Ketch 22 Sails From The Panama Canal to Golfito

Photo Gallery of the sailing voyages of Ketch 22

Head West From The panama Canal

After rebuilding the engine in Panama, the crew and I upped anchor and headed for Golfito.   The mechanic ( Kenny Brazeale) did a good job and after a small adjustment to the alternator alignment, crew Terry and I checked out of Panama and headed for Golfito.  

The cruise was a welcome relief from the hustle and bustle of checking out.   It's seriously hot and humid in Panama.   Even so, the weather cooperated and we missed most of the thunderstorms that rolled through.   'Most of them' was the key phrase in that sentence.   We were caught in one storm on the water and one at anchor.   In an otherwise delightful anchorage, a massive lightning storm roll over us and when it was through, my VHF remote unit was converted to a receive only unit and a USB to serial converter was inoperable.  

The rest of the cruise was delightful and lightning free.   We bought a fresh lobster from fishermen near the Costa Rica border.   It was delicious!   Arriving in Golfito a couple days later, we dropped anchor and headed for 'Latitud 8', the famous local cruiser hang out.   My crew Terry Welsh left for San Jose CR a few days later.   Read his perspective on the voyage HERE.   I stayed around to wait for Yacht Path to take me to Manzanillo.   Did I mention it is seriously hot and humid in Costa Rica?

Waiting for yacht Path ended up being a tactical error.   I waited a little over a month.   I'll spare you the details but suffice it to say that I'll spend no more money on Yacht Path.   Their vessel did finally show up and I was dropped off at Manzanillo, where I was promptly placed in a customs hold.   I needed to have my original ships documentation and Yacht Path had failed to put me in touch with my Mexican shipping agent in time for them to inform me of that.

Manzanillo is under construction.   Construction dust and noise assailed my senses 24/7.   I felt like I was in a war zone.   Noise and billowing clouds of dust kept me confined to Ketch 22.   Again, I'll spare you the details, but if this were my first cruise, there would be no more.   Contact me for details...

All things must pass, and after a week, I escaped from the Manzanillo customs hold and made my way to La Cruz in Bahia Bandersas.   I put Ketch 22 to bed and flew back to San Jose.

Sailors Myth # 15   Some Like It Hot!

Myth Buster # 15:   You don't know hot til' you've been to the Panama lowlands.

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