I had an “interesting” experience today. Have you ever broached in a power boat? Our panga did just that. Bill, my neighbor, and I had gone in to Bocas for a quick trip. The morning was nice and only partly cloudy, but satellite radar showed a large water vapor signature to our N that was supposed to bring afternoon thunderstorms. Somehow Bill and I missed each other and were both waiting for the other at different locations. The sky started to get black and we both had the good sense to head for the panga that was tied up at The Reef restaurant. “Looks like we are going to get wet,” I said as we cast off. Usually rain in Bocas, even squalls, are not accompanied by strong winds, so we weren't too worried. We could see the rain coming across the water towards us, “Here it comes,” said Bill. We were headed more or less Northeast and it was coming from the North. It hit with winds that were at least 30-40 kts. (I subsequently got word that a boat anchored nearby recorded the wind @ 44 kts.) The canvas top on our panga is a full length affair supported by inverted “U” shaped bows of 3/4” galvanized pipe that fit into tubes made into the side of the panga. It is secured by tie-down straps fore and aft. When the squall hit, the top acted just like a spinnaker. It rose so high that several of the pipes pulled out of there 6” deep sockets. I lost all control of the boat and she healed over dangerously. It was very different than anything I had experienced in a power boat. With more engine than I wanted to use, I was able to steer us directly into the wind. The top was still trying to fly, but it was no longer healing us. Conditions were a veritable white out. I continued this way until I could just make out that we had cleared the ferry (and not by much!); then, crossing my fingers, I spun us 180* to run with the wind until we could come around the point by Dos Palmas (a hotel we stayed at many times before our house was built) and into the lee of the island. There we found a newly built dock with slips for rent @ $100/mo. It was empty (at those prices, no wonder!) and since it was directly to windward, I approached it easily and we tied off to ride out the storm there. The top survived with just the stitching torn out on the aft most bow. I re-tightened the tie-downs while we waited. The bilge pump worked overtime. Eventually (maybe ½ hr.) the thunder and lightening past and the wind subsided, though it was still raining pretty hard. “I think it is time to go,” I said. Bill was not too sure, but several locals in cayugas began paddling across the bay so we decided it was OK. We still couldn't see Solarte through the rain, but I knew where it was (and had my GPS for back-up) so we took off into surprisingly flat seas. Even when we crossed the channel that opens to the Caribbean,there was little chop and only moderate swell. I remember experiencing a similar situation when we left the Dry Tortugas for Key West and were hit by a squall. It just blew the sea flat and was gone before it had a chance to develop new wind blown waves. We crossed the cut and hugged the shore of Solarte, staying in its lee, all the way home. When we got to Discovery Bay, there was a strange boat in “my” slip. I tied up elsewhere, checked the boat over and didn't recognize it, and headed up to the house. Half way up the path, we met the boat's owner. He and several passengers had been caught out in the squall and barely made it in to our bay to safety. They had tied up the boat and taken shelter in the Rudd's house which is still under construction and open. Bill got them towels to dry off and I made coffee to warm them. Deb said that the VHF had been buzzing with people caught by the squall. (I had the portable with me, but with the rain, wind, and engine noise, I never heard anything.) One woman had been in a cayuga that capsized and managed to use her cell phone to call for help before it drowned. The call went out on the VHF and she was, fortunately, found and is safe. A couple of small power boats (“pangas”) were capsized and sunk, several sail boats dragged anchor, but at this point no loss of life that we know of. As I am writing this, the wind has clocked around to the South and picked up dramatically as the tail of the storm is lashing us. Some are referring to it as a tornado, but no one has reported seeing any funnel cloud or spout. My guess is that it was just an unusually intense thunderstorm/squall. Probably not a true “white squall” but close to it. It sure was as much excitement as I ever want to have in our panga! It does make you wonder what we are doing to the planet when hurricanes devastate Vermont and a squall like this hits in Panama!