We did our first shopping with with the locals. We had been approached everyday, from multiple dugout canoes wanting to sell us something. We were really too busy each time, so we did our best to wave them off politely. This day, we bought a couple of lobsters, and put them in a large bucket of saltwater until dinner time. Then there was the canoe with the Molas. These are embroidered cloth, about the size of one side of a small throw pillow. I'm not sure if we'll ever use or display it on a wall. But currently, if a canoe approaches, we hold it up like a surrender flag. "We already have one." Based on my watching Jill knit, I know a lot of work goes into making these. So they are quite a bargain.
There were 5 boats left in the anchorage last night. We went over to a boat named Christine. Dieter and Ursula are the owners of a mono-hull, Sweden Yachts 45. They came all the way from Germany and were excellent hosts to the approximately 17 of us aboard. This morning we traveled about 17 miles west to an island called Porvenir. This is the gateway for us cruisers to enter Panama and pay Caesar his due. Like most things on the cusp of South America, it was reasonable and very quick. When we first arrived, we were approached by 2 separate dugout canoes vying for our attention. Assuming they were trying to sell us something, we we waved them off. We were trying to set our anchor. Did they not have a clue? Why were they so insistent we pay attention to them? Besides, I didn't see anything in their canoes for trading/selling. Then one of them held out his arms like an airplane. Oh, he recognized the name Air Power and wanted to let us know. Actually, we were trying to anchor in front of the island's airport's runway. Based on today's wind, we were at the approach end. Oops! A 62 ft mast could be a problem for pilots trying to land their aircraft. Since some of the other boats were smart enough to arrive early, they had the best anchoring spots. We ended up anchoring off another small island about a 1/3 of a mile away in waste deep water, ahhh the joys of owning a catamaran.
We are still 70 miles from Colon, the entrance to the Panama Canal. We can either break the trip up into 2 days, or leave in the evening, sail all night and get to our destination during daylight. Its probably better to do the trip over a 2 day period, since there will be plenty of over-night passages in the Pacific after going through the canal. The new moon is waxing, just past its first quarter. More moon means more light at night on the ocean. Since its Jill's birthday tomorrow, she gets to call the shots.
Jill and Dave