Adventures of North Star
Follow the Adventures of Kim and Steve aboard their yacht North Star!
09 July 2019
08 July 2019
04 July 2019
02 July 2019
31 May 2019 | Copra Shed, Savusavu, Fiji
05 May 2019 | RDM
04 January 2019
28 April 2018
28 March 2018
05 March 2018 | Queenstown view from the top of the gondola.
11 October 2016 | Marina Taina, Tahiti
21 May 2016 | Tahiti, French Polynesia
14 September 2015
12 September 2015 | In Maupiti
17 August 2015 | Huahine, French Polynesia
13 July 2015 | Anyse Amyot-North End of Taou
20 June 2015 | Fakarava-South Pass
18 June 2015 | Fakarava-South Pass
11 June 2015 | Fakarava-South, Harifa
06 June 2015 | Fakarava, North Pass
Panama Phase One
19 June 2012 | Panama
Please visit our new Photo Gallery
After the lightning strike in the San Blas, several short hops with the wind on the bow, stitches and one rainy day with no enclosure on the hardtop we are safely tucked into the Shelter Bay Marina. This marina is a drastic improvement from the last place we had work on North Star completed. Nice floating docks, with power and decent wi-fi, a restaurant on site, pool, nice lobby with tv and ac, large couches and chairs and a great spot to get comfortable. We had grown accustomed to sitting on the same couch as Fucho and keeping an eye out for ticks running for the corners of the couch. The marina is located either inside or at the edge of Sherman Forest. The US Fort Sherman Reserve is located here also. We have been for a walk on several occasions and have enjoyed being able to leave the marina and actually be able to walk around. We have not been able to enjoy just walking around for almost a year in Colombia
Cindy and Larry arrived to Colon by train and we spent the first two days relaxing and gearing up for scheduled adventures. We did go for a walk two days into the park area. On the second day, we saw a sloth with her baby, and the howler monkeys put on a real show. Steve and I walked into the edge of the woods and were surrounded by the unbelievably loud noises these monkeys make. One o monkey starts with a growling noise and the others chime in with a "howling". We have heard the monkeys from the slip on many occasions at all times of the day and evening. We have seen on other walks several toucans but today we could not find any. The beak is so big they look very awkward flying and look like they may topple forward at any moment but somehow manage to make it from tree to tree.
Travel day #1 included a trip to Fort San Lorenzo located right by the marina. . It has been used as a prison and a campground and is now listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort built in 1595 was ransacked and burned three times and rebuilt in 1761. The fort overlooks the mouth of the Rio Chagres. The Rio Chagres is important because the Spanish transported large amounts of gold using this river and the Panama Canal is flooded using water from this river. From the mouth of the river, several miles up the canal the Embera Villages have relocated here from the Darien area. The next stop, was the city of Portobello. We met Manuela for lunch on the hillside at Captain Jack's restaurant. We then went to the Iglesia de San Felipe where the black Christ statue is located. Legend has it that a ship tried to leave the port three times and encountered bad weather. They dumped the box with the black Christ overboard either to lighten the load or felt it may be bringing them bad luck. The locals later retrieved the statue and prayed that an ensuing cholera outbreak would not effect them They were spared the outbreak so the statues was placed in the church. Every year people from all over come to Portobello for the Black Christ Festival. We stopped at the Real Aduana ( customs house). At one time a third of all gold and silver passed through this building. In front of the customs house is the Fuerte San Jeronimo, a beautiful view of the anchorage can be seen from here. From here we headed to Isla Grande, where we are told Panamanians come to get away from it all. Next, we headed to Puerto Lindo to see Sid and Manuela and meet our hostess Binnie. The home, the grounds, the view, the fantastic food prepared by Manuela and Sid.Dugger, the sloth and Binnie were all amazing. We very much enjoyed everything about the visit. We hated we only planned one night here and wished we had allowed for a longer visit. Hopefully, when we return from the states we will spend some more time here getting to know Binnie, spending time with Sid and Manuela and relaxing. Dugger really is a treat. It was amazing to hold a sloth. I could spend hours just watching him and learning about his personality. He hides his head when he is afraid and when Manuela gave him to me he kept his arm out to her like a little child that wants to go back to its mother. Manuela and Sid prepared a barbeque fit for a king and everything was delicious, as always. It was hard to get Tim to come back with us. He suggested he sleep in the house with Manuela in case she felt the need to cook in the middle of the night.
The following day, we arose early for the trip to La Granja, the farm. We did not encounter any traffic so we arrived one hour early. We were transported by car to the edge of Lake Gatun where we boarded a covered boat for 15 or so people. Our group and the guide were the only people on the tour today so we enjoyed a lot of attention. We made our way through Lake Gatun, which at the time it was built was the largest man made lake in the world. The lake is used as a retention area for flood waters and as a means for controlling the Panama Canal. We were told the lake is full of crocs and bull sharks but we saw none on our trip. The lake is full of trees and tree stumps. We had a spotter on the front of the boat that missed "most" of the submerged tree trunks that are just below the surface of the water. The ride took over an hour to reach the Embera Indian Village. We arrived at the Enbera Quera tribe village. We were welcomed by the sounds of music made by the Embera men and the women in their brightly colored skirts and tops clapping and dancing. We were given a tour of the village by the village medicine man, enjoyed a local meal and watched a few local dances. One of the local girls thought Tim was "muy guapo", very good looking. She tried to have a conversation with him with a little bit of English and mostly Spanish and several translators. She presented him with a necklace with two monkey teeth on it. She also managed to get my shy Tim up to dance when the villagers invited the tourists to join in their native dance. Mid day, we made our way back through Lake Gatun and back to La Granja. We were driven back to the main office on a carriage behind a tractor.
The following day we hired a taxi to get us from the marina to Colon. The ride cost fifty dollars for five people. On this trip we got to the canal just in time for the longest wait we have had. Three large ships had to pass through the locks before we were able to pass to the other side. The wait time was one hour and forty-five minutes. So much for the schedule we had planned for the day. We arrived at the public bus station and boarded the express bus to Panama City. The ride was very comfortable with a movie in Spanish and ac. The cost per person for the almost two hour trip was $3.15. What a bargain. Luis was waiting for us at the Albrook mall. He gave us a great tour around Panama City. Luis is knowledgeable, honest, great personality and a very reasonable price. We highly recommend his services. He is with Tropical Tucan Tours. We went to Cerro Ancon, the highest point in Panama City for great views of the ocean, Panama City, Casoc Viejo and the Panama Canal. He told us that the US flag flew from this hill overlooking everything below for many years and the Panamanian people were very happy to see their own flag flying here when the canal exchanged hands. We drove through Panama City. The buildings are amazing. Large, beautiful, modern and abundant. The general area has several malls and many American restaurants scattered between the large buildings. We also toured Casco Viejo. The damage from the hunt for Manuel Noriega is still present in some of the charred buildings in this area. One of the churches had a golden altar. The story is told that when the pirate, Henry Morgan, came to town the priest painted the alter black to hide all the gold. He was asked Henry Morgan if he could spare some money for some repairs to the church. Not only was the alter intact but a donation was given by Morgan to improve the church.
Cindy and Larry headed back to the states the next day and we set out on a mission to see all of Albrook Mall. We did see a movie for $9. That is threedollars each for three people at a very modern and American style theater. After a full day of walking we did not see all of the first floor. There is a movie theater, a bowling alley, three food courts and the top and bottom floor and many, many stores. I usually don't give up until I see it all but we were all exhausted and there was no way we could even walk the top floor with the remaining time so we headed back to the room for the night.
We returned to Shelter Bay, had North Star hauled again and began to check for any damage to the bottom of the boat. There are a few issues here but we will address the problems when we return from the states.
After the lightning strike in the San Blas, several short hops with the wind on the bow, stitches and one rainy day with no enclosure on the hardtop we are safely tucked into the Shelter Bay Marina. This marina is a drastic improvement from the last place we had work on North Star completed. Nice floating docks, with power and decent wi-fi, a restaurant on site, pool, nice lobby with tv and ac, large couches and chairs and a great spot to get comfortable. We had grown accustomed to sitting on the same couch as Fucho and keeping an eye out for ticks running for the corners of the couch. The marina is located either inside or at the edge of Sherman Forest. The US Fort Sherman Reserve is located here also. We have been for a walk on several occasions and have enjoyed being able to leave the marina and actually be able to walk around. We have not been able to enjoy just walking around for almost a year in Colombia
Cindy and Larry arrived to Colon by train and we spent the first two days relaxing and gearing up for scheduled adventures. We did go for a walk two days into the park area. On the second day, we saw a sloth with her baby, and the howler monkeys put on a real show. Steve and I walked into the edge of the woods and were surrounded by the unbelievably loud noises these monkeys make. One o monkey starts with a growling noise and the others chime in with a "howling". We have heard the monkeys from the slip on many occasions at all times of the day and evening. We have seen on other walks several toucans but today we could not find any. The beak is so big they look very awkward flying and look like they may topple forward at any moment but somehow manage to make it from tree to tree.
Travel day #1 included a trip to Fort San Lorenzo located right by the marina. . It has been used as a prison and a campground and is now listed on the UNESCO World Heritage Site. The fort built in 1595 was ransacked and burned three times and rebuilt in 1761. The fort overlooks the mouth of the Rio Chagres. The Rio Chagres is important because the Spanish transported large amounts of gold using this river and the Panama Canal is flooded using water from this river. From the mouth of the river, several miles up the canal the Embera Villages have relocated here from the Darien area. The next stop, was the city of Portobello. We met Manuela for lunch on the hillside at Captain Jack's restaurant. We then went to the Iglesia de San Felipe where the black Christ statue is located. Legend has it that a ship tried to leave the port three times and encountered bad weather. They dumped the box with the black Christ overboard either to lighten the load or felt it may be bringing them bad luck. The locals later retrieved the statue and prayed that an ensuing cholera outbreak would not effect them They were spared the outbreak so the statues was placed in the church. Every year people from all over come to Portobello for the Black Christ Festival. We stopped at the Real Aduana ( customs house). At one time a third of all gold and silver passed through this building. In front of the customs house is the Fuerte San Jeronimo, a beautiful view of the anchorage can be seen from here. From here we headed to Isla Grande, where we are told Panamanians come to get away from it all. Next, we headed to Puerto Lindo to see Sid and Manuela and meet our hostess Binnie. The home, the grounds, the view, the fantastic food prepared by Manuela and Sid.Dugger, the sloth and Binnie were all amazing. We very much enjoyed everything about the visit. We hated we only planned one night here and wished we had allowed for a longer visit. Hopefully, when we return from the states we will spend some more time here getting to know Binnie, spending time with Sid and Manuela and relaxing. Dugger really is a treat. It was amazing to hold a sloth. I could spend hours just watching him and learning about his personality. He hides his head when he is afraid and when Manuela gave him to me he kept his arm out to her like a little child that wants to go back to its mother. Manuela and Sid prepared a barbeque fit for a king and everything was delicious, as always. It was hard to get Tim to come back with us. He suggested he sleep in the house with Manuela in case she felt the need to cook in the middle of the night.
The following day, we arose early for the trip to La Granja, the farm. We did not encounter any traffic so we arrived one hour early. We were transported by car to the edge of Lake Gatun where we boarded a covered boat for 15 or so people. Our group and the guide were the only people on the tour today so we enjoyed a lot of attention. We made our way through Lake Gatun, which at the time it was built was the largest man made lake in the world. The lake is used as a retention area for flood waters and as a means for controlling the Panama Canal. We were told the lake is full of crocs and bull sharks but we saw none on our trip. The lake is full of trees and tree stumps. We had a spotter on the front of the boat that missed "most" of the submerged tree trunks that are just below the surface of the water. The ride took over an hour to reach the Embera Indian Village. We arrived at the Enbera Quera tribe village. We were welcomed by the sounds of music made by the Embera men and the women in their brightly colored skirts and tops clapping and dancing. We were given a tour of the village by the village medicine man, enjoyed a local meal and watched a few local dances. One of the local girls thought Tim was "muy guapo", very good looking. She tried to have a conversation with him with a little bit of English and mostly Spanish and several translators. She presented him with a necklace with two monkey teeth on it. She also managed to get my shy Tim up to dance when the villagers invited the tourists to join in their native dance. Mid day, we made our way back through Lake Gatun and back to La Granja. We were driven back to the main office on a carriage behind a tractor.
The following day we hired a taxi to get us from the marina to Colon. The ride cost fifty dollars for five people. On this trip we got to the canal just in time for the longest wait we have had. Three large ships had to pass through the locks before we were able to pass to the other side. The wait time was one hour and forty-five minutes. So much for the schedule we had planned for the day. We arrived at the public bus station and boarded the express bus to Panama City. The ride was very comfortable with a movie in Spanish and ac. The cost per person for the almost two hour trip was $3.15. What a bargain. Luis was waiting for us at the Albrook mall. He gave us a great tour around Panama City. Luis is knowledgeable, honest, great personality and a very reasonable price. We highly recommend his services. He is with Tropical Tucan Tours. We went to Cerro Ancon, the highest point in Panama City for great views of the ocean, Panama City, Casoc Viejo and the Panama Canal. He told us that the US flag flew from this hill overlooking everything below for many years and the Panamanian people were very happy to see their own flag flying here when the canal exchanged hands. We drove through Panama City. The buildings are amazing. Large, beautiful, modern and abundant. The general area has several malls and many American restaurants scattered between the large buildings. We also toured Casco Viejo. The damage from the hunt for Manuel Noriega is still present in some of the charred buildings in this area. One of the churches had a golden altar. The story is told that when the pirate, Henry Morgan, came to town the priest painted the alter black to hide all the gold. He was asked Henry Morgan if he could spare some money for some repairs to the church. Not only was the alter intact but a donation was given by Morgan to improve the church.
Cindy and Larry headed back to the states the next day and we set out on a mission to see all of Albrook Mall. We did see a movie for $9. That is threedollars each for three people at a very modern and American style theater. After a full day of walking we did not see all of the first floor. There is a movie theater, a bowling alley, three food courts and the top and bottom floor and many, many stores. I usually don't give up until I see it all but we were all exhausted and there was no way we could even walk the top floor with the remaining time so we headed back to the room for the night.
We returned to Shelter Bay, had North Star hauled again and began to check for any damage to the bottom of the boat. There are a few issues here but we will address the problems when we return from the states.
Comments
| Vessel Name: | North Star |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Tayana 52, Center Cockpit |
| Hailing Port: | Clearwater, Florida |
| Crew: | Steve and Kim |
| About: | |
| Extra: | North Star is a 1988 Tayana 52, center cockpit, a Robert Perry design. |
| Social: |
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North Star's Photos - Main
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Dive Sites Eagle Rock, The Zoo and the Great White Wall
52 Photos
Created 2 July 2019
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39 Photos
Created 29 March 2018
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Curio Bay and Yellow eyed penguins.
60 Photos
Created 18 March 2018
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O'nou Tahiti Graffiti Contest, Michael tattoo, roulottes
26 Photos
Created 2 June 2015
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Panama Canal Crossing and Shelter Bay Marina
31 Photos
Created 1 January 2013
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Back to the marina we go. The damage done by the lightning strike.
14 Photos
Created 7 May 2012
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Caouan, Tobago Cayes, Union Island, Mayreau
39 Photos
Created 25 May 2010
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Trip from Jolly Harbour north to Deep Bay
25 Photos
Created 16 March 2010
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old photos from Virginia to USVI'S
65 Photos
Created 12 March 2010
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additional photos from earlier in trip some of BVI's to St Kitts
120 Photos
Created 7 March 2010
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About Us
Who: Steve and Kim
Port: Clearwater, Florida
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