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| Not our favorite sight |
There are sailors that tempt the "roaring 40s", make winter runs in the Bering Sea, and even brave tropical storms to test....we're not sure what. That's not us. We try to keep sailing safe, relaxed, and mellow. How is this done? We keep L'ORIENT in great mechanical shape but, more importantly, we check the weather obsessively. Storm coming? We can wait (after all, we don't have a whole lot going on).
What throws off these intentions is when the weather report and actual conditions deviate in a meaningful way - like last week. Colon to Bocas del Toro, Panama should have been a milk run. Heading due west...only 120 miles...should be relaxed and fun. Until it wasn't.
An unscheduled mega-lightning storm emerged at that witching hour when all bad things happen on passages, 3:00 AM. There is a fear and helplessness that's hard to describe in this situation. You are seated between two lightning rods (your masts) on an otherwise flat surface with nowhere to hide. No stars, no moon........just huge bolts flying into the ocean. Flash.......6 seconds........bang (OK, that was 6 miles away, we're OK). Flash...........3 seconds..........bang (Problem- it's coming this way and it will hit near us next). Flash.......0 seconds....bang (Big problems). This last bolt hit the ocean about 300 meters from the boat with a flash of light and boom that is indescribable (even for a literary giant like myself). Autopilot, navigation lights, VHF, and a host of other electronics stopped working because the static electricity fried everything. For those long time readers you might remember a similar incident in 2012 that happened to us in Mayaguana, Bahamas. Lightning does indeed strike twice. We limped into Bocas del Toro and added a bunch of things to our to do list.
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| Bocas Town - Quaint waterfront restaurants |
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| Panamanian drive-through? Notice Crabby in the background |
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| The jungle reclaims everything.......even driftwood |
Our expectations for Bocas were low and set for us by other cruisers who had been here. Plagues of insects, rain 24/7, no wind............we were ready for something rather unpleasant. But instead, we're living large in Red Frog Marina.......swimming pools, great restaurants, nature walks (although the elusive sloths continue to stay hidden).
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| The view from our restaurant terrace........obviously roughing it here |
We love it here. The days slip away and seem to merge together..........with 1 out of 3 scheduled boat projects completed each day. It's challenging to try to make 2 hours of work fit into an 8 hour day. We'll be here for the next two months savoring every moment.
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| We'll be able to manage 8 weeks of privation here |
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| Bocas' Goldilocks pools........too cold, too warm, and just right |
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| Our beach club/marina.........not bad for $25 per day (that includes docking the boat too) |
Our resort/marina is spectacular and we watch the sun set from our large infinity pool overlooking the ocean. Not sure why this place suffers from bad cruiser press (maybe a selfish attempt to keep others away). Enjoy the pictures.
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| Beach walk.....strangely, this place is nearly empty Monday-Friday |
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| More unspoiled coastline....except for the occasional plastic bottle washing up from Costa Rica |
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| A hurricane has never hit Panama (obviously judging from the bungalow 3 ft from the water) |
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| NFL live, chicken wings; obviously signs of an advanced culture......lightning seems far away |
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| Yet another fun lunch option in Bocas Town |
