9:30AM up anchor, 2800 rpm 4.8kts no wind.

1Pmish anchor down in Isla Linton Anchorage.

OK, not much of a log, so I feel in the gaps. After leaving Portobello there was very light winds at best, I was able to fill the Genoa only barely as I motored sailed half of the way, but basically I was motoring the whole way. About 2 miles outside of the anchorage as I began to make my approach I had a fish on the hand line! Turns out it was some kind of a mackerel, totally guessing it was about 3 ft’ long, and around 10lbs, just perfect! The fish book didn’t have an exact picture but it had a very similar fish labeled as the ‘tuna-mackerel’ family. I didn’t have time to deal with the fish as I was approaching a reef at the entrance of the harbor, so I just tied the gaff off to the side of the boat, squirted some alcohol into his mouth to calm him down quickly and then continued in to anchor. Almost as soon I had had the hook down Mike and Sue anchored next to me on Infini stopped by to say hi. I had seen them leaving Portobello shortly after I arrived but didn’t have a chance to chat with them. Mike mentioned that he wanted to try some fishing since there are fish schooling and jumping all over the anchorage. I told them I had enough for all of us and pulled up the gaff to show the fish, they actually got excited and offered to cook dinner after I filleted the fish. Mike came back while I was still busy cutting out four very nice fillets and we poured some soy sauce on the fish (as fresh as you can possibly get it) and enjoyed some VERY good sashimi! For dinner they grilled some, fried some, and rolled up some sushi, for a very satisfying dinner aboard Infini. Cuba Libres filled the rest of the evening and day two here consisted of snorkeling around the island with my dinghy tethered to me so I didn’t get run over by Jet skis that were flying back and forth through the anchorage, luckily that only goes on during the weekend. The snorkeling wasn’t bad with several tropical fish (small ones mostly) and some interesting coral. So far I’ve been here five days and the additional highlights were an inexpensive ($5) dinner at a small restaurant on the beach in the cove here. I also got to know the monkeys on Isla Linton while I was scavenging for coconuts. The guide book says that they appear friendly and will sit in your lap and eat out of your hand until you try to leave the island at which point they might become aggressive. I had one of the monkeys follow me to the dinghy dock, where I went in my bag, and just happened to have an apple that I left in the middle of the pier and sat near the dinghy so I could make a quick escape. The monkey followed me to pick up the apple and stared at my making strange monkey noised while she ate it slowly, skipping the seeds and some of the peel. Then she kept sliding towards me on the pier. Funny, she didn’t stand up and walk over, but sort of slid her butt over a foot or so at a time until she was within lunging distance of me. That’s when I moved into the dinghy and held onto the pier so I could make a quick getaway if I needed to. She just sat there right in my face staring at me only a few feet a way asking me for more food. Then her boyfriend showed up and walked out the pier on two feet like a human with his huge tail curled up even over his head. He hugged her (weird) and then ate the rest of the apple and then showed me his intimidating teeth so I shoved off the pier but just sat there watching them for another 15 minutes before heading back to the boat. If I see them again I’ll get some pictures but now I’m even more nervous since another cruiser here said that there had been several recent ‘attacks’ and that the monkeys even like to jump in your dinghy while your on the island presumably so you can’t leave. Apparently they have been fed enough to have a strong association between people and food / feeding! Two more adventures, one was a dinghy ride to Panamarina through a mangrove forest, in a channel only a few feet deep and too narrow to even row without your oars hitting the mangrove on the sides of the trail. The mangrove was so thick it even forms a canopy over the water so you completely surrounded, was kind of eerie as well hearing the howler monkeys in the jungle as I paddled through, I assume the monkeys on Isla linton I fed earlier were not howler monkeys but I really don’t know. After cutting through the mangrove you pop out at another cover where Panamarina has moorings for sailboats. They also have a very small office and restaurant where you can access the internet for $2.00 and hour (that’s where I sent this and the last update). The last little adventure here was the 30 minute dinghy ride to Isla Grande next door. A big tourist destination in Panama, but not much there really, at least a dozen beech bars but only a few had any appeal to me. The best part was that you can walk half way around the island on a path, and then you can continue if your willing to climb rocks witch I did until I got to a very steep rock wall that I figured I could save for another day. On the walk back I stopped at a tiki-bar restaurant on the beach (no shirt or shoes required here, its right on the sand 5 ft’ from the water) so I indulged in three $1.00 beers (I love that part of Panama) to re-hydrate myself before coming back to the boat last night. I think I’ll be here one or two more days and then maybe one day anchored off of Isla Grande to check out the nightlife, if not I’ll head off non-stop to the San Blas Islands. So if there are no more updates other than the spot-checks it just means that there is no internet! Hope everyone is doing well. –Kirk

10:30 AM Diesel full (35 gallons) water full (60 Gallons) engine idle for 30 minute while pulling up anchor
11AM underway leaving Colon Panama motoring 5.5kts to breakwater.
12:00 Sailing Genoa only 4.5kts
14:00 becalmed, motoring 4kts at 2200 RPM
14:30 motor off, sailing again Genoa only 3.5kts.
15:00 2.5kts, making noodles, approaching Portobello
16:30 Anchor down Portobello.

I haven’t been doing a good job of keeping a log and have never posted it so I’ll give it a shot and try to stick with it for a while. Left Colon this morning fully provisioned food, water, and fuel. The water shouldn’t matter since it has been raining like crazy for the last month. I haven’t tried the water collection system that James and I installed yet but I have a feeling I will be in a day or two if I want to keep my solar-shower (bag of water with a nozzle that I hang on the mast to shower) going daily.

Was a rather nice and uneventful sail I think it was only about 15 or 20 miles total. First thing I noticed when I got in here is man this place is quiet compared to the industrial hum of colon where I was trapped (sorta) for about three and a half months. There is the occasional bus or car, a few roosters, and plenty of dogs, oh yeah, I even heard howler monkeys before going to bed. I’ll add some Portobello photos with this blog hopefully so you can see what I mean. I haven’t even put the dinghy back in the water and won’t go ashore till tomorrow since it is now 6:15, I’m showered, beered, and going to read a bit.

Portobello, word has it that some people rave about this very quaint little town only about 15 miles east of Colon others have reported it as a decent anchorage but a bore. Personally I don’t think it has much to offer beyond a day trip or an overnight stop. A friend of mine explored the town and said it’s a good HALF a day trip, that’s literally all it takes to see the entire town. You can basically walk every street in 30 minutes. According to my Panama Cruising Guide (Eric Bauhaus), The bay of Portobello was discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502 during his fourth major trip. The city of “San Felipe de Portobello” was officially founded in 1597. Between 1574 and 1702 Forty-five fleets of Galleons were sent forth, none of which carried less than thirty million Pesos of riches from South and Central American to the Spanish empire. The ruins of the fortification are obvious and were worth the time to briefly explore. The funniest part of it is that the town is built right up to and probably ON the ruins themselves! Houses (nearly shacks) are back to back with the walls of the old Spanish forts, still containing the cannons as you can see in the pictures I took. In fact the local kids pretty much use the forts as their play ground and you can find soccer goals set up right next to 400 year old cannons right inside the old fortification, pretty cool.

I took a little stroll through the town, checked out the forts and the church, then bought a loaf of bread, a few cookies and a pastry for breakfast totaling $1.90. ( I try to by a beer at every port even if I don’t buy a meal) On the way back to the dinghy dock I stopped at a restaurant that was completely surrounded by ruins, cannons, etc, and to my surprise found the first American beer offered since I’ve been in Panama, not that I’ve really been looking the local brews are just fine. So I went for a Budweiser expecting to pay a premium for the “import” beer, and when I asked how much, they said Seventy-five cents. So I drank it and had one more :-). After rowing back to the boat I decided to keep rowing (didn’t feel like digging out the outboard engine and strapping it on in this tiney port). I found a little cove behind the port that led to a few small mangrove lined rivers, several locals in their dugout canoes were paddeling around, some trolling, some throw-netting, and some jigging lines over the side pulling out several small fish. I also checked out a sunken ship (from the surface) and the listing grounded aparantly abandoned sailboat in the pictures. By the time I got back to Salsa after an hour or two of rowing I was nearly tired, made dinner of fried potatoes, onions, garlic, and went to bed. The next morning I would sail to Isla Linton, only about another 15 miles east again, making my way to San Blas and eventually Cartagena at a very nice liesurly pace.

OK, you may have to wait on the pictures, currently in a small restaraunt in the jungle with a sketchy satalite connection! (Near Isla linton, dinghy ride through mangroves to “panamarina”) but still staying on the boat in Isla Linton.

Current plans are to leave Colon Panama sometime this week and head towards the San Blas Islands. I’ve heard a lot of nice things about that area, blue water, lots of small islands, palm trees, your typical paradise. Then after maybe a few weeks there I will head to Cartagena Columbia for maybe a few months. Again, I’ve been hearing a lot of wonderful things about the town, sounds safe, not to expensive, and plenty to do. Next stop will be back to Colon Panama to transit the canal maybe around October or November unless I fall in love with Columbia and decide to spend the entire hurricane season there. Assuming I am back here and through the Canal into the Pacific still during hurricane / typhoon season with time to kill before heading off into the Pacific Ill head south to Ecuador for the remaining time, can you believe that they sell fuel there for only $1.05 a gallon !?!?! I’m told that there is low to no risk of serious storms from Ecuador to Galapagos and even to the Marquises which will allow me to get a nice jump on next years Pacific crossing season and maximize my time in the South Pacific islands as I head to most likely Australia. Getting fed up with the town here (Colon) and very ready for a change of scenery.

Currently I have one friend here in Panama that will join me for a day or two and jump off at a nearby port (Portobello) in Panama before I head to the San Blas Islands Solo, and presumably solo onto to Cartagena Columbia where I expect some friends to join me. Since I’ll likely be there for a few months if anyone else has some free time around August, September and maybe even November let me know since I’ll likely just be ‘hanging out’ I think airfare here is around $500 from the states. Some friends here gave me a spear gun so in addition to fishing I plan to try some free-diving spear-fishing that should at least prove interesting. Well that’s about it for now. I’ll be sending GPS-points / Google-Earth links to the website starting soon to keep everyone aware of my position once I leave here. Hope everyone is doing well and hope to update you from a new position soon!! –

Kirk