Back in the saddle: Panama, Galapagos and the big puddle jump

Following Jill’s trip back to California to do taxes, pick up parts and take care of a few other tasks, we had all the parts needed to fix our forestay and get our mast back to where it needed to be (upright and securely fastened to the boat!). This was completed in fairly uneventful fashion along with some repairs to our sails, which had been torn during through abrasion when the rig was sitting on its side.

During this ‘waiting time’, in Herradura beach, a quiet local beach town south of Puntaremus, Karl and the boys took a canopy tour in the nearby mountain rainforests. They climbed a trail and ladder to a platform way up in the canopy, and afterwards they swung along ropes to other platforms. Mom was happy enough to have missed the sight of her babies swinging in the trees by ropes!

Having completed our repairs and having spent way more time in Costa Rica than planned,we headed south to Quepos and Golfito, where we enjoyed some more of the rainforests (wild toucans, Scarlet Macaws, a few monkeys, amazing butterflies and insects, even a sloth who moved just enough for us to spot him in the treetops).

Our passage to Panama was pretty uneventful, although the wind and countercurrent going up into Panama City gave us the roughest ride yet in Moondance. Once the boat settled in, we realized that it was really great to have this weather so soon after repairing our forestay - it gave us a chance to regain confidence in our rig in a relatively safe place. The rig did fine and we got into Panama, hoping to get Cam a ride on a boat going through the canal. Unfortunately, the friends we knew going through were having to wait quite a while and we decided instead to take a good tour of the canal locks, get Cam a Panama Canal hat, and head off for the Galapagos in order to meet our friends the Bauers for Easter.

The week long passage to Galapagos gave us still more confidence in the mast and forestay repair. We arrived in Academy Bay, Isla Santa Cruz and set anchor in the most crowded and wavey conditions we’ve yet encountered. Everyone’s going to the Galapagos these days, including some big ‘round the world rallys that have been organized to celebrate the Olympics, Americas Cup and Millenium. Here’s where Moondance’s two engines really come in handy since we can turn on a dime in a small space to set our anchors. And, we’re glad we bought a bigger, heavier anchor than we really needed and had some chain to use for our stern anchor. Many boats lost their stern anchors as ropes chafed through the volcanic rocks strewn around the bottom of the bay.Good business for local divers.

Since most of the Galapagos is parkland, there are limits on where visiting boats can go. So we hired a tourboat to take us and the Bauer’s to some nearby islands along with a guide to explain the incredible geology and biology. We visited five islands, took a horseback ride up a mountain to see an old volcano (Ben and Cam can't wait to ride again). All in all, a really great time.

Our trip across the Pacific to the Marquesas took 20 days; not bad really, for 3000 miles. After a wonderful couple of weeks in the amazing beauty and unusual features of these islands and their very different neighbors, the Tuomatos atolls, we are in Papeete, Tahiti. All are fine and we'll write more soon.