Since we set sails this morning we still can run with the genoa and the main on PRT side. Only a bit AWA adjustment was needed. And the wind vane settings needed adjustment as well.

Thanks, dear Poseidon for adjusting the wind so much to our needs.

On a longer distance them today i would have set the wind vane only at the beginning and expected that the AWA swings around a mean value. However today, we want want to arrive at the marina ASAP, I
I made wind vane adjustments.

We are currently on the the last leg to Turtle Bay Marina. ETA for the last waypoint outside the marina is right now 1612.

When I called the port captain he could not pick up the phone, but then he called back and confirmed the berth.

Thus, another night in a nice countryside marina.

Looks like we have a stable wind from NE to ENE throughout the day.

Sailing currently with an AWA of 90 deg STB under main and genoa in a safe distance west of the Chichime Cays. Course 305 deg.

The shipwreck N of the Chichime Cays is a good visible reminder that reefs are treacherous.

Later, more N of the Chichime Cays, I expect that we will down the main and run with only the genoa additionally opened with a barber hauler.

We spent a day at anchor.

Most of the crew swam over to the two islands at PRT and STB. Sandy beaches, palm trees mean picture taking.

I did some smaller work on board.

As nobody caught a fish today, Mich bought a tuna or maybe it is a bonito. Not sure what it was. He sliced the fillets and prepared them for tonight’s sashimi dinner.

Tomorrow we will sail again. Weather forecast looks good. Let’s see what wind we finally have tomorrow.

We left shortly after breakfast. A nice 4 – 5 Bft NE wind was blowing. As soon as anchor was up, we used the genoa and sailed towards the passage for going in and out of the lagoon. In time before the passage, genoa was furled to have maximal control over MaRe’s movements. Passage and a bit further to be clear of an underwater rock and we set the genoa again to sail a bit dead W to gain space for turning into the wind to get the main up. Being clearly W of the SE islands of the Naguargandup Cays, we turned into the wind. Main up, genoa out and jibsail set we sailed STW between 6 and almost 10 KN.

With only 2 tacks we made it to the western end of the Hollandes Cays. Sails down and then skipper’s headache startet. Where to anchor? 4 boats where already in the anchorage. And the anchor ground is not very wide and has steep drop-off.

We needed – for me for the first time ever – 3 drops of the hook until I was satisfied. First time it turned out we would be too close to another boat, and second time the anchor did not hold at about 14 m. The third time I went a bit further towards the sand bank and dropped the hook at 12m. 40 m chain test was positive, thus we gave additional 30 m of chain, and the anchor held during the test.

Anchor bridle attached and MaRe was safely hanging on her hook and moves gently in the wave rolling through the gap between the two islands of Arcuakatgana and Waisaladup.

The wind angle changed during the first few hours only + – 10 deg. This is expected to be the same until we leave. For safety reasons the range in which MaRe can turn around her anchor is limited in the anchor alarm.

Snorkeling to the western reef nearby was on the program. Turned out to be a pretty interesting reef with a step drop off to 10 – 15 (?) m.

I walked again with friends around Saradup an island in the San Blas archipelago. It’s my thyroid visit to this island and the people living there call me “anai”, meaning “friend”.

The eastern part of the5
Island is very clean. No garbage is lying around.

We walked from the eastern part towards the western tip when i suddenly got very sad because of all the garbage which is washed ashore. Plastic bottles mainly but also other kind of plastic garbage.

The Coca Cola bottles are easily to be recognized. They can be considered as a symbol of our as very high considered Western Culture. Their content, a brown, high calorie liquid, which, according to the commercials make people very happy, with the not announced side-effect also very fat. Their bottle are polluting the seas and shoes around the world.

But there is another Western Culture product which is produced and sold around the world: bottled water. It is supposed to clean and especially available all over in shops, convenient to buy and throw away. The content is most always called “purified water” which means nothing else but produced from seawater by means of reverse osmosis, a process used in all boats to create freshwater.

I really got sad because, since i arrived in the Caribbean, I’m convinced this world drowns in plastic which is found already in human bodies via the food cycle. What do I tell my grand children when they come in about 2 weeks time on board for a sail around San Blas islands? What if they ask about their future?

What do to tell your grandchildren?

After a comfortable night at anchor in the Chichime Cays, and after breakfast the friends went over to the island for sight seeing.

I stayed on board because I had to do some work.

When they came back, we prepared for departure and left.

Out on the open water, I was wondering which sail to be used. Finally the course and AWA made the decision: main & genoa; gennaker not possible.

New crew members got an introduction on main sail hosting and the main went up pretty well. Wal who had already experience in keeping MaRe in the wind did it pretty well.

He then steered MaRe very well on the plotted course towards the Naguandgandup Cays. One of my favorite places because we know wonderful people there. The sail was comfortable with STW between 5 – 7 KN.

At 1600 MaRe was secured “hooked up” various activities – mainly fishing and cooking started.

A quiet night is too be expected.

About the wind we had today. It was not forcasted by any of the major weather models. Forecasted weather has no guarantee.

We were lucky and the wind did not turn against us.

At the route leg with 105 deg wind was good enough to pull out the genoa to speed up on our way to the Chichime Cays. So we could make about a third of yesterday’s route with STW in the higher 6 KN range.

We found a good place to anchor and MaRe was safe on the hook.

Cooking & dining & fishing started.

After a very pleasant evening in Turtle Cay Marina, with a dinner at the marina restaurant – excellent menus – we left, to continue our sail to San Blas archipelago.

Now it’s noon and we still have 4 Bft at an AWA of 15 deg PRT. It’s for me now a bit need wrecking because I can’t sail without going 55 deg of course in N direction. Going more on southerly course it’s not possible because in the S of our course, there are very shallow the parts. In such areas I don’t trust Navionics charts.

This for another hour, then we turn on s course of 105 deg and we should at least be able to use the genoa to pull with an additional 1 – 2 KN. Let’s keep fingers crossed.

As we were a bit late morning with our departure of Linton Bay Marina, and we had very strong head winds the arrival at the Chichime Cays would have in the dark.

In the dark I don’t want to approach any anchorage laying between shoals and coral banks, thus we had 2 possibility.

First, we could have sailed out into the Caribbean sea until we could turn around for an arrival at the Chichime Cays by around 1000. By that time the first overnight boats would have been gone.

Second, as I saw via AIS boats at coast of mainland, I looked into details and saw that these boats are in the Turtle Cay Marina. Thus, there was chance to stay a night in pretty well protected marina.

We decided for the second possibility.

Turtle Cay Marina, is a real countryside marina, reminds me to the ACI Marina Simuni. The berth are around the corner of a bay and almost no swell runs into the marina.

We entered the marina without any reservation simply because the number given in Ann advertisement in the Bauhaus Panama Guide was wrong. However, when we entered through the narrow and shallow channel, we saw immediately two guys signaling we can come in by pointing to anb open slip. It turned out it was the port captain and an assistant.

Once our docking preparations were done, I entered the slip. They took out lines and we had smooth “landing”.

The atmosphere in the marina is extremely relaxed. About 20 boats only. Quiet. The lawn around the slips green grass no plastic garbage. We all feel very comfortable.

We were preparing for departure when the marineros came to assist with the lines.

This is needed because when I go into the marina they take the lines and fix them at cleats of the dock. Preferably even one long rope at 2 cleats of the boat and 3 cleats at the dock. I don’t like this at all because I don’t have control over the lines board

This morning I told in which order i want the lines to be released. When turn around and walked to the helm station, they opened all lines more or less the same time without waiting for my command. So MaRe drifted away from the dock.

Fortunately I can act in such a situation immediately. However, tablet PC with Axiom display replicated was not yet ready. At the end I looked through the salon window at the Axiom screen and navigated like this along my WPT through the shoals.

Why don’t marineros wait for the command of the skipper?

Need to learn this in Spanisch.