It’s been really tough to get connections over the last few days. The details are boring, but suffice it to say that I’ve been completely incommunicado and it’s been out of my control. And I’ve been running around Panama City. And my damn computer is on the fritz. And I’ve discovered my boat was broken into. So, I have more than one excuse for the delay in posting.
Thieving Bastards
I hate thieves. Not just because when I needed my spearguns, I found out they’d been stolen. Also because it invariably keeps me angry for a while. I lost sleep thinking about all the ways I could have prevented the theft.
Bottom line: like every other human who has something stolen from them; I’m unhappy about it.
Before I left Panama, I had an amazing sponsor – Rob Allen – send me a ton of very high-quality spearfishing gear. Of course, I couldn’t try it out as I had a pretty nasty infection on my middle finger.
So when I got back, with a semi-healed finger – I was itching to get into the water with the new gear. Alex and I had been working on our boats – helping each other out. So when I finally had a few hours that weren’t swamped with dinners, drinks, and boat maintenance (tough life, right?) – we decided to go get some fish for dinner.
Long story short – I found out my spearguns had been stolen. Then I found they’d taken my dive lights too. Most of it is my fault for not having it all secured better – but it’s not a whole lot of fun. Moving on.
So Many Activities!
I’m going to avoid listing the stuff we’ve done over the last few days – but there’s been a ton. I literally don’t have a spare minute, it seems. Before I left, I was sure there would be tons of downtime. Not yet. I wanted to learn to play guitar – no time. I wanted to read all of the deep/heavy stuff I’ve put off, no time. I wanted to play with options a bit more, no time. The good news is that I’ve found time to do some of the things I like to do though – we’ve been diving, kayaking, playing with monkeys, and (most importantly) making new friends and spending time with them.
Here’s Alex trying to handle a lionfish without getting stung. If you didn’t know it, lionfish are an invasive species that really destroy the reef – they’re also tasty. So, if you use a little bit of care – you can spear them, eat them, and do the reef a favor.
Cruising friends are cool – they’re all really unique people, doing unique things, on unique boats. And they’re typically very helpful. And there’s something about spending time with people when you know there’s an end to it – we will all sail off and may never see each other again afterward. So it’s been fun and interesting.
More Boat Maintenance
It amazes me how much time, energy, and expense is tied up in boat maintenance. It’s completely mind-boggling. The good news is I’m learning my boat – inside and out. Here are the projects we have undertaken:
- Boat bottom cleaning
- Rewiring tons of stuff
- Installing more fans
- Massive amounts of cleaning
- Installing electric fuel pumps
- Changing rope clutches
- Tracing an air leak in my fuel lines
- Installing a BBQ grill
- Installing some new standing rigging (some was in need of repair)
- Getting a new stack-pack
- Getting and installing a new dinghy engine
The list goes on. And on. And on. I’ve gotten comfortable doing much of my own maintenance and install projects. That’s huge, and I feel pretty good about it.
The real bummer is how expensive all of this is. Even though I’d been pretty generous in my refit budget, I’m straining it. But getting your home/vehicle/passion-project right is a big deal, so we’re working pretty hard to get things right. And since we’re on the subject – I’ve picked up another crew member: Damien.
More Crew
Having crew onboard is, right now, a good decision. I don’t know how I’ll feel about it later – but so far they’ve been awesome. Chelsea gets a little OCD on the cleaning, which is perfect. Damien is a good diver, a great cook, and can hold a wrench. Uh-mazing combo with the three of us onboard, me thinks. And it’s alot of fun with three people. That said, I have found less time to read and do other stuff as I’m spending more time socializing and on boat work.
Maybe that’s a good thing though.
Monkey Business
I’ve avoided going to see the local Spider Monkeys here for some reason. Honestly, I don’t know why. But with Chelsea onboard, it’s hard to not play the part of tour guide. So we headed over to the island (25 meters off my bow) and went in search of the local monkeys.
The monkeys are said to be semi-docile, but there are plenty of stories about them biting people. The local lore surrounding these monkeys is silly; these monkeys have tried to steal children, they’ve bitten huge pieces out of people, they’re very aggressive when food is involved, and they’re generally best approached in a dinghy.
I decided that was bullshit. As most of the fear-mongering stuff I’ve heard/read is. So we went to the island, found the monkeys and though we tried to keep our distance – we quickly found ourselves in a very intimate space with these amazing primates. So far I’ve been right – they’ve just been awesome.
The female of the group has taken a liking to me. She follows me out to the very edge of the jungle (over the water) and chatters at me until I scratch her. Amazing.
Back to San Blas
Since I’ve been here, we’ve had some new additions to the marina. The usual crew of scoundrels actually got together last night for a little party on my boat. I was supposed to be there, as it was my “going away” party – because we’re heading to San Blas. Of course, I got stuck in Panama City on a run for my new dinghy engine. As scoundrels do, they had my going away party on my boat without me. They took some pictures of them all on my boat, without me. They thought that was especially funny.
Another young couple on a Lagoon catamaran is in the anchorage. Greg and his g/f Kaycee on Oceanna (http://oceannatheboat.com/). They’re a bunch of fun. Greg dives, spearfishes, and surfs. Kaycee keeps Greg in line, and occasionally she goes wakeboarding in the anchorage behind their dinghy. That’s a fun thing to watch. I’m stopping by their catamaran tonight to get some coordinates for epic dive spots in San Blas. Fingers crossed.
The big news is that it’s time to head back to San Blas. I’m dying to be back in the water daily. I’m ready to only worry about how I’m diving, where I’m kayaking to, or what we’re going to have for dinner. I think I’ve earned it over the last few days. I’ve been working steadily, dusk to dawn to get things ready for a nice long trip through San Blas to Cartagena. And I’m almost there. So close!
So, if all goes well – my next post will be from San Blas. I’m so stoked.
A Long Story
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