Today we had planned to travel to Calubir on Islas Maqui, or in the Spanish name Cayo Holandes. Amongst cruisers it is there called the �"swimming pool�", due to its crystal clear waters surrounded by reefs, great for diving and snorkeling. It was a cloudy day today, we were in need of charging batteries, and our solar panels are not doing anything in cloudy days naturally. We also needed water, so we decided to move today to the Cayo Holandes which allows us to run our watermaker. A two hour trip plus one hour maneuvering in between the reefs at low speed, all in all enough to charge batteries to 100% and produce just about 200 liters of home brewed water. We need the water as since we have a watermaker on board, our water consumption went up considerably! We expected that, but still it is even worse than we thought it would be. We jumped from 30 to 50 liters per day. But it is comfortable not worry anymore about the water. And most anchorages are so clean and empty o f other cruising boats that you can just produce the water right on the anchorage.

Today it was overcast when we left and while heading east we ran into a squall with 25 knots winds right on the nose and lots of rain. Since San Blas is relative all sheltered waters, there is only a short chop, no major sea so still quite comfortable and for sure nothing to worry about. However we do not like the rain and ended up anchoring 5 miles short of Calubir, on Miriadiadup, yes I know a mouth full again. We will stay here for the night, sheltered behind the island in 7 meters of water. While getting the anchor ready to drop we had to large dolphins playing around the bow, large ones, perhaps the largest I have ever seen. That surprised us as we had not expected these large one here around San Blas. But that must mean plenty of fish around, fish I am going to spear to eat, so I gain more points with Heloisa. Today however I will skip the spearfishing, as it is still slightly raining and already end of the day so we are going to declare it a �"rainy day�" which means we are allowed to watch a family movie the three of us. Yesterday at the previous anchorage I speared three yellow jacks, small ones but just the right size for a good meal. They were delicious and I gained points with Heloisa for being able to provide food for the family. Tomorrow I will spear more. The trick is patience I know now. Waiting and making as less movement as possible and being able to stay down around 5 meters deep for as long as possible. Then one attractive looking fish swims by and you aim and pull the trigger, it is that easy. Once shot I need to get the speared fish back to the dinghy as soon a possible as predators such as barracudas and sharks get crazy by those shot up fishes. I do not know about the sharks out of own experience, I have only red about it in the books, as when I see a shark I am certainly not trying out my spearing capability. I am to chicken for them. But the barracudas I already know from the Bahamas they are curious and brutal beasts. They simply hover around and seem to you what you are doing. You spear a fish and they go after it! I am not too afraid for these barracudas, we have caught many on deck on the fishing line (we always throw them back, not interested in eating them) and there mouth are full with big teeth, that is my concern. I know they will not want to bite me, but how do they see the difference between that speared fish and my arm holding the spread fish? Since a few days I need ear inspection upon return a fishing trip from Heloisa, as three days ago a tiny little crab like animal housed inside my ear. I knew something was inside as I could feel it moving at times. Heloisa was certain it was water, a waterlogged ear. We have some fluid for that, some alcohol based liquid you drop in the ear. I was sure it was a live animal, as I felt it moving. Well she dropped the fluid in and sure there it came crawling out, a miniscule tiny little red crab. I think it must have gotten in early morning while I was cleaning some final parts of the hull, as I have seen them on the boat hull. Anyway I was happy the thing was out as it was driving me crazy walking around my ear. But Heloisa was and still is shocked and does not want to enter the water anymore. She saw the miniature monster crawling out of my right ear just after she put those ear drops in. Not afraid of sharks of those large barracudas which often hover in the shadow under the boat on sunny days, no she is now afraid to end up with one of those tiny critters in her ear. For Auke we made a swing on the spinnaker boom, hanging outside on its highest point, extended as far a possible over the water. Well we all know it is easy to get kids excited. He has been making the swing from deck into the water at least a thousand times in the last 24 hours. I do not know where they get the energy from. They climb back on deck via de ladder, hang on to the rope and swing, drop in the water at the highest point of the swing and do it all over again. I asked him if he wanted me to do something different with the boom, no was the answer; I can do this every day the whole day he said. This morning prior school he first wanted to swing a few times, before school could start. Heloisa and I are envious of that energy sometimes.