Eclipse it! (San Blas Islands, Panama)

Nalulaga Island.jpegExperiencing an eclipse is just that – an experience.  Whether it is total or partial – or whether it is solar or moon. It is an interesting moment to experience on this Earth we live.  Today, Monday, August 21, we will have a total eclipse to be viewed across most of North America.  It has been anticipated, talked about and the crowds are lining up in different parts. Whitey and I have had a few viewings of eclipses in the past.

A more memorable solar view was when we were in the San Blas Islands (Kuna Yala), located on the Caribbean side of Panama.  Years later we would spend more time there but this was our first visit to this beautiful archipelago with its indigenous indians.  It was mid-July, 1991 and we had been there for about 2 months.  This was way before internet and we did not have any access to any media or news.  (Which is a good thing, most of the time.)  We had plans to move our boat from the islands back to Portobello on the main land.  Whitey went ashore the afternoon before to check out with the Port Captain which was necessary when departing the Kuna Yala.   He said ‘But tomorrow is not a good day to go.  An eclipse will be happening’.  This conversation was in Spanish and took Whitey a minute to understand what he was saying.  First thought through our heads is ‘How do they know (it will be an eclipse)?’  Second thought was ‘Why (can’t we leave tomorrow)?’ 

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DAY ONE – SAILING AGAIN! (BELIZE)

Our first day getting away from work and the marina provided everything you would expect. The last few weeks of getting the boat ready for departure at the same time we were finishing work as the Operation Managers of Ranguana Caye had left us exhausted both physically and mentally. So our plans to leave one day, got put off to the next. And then to the next. Finally, we were ready to leave the marina but weather reports had high winds for offshore so we would not be going all the way to Lighthouse Atoll until those died down. We decided a sail to South Water Caye was just what we needed. Get away from the marina and drop the anchor for a few days in a nice anchorage just inside the Barrier Reef.  We could have a rest while we waited for the weather to calm down.

SAILING TO SOUTHWATER CAYE

SAILING UP THE CHANNEL ON STARBOARD TACK

We departed Thunderbird Marina at 6:10 a.m.  We were still inside the lagoon in protected waters when we raised the mainsail. As expected, after being stowed for 4 months, it got stuck a few times. We motored out of the lagoon, past the end of Placencia Peninsula and Placencia Caye before pulling out the head sail.   The wind was from the direction of East to South East. As we headed north, we had expected to have to tack around Sittee Point but with these winds we were able to point East of North. Straight up the channel with no tacking – it was beautiful. The winds were strong but with the protection of the cayes the seas were flat. Whitey and I fell in love with our boat, Gypsy Blue, again as she sailed along at 6.5 to 7 knots all of the way up the channel. Feeling the wind and sun and a slight heal to the boat.  We couldn’t have asked for a better day. We had planned for a 6-hour sail but it looked like we would arrive at South Water Caye within 4 hours.

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RUNNING FROM THE STORM (ST. MARTIN)

c Tam Sailing

Tamarin sailing

Hurricanes can be devastating and disastrous.   Over the years Whitey and I have had our share of disasters, most (but not all) from hurricanes. Each one is a story of it’s own.

One year, we thought we were being prudent by getting out of the Virgin Islands by early July and heading south for hurricane season. It was 1996 when we scheduled a charter in the St. Martin and St Barth’s region for the first two weeks of July. We were then planning on heading straight to the island of Grenada that is south of the hurricane belt.

The previous year, Hurricane Marilyn in September, 1995 had done tremendous damage to our charter catamaran, Tamarin of Tortola. The complete rebuilding of Tamarin in 4 months is another story. However, with insurance and the hard work of us, friends and the boat yard in Tortola, we were back in business by the end of January, 1996.

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IT’S ALL ABOUT THE DUCK (SAN FRANCISCO, PANAMA CANAL, BVI)

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Being towed behind the boat

We have a duck! Yes, that is right. Deek is the easy child or guest you always wanted. His needs are simple, he doesn’t eat, has no complaints – just sits on the boat with a happy grin on his little beak. He prefers sunshine but is content on the boat if it is raining. Our duck is called ‘Dr. Deek’ which is short for ‘Dr. Decoy Duck’.

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RELOCATING GYPSY BLUE (FLORIDA TO BELIZE)

Our departure from West Palm Beach on our boat Gypsy Blue was a culmination of lots of hard work and logistics squished in to just a few days. It didn’t take us long from living on land in Belize that we realized that we wanted our boat here with us. Why live near the water if you can’t go out on it? At least that is our theory. And we had put so much sweat and effort on her the past couple years, why just have it sit waiting for us to use it 2-3 months a year. Our plan of going to visit her once a year in the Pacific just no longer made sense. Our South Pacific cruising dream would have to wait.

GB loaded on the truck

On the truck and ready to roll

Early December we flew to Los Angeles for a quick 2 days to prepare her to load on a long-bed truck. This involves taking down the sails, dodger and bimini, radar and AIS stands and archway and storing them inside the boat along with the outboard engine, life raft, cooler and all cushions.   The dinghy would be covered and stored under the boat on the trailer along with the large archway. But everything else is inside. It was stuffed. Then we took off the boom. The yard would pull the mast. They would wrap the boom and the mast along with the rigging with lots of plastic and tape. These would be stored on the trailer under the boat as well.

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