Archives for the '2007 - Panama and Pacific Ocean' Category
Marquesas, Nuku Hiva - May 2007
We sailed from Ua Pou to Nuku Hiva, our final stop in the Marquesas, one afternoon. As the wind was less than we had expected, we finally arrived after dark, but the seas were slight and the scenery of the islands outstanding, so we didn’t mind at all! Taiohae bay entrance is simple enough although […]
Marquesas, Ua Pou - May 2007
We left Tahuata for the Northern group of the Marquesas, firstly Ua Pou, a spectacular island with rocky outcrops which are in fact innards of ancient volcanoes where the outsides have eroded away. We sailed overnight for the 60-mile passage, and the approach was amazing. The island was high but cloud-covered, and occasionally the peaks […]
Marquesas, Tahuata - May 2007
Then we headed for the close neighbour island Tahuata, a couple of hours sail away. There are about 600 people on Tahuata but the best anchorage is a beautiful but deserted bay and beach, so we had a lovely few days at the beach and saw not one local.
There were up to eight boats anchored here, […]
Marquesas, Hiva Oa - May 2007
On the morning of 3rd May we were in sight of Hiva Oa and its neighbours. Coming close to land, which was shrouded with cloud, the sea grew pretty disturbed. This is not surprising where sea depths of 4km are interrupted by volcanic islands, in the trade winds and current!
Hiva Oa showed some very jagged […]
Galapagos to Marquesas - April 2007
This crossing is the longest journey that has to be undertaken on a circumnavigation via the tropics. The journey takes 3-4 weeks, similar to an Atlantic crossing from the Canaries to the Caribbean. This was our second ocean crossing, and although this time we have an extra baby on board, in many ways the preparation […]
Galapagos Islands, Santa Cruz - March 2007
The Galapagos Islands are now part of Ecuador, they are a National Park and Marine Reserve. It is not easy to obtain a cruising permit so most yachts stay in one place and use local transport to get about. The currency is the US Dollar although Ecuador coins are used too. The local language is […]
Panama to Galapagos - Mar 2007
We left Panama on 12th March in a calm sea, motoring for a few hours among tankers and dolphins before we encountered some wind. In fact the first 48 hours as far as Malpelo rock were not bad for wind, which was mostly from the north. However our next few days in the direction of […]
Panama, Panama City - Feb/Mar 2007
We stayed several weeks at the Flamenco Island anchorage, known locally as La Playita, where over time we met some new friends, and several old friends popped out of the canal too.
The anchorage is some way from Panama City but there are good bus and taxi links to get around. Many taxis overcharge “gringos” whenever […]
Panama, Colon and Panama Canal - Jan 2007
We had good wind all the way from Porvenir in the San Blas Islands to Colon, athough as we knew, we would arrive at Colon in the dark. The wind and sea were pelting us downwind by the time we got in sight of Colon harbour, it was a worry keeping the sails up into the harbour, […]
Panama, San Blas Islands - Jan 2007
The San Blas Islands are technically part of Panama. However in fact the islands and a good portion of the neighbouring mainland are owned and governed by the Kuna Indians, a old race who have what is regarded as the best surviving traditional culture in the whole of the Americas.
In practice the entire territory of […]