Contadora has been like a breath of fresh air to us - it has been exactly what we had hoped sailing the world would be like. The anchorage is beautiful, the water is clear, and there's plenty to explore ashore.
We started the day today early with the inaugural World ARC hash. There were about 30 of us who set off at 7.15 this morning on a route around the island which had been set out with great care by Paul and Joel of the World Cruising Club. We completed the run/jog/walk in an hour or so and had a lovely breakfast overlooking the bay.
Since the tide was so low we couldn't contemplate hauling our dinghy down to the water, so we set off again to explore the rest of the island on foot. Then is was back to the beach for a swim, out to the boat to finish a few jobs, have lunch and an afternoon snooze.
We're just in a small internet cafe now waiting for this evening's prize-giving dinner for the first leg (from Saint Lucia to San Blas). The only prize we could expect is perhaps a booby prize for the most equipment failures on one boat!
Our next update will be from the North Pacific Ocean, as we start our sail to Galapagos tomorrow at noon, local time. We are just charging up the yellow brick, so you should be able to follow our progress on the World ARC site.