We pulled up anchor at 5 again. We hoisted the main before even leaving the anchorage. It looked like it might be a good sailing day! Boy, were we wrong! We got in about an hour? Then the wind shifted again and was next to nothing! Blew Moon came out about � hr. after us and they too, mentioned how they've done more motor sailing than in several months. We managed to make it to Ballena in good time, dropping the anchor around 3. There were some other cruisers here already. A catamaran with a Brazilian and Argentinian on board who also bought their boat in Bahia Jaltepeque (Bahia del Sol, ES), and left about 2 weeks before we did. Blew Moon made it in before us (bigger engine), and Dream Weaver and Harmony were already here. We all met, except for the catamaran, at the "yacht club", for drinks and socializing in the early evening before heading back to our "homes" for dinner. It had been a while since we had another boat or boats to visit with and we all enjoyed getting to know each other or getting reaquainted with those we already knew.
Monday we went ashore to the village of Tambor. Cute little place, a few restaurants, an internet caf�, one lady who does laundry, but when we stopped by she wasn't home, a small but well stocked grocery store- I almost missed the silver chest style freezer with chicken in it, and a ferreteria ( hardware store), but it wasn't open when we went by. We all gathered on Dreamweaver in the evening and all of us heading south, grilled Harmony a bit about Panama since they were heading north from there and also are 8 year cruising veterans. They shared with us besides their knowledge of Panama Islands and waters and weather, their photo albums that some family back home had made for them either through shutterfly or apple websites. They were very well done and we all enjoyed looking at their trip pictures in one book and their grandchildren in another.
We headed back to Sunshine around 8 and got ready for anther early departure.