Ready or not, we're on our way Thursday, heading out into the Pacific. We've got 580 miles in front of us before we reach the Galapagos, and we are loaded down with provisions for the year, 100 gallons of fuel and 140 gallons of water. As you can see in the photo above, we are also loaded with approximately 400 cans of food that we've removed the label on & painstakingly varnished to prevent rust. As this will be the last port where food prices are low, we've tried to provision the boat for the rest of the year.
We've had a month to get the boat ready, and we've been swamped with projects and errands. We're going to miss this little port that we've been based in for the past few months. Again, we've made some good friends, but we expect to see some of them up ahead in the upcoming ports. We're excited and anxious as we leave the coast behind us and really head out into the Pacific. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers. We'll post again in the Galapagos. Miss you all, Robert and Kelita.
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Comments [2]
Fair winds,
Chris
S/V Cisnecito
We're back on board and everything is fine with the boat. It is still resting fine at anchor, but everything needs unpacking and cleaning, as it's been closed up for 2 months. The musty boat smell is strong and familiar and reminds us that we are definitely afloat again.
And adjusting to the humidity of the tropics is a shock to the system, after our time in CA, and a snowy Christmas in Idaho. But, it does feel so good to be back aboard our floating home, despite the jet lag and hungry mosquitoes on land. Our time in the states was wonderful, being with family & friends again. But now we're prep'ing for the year in front of us: sailing out to the Galapagos, then thru French Polynesia and up thru the Line Islands to Hawaii for the winter.
We've got lots to do, but we'll post again before we leave. Miss you all, R&K.
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Ron & Mary P.
We're flying back to CA for the holidays; spend time with family & friends, and work a little bit to replenish the cruising funds. The past few weeks we've been in Ecuador have been enjoyable and exciting. Aside from the seemingly endless list of boat projects we've been busy with, we've made time to explore the little town we're anchored at, and enjoy time with our sailing friends, both old & new. The central Mercado is full of fresh fruits, vege's, and seafood every morning, at such bargain prices, its astonishing. Food and restaurant meals are so economical, and yummy too, its almost impossible to spend $3.50 per person on a meal. The weather is a California-like comfortable everyday.
We went surfing one day up the coast at Canoa's, caught some fun waves until Robert got stung by a stingray, while giving a surf lesson to Kelita. But, after an hour of foot soaking in scalding hot water, the venom was neutralized and the pain vanished, thank goodness. Back in Bahia, we visited the local zoo / animal farm, which is actually a couple's plush residence, and saw many exotic birds & animals in cages & strolling the grounds.
Looking forward, we plan to return to Ecuador in early February and prepare for sailing out to the Galapogos, spend a month there, and then set sail for the South Pacific, a 2,500 mile crossing to reach the Marquesas. We hope to spend approx. 5 months in French Polynesia (Marquesas, Tuomotus, & Tahiti) before heading north for Hawaii in the Fall, and out of hurricane season in the South. We'll post again when we return. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all.
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We made it!!! We're in Ecuador, and officially in the South Pacific now!!! Leaving Panama, it took us 7 days to sail 600 miles of open ocean, and we enjoyed the challenge & wonder of this crossing. We mostly experienced 20 knot winds along the way, and once we got the sails & rudder balanced, svFREEDOM sailed herself. We even had a 240 mile stretch where we never touched the wheel or made a single adjustment. Most mornings we'd find that flying fish had landed on our boat overnight, and we'd cook them up for breakfast, YUM! We saw some wet, rainy, dreary days as we transversed the ITCZ (Inter Tropical Convergence Zone, the squally region where northern hemisphere meets southern hemisphere). And greatest of all, we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary at sea. It's been a year now since leaving LA and we've put more than 3000 miles under our keel. We're in South America!
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Glad to hear all is going well and you are safe.
Hugs to both of you.
Momma Cook
Where do we begin... We have loved our time in Panama, it is definitely the jewel of Central America. So many beautiful topical islands to discover, enjoy & appreciate. So many incredible anchorages, some with nearby surf, some with great snorkeling and some so snug & comfortable you just don't want to leave. And the native people we've encountered are so friendly, good natured and kind. To sum it up, Panama is simply awesome.
If there has been a downside, it's that we've ventured thru these waters at the peak of the rainy season. We left Golfito, and hunkered down outside Pavones for 3 days waiting out a 48hr monsoon downpour, and surfing of course between the showers. Island hopping thru Panama, we seen intermittent rainy & sunny days, although we just sat out a 72hr downpour in Bahia Honda. We're now anchored at Santa Catalina island, preparing for an ocean crossing to Equador that we think will take seven days or so. With the current sunny forecast, it looks like we're off tomorrow for the 500 mile blue water crossing.
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Its been two months, and our time in Costa Rica has flown by. Since Playa del Coco, we've been continuing to enjoy the beauty & wildlife of the national parks, that seem to cover this country. Costa Rica has preserved so much of its natural beauty; it's nice to see trees & wildlife flourishing. There are miles and miles of green coastline, and so many birds, and monkeys in all the hills. Most anchorages, we can listen to the howler monkeys scream out from the jungle, sounding like an abominable snowman roar.
In our passage down Costa Rica, we caught waves in the Tamarindo area. We landed a beautiful 4 ½ foot, 20+ lb. Mahi Mahi just outside of whale bay where we spent a week, and saw whales leap out of the water. We anchored at Manual Antonio and hiked the park, enjoying the antics of the white face monkeys. We spent a few days at Drakes Bay and explored the Cocorvado Park. In Golfito, we've done some important boat repairs, but still found time to hike the Golfito Reserve.
Now, we're leaving for Panama, where we'll be for a few weeks before we cross over to Ecuador. But of course, we'll make a stop at Pavones, a great surfing spot, before we leave Costa Rican waters. Not sure when we'll get to post again, but we'll do our best.
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