concerted effort on both our parts. Finally it looks like I can jump aboard and at the last instance the tow jerks away and I am left teetering on the edge of falling in between the two vessel. Some wild arm swinging and a lucky tutter in Second Stars motion allows me to regain my balance. Thinking to myself that the gods probably  hate a coward the next time the tow comes foward I jump aboard. I partially lower the outboard motor to increase the drag to stop her from surfing down the waves when we turn towards Cancun. Take care of business then haul the hawser short and make the leap to the wet deck of Second Star. Hopefully not to repeat again.

It has become apparent that our arrival time is going to be too early in the day so I decide to reduce speed and loiter on our present heading. As the afternoon progresses it is frustrating to have Cancun on the edge of radar range and not be able to head directly there. We need to arrive at Bahia Tortuga just after 1700 hrs to have crew available for a quick unload. La-de-da, la-de-da...........the hours crawl by but finally it is time to come around to 272 degrees and head for "home". The rest of the way in a better ride since we are now down wave(s). Adjustments to the tow work as planned. Isla Mujeres rises from the sea.

Passing between the sea buoy and the shore I have aeon slow down to idle so I can shorten the tow hawse for better control on our entrance into the bay and Isla Mujeres. Once secured we move through the Chute de Chute and into the anchorage. Ahead is our slip at Bahia Tortuga with the shore crew waiting. Aeon slips Second Star perfectly into place and I shut the engines down, while the shore crew moves to unload. 82 hours of 3 on 3 off and we are both tired. Now it is time for a hot shower, a light meal and sleep.        


                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                12 Mar 2014

Today we were very surprised and pleased to see Kokomo Kay come sailing into the anchorage about 4 hours sooner than we suspected. We were launching Hook from the boat deck when she pulled past us and let her anchor drop off our port side. Aeon had a quick chat with her and it was determined to go and do our check-ins together. So after I got Hook cleaned up, fueled and ready to go we loaded Sharon aboard and went to town. Check-in was relatively easy but very time consuming with the transportation to and from Willemstad. Didn’t get back to Second Star until almost 1800 hrs.

So, let me regress to the beginning of this passage. We left Tagana, Colombia on late Saturday morning in 15 to 20 knot winds out of the East and waves in the 3 to 5 foot range. Our first order of business was getting a fuel reserve loaded in Santa Marta. I had contacted the marina on Wednesday to make sure they would be open and could sell me 75 gallons of fuel. Which they assured me was not a problem. Sure enough they were there to sell me fuel. 50 gallons only! I tried to negotiate for more and they said they didn’t have enough for us and another boat. But that the fuel truck was on its way from Barranguilla and would be there in a couple of hours. From years of experience now in Latin America ones comes to expect that 20 minutes is at least an hour and if you extrapolate that out it soon become apparent that we are dangerously close to the dreaded manana. So taking our 50 gallons we followed after Kokomo Kat.

We had a 140+/- nm run to make and I had plotted it at 20 hrs. Our plan was to arrive at Cabo dela Vella Sunday morning. Rest and wait for Sharon to catch up then head to Curacao Monday morning.

The headlands just past Tagana are within the Tayrona parquet Nacional. The are rugged and abrupt. Leaping out of the sea in great vertical walls of basalt and granite. The tectonics of the area are recent and still raw. Behind this buttress the earth rises to the highest place on earth that close to the sea. Look at a topo of the region and you will amazed. You can ski year round there and sea the Caribbean. These headlands have been the last resting place of countless boats and sailors. I was not a place to be careless. Any problem could be disaster when the wind, waves and current all collaborating to fling the unlucky boat and crew on the rocks. It was with a great deal of respect and discretion that I lead us around the point and East towards Cabo dela Vella.

With my first engine room and bilge check I discovered water filling the anchor locker and main bilge at an alarming rate. I climbed into the anchor locker and the water was knee deep. In the current sea state it was like being inside a washing machine with every wave sloshing the water around with a vengeance. Where was it coming from? Had we holed the boat falling off a wave onto some piece of flotsam? Had something failed? As I searched I found the culprit. A broken fitting on the raw water wash down pump I had just installed. First rule: always look at the last thing you did. I got the ball valve closed on the thru-hull and let the bilge pumps take over. Cold and wet I waited for the last of the water to clear and assessed the situation. Nothing critical was jeopardized, although the motor on the pump may need to be rebuild if the water intruded. Nothing like a near sinking to get ones adrenalin levels elevated.

  

Once past the headland the terrain begins to flatten out with stretches of beach demarcated by great rock outthrusts and long black cliffs. All along the course the waves rise and batter at the shoreline to reclaim what geologic events had taken away.

As the sun set and darkness fell we lost view of the coastline and found ourselves in a very small world. Nothing visible beyond the windscreen; a faint glow of color, red on the port side and green on the starboard indicated that our navigation lights were on. The diffuse glow of the instrument panel and MFD become the world. The monotonous circling line traced by the radar sweep becomes your eyes, the engine instruments you sense of well being, the depth sounder adds comfort when the bottom falls away to abysmal depth and the chart plotter pacing off the nautical miles that stretch away for what seems like eternity. If it weren’t for these inputs you would begin to believe the lies your senses are telling you. The bow comes up to grapple with a wave and shudders as she crests the top and with a wind driven roll to starboard descends to meet the next wave. With out  the instruments you are lost in a delusion of sweep turns. Years ago I had the same experience while flying IFR. Believe you instruments. The night turns in a series of somewhat disjointed scenes of activity, periods of just sitting and trying to hold your body still against the outside motions and brief intervals of rest.

The sun begins to lighten the edge of space and soon we have a horizon. I can make out the mountains rising behind Cabo dela Vella. Soon I can make out the water line where the ocean meets the shore. By full light our destination is clearly in sight. 

Arrived as planned and found an anchorage deep in the bay. The shore was arid and reminded me of areas in the Sonora desert, but with a beach. There were several ranchos along the edge of the bay, but what they could be producing is an unanswered question. I saw no livestock, no crops and very few actual people for all the structures. It was a pretty place, although had a quality of being deserted, like a ghost town. While the wind blew the water was well protected and we had a calm place to sit after 20 hours of being slapped around by the sea. It is always nice to be in a calm safe place after a tough run.

Sharon showed up later in the afternoon and anchored astern of us. We had a radio chat and all of us were ready for a good nights sleep.

Monday morning and the world is a much better place when you are rested and refreshed.

Kokomo Kat was ready to take off at 0700 hrs and by 0745 had disappeared around our next (and last) formidable headland. We gave her a head start, then set about doing our prep work. The valve in the starboard engine hadn’t improved on the last leg. I am still getting blow-by. We ran the engine hard getting our little bit of diesel. This got the exhaust gas temp up to 1000 degrees for 15 minutes. The theory being that this should burn the carbon build-up off the valve face and seat.  I didn’t see a great improvement but rationalized that a good run would keep the temps up above 600 degrees and that would be a good thing. When I started the engines this morning the starboard engine is no better. With the engines running and the bridge online I went forward to retrieve the ground tackle. About 125’ into the retrieval of chain the windlass just stopped leaving about 50’ of chain and the anchor on the bottom. I checked the breakers, checked the handheld connections and nothing. What to do? I can trouble shoot the issue but if the problem requires parts I am not finding them here and I am not even sure if I could get to the nearest town without a super human effort. So I opted to haul the chain and anchor by hand. That is a job I would want to do on a daily basis, although if I did I would be in great shape.

Anchor up and we were away for Curacao.30 hrs (if we could average 7 kts) and 215 nm to the East.

Part 2: tomorrow.

Definition of cruising: traveling from one beautiful exotic place where you worked on your boat to the next beautiful exotic place where you will work on your boat.

Rounding the headland at Cabo dela Vella we were again greeted by 3 to 6 foot seas and 15 to 20 knot winds out of the direction in which we wished to proceed. If this weather held it would be doable but another uncomfortable ride. This headland is not as towering as the one rounded at Tagana, but none the less severe and hostile.  Long stretch of broken cliffs tumble into the surf which claws at the heights with great bursts of white energy. Then the cliffs give way to long stretches of beach broken by black rock butte and cliffs. Dry, desolate, not a place to be trying to scrabble out an existence, and yet I see an occasional hut or group of huts scattered amongst the scrub of the hills that climb away from ocean. Tough life.

Moving along the coast we come to Puerto Simon Bolivar. A grand name for a forlorn outpost which does nothing but load coal for export. The is a look of grime about the whole scene. Offshore in an open roadstead are anchored several bulk carriers waiting their turn at the conveyor berth. They seem abandoned as we pass between them, sometimes close enough that it feels like a corridor of rust flecked painted steel. We caught Kokomo Kat here as Sharon passed on one side of a ship and we passed on the other. We she emerged at the bows; Kokomo Kat looked miniscule, as I am sure we did also. Like toys amongst the real ships of the ocean. We chatted over the next few miles with the radio connection gradually fading to static as we promised to meet in Curacao.

Again it was just Second Star, the northeast coast of Colombia and the ocean. The coast flattens out here with Bahia Honda being the notable feature. Beyond it the hills and mountains again rise as the natural boundary between Colombia and Venezuela.

Beating our way to windward we at last leave Colombia behind and ahead is the path across Golfo de Venezuela. The Western boundary was marked by a dramatic color change in the ocean. We passed from deep clear indigo blue waters in a matter of inches to cloudy water of an olive drab color. At the confluence I could look down into the clear blue water and see the undulating surface of the cloudy water descending out of sight and then we were in the Gulf. The water here had large patches of brownish water mixed with the green. I suspect partially incorporated oil from spills at the refinery ports of Fijo and Maricaibo. Sadly it speaks of human mismanagement and disregard for the Mother Earth.

The Eastern edge was indistinguishable as it slowly faded over the miles and hours as the clear blue indigo slowly returned.

It is the middle of the night and I turn the helm over to aeon for a few hours of sleep. She has been resting and says she can take a few hours. I worry over her as we have seen no improvement in her eye, or skin. But she gets testy when I suggest she take a reduced work load and it takes some prompting and assurance that it doesn’t mean she isn’t capable, just that some additional rest would help her recovery. We I head down to rest Arruba is on the long range radar.

When I return at 0330 hrs the lights of Aruba are the horizon and radar is alight with ship targets. Off the SW tip of Aruba is a staging area for ships. Here dozens of ships are anchored waiting for cargo assignments. They anchor in several hundred feet of water many miles from land.

The sun rose with Aruba passing on off our port side. Our speed is knocked down by wind, waves and a 1.5 knot current set.  Aruba sits so close to Venezuela here I can here them on the radio and see the sky glow at night. It is anxious when we are running with less of a reserve than I would of liked and hopefully when we clear the end of the island it will loosen its grip and once again we will come up to cruise speed.

The waves seem to be letting up as Curacao acts as seawall to buffer us from the NE component. Now all the waves are from the E and coming in a 3 second period. This causes Second Star to hobby horse her way forward. A course correction to take us close inshore should help. Another hour and we are in the lee of Curacao (pronounced by the locals Korsow). It is calmer and we are making almost 7 kts again. The coastline slides by with villages and mansion all in the dutch architecture. Bright pastel colors abound on the buildings and orderly street grids appear. What a change from Latin America. I may go into culture shock.

We work our way up the coast to the Spanish Waters channel. It is a narrow winding cut into the convoluted anchorage called Spanish Waters. The European mindset for organization has restricted anchorage to 4 well defined locals. With the windlass I/O I opted for a marina. After numerous hails on the VHF with no response from any the marinas a local cruiser volunteered to go up to the Seru Boca Marina office and ask them to turn on the radio. A few minutes later a female voice came on the radio and said they weren’t renting to transient boats. OUT! So much for plan A. We had been in contact with the vessel Isis and I called them to explain our situation with only one shot at getting the anchor down. They were helpful in directing us to a good anchorage. While aeon guided Second Star through the twists and turns of the anchorage while dodging numerous windsurfers and small sailing craft with a cranky starboard engine that didn’t want to idle smoothly I had the enviable job of haul up 225’ of anchor chain through the deck hawse and flaking it out on the fore deck for deployment. Once in position I deployed the chain by hand and we came back taunt. We idle in position for about 10 minutes watching the lat/long to make sure we were stuck  Then it was engine shutdown and go into arrival mode. While aeon did interior set up I got out tools and went to work on the windlass. With multimeter at the ready I checked for power to the breaker, good, to the relay, good, to the terminal block which connects the control to the relay, good. I checked the contacts of the controller. Good. Well that leaves the relay and the motor. The relay was the easiest to get to so with the sun seeking the horizon I got the relay out on the aft table and sat down with a needed cup of coffee to take it apart. After a 30 hour passage I certainly am not at my best, but I did get the relay apart, cleaned the contactors and all the connectors, checked the wiring, applied a fresh coat of corrosion protection. And reinstalled. Arrgh!!!!! The scurvy son of a garbage scow windlass still didn’t respond. Again checked the control continuity. Still good. And I was done. I needed food and sleep and tomorrow was a new day.

So for tonight I set the anchor watch on the radar and called it a passage. The engine, windlass and washing the boat can wait until after we check into country tomorrow and my brain isn’t so foggy.

 






Brisas anchorage Panama to Cartagena Columbia.

Wow. One week ago we were waiting off Playitas de Amador for our canal
advisor to board. Daryl Lippincott was on the helm while aeon and I
scurried around making last minute preparations. We had nine of us
aboard: Daryl and Marcy, Kevin and his friend Vanessa, along
with Ethan, Nancy Smith along with their 8 year old daughter Zada. A
capable crew of experienced people to handle lines and help out.

Our advisor came aboard on time, well on time for Panama as he was
less than an hour late and I gave the order to engage our engines and
proceed to pass under the Bridge of the Americas and approach our
first lock. We were told to prepare Second Star for port side. Which
turned out to be a practice run, because as we entered the lock we
were told no make it starboard. Which meant we had to move ten tire
fenders and readjusting the lines. From that point the first three
locks passed easily with only minor moments of excitement.

The biggest surprise came when I asked our advisor what time we would
be arriving in Colon. He took out his lock schedule and after a
lengthy perusal informed me we weren’t scheduled to continue on in one
day and would be staying in Lago Gatun overnight. Now, of course, this
isn’t what we were told and Kevin had commitments that prevented his
spending the night. I carefully explained that to our advisor that if
we couldn’t complete the transit in one day, Kevin and Vanessa needed
to get off. Seems like once you are on the boat and in transit there
is no exit for passengers or crew. Our advisor started to make phone
calls but with no success. Finally Kevin and Vanessa would be allowed
off at Gamboa lock. Then we were told “no possible” because I didn’t
use an agent to secure our transit and they needed and agent signature
to allow them off. During the debate about how we were going to
accomplish this, the advisor asked to see Kevin and Vanessa’s
passports. The world around us suddenly went into an alternative
reality when the advisor saw Kevin’s diplomatic passport and security
docs. In a twinkle he was back on the phone in desperate Spanish.
After several minutes of heated exchanges he came back to me and said
it was not possible to get Kevin off the boat, but that a slot had
been found for Second Star to make the transit in one day. And on we
proceeded to the Gatun locks and the Caribbean.
The sun had just set when we pulled into Shelter Bay Marina. I had
taken a slip for the night so we could unload people, wash Second Star
and get a good nights sleep.

During engine shutdown I discovered an oil leak in the starboard
turbo. Nothing dramatic but it would bear a close eye. We had spooled
the engines up to make 10 knots in the dash for the Gatun locks slot
and it seems the seal didn’t like the extra pressure. I would deal
with it in the morning. Right now we needed to get Ethan, Nancy and
Zada off the boat and arrange with Chris Young at the restaurant for a
feast.

So, while the Smith’s went to the Marina Hotel where they had a room
for the night to freshen up and Kevin and Vanessa went to the Yacht
Club showers to rinse off the days exertions. Daryl, Marcy, aeon and
I had showered and got ready to head to the dinning room. Before we
were ready Kevin came back to the boat to say that the restaurant
couldn’t serve alcohol because it was Memorial Day. Man oh man the
problems I have to solve. I walked on up to find Chris who runs the
place and see what could be done. He and the Chef Damien and I decided
that they could serve dinner on Second Star’s aft deck and I could
serve all the wine I wanted. SO I picked out several nice bottles from
Chris’s locker and walked back to Second Star with the news. Aeon,
Marcy and Nancy quickly set-up chairs and dressed the table. All
Second Star had to supply was the wine glasses. With everyone
assembled Chris came aboard with menus and specials, along with ice
buckets for the wines. Orders taken and wine poured we settled back to
revisit the day and tell stories. The kitchen did a fabulous job off
bringing the courses in perfect timing and a feast was had. Kevin’s
driver showed up after the meal and he and Vanessa departed for
Panama. Chris and Damien came back aboard after the dessert course for
a snifter of rum and a chat. With the day over, a well fed and tired
crew went to sleep.

In the morning Ethan, Nancy, Zada, aeon and Marcy gave Second Star a
much needed and long overdue bath. I would be a clean shiny boat that
would depart Shelter bay for Cartagena.

Daryl and I did separate inspections of the turbo and both of us
agreed it was a nuisance but not a critical system failure and that
the worst it would do is make a mess. SO while Daryl cleaned up the
oil from the previous days leak I fabricated an aluminum drip pan to
attach under the turbo. It was agreed that we could run and keep an
eye on the turbo and if necessary shut the starboard engine down.

I had run a back track on decided to leave Shelter Bay at sundown to
make an arrival in Cartagena at 1000hrs on Tuesday the 5th. Once
Second Star was secure for sea we all had a nice nap followed by a
luxurious shower at the yacht club and dinner. Right after sundown
Second Stars lines were retrieved and we were underway, making way for
Columbia. We had an interesting pass right at the entrance to Colon
harbor with a container vessel then on through the outer anchorage.
Once clear I set a Northerly course for Cartagena and watches began.

The seas were calm and the winds fair. Second Star thrummed her way
into the darkness while the stars slowly arced across the skies. I was
off until 0400hrs so I went to bed for a good night sleep, lulled by
the gentle motion and reassuring rumble of the engines.

Monday dawned clear and calm. Marcy came up early while Daryl and aeon
slept on. We were escorted, for several miles, by a large school of
dolphins who came to play in the bow wave. Marcy and I went down to
the foredeck to visit with our visitors. The day passed with the
ship’s routine of watches and checks, punctuated with meals. As the
sun set we tightened the watch schedule up. I again had the early
morning watch while Daryl took the 2000 to midnight and aeon the dog
watch. Late in Daryl’s watch I heard him do the engine room check.
Then his hand on my leg and in a calm voice he said “Can you come look
at something”. Boink!!!!! Wide awake NOW!!!!! I hoped up put on some
shorts and went to the engine room. Seems we had a crack in the base
of the starboard engine raw water inlet filter. Nothing too serious at
first glance. I pulled over the knee pad and got down for a closer
inspection. Yup there was a crack seeping water. When I placed my
hands on the filter housing to see if I could possible secure it and
reduce the flow it became immediately apparent that it was just barely
hanging on. Damn, here we are a few hours from Cartagena where I am
taking Second Star out of the water to service all this equipment and
this thing fails. Kudos to Daryl whose professional approach to all
things nautical picked up this issue before it was a geyser.

I gave the order to shut the engine down. By now aeon was also up and
at my side while Daryl went back to the helm. With the world’s
“bestest” scrub nurse helping me we had the ball valve closed,
strainer off and seeping leak staunched and secure. Had Daryl bring
Second Star dead in the water while I secured the prop shaft to
prevent transmission damage. Then re-engage and we were again making
way for Cartagena. Because we were so close it only added about 3
hours to the trip.

On my watch there was some vessel traffic to keep an eye on, as
Cartagena is a container port. With the sunrise also came the view of
Columbian coast. No matter how often I make landfall, it is always a
warming of my heart to see land when and where I predicted.

At 12 miles I started trying to raise Port Security. I could hear them
chatting with other vessels but the refused to answer me. I had
contact with cruising vessels in the harbor saying they could read me
loud and clear, but no response from the authorities. I made log notes
at each unanswered hail and finally right at the harbor entrance I
announced my intentions to enter and anchor and quit trying. It is a
pet peeve of mine that the law requires I contact Port Security and
they ignore me.

We did raise the lovely Ms. Sharon Pool on Kokomo Kat who had made it
here ahead of us and was currently in the Club Nautico Marina. We were
very happy to hear her sunny voice and looked forward to a reunion.

By late morning the anchor was down and set and we were prepared to
meet our agent for processing our passports and ships papers. We were
in Columbia.

Cartagena is a beautiful anchorage, the water is silty from the rivers
that empty into it and it has some trash, but nothing like the trash
in the ports of Panama. We are anchored on the South edge of the rodes
which has about 50 cruisers in it. To our East is the graceful Chilean
Naval tall ship Esmerelda and then the port of Cartagena.  To our
South and East is the city of Cartagena. Beautiful skyline, very
picturesque.

Gladis Ramos our agent finally showed up latish in the afternoon and I
went ashore with the Captain of Timeless who also needs to check in.
Gladis turns out to be a very charming Columbiana who English is
slightly better than my Spanish. SO we communicated just fine, with
lots of laughter.

We went ashore to meet Sharon and have dinner ashore. A lovely evening
but we were all ready for a solid nights sleep and called it an early
day.

Out and About.

Wednesday morning after boat chores we headed to the dinghy dock.
Getting communications set up was a priority. Sharon lead us to a cell
phone shop she had used. There we acquired sim chips for our phones
and usb modem. We had these unlocked in Panama. We then walked on
deeper into the old city to have lunch at a local restaurant Sharon
had found. Great meal with way to much food for 10,000 pesos (about
$5). So far Cartagena has been much cleaner than Panama and with a
much more complete and restored Old Sectors.

Back aboard we discovered the sim didn’t work in the “unlocked”
modem. That means another trip to the Cetro Comercial phone shop.
Thursday morning after chores Daryl and I headed back to town under a
gray sky. At the tienda the owner checked the modem out and said it
was only unlocked for Panama not the whole world. Several phone calls
to aeon for numbers and codes and calls to his contacts revealed that
the modem needed to be unlocked by another person, BUT since November
is the month of holidays in this part of the world that would not
happen until Tuesday next.  Since Daryl and I had been off the boat
for several hours and wandered around between the “media hora mas”
explanations, I made the decision to buy a new unlocked for the whole
world modem and call it a day.

Back aboard we had a nice meal and called it an early day because the
Lippincott’s had to catch a 0400 hrs taxi to make their flight home.

0300 hrs, which is really o’dark hundred came way to early. But we got
Hook loaded and Daryl and Marcy ashore in time for the cab. Back
aboard we went back to bed for a few more hours of sleep.

We called Sharon and went to shore mid-morning. Sharon wanted to catch
a cab to Boca Grande to find the FedEx office where she is having
parts shipped. First we hit the grocery store a couple of blocks from
the marina and brought our purchases back to Kokomo Kat before heading
out. The FedEx office was easy to locate and we decided to walk over
to the beach for a stroll. Very nice beach, clean and commercial. Lots
of vendors selling everything from cooked crabs to massages. Lots of
cabanas to rent with wait staff to bring you drinks. We have decided
to go back for a beach day next week. After a long walk on the beach
we stopped at a beach bar for a mojito and enjoyed the shade of the
trees. One of the street vendors came by selling jewelry and did some
slight of hand magic which made aeon squeal and laugh so I tipped him
for his excellent performance. We had another Columbiano stopped and
ask if we were americanos. That is always a loaded question given our
foreign policy debacles. He said he wanted to thank us for making
Columbia safe. Seems the Marines came in a few years ago and helped
the military and the police train to stop the violence. Everywhere we
have walked is absolutely safe. There is a large presence of unarmed
tourist police who are there to assist you. So far our impression of
Columbia is very safe and secure, at least in Cartagena.

We left the beach and walked through a nice Mall with a stunning view
of the Caribbean to get to the main street. It was decided to walk
back to the boat because we all could use some exercise after the
passage. Since it was lunch time we stopped at a Crepes and Waffles.
This is Columbian chain that is in several Latin countries that has
GREAT food at a very reasonable price and focuses on hiring women who
are the bread winners. Again we had a fabulous experience.

We arrived back at Hook just as a rain shower was developing so we
said a hasty farewell and came out to Second Star for our first time
alone aboard in more than a week.

Life is good and we are well.

Sunday 3 December 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Woke up early to a beautiful, rain free morning with bright sunshine and calm, gin clear water. Today we are going to Rana Azul to spend the afternoon and night. We will head back here sometime manaña, or the next day or the next. One of the beauties of this life style is that your work goes with you along with you your house.

I finished up the after hull A/C this morning (except the paint) and had us ready to head to Rana Azul by 1000 hrs. It was an hour and 20 minute run from Bocas.  As we were headed into little bay on which Rana Azul resides we were hailed on the radio by our friends aboard the catamaran Meow. We hadn’t seen or heard from Gino and Mel since they left Bocas a couple of weeks ago. Seems they were also headed to Rana Azul for the Sunday Bash.

We weren’t to sure exactly where we were headed but worked our way through the shoals to the end of the bay and cast our anchor in about 15 feet of water beneath a towering ridge of jungle.  Meow went inside of us and anchored even closer to shore. We prepared Hook and went ashore to tie alongside other boats who had arrived before us. Rana Azul sits on a beautiful piece of land which raises in a gradual incline to a ridge several hundred feet above the sea. Mostly jungled but the area around the palapas and docks has been cleared so that a very large lawn extends under the canopy.

The dinning area is two large interconnected palapas with wood floors and thatch roofs.  There are two wood burning ovens for pizza, I understand a through back to the owners days of cruising the Asiatic coast of Italy. The story goes that it took them three tries to get the ovens constructed correctly o that they didn’t collapse with the first firing. Now the make a very good wood fired pizza. The owners are Austrian and seem to be a very nice couple. I didn’t try the snitzel or the stroganoff but the both looked for authentic. Aeon and I shared a fish and chips then a pizza. The mojitos were flowing freely and the owner kept walking around with trays of rum and coconut water shooters. Bad bad bad…but fun fun fun. We met several of the BEN people. Most notably of which were BEN 13, Captain Ron and Ben 63 Ian. We had lots of radio contact but it was very nice to put a face with a voice. Both invited us to please come and anchor out front of their homes and enjoy their hospitality. I think we will come back on Thursday for Captain Ron’s BBQ.

I got the story of the BEN (Bocas Emergency Net) from Ron. Seems they had an emergency here about 10 years ago where a local had been bitten by a viper, notably the yellow jawed Tommy Goff or Frer de Lance, an extremely poisonous, usually fatal bite. They did manage to get the woman to the hospital in Almirante where she spent three days on anti venom. Afterwards 3 of the ex-pats got together and decided they needed a better form of communication than the cell phone which even today doesn’t offer good coverage. (We are sitting in a dead zone tonight). So one of the men put up the money for 10 VHF radios and antennae while the other two did the leg work and installations. It didn’t take long for the network to grow to 30 then 50 now approaching 100 Ben stations. During this time it was decided to include all the cruiser in the Net. This may have come about because so many of the Ben members were ex cruisers. Today the net covers the whole archipelago and offers a great service to landsmen and seafarers alike. It is unequivocally the best Net aeon and I have had the privilege to participate in. Professional run, observing proper radio procedures and etiquette, it deals with emergencies, news, general check-in and acts as a link between for the members of a far flung community.

After a very fun and rousing afternoon aeon and I went back aboard Second Star to make sure all was well. From there we took Hook back North to the house that Ray Jason was sitting. We spent an hour or so just visiting with Ray and looking at the property. Nice place well set up to live off the grid with all the comforts of home. Just after sundown but before full dark aeon and I headed back to Second Star.

While the generator ran its cycle we sat on the fore deck in the gathering darkness and enjoyed a nice cool breeze carrying the smell of cooking fires along with the night songs of frogs and monkeys from the jungle. Life is good.

Monday 4 December 2012
09° 14.58N  082° 15.14W
Dolphin Bay, Bocas del Toro Archipelago, Panama

Woke up to a dead calm sunrise; cooking fire smoke curled through the jungle from several locations, a distant rooster hailing the sun, monkeys and birds calling from the high tree canopy along the ridges, peace was on the face of the earth or at least the piece of it I could see. Earlier at 0500 hrs when I checked the anchor set it was clear with a brilliant moon and stars scattered across the sky and reflected on the dark depths of the sea. Now it is overcast and looking like it might rain.

The morning radio net brought a very fun surprise. It was Ians (BEN 63) day as moderator so I was pleasantly surprised to hear his 9 year old daughter Mabels voice come out of the radio speaker. We had met them yesterday at Rana Azul. They are a fine family of Canadians with a full English accent, very proper. I had heard from the main moderator (Captain Ron) that she had been practicing and had asked permission. It was a real joy to hear her being so professional. There were many kudos to Mabel at the close of the net.

Shortly after we hoisted anchor and made our way from Rana Azul through a connecting channel to Dolphin Bay. There we hooked up with Gino and Mel on Meow. At first we were just going to have a cup of coffee and move on but Mel seduced into staying with an offer of curried chicken dinner. Now since they had spent some serious time living in Malaysia and Indonesia I figured this was a meal not to miss so we stayed.

It looks like I am going to be doing a hardtop for Meow right after the New Year. Gino reviewed his plans with me and while a little complicated it certainly is well within things I have already done. It will be good to have some work come in to offset the outflow.  Later this week I will do a materials estimate and give him a quote.

A little front moved over the ridge just before lunch so we motored back to Second Star to make sure the anchor was holding. Very important as we all backed right up against the jungle. Everything seems to be secure when we arrived back so it is curry for dinner aboard Meow.

After lunch and our siesta we decided to take Hook over to BEN 13’s house which is just around the corner from us. Well, actually through the mangroves and across the sand bar. Ian and the family welcomed us graciously and showed us arounf there 2.2 acre parcel. They are still working on getting it just right but it has only been a year since they bought the property. A lready they have a stand alone (off the grid) house with all the necessary amenities plus some out buildings and docks with a boat house. They are very interesting and fun people whom I hope to get and spend some more time with.

 When we got back aboard it was almost time to head to Meow for dinner. Aeon made a salad as our contribution then we showered and headed over. A great evening of camaraderie and excellent curry. We meet very interesting people who share our lifestyle and Gino and Mel are no exception. Cruiser for 30 plus years they have some great tales to tell.

Back aboard by 2000 hrs for the generator cycle. The sky has cleared off and the stars are out in full glory. Very little ambient light here to impact the view of the heavens.

I think tomorrow after a coffee klatch we will head back to Bocas.


Tuesday 4 December 2012
009° 19.909’ N  082° 14.963 W
South anchorage, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Woke up this morning to a stunning sunrise of a mirror flat sea. There was not a ripple on Dolphin Bay and Second Star seemed to be suspended in a solid glass surface. A few scattered clouds but for the most part lots of sun.

After the Net, Gino and Mel came aboard for some coffee and orange pinwheels. We had decided the night before we were heading back to Bocas this morning. Gino decided they would head back also so once we finished the klatch they returned to Meow for preparations to get underway. We really hadn’t gotten anything out since we went to Rana Azul so our prep went quickly; I did the engine checks and started the mains while aeon got the helm up and functioning. The longest part of our time was spent cleaning the anchor chain as we hoist the anchor. It was a mucky bottom so the silt and clays stuck to the chain and required lifting 20 feet then let it back down several times to rinse out “most” of the ooze. I will still have to pressure wash the windlass and foredeck when we get in to remove what still came aboard.

We followed Meow out through the passage into the main channel back to Bocas.. Once we were into open waters we could increase our speed and moved ahead towards the anchorage 5 miles away. It was still calm and flat and the water was very clear so we could see all the reefs and shallow spots easily.

We arrived back at the anchorage off Bocas just after 1200 hrs and had the hook down, engines off and secured from sea by 1215 hrs. As we were eating lunch Meow came into the anchorage and set her anchor a couple of hundred meters NW of us.

This was our first internet since Sunday morning so we did a quick check of our emails then laid down to rest a bit.

We got up at 1400 hrs and went into town. Tuesday in fresh produce day and we needed a few things. Plus I needed a special hose clamp for the generatore exhaust which had developed a little drip where the exhaust pipe joined to the exhaust hose.

It took a little looking to find the right clamp but we were successful in that and in scoring fruit and lettuces. No limes though to be had which is really strange.

We saw Limbo’s tender on the dinghy dock at Lilly’s, where we had left Hook.  A quick phone call let us know they would be there in a couple of minutes. We had liquados (fruit smoothies) and caught up on the last few days.

Back to Second Star about 1645 hrs. While aeon dove on the anchor to make sure it was setting correctly I did the repair to the generator exhaust and did a fuel transfer to generator day tank. It was time for showers and dinner while the generator water maker cycle ran. We had a dinner of stir fried rice and steamed veggies on the aft deck in the brief gloaming of a tropical sunset.

Wednesday 5 December 2012
009° 19.909’ N  082° 14.963 W
South anchorage, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Woke up to a drizzly morning again, the decks were wet but it wasn’t really coming down.  As the sun rose from the horizon the drizzle let up. By the time I had finished breakfast the decks were dry.

Went back to work on the forward hull A/C install. I got the old evaporator and blower assembly out so we can take it ashore to the trash. Then the wiring needed to be redone along with the copper tubing for the refrigerant. As seems to be the norm on any project I would need to go buy parts. This time it was some 3/8 “ copper tubing. If I put all my little ends and pieces together I was still short about 6 inches (story of my life LOL).

Aeon made a quick lunch before we took Hook to town and Ferreteria Richard where I bought 6 feet just to have some spare aboard. Aeon also needed some produce so we hit the Mercado while we were there. Back aboard Second Star we finally had contact with the people who do mainland shopping for the Isla. Tobby said yes they did argon fills for a couple of other people and if we bring the bottle in to the car ferry they would put it on their truck and it will back next Tuesday. With that information I removed the argon tank from its mounts in the machinery room and loaded it into Hook. I also need oxygen so I put that yank in also.  Then we made the trip back into Bocas Town. At first we went to the ferry dock, but the truck was nowhere in sight. There really wasn’t a good place sit with Hook that wasn’t being beat up by the passing panga wakes, so I decided to move it down to Lilly’s dinghy dock. Aeon called Toby from there to see if the driver would come by and pick it up on the way to the ferry. She said no problem. So we settled in with an iced tea and pina liquado to wait. The few minutes became half an hour but he did show up and take the tanks.

By now most of the day had been spent back and forth between town and Second Star, but if the argon shows up next Tuesday I will be very happy. I spent the remainder of the afternoon working on the A/C while aeon caught our blog up.

Dinner was fresh mutton snapper poached in chardonnay and rosemary over couscous with steamed veggies. As always aeon spoils me.

Still haven’t had a confirmation about taking Second Star down to Ben 13 for a BBQ tomorrow afternoon. I am leaning towards staying here and finishing the A/C. Everything is out for working on it and if we go I have to clean it all up before we can go and that seems like an unnecessary chore. There will other BBQ’s. Manana will tell the tale.

Thuirsday 6 December 2012
009° 19.909’ N  082° 14.963 W
South anchorage, Bocas del Toro, Panama
To
009° 12.431 N  082° 155.182 W
Cindy (BEN 7) House, South side of Isla Cristobal

I woke up earlier than I wanted to; the headache that I though was gone was back. I think I have a mild case of Dengue which has persisted for a couple of weeks now. According to the literature it should be winding down in the next week or so.

After the Net, Captain Ron radioed an invite to a BBQ this evening. We accepted as it introduces us to various new people of the BEN Network. Dinner was at 1700 hrs and it would take an hour and 15 minutes to make the run in Second Star and we would anchor for the night.

Back to work on the forward hull A/C swap. Today I wanted to finish the rewire and have everything ready to mount tomorrow. Just as I was getting good forward momentum Gino off Meow radioed and wanted to know if I could come over and measure for a hardtop he wants me to build.  For a paying job, I put aside the A/C and motored over in Hook.  It took about ninety minutes to get all the details worked out. We will see about this job. What he wants he may not be more than he wants to pay.

Back aboard it was back to the A/C until lunch time, which was a short break then back to work. I wanted to get the wiring done before we had to hoist anchor for the transit to BEN 7. Luckily I got done with about 45 minutes to spare so we lay down for a brief siesta. I hoped it would relieve my headache.

We got up at 1430 hrs and prepared Second Star for sea. Anchor up by 1500 hrs and underway for Isla San Cristobal. It was a very nice run, the seas were calm and there was a fair breeze to keep things cool.  Aeon did an excellent job with her navigation and helm work. She certainly makes her Captain look good. We saw a lot of feeding activity in Bahia Almirante. I couldn’t tell what exactly was feeding but it acted like jacks.

Once we got into the area of BEB 13 we radioed for detail anchoring information. The sailboat Claire de Lune was already anchored there and helped us with information. We did a couple of exploratory passes to get a feeling for the depths and dropped the anchor in 34 feet of water. Let out 200’ of chain and snubbed her in. Time for a quick shower and gather up a blottle of wine and the smoked salmon dip aeon had made earlier and head to the dinghy dock behind the house.

Our hostess Cindy gave a warm welcome and introduced us around. We already knew a couple of the people and had seen a couple of more. It was a very enjoyable evening with lots of great food and conversation. The weather was clear and cool with a fresh north breeze. All to soon it was time to head back to Second Star; the battery charge cycle was calling.

The stars were intense as we gazed from the flying bridge. Beautiful night. I saw a 4 foot shark swim lazily under Second Star in the lights from the side decks. Life is good aboard.

After breakfast tomorrow we will motor back to Bocas.

Friday 7 December 2012
009° 12.431 N  082° 155.182 W
Cindy (BEN 7) House, South side of Isla Cristobal
Terra Obscura
To
009° 19.909’ N  082° 14.963 W
South anchorage, Bocas del Toro, Panama

Early in the night we had the radar alarm going off every so often which made sleep fitful. I keep reducing the gain until after about the 6th false alarm it finally settled down and we got uninterrupted sleep until dawn. It was very calm and quiet where we were anchored.

After breakfast and the NET we retrieved the ground tackle and returned to Bocas via Dolphin Bay. Very nice day, fresh breeze from the North and calm seas. The hour or so ride  back was uneventful and we just sat at the helm sharing coffee and small talk.

Arriving back at Bocas we throttled back to idle about .5 nm out to let the engines cool down and slipped back into the anchorage and up to our previous position. The anchor was let go and after backing down a couple of times to set the hook we shut down the mains. “Home” again.

I had decided to do an equalization charge on the house battery banks since we would be arriving back at Bocas with both banks fully charged. I fired up the generator and started the equalization cycle which takes 8 hours. It had been awhile since we last washed Second Star so I started the water maker and got out the pressure washer and other cleaning supplies. Aeon had made our lunch of taco salad while I was setting up.

After dining and cleaning up we tackled giving Second Star a bath. Her foredeck was dirty from all the anchoring. The chain brings up mud and sand and shells and weed which it deposits at the rollers and the windlass gypsy. Now when I build Obeah I am going to add a high pressure salt water pump with jets inside the hawse pipes to rinse the chain before it gets on deck. I may even consider a retro fit second Star after I get caught up with the current projects.

We finished the wash about 1530 hrs and aeon went for a swim to check the anchor and give Hooks bottom a quick scrape while I dealt with some minor preventative maintenance chores aboard.

Time for us to have a shower and a bit of relaxation before dinner. There is a swap meet at Bocas del Toro Marina in the morning. We are going to gather up some items and see if we can sell more than we buy. LOL.

Saturday 8 December 2012
009° 19.909’ N  082° 14.963 W
South anchorage, Bocas del Toro, Panama

The batteries made it through the night without going to red. It seems that the equalization charge helped. Ran the genset/water maker cycle earlier than usual so we would be done by the time the swap meet started.

Aeon and I gathered up a bunch of stuff and headed to the Calypso Cantina when the swap is taking place. We set up on a table a visited with various people and ended up selling several items. Actually we sold more than we bought, so that is good.

Back from the swap meet we had lunch then a short rest before getting back on the A/C install. It seems like every time I get started I get interrupted. This time it was for lack of a 3-prong plug for the blower. It meant a trip into town to hit the ferreterias. Today is Dia de Madre in Panama so we hoped something would be open. Actually two of the four hardware stores were open. The first one we tried had a 2-prong plug and the next two were closed. I bought us each an ice cream to bolster our chances that the last store would have a plug. On the way to the store we ran into Ian and Mel and their kids Maibel and Finn. We chatted for a bit on the street and walked together since we were headed in the same direction. Maibel has been campaigning hard to come aboard Second Star so  invited them to drop- by for a visit on their way back to their house. The last store had one plug left. So with plug in hand we dinghied back to Second Star where I started to install it when Ian and crew pulled up. They took a tour of the boat and then sat on the aft deck in the shade and breeze for a visit.  When Mel was in the galley with aeon, Ian invited us to her surprise birthday party at Los Secretos on Isla Bastimentos Wednesday afternoon. Should be fun.

I gave Hook a good washing while aeon made pizza for dinner. She makes a mean pizza, tonight was Hawaiian with fresh pina.


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Sunday 25 November 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Another gray day, this makes 8 consecutive days of rain and no sunshine. Although it is much windier today and the winds have been backing to the West so hopefully the system sending us all this weather will move off and we will see clearing on the morrow. Aeon has been half joking that maybe we should have kept the snake as the first ½ of 1 species in case we are called on to be a modern day Noah’s Ark.

I had hoped we would have at least a small respite so we could dinghy into to town for a shore break but it was not to be. Spent the day aboard lazing around, reading and doing little projects.

By evening there were indications that the weather was starting to get to the other boaters as well. The VHF radio came alive for about 15 minutes while the various boats chimed in with a stanza from pop songs about rain. From “Rain drops keep falling on my head” to a wishful “Here comes the sun” it was an entertaining few minutes of humor to brighten a very drear day.

Because of the wind strength and direction changes and the fact we had just re-anchored I had the radar on with an alarm zone. I was surprised at first by the number of times the alarm went off because an indio in a dugout was paddling by, thinking to myself man it must be pretty miserable out there. Then I realized that mostly they were fishing and probably for the days provender. It made me realize how lucky we are to have enough aboard to sustain us for months if needed. The indios definitely live very close to the edge of hunger, especially where protein is concerned.  And as with indigenous people in many other areas as they get access to modern materials such as gill nets they become much more efficient with their harvesting, without the knowledge of the consequences. It doesn’t take long for the resource to be depleted to the point of collapse. Too many mouths and not enough fish.

The highlight of our day was the making of a big pot of chili for our mid afternoon meal. Kind of a sad comment on the depths to which our entertainment has fallen. LOL

Monday 26 November 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

The rain is less today, but it is still raining. We are still boat bound to the interior of Second Star. There were a couple of times that it lightened up and I actual thought the sun might break through. No joy.  The weather forecast calls for the low over the Pacific to move across Costa Rica today bringing some higher winds then clearing tomorrow.

Not much else to really report. The projects I want to be working on all require being outdoors and the rain makes that impractical. I am about out of little jobs inside.

During a very brief break in the rain Don and Rita came by from Limbo with some fresh carrot cake Rita had baked.  Oh boy, my favorite cake.

We heard the howler monkeys again this evening coming from the jungle to our NW. They can make some very strange and sometimes eerie sounds. Also, we watched the egrets come in to roost at sunset. Speaking of which, we are almost at a 0600 hrs sunrise and an 1800 hr sunset. Since we are still 09° N I don’t think we will actually make those numbers by 21 December but it should be really close.  It is strange to be so evenly balanced in the daylight darkness. And the darkness comes on so quickly after the sunsets. There is very little evening or gloaming that I grew up with on the high desert. It is light then it is dark. Almost like a switch was thrown.

Finished the last of the mincemeat pie tonight, the pumpkin was gone last night. There goes the remains of Thanksgiving past.  Aeon called her brother Darrin about his plans to come and see us. It looks like he and Danile will be coming the 25th of January for a couple of weeks.



Tuesday 27 November
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

There was this intense yellow light in the sky this morning. Our very own thermo nuclear star was ablaze in a partly cloudy sky and the temperature went from 70° to 85°.

I spent the early part of the day drying decks, wiping down windows and cleaning the water line on the wet deck.  Then we loaded up the launch and went to Bocas Marina to return some charts and chart books to Ray Jason on Aventura. He needed a ride to town so we offered him a seat in Hook which he gladly accepted.  He has been a wealth of local knowledge for us and I do appreciate his willingness to share it.

Once in town we did some shopping for produce and some other needed items such as 10 micron string filters for the inlet to the water maker. It is amazing how water that looks clear can plug a filter so quickly.  I have been washing them with the pressure washer but the performance goes down with each wash, until I need to replace them.

We had lunch in town at Lilly’s which is where they allow us to park Hook so I like to support them at least once a week. As an added bonus the food is really good.

Back aboard we put away the purchases and lay down for a siesta. Too much sunshine and excitement. LOL. A couple of little chores and it was time for dinner. And it started to drizzle later in the evening and rained harder on and off during the night.


Wednesday 28 November 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

It was raining again in the morning when I got up. We did get a lull after sunrise so I chamoised the decks, but it picked up again for an hour or so which meant I got to do it again later.

 Received an email from Severio Rossini indicating he was thinking about coming over for a few days at New Years. That would fabulous as we haven’t been together in almost 3 years. I hope he can make it.

Once the rain let up I worked a little on the flybridge getting the aft hull A/C ready to swap out for new units. The morning and some of the afternoon was spent taking the old evaporator and blower unit out of the aft cabin and putting the new unit up.

I have been having a headache for several days now and a eys closed lay down was required. Hmmm sounds like siesta-it is. I have no idea what the cause of the headache is but I suspect I may of caught one of the lesser strains of Dengue. At least the symptoms match. So W.H.O. recommends ibuprofen and rest with lots of liquids; I can do that regime.

After a rest I did a fuel transfer from the aft main to the main engine day tanks and the generator day tank. While I was during that I did some cleaning and polishing in the engine room to keep things tidy.

Aeon made a mushroom and olive pizza for dinner during which we watched the “March of the Penguins”. A little over the top with anthromorphism , but beautifully photographed. Smokey air tonight, they must be burning something on the island and the calm air seems to have settled it over the anchorage. Now where is the rain when you want to scrub the air?

Thursday 29 November 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Rain, rain, rain, rain; woke up this morning to rain.  Listening to the net this morning our friend and local information source, Ray Jason, asked if anyone could cut hair as his barber and back up barber were both out of town. Since aeon was going to give me one this morning she decided to offer one to Ray, which he gladly accepted. Aeon cut my hair while we waited for an easing of the precipitation. About 0945 hrs I ran over to the Bocas Marina dinghy dock and picked Ray up. Once back aboard he presented aeon with a very nice gift of chocolate for the haircut. After the trim we sat and visited waiting for the rain to ease. Aeon had made banana nut bread earlier so we had a piece to go with out coffee or tea.

I did talk to Ray about working here and assured us that it would be no problem getting lots of work. He was very excited thinking I might stay and open up a shop. I had to quench that fire by telling him we were planning on moving on later in the spring. We still want to spend a month or so in the San Blas before transiting the canal in April-June. Note: people interested in the transit of the Panama canal need to let me know your interested. Actually we will need to be in Panama City by mid-April to extend our visas. So it is either take Second Star through or make a trip to either Costa Rica or Panama City by then. Even if we do that a transit is still in the near term as we only have a year cruising permit for Second Star and we want to cruise the Pacific side before we head to Ecuador.

The rain eased just before lunch so I ran Ray back to the marina.

After lunch we rested for a little bit then went to work on wiring the new aft cabin A/C. I made some changes in the wiring circuitry that should make the whole thing simpler and work much better.  I am within a couple of more days (with a few hours of no rain) to having the complete A/C system swapped out with new units. It will exciting to turn it all on and see how much of an improvement these changes make.

After dinner we started to watch a Robert DeNiro movie called “What just happened?”. Very apropos since I have no idea what it was really about and the wind direction was shifting all around the compass so I haven’t seen the end yet.  Although I am not holding my breath that it suddenly will all become clear.

We are thinking about taking Second Star over to Rana Azul for the night just to check it out. Hopefully it will quit raining so we can go and do some diving and fishing along with the sightseeing.


Friday 30 November 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Whoo Hoo! No rain this morning, as a matter of fact no rain all day. The rain fall for November was 17.6 inches with 24 days of rain. I have found out that the area gets almost 150 inches a year. After the generator run cycle aeon and I took advantage of the sunny weather to go ashore. We took Hook around to the dinghy dock at Lillies and went for a stroll.  The excuse was  to find a clip board to hold the daily logs and worksheets for the engine room reports, but the reality was we just wanted to be ashore to stretch our legs. We wandered the whole of the shopping district going in and out of any store that caught our interest. I would call it a fact finding mission to ascertain what exactly is available here. We were both surprised at the diversity of what we found. It was good for me to see what is here as I am getting ready to start work on other boats again. We ended the excursion with lunch at Barracuda’s which was very good.

Back aboard I received a call from Lorenzo off Eileen Faro who requested my services to diagnose his charging system for his generator. It was fairly simple to ascertain that his alternator was not out putting. It was discovered he had connected it wrong and more than likely had flash fried a diode. He offered to buy us dinner at the Bocas Marina Friday BBQ that evening for payment, which I accepted.

Back aboard Second Star I went back to work on the after hull A/C install. This required I do some engineering and fabricating to work out air transfer system to get cooled air into the nav center and machinery area.

Don and Rita returned from Panama City and said they would meet us at the BBQ.  SO after a shower we took Hook to the Marina for dinner with Lorenzo, Joyce, Don and Rita. The BBQ ribs (Texas style) with lots of sauce where down right delicious; turn perfectly, lots of smoke, and the just fell off the bone. A good time was had by all. We had a discussion about doing our winter solstice party this year, which was received with enthusiasm. I think we will organize a progressive cocktail party from boat to boat.

Saturday 1 December 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Seems we have a hurricane forming in the mid-Atlantic. Seems a little late, but with the ocean temperatures rising it not surprising that the hurricane season will be expanding.

No rain again last night or this morning. The net moderator reported 17.6 inches of precipitation for November. That number is actually below the 10 year average.

Aeon and I cleaned up Hook. She wasn’t very clean, especially inside her storage boxes. We emptied those and scrubbed the contents with bleach, soap and water. The inside of the big deck box/seat needed to be scrubbed with thinner to remove a layer of grunge that even the pressure washer wouldn’t take-off. But now it is all spic and span and shipshape; as it should be.

While I had the pressure washer out I rinsed out 8 string filters for the water maker and washed the wet deck down.

Aeon ran Hook over to Marina Carenaros to visit with Rita aboard Limbo.  She also uploaded a bunch of pictures to our blog page. While she was away I took my jigsaw apart again. I cannot find anything wrong with it but it doesn’t work correctly and I may need to replace it. I have used the crap out of it building Second Star and working for the past several years so it doesn’t surprise me that it is “tired”. And they just don’t make things to be rebuilt anymore. Seems we have evolved into a disposable society.

After lunch I went to work on the aft hull A/C. There has been a lot of engineering on the fly with this project, but I believe we will have a vastly superior system when it is done. I finished the soldering of the tubing and had everything ready to button up by dinner time. Well almost everything, I still need to wrap foam insulation around the last foot of supply tube and paint the new wood face I made. Probably will go ahead and paint the whole Nav Center when I do. The paint everywhere on the interior needs to be touched up so I might as well start there.

Aeon had made a delicious dinner of massaman curry with shrimp and fresh veggies. We spent the meal in small talk that eventually came around to the winter solstice and our annual party. We had been talking about doing a progressive cocktail party but that could really get out of hand and would be hard to select who since the Bocas community is spread out over the whole archipelago. Ultimately we decided to just invite 15 or 20 people to Second Star.

Another week has come and gone aboard. Severio Rossini will be coming aboard on the 29th to celebrate the New Years with us. It will be good to see our dear friend again after such a long hiatus. He will be with us to 2 January 2013.

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Monday 19 November 2012
09° 19.92N  082° 14.93W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Today we decided to make the trip via water taxi to Almirante.
Second Star will need fuel and there are some parts I haven’t been able to find here, hence the trip. For those of you old enough and lucky enough to have had the original Disneyland experience will appreciate the reference for the water taxi as an “E” ticket ride. The water taxis are large pangas in the 30’ range equipped with at least 100 more HP than is required. They make the 10 ½ nm run every 30 minutes between Bocas and Almiranté. They carry up to 23 passengers and the operator AND luggage and cargo. The have a special testosterone test that establishes a minimum level for the drivers.

In the morning when we made the trip we had a 3 plus foot quartering head sea, gusting rain and 15 kts of wind. Once we were loaded the driver eased us out of the berth and headed for the channel. Within moments he had us up on a hard plane and when we rounded the point to begin the actual crossing he fire walled the throttle and we were leaping across the waves. Now to be fair he did play the throttle well and kept us just below out of control the whole way, well almost. He lost it once and the boat did a serious chine walk shimmy before he had it under control again.

As soon as we came under the lee of the headland entrance to Almiranté, he seemed to find the after burners and we fairly flew across the water. He did drop out of warp speed as we entered the canal system leading to the taxi berths. On the way in aeon spotted the fuel dock so once ashore we walked in the general direction. We came to a fork in the road where the paved road went to the left and a road aeon referred to as the squishy road went right. Having aeon state that it wouldn’t be down the squishy road I made an inquiry of a passing local. Oh yes it was down the squishy road, just across from the firehouse. I also got directions to a ferreteria for the bearings. The rain of the night before and the morning had indeed left a squishy road that we trod all the way to the fuel dock.

As I had been informed the fuel was substantially cheaper here than in Bocas. Diesel at Bocas Marina is $4.70/gal and it it $4.37 on Isla Careneros and here it was $3.91 and gasoline was $3.83. Well that is a several hundred dollar savings for a 10 nm ride. So we will be returning to Almiranté later in the week with Second Star.

While we were there we checked on food prices and found several items we store aboard at a good savings, tried several places to get the USB modem for the internet with no joy, found the bearings needed to rebuild the back up raw water pumps at a very well stocked ferreteria and had really good Chinese food for lunch. So while Almiranté is like a cross between Belize City and Puerto Barios it did have most of what we came for.

Now it was time too take the return taxi back to Bocas. We arrived just in time to catch the next boat, which promptly left us and the other passengers on the dock and went off for ½ hour to, I assume, fill up with fuel…either the boat or the driver or both. When we finally got loaded and the driver was finished rearranging everyone by weight we headed out. This was different boat and driver than the morning run. Bigger engine and more testosterone. His driver wasn’t helped by the peanut gallery at the back of the boat which loudly egged him on to greater exhibitions of daring with our well being. The boat slammed and shuddered as it leapt from wave to wave and my ass is still tenderized but we did arrive without damage beyond bruised buttocks.

A warm shower and a quiet evening were just what this crew needed. Still drizzling rain as we fell asleep.


Tuesday 20 November 2012
09° 19.92N  082° 14.93W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

I got up to another drizzly morning. It was very quiet and still in the anchorage as the sunrise lightened the eastern sky. Veils of mist obscured all but the closest land, reminding of the Pacific Northwest. In the quietude I heard the distance muttering of howler monkeys somewhere in the jungle. We had been told they were around but I was skeptical as they are a reclusive creature. Yet here I stood hearing them from the jungle across from our bow. Cool.

The net weatherman (Captain Ron) did comment on how strange the current weather pattern was. Seems we are being drenched with rain from the Pacific. The predictions are for a return to a NE trade wind flow by late in the week.

During the morning generator/water maker ritual I rebuild the spare raw water pumps for the main engines with the new bearings I got in Almiranté.  Glad to have those critical parts back in the inventory.  Sometime during that work, our neighbors aboard Meow took off. They are going out into the archipelago for a couple of weeks. Looking forward to having them back in the anchorage.

Afterwards, we headed into town to try once again for the modem that is supposed to be here today. HAHAHA. No modem, but we did buy cell phones so for those of you who wish to call can now do so. Aeon’s number is 507- 6094-5459 and mine is 507- 6107-1955. We ran into Don and Rita who had invited us earlier via VHF to come over and use the internet on their boat after they got back from shopping. We decided to have lunch together after errands at Lilly’s since out tenders where both on their dinghy dock.

Aeon and I went to the Port Captains office only to be told he would be back in 30 minutes. So some shopping which included the new cell phones; I love the Central American cell phone system. You buy a phone for $22 and put $10 worth of minutes in it and for $1.99 you can call the USA for 100 minutes.

We also ascertained that the modems come from Changuinola, a “20” minute bus ride from Almiranté. So when we go for fuel it is a $1.50 each way to get a modem. (Not holding my breath, but we have this information from more than one person).

Back to the Port Captains Office to ask about a zarpe needed to go from one port to another. He told me to come in on Friday if I was going over the weekend because his office would be closed. I inquired as to Port Captain at Almiranté collecting the zarpe and issuing me one for the return. He said he didn’t think the Port Captain would be there and I could just come on back, no problem. Makes me question my wisdom in getting a zarpe here if no one is going to be around over the weekend.

Lunch was pleasant with Limbos crew. Rita had been to the store we bought the phones at to get a simm card but was told her “unlocked” phone wouldn’t take them. So while aeon and I are messing around trying to see if our new phones actually worked Rita borrowed my simm card and put it in her phone and viola!!! She had connection. So while we waited for our sandwiches Rita went back to the store and got a simm and $10 of minutes. Well actually when she bought the minutes, the simm was free. As I contemplate the US phone system I am made to wonder how come it costs SO MUCH there and it is so cheap here. The modem (once it finally materializes) cost less than $50 and comes with a month of 24/7 unlimited broadband, then $15 a month after that.

After lunch, which included lots of figuring out the phones, we motored over to Limbo and some much needed internet time. It had been several days since we actually had a couple of hours to get caught up. Plus aeon is looking for flights to the States in December and needed to do some research.

Back to Second Star in between rain showers. A little rest and an early dinner. No rain but very cool. Well cool for here is 70°F. Very calm and misty. Should be a good night for sleeping; if I can get aeon off the phone. LOL.

Wednesday 21 November 2012
09° 19.92N  082° 14.93W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Some days just seem to start off right. I had spent the night in a somewhat fitful sleep from the congestion in my head and chest. So early morning was gray and wet inside as well as out. I took my breakfast and tea to the aft deck table along with my netbook. It was my plan to eat and write my logs while the sun came up somewhere behind the low gray clouds.

As I set my load down on the table I looked out over the transom to survey the scene and saw a dark ropey shape on the port wet deck rail.  My first thought was damn pelicans it is probably all over the wet deck also.  As I walked to the ladder to descend I realized it wasn’t pelican poop, in fact it wasn’t anybodies poop, it was a snake all looped up on the rail. I approached cautiously in case it was a viper (i.e. fre de lance), but it revealed itself as a very young and very cold Colombian red tailed boa constrictor.

The camera was definitely called for so I went back up to the house to find it. It turned out to be in my drawer in the aft cabin so of course I woke aeon in the process. It is funny how asking “have you seen the camera” will wake her up. I asked her to put on some clothes and come to the wet deck. I had something to show her. My day was made, maybe my whole week, by the light which shone from aeon’s eyes when she recognized the dark little loops as a baby boa.

Aeon talked to “her” as I took more pictures. The snake was obviously very cold and almost in a stupor. As we discussed what to do it was obvious that to leave it lie was to invite either a frigate or an egret to breakfast so aeon gently lifted the baby into her hands. It reacted for a brief moment as if in fear then settled itself by wrapping a coil around aeons fingers and smoothing its length along her forearm. With many words of assurance aeon carried the baby back into the salon where we sat on the couch. The snake spent a few minutes getting settled in the warmth of aeons lap then seemed to relax and rest. As it warmed its colorations became more vibrant. It was beautiful.

Eventually it was warmed enough to be active and it slowly explored first aeon and then me as it meandered around on the couch. Once it seemed content with it’s surroundings it wrapped itself around aeons neck while she did boat chores. You would think that snake had been born aboard Second Star not in the jungles of Panama.

As the morning wore on we had Captain Ray Jason off Aventura aboard for coffee and as along time Bocas cruiser he shared a lot of local information about the archipelago; people to meet, places to see, where to anchor, etc. Lots of like jewels of information that would take years to acquire. Thanks Ray, we are very grateful. Ray was very interested in the snake. He said one had swam out to another boat sometime past. By this time the snake had wrapped her tail around the shackle on aeons collar and was looped off one shoulder just hanging out.

Lunch came and went and now the snake was inside aeons top nestled at the small of her back. We will have to put it ashore before nightfall, but right now the rain is giving us an excuse to keep it a little while longer. Such a small delicate creature whose appearance has embodied the answer to why we choose to live this lifestyle. It is the time we have to experience and enjoy the unexpected and unlikely gifts that bless our days.

It continued to rain all afternoon. We read and rested with the little snake secure and warm with aeon. Finally about 1500 hrs we needed to go into town and the rain had eased to a misty drizzle. I edged Hook into the mangroves as close to shore as we could get and aeon lifted the snake to a large branch. She slid off aeon’s hand onto the branch and back into her habitat and out of our life. Except the memory of the day the little constrictor came to spend time with us aboard Second Star. Now if the snake is back in the morning I will never get aeon to give her up again.

In town we hit the ATM for some cash for the big fuel purchase coming up, probably Friday or Saturday, WP (weather pending). Then we went to check on transportation options to and from Panama City.
On we walked to Casa Verde for our internet fix. We will certainly be glad when we have a USB modem aboard again. It had started to rain then pour while we sat there dragging out internet time hoping the rain would ease. Finally we gave up and got out the umbrellas to walk back to dinghy dock.

We had a brief respite when we hit a store for a couple of food items we needed for tomorrow. Arriving at Hook, not soaked but certainly damp, we headed back to Second Star and a warm shower before dinner.


Thursday 22 November 2012 Thanksgiving
09° 19.92N  082° 14.93W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Wow, this is my seventeenth Thanksgiving with aeon; how time keeps on slipping, slipping, slipping into the future. In all that time there haven’t been many traditional celebrations of Thanksgiving; the ones with the turkey, stuffing, etcetera. This will again be non traditional, but there are some traditions that just die hard because I draw the line at pumpkin pie with whipped cream and mincemeat pie with lemon sauce. Every year at one of the ingredients is near impossible. This year it is whipping cream. We bought 200 ml of one brand last week and it wouldn’t whip although it did improve the quality of the coffee. Yesterday we bought the only other brand to try today, keeping my fingers crossed.

This years menu is Choady Maxey’s Prime New York strip steak with Ken Wolfe’s dry rub cooked on the BBQ. Don and Rita from Limbo will be joining us to celebrate and they are bring the side dishes AND wine.

Over the years my list of things I am thankful for has coalesced to Family, Friends and Time…they are things I cannot replace once they are gone. So to all of you my family and friends who are like family I wish for you a Happy Thanksgiving full of love and laughter, peace and harmony and lots of “S’s” and time to enjoy all that life brings you.

The morning during the daily water/electricity cycle aeon has been the making of pies and bread and rolls and of course lemon sauce. I did help with the rolls and the lemon sauce.

We did a general straightening of the boat and got everything ready for the meal. That included my refilling the disposable propane bottles from our big storage ones. It works well but it is a process. Over the years I have discovered that they fill much better if I loosen the little Schrader valve to vent pressure and turn the propane tank over so that I am delivering liquid. So now I have all the bottles refilled and shouldn’t have to do this again for a few months.

The actual meal was wonderful, a very relaxed afternoon meal, lots of great conservation, too much wine, and way too much food but all are sated. The weather actually co-operated with no rain and a calm sea. If anything, a little more breeze would have been nice, but certainly not a requirement.

After dinner Don and Rita parted for Limbo (Don was ready for a siesta). Aeon and I cleared the galley, started the dishwasher and aeon settled on the aft deck settee to call her family. It looks like we will try for the run to Almiranté nd fuel manaña. The ñ is courtesy of Dad Dan who never ceases to amaze me with the breadth of his knowledge. Thanks.

Anchor light is on and the aft deck flood motion sensor is set and I am ready to call it a day. Adios, hasta la manaña.



Friday 23 November 2012
09° 19.92N  082° 14.93W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

Next log entry will have to be assigned new Lat/Lon. Today we went to Almiranté for fuel and a side trip to Changuinola for a DigiCell modem.

It was misty and overcast when I took Hook into the Port Captains office and not looking much like it was going to clear off any time soon. But it was calm and the only waves were those left by the early morning water taxis in their mad rush to and from Almiranté. I was trying to be at the Port Captains office as close to 0700 hrs as I could taking into account that even though they say they abierto 0700 hrs it probably really means more like 0730-ish.

I secured Hook to the dinghy dock at The Reef Restaurant and walked through the drizzle to the PCO. It was just after 0730 and they were actually there. Not working yet, but physically there. I reminded the PC that I needed the Zarpe we had discussed earlier in the week. “No problema” said he,”do you have all your boat documents with you”? Whoa, this is the first he had said about needing all my docs, but duh silly me I should know better by know (in triplicate). I looked at  him with a befuddled expression and said, “Senor you have all my boat documents. I left every copy I had here with you when I checked in.”
I could see in his eyes the intricate gears of bureaucracy lock up like they had been welded together. He just looked at me like I had told him the world really is flat and that his cell was sharing all his text messages with his wife and his girlfriends. So I proceeded to apologies profusely that if my giving him all my copies when I first checked in was wrong, and he could return them to me then I would have copies to give to him again.  Now his jaw had begun to hang somewhat loosely and he just kept staring at me like I was a ghost of some lost relative here to claim him. Then I added that I did know all the information about Second Star and maybe we could just do this from my memory. That seemed to nudge him back to the present and he mumbled something and got the forms out of the drawer. The gods forbade that he was able to walk 10 steps to the filing cabinet and retrieve the information.
After much fussing with the papers in exchange for $13.70 USD I had a Zarpe to make the 10 nm run from Bocas to Almiranté.

Don and Rita wanted to go along for the ride as well as make the trip to Changuinola with aeon so I called them on the cell as I was leaving The Reef to give them a heads up that I would be at their boat in 10 minutes. I picked them up and we went back to Second Star to get underway. Aeon did the bridge while Don and I prepped Hook to tow and got the anchor up. It was a very pleasant hour we all shared with coffee and pan dulce. Upon arriving at the fuel dock we secured Second Star and greeting the officials from that Port Captains Office. I left aeon in chargwe of beginning to fuel while I gather up the Zarpe docs from Bocas and walked with them to the officina about 10 minutes away. When I arrived the PC was in a meeting so I waiting in the next office visiting with the underlinings. They were very interested in Second Star, seems they don’t get many “Yaté’s in there. After about 20 minutes I was summoned into the PC office where I surrendered the zarpe. He looked them all over carefully, scrutinized would be a better word like there was something hidden in the printing. Finally he asked me (in Spanish of course) where my cruising permit was; on the boat where it belongs. But oh no his jurisdiction is different, he wants me to show it to him so he can make copies…what is it with all these copies. Want to save  the forest, just cut the latin American penchant for copies in half. A walk back to the boat, gather the WHOLE Panama file just in case he “needs” something else and return to the PCO.

After a serious scrutinization of my cruising permit to make sure it hasn’t been smudged or tampered with he proceeds to make several copies. Next he places a form in front of me to fill out and stands looking over my shoulder as I decipher the Spanish and fill in each line. Once I turn the doc over to him he then makes out my return Zarpe which consists of 4 documents each in at least triplicate. The balance due for this exercise is $12.20 USD and $5.50 USD. So I hand him $18 dollars and he can’t make change, it has to be exact. I pick up one dollar and tell him in my limited Spanish that I will get cambio at the gasolinera and he can come pick it up there. So with the Zarpe and the dollar I walk back to the fuel dock, change the dollar and go on with the fueling. After a bit one of his underlings shows up for the change and for a brief moment of demanding a receipt in triplicate signed and stamped by PC but realized that only the underling would suffer.  It seems Panama is taking lessons from Cuba rather than the Caymans in how to process cruising vessels.

Aeon, Don and Rita had arranged for a taxi to Changuinola (on the quest for the holy and sacred DigiCell USB modem which we had rumors actually existed in a retail shrine there), and were ready to head out so I took over fueling which was proceeding dead slow in order to give them time to get there and back. Fuueling really did drag out much longer than I had planned for within 20 minutes of my taking over there tank ran dry. Now they must of known this for almost simultaneously a tanker showed up with fresh fuel. It mean I had to wait for the truck to fill the tank and the pumps to be reprimed and purged so the metering would be accurate. It also meant closing out the current ticket with cash. Once all that was completed I began to load fuel again. This went on for about 45 minutes then the pump stopped. I got off to inquire for the reason and it had maxed out on the dollar total. This had to be paid before the pump was cleared and fueling resumed. By now it was 1200 hrs and time for a shift change at the station. That meant closing the register and paying again for the latest batch of fuel. Now one good thing can be said, actually things; the first being that it gave the shore party more time to shop and it broke my bill up in to less than heart stopping amounts. The changing of the shifts took almost 45 minutes before I could pump the last couple of hundred gallons aboard.

The shore party arrived just as I was putting the nozzle over the side to the dock hand. So everything worked out just right. We loaded the groceries and the modem aboard and prepared to cast off. I paid the final bill, tipped the dock crew enough for beers and with the command to aeon “engage” and a hearty shove at the stern from the willing dock crew we were underway and making way for Bocas del Toro.

Aeon and Rita sat at the helm while Don and I lounged below. It was an uneventful hour and a few minutes of passing rain bands back to the anchorage where aeon maneuvered Second Star back to our previous anchor drop. Anchor down and set and the fueling adventure to Almiranté was over. I ran the Limbo crew back to their boat with the jerry jugs of fuel the had bought and returned to Second Star in a light rain. It has rained or drizzled almost continuously since Sunday. This Captain is ready for some Sol.

We spent the evening setting up the modem on the computers aboard and doing a little internet. A full anchor watch was set including radar until I am convinced the anchor is down solid.


Saturday 24 November 2012
09° 19.93N  082° 14.92W
Sunset Anchorage, Isla Colon Panama

We almost got the anchor down in the exact same spot last night. The GPS Lat/Lon is almost a match.

Rain and gray again today. I am feeling a little under the weather myself. I have had a stuffy nose and some chest congestion for a week and this morning just felt tired and achy.

Lorenzo and Joyce from Eileen Faro came over for coffee and a chat after the cruisers net. We had a nice visit for about an hour. Lorenzo is in the process of converting and old steel shrimper into a cruiser and they are still living in a construction zone. Be there and done that and to some extent am still doing that.

Once they left I just settled in to read and snooze in our cabin. Aeon was spending time on Skype with her family. Daughter Aspen came on so I got up to Skype with her. It had been a long time since we had chatted and it was fun to catch up again. I looked for other family members but not on or no answer. Bob had sent a text to say he would be on later so I had a nice visit with him.

Rain and drizzle with gusty winds and temps in the low 70,s and high 60’s all day so it was a good day for laying low. Aeon made a fresh cream of mushroom soup and hot biscuits for dinner. Comfort food if ever there was. Bed early hoping to feel much better on the morrow.



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Thursday 25 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W



It was a long blustery night last night. Hurricane Sandy may be moving North away from us but we are still getting some strong influences. The wind has been between 20 and 35 since late yesterday evening and slowly backing but for the past day and ½ it has been mostly from the West. The means the anchorage is exposed to the wind and swells. It is running 2 plus meters out side and 2 to 3 feet inside where we sit. The bottom is soft sand and silt and I am concerned she will break loose. Although, according to the GPS, so far all she has done is creep 18feet to the East. This morning I let out another 20 feet of chain, which brings the total to 100 feet out in 7 feet of depth, to see if I could arrest the creep.

We tried to make water this morning during the genset run but the water is so stirred up the sediment filters clogged after about 90 minutes. We are not in any need of water as the tank is basically full at 160 gallons. Mostly trying to give the generator something to do to keep a load on it.

There are only two of us left in the anchorage: Second Star and Limbo. Don off Limbo came by early in the afternoon to invite aeon and I to lunch tomorrow in town. Seems he found a dish called Rondon and his brother is Ron and he is Don so it seemed appropriate to try it. I have no idea what we are in for, hopefully not variation on cow foot soup.

We went into the pueblo just after 1500 hrs to try the internet connection. It is all over the place as far as bandwidth goes. Sometimes it won’t log on to anything and other times it is not to bad. Today was a not to bad day. I was actually able to get on Amazon and order crème rinse for aeon. A check of NHC.NOAA and passageweather show that Sandy is definitely moving her sphere of influence away from us. The wave forecast is showing Monday as a better day to head for San Andreas than Tuesday.
When we arrived back aboard it seems much more tranquil. Hopefully we are seeing the end of the heavy west winds and swells.

I ran the Port Main for a bit this morning to see how the raw water pump was doing. The leak is if anything worse. Without new bearings it makes no sense to put in the new seals so we will run with the leak. If it gets out of hand we can run on one engine to San Andreas and only use the Port Main for maneuvering.. Luckily we have new pumps coming on Sunday 4 October with Burro Bob.

If this calming trend continues I am going to work on the A/C swap manana while I have Don and his expertise here to guide me.


Friday 26 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384

Last night only had a couple of get and check the anchor moments, overall Sandy’s influence is falling away. We are still experiencing the westerly wind and wave set which is the only direction that adversely affects the anchorage. Light rain bands are continuing but the barometer has been steadily increasing (1008hPa) and the wind slowly decreasing (11 to 14 kts). If this continues and the wind clocks around to North then East we are headed back to normal.

We joined Don and Rita off Limbo at Miss Lucy’s Restaurant for Rondon. A local dish with a chunk of whole fish, a piece of pigs tail, another mystery meat, potato, yucca, plantain and a very HEAVY dumpling (think play dough). All of this smothered in a white gravy. It had some interesting spices and flavors but so much grease that it rapidly was too heavy. I would think more like something needed North of the Arctic Circle in January. I picked at the insides of the potato (served whole) and the yucca just to get something that wasn’t saturated with fats.

The afternoon was spent working on the salon and galley air conditioning installation. It took quite a bit of reorganization on the wiring to get it as simple as possible and get rid of lots of excess wiring from the old install. I completed the work inside the house and will need to hook up three wires on the bridge to the compressors and the blower to finish the electrical. Then I can do the soldering of the copper plumbing for the coolant. Recharge and test and hopefully functioning A/C again. Since tomorrow we are renting a ATV and going exploring I won’t be able to get back to the A/C until Sunday. Don is coming over on Sunday to help me with the vacuuming of the lines and the recharging.

Don and Rita came over for dinner about 1800 hrs. I grilled a LARGE lobster to be served over pasta with a white wine herb sauce. It was a very pleasant evening of camaraderie.

Saturday 27 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384

The morning dawn clear and warm; it didn’t take long for the warm to change to hot. Sitting on the aft deck was uncomfortable with the sun shades up.

I started the generator water maker cycle early today because we were to meet Don and Rita on the wharf at 0800 hrs for our island tour. Don and I split the cost of a 4 passenger ATV so we could “explore” all the little roads and lanes around Provedencia.

Don needs diesel fuel so I brought along 2 of our 60 liter jugs for him plus he had 6 20 liter jugs from Limbo. We met up with them in front of the ferreteria where Don had rented the Kawasaki Mule.

By 0830 hrs we were bouncing our way out of the pueblo and onto the main road around the eastside of the island. It was a very interesting morning as we poked along looking at all the sights and the people. We went by the reggae beach bar mid morning for a cold drink then continued on around. Quite by accident we ended up on a dirt track that climbed into the jungle. We passed what appeared to be the island water treatment plant, which was spread haphazardly like toys some child when finished with them had just let lay along the road for about ½ mile. Eventually we climbed out of the ravine and came to a reservoir filling a small valley. There were ducks and shorebirds and from high in the peaks hidden by the foliage came the strange calls of tropical birds. A very pretty place with a great view of the distant Caribbean. We did some hiking around then returned to main road.

It was getting to be lunch time so we stopped at a restaurant that Don and Rita had eaten at before but they didn’t open for another hour. We decided to look on further and if we didn’t find anything else we would head back in an hour.

Aeon saw a sign that said bar and best bar-b-que on the island. It was down a very nicely down walking path so we decided to hike down to the beach and check it out. A great walk an okay beach and no food. So back up the hill to the “Mule” and we returned to the earlier restaurant for food. They were open and took our order for drinks and food. The service was extraordinary for this part of the world. Our drinks were back in a couple of minutes followed by what may have been the best French fried potatoes I have ever had. Real potato fried done perfectly with a crispy outside and hot steamy center with almost no grease. Before we could get a good start into the fries our sandwiches arrived. Hot of the grill. I had the “superhambergesa” which was as good as a Chody Maxie burger. Thick, juicy pink in the middle with a slap of cheese melted on top and all the fixin’s. This is the cheeseburger J. Buffet was dreaming about.

From lunch we went back to gas station and filled up the jerry cans with diesel. Then it was back to the wharf to load the fuel aboard hook and Don’s RIB to take out to Limbo. We helped to get the jugs aboard Limbo then headed back to Second Star for a siesta.

When we awoke it was time to run into town and check the internet for Mondays weather. Everything is still looking good for our passage to San Andreas on Monday. In town we ran into our agent, the infamous Mr. Bush, who said he would have all our docs ready at 1000 hrs manana. Just come by his office and pick them up.  It doesn’t seem like there is anything standing in our way to heading further South.  Plus we need to be there to meet Bob a week Sunday, so with a fair wind and following sea (predicted by NOAA) we will be off at dawn Monday.

Sunday 28 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384

Up early to get started on the day. I have some welding to do on the port engine raw water pump bracket. I discovered a crack when I removed the pump and want to repair it before we get underway tomorrow. So while the generator is running I welded the bracket.

Tomorrow we leave for San Andreas so this morning at 1000 hrs we met with the agent to pick up our papers and clearances. It will be interesting to see how Mr. Bush actually plays out once I have a chance to communicate with the Colombian embassy in Panama about check in/out procedures and costs. So far in our cruising Provedencia has been the most expensive place to check into to.

Port engine is back online. Pump still leaks but if it doesn’t get significantly worse it will make San Andreas. Then when “Burro Bob” arrives he will have new pumps.

The rest of the day was spent working on the new A/C install. I had hoped to get the Salon and galley up before we left Provedencia. But even with Ron and I working on them it wasn’t to be. So I shut the project down for the time being. It will be Panama I suspect before I can finish them up.

Aeon worked on getting Second Star secure for sea. It took her most of the afternoon to put away all the things we take out while we are at anchor.

In the evening we went in for a last minute check of the internet but it was being usually funky and all we got was a look at passageweather and aeon sent a birthday greeting to her father before it stopped.

Back aboard we went to bed early in preparation for tomorrows passage.



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Friday 19 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W

Another day of beautiful passage making weather dawned with a fresh breeze and a few scattered rain sprinkles. The 3 hrs on 3 hrs off watch schedule seems to be working well. We both feel more rested and not as transparent as we usually do. Partially due to the lack of heavy motion, but we both agree that the 3/3 seems to be good night watch schedule.  So for now it is adopted.

We had a couple of events that are worth noting.  One is that we passed the 8,000 nm of cruising since we started in February 2009. It occurred at 1224 hrs GMT just west of Quita Sueno Bank (014° 19.92’ N 081° 25.83’ W). The other event is that with our arrival at Provedencia is the furthest South aeon has ever been on the planet. From here on down it is a new record for her at every turn of the props. LOL.

Just after the record setting Provedencia began to rise from the sea directly in front of us. As the miles passed under our keel the Isla rose to its full height of 1200 feet, revealing a rugged skyline of peaks and cliffs all verdant in jungle. It seemed  to me more like the South Pacific than Latin America. As we entered the harbor I was reminded of entering the harbor at Pago Pago American Samoa only on a smaller scale. Inside we found a place to anchor along with 3 sailboats. In front of us sits the fore shore of the town with a dock to which an island freighter is tied along with a shrimp boat. We got Second Star secure from sea and started the genset to make water for a boat wash manana. We had to wait on the officials to tell us to come ashore with our documents so aeon made guacamole and I made us a cocktail. With the first sips the agent called and asked if we could come ashore now. Cocktail interuptus damn.

Off to shore.

Check in was a very casual event with the “agent” Mr. Bush and a customs/immigration man. We sat at a table in Mr. Bush’s house and in all of 5 minutes and no formalities other than provided ships docs and passports it was done. The customs man had forgotten his stamp so our passports would be stamped in the morning.  There will be more on Mr. Bush once I get to Panama and can do some research.

We walked back to docks and Hook returned us to Second Star were aeon made prepared lobster ceasar salad. The water maker topped the tank just before bedtime so no excuses we were ready to wash the boat in the morning.

Saturday 20 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W

Up with the sun and we were washing Second Star by 0900 hrs. With the pressure washer aeon and I can do her from the antennas to the water line in about 2 hours, add another 10 minutes to rinse Hook and we were done by lunch time.

The neighboring boat which arrived just after us is a 47’ aluminum motor-sailor from Texas called Limbo with Don and Rita aboard. They checked in with us and so when Don came by just as we were preparing to wash Second Star and offered to pick up our passports I gladly accepted.

After lunch we had our midday rest and headed into town about 1430 hrs. We hit the ATM for some Columbian pesos. Feeling very wealthy with an exchange rate of nearly 2000 to 1 we checked several of the grocery stores and made some purchases of produce and wine. With the Latin American free trade the South American wines are CHEAP. We tried to get internet but it seems like the town closes down except the bakery and markets from noon to 1500 hrs, but we were told to really come back at 1600hrs for internet because they probably wouldn’t be open until then.

We went back aboard because I needed to change an o-ring that had started to drip in the??? If you guessed the water maker, you win the old o-ring. I am getting to where I can do an R&R in about 45 minutes. Once we get to Panama I am going to replace it with a new 12 VDC one from either Spectra or Schenker. Once repaired I ran the genset and water maker while visiting over cocktails with Don and Rita on the aft deck.

We finished the day with a trip into town in a light drizzle to try and get online. Which we were able to but only briefly as they were getting ready to close. We wandered up the road looking for food and tried a local pizza place which actually wasn’t that bad. It had quit raining when we walked back to the dock and motored Hook across a glass smooth bay to Second Star.

Sunday 21 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W

After breakfast I took the raw water engine cooling pump off the port main engine it had developed a leak and wanted to rebuild it. As usual when I cleaned and disassemble it I discovered the shaft bearing is noisy and also needs replacement and of course it is not included in the “complete rebuild kit”. Damn. I am ordering bearings from Port Supply today but they won’t arrive here until “burro” Bob Deller comes on the 4th of November. So I will probably put it back on in case we need the engine in an emergency and finish the job after he arrives.

The day was hot and humid and we did a lot of laying around after morning chores and while the genset and water maker did their things.

After lunch we decided to take the hike around Santa Catalina Island to see the remains of Fort Warwick and on to the geologic formation called Morgan’s Head. We took Hook into the dingy dock and walked over the foot path bridge between Provedencia  and Santa Catalina. From there we strolled along the malecon (sea walk) through the village of Santa Catalina. The malecon was very nicely done in concrete about 8 feet wide wirth lighting and strategically placed paired chairs along the ½ mile of so length. We saw several schools of bone fish along the sea wall. The village is really a scattering of homes in various stages of decay from new and nice to falling down hovels and one about 1 meter by 2 meter thatched shack painted red, yellow, black and green with a hand letter sign which said “rasta lives”.

It is interesting that all the people here are bi-lingual Being Columbian the speak Spanish, but it seems to be more formal and they use a very west Indian “island” English almost Jamaican. And the two are incorporated into almost every sentence. It would be the Provedencia version of “spanglish”.

Leaving the malecon we were faced with a steep and long set of stairs which made up for any lack of physical activity we had during the crossing. My butt is a little sore this morning from the hike. UP the stairs across a little flat knoll on which was a largish statue of, I assume, the Virgin and then down an equally steep set of stairs to the beach below. The beach holds the ruins of Ft. Warwick, which is a single cannon emplacement and an old well. Not much defense against a ship of the line.

From there the path continued continued as a dirt/rock path through the jungle with great views of Provedencia at various places. Someone, I assume the government had build benches to rest on at scenic vantages. Along the way, as we climbed and descended the broken terrain, there were randomly placed very nice glazed tiles which gave a thought or statement about Provedencia.

It started to rain while we walked. Sometimes a mist, sometimes a downpour. We waited out the heaviest rains under the canopy of the jungle and walked on in the mist. We descended to several small beaches, some of which had local families swimming and playing, some deserted. We did note that we could of brought Hook to one of these and anchored and cut the walk down. But we both agreed that we needed a good workout.

Morgans head is a largish hunk of rock broken from the mainland and it has some faint resemblance to a head. If you squint a lot and look at it askance. Mostly it is a landmark which is visible from the sea and used to line up with a notched peak to indicate the deep water channel into the bahia. On both sides of Morgan’s Head the sea comes up against small cliffs with overhanging jungle. There are several small caves or grottos cut into them. It is a very pretty setting. Much more Polynesian than Caribbean.

The walk back made our legs and butts burn as we ascended and descended the stairs. We agreed that it was worth the effort just to get a good 3 hour workout.

If Provedencia is quiet Monday through Saturday it is almost crypt-like on Sunday. During the day we would hear the church bells calling the faithful, but there is almost nothing going on or open in the village.

Aeon made lobster enchiladas for dinner and we headed for bed with a weather eye on the anchorage. The wind had shifted to the North and was increasing in strength. As a precaution we set the anchor watch with the radar and called it a day.


Monday 22 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W

We had some serious winds in the gale force range move through the anchorage last night. A French sailboat that was here moved out during the night and one other boat drug its anchor. Second Star sat well although we did use the radar alarm.

This morning I did a fuel transfer and calculated our fuel usage to this point and estimated the reserves for on to San Andreas and the Panama. While I would love to have lots more fuel (already paid for) aboard we have plenty to make Bocas del Toro with reserves.

It has rained on and off all day and the barometer at one point was down to 1005 hPa, but has since climbed back up to 1007 hPa. When we went into town to try the internet, which by the way is not much better than Cuba just less expensive. A check of NHC and Passageweather showed a tropical depression NE of us and predicted to head NE away from us. We haven’t received anything on the weather for 24 hrs (who knows why) so the low was a bit of a surprise but it doesn’t seem to be a serious threat to us unless it does a 180° turn. What we are getting is the rain bands and the wind. As it moves NE the winds will subside and by Sunday or Monday we may have a good window to head to San Andreas to meet up with Bob Deller who is flying in for a Second Star fix.

The proximity of the low has made me rethink the port engine raw water pump and I am going to reinstall it without waiting fore the repair parts just in case we need both engines for maneuvers or heading out. It squeaks and leaks but it will keep the engine cool. Proactive on the side of caution.

Left over pizza from the other was the dinner fare. Actually not bad and it was easy on aeon.

Don, the male part of couple we met off the motor sailor Limbo, is an air conditioning guru AND he has a vacuum pump. He said he would get it out and help me with the new units on Second Star. I am thinking Thursday after the rain has passed and the weather settles down. I am looking forward to having some expert advice and mentoring on A/C, plus I can note the technical data for future servicing.
Wind is down to 15 kts with some higher gusts but definitely calmer. The barometer is still at 1007 hPa. It appears that the low is not approaching. We will see what the morning brings.


Tuesday 23 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W

Woke this morning to the barometer reading 1004 hPa and the wind gusting in the mid 20 kts. Not a good sign. TD 18 is making itself felt. Yesterday NOAA said it was moving away from us. Right now I am not sure. I won’t be able to get ashore and check internet until later. The weather fax received over night still shows the system hanging just NE of us, but the predictions are still away. If it decides to come our way I need to be ready so after breakfast I reassembled the port main engine raw water cooling pump and put it back on the engine. It will leak and probably fail with 48 hrs but at least we will have 2 engines and enough time to make Panama if necessary. The pressure is down to 1002 and the wind is still edging towards gale force although it is backing around to the West.

We started into shore with a stop by Limbo to check in which ended up in an extended stay while numerous rain squalls passed over. By the time we decided to take our leave it was almost 1200 hrs and the internet access closes from 1230 hrs to 1500 hrs. So back to Second Star for some lunch.

At 1500 hrs we headed into the dock and the internet. The connection is as slow as Cuba it took an hour to check weather, read emails and respond to three of them and try to look for watch batteries on Amazon. Failed on the battery search, Amazon kept timing out due to the slow connection. The developing world is being left behind in the information age.

After internet we met Don and Rita from Limbo and decided to take a bus ride around the island. Don had heard about a Reggae Bar with good food on the South end so off we went in search of dinner and a cold drink.

The buses (all two of them) run every ½ hour (mas o menos) and cost $2,500 peso for anywhere on the island. It was a pleasant and interesting ride with the locals to the Bar, which was 2 kilometers off the main road. Don arranged with the driver to come back at 2000 hrs and pick us up, which is a good thing because it would be a long uphill hike back to road if he hadn’t.

The bar was nestled under the palms on a little stretch of beach. There was smudge fire going in an attempt to keep the mosquitoes at bay. We sat down at a table under a thatch roof and ordered drinks and food. The drinks came out in an almost reasonable amount of time. Rum fruit something made with a local rum and served in fresh coconuts. Good but sweet to my taste. The food started to trickle out an hour later when we had less than 15 minutes before the bus. I had ordered shrimp cerviche which he put on the bar as the bus drove up. It was cooked shrimp in a mixture of mayo and catsup. I am sure our cat will enjoy the shrimp when I rinse the sauce off.

Back aboard the barometer has moved up again and the wind is down which is a good thing. Although we have quite a beam swell left over which has Second Star rolling as we head to bed.

From the weather reports it looks like we will get a window to transit to San Andreas Tuesday or Wednesday next week. We  will keep an eye on it.

Wednesday 24 October 2012
At anchor Isla Provedencia
013° 22.849’ N  081° 22.384 W
Sandy is still affecting us with a swell through the anchorage and a barometer that is up from it’s overnight low of 1002 hPa to 1005 hPa. The wind is still westerly at 15 to 20 knots and the rain showers continue.

Aeon made cookies while the generator and water maker did their duties. She has created a variation on the snickerdooddle with an almond extract that is most excellent. When the cookies where done and the generator had topped the batteries we decided to head into town. We had been informed that fresh produce came to the Isla on Wednesday.

Stopped by Limbo on our way in with a baggie of cookies and headed on to the foreshore. The waves from the inlet were just perfect to be hitting the dock with enough energy as tto make securing Hook off the concrete problematic so we gave it up and went back aboard.

Pot Stickers, fried rice and fruit was the lunch fare du jour. Freezer are a magical box that all kinds of hidden culinary treasures come out of.

Over all the weather seems to be improving. Still 1004 hPa and 15 to 20 kts of Westerly wind but the sky is clearing. We haven’t had the constant rain bands we have been having the last couple of days. We decided to take a siesta and see if the sea and wind will ease for an afternoon trip to town.

After our rest the wind really hadn’t settled any. I looked at the walking bridge between Provedencia and Isla Santa Catalina and thought we could tie in the lie and Hook would stream off in the wind and we would be able to go into town. Once again we loaded into Hook and passed under the bridge in the walk and passed along side for 100 meters or so and secured Hook to the rail. Viola! Perfecto. And we walked into town to try the internet. Today was our lucky day. The internet actually had enough bandwidth to sent out logs, look at both NHC.NOAA and Passageweather for the updates on Hurricane Sandy and do some Amazon shopping. WHoo Hoo! It is amazing the little things that give great pleasure. Aeon actually got to e-chat with her brother Darrin so my chances are looking good for tonight. Wink wink LOL.

The produce arrived today from either San Andreas or Costa Rica, I am not sure of the schedules. It looked just like the produce yesterday only more of it. Aeon says we can make it  to San Andreas on what we have so nothing was purchased. We did a little window shopping in a Provedencia version of a dollar store. I am amazed at the crap that is for sale and most of it cheap plastic from China.

Back aboard it is time to for showers, water making, battery charging and dinner. Aeon informs me tonight we are sharing a small steak with au gratin potatoes and a salad. Sounds good we haven’t had a steak in months. To much fresh fish, lobster, conch, squid and shrimp.

Hurricane Sandy is moving off to the North so we will be seeing improvement in our wind and sea state over the next 48 hrs. It looks like we will be heading for San Andreas, 53 nm South, next Tuesday or Wednesday. We need to be there by Sunday at 1100 hrs when Brother Bob Deller gets off the plane.



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Monday 15 October 2012
Marina Marlin Cienfuegos
22° 07.51 N  80° 27.16 W

Transit to George Town, Grand Cayman

Leaving a wake that pointed northward towards Cuba falling slowly beneath the horizon, we slid across a calm sea. With sunset still a few hours away Number One and I sat and at the helm while Second Star turned her propellers 412.5 times per minute, each revolution drawing her approximately 2 feet closer to George Town.

Night drew around us like it does in the tropics with a brilliant sunset as the sun dips below the horizon.  Then the swiftly advancing terminator plunges our 6 nm radius into darkness. It gradually takes on the near imperceptible glow of star shine on the water.  Tranquility is on the face of the sea as the slow gentle rise and fall of the bow greets and nods to the passing swells, a low thrum from the tireless propulsion machinery and we move with the march of the stars towards distance mark on a chart. One revolution at a time distance is measured by the cool breeze.  Resting, watching, resting, watching: the dark miles pass under the keel as the stars wheel overhead.

Tuesday 16 October 2012
Caribbean Sea
xx

Dawn’s gown is drawn across the cosmos covering the stars with gray satin to prepare the sky for our Star to make a grand entrance. A gilded rim then a burst of light and day has arrived. Almost immediately one is aware of the heat even though the thermometer is yet to rise.  The sea remains calm, only her long slow exhalations are visible as lazy swells across her surface.

George Town is approaching at a measured pace from the South; ETA 1400 hrs local. At 15 miles out we put up our entrance flags and at the 12 mile mark I call Port Security. We exchange information and are given preliminary instructions for entrance. I had hoped to go into the North Bight and anchor, but was instructed to proceed to George Town and to contact Port Security again at I hour out for further instructions. Very efficient, very professional, very British. Course is corrected to take us around the West end of the island.

One hour out I radio Port Security with our ETA. The professional female voice on the other end gives us a Lat/Long for entry position and asks for contact at 15 minutes out from that position for further instructions into the customs berth.
It is a real pleasure not to be struggling through communications in my halting Spanish.

Next contact we are given visual directions to the berth which is a very small nook with a concrete pier to North and East, maybe 150 meters across with a very large rock right in the middle. Aeon eased us around the stern of a freighter tied to the pier, past the rock up to the wall where a Port Security official took our lines and secured us to the bollards. We were asked to please wait aboard for customs and immigrations. As we chatted it was ascertained that this was the voice we had been in communication with. A very charming woman named Flo. She informed us that check in was free and that she could provide us a mooring ball also at no charge for as long as we stayed. She regretted to inform us that it would cost $3 USD to clear out for our “zarpe”.

In about 20 minutes the various officials arrived and our clearance was swift and efficient. While I stayed aboard aeon went with Immigrations to a nearby office to return in about 10 minutes with our visas. Meanwhile Customs and Port Security came aboard for a quick look and issued the ships papers. When they became aware of the cat aboard they asked for her papers and apologized that the agriculture person would have to come inspect her and it would be another 30 minutes before she could arrive. They hoped that it would not be an inconvenience. Well after Cuba this seemed like a whirlwind check-in, so of course it was no problem.

During this time aeon walked to the Port Security office and got the lat/long for our mooring. The Ag person arrived and very quickly signed off on Eve and asked if we would make a copy of her last exam and rabies docs for her. Now we could go to the mooring. Only the port starter motor would engage. The solenoid closed but the motor didn’t turn over. I ran a quick diagnostic and deduced that it was over heated and need to cool down.  I had a 1978 Chevrolet pickup that would have the same issue, until I put on a heat shield. Aeon walked back to Port Security and explained the situation to Flo who checked her incoming traffic and said it would be no problem to stay a few hours. She didn’t want me to be working on a hot engine.

SO we took the time to go looking for groceries in George Town. First stop was the bank to exchange $100 in Canadian for CI$. Armed with local currency we asked directions to a grocery store. It was about a 15 minute walk north and after 24 hours aboard a stroll felt good. The islanders all seem to be very visitor oriented. If you even looked like you might be thinking about crossing the street all traffic stopped and people waved you across. We walked past lots of tourista shops, vendors, bars and restaurants. This place was ALL about tourism.

The store was not hard to find with a little local help. It was a very large “stateside” super market. Not a Wal-Mart but more like a Whole Foods. Lots of organics and FRESH PRODUCE. Aeon was in retail overload. As we walked the aisles she would sqeek and giggle over each discovered item. It was very cut to see her eyes so bright. We bought a head of romaine, some button mushrooms, 3 tomatoes, a bag of grapes, a package of 8 big flour tortillas, some sliced provolone, ½ lb of smoked sliced turkey AND 3 boxes of Portobello garden burgers (which aeon hadn’t been able to find in Fl the last couple of trips. It fit in the backpack and a small plastic bag and the bill was $96!!!! Yes things are expensive in Cayman. But we rationalized the splurge with no cost check-in and a free mooring.

When we got back to Second Star the starter engaged without an issue and we headed out to the mooring location. I will probably replace the starter with our spare and rebuild this one for a spare in Provedencia. We decided not to launch Hook and stay aboard for a Waldorf salad and an early bed. It will be nice to sleep on a mooring and not have to worry about anchor watches. The anchorage has a bit roll from the West and South and North but not uncomfortable.

Wednesday 17 October 2012

Work up this morning with new neighbors dominated the anchorage. Two Carnival cruise ships had come in before dawn and we anchored right next to us. They just dwarfed everything, including the island. They looked so out of place. Plus they regurgitated over 5,000 people into the 8 block area of town.
Aeon and I walked way out of down town looking for WiFi and lunch. We settled on Singh’s Roti House where aeon had a veggie curry roti and I had a curried goat roti and a couple of Cay Brew beers. I had forgot that they only part of the carcass they don’t use is the hair and horn. While it was very tasty one had to remove bone, gristle and fat before eating. The internet connect was they best we have had in months. WOW actual broadband!!!!!!

After a leisurely lunch and lots of internet we wandered back towards the docks. We had until 1600 hrs to check out and it was only 1400 hrs, but with the great weather window we decided to go ahead and check out now. It was a very smooth and painless process to get all the paperwork. They have everything in one building. It only took about 20 minutes for the whole thing and a total cost of entry, a mooring and exit was $3.00 USD for a stamped exit papers (the Cayman equivalent of the Latin American “zarpe”). It was bargain even with the groceries. LOL.

Once back aboard we were faced with the task of getting Hook loaded in a serious rolling swell. It did some banging against Second Star before we finally had it secure on deck. Nothing serious just some black marks from the rub rail which should polish out. Oh well, she isn’t a yacht, but a land cruiser for the water.

Emgines started, mooring slipped and we were making way for Isla Provedencia 362 nm almost due South.

Not to bore you with the details of a smooth, tranquil uneventful voyage. I can sum it up by saying that if all passages were like that I would never stop passage making.

On the second day we passed a large marlin about 30 meters off the port side just sunning itself on the surface. We had dolphins come and play in the bow wave, saw turtles and sunrises and sunsets and with the sliver moon going down early the heavens were ablaze with the glory of the universe.


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Saturday 13 October 2012
Marina Marlin Cienfuegos
22° 07.51 N  80° 27.16 W

We moved from the anchorage into the marina after breakfast. Then the parade of officialdom began. Several of the people were here in January, so there were warm greetings around. It took a couple of hours to get checked in and hooked up to shore power. The process of acquiring electricity from the dock is always painful in Cuba. Out of the four power pylons (8-30amp outlets) we could reach only 4 outlets had power and the polarity was wrong on 2 of the four. The dock water was a dribble which didn’t have enough pressure to reach the deck so I declined its use. The dock master came around and asked us not to run A/C because off the draw, which I readily agreed to. Little did he know that we were running washer, dryer and water maker.

The early part of the afternoon was spent pressure washing all the salt off Second Star. It takes about 60 gallons out of our 160 gallon tank. 4 hours with the water maker and we are topped again.

We showered and went in search of internet. The place we liked on the previous visit is Palicio Azul just 2 blocks away.  The hostess, Marion, remembered us but didn’t have any of the cards to sell. So we walked to the Hotel Jacua only to be told they didn’t have any cards either. That left 2 places in the center of town. So after a regroup we walked back to the Palicio Azul to see if the manager had returned with the key to the safe. No joy, but Marion called the sister hotel La Union and ascertained that they had cards and would hold one for us.

So we trekked the 2 km or so downtown to La Union. The  attendant at the front desk was obviously alerted to our arrival as he asked if we were from “el yate en la marina”. He sold us a card and changed some dinero for us and we had internet access. Whoo Hoo!!!!

A quick check of NOAA and Passageweather gave us a green light for the passage to the Caymans. It showed flat seas through the end of the week. Man oh man a serene trip be a welcomed blessing.

We had passed an interesting looking restaurant on our way to La Union and decided to treat ourselves to a meal out. The building was stunning as was the dining area. The food was Cuba good (nicely presented, plain fare, not much variety), only one bottle of wine which I declined. They had a very good pianists and an elderly male vocalist who serenaded us with Latin love songs.

On the walk back towards the marina we passed an art gallery which was having live music. We stopped to listen to a sextet of beautiful young Cubana flutists. They played a classical piece
Then did an afro Cuban piece complete with clavas. It was amazing. They were followed by a middle aged couple. He on the guitar and she sang. Awesome voice and great music. It was getting late so we wandered on back to Second Star, commenting that the Tau does provide interesting surprises.

Sunday 14 October 2012
Marina Marlin Cienfuegos
22° 07.51 N  80° 27.16 W

The morning brought some boat chores to be ready to head to the Caymans. I needed to give the engine room and equipment a wipe down to get off the oil film and any salt mist residue from the passage. I also began a fuel transfer to fill up our main engine day tanks and move fuel from the forward main tank to the aft auxiliary tank. I needed to service the pressure washer but decided to wait until the afternoon.

Mid morning aeon and I walked to Palacio Azul. We had a coffee cubano (sweet espresso) and checked the weather on the internet. The week is shaping up nicely for our transit.

Next we walked back downtown to the Mercado to buy whatever fruit and veggies we could find. We got guava, pineapple and banana along with avocado, chives and cucumber. We had hoped for some lettuce and tomato but no joy.  We stopped by the store that sells fresh eggs and bought 20 for the equivalent of $1.25 USD. These are from chickens that have never seen a pen. In the states you would pay at least triple for the same quality.

We took a bicycle taxi back to the marina, enjoying the quiet sedate ride.

I picked up on the fuel transfer while aeon prepared a fruit salad of guava, pina and banana with cottage cheese accompanied with some homemade wheat bread. We have become so used to having lots of fresh fruit and veggies so when we ran low in the Jardines we were looking forward to Cienfuegos. We are hoping to find more produce in the Caymans to carry us over to Provedencia.

After lunch we had a siesta then it was do a refill of the ink in the printer cartridges and service the pressure washer. I am having some issues with the auto shut off pressure switch.

When we woke up from our siesta there was a mega yacht, “Betty” dock across our stern. A very beautiful raised pilot house of about 125’. She had classic lines of a full displacement yacht with a canoe stern. I thought she might have been an older Feadship. Later I talked to the Captain who said she is a recent build in fiberglass.

The pressure washer was still waiting so I tackled that job. I got it running again and functional but the pressure switch isn’t working so I will need to repair than.

We had wanted to go to the roof top Terrazo at the Palicio de Valle for a sunset cocktail. The Palicio was built in 1913 following  neo-moorish architecture. To say it was ornate would be understating the level of frenetic detail. It requires a climb of three stories up a spiral staircase. I would suspect that more than one inebriated person has had a long roll down one of the flights. The view of the Bahia Cienfuego was stunning, although the sunset was obscured by rain showers which eventually made their way to the Terazzo. SO in a deluge we retreated back down the spirals to the dining room and had a good but not memorable final dinner in Cienfuegos.

We returned to have a quiet hour on the aft deck discussing our transit plans. With this weather window we may forego the Caymans and go straight through to Provedencia. We will probably make that decision on the fly as we approach Georgetown.

Monday 15 October 2012
Marina Marlin Cienfuegos
22° 07.51 N  80° 27.16 W

The morning brought a scurry of activity to get the little last minute things done in preparation to an afternoon departure. We wanted to walk into Cienfuegos to check Passageweather, go to the Mercado for some lettuce and carrots (they thought hopefully) and to walk out to the Cemetario General de Reina. It is reputed to have some of the finest marble statuary in this part of this world.

Palicio Azul provided us with café cubano and internet access cubano. PWx showed a near perfect window beginning in the afternoon so we made the decision to leave about 1400 hrs.

Once decided we walked into the mercado for produce. WHAT!!!!! Closed on Mondays! Damn. A check of the street vendors did not reveal lettuce or much of anything except banana, avocado and guava of which we already an ample stock.

So off to the cemetario, which was not a difficult walk. It only took asking two people to get there. It sits on the western edge of the town amid a ramshackle collection of buildings. The façade is done in marble as a replica of the Parthenon in need of restoration. Which, in fairness to Cuba, we passed through the entry portal under a scaffold with stone masons chipping away. Even in the apparent neglect and decay this is still a beautiful cemetery. With 15 or 20 truly world class works of marble art. A little old cubana, all winkles and smiles took us around on a “tour” chatting away with us about what we were looking at. I am constantly amazed that I understand as much as I do, because mi espanol es muy malo. Seems they stopped interring there right after the revolution. I took it from what she said that the ornate markers were frowned upon by the socialist as bourgeoisie. Some of the statuary was damaged and some was missing. I asked if people had stolen the pieces and she said no the were in storage for repair. She went on to explain that to steal from a cemetery would cause the person who committed the affront to break out in boils and suffer other ailments until they were returned. I can attest that religious superstition and myth is alive and well in Cuba.

It was a long hot midday walk back to Second Star and we arrived sweaty and thirsty. We had exchanged enough money to pay the marina charges. So after prepping the deck to get underway I paid the bill at the port captain’s office and asked the Guardia and Aduana to issue a zarpe for the Caymans and come clear our paperwork so we could leave. Being as we were still in Cuba we had time to get some lunch and a shower before they actually showed up. It still took almost an hour for all the various members of officialdom to pass their written blessing on our departure. Our file is now over an inch thick with Cuba docs.

An aside, I saw an article on Cuba which said that 80% of the people work for the government and quoted a Cuban describing the philosophy of that work relationship as “they pretend to pay us and we pretend to work”. Yup, that pretty well sums it up.

It didn’t take long to secure the last few items, start the mains, loose the dock lines from the shore and we were once again free from the fetters of land and running free with a falling tide carry us into the Caribbean and on towards George Town, C.I. almost 200 nm to the South. The last reminder of Cuba as it stands was a large and very faded sign painted on the side of a wall just were the river meets the sea. Bienviendos Cuba Socialista:  Welcome to Socialist Cuba.

Veiled with rain showers and clouds, Cuba faded into the horizon, like it had reached the edge of the time space it occupies and isn’t quite ready to come forward.  Cuba’s time is near. I am grateful we got to experience something special and unique. And now the Caymans call.


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Saturday 6 October 2012
Cayo Iglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

We have been discussing how and when to exit Cuba. It is leaning towards our using Cien Fuego for debarkation. Even though it is farther North than Cayo Largo the measured distance to Grand Cayman is actually 2 nm shorter. And we can break up the trip there with an overnight along the way. There are other reason which have led us to this decision. We can get produce and supplies in Cien Fuego, not in Cayo Largo, we will have the prevailing winds and waves on our stern quarter instead of on the beam or even slightly ahead of beam and I would really like to see the Cuban National Ballet again and it would be possible to do a two day trip to Havana and make that happen if they are performing.

After the boat was up and running i.e. breakfast done, gen set start, water maker running etc. I tackled running the NMEA data cable from the AIrMar PB 150 weather sensor on the hard top pylon to the RD-30 remote display in the galley. As usual it required twice as much time as I anticipated, but I had it run into the radio bay at the helm by lunch time. After lunch, aeon helped me pull it on down into the galley, where I finish passing it through the over head to the RD-30. Since I had to remove one connector end to pull it I prepped the cable to splice the 3 twisted pairs when we started the generator in the evening.

I had earned my daily siesta and it was hot so we retired to our cabin and rested until 1500 hrs.

It was calm and clear when we came back on deck. We quickly decided to go looking for some lobster. It didn’t long to load Hook with our snorkel gear, top up the fuel tank and make Second Star secure. We idled out of the anchorage and through the cut into the Caribbean.  As we transited the cut we passed an iguana going for a swim. Made me think of the age old question about the chicken and the road.

The sea was smooth with a long easy swell. The wind had all but tired out and the water was gin clear. As we skimmed over the surface the water was a kaleidoscope of blues, greens, turquoise and teal. It took me back to the first time I ever laid eyes on a tropical sea and moved my soul as much today as it did almost 50 years ago.

We located several lobster lids but they were old and not in use. We gave up after a few and decided to go snorkeling on the reef instead. I had notice a small break close in to our South; it was maybe a 5 minute run to get there. As we closed our approach I reduced hook to a fast idle and we eased our way in to about 1.5 meters of water over a turtle grass bottom. We could see reef all around as we set the anchor.

It is an easy transition from the water to the air when the air temp is 85° and the water is 84°.  It was only a short swim over the sea grass to the beginning of the reef, yet in that short distance we saw lots of big conch. If I get energetic I will pick up a few dozen and clean them for the freezer. I really like conch, but it is A LOT of prep work. But I supposed some jalapeno conch fritters or pepper pot is worth it. Mañana.

Every time we dive a reef in Cuba it is very different and today was no exception. The condition of the reef is pristine, vibrant and alive.  This reef was in shallow water from 2 to 8 feet in depth and did I mention stunning visibility. The predominant variety of coral was ribbon in huge sheets and blocks. The was also an abundance of sea rod in vibrant purple and cactus coral in both the green and blue versions. There were more black spiny urchins here than we have seen before. The fish were everywhere in many varieties. We did see several very large adult damsel fish which still had the iridescent blue spots. Usually they lose these spots in the adults. Also saw a school of very large (1 meter) blue parrot fish. Lots of lobster and conch abound. Again I am thrilled and humbled to be able to dive in such a pristine aquatic Eden.

We made the run back to Second Star enjoying the early evening. We are enjoying an abundance of freshwater with the generator/battery charging schedule which makes it possible to rinse Hook, all the dive gear and ourselves without worry.

After showers, with the generator running I did the soldering to complete the splice to the WX data cable and brought our new sensor on line. Whoo Hoo!!!! It works and technology is amazing. This is a sensor with no moving parts, about the size of a standard coffee cup. It gives date, time, position, heading, COG, SOG, wind direction (via an internal GPS receiver), wind speed, true wind, apparent wind, barometric pressure, humidity, temperature, wind chill, pitch and roll of the boat, plus more. Thank you NASA.

We had dinner on the aft deck amidst a light tropical rain. The evening we read in the salon and listened to the stereo.


Sunday 7 October 2012
Cayo Inglis* in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W
*noted this spelling on the Cuban charts

Up with the sun and the Frigates birds. We are supposed to have a tropical wave pass over our position today. This morning we startyed the generator at 0700 hrs. I am shifting our charging cycle on the batteries one hour later to better balance our awake hours between day and night.

After breakfast and our aft deck coffee I took the reversing relay for the dingy davit apart. It has quit work and we have had to change the wire polarity to go up and down. It is a recent item so is basically new. I couldn’t find anything wrong with unit. I did re-solder all the leads, clean the contacts and spray Boeshield on them. I put it back in service and it still doesn’t work. I can hear the contacts closing with the reverse switch but no power to the motor leads. Any suggestions, anyboby???

While I was doing that aeon did some sewing work that needed to0 be done.

The plan for the remainder of the day was a siesta, the some scuba diving and snorkeling.  It was hot (91°F) at 1430 hrs as we gathered up ALL the equipment necessary to scuba. Compared to snorkeling it is VERY EQUIPMENT INTENSIVE on both ends. We had a site we wanted to try and dive the outside of the reef. As we motor out in Hook we noticed there was am little more swell running today and as we approached the reef the water clarity was not quite as good as yesterday. It is amazing how quickly jaded one becomes. As we talked about it aeon giggled and said even today’s conditions were better than anything she ever dove in the Florida Keys. It is all in the perspective. LOL.

The site we dove was a mix of huge elk horn coral clusters, that almost seemed like copses of trees and large sections of plate corals. There were large numbers of fish;; schools of rainbow runners, cruising barracudas, lots of grouper and snapper. Again I saw schools of the biggest yellow tail snappers I have seen. We came across two large lion fish all spread out and drifting in the coral. Man oh man I hate to see those. If I had my pole spear I would have killed them both. They are doing to the tropical reef fish population what the European starling did the North American song bird population From now on I will carry a spear even if I am not hunting dinner.

After the dive we moved further West along the reef looking for a break in wall to get back inside. We ran about 2 miles before se came to an opening and swung inside. We could see a large sand patch to our West inside the reef and went there to anchor. We decided to snorkel this sight as it was less that 10’ deep.

Wow, what a joy not to be pedaling all that equipment around in the water. I felt sleek and slippery as I swam. I do like free diving better than scuba. We only swam about 40 minutes. The angle of solar incidence was increasing and visibility was falling. Plus we still had to navigate a few miles of shoals and reefs back to Second Star. It started off feeling nice and cool as we speed along the surface, then the sea water began to dry and be itchy.

Back at Second Star we rinsed Hook stem to stern, ourselves and the gear. Showers and a lasagna dinner on the aft deck rounded out the day.  Just before dinner a small (8 or 9 meters) Cuban fishing boat motored in, passing under our bow and anchoring a couple of hundred meters  to our West.  I decided to run over in Hook and see if they needed any fresh water. They said they were good tonight but would be back tomorrow evening and would appreciate 20 or so liters if we could spare it. I said no problem. There we three men aboard, the fore deck had a large boxed area that was full of conch. They said they caught conch and spear fished for grouper and snapper.  As I returned  to Second Star a second similar small craft entered the lagoon. It proceeded to the first boat and they rafted for the night. I picked up 4 cokes and a bottle of vodka added a bag with some ice and took it back to them for refrescos. They are roughing it when they are out. Sleeping on deck without any real shelter; exposed to the sun, salt, wind, rain and insects. We said Buenos noches and hasta la manana.

As I write this I can see them illuminated by an oil lamp and smell frying fish on the breeze.


Monday 8 October 2012
Cayo Inglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

Around 2130 hrs last evening we had a squall move over us with lots of lightening, heavy rains and gale force winds. It was odd in that the winds came out of the West and it took awhile watching the radar and GPS to be sure we weren’t dragging. All was well with us but in the flashes of illuminations I could see the Cubanos huddled under a tarp waiting it out. Luckily the rain passed within 30 minutes and brought a 10°F temperature drop which was very refreshing.

I watched them pull out around 0700 hrs while I was making breakfast. Another day fishing on the reef I suppose. We are to see them this evening around 1800 hrs.

This morning was spent sorting a drawer which was in needed of sorting and cleaning out. It started out as looking for some loose Cree LED’s chips and escalated into a full assault on disorganization. I declared victory when I had the chips in hand and the crap out of the drawer and in the trash. I needed the chips because I am going to try and make some LED light bulbs to replace ones that have failed.

The rest of the morning was spent sorting LED chips into color spectrums and testing some theories I had on using them.

Just before lunch the first fishing boat pulled back in the lagoon and eased along side. I went to the wet deck to see what they wanted. Capitan Sergio had the cook swing a plastic box over with five lobster. I put them in our empty deck cooler and returned the box with muchas gracias and hasta la tardes. With a wave they moved off and back to their job at hand.
I prepped the lobster to freeze, holding back two small ones for the grill. Mmmm, fresh lobster.

After lunch aeon and I decided to stay aboard this afternoon since we are going to join the Cubano’s aboard their boat for dinner. Hot and lazy in the afyternoon calm, we read and napped until about 1500 hrs.  aeon made bread and I went back to LED project.

The Cubano’s didn’t get back until sunset and by then we had decided to eat aboard. When they came by for freshwater I explained that we  appreciated the offer for dinner but had already prepped aboard. The cook was campaigning hard to bring everyone aboard Second Star and cooking for us here. The last time we did it is was fun but the boat smelled like fried fish for weeks and the galley took aeon days to get all the grease spatters off. Needless to say I thanked him profusely but begged off.

Night fell calm and clear with stars settling close to the antennae tops.

Tuesday 9 October 2012
Cayo Inglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

I woke up this morning remembering it is my daughter Aspen’s birthday. One of the hard things about this life is that I am so far removed from my family and loved ones.  Dates on the calendar do hold sway over weather and tides. It doesn’t mean that they are not special dates to me, like today, the birth date of my Baby girl.  So with Aspen in my heart and thoughts and a beautiful sunrise on the horizon I started the generator, water maker, laundry cycle. A check of the overnight weather faxes received showed the tropics to be clear of any potential for tropical cyclone. The wave height analysis indicates a flat calm extended across the Caribbean and as far South as Nicaragua. Waves less than 1’ with a 7 second period; that is a close to glass as you will see. I hope that hanging here during such a flat calm doesn’t bite us with a miserable crossing to the Caymans.

Today we are going diving again, both snorkel and scuba. In these calm conditions the diving is beyond believe. We have 18 lobster tails in the freezer now and two in fridge for dinner tonight. BUT if I get the chance to add to their population I will.

Aeon made a ginger grouper stir fried veggies over rice for lunch with the frsh grouper from yesterday. Man you just can’t beat fresh grouper. After lunch we had a siesta until 1400 hrs.

Got Hook loaded with all the dive gear and headed out to the reef about three quarters of hour later. The first place we tried we couldn’t get through the reef to the outside so we move a mile or so to the East and found a nice pass through the reef. With Hook securely anchored just inside the reef we donned the scuba gear and surface swam through the gap then submerged into another remarkable section of reef. Mostly composed of huge elk horn coral formations  with plate and brain corals mixed in.. It was one of those sites where every 220 meters or so would be an elkhorn cluster with sand bottom in front. We would settle onto the sand in 12 to 18 feet of water and watch the feature film from a front row seat. The numbers and variety of fish was almost an overload. Everywhere you looked there something to catch your eye. From schools of small silvery transparent fish that flowed in and around the coral
like liquid chrome. To greater barracuda and tarpon in the 5-6 foot range. Lots of big grouper in the 20 to 40 pound range and more hogfish than I have seen in one place before. If we didn’t already have 30 or 40 pounds of grouper and snapper filets in the freezer I would get my spear and go hunting. As it was I would drift up on a fish and point my finger at arms length and mentally take the shot.

Wee called it a day of diving about 1700 hrs and headed back to Second Star. We actually had Hook washed, all the dive gear rinsed and drying, both aeon and I showered and ready to start the generator cycle by 1800 hrs.
Lobster bisque is on the menu for dinner, but first a cocktail on the aft deck as the sun makes it way to the western horizon.

Wednesday 10 October 2012
Cayo Inglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

The fisherman brought the water bottles back this morning at 0630 hrs. We shared some coffee and chatted. I gave the Captain my old pair of Cressi L-Rondines fins. You would of thought I had given him a new Lexus. They said they would be back this evening. I think they have really appreciated the fresh water. Having 10 or so extra gallons a day has meant fresh water showers and clean clothes.

The morning was spent working on a recalcitrant sander. Unfortunately to no avail. Then I inventoried the 12 VDC stereo system for the salon. It is about time I replace the old 110VAC Sony.

After lunch we rested for a bit then prepped our dive gear for another dive. Once Hook was loaded we headed out to the East end of the reef. We discovered the Cubano fisherman already there so we headed West on the outside looking for a cut to dive. It had a very nice area of huge elkhorn coral. We worked our way along and had a really nice dive. The only negative was a little surge to deal with. Swimming back to Hook was a breeze as the tide was started to flood.

Got back aboard and did the clean and wash on all the gear and hook, then ourselves.  Today was a very laid back day. Our next b
Ig decision is when to leave here for Cien Fuego. We are almost out of produce so it will be in the next day or two. Decisions, decisions, so I decided to have a drink.

Thursday 11 October 2012
Cayo Inglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

Up and down a couple of times during the night with a rising wind. Mostly just to check on our lay and to secure the sunscreens on the aft deck. As a second thought I ran a second painter out to Hook.

It was a fresh morning with a nice15 kt breeze from the North and temperature hovering at 80°F. The Cubano boats moved out with the predawn glow. They left behind a line of floats, which we assume to be traps so they haven’t left left for Casilda.

A couple of small chores this morning and coffee with aeon on the aft deck. We need to decide when to head for Cien Fuego. Our dead flat calm has passed and the seas are predicted too build over the next 72 hours. I don’t think it will affect our passage to Cien Fuego but it could be a negative for the Caymans if it continues. There is a tropical wavw East of Barbados but so far it is nothing but scattered rain showers.

The Cubano boat we have been dealing with Capitan Sergio, cocinero Alexander and deck hand Ynelky came back in a fter sunrise and pulled the traps. Seems they have been catching small yellowtail snapper and grunts. Looked like bait to me, but they will probably be fried crispy. After they had cleared and loaded the traps they motored over to say goodbye. They are going to Cayo Breton later today and on to Casilda manana. I gave them the latest NOAA wx fax information and wished them safe passage. They thanked us for the water and the fins and told us when we come back come see them in Casilda. A small personal step towards normalized relations.

Over lunch we decided this would be our last day at Cayp Inglis. We will leave in the morning for Cien Fuego with a possible overnight stop in the vicinity of Cayo Blanco de la Casilda if we want to break the trip up. Otherwise it is a 12 hour run from here at 8 kts.

We went out for one last dive on the reef in the early afternoon. The winds had been increasing all morning and were blowing 15 to 20 kts out of the NE. It was a little lumpy getting out to the reef and then we had some difficulty getting the anchor to hold in the waves. Once it was secure we could see thunder cells building to the NE of our position. We decided to dive the inside of the reef, because of the waves and the current set. With visibility down to about 40’ it didn’t take long in the water for us to decide that today just wasn’t a dive day. Plus when we surfaced the rain lines were advancing so we loaded up and headed back to Second Star. We commented that we were extraordinarily lucky to be able to dive at our leisure and when a day is okay but not great we have the choice to wait. People who have traveled a great distance for the once a year dive vacation would just have dove today.

It took awhile to get all the dive gear clean and ready to stow. Then we cleaned Hook in preparation to lift her aboard.  Then we cleaned ourselves and had a snack and a cocktail. About 1700 hrs we hoisted and secured Hook in her cradle. Not much left to do in the morning to get underway.

Aeon heated a hearty vegetable beef stew for dinner with fresh homemade bisquits, which we enjoyed with the sunset.

Has it really been ten days in the Jardines de la Reina? Wow, this is a very special place on the planet. Our oceans and reefs were once all like this. Hopefully with improved management and public awareness we can begin to restore the ocean ecosystem back to something sustainable. For all the things that are wrong with Cuba, the reefs and oceans surrounding it are something very right. I pray that with social and economic change does not come the plunder of this national, no world treasure. If for no other reason it should be preserved just to give inspiration elsewhere to restore and preserve.

Tomorrow in the morning we are off to Cienfuego.  (aeon pointed out to me while it is two words 100 fires the name of the man and the city is one word:Cienfuego. I stand corrected).

Friday 12 October 2012
Transit Cayo Inglis to Cienfuego

I wrote this already but it seems I forgot to save it or saved it elsewhere in the electron ether. Oh well, at least it was a short one. Left there arrived here.

First light was brightening the eastern rim of the world as we hove the anchor and secured the deck for passage. With increasing visibility aeon took us out of the channel from our anchorage at Cayo Inglis and into Paso Grande turning South for the Caribbean.

We still had winds to 25 kts but from the North which helped with the waves in the first part of the passage. There was a section from just past Cay Breton until Cayo Blanco de Casilda that was open enough on our windward side to have some far sized beam seas. Each time we would breach a wave the spray would be picked up in the wind and envelope Second Star. We would have a serious wash job awaiting us in Cienfuego. Past Casilda the sea state lay down to almost dead calm and I set our course to follow the coastline a mile offshore.

The ride on into Cienfuego was idyllic. A calm indigo sea with an offshore breeze which carried the smells of land: sugar cane, cooking fires, fecund vegetation. As we passed the shore people would come out from the small pueblos to watch and wave. It was nice to be so close to shore and still be in several thousand feet of water. Numerous times we saw feeding activity on the surface around us but it was getting on in the day and the entrance to Cienfuego can be a challenge after dark, so I passed on the fishing and just enjoyed the ride.

The sun was settling on the horizon when we were about an hour out from the lighthouse at Cienfuego. We had picked up a trailing tanker who was also headed for Cienfuego but as he was slowing down he would not pass us. I was concerned for awhile that we would arrive at the seamark at the same time, but he maintained a 3 mile separation on the approach.

It was full dark when we passed abreast the lighthouse off our starboard side. The entrance was a black maw, thank the seafaring gods for radar which detailed the shorelines. You have to travel a distance into the mouth of the river before you pick up the first of the marks. Even then they are difficult to find against the background lights. We had a cookie trail from our last trip in so we weren’t without guidance but it still takes two people to follow the track and pick out marks and hazards. The hazards are mostly in the form of very small fishing smacks with a guttering flame to mark their position.

Once inside we took up station of the marina. Tried to hail them on the radio with no response (ahh Cuban, it is required to check in by radio but they never answer). So we anchored in 2 ½ fathoms and called it a day.


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Saturday 22 Sept 2012:1915 hrs LZT
O21°36.992’ N 081°34.624W
At anchor, Cayo Largo, Cuba

Peter Tosh is serenading on the stereo, the Caribbean Sea stretches over the horizon in front of me and I am seriously thinking about a glass of wine.  Now I have to act on the wine. BYB.

The water maker is doing its thing (still). Knock on wood. Making a solid 12+ gph at 650psi without any issues. I think I am supposed to hold my breath and turn circles when I say that. Here’s hoping it continues, I have had my fill of R&R with it the last few days. With this evenings gen set time we should be caught up with water production.

The day started with light to moderate rain squalls from the SE until late mid-morning. Good time to catch up on several little projects that have been sitting around waiting patiently for me to apply myself.

After breakfast and tea on the aft deck I made the commitment to rewire the Ryobi battery charger.  Not a big job, but I have wanted to get it wired onto a switch so I could store a battery in place without having the charger run continuously.  It was one of those little jobs that make life better, but just not a priority when I was working in MX. Done. Next I am going to fiqure out why the dishwasher isn’t cleaning the dishes. Hmmmmm manana.

I had rinsed all the deck lines and had been soaking them in 20 liter buckets of fresh water…swish around, let sit a couple of hours or overnight, swish, empty, refill and repeat. Mid morning I striped the water of them and flemished them out on the foredeck to dry. They were stiff from salt and it is nice to have them clean and soft again.

I was watching a tug with an empty fuel barge tow leaving the Cayo this morning. As he passed we exchanged waves. From the Cayo out to the marker he was short strung with the barge maybe 100 meters astern. After he had passed the
Marker and turned East I saw deck activity and the barge started to fall astern. With the binoculars I could see they were easing the tow to place it farther behind for the passage to (I assume) the fuel depot at Cien Fuego. As I watched there was suddenly frantic activity on the aft deck of the tug and then the hawser was no longer visible astern. I can only sumise that some deck hand failed to brake the towing winch in time and the hawser unspooled.  It took them about an hour to retrieve the tow and get underway again. Rum rations will probably be curtailed for a bit.

Aeon and I took Hook into the marina to use the Hotel internet. It is the only public access on the Cayo. $5CUC ($5.03USD) for 30 minutes of dial up speed. I wanted to have a look at the NHC.NOAA site for tropical weather. Just to make sure that the tropical wave moving our way when we left Isla Mujeres hadn’t become a hurricane about to pounce on us.  Before we went in I plotted a route to Cien Fuego in case we had to make a run for a hurricane hole. Magically the tropical wave had dissipated and we are sitting in a beautiful weather pattern for the next few days. (A little more breeze would be nice right now, but I have a cold glass of white wine and am sitting in the shade so who’s to complain).

We passed by the ships chandlery to see what was available. The door was locked even though the sign said Abierto. We could see an employee behind the counter playing solitaire on the computer and listening to a French/Spanish lesson really loud. Eventually she looked up and unlocked the door. We perused the limited stock, selected a bottle of $5.25CUC Spanish white wine to try. I asked her when they were open and she pointed to the hours on the door. Which clearly mean nothing because that was our third attempt during the posted hours. Cuba, go fiqure. It will take them at least a generation to develop a working middle class who understands the basics of actually having to work to get paid.

After the internet, we walked into the marina bar looking forward to a cold Cubano beer, either Crystal or Bucanero.  WHAT!!!! No Cuban beer: only Heineken or Corona still. When I asked the bar tender why he just shrugged. No beer sale was made.

On the return to Second Star we ran Hook to the South end of the bay where we had seen what appeared to be a pier. It fronts a building which has a sign proclaiming it as the Bar Playa Serena. Maybe they will have a Cuban beer. Not enough breeze to make it seem appealing right then, but it is on our list for Manana.

I spent a big chunk of the afternoon looking in all my USB drives and both computers for a set of pictures I took last time we were here of the Cuban chart book for the Jardines de la Reina. I will be damned if I can find them. Crap. I will take another look MANANA.

We just returned from a run into the marina for internet. We both wanted to get out our logs to y’all. Went by the marina managers office to query about the whereabouts of the a/c technician. Nobody home. I will try again MANANA. Getting to love that concept.

There is some cloudiness building and In have heard some thunder. Maybe we will get some rain this evening. Cool things off.

Aeon has what has become known as Guatemala eggs prepped for dinner. Scrambled eggs with lots of lightly sautéed veggies and topped with cheese for dinner, accompanied with a slice of her made fresh today whole wheat bread. Life is good.


Sunday, 23 September 2012
O21°36.992’ N 081°34.624W
At anchor, Cayo Largo, Cuba

Beautiful sunrise this morning,  dawned clear and warm, looks like another day in paradise. Not much wind today. It may get HOT!.

After breakfast we got the gen-set running, a load of laundry started, the R/O unit making water and set up to wash Second Star. She wasn’t to bad from her crossing of the Yucatan Chanel, it was a smooth crossing and we have had several little rain bands to rinse her. But she still needed a good bath. And since we filled the water tank last night it seemed like a good time.

So, out with the pressure washer and the chamois’s. It takes about 3 hours to give her a good rinse with a minimal polish to the stainless and the glass. Our little Karcher pressure washer has been a great tool. 1400 psi and 1 gph max.
I washed and aeon chamoised and viola Second Star was bright and shiny by lunch.

After we ate the temperature was climbing and the wind was dieing so we opted for some reading and a siesta.

About 1530 hrs we went ashore to use the internet. We needed to buy another 30 minute card ($5CUC), which the clerk (Barbara who has been working here 17 years and wants to get transferred to Havana because it is too quiet here) at the hotel gladly sold us. Then she apologized because the computer area was locked up and she didn’t have a key. In fact the only key was with someone who was supposed to be back in 20 minutes. I had too ask if that was viente minutos Cubano or Capitan. Of course that got a laugh and a finger wagging that accompanied “No Capitan, tiempo Cubano”.

So aeon and I took Hook across the bay to the Bar Playa Sirena we had seen for a cold Cuban beer. Yup, you quessed it. No cervesa Cubano solo Corona. We settled for what was touted as the best Mojito on Cayo Largo. If that is the case I have had my last Mojito here.

It was a nice facility purpose built to cater to the tourista at the all inclusive resort on the beach. It is part of the 3 hour tour. They do have two captive dolphins in an enclosure that allow for up close and personal encounters. We have mixed feelings. Getting that close to dolphins is magical, but these were not bred and raised in captivity. Cool and sad. I think we will wait until some free dolphins choose to come and swim with us.

After the “best” MoIto on Cayo Largo we went back across to the hotel to check the weather on the internet. The key had returned and the room was open. The weather is looking good.

This evening I am going to fabricate a base mount for our new weather station so I can mount it tomorrow.


Monday 24 September 2012
O21°36.992’ N 081°34.624W
At anchor, Cayo Largo, Cuba

We seem to be falling into a daily routine. Breakfast and coffee on the aft deck.   Start the generator, make water, do laundry, work on little boat projects until about 1100hrs. Shut everything down and go on batteries/inverters for the day.
Have lunch then go into the marina hotel and try to access the internet. Back to Second Star for a quiet time/siesta during the heat of the afternoon. Start the gen-set  again about 1800hrs, run water maker and A/C’s to cool down the sleeping cabins. Have dinner right after sunset. Sit on the aft deck enjoying the cool evening until time to shut down the gen-set .To bed early.  Not to much excitement.

This morning I took apart a pair of binoculars that a boater had given me. Nice pair of Tasco Offshore with compass. He had dropped them and the prisms had been knocked out of parallel. Never had a pair of binoculars apart before so I was curious about how they were assembled and what the hell they were just parts if I couldn’t fix them and if I could they would be a great trade item. It took a couple of hours but I managed to take them apart, clean and repair them. One of the prisms had broken loose from its mount. Ahhh epoxy is a wonderful thing. Now they are working great and I have something for barter or sale.

After lunch we went into the marina hotel for internet. I tried to send out an email to my granddaughter but it wouldn’t go through. Although, we did get on the NHC.NOAA site and checked the tropical forecast. Still nothing evil headed our way. Looks like Wednesday AM is a go for the passage to Casilda.

Went b y the Port Capitans Office and the Guardia del Frontera and SURPRISE!!! No body home. I want to do our check out tomorrow evening so we can leave about 0400hrs Wednesday. That gives me a couple of hours to fish Banco Jaguar and still arrive in Casilda before dark.

I did find a machinist on the Isla who threaded a piece of 1” aluminum pipe for me so I could make a base for our new weather sensor. Ricardo did a great job for $2CUC. Tomorrow I will weld it together and mount the sensor. It will be good to have wind data back. We have been without ever since Juancho broke on of the cups off the anemometer washing Second Star awhile back.  It was our second damaged anemometer so I went with the new AirMar PB150 which does wind speed, direction, chill, barometric pressure, temperature, roll and pitch, it also talks to our depth transducer for sea temp; all with a unit about the size of a tuna fish can with no moving parts.
Picked up the threaded pipe about 1600 hrs and visited for a bit with Ricardo. He was waiting for me under a flamboyance tree feeding the ring neck doves some rice and beans.

Took a chance and walked by the Capitania del Puerto and the Aduana offices in hopes of finding somebody home. The assistance Port Captain was chatting with some other Cubano under the palms by the dock. He said I could catch the Aduana at 0800hrs  en la manana.

Back aboard and it is very still and muggy.  Even the aft deck which is generally cool is stifling. I suspect the breeze will pick up around sunset.

Dinner time brought a brisk squall across the anchorage. As aeon and I sat eating some fruit and cheese we watched the dinner show. It was headlined by a pair of chartered catamarans who had been beached for the afternoon and if the observed the approaching squall the choose to ignore it until it struck. There was a scramble to get the boats away from the beach and into deeper water. They pulled a few hundred meters astern of us right at the junction of the two marked channels that lead into Cayo Largo proper. With the wind increasing and the light failing they proceed to anchor.  One of the cats anchor was holding the other was dragging so they hoisted it and put on a Keystone Kops revival as the attempted to raft together on the single anchor. Darkness fell and the only lights aboard were in the cabin. No anchor lights.  Neophytes.  The marina is only ½ mile  away. Oh well at least they are downwind from us. Hopefully they will still be there in the morning.

The wind and rain have made it very fresh. It will be a good night for sleep.

Tuesday 25 September 2012
O21°36.992’ N 081°34.624W
At anchor, Cayo Largo, Cuba
The catamarans are moving into the marina as coffee is heating. That is a good thing, because the morning traffic would be unhappy to be dodging them in the narrow channel.

After the usual morning routine but prior to generaor start we went in to find the Capitanea del Puerto. His office was open but empty so we chatted with the Aduana about leaving in the morning early. He asked us to wait 20 minutes for the Port Captain. So aeon enjoyed one of the swings in the children’s park and I wandered the docks looking for big tarpon. There are a couple in the 150 lb range that cruise there. Speaking of the children’s park. We have seen children play areas in the pueblo, there is school, what we have nopt seen are any children. I don’t remember seeing any on our previous trip through here. Hmmm I will have to ask some questions; inquiring minds want to know.

When the Port Captain did return, in about 20 minutes tiempo Iglis no tiempo Cubano, when I explained our departure situation and he said no problema and did all our paperwork right then and there.  Wow, that is a first for us here. In the past the want to issue permits just prior to leaving, no matter the hour of the day or night. So now we have our permits aboard and can leave at our leisure.

Back aboard we started the generator, laundry, R/O and I welded the base I had made yesterday for the weather mount to the pipe we had threaded. It is now all primed and drying waiting to be mounted later this afternoon.

Things are set for us to depart Cayo Largo for Casilda in the predawn hours tomorrow.  

Wednesday 26 Spetember 2012
Transit Cayo Largo to Casilda.

We were underway, making way at 0500 hrs. The near full moon had set hours earlier and it was dark upon the face of the sea. Aeon followed our “cookie trail” out to the outer marker while I cleared the decks and secured for passage.  When I joined her on the bridge she had the searchlight on and was scanning intently around the vessel.

“I remember a dive buoy out here someplace and I don’t want to run over it.” She explained. So I joined her in the lookout but it was dark and the small whitish sphere  would be a small target if we could sight it. For that matter if we had to find it before daylight I would bet against our success. Yet, lo and behold, out of the darkness just off the port bow materializes the small float. We both had a laugh about it. If we had needed to find it we would of searched until daylight. Every passage aeon is honing her skills as a helmsman and a navigator. I am a lucky Captain to have her aboard.

Once passed the outer mark and in deep water aeon went back to bed for a couple of hours sleep. I sat and enjoying the transition of the horizon from darkness to daylight as the terminator slide silently over the surface of the earth.

It was our usual 2 hrs on/off-ish watch schedule.  We were being set by a substantial current and a 2 to 3 foot head sea which knocked our SOG was down to 6.5 or so knots. Extrapolated would put us into marina at Casilda well after dark. So we opted to anchor out for the night and enter in the morning. A calm and peaceful night at anchor refreshed us from the 12 hours of passage.

Thursday 27 September 2012
In the anchorage outside Casilda

After breakfast aeon calls me to the galley. And idling just off our starboard bow is the fishing boat we hooked up with at Cayo Iglis in the Jardines dela Reina last January. The seemed genuinely excited to see us. We communicated that we would be back in the Jardines the middle of next week and hoped we would see them there.  It seems we are remembered, in a positive light.

Anchor up and we motored the rest of the way in to the marina. I tried multiple times to raise the marina on the VHF to no avail. Although we did here other radio traffic referring to the Yaté Americanos. Aeon executed the approach and entrance while I set the deck for docking.  Since they didn’t answer the radio I was unable to give them advance notice of our arrival so they could clear a side tie since we are to long for the slips. Tried that last time and it was totally unacceptable. So as aeon held our position the did the some shuffling of boats and prepared a side tie for us. Spinning us around aeon slid Second Star up to the dock. Lines were cast and secured; we had arrived.

The middle part of the day was spent waiting for the Guardia to come and check us in. aeon walked over to the Hotel Ancon where we had internet in January only to be informed that hotel no longer has internet. The nearest availability is up in Trinidad at either CubaTel or an internet office called La Begonia. It would have to wait until later.  We spent a couple of waiting hours washing the salt of Second Star and polishing her.  Once the official arrived it only took an hour for him to fill in the paperwork.

Finally cleared in we had a shower and a rest. Whew. 

Walked out to the road below the hotel and caught a taxi into Trinidad for an internet check and I promised aeon I would take her out to dinner. I keep trying to send out a Flat Stanley email to my grand daughter Barett but with the embedded pictures it takes to long to upload and we get timed out. Grrrrrrr. At the price they charge per minute it is to the governments advantages to have the slowest connection in this hemisphere.

After internet it was a stroll around the old plaza just the beauty of Trinidad sink in. Passing the bar where our friends play we were hailed most warmly by a couple of the band members who called out the rest.  The only option at that point was to join them for a couple of beers and let them serenade us to our delight.  We were getting hungry and the lead guitarist Leo walked to a restaurant we had never tried and introduced to the proprietress, Jamillé. The food was Cuban and not a bad meal and our hostess was sweet and vociferous.  After dinner we caught a taxi back to the marina. We haven’t seen Yunelky yet. He was our driver with the 1928 Model A roadster.


Friday 28 September 2012
Docked La Marina Cayo Blanco,Casilda Cuba

Not a lot going on today. Mostly taking care of a couple of little jobs, reading, napping.

We did make a midday trip for internet to see if our friends Danny and Rhonda from Bahia Tortuga, Isla Mujeres would be showing. Last communiqué we received hinted that Danny was coming solo, if he came. Rhonda was under the weather. Since it was a honeymoon trip I figured we would wait until manana en la manana and they wouldn’t show and we could head out in the Jardines.

So here I sit at the table on the aft deck writing this log and aeon says “that looks like Danny walking across the parking lot”. Well blow me down and shiver me timbers, so it was. I am glad no one wanted to bet with me on his arrival. I would of lost the boat. Once we got Danny aboard and a cold beer in his hand he told us about his trip to Casilda and he wanted to go into Trinidad that evening for music and dinner.

We ate at the Museo 1514 which had tried on our previous visit and once again it was exquisite. Went around to her the band play a few songs and visited for a bit then back to Second Star early as Danny was tired from the bus ride down from Havana.

Saturday 29 September 2012
La Marina to Cayo Blanco.

The day was ushered in by rain showers which had started just after midnight. It was gray and cool and very fresh when we took care of all the paperwork. Which included a trip into Trinidad to buy a 5 CUC stamp for the document that had to be completed to add Danny to the crew list. I was told by the Guardia to go to the bank and get one. When we arrive at the bank, duh!!! it’s Saturday and bank is closed and there is nowhere else that sells them. (I saw a clock in one of the cruising magazines that just told the day of the week. I can keep track of light followed by dark, but it seems that the days just run together. I think I am going to get one.) I did have a 10CUC stamp aboard for our exit documents and figured if worse came to worse we would use it.

We ran into Leo on the street in front of the bank and he took us around looking for produce. Did the horse drawn cart thing as well as walked a bunch. Shopping for produce in Cuba from the street vendors is a fascinating event, full of rumors of where there might be lettuce and lots of interesting negotiations involving 2 different currencies.

We came back to the marina and one of the cubanos had a 5 CUC stamp which he was willing to sell and wouldn’t take a tip for helping. So check-in was complete. Now we could head out to Cayo Blanco for a couple of days  on anchor.

Cool, fresh, rain swept, it felt more like SE Alaaska than Cuba, but it was so refreshing that no one bitched.  Just read and napped and visited.  Peaceful, tranguillo, calma. Bien vida.


Sunday 30 September 2012
At anchor Cayo Blanco

Several rain bands passed us in the night with wind shifts which made for an uneasy sleep, that and the anchorage had some swell running through it.  Lightening danced amongst the low racing clouds and thunder resoundingly applauded each leaping pirouette. With a fullish moon it was a beautiful sight, although one that did require a vigil to make sure that Second Star wasn’t dragging anchor.  The reefs that make the Jarines de la Reina so stunning also make them very deadly and the last thing I wanted was to end up on one of them due to a lack of vigilance on my part.

The water maker is certainly an attention slut.  One of the production water o-rings decided to leak which requires a complete dismount and partial disassembly. I guess a man has to have something to do to occupy his idle hours. Danny helped and got a lesson in basic water maker.

The rest of the day passed in leisure. The overcast and rain showers continue so no snorkeling or fishing.

Watching the sun fade behind banks of rain clouds and the winds still clocking and backing with each passing squall line I suspect the night will be a repeat of the last.


Monday 1 October 2012
Cayo Blanco to La Marina Casilda

With the continuing rain bands there was no reason to stay on anchor. So after breakfast anchor was weighed and we headed back into Casilda. A quiet ride as the miles slid under the keel and disappeared into our wake. Aeon maneuvered us into our berth while Danny and I handled dock lines.

No one was at the marina except the gate guard. I asked about the Guardia checking us in and he said it wasn’t a problem and that it could happen tomorrow when it wasn’t raining. For a country obsessed with travel restrictions and paperwork it seems that some rain trumps bureaucracy. And  the paperwork will still happen.

We decided to head back to Trinidad in the afternoon. We had an agenda to get Danny’s bus ticket for Havana on ViaAzul, verify the departure time, check the internet, Danny wanted to do a little souvenir shopping, get dinner and catch some music. Since Danny needed to be at the bus by 0715hrs we made arrangement for the driver who returned us from Trinidad to pick him up in the morning.  An interesting side note. As we were looking for a cab back to Second Star we were approached by a driver who said he recognized me, asked if I was the Captain of the “yaté verdé”. He said he was a captain of a fishing boat we had met on our last trip here. I still can’t place him. The best aeon and I can come up with is that he must have been on one the shrimpers.

A good night’s sleep (uninterrupted with radar and anchor checks).

Tuesday 2 October 2012
La Marina Casilda and out to Cayo Machos de Fuera

While aeon stayed aboard I went with Danny to the bus station and got him on his way to Havana. He was an easy boat guest. He is a boater and knows the regimes. And is more than willing to pitch in on whatever project is going on. Also, he would get up during the night and take an anchor watch without even being asked to.

Once Danny was aboard I went to the CubaTel to wait for the internet. They didn’t open until 0830 so I had about 30 minutes. The rain had fallen to a misty drizzle so I stood in the lee of the entrance and waited. At first I was alone but gradually people started to congregate. I stood listening to the conversations, catching enough to get the gist. Slowly, sllooowwwlllyyyy mi espanol es major. When opening time came and passed without the doors opening several Cubans began to grouse about the time. I reminded them “no es tiempo iglis, es tiempo Cubano” which got laughs and launched the group into bitching about the way things were run. Dissent is alive and well in Cuba.

Once inside the internet provided me with weather for the next few days and let me check our emails for anything important. Nothing there that would keep us from heading into the Jardines de la Reina later in the day.

I walked several blocks of little streets looking for some avocado, lettuce and tomatoes but the horse carts weren’t out yet and the vendors in the windows didn’t have any. So I caught a cab back to the marina.

The Guardia was there when I arrived ready to do yesterdays paperwork. Which actually worked out well as he then could do out checkout and cruising permit for the Jardines.  He had a trainee in tow and made a big deal of calling me his amigo and American friend who came to Casilda to see him. When it came time to do his vessel inspection it was more him doing a show and tell for the underling. I played my bit part as a supporting role to his lead character. What an entertaining thing to observe.

Once done aeon and  started the mains, cast of the dock and were underway for Cayo Macho de Fuero. It was a six hour run and we expected to arrive mid afternoon. The day was clearing but still fresh from the days of rain. Lots of debris in the water (tree limbs, logs, bunches of bamboo, trash) kept us on constant watch.

An hour or so out aeon alerted me that we had lost the rudders. She said no input from the wheel or the autopilot worked. I instructed to hold course at idle using differential thrust. An odd problem; everything working fine then nothing. As I mentally ran down the list of possible issues I could rule out several things. Since there wasn’t a large spreading pool of hydraulic oil at the helm I assumed we hadn’t blown a pump or helm seal. That left the steering ram and linkage as the next possibility. I was hoping it wasn’t a blown line hidden somewhere in the walls and bulkheads,

At least the ram and linkage was easily accessible. When I removed the step hatch at the wet deck port I immediately saw the problem. The connecting eye bolt had come unthreaded from the ram actuator rod. How, I hadn’t a clue since the clevis and clevis pin were both still in place. Possible the threads had stripped and pulled out. Close inspection revealed they were in excellent condition. Rather than ponder further I threaded the eye bolt back on the rod and using the 2-way radio communicated with aeon to move the helm to help me line up the hole for the clevis pin. Done and we are back online with the helm. Easy repair, but I am unsure as to how it could back out. The only thing I can think of is that the rod may slowly rotate over years of use. Add one more item to pre departure check list.

Machos de Fuera is a pretty little cay. Surrounded by reefs and shoals it is an especially tricky entrance even in the best of light. We followed Nigel Caulder’s approach and found our selves inside a very small lagoon with the beach of the cay to our SW and an exposed sand bar to our N with breaking reef immediately E and shoals to our W. With only one shallow very narrow and curving channel to the NW it is not an approach for the faint of heart.

We were surprised to see some thatch palapas under the coconut palms and a small rickety pier off the beach. Caulder had said the cay was deserted with only the remains of an old fishing station of the west side. We saw the ruins as expected but did not expect to see a man walk out of the palms and onto the pier signaling to us where to anchor.

The actual anchor is calm but very small. About 200 yards across it is an irregular bowl shape with sloping sides down to almost 20’ in the center. It took a couple of tries to get a good set in the center. The problem would be if you started to drag there was no place to drag to.

Once the anchor was down and I was clearing the decks the Cubano paddled up to our transom in a old plastic kayak. We invited him aboard and shared a couple of beers with him while he told us about the cay.  Seems a couple of years ago they started to bring out day trippers from the Hotel Ancon and Trinidad for a snorkeling and beach combing. The catamaran arrives late morning and they leave again late afternoon. He (Giovani) was one of two men stationed there. They worked 15 days on 15 days off. We said we would come ashore later when we had Hook launched and take a tour.

About 1700 hrs we had Hook down and motored around the anchorage then over to the dock. Giovani came out and secured Hook while we got off. Following him ashore we were surprised by the site. There was a house with solar power for lights, TV and fans. They had a brand new refrigerator but they had installed an inverter that had the rated size to run it, it didn’t have the “start” capacity to get it going. So, Giovani and his co-workers stored dry goods in it and waited for the catamaran to bring them ice. During season it comes 5 times a week, but right now it comes on a very loose schedule of once every few days or so.

As we walked up to the house we could see a large congregation of iguanas and another type of animal that ranged from cat to small dog size. Giovani called the Jutoba. Definitely rodentia, similar to a large rat with course fur with long digits like a raccoon. Giovani cut up a coconut and gave us pieces of coconut meat to feed them. Although wild they were very willing to come right up and beg for food. I suspect they can be a pain at times when they gnaw their way into everything you have. I am unsure how they keep them out of the house, if they do. The iguanas were likewise very accustomed to human presence, unlike iguanas elsewhere these you had to step over or around. They also would approach for coconut meat. While the jutoba take the coconut almost daintily from your fingers the iguanas would snap at it without a huge amount of accuracy. A couple of times my fingers where included in the take. Not painful but surprising.

The interior of the cay holds a large pond of water that depending on the rain it can be brackish or fresh. Since there had been lots of rain it was brimming and fresh. Ie Lots of mosquitoes!!!!  Aeon and I took a walk along the western beach which is covered with hermit crabs scuttling to get out from under foot. The beach appears blurry with the motion.

After thanking our host we said we would see him in the morning and went back aboard to have dinner and a good nights rest.

I was awakened about 0100 with the sounds of heavy rain and winds. The winds had clocked and we were stern towards the little pier.  Although I had set the radar alarm it wasn’t functioning because the rain was so heavy that it returned a solid echo. When I adjusted out the rain clutter it became apparent we had drug. I got aeon up and while we watched we could see Second Star slowly making way towards the cay and the shoal to the west.

It was a quick decision to start the mains and away anchor. I thought our chances were better on the grounds West of the cay rather than in that little bowl. The immediate problem was that we were almost on the shoals, the second issue was that Hook was still afloat astern. There would be no time to get her aboard so we hoisted anchor and followed our “cookie crumb” trial back out of the anchorage. Once well west of the cay we tried to anchor again in about 15’ of water. The anchor set and release, set and release allowing us to make a slow but steady southing before the wind. The wind is up from the NE and we are in about 3’ swells. To much rock and roll to try and retrieve Hook with risk of damage to both Hook and Second Star as well as possible injury to the crew.

After a short discussion I decided to rig a towing bridle for Hook and we would head out for Cayo Iglis in the Cinco Balleros group about 10 hrs away. Both aeon and I are tired but we know we can do 1 on 1 off and make this happen. Once the towing bridle is on we restart the mains, hoist the anchor and we are off for Cayo Iglis. A long night into morning, especially for aeon who took a 2 ½ hour first watch because I had either  the flu or food poisoning with a fever and all the digestive issues associated.

Wednesday 3 October 2012
021° 02.99” N  079° 17.39 W
Cayo Iglis

We fought through the early hours of the morning and on into the day making way against a serious wind, rain squalls and head seas. It also, seemed we were being set by a wind driven current. At 800 RPM’s which normally gives us 7 to 7.5 knots we were making 6 or less. Even though we were inside the reef it was a rough passage.

We finally had Cayo Iglis in sight just before noon. We were both exhausted and ready to be in a quiet, sheltered anchorage we knew and had faith in the holding ground. It would be an understatement to say it was good to come around the eastern shoal marker and ease into the narrow entrance to the interior lagoon.  Hearing the anchor chain rattle down the hawse was a welcome sound. With the anchor set, aeon restored order to the inside of the boat while I took a moment and rinsed the salt off our new side and aft decks. The rest of Second Star was coated with salt from the spray but it would have to wait. Right now we wanted some food, a shower and a nap. We had a small bowl of cottage cheese with some fresh fruit, rinsed ourselves and fell on the bed.

Four hours later we awoke to the sound of thunder in the distance. With Second Star safe and secure I was hoping we would get a good rain to wash of the salt and save our R/O water. Feeling a little better although still achy out of sorts life seemed better. It looked like we might get some rain so I decided to put off the rinse until manana. I needed to clean the raw water filter for the water maker and change the sediment filters before we could make water.  Accomplished I started the gen-set and the R/O and we relaxed on the aft deck in the breeze working on our logs and reading.

Evening brought light rain and a dinner of Guatemala eggs and bread. We shut down the boat just before 2100 hrs and went to bed. Safe, secure and peaceful. What a pleasure a full nights sleep is.

Thursday 4 October 2012
Cayo Iglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

What a difference a good nights sleep makes. I didn’t wake until 0700 hrs. With a brief exception of a 0300hrs anchor check because I heard the wind change it was uninterrupted. One of life’s great joys.

Today I was going to wash Second Star but the rain has done most of it for me so I will put it off for right now, maybe this afternoon. (I am beginning to sound like a latino).  I cleaned the engine room while aeon was snoozing. Emptied the drip buckets from the prop shafts, checked all the levels, wiped down the equipment; once again Second Star ready for immediate start.  Our emergency departure from Cayo Macho de Fuera has validated my routine of trying to always be ready foir sea when on anchor.

Fresh coffee, tea and oatmeal for breakfast. Now the day can begin.

The first project was to re-spool the davit for Hook. I wanted to take the excess new line off. When I got it all measured we actually have 2 new lines in the length so I cut and sealed it, we re-spooled the davit and put the rest in ship’s stores.

Aeon did some laundry and defrosted the refrigerator while I got my logs caught up from the last few days. It can be a real project when you procrastinate for many days. Plus the days just meld together.

After lunch we had a rest through the heat. You know I could very easily get into the habit of a siesta. Hmm I wonder if it is addicting? If so, the I am probably hooked.

After our siesta we took Hook out for a run around the Northwest cay of the group. It is a very beautiful place. Full of color and sunlight and solitude. Lots of mangrove and beach surrounded by crystal Caribbean water of every hue. It took more than an hour to make the circuit. It does the soul good to be a “wild” place, devoid of permanent human activity.

I have decided to definitely wash Second Star in the morning so I withdrew 80 liters of water from the tank into storage bottles so I can refill the tank tonight with R/O. I am not sure how many gallons  it takes to wash her. Tomorrow I will do a gpm measurement on the washer then time use of the pressure washer and hopefully have some good estimation. I am expecting 40 to 60 gallons. Time will tell.

I mounted the new weather sensor on the base this afternoon and ran the cable down the deck to the display and checked its functionality.  It seems to work fine, so manana I will feed the cable through the fly bridge and into the house so I can do a final connection.

Aeon made a delicious red Thai curry with fresh Cubera snapper for dinner. It was delicious, she feeds us well!

After dinner we enjoyed another lightshow provided by Mother Nature. It was far enough away we couldn’t hear the thunder but the lightening was spectacular. Speaking of which, we are supposed to have a tropical wave pass over us on Sunday the 7th.  Hopefully it will bring rain to keep the boat rinsed without using R/O water.

Friday 5 October 2012
Cayo Iglis in the Cayos Cinco Balleras
021°02,99’N 079°17.38’W

Fresh North breeze this morning. Low scattered clouds. Looks like another day in paradise.

This morning I replaced the inlet hose to the boost pump for the water maker. This was a preventive maintenance item as the old one was starting to show it’s age And I would hate to have it fail connected to a pump capable of 1500 gph into Second Star.

After that it was “manana” and time to wash Second Star. The water tank was full and we were making water so I was out of excuses. It only takes about 90 minutes and I estimate 50 to 60 gallons of water to give it a good rinse. So with me washing and aeon using the chamois we started on the hardtop and worked our way down to the wet deck and then for good measure we rinsed Hook as well. There is nothing like a fresh clean boat that isn’t salt sticky. It is amazing how a little salt on a surface holds moisture and it never dries out completely. It must of pretty miserable on the old sailing ships that would be at sea for months.  In the book Furnace of the Sea, and account of the stoving of the whaler Essex, the author describes the vessel as “glittering crystal white with salt”.  Not Second Star, she may get crusty on a passage but we do try and keep it off.

I found a small leak in the fuel fill line to the generator tank, actually a leaking coupling which I fixed after lunch, before my siesta. After which we took Hook out to explore an old ruin fish camp. From there we did some scouting for lobstering, If the morning is calm, we are going to try and pick up 50 or so for the larder.  Running South along the shore the mangroves gave way to a couple of miles of white sand beach, so we decided to do some beach combing.

Hook found the water to be over a meter right up to shore. So we hove the stern anchor on a short scope and waded the 5 feet in knee deep water to tie the bow painter to a dead mangrove.  It became apparent almost immediately that we had come ashore in the Land of Away. We saw lots of iguana sign, shore birds and tracks that resembled raccoon very closely which I assume to be those of Jutoba.
The piece of paradise has no one living on or even near it.  Yet , everywhere we looked was PLASTIC!!!! Plastic shoes, plastic bottles, plastic parts, plastic tooth brushes, plastic lighters, plastic forks, etc to ad nauseum. We had come ashore on the island of Away.  It made me embarrassed of my species which considers the plastic bottle which held water as trash and to be discarded even though it cost more than the water it held.  Yet it is thrown away. We have traveled great distances to be in “pristine” areas and you know what, they don’t exist, except as a fantasy. The world has become the Away. Hallelujah!  It was just so sad to see this beautiful isolated paradise full of trash which has floated ashore from who knows where.

The late afternoon grew still and hot. The aft deck was facing West as the sun began it’s final slide into the sea. The lagoon behind us looked like quicksilver with an undulating ribbon of molten gold flowing into the wet deck. To the East thunder rumbled as a cumulo-nimbus towered. Its white cottony top reaching for the stratosphere while dark slants of rain blanked the horizon beneath it. The faintest of breeze flowed out from under the cloud encompassed Second Star with freshness. We sat on the fore deck and watch a great double rainbow form and fade.

We fed some cut up snapper from last nights dinner to the residence barracuda who is living under Second Star. He is about 1 meter long. I tried to get him to hit a surface plug, which he would follow eagerly but not strike. That is when, much to aeon’s delight, I decided to feed him instead. It was pretty cool to watch him slide up to a chunk, slowly take it and roll to one side showing us all his beauty. I had never notice the stripe of metallic gold scales that from just aft the operculum to the caudal fin. They would sparkle in the sun as he rolled like embedded jewels.

We had a stale (but very good) baguette of French bread in the freezer. It became dinner as classic French toast with sliced strawberries, water melon and pineapple.

In the last evening light from the fading sunset we took Hook out for a quiet motor to the West end of the lagoon and back. It was very peaceful and a pleasant way to end the day.


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Thursday 20 Sept 2012:1915 hrs LZT
O21°36.992’ N 081°34.624W
At anchor, Cayo Largo, Cuba

17 Septembre 2012
Isla Mujeres to Cayo Largo. This passage actual begin with moving from Marina Paraiso to Bahia Tortuga where we tied up on Danny and Rhonda’s new dock which was like being on anchor since it had no services and not quite enough cleats. We spent two nights there living off internal systems with no issues. Monday the 17th was our departure date, planning on leaving after dinner and before midnight.

Second Star was sea ready, everything stored, only some last minute shopping at Chedraui with the leftover pesos from fueling. So at 1800 hrs we cast off the lines and made way to the Villa Vera fuel dock to take on 700 plus gallons. Enough fuel to take us to Cuba, the Caymans, Islas Provedencia and San Andreas, Panama, the Canal and down to Ecuador.  It takes some time to load that much fuel from the Villa Vera pump which is very slow. We didn’t finish loading until about 2030 hrs. So while I finished with the fuel logs and last minute stowage aeon took all of our pesos and went to Chedraui on a shopping spree. Aeon and groceries aboard, both of us freshly showered and fed we were underway, making way at 2200 hrs. Cuba on the horizon.

18 Septembre 2012
Passageweather.com had predicted 1 meter average for the waves across the Yucatan, easy to less than .5 after we tuck under Cuba; and it was spot on! As usual for the Yucatan Channel, the waves were closely set on our starboard forward quarter.  Not a bad ride even if a little rock and roll. Dawn found us  South of the Cabo San Antonio light. The early hours of dawn also brought us lots of big boat traffic as we traversed the traffic separation zone off the West end of Cuba. Aeon had a close pass with a tanker at one mile just before the 0400 hrs watch change.  I had one right after dawn that required some radio communication and for Second Star to alter course.  The piece of water has always provided us with some interesting situations.

We had pick up a nice boost from the Gulf Stream with extended times at 10+ knots and most of the crossing at 9.5 ish. The counter current continued to carry us on our way as far as Isla Juventude with speeds of 9 + knots and the sea state was settling into a very sedate and pleasant ride. By evening we had run out of the counter current boost and began experiencing the normal east to west current which set us back into the 7 knot-ish range, so we throttle back to 800 RPMs lowering the exhaust gas temps to 600°F, which helps with the heat intrusion into the boat and it made for a more civilized arrival time at Cayo Largo, plus helped with the fuel burn.

In the late afternoon and on into the night a lightning storm RAGED over the La Colima area of Cuba. It was the most intense display I have ever witnessed. Now that is saying a lot, with the thunderstorms of the high deserts and more recently several hurricanes. All those paled in comparison.  The storm filled the horizon for 50 degrees. And the lightning was intense and continuous for almost 6 hours. It is near moonless and dark upon the sea. The only light is from the storm. And what light. He clouds were illuminated from within by massive surges of lightning which made the scene almost surreal. I was reminded of the WWII film footage of naval bombardments where the guns flashed almost continuously amidst the rolling smoke. As I followed the weapons train of thought I wondered if this was what it would look like to witness combatants unleashing weapons of massive energy at each other. I could certainly understand at a cellular level what ancient humans must of felt when the were caught by one of these storms. Of course Zeus hurled lightning bolts and Thor struck with his mighty hammer. Across the faces of the glowing clouds lightning laced in fiery patterns and lattices. The most amazing were the squiggly bolts which would course along the underside of the cloud like frenetic methamphetamine driven caterpillars. And lightning came in colors other than blue-white which left neon green traces on your retinas. I saw pinks and corals and purples and even green tinged bolts. Lightning bolts which ran from extreme West to extreme East along the face of the clouds covered an estimated 75 miles end to end. We were far enough away that we could only rarely hear what we though was thunder. It was a silent film version of unleashed mega joules of energy.  I wonder what it looked like from the ISS.

19 Septembre 2012

Stunning sunrise with the leftover clouds from last nights light show.

Mid day Wednesday I called the Guardia de Frontera at Marina Cayo Largo with our ETA. We had some rearranging of stores to do before check in so aeon took care of that and had a shower to freshen up for arrival while I stood watch to  the outer sea mark. Aeon took over the helm and I got the deck organized for docking then went below to shower. We had slowed the engines down to about 450° F to scrub heat from the engine room for the last half hour. I was just finishing my shower when I felt Second Star slip into neutral. A quick look out the port showed we were almost at the Marina. Dressing on the way, I went to the bridge and had aeon call the Port Authority for berthing instructions. Once we had berthing location, I returned to the weather deck and dock lines while aeon slipped us into the marina. I feel a great deal of pride for the girl who really never had any boating experience and used to get nauseated just thinking about docking Second Star now calmly and efficiently bringing 80,000 pounds of machinery to a stable parallel position just a foot or so from a steel and concrete pier in a 15 knot cross breeze.

Once secured from sea, engines shut off and checks complete; the procession of Cuban officials began, and continued for almost 3 hours. There is a hierarchy of officialdom here which they precisely observe. First on the docket is the Doctor to make sure that the vessel is healthy. A bubbly, middle-aged Cubana, very short hair and tight jeans who verifies our health in triplicate, no carbon paper. “Si, un Coka con hielo, por favor”.

On the pier is a young Cubana named Arlene who is charge of the Marina, procuring our Visas and seems to be directing who gets to come aboard and in what order.

The Dr. was followed by the aduana (customs) then came the dog to terrorize the cat and drool all over the floor, then the Arlene and her assistant for the Visa’s, the dog dude returned less the dog and had a Coka. He didn’t do any paperwork just stood by and drank cola. Finally we had the Vetarnario and the Agriculture inspector. The Ag man was the same one as before and we had a very nice chat while waiting a Cuban minuto for the Vet. Who when he finally arrived was as  slow as a sloth in completing his triplicate paperwork. By now it almost 1500 hrs and the Banco closes at 1500 hrs and we need stamps and KUC to pay the various fees. It costs over $300 for aeon and I to be here a month. To be fair that includes complete health care services if needed.

We left the boat with the Vet and walked up to Banco. We I went to the window the teller recognized me and we had a nice visit while he did his triplicate forms to exchange our Canadian to KUK. And then again forms in triplicate to let us buy our clearance document stamps. With currency and stamps in hand we began the rounds of the various offices to either pay dinero or present stamps. On our walk we were warmly greeted by several people who remembered Second Star from her previous visit. Although our notoriety was pleasant the officer at the Guardia del Fronteria put it in perspective when he informed me that we were the first yaté to visit in almost 2 months. We are the only crew here. (Having a thought about if we are the only ones here WHY does it take so long to get checked in???).

The Capitanea del Puerto is next to the Guardia, but he was not there and the Guardia thought he would be back in a few minutes. Since we hadn’t had any food since breakfast and it was after 1500 hrs we walked across the lawn to the bar and ordered drinks and pizza. Let see, what to have? Ham and cheese, cheese and ham, cheese or ham??? Welcome to Cuba: land of ham and cheese. No Cuban beer, only Heineken or Corona. WTF?????? So we tried a non-alcoholic beverage from here called Malta. Glad that one is behind me.

After food the Capitan still had not returned and I was ready ot be done with it foor the day. We still had to get Second Star out on the anchor and secured from sea. So I asked the Guardia to please inform the Capitan that we would be back manana to to see him. With that we moved Second Star out of the marina and into a sheltered cove where we had seen boats anchoring the previous trip. Anchor down and set, mains shut off, helm secure; it was time for a nap. We were both tired from the crossing and a little siesta seemed in order. Started the generator and the water maker and lay down to rest. Less than an hour later the water maker started leaking. ARRGHHH!! It has been running perfectly for over 100 hours. Shut down the system, get out towels and start to clean up all the salt water from the workbench and floor. Once the mess was taken care of I removed the high pressure vessels from the mounts and disassembled the manifold end where the leak was. After cleaning and a close inspection I could find nothing wrong. Reassembled with new o-rings and brought back online. Working fine, made water until we shut down the gen-set for the evening with no further issues.
After a nice quiet dinner we got ready for an early bed. Set the radar for the anchor alarm and called it a day.

Pitch black, the wind has shifted and is building, anchor dragging. Man oh man, I thought cruising was relaxing and restful. HA! Quick check of the situation indicates that we will need to retrieve the anchor and reset. I set the engine room and restarted the mains while aeon brought the helm online. She carefully brought us up on the scope while I retrieved the anchor rode. As the anchor came into view I could see it was completely foul with a wad o’ sod. I instructed aeon to move us across the channel to a previous anchor spot where I knew the bottom was clear sand.

As aeon helmed into position I cleared the anchor and got ready to deploy. Once again, the anchor is down and set. Second Star is holding position, the radar is on alarm and we go back to bed. Tired, but nervous; edgy about the anchor. Morning finds us still in the same spot and with daylight I can confirm that the anchor is indeed well buried.

20 Septembre 2012 (I think it is Viernes- I saw a clock that tells the day of the week instead of the hour. Now that is something I can use. LOL)

Fired up the gen-set after breakfast to charge the batteries, do laundry and make water so I can wash the salt off of Second Star.  We needed to launch Hook so we went to the fly bridge to prep for launch. I asked aeon to go to the tool bench and get a multi tool for. She came rushing back up to inform me that the watermaker was leaking. 45 minutes in the R/O process the o-ring fails again. ARRRRGHHHH!!! Get out the towels, mop up the water, clean the workbench and floors, take down the … you know the routine by now. Disassemble the unit and I will be damned if I can find ANYTHING amiss. Frustrates the hell out of me when something doesn’t work and there is no apparent reason why. I used the micrometer on the o-rings and can’t find any difference in the replacements and the ones I took out. Although the groove for the o-ring could handle a larger diameter. I don’t have a larger diameter replacement, but I do have a slightly smaller one that is a larger diameter. I decide to try and stretch it into place. Mission accomplished but it is too thick to fit back into the pressure tube. So off it comes and an original goes back on with a very narrow one in the groove with it to possiblly hold it in position better.

It is now midday and I need to send aeon back into Cayo Largo to try and take care of the last of the check-in procedure and send out an arrival message to our SPOT team and family while I finish with the water maker repairs. Take a break from the water maker and get Hook launch. While aeon is Cayo Largo I continue with the water maker.  This time I get about 15 minutes before it leaks. Damn, going backwards. You are well acquainted with the routine that follows a leak. Although I am getting smarter and not putting everything back on the work bench.
This time I am back to a single o-ring and careful reassembly. The only other variable I have is the pressure. So once again we are back online and I reduce the production pressure by 20% (750psi ↓ 600psi) and power the unit on. Aeon sits on the floor sorting loose fasteners from my last 7 months of work into the proper boxes/bins and keeps an eye on the R/O.

Doing this time I transferred fuel to refill the main engine day tanks from the aft auxiliary tank and moved 1270 lbs (590 liters) of fuel from deck storage containers into the aft auxiliary tank by siphon. Slow, but very energy efficient. Now we are full of fuel again with enough to make Ecuador, the aft deck is clear and washed AND the R/O has run for four hours delivering water to the freshwater tank instead of all over the machinery room. Whoo Hoo.

And here I sit, on a comfortable chair watching the sun go down with a glass of Shiraz and writing my logs. aeon is making tom kha goong for dinner with fresh Caribbean shrimps and the smell wafting aft is making my mouth water, The Barefoot Man Band CD is on the stereo. The water maker is running at 650 psi (living dangerously) and making 12 gph, the anchor is buried in clean sand, the sun is setting. Life is good, sometimes a little to interesting. Wish I was sharing it with friends and family more often. Miss y’all.

Captain Pedro Pan





Hola,

Internet is difficult and expensive here in Cuba. It is $7.20 to $12 per hour depending on where you are. AND so SLOW!!!!! So I am writing you aboard and will load this onto a thumb drive and send it with the next available access.

I can’t believe how time has flown. We left Isla Mujeres Wednesday the 12th. It was an uneventful crossing, with a fair sea and nor much wind. The new bulbous bow performed very well. We averaged almost 8.5 knots at 825 rpm on less than 3.4 gallons per hour. Our watermaker started to leak when we tested it a couple days before we were leaving. I arranged with a machine shop in Cancun to make new parts out of stainless steel to replace the plastic ones that were cracked. The promised them the following morning at 1000 hrs (hahaha I have to remember it is Mexico). The finally delivered the parts incorrectly done and missing some of the fasteners I had given them to match the threads at 2300 hrs. So no watermaker for this trip, which means we are on sailor water rations. Which in and of itself is not a bad thing. Fresh water is a precious thing.

After passing south of Cabo San Antonio we headed for the south end of Isla Juventude where we had been told we could check into the country. Cuban law requires a radio check-in when entering the 12 mile limit. I called and called and called on both channel 16 (the international hailing freq and on 77) to no avail. Finally after steaming more than 2 hrs into the bay towards Isla Juventude I finally raised the Guardia de la Frontera on Isla Juventude who informed me that a check-in was “not possible” there. SO we turned around and steamed back out 2 hrs and continued on to Cayo Largo.

We arrived at about 0400 hrs. It was dark and I didn’t want to make the channel in the reef without daylight so I set a course South for an hour and returned to the entrance through the reef at day break. Made a careful, but uneventful approach to the marina and were directed to tie up on the foreshore to await customs, immigration, the guardia, the veterinarian, the sanitation officer etc. Cuba loves its bureaucracy.  Check-in was a long process but no problems. LOTS of paperwork and stamps.

Cayo Largo is a major tourist area with a good infrastructure. We made the acquaintance of a friend of a friend who had alerted Pire of our coming. Pire works for the Cuban government (LOL everyone in Cuba works for the government) as a marina manager. He was very gracious and helped us a great deal. Once we were all cleared into the country we had showers and a long nap. Not a lot to really see at Cayo Largo. A small town square with a couple of bars and restaurants and a turtle hatchery where we got to see the efforts being made to save the sea turtles.

Had a great dinner at the nicer restaurant of fresh lobster, shrimp and fish.  Because of Bob’s flight schedule we decided to head on east along the reef to Cayo Inglis where I hoped we could anchor in the lee and get some fishing and diving in. When we arrived it was apparent that the wind was picking up and no safe anchorage was to be made. So we continued on towards Cienfuegos. Once we rounded the light at Cayo Guano del Este the wind was up to a full gale (35+ knots) and the seas were running about 2 meters with a very short period. As the sunset I made the decision to keep the crew below because of the motion of Second Star and the amount of water that was being blown aboard. The last thing I wanted was to lose anyone overboard trying to make the bridge for watch change.. Under reduced power to ease her motion Second Star slogged her way northward through the night to the entrance to the bay where Cienfuegos lay. Once under the lee of the shore the seas finally lay down and aeon came to the bridge to navigate the narrow channel into the bay.

About daybreak I finally made contact with the marina who advised we layoff and anchor. Which we did and got a few hours of much needed sleep. About midday we launched Tink and went ashore to talk to the Capitan de la Marina. With information about what slip we returned to Second Star, raised the anchor and proceeded to the slip. Another round of visits and paper work but nothing unpleasant. Everyone just wants to see all your paperwork, of which there is a steadily growing mountain as each subsequent visit adds paper work to the pile.

Cienfuegos is a beautiful, immaculately CLEAN city. Relatively few cars, but lots of the horse drawn carts locally called “coches” and man powered tricycle taxis called “bici-taxis”. We rode a coche to town. Haven’t yet tried the bici-taxis.

Spent a couple of days exploring the city. Lots of beautiful old buildings,. museums and a several blocks long road through the center of the town which is pedestrian only with lots of vendors and stalls. Very picturesque and fun. We went to a local discos one night and watched the action. Music way to loud, but the Cubans are an especially handsome people, very European in the looks and all the chicas are dressed to kill.

We took a horse drawn coche into Plaza Central one day and the driver insisted that aeon sit up front and drive the cart. Bob and I had lots of fun teasing her and she kept showing us her damage middle finger nail that got all bruised when a hatch closed on it.

On Wednesday last we went to Habana by  a car arranged for us by the Capitan de la Marina. His friend showed up in a 2006 Mercedes Benz L class. He delivered us in real style (and comfort) to the Marina Hemmingway where we had another Cubano waiting for us. His name is Lemar and he works for Tim Coffey when Edward J. is in Cuba. Lemar had arranged rooms for us at a nearby house. Our hostess, Nielda, was a very kind and pleasant Cubana matron whose house was absolutely immaculate. We unpacked rested for a bit then met Tim Coffey at the restaurant Palenque for dinner.

The next day we took a ride into the old colonial center of Habana to sight see. WOW!!!!! Stunning old buildings, museums, plazas, parks. AND way to many cars. The air was saturated with unburned hydrocarbons. Walking around Pargue Central, the main central plaza which is sided by the Capitol building we came to the Grand National Theater where the National Cuba Ballet performs. They were performing Friday night so we acquired tickets for the performance. We walked down a side street and picked a little sidewalk café/bar for some coffee and breakfast. The coffee in Cuba is excellent although the food seems  to be bland and generally available as some variation on ham and cheese. Ham sandwich, cheese sandwich or ham and cheese sandwich. They also have cheese pizza, ham pizza or ham and cheese pizza. LOL. As we continued our walking tour I saw a horse and carriage go by with what appears to be tour guide driving. A short discussion and it was decided to get one so asked a local where they could be hired and he directed us back to the Parque Central. There a man named Leonardo sold his services to us and we boarded the carriage pulled by a very good looking horse named Picasso. I asked about the breed and he said they are similar to Andulusians with some Arab bred in. Smallish but very well gaited, and a nice spirit.

Leonardo turned out to be a jewel. He kept us rapt with his stories about Habana  while imparting a vast wealth of information about the history of the city. We would be riding along with him extolling the virtues of whatever we were looking at when he would stop the carriage and ask us to join him for short little side walks through labyrinths of alleys to show us some interesting view or piece of culture. Our 1 hour tour turned into five hours with mojitos on roof top terrazas accompanied by great Cuban musicians, to strolls through restored plazas and even a trip to the bus station to get tickets for aeon and my return trip to Cienfuegos. The highlight of the Habana trip was dinner at Leonardos house where we spent a wonderful evening as Cubanos visiting with his wife Milagro and daughter Briana. The meal was simple, BUT without question the finest food we have in Cuba. Chicken grilled over charcoal served with rice and a salad and the best black beans I have ever eaten. Muchas gracias Milagro. Their daughter Briana is about as cute as they come and very smart. She would like to be an email pen pal with Barett if Barett is willing.

An aside, Nielda arranged for some relative (Antonio) to be available to drive us around Habana in his 1953 Ford sedan. It was a déjà vu moment for me to be back in the land of the cars I grew up with. Lots of fun, although not very good for the air quality; the air in Habana is heavy with unburned hydrocarbons. Antonio keeps the car absolutely spotless and took great pride in delivering us in grand style everywhere we went with him. Insisting on getting the doors and saluting me whenever I entered or departed the car.. A bit embarrassing but he was not to be deterred. “You are the Capitan Senoir.”

Friday morning saw Bob off to the airport and aeon and I just lounged the day away. Walking to Marina Hemmingway to visit with Lemar and meeting other cruiser who are there and having a nap before the ballet.

Antonio delivered us to the Grand National Theater early because I wanted to get a cup of coffee and something sweet before the performance. We had been recommended a restaurant earlier but it was packed with a long line waiting. The doorman started to explain where we could find another place run by a friend but the directions became more trouble than it was worth so he just walked the five blocks with us. It was a very nice little place associated with a theater school where we had a coffee and a delicious postrie similar to a tiramisu with caramel and topped with chocolate ice cream.

A stroll back to the theater was timed to be perfect for our entrance. Inside the building is stunning. All new upholstery on the seats and very clean. Our seats were on the main floor six rows back and just off center. There are three tiers of balconies rising to a stunningly painted vaulted ceiling. The orchestra was tuning so I walked up to look into the pit and was surprised to see that most of the musician were young. As the theater filled it was apparent that Cubans love the arts. Just before the curtain people started to clap and look back into the first balcony. As aeon and I looked in the general direction and I heard her whisper in awe “Alisha Alonso”, and there she was making her way to a seat. The audience gave her a standing ovation with many bravos, bellisimops and gracias’. Aeon was overwhelmed with emotion. It was a beautiful moment to share with her.

Now there is story here that I must tell, but first some background. The National Ballet de Cuba is a world class company ranking with the Kierov, the Bolshoi, New York , London Symphony, well you get the idea. Alisha Alonso is the founder, choreographer and artistic director of the Ballet as well as a retired prima ballerina. She is now in her 90’s, blind and a national treasure. They are celebrating her years with the ballet in Cuba this year.

Aeon’s ballet mistress was Teresa Martinez who trained under and danced for Alisha in the Cuban Ballet before her family fled to the USA in 1970. Teresa’s mother Mama Martinez was the costume mistress for Alisha and taught aeon’s mother to make tutus and Teresa’s brother Enrique who danced with Alisha went on to be the managing director of New York City Ballet. So for aeon there is a very strong connection to the Cuban National Ballet and to it’s mistress Alisha Alonso and getting to be in her presence at the theater where Alsiha danced and Teresa trained and danced was an especially brilliant moment.

Earlier when we went for tickets aeon stood in front of the theater and looked all around and said this is where Teresa danced and came everyday for class. And as I looked about the plaza I realized it had probably changed very little since Teresa has left. The cars were still 1940, 1950 vintage, the horse coches were still there, the Cubans still sat and chatted on the same benches. It truly was a step back in time. My heart is overwhelmed with the joy it has brought aeon to be where her dance career truly began and to be in the presence of the woman who touched her life so deeply.

Yesterday we rode the bus back to Cienfuegoes, arriving early afternoon. Spent the day doing laundry and relaxing. Had a couple from Australia we had briefly met in Cayo Largo aboard for a drink in the evening., Shane and Maryvon. A very nice visit, fun interesting people. They are going to Trinidad (Cuba) and on to the Jardines de la Reinas later in the week so we will see them again there.

It looks like we will be heading for the Jardines either later today or in the morning. This morning we are going to the Mercado for fresh produce and finish up the laundry.

Life is good and we are well. Cuba is awesome and the Cuban people are some of the nicest, most generous and gracious people we have met. Many new friends. I know the internet access here makes it difficult for lots of communication, but keep writing I will 6 get back to you. I think we will be heading back to Isla Mujeres in the next couple of weeks. Will keep you posted.

XOXOXOXXOXO
Love Dad



23 January 2012
Cayo Blanco de Casilda, Cuba
The Internet was not co-operating when we tried to send our updates from Cienfuegoes. Now we are aboard anchored off Cayo Blanco de Casilda south east of Cienfuegoes. We moved Second Star out of the marina and into the roadsteads last night. When I tried to put the anchor down the windlass would not power up. It had hesitated with Bob earlier…so I ran through all the normal things; i.e. circuit breakers, fuses, connections. Nada! Went ahead and loosed the clutch on the chain gypsy and drop the anchor manually. All the while hoping I could get to the bottom of the issue without having to manually retrieve 450 lbs of anchor chain. Got out the multi meter and the screwdriver and started through the system. After about 45 minutes I found a wire that had come unsoldered on the hand held control plug. A relative easy and painless repair; and voila! I didn’t have to retrieve all that chain by hand.

I got up at 0400 hrs LZT this morning and went to the marina in the launch to get the Capitan del Puerto and bring him to Second Star. It seems that he cannot give us our clearance papers and cruising permit ashore or in advance but must be aboard the vessel immediately prior to departure. Oh well it was his sleep that got disturbed.

Aeon and I had the anchor up and stored, the launch aboard and underway, making way by 1106 hrs Z (0606 hrs LZT). We had an uneventful cruise down to Cay Blanco de Casilda where we passed inside the reef and anchored in 3.5 meters of water on the west side of the Cayo. The anchor fully set on the first try in a clean sand bottom. One of life’s little joys is not having to spend an hour doing anchor launch and retrieve drills instead of having a mojito. There are two other boats anchored here, a mono hull sloop with a German flag and a catamaran which appears to be a local charter company boat. The Italians have many concessions for sailing, diving and fishing. Tourism is alive and well in Cuba and the rest of the world is enjoying it.

As I sit here on the aft deck writing my log I am watching the sun set into the sea. It is perfectly clear and sun has turned a deep crimson as it kisses the dark line of the horizon. I paused too watch it set hoping to get to see the mythical green flash, but all I have is floating bright orbs with black rims floating in my vision. I need to look up the reason the sun gets ovoid as it touches the horizon. I am sure it has something to do with density of the atmosphere or the thickness of the atmospheric lens or maybe it is the sun is made of silly putty and it just flattens out along the horizon.

Tonight aeon is making pizza, mushroom and cheese I believe.  Well light house on the eatern side of the Cayo is flashing so our anchor light needs to be turned on and the anchor watch set on the radar, so I will close for now. Manana en la manana we are going to head further into the archipelago as we have decided to go to Cayo Breton and work our way back to Casilda. Six or seven hours cruising and another beautiful little piece of paradise awaits to be explored.

1835 hrs LZT
Cayo Breton, Cuba

After a restful evening off Cayo Blanco, we were up at a civilized time, the sun was clearing the horizon when we got out of bed. Heated coffee and tea, made a bowl of oatmeal and we were ready to hoist anchor.

Clearing the channel into the Caribbean we headed southeast for Cayo Breton. A smooth sail in a light chop. I did some fishing on the way as we passed close by the reefs. It is amazing that the water goes from 6,000 plus feet to 50 feet in less than 1/8 of a mile. Along the edge in 100 feet of water I hooked up with a very large fish. I never saw it. But it acted like a sailfish and when it broke off the end of the leader was all abraded the way the bill of the sailfish or marlin does. Oh well it a more valuable fish now since it is wearing a $20 lure.  Later as we were approaching Cayo Breton I again trolled the ledge in about 80 feet of water and had another big fish hit a diving plug. It also broke off with my lure. Lots of expensive excitement and no fresh fish for dinner. Oh well there is always tomorrow.

We made the cut in the reef and proceeded inshore to Cayo Breton., On the northwest corner there is a channel into the Cayo which carries the depth so we entered and anchored in a small lagoon just South of the light tower. The current was on full ebb as we set the hook and Second Star streamed out and lay serenely mid channel.

Aeon made us a lunch of Guatemala eggs, fresh fruit and warm tortillas. We enjoyed it on the aft deck watching the bay. There is a nesting pair of osprey in the light tower. After lunch we launched Hook. What a joy the new deck crane winch is. We discovered a broken roller support bracket under Hook. I will take it off in the morning and weld it back together so we can retrieve Hook before we move to Cayo Alcatracito.

With Hook in the water we gathered some water, a fishing pole and our basic boat survival gear and left Second Star to go exploring. First we ran to the other end of the channel we are anchored in and passed over a shallow bar into the Bahia Anna Maria. Not much to see on that side of the Cayo. Lots of dead mangrove. It must have been hit hard by a hurricane or two in the recent past. Returning into the channel we took a side creek that led into a big central lagoon. Saw a few fish and some birds. Not a lot of wildlife.

Returning back past Second Star we headed out on the Caribbean side of the Cayo. Passing at a distance an anchored Cuban fishing boat, we observed that it was in very dilapidated condition. I am not sure I would go to sea in it. Turning SE we skirted the Cayo. The whole Cayo seems to have been beat up in a storm or series of storms. I would estimate that 85% of the mangrove is dead. We passed a fishing station build out near the reef. It looks like a standing pier with a  building on one end and a roof extending the length. There were a couple of small launchas tied alongside, but it looks like it could handle the larger fishing boats. Just past it was the iron framing of what must have been a fishing station. Now it is a roost for cormorants, and it does smell odiferous. I cast a few times with a surface plug around the pilings but nothing turned so we headed back towards Second Star.

On the way we decoded to run out to the edge of the reef. The time was slipping away and the sun was getting low on the horizon. The low angle of incidence decreased the visibility into water. We worked our way out carefully, not wishing to stress test the outboard on a shoal. The water is exceptional clear and we are looking forward to diving, starting tomorrow.

When we returned to Second Star and slowed down we immediately became aware of the no-see-ums. They were out with a blood thirsty vengeance. Tomorrow we are definitely moving to a different anchorage. It may be calm and peaceful in here, but we are inside with AC running and can’t go outside to enjoy the evening.

Tomorrow when we get up, I will weld the bracket, get Hook aboard and head for a new anchorage. Hopefully with fewer bugs.

 25 Jan 2012
Cayo Alcatracito, Cuba

I arose with the sun this morning. The morning ritual of making coffee, tea and oatmeal was observed.

Because of the buggy situation last night we had decided to move further into the Archipeligo Jardines de la Reina. Anchor retrieval was an interesting affair this morning. We had a stiff northerly blowing against a strong tidal flow in the cut. Second Star was laying crossways to her rode and trying to get the anchor up without interference from the bulbous bow was a challenge which we met. Motoring out of the cut we headed southeast in a 3 to 5 foot swell, towards our destination.

It was a a couple of hours later that made the cut in the reef and passed into calmer waters heading towards Cayo Alcatracito. We eased in as far we dared go in slowing shoaling waters and tried to set the anchor. No joy. It just skipped on the bottom. We moved to a more sandy patch and got a good set, but there was a swell rolling through the anchorage which made a less than optimal ride. I decided to hoist the anchor and proceed out of the cut and further east to the cut at Cayo Inglis which had a narrow and challenging approach to the inner lagoon. But what an awesome anchorage; great protection, good bottom and scenery. Rinsed the salt of Second Star and launched Hook. Did I tell you what a great new motor we have on the deck crane.
Aeon made a lunch of bean and cheese quesadilla, with avocado, fresh pico de gallo, papaya, pina and very tasting finger banano. After lunch I grabbed a rod and we took Hook for some sightseeing. Passed through the inner lagoon and out a gap in the mangrove headed for the south side of the key and the reef. Heading south towards the reef we entered a tidal bore the had a deep course that flowed through the flats. With Hook in neutral we just drifted along  through the gin clear water at all the sea life. It was beautiful. I tried a couple of cast with a soft plastic lure and had some blue runners follow it but nothing hit.
We followed the tidal bore almost to the reef the headed for a gap in the breakers. The reef is everywhere and looks very healthy. Tomorrow we are going to go and dive the outer wall. The water goes from awash to several thousand feet deep within a few hundred yards. It is kind of scary coming into a channel from the seaward side and watch the depth decrease at an alarming rate. One minute you are in 6,000 feet of water and then you hit the wall and numbers just decrease in leaps of hundreds of feet at a time.

The sun angle was starting to get to low to allow for safe maneuvering amongst the corals so we headed back to Second Star by continuing on around the Cayo. Running over a sea grass flat I started seeing conch on the bottom so we stopped and put on a mask and went shopping for dinner. We picked up 6 nice keeper conch which are going to be dinner tomorrow night.

Back at Second Star we had a shower and settled on the foredeck to enjoy the evening transition to night. Aeon had a beer and I had a margarita. The sunset was beautiful with a crescent moon coming into view just below Venus. The starts are filling in the eastern sky and filling westward chasing Earth’s terminator. Silence has fallen and the water is like polished onyx. Life is good.

26 Enero 2012

Today dawned with a subtle sunrise through a low cloud bank. After breakfast I had six conch in the freezer that needed to be cleaned so with a cup of tea I got a bucket and moved to the bait station on the wet deck. I had never cleaned conch before (only their close relative the abalone) so the first one was a steep learning curve, but I did have a general idea of how to proceed. With five to hone my technique the last one went pretty quick. The pressure washer made quick work of clean-up including cleaner the shells for souvenirs. As I put the meat into a container with lime juice to marinade aeon called out that a boat was entering the bay. I went on deck to see a Cuban fishing boat moving into to pick up a moorage that we had noticed the day before.

No sooner had they shut down their engine that two of pescadoros came rowing over in a very dilapidated dory. The oars were rough hewn and the oar horn was a stick and the oarlock was a rope loop thrown over the stick. This must be an example of what keep hearing as doing things” the Cuban way”.

I stepped into Hook and put out a pair of fenders so they could tie up along side. They introduced themselves as Leonardo and Giovani. Leonardo looked very European while Giovani seemed a proper Spaniard. Neither spoke any English so we sat down to the arduous process of communicating. Although difficult aeon and I are finding we can understand and make ourselves understood in the basic areas. I wouldn’t want to try and discuss politics or philosophy, but it is rewarding to be making progress, slowly.

The reason they rowed over was because they hadn’t seen a power yacht in this area for over ten years and they wanted to tell me how beautiful they thought Second Star is, especially the colors. I humbly accepted their praise but really couldn’t return the compliment on the fishing boat. Aeon and I had been coached by Lemar at Marina Hemmingway to just offer a bottle of rum as a gift to the fisherman and see what developed. So in light of that advice I had aeon bring a bottle of rum to the wet deck and I presented it to the men. They thanked me profusely and continued to admire Second Star. It was becoming very apparent that they really wanted to step aboard. Now there are lots of places on the planet that I would not consider allow strangers aboard, but we are Cuba: probably one of the safest, most crime free countries in the world. So I extended and invite which they gratefully accepted although a bit timidly. Once aboard we sat on the aft deck while aeon and I fielded questions and ask some ourselves. The more they keep looking around it became very apparent that a tour was in order. When they saw the diving and fishing equipment we had a long discussion about what they fished for and how. Seems they do most of their fishing with mask and fins and a spear gun or lobster net. We decided to give them each a set of snorkel gear of which we have LOTS aboard. You would of thought they had won a major prize. They got very excited and asked if we liked langosta? And what kind of fish did we like best? It finally dawned on us that they were going to get us some fish. We thought it meant from the boat. NO they were going to go fishing for us. Before they left they noticed out water bottles on the aft deck and explained that we usually have R/O water but our unit was broken so water was in short supply. They made it known that they had lots of aqua dulce and would be happy to share with us. They took two 20 liter jugs with them when they returned to boat.

After the visit Aeon and I sat down to a lunch to discuss the rest of the day. Watching the fishing boat off our port stern quarter it became apparent that they were leaving.  It dawned on us that they were going to go fishing for us. What an amazing thing and certainly not expected, but away they went. After lunch we had a little siesta while waiting for the wind to die down so we could go diving on the reef. About an hour passed when I woke up thinking I heard the boat returning. The had hardly secured to the mooring when four of the crew came rowing back over with our water bottles filled and a large fish box with about a dozen very large grouper and cuberra snapper. AND a box with seventeen lobster from large to muy grande. One of the four was the cook aboard the fish boat asked if he could come back in the evening and prepare a meal of lobster and fish for all of us. Of course, who could refuse that opportunity to break bread with these fisherman. The fisherman took our water bottles, the lobster and the fish back to their boat. The original two, Leonardo and Giovani, asked me if I would like to go get some more lobster. Well DUH! Grapping a mask, fins and snorkel we were off. It was a short 10 minute run just off the eastern edge of the Cayo in about 3 meters of water. It took us about 15 minutes to add 10 big lobster to out larder. After returning the lobster to Second Star, Leonardo said it was time to try and catch some permit so I traded the mask and fins for a fly rod and a spinning rod and away went again this time North of the Cayo out on the flats. It was blowing stiffly and a swell was running at about 2 feet which made casting a challenge. We working the flats for about an hour and saw 6 permit and I actually had one following the fly into the boat when Giovani jumped up and pointed out the onvious and a flash of silver and the fish was gone. Next went moved to an area where we suppsed to find bone fish but it was just to rough so we called it a day. When I dropped the boys off the Capitan invited me aboard for a tour while they refilled out water jugs again. It was a very basic and crude fishing boat. All the living space was in a small deck house aft, I estimate 12’ by 18’. The helm was forward with a triple stacked bunk on each side. The engine room access was through the cabin sole. The engine room (well crawl space) house a single 4-107 Perkins along with fuel tanks, PTO hydraulic pump and steering gear. To say that the living conditions were very rudimentary would be a kindness. After I got the tour I indicated I needed back to Second Star and  we agreed they would be over at 1830 hrs. It was 1730 when I got back to Second Star and sent aeon to shower while I cleaned the fishing tackle and dive gear. I had no more got in the shower when aeon said they are rowing over. It was just barely after 1800 hrs. They must have been excited. Aeon was greeting them on the aft deck when I arrived on the scene, dripping from the shower. They had unloaded the water jugs and indicated that they had brought some fish. Well some fish was all the fish the had caught earlier completely filleted out and rinsed and a bucket full of lobster tail. The cocinero (the cook) indicated that what we didn’t cook we were to have as a gift. It was another 12 lobster tails and probably 25 lbs of prime fish filets. Also, one of the fisherman brought aeon a stunning shell about 9” or 10” and 5” across that is similar to a conch in spiral shape but definitely something different. He was very sweet when he gave it to her. We will have to see what it is when we have internet again.

Dinner was grilled lobster tails with a creole sauce, fried grouper filets, accompanied by aeons rice pilaf and homemade bread. The meal was very joyful and fun. The crew helped with our navigation by adding a bunch of local knowledge including informing me that two of channels shown on the charts are no longer passable. Good information  indeed.

After lots of muchas gracias, hasta la mananas and mucho gustos the party broke up and aeon I dove into getting the galley restored to clean condition. All in all a wonderful day. It really represents why we cruise. New people, new sights, new experiences. Tomorrow we are planning on diving.

27 Enero 2012 Viernes

Another quiet morning in the anchorage. I watched the Cuban fisherman leave while making my breakfast. Once again we are all alone in paradise. When aeon got up we enjoyed our coffees and chatted about the what to do with the day. It is time for some serious snorkeling. But first we have several tasks to do.

We spent the next two hours preparing and portioning out the conch and fish filets by weight, vacuum bagging and labeling. The conch I thin sliced and pounded to tenderize before we vacuum bagged. When we added it all up it is more than 25 lbs of grouper and Cubera snapper. We also bagged the flash frozen lobster tails. We will be living large for awhile.

Loaded our snorkeling gear into the dive box , topped up Hook’s fuel tank, and headed for the reef. A beautiful day although a bit lumpy with a 2 foot chop running. We arrived at the reef with the tide still incoming and made anchor in a large sandy area. When I went in to check the anchor set there was a large sting ray in the sand right next to it.

Once in the water we swam against the tide through an area of coral heads with sand and turtle grass. If we saw one conch we saw hundfreds. Everywhere you looked there was counch. If we didn’t already have some I could of collected as many as Hook would hold. Fortunately for conch that is the easy part, it is all the work afterwards that spared them today.

The water was absolutely clear, visibility in excess of 100’. The reef itself is healthy and vibrant. It reminded me of the reef of Turneffe Islands Belize 30 years ago. Everywhere we looked there were fish and not just the little reef fish but schools of large fish. Huge Queen Angels, Hogfish (tomorrow I am bringing the pole spear), Queen Triggers, Yellow Snapper, Horse eyed Jacks, well you get the picture. Lots of fish…BIG fish.! We made a swim through a area of Elkhorn coral that rose from the bottom like a forest of spreading trees. The large schools of fish were everywhere you looked. I am so happy to see a happy healthy reef again. From there it was an easy glide with the tide back to Hook.

We  moved further East and investigated a cut in the reef but it was to rolly outside the reef to snorkel so went back inside and ran West to another likely spot and went in again. More of the same, although lots more sea fan coral. Lots of fish and rays. We disturbed a large stingray which lazily rose from the sand and sedately flew off  like a graceful bird through the coral. We were both getting chilled so we headed back to Hook . I wanted to drift the cut we went through yesterday but we couldn’t locate it easily from seaward so we decided to call it a day and head back to Second Star for a late lunch. As we were approaching the SE channel into the lagoon we spotted two sailboats in the distance heading towards the Cayo.

While we were washing the salt off our gear and  ourselves we could see the masts of the boats coming in the NE entrance. It was two charter catamarans flying German colors. They wandered aimlessly around the lagoon like they had no idea what to do. After they had circled us I got on the radio and hailed them. They were looking for a place to anchor near the beaches which are on the South side of the Cayo. I gave them information and they anchored just off our East side. Considering the size of the lagoon it was like somebody sitting down next to you in an empty movie auditorium. Oh well. We had lunch then a nice nap. When we awoke and came on deck the boats were gone. That is good for us as we have come to like the privacy but considering the possible anchoring around the Cayo that maybe a not so good for them.

The wind is dieing down and we are hoping for a calm night and morning so we can go snorkel and dive the wall outside the reef. I will take my pole spear and see if I can collect something fresh for dinner and we saw lots of lobster habitat so I may get a few more bugs for eating right now as we have frozen the others.

Tonight aeon made a Bahamian style Pepper Pot with lobster and we used dried chipotle peppers in place of black pepper. Accompanying that with homemade whole wheat rolls and butter. Food is being served so I am signing off.

28 Enero 2012

Slept in late this morning. I didn’t get up until 0745 hrs with aeon right behind me. We had our breakfast and discussed diving options. We decided to break out the scuba gear and try and do a dive on the outside of the reef. As always with us it is sea state dependent.

After gathering up all our equipment we started checking tanks and found that 5 of our 8 tanks were less than 500 psi. I am going to have to service the valves and o-rings: very frustrating. We loaded up Hook and took off for the reef about 1000 hrs. We ran out one of the little passes in the south end of the lagoon and then straight on for the reef.  We located a section where the waves were not breaking and anchored. As soon as we had geared up we swam to where we thought a cut would be. It was not going to be the easy swim through we had thought. The tide was coming in hard and the water over the reef was shallow with wave surge so we decided to swim back to Hook and shed the scuba gear and just snorkel the inside. It was a really nice swim with a different predominate coral than yesterday with lots of fish. When we returned to Hook we discussed options. Since we were all set-up for scuba we hated to give it up so we moved further East to another break in the reef, where we went through the whole scuba process again. This time we were able to get outside the reef but our buoyancy was giving us grief. I could get down to where the wetsuit would compress enough to get me neutral, if  was careful with my breathing. Aeon was not able to get close to neutral. We both could of used more weights so we swam back to Hook, shed the scuba gear and went for another awesome swim. Again the dominate coral was different and we saw huge numbers of fish of all types including big grouper and snapper. I had the pole spear in Hook so tomorrow I am going hunting.

Got back to Second Star about 1330 hrs, cleaned up the gear and ourselves and had a lunch of fish tacos with the leftovers from dinner. We had an hour or so rest during the heat of the afternoon. When we got up aeon suggested a little fishing so I got my fly rod and we headed Hook towards the North channel of lagoon. As we were passing around the bow of Second Star the Cuban fishermen were coming in the East channel. We swung around to hail them and tell them we would back in bit. Then off we went so I could practice my fly casting technique. The sun was to low on the horizon for any decent visibility so I was just blind casting. But it was calm and very tranquil and we both just enjoyed the beauty of just being there. Came back in just before sun down and aeon did a apple and cheese tray while I cleaned up the fishing gear and boat.
We had just sat down to watch Avatar when the fisherman showed up at the stern.  I asked aeon to quickly put away the food while I went to meet them. They showed up with another box of lobsters and 3 sardines. We invited them to come on in and watch Avatar which they did. Luckily it had Spanish subtitles. As soon as the movie was over they all thanked us and said they would give us more water tomorrow morning. I asked the Capitan if he would impart some local navigation knowledge on best inside route from Cayo Cuervo to Casilda. We are probably heading for Cayo Cuervo either manana or Lunes.

Now we are back to finishing our cheese plate and making log entries. Tomorrow we are going to try the scuba dive on the outside again. If the weather/waves/current aren’t co-operating we will probably head to Cayo Cuervo midday.

29 Enero 2012ogfish  h

Seems like it is the day to leave Cayo Alcatraz and head for Cayo Cuervo.  During breakfast the Capitan along with Leonardo and Giovani arrived to bring back our water jugs and to tell us they were leaving. The Capitan reviewed our charts and gave us local information. Which included the weather report which indicated a front was moving in from the North heralding a few days of wind. We took that as our cue to head for Cayo Cuervo. A short run of two and a half hours would see us there. We rigged Hook for towing and headed out about 1030 hrs.

The seas, while not large, were steep little things very close together which made lots of spray. As we approached Cuervo the seas settled down and the last hour was very pleasant. We had decided that if there were no shrimp boats we would anchor; have lunch do a quick explore with Hook then retrieve Hook to the boat deck and continue on towards Castilda getting in close before the front arrived.

As we approached we could see shrimp boats. Hooray, we were told we could trade for shrimp here. As we moved into the anchorage we had seven shrimp boats here. We motored past and set out our ground tackle in twelve feet of water and a hard sand bottom. As aeon secured the bridge and shut down the engine room I used the pressure washer and gave the weather deck and house a quick rinse. Did I mention what a GREAT tool the pressure is????

All set at anchor, we loaded two bottles of rum and four cokes into the cooler along with our charts and went exploring the anchorage. Several really pretty sand flats that looked like the perfect bonefish habitat, but I didn’t see any as we passed by. We ran a couple of mangrove points looking for tarpon but again nothing. So we headed over to where four of the shrimp boats were rafted up.

Number 5 was on the outside and some people on deck so we approach and I asked for Capitan. Once we had the formal introductions out of the way I asked if  it would be okay if we gave them a bottle  of rum and a couple of cokes for what they call “refrescos”. The Capitan was trying to politely demur but his crew was all about him taking the rum. He quickly acquiesced and accepted the rum. I then asked him about the latest weather information on the front moving in and he stated that it was estationair (parked). It seems it is has become stationary and may not be an issue for a couple of days. I asked if he would review a float plan I had for Casilda. He looked at where we wanted to go and said it was no problem even for a boat of his draft. Aeon asked if it would be mas calma on this route opposed to return the way we came. He said mucho major. It would be much calmer. He asked if we wanted some fish and we said yes, thank you very much. He produced two very nice mutton snappers and told us to be back at 0800 hrs in the morning and he would have shrimp for us.

Right now the shrimp boats are starting to head out to fish overnight. The sun is setting over the Cayo and life is good.  Tonight we having fresh lobster tails with a Diablo cream sauce over rice. With any luck it will be fresh shrimp on the barbie tomorrow night.

30 Enero 2012
Cayo Cuervo, Archipelago Jardine de la Reina, Cuba

Actually it was shrimp and lobster salad for lunch and grouper enchiladas for dinner.

Got up this morning and started watching for shrimp boat C5. Since the Capitan had said 0800 hrs we didn’t want to be late. At 0915 hrs he came into the bahia and anchored.  I gave him about 20 minutes to get his deck squared away before aeon and I ran over in Hook.

After greeting s I again questioned him about the cold front and was assured it is still stalled out. We chatted about some routes to Casilda and he informed me he goes direct from here in about 8.5 hours at 8 knots. So I decided to review a change in route with aeon later in the day. As we were chatting one of his crew (actually an older grizzled fellow who is always chatting with us when we approach) handed a 5n gallon bucket over the side to us. It was full of shrimp and squid. And then they added 3 more lobsters to the mix. Now aeon and I had our morning work cut out for us. After many muchas gracias were cast off and returned top Second Star.

Now the fun began. We set up on the wet deck and started to dress lobster, shrimp and squid. It took several hours to clean all the catch. The lobsters and squids went straight to the freezer along with the largest shrimps. All the medium and smaller shrimps we boiled and shelled and individually froze on cookie sheets to make what aeon calls “cheater shrimp”. Whenever she wants a few for an omelet or salad or whatever; voila! Just open the freezer and grab a few. No prep. After cleaning up the galley and wet deck aeon made a fresh lettuce and watercress salad with fresh shrimp and lobster and I plotted an alternate route to Casilda with our current information. After review it is decided to us the new route and take of about 0500hrs to arrive by 1500 hrs at Casilda.

We were both tired but it is our last day in Jardines de la Reina and another snorkel would be nice if there was any decent reef around the Cayo. We loaded our snorkel gear, checked the fuel and took off in Hook to go explore. First we went around the entrance to the NE and didn’t see any great looking coral, but did spend a quarter of hour idling next to a beautiful sand flat hoping to spot some tarpon, bonefish or maybe a palmeta. Nada, no fish, just lots of beautiful water. We then ran across the inlet to the SE and out past a small fringe mangrove cay that had a long sand spit of the western end. Skirting the spit we turned eastward and closed in on the cay and were soon suspended above what looked to be nice reef. The water was a little cloudy today. There was no place to anchor where we were so we ran back around and anchored just off the sand spit in a couple of feet of water and walked to the reef side. It was a long swim in skinny water to get to the reef but once we were there it was all worth it. This was the most varied and abundant reef I have seen in decades. Everywhere you looked it was a breathtaking. There were avenues and boulevards between the blocks of the reef. As we wandered the byways we were surrounded by fish of every variety. Lots of BIG grouper and snapper, along with the biggest angels and queen triggers I have ever seen. Brain corals the size of Volkswagons and immense stands of staghorn and elkhorn coral. All of it absolutely pristine and flourishing. I juist don’t have the words to describe this Eden of the Sea.

Once we got back to the sand spit both of us were awed by what we had just seen. I think another trip to the Jardines de la Reina will be in order in the near future. Maybe when we leave Isla Muijeres for Panama. A couple of weeks here before we head due South to the Caymans, Providencia and Boca del Toro. Maybe.

Returning to Second Star we began to prepare for an early morning departure for Casilda. We washed all the dive gear and pressure washed Hook. Hoisted Hook to the boat deck and secured for under way. A few more minutes securing all the last minute items and it was time for the shower.

The wind has picked up again this evening. We have had gusts near 30 kts, but after a little dip in barometric pressure earlier in the day the glass is again rising and the wind is still firmly out of the E. All looks well for tomorrow’s passage. The morning will tell the weather tale.

31 Enero 2012

We are showered, fed and sitting in a slip at Marina Cayo Blanco, Casilda, Cuba. It was a very nice run today from Cayo Cuervo all the way to the marina. About 9 hours total with only the first couple of hours being a little uncomfortable in a beam sea. After that it was downwind and following sea. Aeon and I just sat at the helm and chatted and took turns laying down in each others lap. All in all a deluxe little passage. Averaged 8.5 kts at 850 RPM on about 3.5 gph.

Towards the end of the day the clouds started moving in and although the barometer is still at 30.10” it feels like there is a change pending. We are glad to be here before any major weather like what we had getting into Cienfuegos.

The marina is tiny, maybe a dozen boats. When we arrived it was blowing in the mid 20 knots from at a right angle to the fingers. The dock master indicated an open slip with the finger to windward and a sailboat in our lee. Not the easiest of docking situations. Plus the finger is only and 30 feet long which doesn’t give much line purchase angle to control our bow. Aeon put Second Star in the slip and then the tussle began to try and control second Star in the wind with the lines. Once she was in enough not to be bashing either the sailboat or the dock I asked the Harbor Master about the side tie available closer in. I told him we only drafted 4’ and he said that it had 6’ of depth. For some reason he wanted to continue to try and wrestle Second Star against the wind with very bad line angle to a very low dock. I am not at all happy with the situation and will inquire in the morning about anchoring out if the side tie is not available. Plus there is no stable shore power, although they have power pylon galore, we could only find 1 120VAC 30 Amp out let that functioned and it only had 105VAC. We bagged the electricity and started the generator to do a couple of loads of laundry and charge the batteries. Without a major change in the status here we will be on the anchor manana.

Check in here while more casual than elsewhere, still had a pile of paperwork and an eyewash vessel inspection. I have no idea what they are looking for but they don’t look very hard for it.

Tomorrow we will go find internet; check the weather, read our emails and send out our logs and updates, then wash the boat and do more laundry. We will be here a few days with a couple of projects on the boat as well as sightseeing in Cassilda and at least one trip to Trinidad.

I am looking forward to a good nights sleep. Hasta la manana.
Sent 1 Feb 2012


1 Febrario 2012

Well Febrario has rolled around and so have we so to speak. This afternoon we “rolled” around to the other side of dock and took a side tie. Mucho major!

This morning was all about getting Second Star clean. While aeon cleaned the inside of the boat I washed and wiped the outside from the antennas to the waterline. What a job a complete wash is. Thank the gods of all things clean for the pressure washer.

During the morning I was interrupted from washing by the Aduana (Customs) officer. It was another form to fill out (a duplicate of the one I had filled out in Cayo Largo and Cienfuegos. On the plus side, he was a very pleasant man who accepted a cup of coffee and gave us information about the Mercado por fruitas y veduras and a history of Casilda and points of interest to check out. You know someplace in Cuba is an archive with more paper than the Library of Congress, in triplicate. LOL

I took that interruption to go and sign into the marina. After discussing our situation with Comancher (dock master) he said he would talk to his boss about out moving Second Star and seeing if he could get us water and electricity. Well the day is over and we have moved and have electricity and I believe water is soon to be delivered, but the still don’t have our paperwork ready. You know for a country that could use the amount of paperwork it creates to power Habana this particular piece of documentation doesn’t seem to be very important here. Now in Cienfuegos and Cayo Largo the would hardly let you tie your dock lines before you had to sign the contract. Go fiqure.

Finally finished washing Second Star. Aeon had Guatemala eggs for lunch. By that time aeon had finished inside the boat so we took a walk up to the hotels where we were told there is internet access.  The first hotel had one antique terminal and a line waiting so we decided to walk to other hotel and check the situation out there. It was a pleasant walk along the playa under the palms. Once we found and entrance they would let us in they told us yes they had internet and no we couldn’t use it. Hotel quests only! Oh well it was a nice walk.  We walked back to first hotel and since the line had dwindled to us being next we sat down and chatted for a few minutes about the coming changes for Cuba and certainly hope it can embrace democracy with losing all it’s social advantages: such as universal higher education and unparalleled medical system. When it was our turn we sent out emails and checked the weather.

On our walk between hotels I saw a 1929 Model A Ford convertible with rumble seat as a taxi. Same year and model as my first car. I stopped to talk to the driver and he proudly showed me the original motor. I got his telephone number and I think it will be fun to have him take us to Trinidad and Friday. We have heard from the band we met with Bob. I emailed back that we were planning on being there Friday. We shall see what transpires.

On returning the the marina we moved Second Star to the side tie and spent an hour and a half trying to get the electricity to work. Everything in all the marinas we have been in is in a very poor state of repair. I am not sure but I think the breakers on the dock pylon where the issue and when we bypassed them everything worked fine. With the exception of the Top Boss on the dock (Alexis) didn’t hook up the ground wires. I questioned him on this and he said that they had mucho currente. I verified with my multi meter that the ground wires were indeed showing sign significant positive voltage. In the range of 20 volts. Go fiqure. I just put the grouper zinc in the water and hope that cancel the galvanic corrosion potential. Glad we are only here a few days. A month and I wouldn’t have any zincs left on the boat and maybe no metal.

I think we have finally have water in the hose to fill our tank. So it is shower time and then dinner. Another great day in Cuba.

After dinner notes.

It took awhile for the marina to actually have water for our tanks. The thanks belongs to Jak, a german ex-pat who has lived in Cuba for 14 years and runs a Cabo 35 sportfisher out of here. When Alexis, the head dock master, told him there wouldn’t be any water until tomorrow he just came unglued and in very fluent Spanish gave Alexis his thoughts on the situation. The results of which Alexis was back in an hour or so with news that water was being deliver ahora as he pointed at the tank truck. It took another hour or so to fill the cistern and get the deliver pump primed and water made available to out hose. While our tank was filling aeon started another load of laundry and we both showered. As soon as the washer was done we topped the tank.

It was late and neither of us felt like cooking so we walked up to the Hotel where we did the internet to have dinner in the restaurant. When we arrived we were informed that only the internet was available to the public, otherwise it was all inclusive, guests only. I asked if there were any restaurants nearby and was given a negative response. Casilda was our only option. The cab driver waiting for fares quoted 8 C Pesos ($9.60 USD) each way. We declined and headed back towards the boat. As we were walking we heard someone calling us. It turned out to be an employee of the hotel (Fernando the pool boy) who was getting off work. He explained to us that his sister had the best restaurant in Casilda and for 8 C Pesos the driver would take us and bring us back. What the hell. If we have learned anything from this life it is to sometimes just go with what the Tau is offering. We hopped into a diesel powered 1955 Chevrolet Bel Aire for a 10 minute ride to Casilda. The road from the marina/hotel was on a paved but not great road bed. Once we entered Casilda the driver left the pavement and we started to travel by very poor dirt streets lined with small poor houses. We made a couple of turns under Fernandos directions deeper into this warren. Had I been in this situation in the USA I would have been getting nervous, but we are in Cuba. Probably the safest country in this hemisphere. In the middle of a block was a nicely painted green house with a six foot high sculpture of a full rigged sailing vessel out front. We had arrived.

It was a wonderful little place. Absolutely spotless, as we have to come to expect in Cuba, actually in most of Latin America. We ate on a trellis patio with some kind of flower vine which had garlands of large white flowers suspend from the ceiling. There was a small pool and a parrot. The only other couple were from England and had come down from Trinidad on a recommendation. The service was gracious and attentive although the kitchen was slow. Since we had been eating fresh seafood for a week we order criolla fare. Aeon had cerdo )pork chops) and I had pollo asado al carbon (chicken roated over charcoal). We shared a salad and a plate of arroz con greis, which is the Cuban version of rice and beans using black beans. To finish the meal we shared a very nice flan al carmel and sipped café cubano. Great little adventure to end the day. Back at the boat late but slept like a baby.


2 Febrario 2012
Marina Cayo Blanco, Casilda Cuba

Today was the day to tackle the leaking deck/ house joint. This has been a problem for sometime and we knew it was a big job and that we would need at least a day to locate the exact leak point and make a repair.

After breakfast we began b y taking apart the forward hanging locker and storage bay. Then down came the ceiling and overhead panels. Once we had access to the whole area it was time to flood the deck and see where the water was intruding. And there it was, right were we thought we would find it.

Now comes the hard part. It took the rest of the morning to dig the old sealant out. That included having a couple of interruptions when the Capitan of the Coast Guard for the south coast of Cuba came by to see the boat. He was very jovial and friendly. He asked lots of questions about building Second Star. The Capitan asked why we didn’t want to stay in Cuba. I told him we would love to but that visas only allow 30 days with a 30 day extension. He laughed and said that 6 months for us wouldn’t be a problem, just come see him. Go figure.  As an aside he was the first Cuban we have dealt with on this trip that had a gun. He wore a sidearm that didn’t have the clip in it.

After lunch we cleaned the area with thinner. Masked off the areas we didn’t want to get the new sealer on in preparation for playing with what aeon refers to as “black death”. The polyether black sealant is about as going as warm tar and sticks to everything. An hour of trying not to coat the boat, myself or aeon with the goo we had what I trust will be a permanent repair. For good measure I also added an additional through deck bolt to further reduce any possible shearing movement in the house.

While I was putting up the tools and cleaning up any sealant residue aeon took a snorkel on our props. When we were docking the first time we had a dock line fall in the water and get sucked into the props. Which very effectively and little effort shortened it for us. It even made multiple small pieces for us.  Aeon found that there was still some wrapped on the port prop so she unwound it. Now we are line free and ready to head too Cayo Largo in the next few days.

After congratulating ourselves on an unpleasant job done, we showered early and walked to the hotel to check emails and look at Passageweather. Sunday Monday looks good for a transit to Cayo Largo.

Tomorrow we are going to Trinidad for the day. Hopefully we will be able to hook up with the band we met last trip there with Bob.

Tonight will be a pizza and movie night.

3 Febrario 2012

The morning had the usual routine with the exception of no oatmeal for breakfast. I made banana pancakes which, is a nice treat and break in the normal breakfast fare.

We met our taxi driver, Yunielky, at 0900 hrs to go to Trinidad. He was waiting for us with his 1929 Model A Ford Cabriolet with rumble seat at the ready. It was a real trip into the past for me to be riding in a Model A again. Yunielky first delivered us to the Mercado in Trinidad for some vegetable and fruit shopping. We stocked up on guava, pineapple and papaya along with tomatoes and a baby cabbage. So far the mercados in Cuba are pretty limited in their variety of offerings.
Yunielky then took us on into the center of Trinidad where he directed us towards a street where he said farmers sometimes sold produce from their horse carts. Here we found some excellent leaf lettuce, bok choy and green beans. Now we had a load of produce in the backpack and a cooler bag complete with ice packs. We walked up to Casa de la Trova (the bar where our friends play) and inquired as to when they would perform. 1600 hrs. was the answer so after a brief discussion we decided to walk back to the taxi station and see if Yunielky was still there and if he was we would go back to the boat. He was and we did. After setting a time of 1400 hrs for Yunielky to take us back to Trinidad aeon set about cleaning and storing the produce while I made a TAXI sign for Yunielky.

We had been stopped by the policia at a check popint to inspect his papers and he didn’t have his TAXI sign in place. Well the problem was that is was a large illuminated yellow box and he really didn’t have anyplace good to mount it. So I made him some paper signs for his windscreen and gave him a partial roll of clear boxing tape to affix them. He seemed very pleased.

Lunch of a fresh greens (picked that morning) salad gorgonzola followed by a little siesta preceded our return to Trinidad and the Casa de la Trovo. The Casa de la Trovo is a kind of living museum for traditional afro-cuban music. If you are familiar with the Buena Vista Social Club or the Afro-Cuban All Stars you will know the music that is played there. All the bands are 7 members, so I am assuming that is the traditional numb er of members.

We arrived as one band was finishing up their session. Hey were bored and just going through the play list for a group of elderly anglo turistas who also looked equally bored and exhausted. The table we had occupied with Bob was vacant so we sat down to people watch. There a Cuban couple who were dancing to every other song or so. They had some pretty fancy salsa moves and our clapping was more for them than the band. Finally the band timed out and the tour guide herded the shuffling turistas to the door. Now the bar had a table with some cubanos against the back wall on our left, the dancing couples table, a euro looking couple in the far corner and us. The exiting band had loosely reassembled at the a couple of tables by the stage area and where apparently going to rehearse a new song. An attractive middle-aged cubana from the back wall table had her Macbook computer open and was playing a song for the band. We recognized it as a song from our Buena Vista Social Club CD. After listening to it they began to play it with the woman singing. Within a couple of tries they had it down cold. Actually the rehearsal performance was more inspired and entertaining than they bored stage presence.

A new cubano joined the back wall table with a guitar. He and a man who was already sitting there begin to just play and sing Spanish love songs. The both had good voice and it was a bonus track to get to listen. Also, it helped to fill the time between bands, since there was about an hour between performances. As we waited and watched the goings on our friends slowly started to filter in. The first member in was Ibrahim who glanced our way and immediately recognized us. We were warmly greeted by each of the members as they sporadically made their entrances.  We moved another table over and added chairs as our group grew. Finally it was time to play, but without the horn player who was out with a cold or a hangover.
The music was excellent and a cubano from the back wall table asked aeon to dance several times. After the performance Leonardo (who plays the little six string guitar) said he had another gig at a nearby restaurant and asked if we would like to come along. We were hungry and accepted his offer. Seems he would be playing the stand up bass in a quartet.

It was a short walk around the old cathedral and up a side street which I would not of guessed had a restaurant as it looked very residential. We entered into a stunning old building which housed the restaurant Museo 1514. I don’t know for sure but I believe it was built in 1514. And is a piece frozen in time. We ate on a small elevated mezzanine with room for a table for two amongst all the potted plants. Behind us stairs went up to the roof and below us was the central courtyard with the band and other tables. The table set was exquisite; full formal setting of antique English bone china with crystal glassware and sterling silver flatware. Even needle point linen napkins and tablecloth. The service was the best I have had since Commanders Palace in New Orleans.

We had a wonderful meal of shrimp and fish accompanied by a bottle of Spanish Rioja. We ended the meal with a shared flan carmelo and of course café cubano.  There was a couple who did salsa dancing for entertainment who got both aeon and I out on the floor  We had a very pleasant although slightly fuzzy, stroll through the dimly lit cobble streets back to where we were to meet Yunielky. Then a ride home to Second Star with the top down; letting the stunning beauty of the tropical heavens bath us in starlight. While aeon and I certainly are not wealthy or even well off we certainly live a rich life full of wonder and surprise. The Tau provides.

Tomorrow we are going to see if the Guarda will let some of the band come have lunch on the boat, but I am not holding my breath. If they can’t we are going back to Trinidad to have Leonardo fix my guitar and pick up a set of used hand drums, probably bongos.

4 Febrario 2012

This morning I asked if it was possible to have the band on the boat for lunch. “Not possible senor”, as we expected. Cuba has some strange rules sometimes. Oh well, we went into Trinidad to have lunch with the band and give Leonardo my guitar to repair. We met at Daniels house and walked to a nice restaurant new the center of old Trinidad. There we sat and visited and the band kept up a steady stream of music. Mostly stuff they were practicing. It was fascinating to watch (and listen). Leo had been trying to show me how his guitar was tuned and how he played against a regular guitar. As if to explain and Ibrahim launched in Hotel California doing the Walsh/Fry duet. It was pretty amazing.

Had a nice lunch, although more money than we should have spent but we agree that some opportunities only come once and you take them when the time presents itself. I can always earn more money.

We picked up a bottle of rum for Regis and a case of Bucanero and a bottle of triple sec for us. Yunielky picked us up and delivered us back to marina with a small side tour of the fishing fleet docks. We had hoped we would be able to talk to the crew of the boat we met in Cayo Inglis, but the docks are a restricted so no joy.

Back on the boat we put things away and settled in for the rest of the day.

5 Febrario 2012

The day started off cloudy and cool, which turned into rain by mid-morning and continued on through the afternoon. At times it rained with some intensity but mostly a steady, light precipitation.

Aeon and I reassembled the forepeak locker where we had made the repair to the hopefully stop the deck to house seam leak. While doing that we looked long and hard at the forward side house windows which also have started to leak. The ultimate solution would be to replace the sliding glass with a solid piece and seal kit in place. Before we go to that extreme and lose the ventilation we are going to try a different approach tomorrow which is to seal the sliding track to the frame with Life Seal and then seal the forward slider in the track with Life Seal. That leaves the aft section to still open. Only time and water will tell if it works.

We invited a couple aboard whom where out walking on the dock and were getting soaked but the increasing rain. They are Canadians who also built there boat; a steel Whitlock design called Sea Elf. We had a very nice visit while waiting for the rain to subside. As always we meet some very interesting people.

Also, we passed along information to two other cruiser boats (a Dutchman and a Brit) that are headed into the Jardines de la Reina tomorrow, about the conditions we found.

Mostly it was day of little boat chores and do our planning for how best to get back to Isla Mujeres since our visas expire next Sunday and we don’t want to extend them. Right now the plan is to leave tomorrow afternoon about 1600 hrs and do an overnight to Cayo Largo. We plotted a course from Cayo Largo to Isla Mujeres and a set that of plots that put Isla Juventude as a stop. We will make the decision of which route to take with a final weather consult in Cayo Largo.

Yunielky picked us up at 1830 hrs to go pick up my guitar from Leonardo at Casa de la Trova. We spent an hour or so visiting with the band. When they went onstage we sat and listened to the first set. A vignette played out that seemed to capture the soul of Trinidad.

At the table next to an elderly Cuban couple where sitting sipping rum and chatting. He was a largish man with a brightly colored orange and red tropical style shirt, linen pants and a jaunty panama fedora; she was shorter and rubenesque in figure in a nice dress and top. After the opening number by the  band (which is always either Quantanamano or Para Macabe) they played a piece we haven’t heard. The Cubano couple immediately took note and the woman stood and held out her hand to her man and the moved to the little open space in front of the band and began to dance. It was obvious that they had been dancing together for many years. The joie de vie that emanated from them was infectious. You could see in her smile and the suggestive moves of her body with her man that the young spirited girl who had won his heart was alive and well. And he still had the strut that must have made him irresistible to her. It was a thing of unbridle love and joy that I am blessed to have witnessed.

To soon out time was up and we had to say adios to the banda with promises to email and let them know when we were going to return. Leonardo has offered me guitar lesson and Barbacito wants to help me with some percussion techniques. I hope we can return here soon.

We walked through the rain glistened streets of Trinidad to meet Yunielky and his 1928 Ford roadster for the last time. It was bitter sweet. We are ready to move on but something in the people of Trinidad, for that matter all of Cuba has touched us. This has been a wonderful experience that I would like to repeat soon.

Tomorrow we are off for Cayo Largo, the first leg of our return to Mexico.


6 Febrario 2012

Well it won’t be today to Cayo Largo, rather it will be manana. I am beginning to sound like a real Latino.

This morning aeon and I tackled the leaks on the lower, forward house windows and it turned into a major project which consumed the first half of the day. It ended up requiring the removal of both windows. A complete cleaning of the interior frames to remove all the old 5200 was required and then sanding them to bright metal. Then we bedded them in Life Seal which needs 24 hours to fully cure. I didn’t feel like risking the bond just to leave today; unless there was some weather pressing in that I needed to avoid.

Once we had the windows back in place, aeon made some lunch while I cleaned up the mess and put away all the tools.

Lunch was composed of a fresh potato salad on a bed of greens with homemade bread. Simple y muy delioso. After eating we walked to the hotel to get on the internet and check the weather. Passage Weather showed us a great weather window tomorrow evening to Cayo Largo and then it looks like a good window Friday, Saturday and Sunday to Isla Mujeres. The plan is to do an over night to Cayo Largo; spend Wednesday and Thursday nights there then leave for Isla Mujeres Friday mid morning arriving “home” Sunday morning.

On our return from the hotel we stopped and informed the Capitan of Migracion and the Dock Master of our plans. Tomorrow morning we will do all our check out with the marina. Migracion will come aboard with our documents just prior to our leaving. So we are fast approaching the end of our time in Cuba.

8 Febrario 2012
Cayo Largo Cuba

Sometimes passages are tedious, sometimes they are brutal, sometimes they are magical; last night was magical.

We checked out of Casilda at 1500 hrs. and had Second Star underway, making way at 1533 hrs. Because of the wind, earlier in the day we had prepped her berthing for an easy departure. Casting off was simple, aeon powered us out of the marina and we were on our way to Cayo Largo. Once we were outside the reefs and had our course laid in we sat back and enjoyed a absolutely tranquil ride. The sunset and the moon came up full. All night long the sea glowed with lunar light while we eased our way westward in a long easy swell. We actually had to slow down during the night to adjust our arrival time into Cayo Largo. The bulbous bow is making slowing down more difficult, at 700 RPM we were still making almost 7 knots on less than 2.6 gph.

We arrived a little before dawn at Cayo Largo and went into a holding pattern for abnout 30 minutes while the sky lightened and the sun crested the horizon. Once inside the reef we spent sometime looking for a good place to anchor. Once we had the hook down and set we called the Marina to check in. Our friend Pire came on and said that the Capitan wanted the boat to come into the marina to clear in. Go fiqure, in Cien Fuegos we were told to anchor out andd come in to clear. Quien sabe, it is just Cuba.

We hoist the anchor and went in to the marina and side tied to await the officials. It took them about an hour to come aboard and 5 minutes to do the paperwork. Oh well. Oncde they were off we set Second Star to leave the berth and motored back out and anchored again. Time for a breakfast of banana pancakes, then a shower and a nap.

This afternoon we launched Hook. Have I mentioned how awesome the new davit winch is!!!! Once we had Hook in the water we went into the marina to check weather and visit with Pire. We had a beer with him and chatted about the world in general. He told us he had a mega yacht coming in this afternoon. A 380’ MEGA yacht. So big it has to anchor outside the reef. Seems it belongs to some Russian oligarch. I will do some research on it and have an update. Returning to Second Star by launch we did a little exploring and saw a boat we had helped in MX (Ukulu) in the anchorage. We swung by and had a quick hello, inviting them come over for a cocktail and a visit in the evening.

Back aboard Second Star we relaxed for a bit and when a radio call from Ukulu that they would be over in 30 minutes we made preparations to have them aboard. We spent the next 2 hours in enjoyable conversation, visiting and catching up. They brought their youngest boy Thomas with him and what a pleasure he is, polite, articulate and interested in all things boating and fishing. They are here in Cuba for another week or so then down to the Caymans on their way to Honduras and then Guatemala, where they will lay up the boat for the hurricane season. When they return in the fall their plan is head to Panama, so we may yet see them again.

Had a rather late dinner of lasagna and salad, set the radar alarm and trundled off to bed.

9 Febrario 2012
Cayo Largo Cuba

Today we started the da with a few boat chores in preparation to return to Isla Mujeres. It was drizzling on and off in the mid morning so we put off lifting the anchor and heading to the marina until about 1400 hrs.  Yesterday we had asked the veternario if he would give Eve a physical and write a letter stating her health for the Mexican authorities. We had set up 1300 hrs and it required a radio call into the marina to ascertain that 1430 hrs would be alright. Sin problema.

When we hove the anchor, I brought it aboard so I could release a jammed shackle, then stowed it in the hawse pipe and motored on in to our berth. The vet was there waiting and gave Eve a very thorough exam. He made several feeding and vitamin suggestions and wrote an official document which should fly with the Mexican officials if the vetinary documentation requirements are legit and just not a way for the local vet to charge $250 pesos to say Eve is healthy without ever looking at the cat or coming aboard. Aeon and I suspect it is a racquet in which case there is a $250 peso “fee” that will be due;  to be paid over my loud and lengthy objections. Time will.

Mid afternoon we went to check the weather and discovered that our “window” was now predicted to be closing out earlier than yesterday’s forecast showed. A quick mental calculation showed we had to leave hours earlier than we had first planned.

We located Pire and asked him about checking out in the evening and leaving after we had dinner with him. He said he would arrange it. Aeon and I went back to Second Star to continue our preparations for departure. I ran new course plots at 7 and 8 knots then we backed the arrival time for both and got a departure time frame from 2130 hrs tonight to 0330 hrs manana. Pire arrived with the Cuban delegation to check us out just before 1800 hrs. He explained that the Mega Yacht “Luna” was ready to check and they all had to be shuttled out to her. At 380’ and a draught of 20’ she actually had to anchor outside the reef. Pire explained that since they had a crew of 57 people aboard that would need to be checked in that dinner was not possible. And that once we had checked out we could not remain on the dock but it would be okay for us to go back on anchor until we were ready to leave. We finished filling with water, went to the chandlery and bought some last minute rum and cast off; officially checked out of Cuba.

Aeon ran us back to the anchorage and we set the anchor as the sun was setting. I set the radar anchor watch alarm.

Since we had thawed some fresh grouper to share with Pire we went ahead and grilled up a fillet, put it over a bed of rice and topped it with a fresh mango, coconut, pineapple salsa with onions and chipotle. Over food we decided to run at 8 knots and leave at 0330 hrs in the morning. That would give us almost a full night’s sleep. At least as much sleep as you get when you seem to wake up every 30 minutes to check the time

While I cleaned up and did the engine room systems check in preparation for departure, aeon showered. Then I showered and we lay down to rest. . It was early so we read a bit to relax. Aeon finally finished Melville’s “Moby Dick”. I think it has taken her a couple of years to wade through it. Verbose, classical literature just isn’t her thing.

10 Febrario 2012

0400 hrs seemed to come early this morning. Even so we had the anchor away and stowed, underway making way by 0433 hrs (0330 CTZ) right on our target departure.

It was a moonlight morning, calm and glassy as we made our way to the out marks for the channel and open Mar de Caribe. Leaving the bay and passing over the reef is amazing in Cuba. You pass from 25’ of water under you keel to thousands of feet in a few hundred meters. We watched the depth sounder to see the bottom fall away in a precipice that plunges to the abyssal depths.

Once clear aeon went to sleep some more and I settled into first watch. Serene is the word that comes to mind. The steady muffled thrum of the motors, a gentle breeze, a sommulent sea state; muy tranquillo. A couple of hours into the watch I passed a sailboat headed East on my port side. Radar showed less than a ½ mile pass so I tried to radio her. After 15 minutes I gave up. Either no radio watch or everyone was asleep. Makes me wonder who is in charge.

Aeon and I swapped places about 0800 hrs. After about an hour or so I was awake again so return to the bridge were we hung and chatted together. A LARGE school of dolphins came in to play in the pressure wave. Since it was so clam we both went down and viewed their cavorting from the bow pulpit. I took a couple of minutes of video before the veered away looking for other diversions.

We are making good time, our speed ranges have been 7.8 knots to 8.6 knots. I estimate we are averaging about 8.2 or 8.3 knots on 3.4 gph.  Not bad at all when you consider that the new Cheoy Lee 65’ Bravo series cruiser brags that it gets 8 kts on 8 gph for 1 nmpg. Second Star is doing better speed on less than half the fuel. So far this trip we have averaged about 2.6 nmpg.

The sea state began to deteriorate once were cleared the western end of Isla Juventude. Passageweather had shown a fast moving front that wasn’t predicted to arrive in Isla Mujeres until tonight late. Oh well we were committed now. As the day wore on the seas slowly built in that confussing way they do when a predominate wind/wave pattern is being superceded by something from a completely different direction. The wind backed all the way around from E to NW by late afternoon and seas were beginging to look like the inside of a washing machine. By the time we got to Aerosmith Bank it was a full gale with some of the nastiest, short, steep waves we have seen. Not really big, in the 4 to 6 foot range, but coming from every angle in little sets that would setup almost vertical and so close together that Second Star would occasionally bridge from one crest to the next before plunging into the trough. The next 6 hours were very uncomfortable and WET. Even making Bahia Mujeres between Cacun and Isla Mujeres didn’t really make that much difference. The size of the waves went down but we slogged into 40 plus winds all the way into the harbor at isla Mujeres where the island helped reduce the velocity.

We contacted the marina and Kevin and crew were waiting for us on the dock. An uneventful berthing except for fighting the wind with the lines to bring Second Star in position. Then it was a shower, a pizza with beer at the marina bar and off to bed.

Today we will do cleanup and assess the work to be done to get her ready for her next adventure. Already we are talking about doing a return to Cuba late April/early May then on to the Cayman Islands, San Andreas and on to Boca del Toro, Panama.

Captain Johne