Sailing Aros Mear
| Vessel Name: | Aros Mear |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Norseman 447 |
| Hailing Port: | Dundee |
| Crew: | David and Gitte Bushby |
02 December 2015 | La Plaita, Amador, Panama city , Panama
22 February 2014 | Panama
07 May 2013 | Ecuador
13 March 2013 | Panama
23 February 2013 | CR.
23 February 2013 | CR.
23 February 2013
23 February 2013 | Dominical
03 February 2013 | Puerto Azul, CR.
24 January 2013 | Puerto Azul, CR
14 January 2013 | Puerto Azol, Ponarenas. Costa Rica.
06 January 2013 | Comrie, Scotland. UK
Recent Blog Posts
02 December 2015 | La Plaita, Amador, Panama city , Panama
Back in Panama
after our summer break we are back on the boat in Panama and getting organised for our next step which we hope will be crossing of the Pacific to New Zealand if all is well with the boat. We are anchored at La Plaita anchorage in Panama City. The holding here is very poor and they have put out moorings [...]
22 February 2014 | Panama
La Plaita,
We arrived in Panama January 5. and are refitting the boat. We expect to be here for another month.
From Costa Rica to Pamana City
13 March 2013 | Panama
Gitte
Saturday 9th March, 2013.
Isla Contadora,
Pearl Islands, Panama.
I am sitting in the cockpit watching a bunch of forty bananas ripen. I bought them from a native who knocked on the hull a couple of mornings ago. He had rowed out from the village in his dug-out canoe, three miles into a strong adverse wind. Good going!
We gave him $4.00 for the bananas and a large papaya. The bananas were quite green then. They are ripening, but slowly, and patience was not my second name!
We left Pontarenas ,Costa Rica, 15th February with crew of Fi and Jules till 23th Feb. Sailing South we had a lovely time. Jules and Fi were fishing. We visited Los Suenos Resort at Bahia Herradure, where we saw a big family of colourful red and blue parrots, macaws, in the treetops. The next stop was Manuel Antonio Nacional Park. We anchored in the bay, as always, went in and the beached the dinghy through the surf on the sandy beach . The park was absolutely beautiful with rain-forest with amazing tall trees, climbing plants, monkeys and sloths, and of course the backdrop of white beaches and the azure blue sea.
Fi and Jules left us at a very small idyllic village of Dominical early Saturday morning and caught the shuttle bus at 06.15 am to San Jose airport.
Drakes Bay was our next stop. The pirate, Sir Francis Drake, captured a Spanish ship full of emeralds and other precious stones here and gave them to Queen Elizabeth 1, so he was a hero, and he was knighted!
In Drakes Bay we did some shopping so we were ready for the long leg to the Pearl Island in Panama.
Still in Drakes Bay we explored a small river into the jungle which was amazingly beautiful. At the dinghy dock belonging to a jungle hotel we spotted a crocodile 15 yards away crossing the river. The crocs are quite small here, no longer than 1,5-2 meters long. From the hotel terrace we saw a lot of toucans and parakeets in the treetops.
We left Drakes Bay on Tuesday 26th Feb. and arrived at Bahia Telmo, Isla del Rey at the South end of the Pearl Islands on Sunday 3rd. . March. 300 NM had been sailed over the five days at sea. During the first three days and nights we had the north-going currents against us at 2-3 knots permanently, which made our progress slow as the winds were very light South to South-easterly. We encountered many large tankers and cargo ships en route to or from the Panama Canal. Thank goodness for radar and AIS (Automatic Identification System). When we cleared Punta Mala and the Gulf of Panama opened up, the wind direction changed and increased to a Force 4-5 dramatically. With 20 knots of NW winds we reefed in both main- sail and genoa. This happened at 17.00 on Saturday. All through the night we battled with the sea and wind in the dark. At day-break we were south of Isla del Rey, Islas de Las Perlas. The tide was going south and the wind was still 15-20 knots , so it took us till afternoon to get into a good shelter in the Bay of telmo, Isla del Rey.
Next stop is Panama City!
Isla Contadora,
Pearl Islands, Panama.
I am sitting in the cockpit watching a bunch of forty bananas ripen. I bought them from a native who knocked on the hull a couple of mornings ago. He had rowed out from the village in his dug-out canoe, three miles into a strong adverse wind. Good going!
We gave him $4.00 for the bananas and a large papaya. The bananas were quite green then. They are ripening, but slowly, and patience was not my second name!
We left Pontarenas ,Costa Rica, 15th February with crew of Fi and Jules till 23th Feb. Sailing South we had a lovely time. Jules and Fi were fishing. We visited Los Suenos Resort at Bahia Herradure, where we saw a big family of colourful red and blue parrots, macaws, in the treetops. The next stop was Manuel Antonio Nacional Park. We anchored in the bay, as always, went in and the beached the dinghy through the surf on the sandy beach . The park was absolutely beautiful with rain-forest with amazing tall trees, climbing plants, monkeys and sloths, and of course the backdrop of white beaches and the azure blue sea.
Fi and Jules left us at a very small idyllic village of Dominical early Saturday morning and caught the shuttle bus at 06.15 am to San Jose airport.
Drakes Bay was our next stop. The pirate, Sir Francis Drake, captured a Spanish ship full of emeralds and other precious stones here and gave them to Queen Elizabeth 1, so he was a hero, and he was knighted!
In Drakes Bay we did some shopping so we were ready for the long leg to the Pearl Island in Panama.
Still in Drakes Bay we explored a small river into the jungle which was amazingly beautiful. At the dinghy dock belonging to a jungle hotel we spotted a crocodile 15 yards away crossing the river. The crocs are quite small here, no longer than 1,5-2 meters long. From the hotel terrace we saw a lot of toucans and parakeets in the treetops.
We left Drakes Bay on Tuesday 26th Feb. and arrived at Bahia Telmo, Isla del Rey at the South end of the Pearl Islands on Sunday 3rd. . March. 300 NM had been sailed over the five days at sea. During the first three days and nights we had the north-going currents against us at 2-3 knots permanently, which made our progress slow as the winds were very light South to South-easterly. We encountered many large tankers and cargo ships en route to or from the Panama Canal. Thank goodness for radar and AIS (Automatic Identification System). When we cleared Punta Mala and the Gulf of Panama opened up, the wind direction changed and increased to a Force 4-5 dramatically. With 20 knots of NW winds we reefed in both main- sail and genoa. This happened at 17.00 on Saturday. All through the night we battled with the sea and wind in the dark. At day-break we were south of Isla del Rey, Islas de Las Perlas. The tide was going south and the wind was still 15-20 knots , so it took us till afternoon to get into a good shelter in the Bay of telmo, Isla del Rey.
Next stop is Panama City!
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