Porvenir is an official entry port to Panama, so in order for Charlie to leave the country, we had to have him (and the rest of us) properly documented entering. That process took Scott some 3 hours, while Jerry fortunately spotted a one hammock bar which sold beers for $1! He and Charlie managed somehow to while away the 3 hours the immigration process took.
The process completed, we set sail for Corazon de Jesus, off the Rio Diablo river, where an airstrip was reputed to be operating. Jerry drove Sapphire in 20 kts close-hauled, making 9 kts all the 18 or so miles.
He playfully tried to get a rise out of Charlie by making numerous attempts to put the lee rail under the water, occasionally succeeding! It was a very enjoyable, exhilarating beat.
We anchored in the company of a number of yachts at dusk. Later, we wanted to find the airstrip so took the tender in the direction of the lights on shore. We didn't find the airport but we did find a bar with $1 beers, and so properly fortified, we set about exploring the town, for that's what it was. It seemed like there might be 500 or so residents, mostly in western garb including kids who wouldn't have been out of place in Harlem. The town had a power station so there was some minimal street lighting. We walked all around looking at the mix of traditional thatched huts and basic concrete structures until we found ourselves back at the bar. We took some refreshment and continued our stroll to the north side of town. All the people we came across were friendly and pleasant and seemed both happy, animated and smart. In addition to electricity (which powers the TVs which can be seen through the reed walls of the huts) the town has piped-in fresh water from the mainland. The streets are flattened sand and the living conditions quite basic. It was a common sight to see families sitting on the sand floor of rooms/houses watching TV while the only other furniture was a hammock!
After our stroll, it was back to the boat and an early night, to be sure to get Charlie to his plane (if we can find the strip?) by 6am tomorrow.