I arrived in Panama City with little problems and made it to the marina, thanks to Eduardo, the friend that picked me up a the airport. He navigated the streets and highways brilliantly and got me to the marina in one piece. Driving in Panama is similar to driving in Asia. One must watch out for pot-holes the size of large lawn-mowers, people selling fruit on the street, cars driving down the wrong side of the road, and of course, rabid dogs with a death wish. Fortunately we avoided all of those things and had no problem.

Cisnecito is a beautiful and sleek sailing yacht, to say the least. Her lines are attractive and equipment impressive. We installed the new traveler yesterday and are quite happy with the results and ease of installation. It took all day long, but was fairly straight froward. Chris and Julie have been wonderful since the moment I arrived. They popped some special bubbly and treated me to a fun dinner that first night.

We've been prepping the boat for the next few months of cruising. It has been a lot of work. My hands and back are quite tired and soar, although it feels great to be soar from something other than sitting at my desk all day in an uncomfortable chair. I'd much rather be squatting under shrouds, grabbing ropes, and pushing brushes. The physical work ensures a good night's sleep, regardless of the humidity and noisy thunder.

We are currently sitting in a fairly good low pressure system that has brought rain followed by a little rain, and then some more. I'm hot and wet all day and haven't felt this great in a while.

We plan to head down to San Blas area tomorrow and cruise for a bit....possibly get into the left over rum from Brazil. We transit the canal on the 15th, so we'll be back in Colon probably on the 14th. We have to get diesal this afternoon, so I'm off for now. So far, the trip has exceeded expecations...and I haven't even left the marina yet.