That was the reply I got yesterday at noon. Apparently traffic in Panama City grinds to a complete halt when it rains and the possibility of the part reaching the supplier let alone them getting it to the airport is nil. But they are open on Saturday, so Saturday for sure!
Based on that, we scurried into town, got our new Zarpe, this time for El Pourvenir, the check in port in the San Blas Islands, and some last supplies to replace those we have consumed in two weeks of waiting. Then at 5 pm I got another call saying that it wasn't out for delivery after all, but still in Customs. "Their system is down", whatever that means. "But Monday for sure!"
So here we sit. We have met lots of boaters all heading back to the San Blas for the winter season, but by now most have departed. We still chat with them in the morning on the SSB, but its getting frustrating to say the least. We are mostly concerned about weather. For now the winds are favorible for sailing to the San Blas, an easterly cource. But soon the winter trades will set in with strong easterlies, right on the nose. So we want to be at least to Colon before that starts.
If I thought the parts were available, I would fly to Panama City myself to get them, but right now all I know is that they are in Panama City (or at least I think they are). But for now Monday will be the next stage in this little drama.
I can now change the oil in the generator since we have run it so much keeping the batteries charged here at anchor, but even my maintenance list has shrunk pretty much to zero. I finished varnishing the toe rail and rub strip yesterday and will tackle a couple of small spots if we sit here much longer, but I'd rather be sailing.
In the mean time we'll see a bit more of the area, maybe rent bikes again for a long trip. We'll see, but its getting frustrating.