MOTORING BY IAN

Hi all

We are here at last in the South Pacific-well not quite as we are still at 8 north but at least it is the Pacific. Everything here feels and smells different to the Carribean. The ocean has large swells but the gaps between each is greater making the sailing smoother. Unfortnately we are in the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone ITCZ for the next 2 weeks so there is very little wind. We anticipate motoring most of the way from Panama City to Cocos Islands and then Galapagos. Thereafter we should pick up the trade winds and sail most of the way to Australia.

As predicted we motored all the way down the bay of Panama and arrived 1 day later in Punta Guanico. We decided to stop for 2 hours and try the new kayaks. We paddled towards the shore but I got too close and was pushed forward by a huge wave. I quickly turned the kayak to point to sea, too late another wave crashed down on me. I struggled to stay upright and paddled frantiically shouting "paddle Sheryl paddle"-she took off like a rocket glancing over her shoulder to see me being battered by the surf. Luckily I paddled cear of the surf and headed back to Faraway. The kayak was so full of water that we struggled to lift it aboard. I made a note to wear a life jacket in future and steer clear of the shore.

As we were leaving a small fishing boat came alongside. They proudly pulled a variety of fresh fish out of their ice box. Some were huge but eventially we gestured that the small skipjack tuna would suffice. When we tried to pay for it they would not take anything. After a great deal of persuasion they left with a couple of dollars and a beer each.

We continued the journey around to a very remote anchorage Ensanada Naranjo that was completely surrounded by jungle. We were the only ones there and as the sun went down we could here all the insects and animals only metres from Faraway. We woke to the sound of howler monkeys and a beautiful sunrise.

We progressed north to anchor between an island and the mainland in a place called Santa Catalina. There were reefs around the island and huge breakers pounded the shore and island. We cautiously navigated between the spray and found a resonable anchorage. The tidal range is around 15 feet and so Faraway spun back and forward throughout our stay. We took the kayaks on the 1 mile paddle to shore so we could pay for the dive trip to Coiba. Sheryl took her turn being pounded by the waves. We explored the little island that we anchored next to and I spotted some amazing purple and red land crabs. That night we sat down and had a cold beer before falling asleep in the cockpit. We were awoken by distance flashes of lightning. We placed the sides of the Bimini down leaving only the back open so we could observe the weathers progress. Around midnight it arrived. Faraway was rocking and spinning in the current/tide and wind. We left the nav plotter on to see if the anchor dragged. It did we shifted 340 feet at one point-very unnerving as we were surround by reef and surf. We tried to get a visual fix on the land but it was a complete white out from the spray caused by the tropical downpour. Just when we got a visual on the land, the sky would go blue and purple as were completely surrounded by lightning-blinding us and preventing us getting a good visual reference. After half an hour of monitoring the nav plotter we went below and waited out the weather hoping that we would avoid a lightning strike.

It was a calm overcast day when we awoke. The dive boat arrived and we completed the 20 mile journey to Coiba. (see Sheryls dive blog). After an exhausting day of diving in strong currents we returned to Faraway. We had a BBQ on the back of Faraway and drifted into deep sleep.

The next day we motored 25 miles to a small island called Jacaron. We arrived late in the day-it was not as tranquil as the guide book suggested. It was rolly and had local fishing boats nearby. One boat pulled alongside. One of the six on board pointed to a fishing hook-my spanish is poor so I can only presume they wanted more-they left after I gave each of them a Coca Cola-a small price to pay in exchange for meandering through these remote islands freely. We did not feel comfortable so dashed south for 1 hour and tried to anchor in a deep water lagoon. We anchored twice before the anchor dug in. The island looked beautiful and we could see a small group of echo tourists camping on the beach. They had an entire jungle island to themselves.

We woke to another beautiful sunrise this morning and are now heading to Cocos Islands under motor. We have a head wind, head swell and head current so it wil be a long painful 3 days. We are also surrounded by towering clouds so Faraway will get a really good fresh water wash soon.

Thats all for today folks.