Home Is Where the Heart Is

Well, four months later I have returned to my parents house in Kennett Square, PA. Most people know this as the Mushroom Capital of the World, but I know it as home. I'll be here for another few weeks before I drive back to Texas to start work June 23rd.

As promised here are some more photos from the rest of the trip. Also, I'll start uploading some GoPro videos and link them here when I can.

Going Home!

So to recap the last few weeks. After leaving Colon for Portobelo, all was well. But the day before I left for the San Blas islands I found water coming in the hull of Sundowner. Not much, maybe a gallon every one or two hours. However I needed to fix it. I used expanding foam and some nasty paste underwater to seal the crack then fiberglassed the hull from the inside. Seems to be holding up.

The short story is I came right to Isla Mujeres, and now am heading out Thursday for Texas where I can haul out and can have the cracked repaired while I go back to my parents for a few weeks. My dad will be joining me for this next leg which is very exciting. Sailing solo can get lonely, surprisingly.

This will probably be the last post from overseas, but once I get back I can upload all the cool videos I've been getting! Can't upload any photos either because my computer officially died and the ipad doesn't like Blogger. Look forward to a bunch next weekend when I'm back stateside!

Going to the Islands

So I'm off tomorrow for a bunch of island hopping that will eventually land me in Freeport, TX. The excat route will be determined by how far to the northeast the winds are, but after the San Blas islands I'll be going to either Cayman Brac or Isla Providencia.  Then from there to Isla Mujeres to pick up my father and off to Texas! Probably won't have internet for a while, so here are some more pics of Panama and the Canal!

Thomas and I walked to the top of Ancon Hill which is the highest point in Panama City. I took this pictures of Casco Viejo, or Old Town. That's where my family and I stayed before we transited the canal. The renovation of the area started in 2005 and now most of the buildings have been restored so the area is just beautiful. It feels a bit like New Orleans with balconies and small red brick streets. The food is also amazing, mostly Italian.

The Panama Flag on top of Ancon Hill

Here is the guard house for the flag base. Not quite sure the significance of this but it was cool and reminded me of something from Lord of the Rings. 

Just look at the picture and you'll see what's weird about this picture. I guess it was easier to have people drive on the left here because behind me is a one way road, so driving on the left keeps the traffic from crossing each other when merging.

My mom took this picture of a pensive Nick the day before we went through the canal. He's probably wondering if the engine is going to overheat. He really needn't worry!

Shelter Bay, More Pics

So I'll be here in Shelter Bay until at least Thursday. Then I'll be off to Portobelo, the San Blas islands, Cayman Brac then Isla Mujeres off of Cancun. In Isla Mujeres I'll pick up my father for the last leg of the journey to Freeport, TX! If all goes to plan, we will be in Texas by May 28th or so, which is coincidentally my birthday. Here are some more pictures from Panama:

The only part of the Panama Canal Museum that could be photographed is this reflecting box from the original lighthouse in Panama City. It was hard to figure out any more than that because all the placards were in Spanish and despite being in Spanish speaking countries for 3 months, I don't have quite the ability to read historical footnotes. My mom however was doing quite well, or at least leading us to believe so.

The Presidential Palace in Casco Viejo. Mostly we found out this was the place to avoid at 3:30 pm because that's when every single government employee gets out, clogging the small streets of Casco Viejo for 20 minutes. Then it's back to being quiet again.

The cabin was meticously cleaned by Thomas Toan and my mom. This is literally the best it looked since I left San Pedro.  Also, while they were cleaning the inside, my dad and I were cutting our hands and wrists, not in attempted suicide, but from cleaning the inches of barnacles off the bottom of the boat. Two and a half hours later, the whole boat looked perfect and ready to go through the canal!

My dad enjoying the sun, with Lake Gatun in the background.

While wandering around Panama City saturday, Thomas and I found a high school that was opened on the weekend. The guard was very nice and let us in to look around. There was a huge auditorium that looked like something from a British prep school, but the actual classrooms were very much like the US.

Everyone loves James Dean

Taken on the train ride from Panama City to Colon. Beautiful scenary and I saw three howler monkeys and  a toucan. Plus it was pretty cool to see the places that we were motoring through a few days prior.

The Caribbean

3400 miles and two and half months have brought me and Sundowner to the Atlantic Ocean. She is currently in Shelter Bay marina and I am back in Panama City to see my parents and Thomas off back to the US. The transit went well with the engine surprisingly not putting up a huge fuss. My dad, Thomas and I all jumped in Gatun Lake and did not get eaten by crocodiles. My computer has been acting up so I may not be able to post anymore pictures with captions. Also, my mom is also going to upload Go Pro videos when they get back. And last but not least I want to say a big thank you to my parents, my brother, Thomas and my grandparents for all coming down here and helping out with the transit. I couldn't have done it without you.

          

Panama City!

Made it to Panama City! After more calms (par for the course in the Pacific), made it to the La Playita anchorage in Panama City, covering 600 miles in my first solo transit. I'll upload some videos later, but here are some pictures from Costa Rica and from the transit up the coast:

Sushi! Even though the food was a bit more expensive in Costa Rica, it was really really good. Here are some perfect examples of what happens when you open a sushi restaurant next to the ocean. Pure perfection.

As everyone knows, its spelled with an "F." Found while walking on the highway from the customs office to the bus stop in 95 degree heat. Fun fun fun.

The best cheesesteak I've had outside of Philly. Hands down.

I had a passenger for a while just south of the Gulf of Nicoya as we were running before the wind. Luckily he must have not eaten recently as he left no deposit on my boat.

Hard on the wind coming into Panama. Should have taken the genoa down, but there were too many tankers anchored everywhere to get enough sea room. But the mast stayed up in 20-25 knots!

Bahia del Coco and Papagayos Winds

So after 3 days of light winds out of Puerto Chiapas, we hit the Papagayos. For 48 hours we were close hauled against 25-35 knots of wind under two reefs and a storm jib/working jib. The last day, 50 miles out of Bahia del Coco, I walked around the deck to check the shrouds and found the port rear lower plate had a decent crack in it. But this ended up being no problem, as a welder in del Coco repaired it in an hour and it looks great.

In addition to the plate, we ripped the working jib, so we sewed that up today. I also sealed up the engine so hopefully it no longer leaks. If all goes to plan, I should be out of here enroute to Panama by Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning, planning on getting in to Panama mid-week the following week.

I'm really excited to see my family, my grandparents and Thomas Toan in Panama! See you guys in two weeks!

We had a dragonfly enter the boat right before we entered the Papagayos, but he didn't make it to Bahia del Coco. We hope he made it to shore ok...

On the way to customs to check Sundowner into Costa Rica. Both Jackie and I were incredibly surprised by how dry everything is here! Most of Central America is in a dry season right now, but they still had a tropical feel. The area around Bahia del Coco feels more like California in the middle of the summer. Very dry heat, with fairly cool nights that make sleeping much nicer than in Chiapas.

Anchorage in Bahia del Coco. Very nice black sand beach. Jackie met a family that lived on a large ketch in the bay and took tourist out on it to make ends meet. There is also a Pearson Triton anchored here owned by the same family. That brings back some wonderful memories from my old Triton, "Fjordia."

Traditional Costa Rican fare, meat skewer from a street vendor. Very tender meat with an amazing marinade, but not quite as cheap as Mexico. Still, really really good food.

Engine Problems, Plans Change

So some of you may have noticed we haven't moved. We are indeed still in Puerto Chiapas because of overheating engine issues. However, after troubleshooting the entire raw water system and most of the fresh water system, I found a blockage in the fresh water pump intake. Fixed that this morning, but the gasket on the intake was torn so I had to improvise a new one that works more or less. It should hold for a bit, maybe in Panama I can do a better job.

The new plan is to stop for a few days in Costa Rica, where sadly Jackie will take her leave of Sundowner. She has been offered an awesome opportunity to work for a new school in Puerto Chiapas starting in June and decided that it was exactly what she wanted. She will be teaching English and Music to local children in grades 1st through 12th. While it is sad to her leave, I know that this was the opportunity she came down her to find. She is moving on, and I sincerely wish her the best of luck.

As for me, I will be continuing to Texas solo, going through the canal to the San Blas islands, Jamaica, Cayman Brac and finishing around late May or early June in Freeport, TX. I've been looking forward to a few solo trips, so now I get an awesome chance to see what singlehanded cruising is like.

The best burger I have had since a Barney's burger in November in Berkeley. Bacon, salsa, avocado, really good tomatoes and onions, all on a great bun. But boy will it cost you. 150 pesos, or about 5 meals in town...

But this is worth every penny. Nutella Flan. Let me let that sink in. Yup, Nutella Flan.

The toads at the marina are ridiculously large. This one was as big as my head.

Byron, Jackie and me at the Mayan ruins, which of course have a small zoo attached to it.

Myself, Paty and Jackie in Paty's house in Reu, Guatemala. Thanks again Paty, Byron, and Carlos for your great hospitality! Staying at your house was an incredibly pleasant week. I can't wait til I return!

Luci, Nashlly, and Jackie on Sundowner in Marina Chiapas. So many thanks to Luci and her husband Issac for driving us to Champerico and all the way back from Reu to Puerto Chiapas! And for some amazing food!

Goodbye to Mexico, Hello Costa Rica

After an exceedingly wonderful time in Guatemala and meeting some incredibly wonderful people we are back in Puerto Chiapas. The bottom of the boat is cleaned, we have water and fuel and the engine hopefully will be working better after the heat exchanger was expertly cleaned. We will be staying one more night in Puerto Chiapas then leaving tomorrow morning for Golfito, Costa Rica, hopefully making it there in 8 or 9 days. The internet here is reminiscent of the bygone dial up days, but I tried to upload a few photos.

Jackie get a piercing at a very legit street vendor. It actually was surprisingly legit, new needles, gloves and everything. But he was still sticking pieces of metal into strangers on the side of the street.

As everyone knows, Chinese food comes with white bread and french fries!

At Xocomil, the premier waterpark in Guatemala. It was literally one of the coolest places I have been. From traditional slides to one where you get in a pod and the bottom drops you 30 feet down before you go into a loop, the park was definitely a highlight of the trip. And thanks to Paty, we got in for free!

The 8 lane, 50 meter pool in Retalhuleu, Guatemala. For 5 quetzal (about $0.80) you can use this beautiful pool. And the best part? No one is ever here. Ever. The only downside was I haven't done a swim workout in almost three months so after swimming 2000m, my arms feel off. I'm sure I'll still be able to sail the boat though.

Walking up to the ziplines, we crossed many bridges that were in varying degrees of disrepair. But none broke, so I guess they are good for another 10 years.

What we were all thinking was our last picture ever. From the left, Jackie, myself, Byron (Paty's son) and Benjamin (Luci's son)

Goofing off after hours at Xocomil. Jackie, me and Byron.

Yea, these ziplines were even more safe than the bridges to get up there. I'm sure they used a CAD program to design this exquisite piece of engineering. But hey, it worked!

At Xocomil, in front of the coolest old school slides ever! From the right, Paty, Byron, Jackie and some bodybuilder who wanted in on the photo.

The resemblance is uncanny I guess. Every single person we have met in both Mexico and Guatemala has instantly connected me with Bieber. I don't know how I feel about it.

Pizza Hut in Xela. Xela is one of the coolest cities in Guatemala. It has the climate of Lake Tahoe in the summer, about 60-70F and about 50% humidity year around. It does have a rainy season that lasts 4 months in the summer, but the rest of the year is amazing. Oh and there's a huge volcano to climb 5 miles outside of town. Too bad we didn't have more time...

Yea, you didn't realize Pizza Hut is a classy establishment? We were put on the list and had to wait 25 minutes for a table at lunch! All to pay the most for any meal yet this trip (including a steak dinner in Zihuatanejo). It cost Q170, or about $25.

Jackie the model, before a night out in Xela.

Nick the model

This was before we went out, we found this awesome car in the main park area. From the left, Byron, Byron's girlfriend, Jackie. By the way, in Xela, there are clubs where you can get all you can drink beer for Q60, or about $8. Not a bad deal, especially when only one person of your group needs to get a wristband.

The aforementioned Pizza Hut, but with horchata, or course. Is there anything else to drink with Pizza Hut?

A random Roman ruin in Xela. We never did figure out why it was built or what it was for, but it sure was awesome. This was on the walk back to the bus to Retalhuleu at 6 am the day after we went out, which was needless to say, very fun.

A very nice dinner cooked by Luci's friend on our way back to Puerto Chiapas. Pork chops and mashed potatoes, guatemalan style!

So many birds! They also had two cockatiels in addition to the roosters.

Luci's friend's family raises rooster for fights and has nearly 100 prize winning roosters. And they are loud. Really really loud.