Our new AB dinghy arrived today. We special ordered an AB VS12 Navigo with a Saint Croix Euro Helm (compact and light). We powered it with a Yamaha 25hp 2 stroke. It arrived in almost perfect condition. A few scratches on the side of the outboard but otherwise perfect. Hard to believe considering it came from Miami.

It was quite a project to unpack but our friend Ed and Arturo from Marine Warehouse made it easy. Marine Warehouse is the AB dealer for Panama and they are the best outfit for shipping stuff to many places. You couldn't ask for nicer more considerate folks to deal with. These guys are a rare gem in the marine industry.

Ed and I had been talking for a while now and a few days ago Ed decided to join us for the ride to the Galapagos. It is going to be a lot of fun to have ed aboard.

After getting the dinghy setup we picked up Hideko and went for a christening ride. The ritual was performed to the letter and we shared plenty of champagne with Neptune and the four winds. We returned home in "Shooting Star" our new dinghy. Now if I can just figure out how to get it on the big boat...