Passage notes: Bocas to Portobelo

Posted on December 1, 2012 by Laurie

The last two weeks can pretty much be summed up in one word: RAIN.

Yes, December is the Rainy Season. Yes, Panama is a rainforest. But it’s the Caribbean, right? Shouldn’t we get some sunshine on these deserted beaches and magical rivers we (planned to) visit? “No”, is apparently the answer.

We left Bocas a couple of weeks ago with the intention of stopping in some super-cool spots, which also happen to be fair-weather anchorages. Well, guess what? We’ve had NO fair weather. Everyone said we were getting a late start to this passage: “November is unpredictable; you really should’ve gone in October”. Thanks, thanks a lot. I know folks mean well, but unless you have a time machine handy, maybe not so helpful to suggest we should’ve already done something. Just sayin’

But they were right; we missed all the cool stuff we wanted to see along the way: the “secret beach”, Tobobe and the Rio Chagres. And, while we did stop at Escudo de Veraguas, it was so rainy and windy that we didn’t even get to enjoy it properly. Blarg.

So, in the interest of reporting to the cruisers (and all you folks at home) what indeed happened, here’s what we ended up doing instead:

Stopping in Bluefields for two nights. Bluefields was fine. It was fine last year. It’s a super-protected and calm anchorage which meant a nice, calm night’s sleep. But, it’s also one of those places where locals pull up in their Cayucos and hang on your lifelines and stare into your cockpit/cabin/dinghy for upwards of an hour.

While I don’t mind at all when folks come to sell or trade with us or even if they want to engage in some conversation, there’s something about someone silently looking into your windows for what feels like for-e-ver that I dislike very much.

I mean, I understand that in a place like Bluefields, which is very remote, visiting yachts can seem as foreign as spaceships and therefore certainly attract curiosity but boats have been coming to Bluefields for years, so you think folks might get used to it, right?

It seems that perhaps the good folks who call Bluefields home have come to start expecting something from the cruisers . . and, this is when I’ll get on my soapbox . . . if you are someone who likes to support an increase the quality of life for those in remote places, please do not give out hand-outs (especially to children). It doesn’t help anyone. You might feel good in the moment, but it’s not at all good in the long run. Trust me. Or, at least trust them. Off the soapbox . . .

Lucky for us in the case of the lifeline hanger-on’rs, we have a secret weapon: “el perro bravo” (a dangerous dog). Don’t get me wrong, we don’t sic Kemah on anyone, but I don’t mind that it’s not particularly welcoming to have a big dog barking at you when you’re not particularly welcome.

So, back to Blue Fields, the highlight of the stop-over was being invited over to a (new) friend’s boat for lobster dinner. Acuncion and Ivan of S/V Paloma were amazing hosts. We had loads of lobster, caramelized onion & garlic mashed potatoes (I made these!) and then capper of all cappers: flan. Yum! To top everything off, our dinner was hosted aboard a Lagoon 40 and that boat is sa-weet. Funny, though, while they have a TON more space aboard, they really don’t have much more room(s) than the Gemini and I bet their maintenance costs are much more – see, we’re fine without that fancy boat 😉

After Bluefields, we headed out for Escudo de Veraguas, a beautiful island only a day-sail away – past the two other amazing stops we meant to see (the “secret beach” and Tobobe).

Escudo was an easy day sail from Bluefields. We had been looking forward to Escudo since our stop-over here a couple of years ago. It’s a beautiful island surrounded by reefs and, after a couple of days on the boat, we were ready to get anchored and explore.

Escudo’s hidden coves

D, photoshopped into paradise aka Escudo, in 2011

But . . . the weather continued to be uncooperative. Even upon approach the “anchorage” seemed to be uncomfortably rolly but we snaked our way closer to the beach and quickly radio’d back to our buddies on Adamastor that they had the depth to follow us.

While they snuck up on the beach, we continued to radio them of a dangerous rock just off our starboard bow – but wait – what!?! The rock was moving – huh!?! James thought it was, perhaps, a whale, but as it got closer and closer we realized it was a HUGE rootball attached to a downed palm. It must have been the heavy rains that broke it lose. And, AFTER we used the boathook to poke it away from drifting between our hulls, we all a good laugh about the “dangerous moving rock” in the Escudo anchorage.

We spent a few days at Escudo waiting for the weather to change and even took advantage of short break in the clouds to dinghy-‘splore the coastline and walk along the big, wide beach. While there were a few highlights in the form of tucked-away coves and a cool, fresh river washing out to sea, unfortunately, the impression that was left with us from our beach walk was the horrid amounts of plastic flotsam and jetsam littering the shore. Makes ya kinda wonder what all the crap was made for if it’s just gonna end up on some otherwise-beautiful beach. Seriously, earthlings (including us, of course) we have *got* to get it together.

Despite our depressing walk along the beach and the lack of snorkeling we did manage to have one particularly entertaining – although it was alarming at first – experience at Escudo:

It was dark-thirty. Damon and I were on Adamastor enjoying a movie night with Jess and James. All of the sudden, Jess popped up, snatched our attention away from the film and called it to the flash of white light that just came through the porthole across the screen. In slow motion, we all seemed to come to the same silent conclusion: “Right, of course, we’re in the middle of nowhere, on our boats. We should definitely be concerned about those lights – which definitely aren’t headlights shining into our living rooms from a passing car. WHO IS OUT THERE!?!”

Suddenly, we were all up from the settee, out in the cockpit and trying to discern the figures and make of boat approaching us quickly from the sea. Of course, with their lights shining in our eyes, it took us a minute to make out the five men, in fatigues, with machine guns slung over their shoulders headed towards Mother Jones – where Kemah was holding down the fort. Relief washed over us all. It’s funny that the sight of those big men with their big guns was a welcome sight: it meant they were random pirates coming for us, they were *government* pirates, at worst.

We signaled them to come to Adamastor, where over the next hour they checked Adamastor’s paperwork and did a cursory inspection of the vessel. When it came time for our turn of the government check, the men opted not to move over to the Kemah-stronghold of Mother Jones, instead asking us to take our dinghy, get our paperwork and bring it to them, which we happily complied. God bless that terrifyingly ridiculous dog.

While El Jefe worked on our paperwork, I offered the group some refreshments which they accepted tenderly while explaining clearly they did not expect, and could not accept, any gifts – amazing!

All-in-all, their impromptu visit turned out to be quite pleasant as we ran through the rigamaroll exchanging Spanglish with each other. We were also happy to have them anchored next to us for the next two nights – although we were very happy to be sleeping in our cozy berths rather than under a tarp in a panga like these commandos.

Making friends at Escudo

But, our luck with the friendly pirates was not to rub off on the weather. We had enough of the rain, enough of a rolling anchorage and so it was time to head off to Portobelo on our first overnighter since this.

The afternoon we left was fine. We had a little excitement as a few swallows came aboard for a rest – which is totally fine unless Mr. K sees them. Then, it’s pandemonium whilst he scrambles about giving it his all to give them their namesake.

Once night fell, the easy afternoon turned.

“Once bitten, twice shy” was I as I listened to a familiar sound of the halyard clanking, felt the familiar motion of pitching into the seas ahead and watched the running lights cast its eerie red glow on the deck and dark waves. Ugg. We shot towards Portobelo at the quick pace of eight knots in high seas. It seemed all-too-familiar.

I was uneasy. I white-knuckled my shift. When D got up for his we had a come-to-Jesus. Turns out I wasn’t the only one “remembering”.

“Why do we do this?” was the question de nuit; both of us remembering the last time we asked each other *that* question on *that* passage. It was sobering. And good. We were on the same page: we love cruising; and, we have a healthy respect for the ocean; we have fear; and, we have the where-with-all to acknowledge it, make corrections and keep moving forward. So, we reefed.

Just like that, it seemed the sea exhaled. Mother Jones settled into a comfortable lob and we settled into ourselves again.

*******

The rest of the night and into the morning we gently pushed forward. We had the engine on ever-so-slightly just to help us maintain course against the current and winds pushing us towards the coast. (To other sailors out there heading this way this time of year in Easterlies, I’d strongly recommend you head north at least 15 or so miles off Escudo and then tack back towards your Colon or Portobelo destination)

Like other missed destinations, I was disappointed to have to pass on visiting the infamous Rio Chagres. But I knew it was the smart move: two years earlier we had stood at Fuerte San Lorenzo and witnessed a yacht washed aground (and then picked clean) from an unscheduled discharge of the Rio Chagres dam by the Canal authority. As a matter of fact, the Canal Authority apparently does sound an alarm to give anyone on the river – including Panamanians fishing in Cayucos or working on the shores of the Chagres – a WHOLE 15 MINUTES prior to opening the damn so folks can safely remove themselves from the path of MILLIONS OF GALLONS OF WATER FILLED WITH DEBRIS. Ummm, thanks?

washed ashore during rainy season dam openings

S/V washed ashore during a dam opening during the rainy season

But, due to us having at least one good idea a week (ambitious aren’t we?), we opted to keep moving towards Portobelo. Soon past the Rio, we were smack-dab in the middle of the Canal zone dodging the huge tankers waiting for transit or resting at anchor just after.

Even still, I can’t get over how HUGE these ships are, how much cargo they transport and, sadly, how much of it is probably disposable crap we – yes, I’m including me in the “we” here – consume all over the globe. And, how I’d be willing to bet a (literal) ton of it ends up on beaches just like the one we left less than 24 hours ago.

Or, maybe instead of one million pen caps and lighters, those ships are full of life-saving medications, fresh water, food and shelter destined for our planet’s sick, thirsty, hungry and homeless. Aww, a gal with a bleeding heart can dream, right?

Moving on to more selfish thoughts, we spent the last leg of our overnighter wet and squinting in the white-out rain happy none-the-less in part because: 1) if we *had* to be in white-out rain, we were glad to be in white-out rain PAST the tanker minefield; and 2) we were dreaming of our first stop in Portobelo: Captain Jack’s, our soon-to-be-latest stop on our Cheeseburger in Paradise tour.

Portobelo in a break in the rain. Cheeseburger dead ahead

Newly Salted: 11 months in

Posted on November 28, 2012 by Laurie

So, there’s this really, really cool couple of blogs managed by Liva of S/V Estrellita. The blogs, Interview with a Cruiser Project and Newly Salted, both feature interviews of those who have been cruising for some time and those of us who just started out. I found them to be tremendously helpful when we were still sitting at our desks dreaming and scheming of a way to become . . . Cruisers.

Because these interviews were so helpful to me, and because we’re no longer sitting at our desks – (drumroll, please) ~~we’ve become~~ we’re everday becoming Cruisers, I thought we’d add our thoughts to the project.

Liva asks participants to self-publish our interviews and then re-formats and links back – how easy, peasy! I’m looking forward to seeing our interview up here when she has a break in her South Pacific sailing.

Until then, here goes something:

About Us

S/V Mother Jones hails from Austin, Texas and is Captained by Damon and Laurie Jones, with minimal support by our Chief Security Officer Kemah (our dog). We moved aboard in December of 2011 in Punta Gorda, Florida and sailed to Panama stopping in The Bahamas, Jamaica and Providencia. We have blogged about our travels overland and aboard at www.SoManyBeaches.com. We love hearing from other cruisers; so don’t be shy, drop us a line!

What (if anything) do you wish someone had told you before you started cruising –

D: I wish we had told ourselves to take a couple of navigation/sailing courses. Although I know now that, no matter what anyone teaches you, you (well, I) don’t really learn how to sail until you actually do it on YOUR boat. BUT, a “basics” of anv knowledge and sail trim physics would’ve been helpful…

L: We did a TON of research before we left, scouring blogs of other cruisers and basically soliciting any advice from anyone willing to share it. So, I’m not sure there were too many surprises. But, one piece of advice we got over and over and I’ll restate here was: GO NOW! We heard from a lot of old salts who said they or someone they were close to waited and waited to go and then they couldn’t due to health, financial or other reasons. They told us to go now and we’ll figure it out (financially) and so far that’s been true.

As you started cruising, what transitions did you find the most difficult?

L: In terms of being a cruising couple, learning how to sail together was challenging at first: we learned we deal with stress differently (he springs into action trying to figure out what can be done and I prefer to quietly think on it before acting and his action makes me more stressed), and we had different ideas of what makes a good sail, anchorage and social life. Navigating those new waters together takes time but we found slowing down, asking “why do you think that?”, “where do you want to anchor?” or “how do you want the day to go?” and then really listening to the answer has made a big difference towards being in sync.

L: Personally, I had a hard time transitioning with the distance from friends, family and making new friends – when everyone is a proverbial ship passing in the night. I love being a part of a community and D prefers his solitude. So, that means he’ll begrudgingly join me in meeting new cruisers, attending pot-lucks, etc and/or I’ll just go by myself while he hangs back. And, it means that as we look at going back out for the Season (and leaving our community in Bocas del Toro), I’ll be facing this challenge again.

D: Sleeping. On land, it’s easy to sleep through the night; you don’t wake up every few hours wondering if your house has wandered down the street or if someone else’s house is going to knock into ours if the wind changes. On the boat, I find myself waking up every couple of hours to close the hatch if it starts to rain, check our position and otherwise mind the boat.

What mistakes did you make as you started cruising?

Ha! We’ve made a few for sure! We’ve run aground a couple of times (luckily, we’ve been able to just get out and push our shallow-draft boat off a shoal). We sailed wing-on-wing in 10 foot seas (and then ripped our head sail). We’ve drug anchor because we anchored on a slope and then the winds changed. We were too optimistic about sailing and almost ran out of gas a couple of times. Yep, we’ve made a few.

What do you find the most exciting about your cruising life?

We love having the opportunity to spend so much time together. We love the challenge of learning new things (“what’s leech line, a weep hole, a Obida?”). We love being self-sufficient and spending so much time outdoors. We also love being part of an international community with so many different backgrounds and perspectives represented. And, of course, there’s all the exploring: from travelling a well-worn cruising path like Boo-Boo Hill in the Bahamas to finding the secret fish market or just a boat part, it’s always like a treasure hunt! Finally, there’s the striking physical landscapes of all the new places. My good friend who’s spent 16 years cruising says it best: “I love standing in my galley with my same old pots and pans and looking out on a whole new country!”.

What do you dislike about cruising that surprised you?

I’m amazed at how some can be so narrow-minded when commenting on other cultures and living amongst other cultures as expats. I understand how things can wear on you, but if you wanted it “they way it is in X”, stay there or go back!

What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you didn’t find to be true?

While I had read a lot about other people’s budgets for cruising, I mistakenly thought we could out-cheap other cruisers. I thought we could stay under or around $1,000 per month, because, you know, wind is FREE! But, of course, the wind isn’t always with you, parts are expensive and depending on where you go, provisioning and Zarpes can also add up.

What is something that you read or heard about cruising, that you found particularly accurate?

We have definitely found it to be true that there are always boat projects; it’s like painting the Golden Gate Bridge: once you’re down to the bottom of the list, start again at the top! I’ve also found the cruising community to be amazing. Regardless of who you are, how much money you make, your politics, race or religion, if you are in a jam, another cruiser WILL help you out. A couple of quick things, too: The Bahamas is expensive, everybody has an opinion and don’t worry about food so much – they’ll have it there.

Is there something you wish you had bought or installed before starting out?

We wish we had an SSB for sure. We had an incident hundreds of miles from shore and only had a SPOT and VHF. Luckily, we were able to get someone on the VHF three hours into our ordeal that could relay to the Coast Guard. But, we’d love to have the added safety of the SSB for emergencies and for weather forecasting.

Also, given that Damon is a working electronic musician and I a writer, we’ve found our battery bank to be limiting to powering our equipment. We run the genny from time to time, wait for sunny days or go ashore to use computers.

Another cruising couple also told us they heard from others cruising the Tropics that they couldn’t have enough fans. We’ve added a couple here and there over the last year and would definitely second this recommendation.

Finally, a wish list item that hasn’t proved a deal-breaker yet is a windlass. We *are* the windlass on S/V Mother Jones. Luckily, because of the grounds we’re cruising and because we have a shallow draft boat, we rarely have a problem pulling up anchor. But, at 4lbs a foot (280lbs) anchoring in more than 20 feet can get difficult to pull up, especially if there is any wind.

What piece(s) of gear would you leave on the dock next time? Why?

Clothes, books and leather; we brought too much of all of it and in the Tropics, everything leather has molded.

What are your plans now?

If they do not include cruising, tell us why. This Season we’re headed to the San Blas, then up the Western Caribbean Coast (Providencia, the Bay Islands of Honduras, the Rio Dulce, Belize and Mexico). And, we’re excited!

What question do you wish I would have asked you besides the ones I’ve asked you and how would you answer it?

Having a dog aboard presents both pluses and minuses: we never worry about security, but have limited independence from the boat and in places we can cruise. Several folks have wondered about the strange looking PVC lined mat we have at the bottom of our swim step: it’s Kemah’s swim step allowing him to easily enter and exit the boat without our assistance. More info about our homemade, $40, swim step can be found here.

**Update: Mother Jones has officially become “Newly Salted”! You can read this and other Newly Salted interviews here.**

Adios Bocas (for now at least :)

Posted on November 13, 2012 by Laurie

We’ve got our Zarpe (exit/travel permit), we’ve stocked up on Abuelo, got tons of fresh veggies, fruit and laundry, and we even packed in a trip to the dentist (aren’t we responsible adults?!?). That means we’re ready to go, right? Right?

Well, it’s complicated.

I’m super-excited to get out of “town”, where the stars and bio-luminescence are the only lights for miles. I’m really looking forward to seeing Kemah’s face as he touches a virgin beach again. And, it’s always a trip to go on a scavenger hunt for this or that in a completely foreign place.

But, I also keenly remember the loneliness I found myself experience not being part of a community, but one proverbial ship passing another in the night. And, as you may remember, the last time we were actually sailing, this happened. Gulp.

Finally, it’s with a heavy-heart we leave the place we’ve called home more than any other in the last two years (can you believe we’ve spent 8 months in Bocas?). They say that having something to miss is a good sign it’s been good to you and we definitely feel that with Bocas.

We’ve been so fortunate to have made so many great friends, many of whom helped me out a TON when Damon was gone. I could go on and on about the adventures we had when I wasn’t tapping one friend or another for an extra hand, but what happens in Bocas . . .

Two incredibly good friends we’ve made are Jess and James on S/V Adamastor. It was a kismet meeting through an old friend from Austin that brought us together – quite literally as they anchored a little too close on our first night together and our boats went “bump in the night” – whoops! But, all’s well that ends well and we like them so much (and they us, it seems) that we’re setting out on both of our first “Buddy Boat” experience.

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve had several study sessions pouring over charts while snacking on Velveeta (James: “It’s like low-class fondue!” Me: “It’s not ‘like’ low-class fondue, it is low-class fondue!”). And, now, we’re off!

We’re excited to compliment each other: they with their fancy-schmancy SSB radio & radar and we with our shallow draft and Chief Security Officer.

Curiously enough, they, too, had a terrible time sailing last, where they also ripped their head-sail and have spent the last five months repairing and recuperating here in Bocas. So, we’ll both be easing back into the big blue, alone, together.

Our next port of call is Portobelo (me encanta la historia de Portobelo!). As to how long until we reach Portobelo, I dunno, the 150 miles or so could be an easy day and a half of straight sailing but we’re likely to spend a couple of weeks meandering along depending on how the weather cooperates and how much we like a particular spot.

In case you’re curious about our sail plan (Mom) for our upcoming trip East, I’ve included a map below (we all know how much I lurve maps).

View Bocas to San Blas sailplan in a larger map

We won’t have access to internet, but will be making good use of our SPOT tracker (thanks again, Sunni y Chet!). So, you can follow along here.

Speaking of following along, I’m also really looking forward to using the time away from shore (and the internet) to get some good writing done (on my shameless backlog of posts), so stay tuned!

Until Portobelo!

L, D & Mr. K

The “plan”

Posted on November 3, 2012 by Laurie

During our recent hibernation, D and I had a lot of time to reconnect and focus on what we want for the next 6 months/couple years/lifetime. We call this “dreaming and scheming”, it’s super-fun and we highly recommend it.

You may remember the “We did it, now what?” post back in June referring to our goal of sailing to Panama and then “figuring it out”. Well, we’ve done some figuring and here’s the plan for next Season (hold please on any impending “Life Plan”).

Headline: Keep Cruising

Byline: San Blas – Isla Mujeres via Western Caribbean

That’s right, we’re headed out again into the great blue yonder. Some of y’all may have thought (because we told you) that we were likely to settle here in Bocas and open a small movie theater. You may have even seen our architectural and business plans or even been on a real estate tour of Bocas with us – because all of that happened.

But, we, being cruisers, with a full cruising kitty and a BOAT, have decided to make a wild, 180 and use both to keep exploring – we can always settle down “some day”, right?

So, here’s the rough plan for this Season’s adventures:

Mid-November: make our way down to the San Blas via our old stopping grounds of Portobelo buddy-boating with our good friends Jess and James aboard S/V Adamastor
December-mid January: pick up D’s brother Dylan in the San Blas and head back up to beautiful Providencia from Portobelo (a much better angle than from Bocas but it means that when we leave in a couple weeks, we likely won’t see our Bocas friends for a looooong time, which is a real bummer!)
February: From Portobelo, we’ll do a long stretch over pirate-infested waters to the Bay Islands off Honduras and then duck into the Rio Dulce, Guatemala. Fun times!
March: We’re likely to spend a month or so on the Rio and travelling overland to explore a lot of Guatemala, like Tikal, Semuc Champey and hopefully hit the amazing Easter celebrations in Antigua. This will require us leaving the boat in a marina with a dog sitter, so if you’ve ever wanted a free stay on a yacht in Central America, now’s your chance!
April: Weave our way north through the reefs of Belize on our way to Isla Mujeres, Mexico. D and I spent our honeymoon in Belize and we’re looking forward to getting back, especially to Caye Caulker. And, D traveled the Yucatan extensively before we met, so I’m excited for him to show me around!
Then???

We figure by the time we’re in Isla, we can choose whether we’re ready to head back to Panama and start again on Cinema Toro or head back to Austin for life on land again. Or, maybe we’ll flip another 180 and do something entirely different!

For those who love following along, in maps (as much as I do), you’re in luck! Here’s a link to a map:

View 2013 Season Plans in a larger map

Anywho, that’s the plan (for now). Just in case you’re keeping track 🙂

See y’all out there on the water!

L, D & Mr. K

ps. If you have any experience sailing these legs or visiting these anchorages, please don’t be shy and let us know what you loved and what you didn’t, willya?

WaSUP!!!!

Posted on November 2, 2012 by Laurie

WassssSUP!?!

Hey everybody!

We’re alive!!!! And, by “we”, I mean Mr. K, D and moi all together on the boat – yeah!

I feel a bit bad about not writing for sooooo long, but here’s the deal: only having 2 hands on the boat, instead of 4, is hard work, y’all! So, now that D’s back and we’re done hibernating with each other, I’m ready to tell some tales.

In fact, I’ve been toying with the idea of catching up in a BIG way: 30 posts in 30 days; do you think I can do it???

(you saying: “Yes, of course, do it!”)

Thanks! You’re awesome for believing in me and wanting to hear what’s up. I’ve got some awesome things to share and am wondering, too, about anything you’re interested to know. So, let me know “what’s SUP?” and I’ll whip something out for you.

I’m so looking forward to reconnecting with you, internetz, and appreciate you sharing this experience with us.

xo,

L, D and Mr. K

ps. In case you’re wondering “what SUP?” with all my bad puns, it’s because D surprised me with my very own board!!! Stay tuned for more info how it goes on my new ride . . . swoon.

Sandbar Baseball

Posted on October 26, 2012 by Laurie

Just a quick, fun post.

While anchored out in Bocas, next to the sandbar, this casual game of sandbar baseball broke out one afternoon.

It was a hoot, just classic Caribbean. So, I thought I’d share:

Mom’s Visit

Posted on September 6, 2012 by Laurie

At the end of August, almost half-way through my time single-handing/Damon’s working time in Austin, my Mom came to visit! It was a quick 10 days, but we packed a whole lot in: 3 days in the Highlands sandwiched by 3 on either side in Bocas.

This visit was actually the second time she came to visit us in Panama – the first being last year, when were travelling overland and dropped the big bomb on her that we had no plans to return to “the real world” but instead planned to sell everything buy a boat and return to Panama. What a difference a year makes . . . we had done it and were back were we started, showing her sights she hadn’t seen in 2011 and, in general, what our life was like on the boat (or at least what my life was like singlehanding on the boat until D came back from working in the States).

And, of course, in between showing her the sites and in’s and out’s of our new life aboard in Panama, we had this totally typical Mother-Daughter conversation:

Me: “Soooo, do you have any big questions for me?”
She: “ehh, no” (she’s a totally bad liar)
Me: “like, maybe: ‘What am I going to do with my life and how am I going to pay for it?'”
She: “sure”
Me: “Man, I don’t know. But, I’ll when I do, I’ll let you know!”
She: resigned, “okay”

I had a great time showing her my life aboard in Bocas, including the local flora:

beriba

peanut clover

one of my fave jungle plants. Doesn’t it look like a sparkler in slow-motion?

the bamboo cathedral at Jim Jackson’s

passionfruit

at Camrykaland

shampoo ginger at George & Sue’s

and, the local fauna:

a dolphin & sea bird in Tierra Oscura

moon jelly – you can actually pick these up and the feel like breast implants, weird

Mom got to see the process of turning cacao into chocolate from my friends George and Sue:

Cacao on the tree

cacao aka pre-chocolate

cacao bean to nibs

powdered cacao

frozen chocolate, yum!

And, some practical solutions in the Banana Republic:

bathroom key in the jungle is an actual banana

She also got to see what life on the boat is really like, 8 months in:

doing dishes* 11/12 update: when Damon got back he installed a salt-water pump in the galley so this is a thing of the past!

getting around in the family car;

driving the dinghy

Mario & I (ok, mostly Mario) fixing the motor when it refused to start;

fixing the engine

me, fixing the head when it slipped a nut;

classic plumber shot

and, me (again) pulling up anchor (while Lorenzo supervised) when it was time to go sailing.

I am the windlass!

But, ultimately, the tropical heat did not agree with Mom.

Mama’s hot!

Mom cools off

So, we headed to the hills where we could enjoy some R&R in the cooler climate in Boquete and I could do some major provisioning in David.

Boquete!

One water taxi and one five-hour bus ride later and we were up in the lovely, lush mountains of Panama. And, boy was it a lot cooler than Bocas – about 30 degrees cooler!

how much I like cold weather

But, it was also a beautiful change of scenery. While it was so much cooler than Bocas, it seemed just as wet; allowing Boquete’s gardens to really thrive in this temperate rain forest.

it’s wet in the rainforest!

But, oh so pretty . . .

“downtown” Boquete from across the river

these hanging lillies were everywhere!

We had heard that in addition to the beautiful gardens, many folks come here to bird-watch, especially hoping to see the ever-elusive Queztal. Can you believe we saw one without even trying???

A rare queztal spotting

OK, well, we didn’t really. It was just some fun painted rocks 🙂

That evening we took a bumpy ride several kilometers outside of town to stay even higher in the mountains (read: colder). We stayed at The Boquete Tree Trek (named for it’s ziplining through the trees, which we did not have time to do).

to/fro town from the mountains in the back of the ziplining truck

the main lodge and cabins

our cabins

in the main lodge

With its log cabins, roaring fireplace, and super-comfy beds, it was the most cozy and romantic place my mother and I ever stayed, together.

looking into the Boquete valley from the lodge

They even had tame rabbits roaming about – yes, tame rabbits roaming the grounds!!!

so tame!

caption this?

One thing Boquete Tree Trek also had on site was an amazing suspension bridge (which I think are so cool, as long as I’m not on them).

suspension bridge at Boquete Tree Trek

as far as I went (1 foot)

Our stay at the lodge was wonderful. I would love to return (this time with my hubby): they had great food in the main lodge (pork chops with fresh cherry compote, etc), the cabins were beautiful and the grounds were amazing.

But, we were on a whirlwind tour and headed out to David so I could do some power shopping aka treasure hunting for everything not available in the islands.

First stop was La Casa de las Baterias, which is exactly what it sounds like: The House of Batteries. Basically, the battery bank on Mother Jones was fried. So, we needed new ones. For any of you cruisers out there who are curious about our new bank, after many, many conversations with other sailors we ended up going with three, 12v sealed, deep-cycle batteries mainly because of where ours are located (we can’t top them off easily, which means we won’t top them off regularly).

battery shopping – about as fun as it sounds, plus it’s expensive!

Another project on my to-do list was re-upholstering our boat (re-covering all the salon cushions and making new curtains for each thresh-hold – my clever idea to use lightweight, affordable muslin for the old curtains was foiled by mold, which loves the sugars in natural fibers).

I was so happy to find a wonderful fabric store in David. The owner was super helpful: he showed me lots of options, made sure I had everything I needed for the project (piping, good thread, etc) and he even helped me re-calculate all my measurements when I thought “maybe I want the stripes to go the other way . . .”. Needless to say, I’m super excited to get started with the makeover on Mother Jones!

new upholstery!

If you’re keeping track (like I was), we had only been to two places but I now had about 60 lbs worth of batteries and 15 pounds worth of fabric to schlep home on the bus – which was not going to work. Luckily, there’s a super-advantageous service for Bocas residents where you drop stuff off in David to be trucked to Bocas in a weekly shipment (with everyone else’s goods that won’t fit on the bus) and then when it gets to Bocas, you run the truck down and get your stuff = amazing!

So, each shopping errand actually turned into two: one to get the stuff and one to drop the stuff off. By mid-day, we were ready to re-charge our (human) batteries, which we happily did at the best restaurant in David, Cuatro.

Shopping fuel: somebody likes sangria @Cuatro

Next stops were Novey’s (home & garden store), Pricesmart (Costco) and Conway (Target) – man it felt good to get a few t-shirts without boat smell on them, it’s the small things in life!

treasure hunt find #863: dowels

Yep, I found the Panamanian Costco!

treasure hunt treasure #6489: Panamanian TARGET!!!

And then, after a good night’s sleep, it was back to Bocas for just a few short, sweet days with Mom before I was back to single-handing again (read: installing the new battery bank & starting to re-upholster, pfew!).

Mom and I at the mirador at Red Frog Beach just before she left

A love letter to my Captain

Posted on August 10, 2012 by Laurie

It’s late. I’ve just got back to the boat after finally taking the night off to have some fun with the girls. The last two weeks of single-handing non-stop work on the super-steep learning curve (and the wine) have got me waxing poetic about everything you do aboard, that I didn’t even know you do aboard, that now I have to do aboard, to keep us in ship shape.

Just in the past two weeks aboard by myself, it’s been a flurry of activity: we’ve had over 15 inches of rain here in Bocas reminding me of every place that’s not sealed up just right and how low the batteries can get. Suffice it to say, I’ve been busy! I mean, it’s not like I don’t know how to use a screwdriver, but I’m now keenly aware of how I haven’t had to use one in about 10 years since you’ve been in my life. And, how our teamwork makes all the difference: after a day’s worth of sweating, grunting and using all your “fixing” words, I can understand how a nice, hot meal, makes all the difference. On the phone today, you mentioned, “I miss your cooking,” – well, I miss my cooking, too! Afterall, when taking on everything at once, I’m too tired to fix anything more than oatmeal or a peanut butter-banana roll up!

Simply put, I’m grateful. I’m grateful when there are four hands on the boat instead of two. And, while I’m been fortunate to have help from friendly cruisers now and then, just to be clear, I’m particular to the other two hands on the boat being yours!

So, Captain:

Thank you for all the lefty-loosey-righty-tighty jobs,
Thank you for doing all the gross, dirty and down-right disgusting jobs,
Thank you for checking to make sure we have enough gas/water/propane/batteries/parts/things I don’t even know exist/that we need,
Thank you for sorting and labeling them in boxes in the “garage”,
Thank you for being the one who gets up in the middle of the night to check on our anchor/that weird noise/the wind/etc,
Thank you for being the Chief leak-source-tracker-downer and caulker;
Thank you for always doing the dishes,
Thank you for always believing in me when I think I can’t do it – or just plain don’t want to,
Thank you for going to work, in a building, not in the Caribbean, with shoes on to refill the kitty so we can continue to do this,
Thank you for Skyping with me twice a day,
Thank you for walking me through every project, knowing I can do it just fine,
Thank you for taking this crazy adventure with me,
Thank you for not letting me break up with you 5 times during the first 6 months because I was scared,
Thank you for everything over the last 10 years that has me missing you so much and so grateful to be able to spend so much time with my best friend,
And, finally, thank you for coming home. In 55 days.

love,

ps. Capt. D, here’s a pic of Capt. L getting a carburetor cleaning lesson (for the price of a coffee mug) while single-handing.

77 days

Posted on July 20, 2012 by Laurie

D left on Tuesday morning to go back to the States to work. He’ll be gone for 77 days. And, yes, I’m counting.

WEBSITE COUNTDOWN CLOCK

The past few days have been hard. In addition to the general malaise of missing someone I’m 100% in-like with, I’m sore. I’ve lifted the anchor three times, single-handed for the first time and generally been doing four-hands worth of work with two – it’s tough! It seems everything on the boat weighs (at least) 40 pounds and when I’m done with one project, the next one is just waiting for me.

I have a renewed appreciation for my wonderful partner and all he’s done (and is now doing) to keep us afloat.

And, I have a renewed appreciation of myself.

The last time I was on my own I was in my early 20’s. While I have always had an independent spirit, at that time I was recovering from some trauma which left me distrustful of the world in general and most people in particular. I was hell-bent on doing everything on my own. It was also when I delved headfirst into political work – like “do my best swan dive into shark-infested waters” delving.

It was at that time I was interning for political women’s organization and my boss bestowed upon me the nickname “lauradical”.

lauradical and the woman who named her

While I’m not sure she always meant it this way, I considered it the highest compliment – more than a badge of honor, an identity.

lauradical, with her rad hair, behind the wheel of Gussa, a ’73 IH Scout

It wasn’t that lauradical wasn’t afraid to do things on her own; she was and she just did them anyway.

When lauradical didn’t know how to do things and she figured them out.

fixing the carburetor on my ’59 Ford Custom, custom painted of course

Now, lauradical is visiting me yet again. It seems she showed up just in time to her to help me remember that I can totally do this!

Afterall, we’ve done some pretty rad things together. Maybe things some would even consider radical.

Like, maybe this:

Little lauradical thinks like this

or this:

lauradical speaking on the steps of the Texas State Capitol

or perhaps something as radical as even this:

lauradical gets hitched!

So, for all those who worry about me being out here alone on the boat. Don’t you worry. I’m not alone. I’ve got friends I check in with daily. I’ve got a handsome blond keeping me company.

Chief Security Officer Kemah Jones

And, I’ve got lauradical.

We did it! Now what? . . .

Posted on June 8, 2012 by Laurie

One year, one week later and 1,500 miles later, we entered the Bocas del Drago channel at 1am on Monday, May 21st, and officially returned to Panama! We did it!

We’ve spent the last couple of weeks hanging out with old friends, visiting our old haunts and generally getting back in the swing of things. Believe it or not, we’ve been busy!

In these few short weeks, we visited three of the islands and the mainland, hosted guests from the States, said goodbye to D’s brother, Will, (who returned home after 2 1/2 months aboard) and got to work diagnosing and ordering parts to get Mother Jones back in shipshape.

Being “back” has been surreal, fantastic and curious all at once.

The main curiosity upon our return (other than us, of course) has been exploring answers to the question: “now what?”.

You see, our convenient four-part Panama plan was:

Sell everything – check
Buy a boat – check
Sail to Panama – check
Figure it out

Did you notice how there’s no “check” by item number 4??? (We’ve definitely noticed 🙂

Yay! Off, to the drawing board. The blank canvas of life. What will we create?

Let’s start with the obvious: We need to refill the cruising kitty.

Given we’re not internet tycoons or trust-fund kids (not that there’s anything wrong with that) we always knew we’d have to figure this out one of three ways: generate income remotely, generate income locally or return to the States for a stretch.

We’re working on the remote income generation and thinking seriously about some possible local income sources, but in the mean time it’s easiest for us to return to the States to work for a stretch.

Bad news for fans of Laurie and Damon (together that is): Because we have the dog and the boat to look after, we figure only one of us will return at a time. This is kind of a bummer, but a price we’re willing to pay for full-time freedom and togetherness the other 10 months of the year.

Of course, we could always all fly back (K included or find him a local sitter) while we put the boat in a marina. But, this is a less-appealing option for us for several reasons (expense, boats like to be used, and K is, well, K).

On this front, Damon has lined up a short-term contract with his old employer in Austin and will head back to the States later this summer for a couple of months.

I’m working on a couple of things remotely here but do need to kick it up a notch. So, if you have an idea for me, do let me know . . .

So, that gets us through Fall, then what???

Well, we’re weighing some options, both short and long(er)-term. Here’s what’s on our minds:

We take the long way back to Austin next cruising season (Dec-June), sailing Honduras, Guatemala, Belize and Mexico on our way back to the States (where we’d sell Mother Jones)
We settle into life here in Bocas and open a super-fun local business (we have something specific in mind . . .)
And, the fantasy plan de jour is replacing Mother Jones with a camper van and touring Europe (Damon’s never been!)

You might notice that (at least one of) the plans we’re exploring don’t include building long-term wealth, stocking our IRAs and generally looking more than a couple of years down the road. We noticed that, too.

We’re clear that our ability to live this lifestyle is due to many reasons, first and foremost, due to building a solid financial foundation early in life (which we’ve since significantly chipped away at). And, we’re clear we’ll likely need to return to building up a solid foundation once again – not just a cruising kitty. We’ll get there. Maybe sooner, maybe later. Definitely after December 21, 2012 😉

For now, this is where we’re at: exploring, dreaming and pouring over budgets.

Just thought we’d clue you into what we’re thinking.

Love,