Daily Logs

Noeluna - BE KIND, REWIND...

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Noeluna - San Blas

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Kasuje - Log 12 February

Tuesday the 5th February: We had a quiet morning checking all the systems were working correctly. James and JB seem to not need sleep as the very kindly offered to leave Cleone at Flamenco Bay Marina and travel the 2 1/2hrs back from Panama City by bus to provide the final 2 pairs of hands required for line handling. Skipper was keen to show James and JB the full 'Kasuje Experience', so we ensured the freezer and fridge were nicely stocked with ice, tonic, beer and all the important things required for a transit of the Panama canal.  With great excitement we slipped lines for our trip through the canal. I won't go through the details of the canal or the transit here as James Anderson's excellent blog (Yacht 32, Cleone) on the subject is a wonderful description of the canal and the. read more...

Cleone - Log Leg 2 Day 3 - No Winds and No Tides

We're burning and turning - not Cleone's normal style at all. Will's plane is on our minds here, and even if it was not we'd be motoring.  We managed to sail for about 8 hours yesterday, but the wind died again at about 9pm ship's time (2am for those of you in UK), so on went the Yanmar, and it has been on ever since.  Apart from keeping the batteries well topped up, this is a noisy bore, but as the old saying is "when the wind don't blow, the ship won't go", and that is all there is to it. We are on the direct route between the Panama Canal and the rest of South America, so we have frequently been dodging ships.  They have been travelling either parallel to us, or on reciprocal courses coming directly at us, so the now fully functioning AIS has been a real boon.  This allows us to "see". read more...

Ariane - ARIANE: Kuna-Yala-Indianer

Kuna-Yala-IndianerLiebe Eskimos!Nach einigen Kontakten mit der einheimischen Bevölkerung, haben wir einige Details erfahren. Die meisten Familien sind nur 3 Monate während der Schulferien hier im Urlaub. Die einfachen Hütten sind also ihre Ferienhäuser. Ausserhalb dieser Zeit wohnen sie am Festland.Die Indios sind kleinwüchsig und sehr zurückhaltend und freundlich. Sie sammeln Grundwasser zum Waschen und Geschirrwaschen. Zum Trinken müssen sie Wasser von einer anderen Insel beschaffen. Sie leben von Kokosnüssen, ihren Hühnern und Schweinen und Fischen. Sie verkaufen Kunsthandwerk, nämlich gewobene und z. T. genähte Tücher.Die ca. 370 Inseln bestehen entweder aus Kokospalmen- oder Mangrovenwäldern. Wir beobachteten eine skandinavische Familie, die auf Chichime ihren Urlaub verbringen und. read more...

A Lady - Log 3 - day 10 - 16 Jan 10 - Curaceo to San Blas

We raised anchor and departed from Curaceo at 06:50 on Thursday 14 January. The sea is the sea, it stretches from here to there, but where is here and where is there? Well, this morning, there, was the island of Curaceo just off the coast of Venezuala and here, is a position north of Aruba as we head on a course to keep us clear of the northern tip of ColumbiaLater that evening, we were recording a wind speed of up to 42 kn and a boat speed of 12 knots. The sea was quite big, caused by the Colombian coastline.Friday 15 January was a warm pleasant day, all of the crew were reading books and some lay on deck in the sun for a while, the forecast was for 30 kn of wind.In the evening the wind got up and just before we reduced sail we recorded a speed of 14.5 knots, which was amazing. A Lady. read more...

Kealoha 8 - Fish , Fish and more Fish...

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Kealoha 8 - Panama to Salenos - Ecuador - Leg 2...

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Voyageur - Log day 9 - Success at last!

A maintenance morning with David cleaning the waterline by scraping away the growth which has been gradually accumulating now that we are in warmer waters. Then up the mast with Penny and Pete to assist, to try to straighten out the bend at the ram's horn, sadly unsuccessful. Now we will have to wait until the shelter of Portobello when we can drop the genoa to fix the problem. We all made a quick visit over to the island of Tiadup to have a walk. The sand on these islands is the finest that we have ever seen, like talcum powder. There is so much flotsam and jetsam washed up it is such a shame. Dozens of flip flops but never a matching pair. I guess this is where my crocs will end up one day. It is not the cruisers that are at fault for everywhere we go we notice how careful people are. read more...

Whitbread - Log Day 1: Don't be most downwind boat in an anchorage

Start of Leg 2 from Panama to Equador and after about 5 hours of sailing in 10-15 knots we've pulled into Islas De Las Perlas, a few islands close to the mainland. Its great to see so many of the other boats have decided to take a break from the hard conditions as well.Being anchored both downwind and down current of about 20 other boats wasn't a good plan as we are seeing lots of "floaters" particularly so this morning! Actually we recognised Grey Lady's and hooked it with the gaff and will return it to them later.It was great to get our giant pink gennaker hoisted for the start line, well about 5 minutes after the start line but it was better late than never. It was also nice to get recognition from the WARC commitee vessel that we were the only gay boat in the fleet!Right now we are. read more...

Ariane - ARIANE - Datumsänderung Panamakanal

Liebe FreundeWir durchqueren nun den Panamakanal in nur zwei Gruppen. Daher ändern sich die Daten für diejenigen, die uns per Kamera verfolgen wollen:späteste Einfindungszeit in der Shelter Bay: 25.Vermessung: 26.Beginn der Schleusungen 27.letzte Schleusungen 28.So, nun dürfte es keine Änderungen diesbezüglich mehr geben.Viele Grüsse an alleARIANE Crew. read more...

Bristol Rose - Leg 1 Completed - Baptism of Fire on the Water

Jimmy Cornell, in his book "World Cruising Routes", describes the passage between the Lesser Antilles and Panama as "very rough" and considered by many as the "roughest part of a voyage around the world". The months of January - March are also the period of the strongest trades.Our passage from St Lucia to San Blas Islands was as Mr. Cornell predicted. Winds to 45kts and 12 ft confused seas provided a challenging time for both boat and crew. Bristol Rose handled herself with distinction, providing a safe passage for us all. For the crew the journey was uncomfortable, however our confidence in Bristol Rose's ability to cross the Pacific has grew.For 3 of our crew members, leg 1 was their first overnight passage. Rex had only just joined the crew of Bristol Rose following over 40 hours on. read more...

Graptolite - Goes to a Beach Barbie

08:37.36N 0079:01.95W 11th Feb 10:00 (UTC-5)Panama City was fun especially the disco-bus tour through the town on Saturday night. If I remember correctly.Leg 2 to Salinas, Ecuador started yesterday. These race starts are very exciting. A lot of us got our spinnakers flying for a while which helps the spectacle. Although the only audience was a dozen anchored Chinese container ships.Almost immediately half the fleet decided to play truant and head for the Archipelago de las Perlas about 50 miles from Panama City. Everyone met up in a bay of Isla Contadora and Gerry (Northern Sky) organized a beach barbeque. My Japanese crewman Shin lit a big fire on the beach and surrounded it by an elaborate ceremonial structure of logs that will probably become a tourist attraction in the future. After. read more...

Tucanon - 2010-WARC week 2

During the afternoon of the second day out of St Lucia, the blow from awhale was spotted fifty metres off the starboard bow then, within less thana minute, a second blow. We were also lucky enough to see on Fridayafternoon, a blow some 100 metres off the starboard hull. This was twice asbig as those seen previously and twice the size. It caught the light,despite the sky being full of clouds and the effect, although not a rainbow,had colour. It is impossible to identify which colours they were but thereis no doubt that they were there.Saturday night as we approached the coast of Columbia, several ships passedus by on either side, going in both directions, although the closest wesailed to them was just less than four nautical miles.Sunday morning we were sailing about 55 nautical miles off. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Log Leg 2 Day 2 - Winds and Tides

Its been fast, but not necessarily very easy. Sadly the Dolphins did not stay with us for long.  It is said that they are territorial (and I'd be grateful if someone could confirm this), and they escort ships and yachts such as ours through their area, staying with them until they are safely off their home ground and into someone else's.  But whilst we were with them, they gave us a magnificent display.  I guess there were more than a hundred of them, swimming around, past and under Cleone, coming up for air with their characteristic snort (somtimes you can hear this in the night without seeing them, and if close to the boat, it can be quite un-nerving), and jumping further and further out of the water.  All too soon they were gone, leaving us thankful that we had seen them, but as ever. read more...

Kasuje - Kasuje Yacht 42 Daily Log Tuesday 5th January

Hello Everyone, It looks like we must have been having too much fun as we seem to have missed yesterday's Log! Don't tell Skipper, we could be in trouble.... So what have we been up to? We arrived at Shelter Bay Marina on the outskirts of Colon at first light on the 3rd February and tried vainly to contact someone in the Marina/from World Arc Control/Another boat/Anyone who would talk to us apart from the jovial man from Christobal Signal Station at the entrance to the Panama canal. It being early and Sunday we weren't surprised with the lack of response, so sailed straight into the Marina where we spotted our chums on Cleone. Next to them was a free spot so Skipper took the executive decision that this was where our journey would end. Having secured Kasuje we jumped onto the pontoon and. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 8 - Ballooner blues!

Reluctantly we left Green Island and moved across to East Holandes Cay for a little change of scene. As the wind had been too strong to bring down our ballooner at the finish of the last leg we decided to give it a "go" on the way to this new anchorage. Being made of a light spinnaker material with no UV properties it wasn't doing any good leaving it furled around the front forestay. So the poles were rigged in the anchorage and once clear of the reef we headed dead downwind to unfurl the "twins" and douse the ballooner. Oh my, another mess up. Suffice to stay we abandoned the exercise after suffering damage to one of the ram's horns at the top of the furler. David also noticed a tiny tear at the base of the ballooner. Feeling defeated and deflated we motored on to drop the hook in yet. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 7 - Shopping in the San Blas!

It was like a girl's Tupperware party. Penny arranged for a jewellery sales session aboard Innforapenny. Catherine and Francois on their yacht Eolia have been cruising in this area for seven years and make a living by collecting nuts and seeds from the forests, then shape, dye and polish them. They use only natural materials that are found in the forests and islands around the San Blas islands and along the Darien coast east of Panama. The result is a stunning collection of pendant necklaces, bracelets, rings, earrings, and belts. As one after another tray was produced from a large holdall, each more exotic than the last, our eyes grew like saucers. A real feast for ladies. Of course Penny and I just had to have some!Susan Mackay. read more...

Cleone - CLEONE Log - Panama Transit

It was worth coming all this way just for the Panama Transit. Will Anderson had long ago arranged to take most of his annual leave and fly to Panama to join us in time for the Panama Transit, on the grounds that this was one of the greatest ever engineering feats.  And so it proved, with magnificent scenery to provide a suitable back-drop to the scale and complexity of the Canal itself.Once our arrival had been suitably celebrated, we set to work on a multitude of tasks.  First was to ensure Will's transit from the Airport to Shelter Bay Marina - a quiet but very well appointed marina situated in the largest of the old US Army Barracks (and former Jungle Warfare School), Fort Sherman (he of the tank), just on the West side of the North Entrance to the Panama Canal.  (As an aside,. read more...

Windflower III - Ueber den Aequator nach Ecuador

Ueber den Aequator nach EcuadorNach sieben Tagen Aufenthalt in Panama machen wir uns heute auf den Weg Richtung Ecuador.Zunaechst vorbei an den Las Perlas Inseln ca. 90 sm nach Sueden aus dem Golf von Panama.Spaeter je nach Wind-und Stroemungsverhaeltnissen ueberwiegend mit suedlichen Kursen, mit 90 -150 sm Abstand von der kolumbianischen Kueste, weitere 600 sm nach La Libertad in Ecuador.Wenn alles gut geht werden wir die gesamte Strecke in etwa 5-7 Tagen bewaeltigen. Die Crew der Windflower fiebert diesem Abschnitt besonders entgegen,weil fuer uns alle die erste Aequatorueberquerung ansteht.Das entsprechende Getraenk fuer die bevorstehende Aequatortaufe ist bereits kaltgestellt.Viele liebe Gruessevon der WindflowercrewCrew Windflower. read more...

Noeluna - TERRE

Aviez vous donc remarque ce silence insistant du cote de la partie feminine de l'equipage, en l'occurrence la partie temporairement incompetente de l'equipage?- durant cette traversee ? Marguerite et moi avions tout naturellement repris la position allongee, entre banquette et couchette, que nous adoptons habituellement lorsque nous quittons un port ou une amarre. Grace a l'excellent « mercalm » et ses comprimes secables permettant une extraordinaire flexibilite posologique fort appreciee par les puristes que nous sommes, nous avons pu avoir nos moments de quasi euphorie ; un dejeuner de plus de 3 minutes et demi partage avec nos compagnons de bord, quelques vaisselles effectuees au milieu de creux de 4 metres, la surveillance inquiete de petroliers geants lances a toute. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 6 - Going down the "Yellow Brick" road!

There is no hiding place! One of the requirements for the World ARC is that we have a means of daily position reporting. At great expense….. a unit called "Yellow Brick" was installed aboard Voyageur back in St Lucia. It is rather like being tagged I should imagine, but only for the best of reasons. When we are on passage we have a daily roll call at 12 o'clock local time over the SSB radio where we tune in to report our position but only to let the other yachts know where we are. But the unit now strapped in Voyageur's cockpit will transmit our exact whereabouts on a daily basis during this circumnavigation. The information is relayed to HQ of the World Cruising Club based in Cowes on the Isle of Wight. World Cruising Club have quite definitely put tabs on us……Susan Mackay. read more...

Andante of Mersey - Panama Log

It is very hot and humid, we are sitting below with the aircon on. This morning we walked to the chandlers and were able to purchase two  genoa sheets to replace the worn ones. We also got two new cleats and are hoping to fit them near the cockpit to take the preventer lines. The rigger seems to very good and has taken the broken track off the boat to weld the good bits together and is hoping to get some good rivets to re-fit it. While we have been here we have taken a taxi ride around both old and new Panama City and also back to the Miraflores Lock visitors centre to see the lock from a different perspective. We also went in to see the last day of the carnival. It is great to get emails from all back home Andrew is a regular, it was lovely to hear from my sister Marjorie, unfortunately. read more...

Ariane - San Blas Islands

San Blas IslandsLiebe SibiriakenWahnsinn... Wir sind in einem Märchen! So wie man das zeichnen würde... Zahllose kleine und grössere mit Palmen besetzte Inselchen, es sollen 370 sein, wovon 49 bewohnt sind von den Kuna Yala Indianern, die das zu Panama gehörende Gebiet verwalten. Sie dürfen ein kleines Ankergeld einziehen, weshalb wir auch bald Besuch an Bord bekommen. Die Kuna Yala erinnern uns stark an die "südamerikanische Rasse", doch vielleicht etwas wilder aussehend. Jedenfalls sind sie sehr freundlich und verkaufen bei Bedarf auch etwas Obst. Heute werden wir mit unserem Beiboot eine der Inseln besuchen. Ein paar Bilder dieser paradiesischen Inselwelt werden noch folgen... Morgen werden wir innerhalb der Inseln nach Chichime Island segeln und dort ankern, da die WorldARC am 16.. read more...

Southern Princess - The Faces of Carnivale - Panama City

Canivale runs for four days in February, culminating with a huge procession of floats through the main streets of Panama City. Our Panama Agents escorted us to the carnival and really looked after us in a great fashion. They were kind, considerate and really made us feel safe and secure in a crowd numbering 10's of thousands. The night ended with a huge band which played until dawn although yours truly was in bed well before that. One of the best things, no one was smoking! We have since found out that Panama has banned smoking in all public places! Fantastic! The Faces & Feet of Panama City Carnival AND YOU THOUGHT I HAD FORGOTTEN ABOUT THE. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 5 - How the other half live

I spoke too soon. Last night was a pretty horrible night on our final run into San Blas. The winds reached 30knots and as we moved through the depth contours from 3000metres to 1000metres creating a lumpy sea, Voyageur's sea going motion became less comfortable. David and I had poor quality sleep. Now we just needed to get there. The wind backed east north east to northeast, so we had no alternative but to finally roll in our "twins" and use the main and mizzen to keep Voyageur on course. By late morning at last the islands came into view, palm trees standing straight and tall, like candles on a birthday cake. We crossed the finishing line, the coordinates previously given at the skippers final briefing in St Lucia, half an hour short of six days, logging 1120nm. Now it was on with the. read more...

Southern Princess - Panama City 08:54N 79:31W

The trip through the canal was interesting. William, our pilot was a font of knowledge and if I can remember correctly, here is some information which might be of interest.  The whole system is run from fresh water originating from the rivers which pour into Largo de Gatun, a man made lake around 26 miles long. When the canal was finished, it took 10 years for the lake to fill. (It wouldn't happen in Australia, the Greenies would stop it and the politicians in power would not have enough guts to make it happen! Oops here I go again.)  There are no pumps, the system is fed by gravity. Enter the first lock on the Caribbean side from sea level and it is all salt water, the chamber fills through holes in the bottom with fresh water which is fed from the lake. This raises us up to the top and. read more...

Graptolite - Pacific Coast

08:54.70N 079:31.34W 02:00 local time. Friday 8th.Still here. Whokoows what the local drik isc called but we had lots.M. read more...

Ariane - haaaaalt... bremsen!!!

Haaaaalt... bremsen!!!Hallo SibiriakenJa, auch sowas gibt es! Der südwestliche Teil der karibischen See ist bekannt für stärkere Winde. Tatsächlich können wir uns auch nicht über dessen Mangel beklagen: Seit 24 Stunden treiben uns zwischen 20 und 26 Knoten Wind an mit entsprechender See von 3 - 4 Metern. Normalerweise würde man dies ausreizen und mit 9 - 10 Knoten vorwärts kommen. Nun - Was macht man, wenn man um 8 Uhr morgens 24 Stunden vor Ankunft noch 150 sm segeln und unbedingt am Tag ankommen muss? Richtig: bremsen! Wir segeln nun mit stark gerefftem Gross und achten darauf, möglichst nicht über 6 Knoten Durchschnittsgeschwindigkeit zu erreichen. Solche Überlegungen werden wir in der Südsee in Riffgebieten öfters machen müssen, da auch dort Sichtnavigation gefordert ist.Wir werden. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 5 - Downhill all the way!

What a great start! What a great sail! Yes there have been some bad moments on this first leg but we focus on the good, which has been fast and exhilarating sailing, following seas at our stern. The weather has been kind too. Nothing too exceptional in the way of strong winds, 25knots being the highest figure recorded on our anemometer and only one rainsquall. Voyageur has excelled herself with daily runs of over 200nm. With just 170nm to run our ETA has us arriving in the middle of the night so we have pulled in the reins slowing our stallion right down. This is one place where we plan to arrive in daylight hours. David's strategy of keeping well out from the coast has paid off. We have stayed dry in the cockpit and life down below, especially for the cook, has been very comfortable. read more...

Graptolite - The Pacific

08:54.70N 079:31.34W 23:00 6 Feb 08 near Panama CityAfter fuelling-up and taking on an American, Dixon Cole and Danish/American, Stig Pedersen for additional line-handling crew, the departure from Shelter Bay was uneventful. The group of seven yachts assembled on the Flats nearColon before dark awaiting the pilot boat. After the pilot came onboard we motored to the Gatun Locks entrance where we rafted up with a non-WARC boat called 'Scratch'. On entering the big concrete locks, which were all lit up in the dark, heaving lines, to collect the long lines, came whistling in from the line handlers on the lock walls. The gates closed behind us and we were turbulently lifted up through three giant flights to Gatun Lake where we anchored for the night. Before daybreak the Howling monkeys in the. read more...

Kealoha 8 - Into the Pacific and Crusing Las Perlas

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Lady Ev.VI - Daily Log

2. BerichtMittlerweile haben wir ca. 600sm zurückgelegt und den 2. Wegepunkt fast erreicht. Wir fahren nach wie vor mit Passatbesegelung und haben bei 25 Knoten, in Böen 30 Knoten Wind eine unglaublich gute Fahrt gemacht, das Etmal war 200sm. An so eine Rauschefahrt über eine so große Distanz kann sich keiner erinnern. Die Wellenhöhe war beeindruckend und uns sind hoffentlich ein paar gute Photos gelungen. Heute haben wir wieder ein paar Delphine gesehen, die sind hier viel kleiner als im Nordatlantik. Wir ändern jetzt bald unseren Kurs auf die San Blas Inseln, auf die wir uns alle schon freuen. Die Stimmung ist gut und wir hoffen, bei allen Lieben zu Hause auch.Viele Grüße von See, die Crew der Lady Ev. VI. read more...

Strega - Auf dem Karneval

Es gibt natürlich noch andere Dinge - ausser Segeln. Zum Beispiel Karneval. Gestern am letzten Tag des Karneval waren wir in Panama City und stürzten uns mitten ins Gedränge. Für die Berliner zumindest bekannt, Loveparade und Fanmeile und so ähnlich ist hier der Karneval auch. Nur viel voller, enger, heisser. Und auch wenn wir vorab vor Dieben und gewarnt wurden, lief alles recht ruhig ab (zumindest solange wir da waren, bis Mitternacht etwa) Ausser wirklich ausgedehnten Konfettischlachten waren keine "feindlichen Handlungen" zu bemerken. Keine Schlägereien, oder sonstwie aggressive Stimmung. So viele Menschen, in solcher Enge wär in Deutschland möglicherweise ein Problem...Noch ein deutlicher Unterschied, der Karneval ist ein Ereignis für die ganze Familie. Von kleinsten Säuglingen über. read more...

A Lady - Log 2 - day 4 - 10 Jan 10 - Netherlands Antillies

At 01:15 on Saturday 9 January we sailed into the main harbour on the Island of Bonaire in the Netherlands Antillies otherwise known as the Dutch West Indies. Skipper Stephen Hyde and Donal McClement navigated magnificently into the dark harbour where a couple of American girls helped with our lines. Log from St Lucia 500 nm approx.A Lady sailed like a dream, we seem to easily do 180 miles a day without too much sail, the crew are all getting on well together. The rest of the fleet have headed for the San Blas Islands. The World ARC is about enjoying everything possible.We provisioned the boat and had an excellent meal in " PATAGONIA" an Argetinial Steak house on Saturday night.Sunday morning 10 Janauary we cast off at about 10:00 and sailed 39 nm to the neighbouring island of Curacao in. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 4 - A day of records

Predictably yesterday was a day of fast downwind sailing in winds between force four and five. The seas off the headland of the Guajira Peninsula did not disappoint either. Voyageur surfed down the short steep waves under reefed headsails with ease, reaching a top speed so far of 13.4knots. David at last got his wish with a best daily run of 203nm. On our log sheet over a four hour period we recorded 40nm. The more we sail her the more she continues to thrill her with her performance, especially downwind. No, she is not a racing yacht but a most safe and comfortable cruising boat absolutely built to sail the oceans of the world. Our two crew for the Atlantic crossing Erick and Dave were generous enough to give us an iPod Touch player for Christmas, so now we while away the long hours on. read more...

Talulah Ruby II - Panama Canal

What a great trip going through the Panama Canal is! We left the Atlantic side at 5pm,and ascended 3 locks to Gatun lake in the middle, where we anchored overnight.The jungle sounds that awoke us at 0530 were fantastically loud,lots of howling monkeys and screeching birds.It is about 26 mls across the lake to the next set of locks passing all the big (really big) shipping cominy the other way.The scenery is diverse and we saw some very large alligators swimming and sunbathing all adding to the excitement,after the lake we decended 3 more locks and arrived in The Pacific Ocean we motored on to Flamingo Marina arriving at 1400. Our spare parts turned up and we have repaired our traveller ready to leave next Sunday for Ecuador,we will probably stop on the way at The Las Pearlas. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - log Tues 5 Feb

Tuesday 6th FebruaryTHE ADVENTURE BEGINS!A few jobs done this morning, I at last got the new version of Mailasail to work and Malcy mended the shower door in the aft heads. So far we have sailed just under 1200 nm from St Lucia, but getting into the Pacific is where we really get started!The start of our passage through the Panama Canal was delayed and we didn't leave the anchorage in The Flats until around 20:30 having picked up our pilot 'Omar'. It then took us till midnight to get through the 3 consecutive locks and anchor in Lake Gatun, but we all enjoyed the experience! The system for yachts is that they raft up in threes and there is a 125 ft line on each corner of the raft. First lock there was a small problem as the aft deck crew hadn't put their line on a winch, but after that. read more...

Lady Ev.VI - Daily Log

3.Berichtes geht uns nach wie vor gut. Nach dem Höllenritt der letzten beiden Tage mit dem Rekordetmal von gut 200sm, hat der Wind jetzt nachgelassen und wir segeln dem Ziel mit gemächlichen 5 Knoten entgegen (noch ca. 370sm).Jetzt, wo wir unsere Angel gefunden haben, ist bei Christos der Jagdinstinkt ausgebrochen und wir hoffen, heute abend auch der Kochinstinkt.Wir sind sehr gespannt auf die San Blas Inseln, stellen sie doch etwas ganz Besonderes dar.Besonders interessieren uns die dort lebenden Indianer, denen es gelungen ist, ihre alte Lebensweise zu bewahren und natürlich auch die noch intakte Natur. Andere Abwechselungen oder gar Kneipen, Verproviantierung gibt es dort nicht. Wir wettern die heiße Sonne jetzt im Schiff ab mit dem Schreiben von Mails und anderen "sinnvollen". read more...

Ariane - Etmal-Rekord!

Hallo liebe Landratten!Heute sind wir richtig stolz: Wir haben das grösste Etmal auf dieser Reise seit Denia erreicht: 188 sm (in 24 Stunden). Jetzt mussten wir den Kurs ändern, daher geht es langsamer. Auch Noeluna, unser befreundeter Kat, ist auf dem gleichen Kurs hinter uns. Noch 450 sm trennen uns von der Ziellinie in San Blas. Dann wird erst mal ausgiebig gebadet und geschwommen. Am 16. treffen sich dann alle Yachten in der Chichimebucht und sind an Land zu einem Fest mit Mahlzeit eingeladen.Unsere Daten:16.Chichimebucht Fest, vor- und nachher auch "einsames" Ankern vor der "eigenen" Bucht, bzw. Insel, von denen es in San Blas 370 geben soll.23.Shelter Bay24.Vermessung in Shelter Bay25.Transit PanamakanalWer also im Internet per Livekamera unsere Durchfahrt sehen möchte, kennt nun. read more...

Andante of Mersey - Life after St Lucia

Blog 2After our 8 day trip across the Carribean we have at last arrived at Colon (unfortunate name) but some people say the place is close to the rear end of the world. We moor in a lovely marina, Shelter Bay, for a few days R and R before our passage through the canal. To visit Colon we had to be transported by special bus and only allowed to visit an enormous Shopping Mall.The rest of the city apparently is a no go area for Gringo like us.The scenary change is amazing, the marina is surrounded by tropical jungle,we have seen strange birds, monkeys,snakes and poisonous frogs live close by and of course crocodiles. We leave lovely Shelter Bay 3:30 our time on Sunday afternoon. We anchor for a while and eventually raft up with two other yachts. In a threesome we head for the canal. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Quasar V Log

Monday 4th FebruaryNO NEWS!Not much to report today. We all went on a packed coach from the marina to a shopping centre near Colon, which is a bit of a no go area. First time I've ever been in a supermarket with a sign outside saying no guns or knives, but the security guards all carried guns!Bob and Lori have been looking at wildlife: howler monkeys, coatemundi (endemic species to Panama peninsula, weaver birds, buzards, frigate birds, white heron, turkey vultures and an ant-eater!The marina is on the site of an old American air-force base and there are lots of disused buildings around in Shelter Bay and generally - all previously used by the Americans.Ate again in the marina restaurant and had an early night.Off through the canal tomorrow evening and the following day. Apparently there. read more...

Tucanon - WARC- week 1

An early morning start and a walk to the supermarket, which is open from 7amuntil 1pm on Sundays and holidays, to purchase some fresh fruit and a frozenchicken for supper tomorrow.WARC control advised us this morning that there are only three boats stilldue to arrive.Dick and Austin walked to the immigration office and checked Austin off theboat and Bob and Pili arrived with their baggage from the hotel, where theyhave been staying.While Pili tried to find a home for their belongings, Bob went along to "3Drifters", the boat that he skipped across the Atlantic, to collect the restof their stuff, including his scuba gear.We were delighted to hear that Bob and Pili were married in Menorca, shortlybefore they left to take the boat to the Canary Islands, ready for the startof ARC 2009.Sunday. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 3 - "Square waves"!

The wind and seas have started to build as we approach the corner off the Columbian coast. The last time we rounded this major headland, the Peninsula Guajira, it was the nearest Stella ever came to being knocked down and we shipped tons of water into the cockpit so naturally I am quite apprehensive about this particular part of the trip and will be glad to leave it astern. The secret to negotiating this headland is to keep well off the coast in deeper water in our case around the 3000 metre mark. The waves in this area get the name "square waves", but to me they are just big growling rollers that hiss at you as they rush past the cockpit. We encountered our first ship yesterday head on. The AIS told us his CPA (closest point of approach) was 0.3nm, much too close. Baltic Sky was doing. read more...

Graptolite - Canal Tommorrow

09:22.09N 079:57.02WWe are expecting to be into the Canal tomorrow (Tuesday). You may even get to see us on the Panama Canal webcams at http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html (just Google it, it will be easier).. read more...

Quasar V of Lleyn - Log

Sunday 3rd FebruaryUP TO OUR NECKS IN IT!We left San Blas just before Kasuje but arrived more than an hour later in Shelter Bay around 09:40 St Lucian time. Passage was OK, but I didn't sleep much. Lots of moaning about putting up more sail and racing Kasuje! I resisted the calls when I was up, on the grounds that we are not in a hurry and people on board need to sleep and be comfortable, rather than have the boat crash around all night!Approaching Shelter BayQuite an amazing sight at the entrance seeing loads of ships anchored waiting for their turn to get through. We are scheduled to leave on Tuesday.Malcy was for organising jobs as soon as we arrived, but when everyone else was congregating in the bar for a beer he was dragged kicking and screaming to get a few down his neck!. read more...

Ariane - Heute Nacht: Halbzeit!

Hallo FreundeWie beim Start der ARC erleben wir auch bei der WorldARC das gleiche Phänomen: In der ersten Nacht sieht man noch rundum einige Schiffe, so zählten wir diesmal 16 Boote. 24 Stunden nach dem Start sehen wir kein einziges Boot mehr. Dies erstaunt uns etwas, da wir alle einen relativ klaren Kurs nach San Blas abgesteckt haben, also nicht wie bei der ARC mit der Möglichkeit von Nord- oder Südkurs. Umsomehr hat es uns gefreut, als wir am zweiten Tag plötzlich wieder drei Konkurrenten entdecken. Mit der Dreamcatcher und der Lady Lisa halten wir täglichen Funkkontakt, der besonders einfach geht, da es auch Schweizer Yachten sind und die Kommunikation dadurch erleichtert wird. Am zweiten Tag kreuzt uns die Noeluna, ein Katamaran, den wir schon einige Stunden vorher beobachtet. read more...

Windflower III - Wir sind im Pazifik

Windflower IIIFlamengoBay MarinaPanamaCityWir sind im Pazifik!Nachdem wir am Samstag nachmittag um 1530 die Shelter Bay Marina verlassen haben,mussten wir zunaechst einige Zeit auf den Lotsen (Pflicht )warten,mit dem wir die Gatunschleusen und anschliessend den Kanal durchqueren sollten.Durch die Schleusung wird ein Hoehenunterschied von ca.35mtr.zwischen dem Atlantik und dem Gatunsee ueberwunden.Der Panamakanal fuehrt hauptsaechlich durch diesen See.Nachdem wir die Schleuse mit 3 hintereinanderliegenden Kammern ueberwunden hatten suchten wir uns fuer den Rest der Nacht einen Ankerplatz ,weil uns der Lotse bis zum naechsten Morgen verliess.Am Samstag morgen wurden wir durch eigentuemliche Geraeusche aus dem nahen Wald geweckt.Wie sich herausstellen sollte war es das Gebruell von. read more...

Bristol Rose - Day 3 - Friday Pizza and Movie Night.

Routines are an important part of our passage making. We are settling into our watch routines, preparing meals, checking email and checking in with the WARC net at midday each day.No matter where we are, Friday night is always a great night for pizza and a movie. Elliot is our Minister for Entertainment, elected unopposed. Tonight he is showing "Public Enemy". Robert has prepared pizza built from scratch, fresh and aromatic from the oven. So what if we are 300nm from land, the seas are rolly and the wind is pushing us westward towards the San Blas, our Friday night routine of pizza and a movie (or two) stands. Now, if we could just manage to organize a decent shower without risking life and limb, we could control some of the other aromas around here. Life is sweet.. read more...

Voyageur - Log day 2 - All is calm....

In complete contrast to yesterday's shenanigans above decks, equilibrium was restored once more to the ship and all was peace and calm. Voyageur trucked west under a clear blue sky and reasonably flat seas in steady 10 to 15 knot winds averaging 7 knots of SOG. On a dead run with poled out genoa and ballooner we did not have to adjust the sheets at all during the course of the day. At 2am that night we had our first squall bringing a short sharp burst of rain and it was only then that we had to take a few turns in the headsail roller reefing system. We had spent a thoroughly lazy day, catnapping in the cockpit, eating in between and marveling at the gracefulness of several seabirds as they wheeled and circled trying to catch flying fish for their supper. David took the first turn as net. read more...

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