FLEET UPDATE 2018-04-05

Congrats to us all,  70 boats now part of Panama Posse 2018 and we have 15 already signed up for 2019.   It’s been a tremendous first year.  Many thanks to everyone in making this an epic journey of cruiser karma and just wonderful experiences.  Just 2 months left to conclude this season’s Panama  Posse. Big Bash Panama Posse Party in Marina Vista Mar at the end of May details to follow.

1) Panama Posse Net 
Please tune into the  SSB net at 1300 UTC ( 7 am local time ) on 8297 Mhz usb . 
Propagation has made it difficult to hear everyone everyday,  tune in to see if you can share your latest adventures real time.

Panama
      Posse

Latest fleet updates from PANAMA

2) M/V CROSSROADS  – Panama
We have had a great time in Panama. We have mets lot of interesting people, made new friends and experienced a transit through the Canal on our own boat. However since we have arrived on the Caribbean side on the 21st we have been pinned down by 20-25 knot winds and steep, short period 8-12 ft seas outside the harbor. Finally, the weather is supposed to break tomorrow and now it is time to move on. Leaving Panama to head north on a small boat is easier said than done….unless of course you enjoy pain and suffering. For the winter months and into early spring the winds and seas generally come from the east and the northeast, exactly the directions you virtually have to go to leave Panama. Bashing head-on into the prevailing winds and seas in a boat is really not a lot of fun. Of course you could wait until summer when the winds abate somewhat, but then you have to contend with squalls, thunderstorms, hurricanes and belligerent insurance companies.

Our intended route to the Colombian Isla Providencia off the coast of Nicaragua and on northward to Grand Cayman Island takes us past numerous shallow banks, shoals and tiny islands. We will steer clear of those but because there have been a number of reports of piracy off of the Nicaraguan and Honduran coasts over the past few years, we will travel 150 to 200 nm offshore to hopefully avoid any trouble areas. The entire route is a bit over 600 nm.

The first leg of the journey to Providencia (where we hope to take a break for a day or two if the weather holds) should take us about 36 hours, the second leg to Grand Cayman should be about 48 hrs. If it looks like the weather is going to close in on us, we will skip Providencia and head straight for Grand Cayman.

The current plan, which seems to change every few hours, is to leave early on Easter Sunday. Hoping the seas lay down for us!

For those who want to follow along here is the link to our SPOT satellite tracker:
Device Name: CrossRoads Spot
Latitude: 9.36820
Longitude: -79.95035
GPS location Date/Time: 04/01/2018 06:24:11 CDT

Message: Motor vessel CrossRoads is OK!

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/uQbZI/9.36820N/79.95035W
Cheers,

Stan
Diane

Stan & Diane

3) EASY – Panama

VISTA MAR MARINA PROMOTION
Greetings from Panama and thank you for your email. Great news to be able to welcome you at Vista Mar Marina for that long, there is no need to make a reservation. Yes! .35$/ft/30 is our monthly rate. We do have a promotion, if you make a minimum 3 months pre- payment you get our promotional long term price, which would be .25$/ft/30 days. 

We hope you like our promotion and we are looking forward to welcome you very soon!

Kind regards 
Jackie 
(507)66118528

Mike

Mike

( NOTE: YEAH  !!! )

4) FRED AGAIN III – Panama

is in Panama…at Taboga Island, the little town of Las Flores. Anchoring off of El Morro, I experienced poor holding. Mooring balls are $10.00/day. There are no services here…a few fun looking bars but no water and no fuel. Ferry to the mainland is $10.00 each way and runs several times per day.

Off of Punta Mala, the currents and rip tides are ferocious. Be prepared for strong headwinds all the way across to Balboa. Have lots of fuel and lots of patience for this crossing. Winds were out of the north 18 Kts, gusting to 24 knots, for hours and hours…

No services here, on Isla Taboga…None at all! It looks to be a great little resort town; a couple of great looking boutique hotels, two churches and a population of only 950. There are no motorized vehicles…a few electric golf carts and the odd service vehicle, but that’s about it.

I’m down to fumes in diesel fuel…I wasn’t expecting that extra 24 hours in the Gulfo Panama!! I’ll leave the boat here tomorrow on a mooring ball ($10.00 per day), and take the ferry ($10.00 each way), to the other side for diesel. Once I have fuel, I’ll be a bit more mobile.

Anyone else around…where are you?

Robert

Robert

5) MYLA – Panama

We are kind of dead in the water here in panama. Just got a new alternator to correct charging problems, and it works. Great electrician named Tim Valentin. Then replaced thermostat to correct engine overheating issue… didn’t fix the problem. Sea water intake clear. Sea strainer clear. Exhaust elbow has no issues. Any ideas out there?

 RESPITE
Julie John -We had a Volvo before we replaced it. We had a heat exchanger problem for a couple of year couldn’t get any rpm or it would heat up. Thought we saw a Volvo dealing here? Let us know if we can do anything.

 AVANT
Heat exchanger or bad sensor. My gauge reads ~185° when my engine is at ~165° due to sensor creep. Since I know that, I don’t worry. Have you managed to get eyes on the heat exchanger?

CROSSROADS
You need to verify the actual operating temperature of the engine. Shoot the area near the sensor. It should be in the neighborhood of 180-185 deg f. If that is what you have you have a bad sensor or faulty wiring. If the engine is actually overheating take the end cap off of the seawater inlet end of the heat exchanger. Clean out any debris there (you will often find broken impeller bits in there), also take a coat hanger wire or something similar and push it through each of the exchanger tubes in the bundle. Any bits that come out should then you out the exhaust or you can open the other end and clean them out.

RAVEN
We had some overheating issues on our way down as well. I’d pressure test your transmission cooler and oil cooler and check all the raw water lines. We found a few kinks in the lines that were causing restrictions. You can also test the thermostat by boiling water to 180 degrees and placing the thermostat into the water. It should “pop” if it is functioning correctly.

John
Julie

John & Julie

Fleet update from COSTA RICA

6) VOLANTE III – Costa Rica Device Name: Volante III
Latitude: 10.92033
Longitude: -85.79165
GPS location Date/Time: 04/05/2018 07:36:21 CDT

Message: Hello from Volante III. Checkout my current location.

tony


Tony

7) LIQUID – Costa Rica

Device Name: SVLiquid
Latitude: 9.71720
Longitude: -85.00800
GPS location Date/Time: 04/05/2018 05:18:11 PDT

Message: This message serves as our one of our traveling check ins. Just letting you know all is ok 🙂

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/uZYzL/9.71720N/85.00800W

Marc
Laura


Marc & Laura

8) EASY – Costa Rica
Golfito, 33′ high tide. N 08 37.269 W 083 09.211
Easy underway to Burica, Interlude too and Halcyon leaving Golfito also today.

Mike

Mike


9) DAD’S DREAM – Costa Rica
Anchored Bahia Herradura 09 38.533 N, 084 39.445 W 21ft low tide. Not too swelly…yet…

CHART

We’re staying at hostel Room2Board in Jaco. $60/nt but no frills. Voted best hotel in C.R. Not sure how they got that, maybe for hostels? At anchor We were greeted by a local capitan on a tour trimaran. Seemed nice…Neil from kayakjaco@gmail.com. FYI watertaxi $5pp per way. Paid $10,000 colones. Taxi captain said he is there every day 6am to 6pm. Will see what happens on return. He called a cab for us which was prompt and picked us up at bus station on beach. Stopped by atm then store an “Auto”, very nice and will be a. Stop on the way. Back to boat. $10,000 colones. Nice but out of the way on south end of Jaco. Hoping for part delivery.


1. No laundry service in the marina but dry cleaning available thru nearby Marriot.
2. $3.50/ft/day + taxes and need to make prior arrangements to reserve slip they are 99% full as you can see

full

3. No propane service @ Marina
4. fishing/tackle store near front gate called small chandlery  Bristol marine supplies at 2637-6295 with very good boat parts.

shops

5. You cannot leave dingy there and travel thru Marina/resort into town (unless of course you are in a slip)
6. Water taxi (Zapatia..8928-1715 or 8778-3041 or vhf ch69) is available to pick you up at your boat and drop you off at shore to provision etc.
7. Water – DIESEL ( 3.80 USD x gal )  –  outboard fuel are available at fuel dock but hail marina on 16 prior to request dock access – you need paperwork chacha

Fuel dock

8. Carinthia met with CR Marine Supply – nice chandlery walk-able from the bus stop ( see sat map below of bus stop vs beach vs marina )
Kensy Chaves +506 2637 7419 Ocean Plaza 50m North of los Suenos  kensey.chaves@grupomontecristo.com

9. International Marine Electronics – Kerry Monteleone can get parts from Florida – +506 6011 – 2300 email: international.me.cr@gmail.com
  where you will hang out for bus to Jaco ( 240 colones ) 
– or up the street to the auto supermercado and Laundry lady

240
      colones

– visit the local bar with a new Jersey bartender

Bar

and get propane picked up  and delivered by this guy !
Jaco Gas and he will meet you at the Bus off the main beach
stop and fill your tanks ( takes ~ 3 days ) call +506 2637 6161
2 tanks for 8000 Colones

Propane
Herradura

note – USE A STERN ANCHOR in HERRADURA BAY – point the bow of your vessel SW – SSW – lot’s of swell here.

rick
Brenda

Rick & Brenda


10) HALCYON – Costa Rica
Hey Posse! Have any of you checked in or out of Panama at Puerto Armuelles?
We are trying to figure out if we will make a stop there to check in, or wing it until Panama City.
-s/v Halcyon, currently sweating in Golfito

RESPITE Checking in at PC was the easiest check in so far one building Port Captain and imagination right next to each other easy walk from La Playa anchorage

Becca
John

John & Becca



11) CINDERELLA – Costa Rica
Cinderella made it to Playa Blanca at 2am. Very little service . Finally catching a break this place is amazing!
Cinderella departed Masachapa towards San Juan Del Sur. Mario and Luigi found a nice weather window to beat the big boss! Winds are gusting to about 20-25, predicted 8 gusting to 15. #classic

Pavao, Pajo & Ava
( note we still need your pictures ! ) 


12) SEA GLASS – Costa Rica – PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Easter sunset right now with S/V Interlude, Danika,Easy on anchor and Annapurna, Sea Glass at Fish Hook Marina.

Golfito
Amanda
Chris

Chris & Amanda


Latest fleet updates from El Salvador
12)  GETTING KNOTTY – El Salvador
left bahia del sol on the 2nd with 3 solid waves over the bow.

🤦🏻‍♂️ dislocated 2 fittings on the bimini which were quickly fixed. had a great 15k beam reach for several hours before it shut off and had to put up the iron jenny. cut across the bay of fonseca with no issues. following day we experienced good winds, albeit, constantly from different directions, from 10am till 9pm. great conditions so we passed puesta del sol and headed south. currently anchored in masachepa trying to get some sleep.


Andrew
(We need your picture !)

13) WAPONI WOO – El Salvador

Waponi Woo is on the way to Bahia del Sol. We anticipate a Thursday evening arrival. We did end up at the Marina Chiapas fuel dock. It was a little exciting and our deck fill was not large enough for the pump so we had to put everything through our Baja filter making it an extra long fuel stop. At the moment we are under sail with 10kts on our beam.

Caroline
Ryan

We are excited to be finally heading south.

finally returned to Waponi Woo. Monday morning we are supposed to do the paperwork office visits to check out for a Tuesday departure. For those of you who visited the fuel dock here (Marina Chiapas), how was it?


Ryan, Caroline

14) HALCYON
Thank you Becca & John –
The Panama Posse article is out
48° North – https://48north.com/the-magazine/
PAGE 46/47

Article
Becca
John

John & Becca

Latest fleet updates from Mexico
15) Welcome SV GOBLIN – Mexico

Vessel # 70 Alan, Jennifer & Katie Please email us your pictures asap  !







Keep em coming !

Panama Posse