FLEET UPDATE 2018-09-07

Dear Panama Posse 2017-2018 and incoming Panama
Posse 2018-2019
;

We hope that everyone had a good summer and have a few  items to
go over for next season.

Birds

1) Registration is open now. 
Sign-up here 
we are currently at 41 vessels !
Many have signed up again - if you want to re-posse
simply reply to this email - and we have brand new burgees

new
        burgees

2) LEAD VESSEL

Chris
Monica

We want to officially introduce you to the Panama Posse lead
vessel
"SV SEA GLUB"

Chris, Monica and Penny (woof) 
YES THEY ARE ALREADY IN MEXICO 

3) Important dates for the 2018-2019 Panama Posse !

Seminars and Kick-off Party will be held at the official Sponsor Marina Puerto de la
Navidad Barra de Navidad, MX
Reserve your slips now click the link above for
location and approach and contact details.

Route Overview                           Monday Nov 26, '18       

Weather and Safety                     Tuesday Nov 27, '18      
Provisioning & anything else        Wednesday Nov 28, '18  
Kick of Party                               Thursday Nov
29 Nov, ’18

Kick off

Additional long term planning dates

Turtle Release Party                                             
   Zijuatanejo, MX (mid Dec’ 18)
Mayan Adventures & Pot Lucks                               
Marina Chiapas  MX (Dec-Apr)
Bar Crossing Celebrations                                      
Bahia del Sol, El Salvador (Dec-Apr)
Flor de Caña Rum Tours                                         
Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua - (Dec-Apr)
Papagayo Survivors Party                                
     Coconutz , Playa Cocos, CR (Early Feb’19)
Golfito Village Marina (an IGY Destination) Party  Golfito,
CR (Apr. ’19)
Rally Completion Award Event                              
Vista Mar Panama (May’19)

Party
Panama
          Posse

4)  Over the next few days the Panama Posse Facebook Group will
be
updated
to reflect only next season's participants - the list of active 41 vessels lives here

Every vessel and sponsor will continue to receive fleet
updates 
unless you want to opt out, if so, please reply back to this
email with the subject OPT OUT.

5) Panama Posse Marina Sponsors

Marina Puerto de La Navidad – Barra de Navidad, Mexico
Marina Chiapas – Mexico
Marina Bahia del Sol – El Salvador
Marina Puesta del Sol – Nicaragua
Marina Papagayo – Costa Rica
Golfito Marina Village (An IGY Destination) – Costa Rica
Vista Mar Marina – Panama
Shelter Bay Marina –  PanamaMarina and Sponsor discounts only apply to active vessels  6) Panama Posse Burgee's
They are here and ready for hoisting - your registration fee includes one high quality new burgee and you can get it via...

     6.1)  Mailed to you in the US via USPS - please email us your US shipping address to registration@panamaposse.com

     6.2) We can deliver the Burgee to you at the seminars and send off party in Barra De Navidad, MX between Nov. 26th and 29th

    6.3) For pick up with the Marina Staff at Puerto de La Navidad, Barra de Navidad. MX after Nov. 30th, 2018.

    6.4) For pick with the Marina Staff at Vista Mar Marina in Panama after October 1st 2018.

    6.5) Check with SEA GLUB - as they will have extra Burgees after October.

Panama
      Posse Burgee

7) MARKETING and PROMOTION
Please help us promote the Panama Posse with sailors,
marinas, yachtclubs and chandleries

- if you are currently near a marina  please print out this
PDF in color and post it on the wall.
For extra fun (we did this last year) print it out
and take a selfie with it on your vessel !

Notice
        of a Rally

http://route.panamaposse.com/artwork/NOTICE_OF_A_RALLY_l.pdf


The Official Panama Posse Press Release - please forward it to your
contacts and friends in the media https://panamaposse.com/for-immediate-release-2018

8)  FREE GOOD NAUTICAL MEMBERSHIP 

All of last season's knowledge and fleet updates have been
compiled into
Good Nautical Inc - our soon to be official 501(c)3 non-profit
umbrella organization.

All Fleet Update contributors will of course  have access to all the shared data from Mexico through Panama.
Fuel docks, Anchorages, Marinas, National Parks, Routes, a.m.o.
Your registration to this season's Panama Posse includes a free 1 year coastal membership ($ 49 value).
Please email us to get your free login credentials and tutorial.

Good
          Nautical

9) Re-POSSE and Fleet updates
DANIKA, XENIA , AVANT, CARINTHIA, OCTOPUS GARDEN, EPIPHANY and
SEA GLASS
have signed up again
to "re-posse" so if you see any of these vessel nearby be sure to
invite them over fortheir first hand accounts.

10) Please reply to this email with any relevant updates
and we'll include it in the next Fleet Updates -
and please email us your head-shots.

Dietmar
Suzanne

Dietmar & Suzanne
SV Carinthia


FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-14

1) Welcome to the Panama Posse

Becca
John

HALCYON - Becca and John

"Howdy Posse! The vessel Halcyon and her motley crew (John and
Becca) are late additions to the Panama Posse. Just wanted to
check in and say hi to a few of our old friends already among your
ranks and many more new folks who we are excited to meet. We are
currently hanging around Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica."

Michael

2) Welcome to the Panama Posse
AMANTE - Michael

3) Welcome to the  Panama (counter) Posse

SV SAPPHIRE - we met them off the coast of Nicaragua - and
here they are.

4) A special welcome from Robert the owner of the
Marina Puesta del Sol in
Nicaragua
Welcome - we will be waiting for you in Marina Puesta del Sol
happy sailing,
Robert

5) Carinthia - Checking in at Playa del Coco - Costa Rica 

IT IS FREE TO CHECK IN - but it takes time and a few stops.

overview

Anchor

There is a reef between the north and south anchorage do not go
over it - you can NOT see it most of the time -
you can only see it a low tide and it is nasty - so if you move to
the northern anchorage go back out to deep water

2. You can take your dinghy to the center south beach, suggest you lock and tie up your dinghy to a tree.

Watertaxi

3. Go to the Capitania Office - light blue building-  a block up
from the beach on main road

Capitania
Immigration

4.Immigration -

That's the immigration office official

Immigration

5.  Back to  Capitania and hand them the stamped papers from
Immigration.

6.  Customs.  Only the Captain must go to airport. 

airport
      crossing
Customs
      security desk

7. Customs office in airport. 

NOTE:  Customs will come to the Captainia office in Playas Del Coco if 3 or more boats check in on the same day. 

8. Go back to the Capitania for a last check of documents and you are now cleared in.

9. HAPPY HOUR in Playas Del Coco, most start at 11am some are all
day.  Cheers!

Happy
      Hour

5) Octopus Garden

Posse crews of Tappan Zee, Xenia, and Octopus Garden in Hualtuco
at McCarthy's for hamburgers and 2x1 beers!

6) SV MYLA

Perhaps I'm just feeling overwhelmed with all the route planning and
new countries, etc., but I sure would love it if fellow posse peeps
could include the country names as well as the harbors in their
messages.  I'm attempting to compile a master "cheat sheet" with
everyone's tips, and organizing it based upon country name. The
"unknown" or TBD list of tips far outweighs the by-country list at
this point. 

If someone already has done this, please let me know. 

Meanwhile, Myla here in Bahia del Sol, El Salvadore. We just
completed a two night/three day inland road trip with Debbie and
Rob on Anapurna. Hot springs and mud baths, coffee plantation
(Entrenubes Cafe), San Salvadore (felt like I was in Los Angeles -
get me out!!!), and lots of country covered.  I think others have
already posted info on the places we visited. Also, Sam and Dave
here in Bahia del Sol have compiled a packet of brochures and such
that they've shared with newbies arriving. The community here in
Bahia del Sol is very welcoming. I can see why some decide to
stay! We will, however, be heading south sometime next week,
depending upon weather, sail repairs, etc., etc., etc. of course.
Hoping to do some day-hops down through Honduras, Nicaragua, and
Costa Rica and avoiding long passages for a bit, but we'll see.

John and Julie 
S/V Myla

(note - hmm)
7) SV PINEAPPLE

Hello everyone! We're planning our next few stops south from
Zihuatanejo.
Is fuel available in Huatulco?
I have a Posse report from November that says "no," and
another from January that says "yes." What's the latest?

— s/v Pineapple

(note - YES there are 2 fuel docks)

8) SV DANIKA

 just anchored off Puerto Sandino in Nicaragua. We made it here
at 6:15pm from Puesto Del Sol. Had to anchor in the dark but at
least it was still light as we made our approach so we could see
what we were getting ourselves into. Used Dietmar’s
anchorage location 12 11.6918 N 86 46.7795 W. After our anchor
failed to set hard the first time, we reset again and we seem to
be staying put. We have an anchor alarm set just in case. It is a
little rolly but more comfortable
than being out in those nasty papagayos at night.

We don’t have an ananometer but it was likely blowing between
20-25 knots on the nose since we neared Corinto. We followed
Marc’s advice on Liquid and tried to stay within half a mile
from shore except where there were charted rocks in the path.
This made the bashing a lot more tolerable but we were still
getting 3-5 ft chop. Lots of salt spray and water on the decks!
We expect more of the same winds, likely more as we get near
Lake Nicaragua. Hoping to make it to Astillero tomorrow night.

9) Carinthia - Passage notes - SJDS - Nicaragua - Costa Rica

Ahoy Panam Posse -Carinthia has arrived in Costa Rica -
anchored in 24' at 10 38.131 N 85 42.277 W
and another (new) Panama Posse Boat is in the anchorage.
John & Becca from SV Halcyon - Passage was fast and windy -
with total calms at times - still best to hug the coast and
watch for rocks - got greedy and saw calm water and BAMMM the
winds picked up again - we bashed across the Golfo de Papagayo
with winds as high as 35 knots from 60 - we are not a fan of
these Papagayo winds - they need another name .... but the grill
is on and tomorrow we start our paperwork day - something to
ponder for next years posse

anchorage

10)  SV LIQUID and SV EASY are hunkered down in San
Juan del Sur, Nicaragua

11) SV Danika and SV Respite are just north at El
Astillero, Nicaragua the Papagayos are hauling - stay safe.

There are strong gusts up to 50knots !

Panama Posse


FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-21

1) MV CROSSROADS - Costa Rica
- Motor vessel CrossRoads is OK Drake Bay Costa Rica,
note ( There is a Jungle River Crocodile River dinghy tour not to be missed nearby)

Crossroads - Stan
Crossroads - Diane

2) FRED AGAIN III - Mexico - El Salvador
Hola Posse from Bahia Del Sol, El Salvador.  We had quite an adventure leaving Chiapas and arriving in Bahia Del Sol. We checked out of Chiapas at the infamous fuel dock.  Our fenders were fortunately adequate for the dock (see pic),
but the no see-ums munched on us while we waited for the Navy to check us out.

Fuel Dock
        Chiappas
Bar
FRED AGAIN III Michael
FRED_ AGAIN III Robert
FRED AGAIN III Laura

3) SV EASY - Nicaragua
Morning for nay was reading what I wrote and forgot to mention the getting stopped by the net in the middle of the night !
Jumping in and all.

Respite, Danika, Interlude, Amonte, Easy and Liquid with the Liquid lounge! We see a Posse raft up maybe in Costa Rica!

LiquidLounge
SV EASY Mike

(note Carinthia is itching for some bonfire fire twirling beach party and all out Panama Posse GET OUT  of the Papagayos party / Costa Rica extravaganza at Playa Cocos   !)

4) Julia Max - Costa Rica
Hi Left Quepos on 2/18, heading for Golfito. Currently in Drake's Bay (08 41.98N:083 39.97W). Windy in northern Costa Rica, but mild, humid and rain in southern Costa Rica. We will be checking out from Golfito on 2/23, and heading to Panama, maybe to Las Perlas Islands before checking into Panama City. We wish all the best, and hope to see you in the Caribbean next fall! We have been listening at 9:15 for the radio net without any luck. Has another time been set?

Cheers, George and Sue sv Julia Max

JULIA MAX George

5) SSB NET
we are looking for a good working frequency and time since 15:15 UTC is NOT it - if you have any good ideas please chime in.
Mike on Easy is working on a 8 PM regular 8294 & 8pm nothing heard at 8:05 let's try 12359. Heard nothing 

6) PANAMA POSSE 2018-2019
Vessel # 10 has singed up for next year's Panama Posse !
check out the list @ https://panamaposse.com/2018-19-vessels

Panam
        Posse 2018-2019

7) Gadabout, Pineapple & Wildest Dreams
Where the Posse goes, there are no roads... Gadabout, Pineapple and Wildest Dreams had a fun day exploring Acapulco!

Acapulco

A great day! After the cliff divers we went to the Acapulco history museum at the Fort of San Diego. Highly recommended

PINEAPPLE John
PINEAPPLE Michelle
WILDEST DREAMS Grant
GADDABOUT Paula
GADDABOUT "Waggs"

8) SV Colmena
needs bottom paint....
I'm still in Zihua, and looking for a better (more economical) option than Marina Ixtapa. Anyone have any suggestions for me?

COLEMNA KEVIN

contact kmcbee@gmail.com

9) FRED AGAIN III

Fred Again III is leaving Bahia Del Sol and El Salvador tomorrow and headed south for Marina Papagayos in CR. We are leaving with a new love for this country. Many thanks to Annual Salvador Rally (Bill and Jean) for their hospitality and inviting us to your community and village and showing us the heart of El Salvador (with delicious home made popusas). It’s been truly heartwarming - and today our grand finale was a 4 hour hike up a volcano. (We hired a driver - Ernesto - who has worked with Bill and Jean and cruisers for many years, and was wonderful).
( note please forward Ernesto's number )

Volcano
Bahia
          del Sol
bubble
          bubble

Our other advice to the posse coming south from Mexico- if you like red wine— stock up! Prices were expensive here!!! And if you want work done on your boat - see Bill- there is great talent with great prices here!!!

See you all down the coast!

FRED AGAIN III Michael
FRED_ AGAIN III Robert
FRED AGAIN III Laura

10) WAPONI WOO

WAPONI WOO Ryan
WAPONI WOO Caroline

Can we do a roll call? With 50+ vessels spread out from Mexico to Panama it would be nice to know who to be looking out for in in the next anchorage or marina and who may be sneaking up behind us. 🙂 Where is everyone ?

AVANT Puerto Chiapas MEXICO
CARINTHIA Playa Cocos COSTA RICA
MYLA en route  to Playa Cocos COSTA RICA
DAD'S DREAM en route to Playa Cocos COSTA RICA
SEA GLASS en route to Playa Cocos COSTA RICA
FRED AGAIN III Bahia Del Sol EL SALVADOR
ANNAPURNA Bahia Del Sol EL SALVADOR
WILDEST DREAMS Acapulco MEXICO
LIQUID San Juan del Sur NICARAGUA
EASY San Juan del Sur NICARAGUA
INTERUDE San Juan del Sur NICARAGUA
AMANTE  San Juan del Sur NICARAGUA
DANIKA San Juan del Sur NICARAGUA
RAVEN La Cruz MEXICO
CROSSROADS Golfito COSTA RICA
WAPONI WOO Zihuatanejo MEXICO
XENIA marine Chahue MEXICO
CHANTEY La Paz MEXICO
GADABOUT Leaving Acapulco MEXICO
ISLENñA Bahia Del Sol EL SALVADOR
OCTOPUS GARDEN Huatulco MEXICO
SALT Zihuatanejo MEXICO
VITESSE Bocas del Toro Marina PANAMA
PINEAPPLE Acapulco MEXICO
GEORGIA Barra de Navidad MEXICO


11) SV SALT - Mexico

Is anyone at/around Marina del Sol in El Salvador? We have tried emailing and calling them multiple times for a reservation and have received no response or answer (the phone just rings and rings).

SALT
SALT

We need reservations for our 40’ boat while we travel abroad. Any help contacting them would be appreciated as they’ve been unresponsive.
(note:  email us at ELSALVADORRALLY@AOL.COM and we will take care of things for you. As well, please email us before you leave your last port.)

12) DANIKA - SJDS - Nicaragua

The immigration office in San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua wanted us to pass this info along-

DANIKA Jenn
DANIKA Jason

When you check in to the port captain, please also check in to immigration even if you already checked in to the country.
They just need to see the entry stamps on your passports.

13) RESPITE - SJDS - Nicaragua

Had to carry 5 jerry cans of fuel about 6 blocks from gas station. Not fun!

(note: there is a fuel dock and they sell potable water in SJDS but charge a ~ 5 USD docking fee and   mark up the fuel a tad)
fuel dock at 11° 15.0863' N 85° 52.5492' W
It’s a fixed cement dock with rub strips so approach with extra fenders and watch the swell)

Fuek
        Dock SJDS

14) Carinthia - Playa Cocos - Costa Rica

Provisioning and happy hour hopping is amazing - but a little bit more $ than what you may be used to.

There are 3 big supermarkets all off the main drag within walking distance.

Automercado top-noch with everything you'd ever want imports from all over the world -
vegan - gluten free - gourmet - air-conditioned - coffee shop - bakery
Super Luperon  - Mid level - pretty good
Super Compro  - Entry Level

Next to the Automercado is a bank which dispenses local currency or USD and a little shop where you can get a sim and 4 GIG's for about 20 USD

1 US Dollar equals ~ 572.04 Costa Rican Colón(es)

And just as we got back to the beach Josh from AGÁPĒ gave us a ride back to our vessel
right behind us SV ANILA is anchored and getting on Henry's Panga for a ride to shore ( tel +506 8849 1607 Spanish only )

ANILA

We are putting together alittle party at 5 PM tomorrow Thursday Feb 22 on board SV Carinthia
for  ANILA, AGÁPĒ  & HALCYON and anyone else who makes it in on the Panama Posse

See you there

Carinthia
CARINTHIA suzanne
CARINTHIA Dietmar

keep em coming ...


FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-02

1) Fred Again
Hola.  Fred Again III is In Huatulco at Marina Chahue- waiting for
our Tpec window.  We had no problem getting a slip (we heard others
did).  We were told that our late in the day Sunday arrival was
likely beneficial.  We expect to leave for Chiapas on Sunday with
Volante.  
Also- received my replacement credit card which was mailed to
Huatulco resident Lee Burnette from the boat Que Sera.  (Thank you
Lee and to Dee Dee for arranging).  All is well that ends well,
and I will be much more careful about where I use my credit card
going forward.

2) WELCOME to the Panama Posse  GAVIA
We truly appreciate all the time and energy you’ve expended
in gathering all this very useful (and fun) information for our
travel to Panama, arranging special discounts for the Posse, and
creating opportunities
of comradery among our fellow cruisers. 
 
We look forward to meeting you!

A hazy cell phone photo of the Supermoon from Marina Chiapas,
moments before the eclipse commenced.

Our
warm regards,
Bruce and Lila

Gavia
Moon

3)  WELCOME to the Panama Posse SV Colmena

Thanks for adding me. I am already on my way, so I guess I
am a 2017 boat. I am in Zihuatanejo, continuing south in a
couple weeks.

-Kevin   

4) CrossRoads - Costa Rica

  CrossRoads is OK! see where I am located.

https://fms.ws/sF3X3/9.77727N/84.89587W

5) MYLA

We have our Zarpe in hand and we're leaving
Mexico. We came down with the Ha Ha in 2015 and have been
here since, except for some visits to the states for a few
months. This is a big moment for us, but we're excited. It
helps having fellow cruisers around to share the
adventures.  

We are currently in Chiapas where we just returned from
a 4 day inland tour of some Mayan ruins and a colonial
town in the rainforests and mountains of Chiapas, Mexico. 
We went with fellow Panama Possee boats Sarafina, Aneila,
Interlude, and Apurna. We are also all leaving tomorrow
for Bahia del Sol, El Salvadore.

The land cruising was a great experience, and I suspect
other members of our happy cruising and touring band will
have already written something. While the drive there was
arduous, the payoff with three different Mayan sites,
water falls, and a colonial town made up for the
transportation issues. I'll never whine about standing
watch again! You can use the bathroom whenever, you can
get up and move...you get the idea! Ten hours in a van can
be trying.

If I was to do the trip again, I might narrow it down a
bit with a trip to San Cristobal, the colonial town, for
at least one, if not two nights so you can really relax
and explore. There's an indigenous village nearby that we
didn't visit because we had some travel issues that cut
down our available time, but that would have been cool to
see. I'd then travel to the water falls, Agua Azul.
They're on the way to Pelenke, the site of some of the
most amazing Mayan ruins and a museum. There are several
other sites that are amazing, but the travel time, let
alone the roads, make it a little daunting.  We had an
amazing driver, Jose, and our wonderful tour guide, Luis
Sanchez at 962-216-6611.

I'd also ask to have a list of the expenses upfront.
There were costs for entries into park areas, then another
entry for a bus ride to another area of a park, then
another for a park pass....etc., etc., etc.  It would be a
lot easier if the guide company just included it in the
price. We went to a lot of sites and probably paid
somewhere to the tune of 500-700 pesos for all the entry
fees. I'd also recommend packing drinks and food for the
trip. Oxos aren't known for their healthy selection or
their speed in service. Just one cruiser's opinion. and
very glad we went.

We're looking forward to our travels into Central
America, which start tomorrow! Good bye, Mexico. It has
been a great time and I have a feeling we'll be back
someday! Hope we get to meet more of you as we continue
south.

S/V Myla

6) Serafina.

Posted
15 March, 2016

WARNING: REEF JUST OUTSIDE SHELTER BAY MARINA

From Christian
and Vibe, SY Danish Blue

We want to
warn other sailors of the reef just outside Shelter Bay
Marina, Colon, Panama. It is not marked and it is very
dangerous for sailors arriving at night.
In Shelter
Bay Marina we have been told that our sailboat Danish
Blue is just one out of 12-13 sailboats, which have hit
the reef within the last 3-4 years. Danish Blue has now
been hauled out for almost 4 months to be repaired after
lying on the reef for 12-13 hours. A few days ago,
another sailor hit the reef. The reef is not marked
physically in any way. It can be seen in daylight, but
when arriving at night, it is impossible to see the
reef.
Also, we
have several charts of the area around Shelter Bay
Marina, one chart is Eric Bauhaus'. None of the charts
state that there is a reef just outside Shelter Bay
Marina. Instead, the charts state that there is 4,5-5
meters depth on the specific place of the reef.
The position of the reef is: South to
north: 09 22.1895 N 079 56.7121 W - 09 22.2948 N 079
56.7436 W. East to west: 09 22.2767 N 079 56.6413 W -
09 22.2612 N 079 56.7996 W.

Be aware to follow the
small green buoys parallel to the breakwater on port
side when entering into Shelter Bay Marina - they are
not visible on the charts and they are difficult to see
at night. All the green buoys have to be followed on
port side when arriving from the Panama Canal. The depth
on the other side of the green buoys cannot be trusted.
On behalf of
all sailors visiting Shelter Bay Marina in the future,
we have asked Shelter Bay Marina to mark the reef with a
lighting danger-buoy or a cardinal buoy. Also, we have
asked Eric Bauhaus to update his charts with the reef
and with the green buoys.

6.5 ) NOTE FROM VITESSE - BART
I do not know the lat and long of the reef at Shelter Bay.
If you stay to the right favoring the breakwater, you will
be fine. We cut the corner too close on the left close to
shore right before the entrance to Shelter Bay. The reef
did not show on the paper chart or the Navionics chart.

7) Serafina

If you are still in Mexico and want a good
weather resource, here is the link to Mexico's version
of NOAA.

https://meteorologia.semar.gob.mx/

I used it to augment and corroborate the
weather forecast on Windy.com for
the Tehuantepec, but it covers both the Pacific and
Caribbean coasts. 

The Spanish is easy enough to translate
considering you are reading a weather report…nudos is
knots, rachas is gusts, olas is waves ,pies is feet.

As you can see, they update the 48 hour
forecast twice a day, 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., and the 72 hour
forecast once a day. Look at the top of the page to make
sure that the forecast is for the time period you
expect. 

AND, if they don’t want you to go, they tell
you “no favorables”.

Good luck on your T’Pec crossing.
We—Serafina, Myla, Interlude, Annapurna/Kyssen, and
Anila, encountered very strong headwinds at Salina Cruz,
but once we hit the beach and started east, it was the
most exhilarating sail I have experienced in a long
time! Fabulous wind and NO seas! With two reefs in and a
tiny jib, it was AWESOME!

And the weather report that was provided by
the site above was pretty spot on….

All the best, Eliza on Serafina.

8) NEW PANAMA POSSE SPONSOR

Happy to report Marina Puesta del Sol - Nicaragua has
extended a 20% discount to the Panama Posse

- the first 2 days are 1.25 USD x foot per day
(the marina brings in the officials here to check you in our
clearance fee was ~ 64 USD ) - after that it's

80 cents - minus 20% on the dock or

50 cents per foot per day - minus 20% on their mooring -
pools palalpas - restaurant - fast internet - bar and very
nice and calm here

Puesta
          del Sol

email info@marinaps.com

9) JULIA MAX - COSTA RICA

Costa Rica charged nothing for our checking in at Playas del
Coco, nothing for Port Captain, Immigration, or Customs at
Liberia Airport.
We understand there will be charges of $58 for the International
zarpe processing. Looking forward to seeing you all further down
the coast.
Julia Max will depart Papagayos Marina Monday Feb 5th. We will
anchor along our way towards Quepos.

While Julia Max is nestled in Papagayo Marina, George and Sue
are away in volcano land: Arenal Observatory was rainy but full
of magnificent birds. The zip-line was fun too. Stayed at La
Mansion in Nueva Arenal on Lake Arenal. Here are some bird
photos:   Saw 40 other species.

Collared
        Aracari at the Arenal Observatory feeder.

Collared
Aracari at the Arenal Observatory feeder.

Rufous Motmot on the Hanging Bridges trail. Note the
            destinctive tail.

Rufous
Motmot on the Hanging Bridges trail. Note the destinctive
tail.

Montezuma Oropendola enjoying the melons set out at
                the Arenal Observatory feeder.

Montezuma
Oropendola enjoying the melons set out at the Arenal
Observatory feeder.

Summer Tanager, one of 7 different species of Tanager
            sighted.

Summer
Tanager, one of 7 different species of Tanager sighted.
10)  PANAMA POSSE NET -
8294 @ 15:15 - I have had propagation issues - is anyone open
to a cellphone conference call in using line.me or whatsup  ?
11) VOLANTE III   FRED AGAIN III   Octopus
Garden

The
            Panama Posse amigos on the Huatulco water falls trip
            yesterday. —

The
Panama Posse amigos on the Huatulco water falls trip
yesterday. —

Mescal tasting with Fred Again 3

Mescal
tasting with Fred Again 3

waterfalls

Waterfalls

in Oaxaca

11) CARINTHIA Happy February - Panama Posse

Moon

Panga,
Volcano & Moon  -   Nicaragua

Keep 'em coming

Panama Posse


FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-06

Fleet Update

1. SV Utopia
- Welcome to the Panama Posse  Australian Flagged - They are part
of counter posse ( heading up the coast ) 


Posse
        Tacos

2. Volante III 
Checkout my current location
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=15.76344,-96.12164&ll=15.76344,-96.12164&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

All five Panama Posse boats in Huatulco enjoying Fish Taco
Friday.

1. Carinthia - Nicaragua & the Papagayos - They are not
to be trifled with and operate as far north as the Golf de Fonseca
and as far south as the Golfo de Papagayo (Costa Rica)  in
addition to very strong gusts they also bring squalls with them -
at first we left from Marina Puesta del Sol thinking we’d have
12-15 knots but gusts and short steep chop quickly made this a
tough beat - the wind gusts pipe up to 2x+ forcast. 
On our trip
down from the lovely marina we stopped  at these anchorages -
there are many more you can choose though .


Puerto Sandino Outer Anchorage 


anchorage

El Astillero

anchorage

Bahia Nacasolo

anchorage

Each day the gusts became stronger 32 knots day one  35 knots day
two and 38 knots on day three as we approached San Juan del Sur -
but we did hug the beach and where double reefed - this is a 
similar strategy to the Tuhantapec crossings but the gusts are
much more violent.

The good news is you have plenty of spots to tuck into - be aware
that some have packed sand over lava rock so the holding is not
guaranteed - especially at Ocotal Bay
Robert from Marina Puesta del Sol holds their August Marlin
Fishing Tournaments there- do not anchor there during these
Papagayos.

Always back up on your anchor hard and inspect your bridle for
chafe after each night.

Longlines and Pangas are prevalent day and night - we did see
whales again and dolphins - longlines are remarked with anything
from a floating plastic water bottles and inflated white bags - so
watch out.

The Nicaraguan coastline is beautiful - and it is rare that you
can see an active volcano from your anchorage

Volcano
      Masaya

The coast's proximity to Lake Nicaragua and associated weather
comes with a price.
On a final note some of the capes have considerable shoaling -
these are marked on the charts
and come up fast so watch your depth sounder.

4. Xenia
Posse update! Xenia has been in Puerto Escondido for 3
days! We put the Dingy near Danny’s Terrace provisioned, and
watched super bowl here. Very clean and awesome town!! Danny’s
Terrace is so awesome and good grinds (food). Leaving to Puerto
Angel tomorrow.

5.Totem
Is there a way to access the anchorage/marina info offline? I'm
trying to do some route planning... But our internet in Panama's
San Blas is so bad, can't load it... And that's not changing until
we get to the canal late this month! 

6. Waponi Woo
is in Zihuatanejo for the next few weeks while a crewman is out of
the country.  If you are around, swing by to say hello.

7. Laura Dawn Hola Possee. We are looking for experiences
with Yellow Fever requirements. Our understanding is that if you
visit Panama (even if you stay in the non endemic area near the
canal) and then try to enter another country, you risk not being
given entry unless you have evidence of vaccination. Has anyone
run into this? If so, are vaccines readily available in Panama? (
short answer YES available )

Myla

8. Myla arriving in El Salvador

9) MY CROSSROADS - Costa Rica

We are busy touring inland in the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Onward to Arenaul Volcano and La Fortuna tomorrow.

The boat’s in Quepos. Hope you catch up with us! We miss the
Posse!

10) if you enjoy these fleet updates please participate - either
posting to

https://www.facebook.com/panamaposse/

group or via email back to this address and please remember not
everyone uses the facebook

Panama Posse


FLEET UPDATE 2018-04-26

1) IGY Golfito Marina Village - Costa Rica

Party

Special Rates for all Panama Posse vessels or anchor out
VHF 17 +506 2775-3000 +506 8360-5464igy-golfitomarina.com maikol@golfitomv.comacaballero@igymarinas.com

Golfito Marina Village

08° 38.2442 N 083° 10.22 W

2) CARINTHIA - Costa Rica
Several stunning anchorages in the upper Golfo Dulce
a pristine deep fjord cruising ground which we will return to again !

Punta Rincon - Anchorage @ 08° 41.764 N 083° 28.702 W -  24.00 ft - calm and 360 degree protection
( enter from center as the port side with the mangroves is very shallow  < 5 feet at low tide )

Bahia Rincon - N - In front of a lovely resort (please get us the contact info) Anchorage @ 8° 43.2163 N 83° 28.7257 W @ 24 feet

Monkey Bay - Stunning - Suzanne's Favorite all year and we found it ourselves !
Saw Capuchin Monkeys on the Beach - Spider Monkeys in the tree tops  and heard amazing
amounts of Howler Monkeys with squadrons of Macaws flying by - absolute lovely lush and green backdrop !
Anchorage @ 08° 43.421 N 083° 28.009 W -  12.00 ft (at low tide )

Monkey
      Bay

Pargo's Cove - Anchorage @ 8° 44.014 N 83° 23.713 W in 10 feet at Low Tide - favor the center and don't go in too deep.
Still nicely tucked away - reefs on both side and lovely islets - and a flat inner sandy bay which we could careen our vessel on.

Pargo's Cove

OSA Wildlife Sanctuary - Animal Refuge - 2 hour tours $25 pp each day at 9 AM with Carol
Anchorage @ 8° 40.653 N 83° 19.5401 W @ 15 feet

Osa

Playa Cativo (5 star Eco Resort w/ pool wifi bar organic farm to table menu)
Anchorage @ 8° 40.2939 N 83° 18.4411 W - 15 feet

Cativo

Call ahead for Lunch or Dinner reservations - 
GM - Allen Mairena +506 8302-1195 / +506 2200-3131
www.playacativo.com

Bar
Resort

There are at least 3+ more anchorages but we did not visit those (yet).

Keep in mind that the Fjord drops of quickly with each of these anchorages so you are anchoring on a shelf near shore.
(Agape and Dad's Dream are up there so we' hope to get a confirmation of these conditions)

Suzanne
Dietmar

Suzanne & Dietmar

4) VOLANTE III - Costa Rica
Volante III is probably one of a few boats with no wind stories. My biggest problem has been trying to find wind to sail, I guess I plan it a little to well. LOL The wind tools are generally very good and I study them daily. Yes, I have had surprises but they are rare. Actually, one on this trip and it had to do with sea state and not wind. After a while you see a pattern and can plan your departure for the next window based on that pattern. Nicaragua in unique in that even if you have very little wind, you can get some impressive wind gusts. Staying close to the beach is well recommended. Make sure your crew stays focused on their job while near shore so they don't almost hit a reef. Yep, there is a story to be told.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK

Nice sunset in Golfito CR while have dinner with Alli and Rodger from Betty MC.
The boat in the picture is the Panama Posse boat Betty MC

Tony

5) WELCOME to the Panama Posse

YOYO - Playa Tambor, Costa Rica #79

Tassio

Tassio Jose

UNTANGLED  - Bahia del Sol, El Salavador #80
Philippe & Carolyn
(we need your pictures)

Panama
      Posse

6) HALCYON - Panama
Well Halcyon is tucked away under her boat cover in Vista Mar marina for the season.
It seems like a nice place for her to hang out this summer, though the wave action does
require attentive line arranging and extra chafe protection.

Halcyon

If you are going to be in the marina, I have 2 contacts for you. First, if you need any canvas work done, Javier (+507-6840-3727 also on WhatsApp) is your guy. He is not a sail maker, but has an industrial machine and did some repairs and modifications to our boat cover. He is dependable and very sweet. He doesn’t speak English, but was great at understanding my broken Spanish and repeating back to me what he understood so we were on the same page. He did the work in 2 days and the cost was reasonable. Second, Candido is a diver (+507-6381-5913). He usually charges $100 per boat, but I negotiated him down to $60 per boat because I said there would be several to clean so he can do them on the same day. He is coming to clean the bottom and check zincs every other month while we are gone. If you are interested in doing the same, let me know. Or you can reach out to him directly. He doesn’t speak English, but also was good with my broken Spanish. Enjoy the cruising and we will see at least some of you at the start of next season!

John
Becca

John & Becca

7) EASY - Panama
Anchored down wind last night about 11:30 pm. N 08 25.260 W 079 58.177 in 34' 12' foot tide here.
Made way to marina this morning. Easy is in a slip for 6 months

Well hello again. Now from in the Marina at Vista Mar. this morning on the SSB Net made contacts with nobody.
I'll keep trying but don't usually have good propagation in marinas.

Mike

Mike

8) MYLA - Panama
After having our transit date set three weeks in advance, and with six hours until our alarm clocks were going off to begin our transit, we just got the call that the canal schedulers are cancelling us due to them not being able to schedule an advisor. Our son took off time from work, our pal who is a judge rescheduled his life to be here, my sister-in-law flew down and now it is all a bust. We are now anticipating a Tuesday transit, so looking for line handlers. Planned this for months, and the canal authority just blew us off. Sharing so you all can be better prepared for this $&@%.
To make it even more interesting, our adviser came this morning, but we were close to getting bumped another day. Turns out the Canal schedulers had our adviser go to the Colon side rather than Panama City, so he had already worked numerous hours. Thus, he could only take us through to Gatun Lake. He was unable to get another adviser to take us the rest of the way. Not unusual to end up having to stay a night on the lake, but if they were even marginally efficient, it wouldn't have been an issue. We've been hearing that for the past few months, the canal has had some problems getting enough advisers, and that's why there are problems with the scheduling. Best advice, be flexible.

We made it through the canal! While the canal authority's scheduling was beyond challenging, it wasn't able to completely dampen the excitement of passing the last lock and being in the Caribbean. Advice ... be flexible and have no expectations. Having crew with schedules added considerable stress. Interview others regarding agents. Ours kept saying there was nothing she could do and it was all the canal authorities' fault. Not sure whether agents have as much pull as we might hope or whether some just have more, or some just care more. We had two great advisors, Ricardo being exceptional. We also had a professional line handler, also named Ricardo. That made the passage so much better. No expectations or schedules and tequila waiting for you at the finish line!

Evidence the morning after the canal transit.

Canal
      Transit Evidence

(Note from Totem" Julie nails this with "be flexible and have no expectations." Well, low expectations anyway, for control over your transit timing. The canal authorities serve commercial ships first... we are lucky beneficiaries on the side. Our advisor (Erick/Centenario) presented multiple opportunities to get through the canal sooner: I suspect he simply worked harder for it (sorry Julie) although the fact we came through during peak vs. slower time may have created more opportunities for gaps we could slide into (I know quite a few boats getting earlier dates thanks to pressure from their agents during our stay in Shelter Bay). A good advisor makes all the difference, glad you scored with yours (we did too, and I feel lucky)!)"

John
Julie

John & Julie

9) SEAGLASS - Panama
S/V RESPITE (Chris Wenderoth , Janet Wenderoth ) is in Shelter Bay Marina Panama tonight after 2 day Panama canal crossing. Line handling helpers from the Panama Posse were Larry Jenks, Rob Patterson and Chris July. We had great advisors from the canal authority on board and had a smooth and memorable crossing.

Respite
Respite

New Panama Posse Deal. Chandlery in Coronado 10 kilometers from Vista Mar Marina has just offered the Panama Posse a 20% Discount off retail for all your Marine Supplies. Just mention your a member for discount. If they don't stock in the store what you need they most likely have it at their two locations in Panama City and can order it in within a week with a delivery every Wednesday.

Deal
Chris
Amanda

Chris & Amanda

10) MANU KAI - Mexico
Manu Kai left Marina Chiapas yesterday Tuesday 24 headed to Costa Rica.
Hope to catch up with some of the posse.

Thor
Tanya
Crew
Crew

Thor,Tanya & crew

11)  CHANTEY - Mexico
Electronic charts for Central America...my Open CPN base chart for Acapulco South is rubbish and my Satellite overlays copied from another cruiser are running out as we leave Mexico. I have been searching but can,t find a good source of electronic charts for Chiapas to Panama. I don,t mind paying, but I am using a Rasberry Pi on a headless system and so I think I need charts that I can download onto my laptop and copy across. The chart world charts don't seem to let you do this.

Can anyone recommend a good source of electronic charts to use with Pi/OpenCPN or advise me if I can connect my Pi to the Internet somehow through my laptop to use Chartworld? Or..????

OpenCPN
      with sat images

(note: You missed the free OpenCPN seminars in Barra de Navidad back in November - however the whole shabang of sat charts is in one BIG 2.7 GB zip file for 
Panama Posse participants - thanks to the hard work of Marc on SV Liquid - 
follow this link - read up and download them all from https://panamaposse.com/open-cpn )

Ivan & Jane


12) SSB Panama Posse Net Reminder
1300 UTC ( 7 am local time ) on 8297 Mhz usb and introduce yourselves to net control 

 

13) The first Panama Posse season will come to a close in June.
The final Panama Posse arrival celebration is scheduled for Wed May 23rd at the Vista Mar Marina in Panama.
Please gather your thoughts send out submission of pictures for inclusion in these Fleet Updates ( simply reply to this email )
Plan to set aside some time to fill out our upcoming survey.

Keep 'em coming -


FLEET UPDATE 2018-04-08

1) MANUA KAI - Mexico
Hola! Manu Kai is 98 miles from marina Chipas. So far its been
great sailing, calm seas and mahi mahi for lunch. Looking forward
to inland travels this week. We did have a panga cross our bow
early this morning 60 miles off shore with no lights.

Thor
Tanya
Crew
Crew

Thor, Tanya & crew

2) CHANTEY - Mexico
It’s very nice here in Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo but now I need vhf
rg-213 cable for the radio. Where is the chandlers when you need
one
Jane needs to go up the mizzen mast to fit the AIS antenna, she
could just swing across to the main mast to fit 85ft of 213
I promised to make a g n t when she comes down the mizzen

( note - there is a Steren store
they will make cables for you - http://www.steren.com.mx/steren-ixtapa-zihuatanejo
)

Ivan
Jane

Ivan & Jane

3) CARINTHIA  - Costa Rica
Update on visiting Manuel Antonio National Park

We anchored near SV Myla's Spot @ 09 22.942 N 084 08.855 W in 11
feet

The Park ranger hailed us on VHF in Spanish,  we arrived on a
Friday afternoon around 2.33 PM
and told us that we had to pay a park fee and anchorage fee.  The
park was closing at 4 PM and so due to the safety of the vessel
explained

that I had no time but would stop by the entrance first thing the
the next day and would pay for $16 USD per person for normal Park
daily entrance fee
and the one time $8.00 USD anchorage fee.

Had a lovely time at anchor and dropped the dinghy at 7 am as the
park opens and we landed it near high tide at
09° 22.8619' N 084° 08.8114' W

Park

We then walked along the beach towards the park trail and main
entrance
09°23.4583 N,  084°08.7133 W

I would not recommend any of these anchorage in any swell over 5
feet because the swell wraps around and can make things pretty
rolly

Spoke  with Ranger Roger Murillo, you can contact him on his cell
at +506 8937 9657
or email roger.murillo@sinac.go.cr
, his colleagues speak English.

Our recommendation is to arrive at the anchorage after 4:30PM (
everyone is gone ) and
you simply go in the next morning and pay.

The Park can take at least a half  day to explore, waterfalls,
exotic birds, Raccoons, families of Monkeys and of course sloths. 

There are many official Park Rangers who can direct you to find
your favorite animals.  You can also hire a  personal guide for
$25 USD. 

Bring water and your binoculars.

This is our favorite below.

Sloth

Punta Dominical  - Costa Rica
Anchorage  09 13.624 N 083 50.623 W  14' feet near low tide -
tuck in behind the reef

Anchorage
Anchorage


Dietmar & Suzanne

4) Liquid - Costa Rica
Device Name: SVLiquid
Latitude: 9.77900
Longitude: -84.89597
GPS location Date/Time: 04/06/2018 11:29:27 PDT

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

Marc
Laura


Marc & Laura

5) DANIKA - Costa Rica
SV Danika is leaving Golfito bright and early in the
morning and starting to head back up north so the boat can spend
the summer in El Salvador. I guess we are now part of the
CounterPosse. Hopefully we’ll run into some of you that are still
heading south. We’ll be in Drake’s Bay tmorrow afternoon.

Next fall, we are heading back down again to cross to the
South Pacific from Panama. That’s right- we are going to endure
those papagayos again not once, but two more times when all is
said and done. It’s a good thing rum is cheap in Central
America. We‘re gonna need lots of it.To those in the Gulfo de Nicoya - Have you been
able to get diesel anywhere?

Sea Glass - Yes, In Paquera. We anchored at Isle
Cedros and dinghy the fuel jugs beside the ferry terminal. We got
a taxi (whenever the ferry arrives every 2 hours) the 6km into
town stopped at gas station for good diesel and got groceries
there too.

Carinthia - Contact Marina Los Sueno's Fuel dock (
Herradura Bay ) - you need to ask permission and take on fuel on a
slow day email Kchaves@lossuenos.com

Jason
Jenn

Jason & Jenn

6) CINDERELLA - Costa Rica
The gang is all here!

Panama
        Posse

Cinderella, Pineapple, Gadabout and 1/2 of Allante III. Cheers to
the Panama Posse, wish you were here.

Pavao, Pajo, Ava, Arthur “Wags”,Paula, Michelle
& John and Allante

7) EASY - Panama

Easy, Las Iglesias . N 08 11.408 W 082 11.846 23' Boca Chica 2
miles away. Took dink in got gas for it and SIM card. With
Interlude, Halcyon should be here later.

Easy, Punta Del Pozo. Isla Parida. N 08 08.384 W 082 19.316 21.3'
With Interlude, Halcyon should be here later.

Easy: Isla Parida, IguanaBeach N 08 06.119 W 082 22.066 @ 24.5ft
Anchored with Halcyon & Interlude. Perfect Anchorage, Beer
& Pizza too! Dad's Dream must stop here!

Easy, Punta Balsa, Burica. N 08 04.631 W 082 50.977 33' high tide.
8' tide Serena guide waypoint 49' very deep then pops up.
Interlude is here too.

Mike

Mike

8) AMANTE - Panama
Amante checking in from Marina Vista Mar.  After
leaving Golfito I  went around the corner to Punta Balsa for an
evenings rest.  Open roadstead anchorage but comfortable and
good holding.  I was told by S.V. Rapscallion, whom I passed
while sailing out of Golfito, not to arrive at Puerto Armuelles
before 9 am or after 3 pm due to overtime fees of up to $300. Be aware of the one hour time
change from Costa Rica to Panama.   Checking in at Puerto
Armuelles was the easiest one so far.  The port captain met me
on the beach, helped me drag my dingy up, checked me in, walked
me the 100 yards or so to the customs, immigration, quarantine,
and merchant marine offices (all within 50 ft of each other) and
got me all squared away.  He even gave me a ride in his own car
to the bank to get funds to pay the necessary fees. Bank is only
two blocks away. Fees are immigration  $25, quarantine
$35, Customs  $20, port
captain $6.50 and merchant marine $95.  Port Captains name is Omar and he
was a real pleasure to deal with. It's also a cool town with a
cpl of good grocery stores, some dive bars along the waterfront
serving ice cold $1 beers and a host
of other various shops.  You may want to fill up a few jugs of
fuel here via dingy as it may be your last chance till Vista Mar
or Panama city. Next stop was Isla Cebaco, another very
comfortable and protected anchorage.  I tucked in behind the
fishing boats.  Next stop was Ensenada Benao.  It was blowing 25
to 35 from the north but the holding is very good in sand. 
Shades of San Juan del Sur.  Best to wait here for a good window
before heading up the gulf of Panama, or you may have Nicaraguan
flashbacks. 

Mike

Mike

9) Sea Glass - Panama

Calm, well protected with a
huge sea wall. We will be here for a month and a half
and leaving SEA GLASS here through the end of this year
here. Ask us any questions???

Danika -
Have you noticed a surge in
the marina? I am all about the questions today.
Sea Glass -I wouldn't call it surge.
More of some gentle tug on the lines with current from
20' drop in tides. VERY CALM.

Chris & Amanda

10) RESPITE - Panama
Respite is set to transit Panama Canal on 4/21!! Woohoo

🙌

We are looking for 2 line handlers and would love to have a fellow
Posse.
Anyone interested?

Chris & Janet

11) 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?

Julie
John


John & Julie

12) CROSSROADS - Caribbean Trailblazers

4/7/2018 1:35 PM UTC
Position: 16°30.07'N 080°12.39'W Course: 350T SOG: 8.6 Wind: 8.6 http://saildocs.com/map?ll=16.50117,-80.20650&z=1
Only about 140 NM to go to Grand Cayman Island should arrive in the
wee hours Sunday morning. It's been pretty lonely out here. Only saw
one ship all night and it was miles off. Enjoyed a gorgeous sunrise
this morning silhouetted against big billowy cumulus clouds and a
rainbow to boot!! The sea is a beautiful cobalt blue, and we are
about equidistant from Jamaica to the northeast and Grand Cayman to
the northwest. the Caribbean has been extremely cooperative on this
passage. Currently enjoying 1 foot seas on our starboard quarter.
Diane has not been feeling well so I have been on watch for the past
8 hours but have been loving the journey.

Stan
Diane

Stan & Diane

13) Picture of the decade - TOTEM
Completed their circumnavigation

totem

99 flare gun salute to TOTEM (
www.sailingtotem.com )
They have completed their circumnavigation while on the inaugural
Panama (counter) Posse

Jamie, Behan and kids CONGRATULATIONS

Behan
Jamie


Behan & Jamie & Crew

14) Ask not what the posse can do for you ...

-  write your detailed reports
- take pictures
- share experiences
- reach out 
- simply reply to this email -

and most of all have fun !

Panama
      Posse

FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-25

1) FIREFLY - Mexico

Firefly still undergoing and electronics upgrade in LaCruz,
Banderas Bay, MX.  We foresee a possible run to Hualtulco Chiapas
by June.  We
have never such an abundance of valuable info  for this route as
we are now seeing now from those of you blazing the trail
on the Posse!  Giddyup!  Ted and I are loving your posts. 

Just a bit jealous⚓️😜....fair winds!

S/V Firefly

Ted
Brenda

Brenda and Ted

2) JULIA MAX - Costa Rica

Hi Everyone, First, when approaching Quepos and Marina Pez Vela
from the north, about seven miles out, there are snapper fish
pens/fish farm right in your way. There are several barges and a
few support boats anchored in this area to avoid.
Use these waypoints:
09 25.33N/084 17.08W

09 25.43N/084 16.27W

09 25.28N/084 13.45W

Our report on Quepos is as follows:

1. Expensive rates for transient moorage: $3/foot/day; longer
rates available: monthly, annual

2. Big surge at all docks. In one week one of our new 1" lines was
chafed 1/2 way through while we were gone for 4 days! Boats were
actively moving at the docks during the four tidal changes.

3. WiFi was poor. We had to search around to get enough of a
signal.
4. Services include: fuel dock, haul-out and repair, potable water
at the dock, electricity 50/30amp, trash, excellent security

5. 3 Restaurants, marine chandlery, hair salon

6. Concierge: rental car, excursions, etc.

7. Staff very helpful, and speak English. Quepos is a charter
fishing marina built in the last few years, and doesn't see many
cruisers. Cruising Guides talk about anchoring outside the marina;
don't think about it!
Second, Golfito is our check-out port for Costa Rica going south
to Panama. We are staying at Fish Hook Marina, one of four marinas
and we think the best. The facility is new. The staff very helpful
and thoughtful, and speak English. Electricity 50/30amp, potable
water, trash, laundry, restrooms/showers, restaurant/and sports
bar, and GREAT WiFi: the best we've seen. Golfito is a small town
with few services. There is a fuel dock. There is a Mega Grocery
Store. And the paper cha-cha isn't too bad, meaning the Port
Captain, Customs, Immigration and bank are reasonably close.
We will be checking out Thursday, Feb 22, and leaving the country
on Friday, Feb 23.

Cheers,


George and Sue 
3) AVANT - CHiapas - MEXICO

Update and notes for those coming to Chiapas. 

Marina Chiapas is a great stop off on the way south. They
offer discounts to Panama Posse members (one day a week
free). 

Entry is straightforward, and the marina is never full
(right now there are 17 boats in the 75 slips). If entering
at night, stay center channel. The buoys shown on the charts
for the final dogleg entrance are only partially in place,
but the channel is clear and offers 12-14’ depths center
channel at low tide. 

While staffed 24/7, outside office hours (and sometimes
during office hours) the staff only have hand held vhf
radios so they will not hear your hails until you are well
within the breakwater. 

Upon arrival the marina staff will call the appropriate
authorities and your check in will be done entirely on board
if you are coming from the north. If you are coming from the
south, you will need to visit immigration (marina staff
usually arrange this and give you a ride), and go to the
Guatemala border to get your TIP (Temporary Import Permit)
if you don’t already have one. For the TIP, they can arrange
a car and driver to get you there and back for ~$700-1,000
pesos. The arrival and departure inspections are full
service, with machine guns and sniffer dogs. 

In the immediate vicinity of the marina, you will see a
restaurant (Baös, open ~1000 to 1800hrs, mains ~180-300
pesos, quality commensurate with price), the marina office
(nominally open 0900-1700, more realistically 0945-1600),
the washrooms and showers (solar heated water for the
showers is nice and warm in the late afternoon, other times
not so much), Punta Modelo (a convenience store with cold
beer, ice, cigarettes, potato chips and ice cream, all the
cruising necessities, 0800-1800). If you are without pesos,
both Baös and Punta Modelo take credit cards. The garbage
drop off is to the left end of the white concrete block
building in the dry yard, and there is an oil drop there
too. Ronnie, one of the yard staff, does laundry, just ask
for him. 

Water on the docks is pretty close to potable as is, with
solids reported at ~130ppm. It is from a well on the
property, and many cruisers do drink it with no apparent ill
effects. The marina staff recommend adding bleach if used in
your tanks. Purified Water can be purchased in garafons for
20 pesos each (5 gallons), delivered to your boat. 

The fuel dock is a bit rough, so jerry jug if you can.
Memo in the office can usually do this in a day or two. He
will also get propane refills as required. 

To buy supplies, you can catch a collectivo taxi to
puerto madero (green taxi northbound at the marina entrance,
~18 pesos per person each way, 10-15 minute trip). Puerto
Madero has an Oxxo and a number of smaller tiendas, suitable
for a small stock up. There are no banks, cambios or atms in
Puerto Madero. You can also go to Tapachula (25 kilometres
away, 30 min trip) if you want a larger provisioning run by
catching the collectivo bus (white with a dolphin logo, 25
pesos) also at the marina entrance. At the south end of
Tapachula just as you enter town there is a Sam’s Club, a
Walmart, a Home Depot, and an Autozone. A couple of
kilometres further in there is a Chedraui (Mexican
supermarket). There are atms near the entrance to both the
Walmart and Chedraui. It is very difficult to exchange US
dollars here due to government currency exchange
regulations, but you can spend them at Walmart or Home Depot
and get change in pesos. To return, you can catch another
collectivo bus (make sure it has the dolphin logo) or get a
taxi (250 pesos) if you are really loaded up. Alternatively,
you can arrange a car and driver or have a taxi called, see
any of the marina staff. 

If you need specialty items, check in the office.
Tapachula is a regional hub city of some 400,000 people and
most things can be found here. There is no chandler in the
area. 

The dry yard is fine for doing work, but you may not live
aboard when on the hard. Lifts are $10/foot. There are some
resources available for boat work, but marine trades are
limited. Mechanics, simple fibreglass work or welding/metal
work can be arranged, but there is no rigger or sailmaker.
Bottom painting is no problem, and the marina can have paint
delivered for $200/gal (Comex ABC 3). There are a variety of
hotels in the area, with rates from ~200-700 pesos per night
depending on location and amenities.

While here I highly recommend taking an inland trip to
see the natural beauty and Maya history in Chiapas. While
you can see this in a four day trip, the distances make a
seven to ten day trip much more comfortable. You can rent a
car at the airport, or the office can arrange a car and
driver. We rented a car and had no troubles making the trip
last year.

Marina
        Chiapas

Thanks

Rob
Debra
Rob 

4) DAD'S DREAM - Nicaragua
Another little setback as a 47 kt gust blew out or main (while
double reefed) on the way to SJDS. A real bummer as Amanda (from
S/V Sea Glass) and I spent hours repairing the nighttime rip/shred
that occurred during Bahia Del Sol to Puesta Del Sol.
Guess it’s time to dig deep into the cruising kitty and buy a new
main. Any suggestion where to get one or where to have it shipped
to?
R&B Dad’s Dreams .

Approach

Approach from north into El Astillero. Watch for nets!

gusts

S/.V Sea Glass in the background.
Hiding from papaguyos. Gusting in the 40’s but still fairly
comfortable.

Anchored

Anchored in El Astillero bay. N 11.30.399 W 086.10.240.

Rick
        & Brenda
Rick
        & Brenda

Rick & Brenda

5) CROSSROADS - Costa Rica


 We anchored at Isla Parida at 08 08.340N 12 19.584W about 18' of
water.
We are currently underway from Isla Carvada to Bahia Honda. We
expect to be in Panama City by Tuesday or so. After we get
measured and in queue for a transit, we'll go back out to cruise
the Las Perlas Islands.

We left Golfito early this morning and did a fast and easy 80 nm
run to Isla Pardida. We're anchored in the NE corner of the
island. It's beautiful here but will probably move on to Isla
Carvada tomorrow to avoid the $120.00 national park fees!
Saw Julia Max briefly yesterday but left them in Golfito. We are
still missing the Posse!
Cheers,
Stan & Diane
M/V CrossRoads

Device Name: CrossRoads Spot
Latitude: 8.13921
Longitude: -82.32114
GPS location Date/Time: 02/23/2018 06:51:40 CST

Stan
        & Diane
Stan
        & Diane

Stan & Diane

6)  NEW Panama Posse Net Frequency and times 

New net times are 13:00 UTC (currently 7:00 AM local time)

We will start our calls on 8297 (8B) and fallback to 4417 (4C)
USB.

Big thanks to Mike from SV Easy for all the testing and
support.

The following are confirmed net control operators - we need to
fill a few slots please confirm if you can help.

Monday – 
Tuesday  – ANNAPURNA   - Confirmed
Wednesday – EASY - Confirmed
Thursday – CARINTHIA - Confirmed
Friday – 
Saturday – 
Sunday – 

Panama
        Posse

7)  CARINTHIA - MYLA - ANILA - Costa Rica

Maya and Cartinthia are working with a local Playa de Cocos
fisherman, Henry and his son, to provide water taxi services,
delivery of water fuel and laundry.  He charges 2,000 colones
( ~ 3.50 US ) . His number is +506 8849 1607 Spanish only but his
son speaks English and it takes about 30 minutes
if he is not around for him to pick you up.

Colones

If you do take your dinghy on the beach lock it up to a tree or
post and remove any treasure.

Important info from Henry, there is a group of young kids on the
beach and malecon who steal wallets
and valuables. They make small items from coconut fronds and try
to sell them as a diversion. Keep valuables protected.

MYLA
        ANILA CARINTHIA

(image
stitched together for enhanced photographic results)

John
            & Julie
John
            & Julie
Dave, Satin, Camille & Kyra
Dave, Satin, Camille & Kyra
Dave, Satin, Camille & Kyra
Dave, Satin, Camille & Kyra
Carinthia
Carinthia

Posse
Boats Myla, Anila & Carinthia in Playa de Cocos

8) LIQUID - El Salvador
-
Bahia del Sol
We finally organized our notes from our stay in Bahia del Sol - El
Salvador
http://www.svliquid.com/bahiadelsol.html

Currently Costa Rica Latitude: 10.91636
Longitude: -85.78915
GPS location Date/Time: 02/25/2018 05:29:52 PST

Marc
        & Laura
Marc
        & Laura

Marc & Laura

(note awesome and detailed port report !!! HINT HINT )

9) BERTIE - Mexico

BERTIE is in Huatulco ... who else is here? Is there still a
cruiser's net happening at 8 am on channel 22? Anyone gearing up
for crossing Tehuantepec early to mid next week? Favorite
sources or people to use for T-pec weather?

Also, we are looking for medical care - any recommendations
for excellent English speaking doctors? Thanks very much!!

ps - we are supposed to fumigate the boat before we arrive
in the Galápagos ... not looking forward to it!! For anyone
who has done it, where did you get it done, and how much did
it cost?

Peter
Heidi

Peter & Heidi

Jim
            & Susy
Jim
            & Susy

10) OCTOPUS GARDEN  -
Mexico
We on Octopus Garden
are planning on leaving Sunday 2/25
and we are going to have our own TPecker Net at
0800 local time 4159 USB. Let’s all tune in

Jim & Susy11)  RAVEN - Mexico
Raven is on the move again. Currently in Las Hadas.
19-06.104N, 104-20.625W.
Depth is 19 feet. We are heading toward Zihuatenejo on Saturday.

Neil,
        Tally, Jan
Neil,
        Tally, Jan

Neil, Tally, Jan

12) ANNAPURNA - Nicaragua

Annapurna just arrived at marina Puesta del Sol, Nicaragua.
This is a nice marina and a nice looking hotel.

Debbie took a fall Thursday due to a wave on the beam while
she was preparing lunch. She got knocked around and will be very
sore for a while.

The winds can build quickly here. I found myself heading for
shoals but couldn't tack because I had too much sail up to turn
into the wind. I got the idea that I could turn on the engine
and power through a tack. We were heeled so far that the engine
cooling thru-hull was exposed and we sucked air, which quickly
destroyed the impeller. Oops. Better to run downwind to reduce
pressure on the sail and Furl the jib. We sailed a lot of
extra miles beating into 20-30 kts all night. After a rest, I
changed the impeller while we drifted about in the swell. I
can tell you that is an unpleasant job.

We will restock food and diesel and be on our way soon,
weather permitting.

Annapurna
Robert
          & Debbie
Robert
          & Debbie

Robert & Debbie

13) WILDEST DREAMS -
Huatulco

Wildest
Dreams just arrived in Huatulco and is
parked near Pineapple and Gadabout.
We will be here at least a few days
and are waiting for a weather window
also. Let's meet up if we can.

Grant
Michelle

Michelle & Grant

14) Waponi
Woo

Waponi Woo is leaving Zihuatanejo today for Acapulco. We
anticipate arriving there tomorrow.

Is anyone south of us going to or from the States in the
near future?  contact cspott@cspott.com

Ryan, Caroline & India
Ryan, Caroline & India

Ryan, Caroline & India

15)
Picture of the week by Tony on
VOLANTE III

Cinco
          Lagoon which is located in a Mexican National Park. Behind the
          lake in the first picture is Guatemala.

Cinco
Lagoon which is located in a Mexican
National Park. Behind the lake in the
first picture is Guatemala.

Tony

Tony

16) Please
email us pictures, port/trip reports
and stories 

Panama
Posse

Panama
          Posse

FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-17

1) SANS FRONTIERS 

Good morning,
Thank you for the updates!!
We caught a sailfish/swordfish too, 110 lb, about 2m 50.
Over 60 min fight
Boat in shelter bay panama carrib side, am back in san
diego.
Likely heading to san blas and north to jamaica in april may, then
either bvi or
Bahamas, then bermuda and onto Europe, cruise the Med. France is
my 2nd home besides usa

We left Marina Pez Vela in Costa Rica on Dec
16 and arrived in Panama Canal Area, Marina La Playita on Dec 22
(Playita de Amador) near Flamenco Marina. Nice sail, stops in
Panama at 1/ Isla Jicaron (north of the island/North Jicaron,
fantastic), 2/ Isla Coiba (southeast anchorage, just east of south
bahia damas, 81'31 - 07'24) at 10 ft depth, sand. Low tide is
fantastic with many exposed beaches, covered at high tide, be
cautious of sand bars/corals), 3/ lunch stop Isla Bona, north west
anchorage. 4/ overnight Isla Taboga (anchored north of ferry dock,
near moorings, well protected and was very calm at night, nice
restaurant in a hotel with patio overlooking the bay and views to
panama city/canal.
5/ arrival at la playita marina on 12/22, and now waiting for
hopefully a Dec 28 canal crossing.We had a great time, good 6 to
25 knts wind conditions, a bit rougher seas once we passed Punta
Mala going north east...Fyi, Our Panama clearance and crossing
agent is Roy Bravo (cell: +507-6678-6820), very night guy, seems
very well established and +connected and effective.
Wishing you all following seas and fair winds, Enjoy!

Nico

Nico

2) SERAFINA  - El Salvador - Mexico

Hi -please share that we met a great guy who is an uber driver and does other driving. His name is Salvador and he grew up in LA but has returned to San Salvador. 

He will take you shopping, on tours, speaks English and has a very clean new car. We paid him $60 to take us from San Salvador back to the marina and stop for shopping twice. Uber rates were$35-45. It's a great safe alternative to the bus. His local number is 7012-5237. 

It is with a heavy heart but a ton of relief that we are letting you know we are turning around. Travel has taken its toll on both of us. We miss family.

So, we are now officially part of the Counter Posse and will be heading to Chiapas tomorrow to check back into Mexico.

Eliza & Ted  
Eliza
Ted
3) Dad'd Dream  - Golfo de Fonseca 

As we sit here  (at a nice out of the wind anchorage near Playa Grande, Isla El Tigre) 
licking our wounds after getting hit hard by waves while exiting Bahia 
Del Sol.  The bow light was ripped off and bent the bracket.
The entire bow rail was bent and broke a weld on one of the mounting stanchions.
All  four kayak racks were bent to crap. In fact all the lifeline stanchions
 along with the aft railing and dingy davits bent 2” backwards.
The dodger tore at a couple fastener points.
And to make it a complete shitcan sail, the main tore in the night and 
autopilot stripped gears in the motor forcing hand steering from about 0200 to noon 
when we arrived at Isla Meanguera just about 24 hours after taking on those crushing waves.
So we’re looking now for a stainless welder guy, maybe in Puesta Del Sol? 
And maybe a seamstress could patch the crap out of the sail until we get
 a new one.

Rick and Brenda
 
Rick
Brenda

( note 1 - anytime you are at anchor take a picture write down
your lat, long and depth and tell us about your approach )
( note 2 - we have put Rick and Brenda in touch with Puesta
de Sol )

4)  JULIA MAX - Costa Rica

Julia Max

The
Resplendent Quetzal was truly magnificent, posing for us at a
private farm early yesterday morning.
Guides took a number of us to see it. Sue took this photo of the
male.
Julia Max sits peacefully at the Pez Vela Marina, awaiting our
return tomorrow.
We expect to check out and depart on Monday 2/19 for an
anchorage along the way to Golfito.

Sue & George 

Sue
George

5)  OCTOPUS GARDEN

Something to remember in your Tehuantepec
crossing

Tehuantepec

Jim & Susy

Jim
Susy

6) CARINTHIA - Nicaragua - Northern Costa Rica

the Papagayos (Jan - Feb) bring these little
gems with them - look below -  these " presents" come from the
Caribbean side of Nicaragua and are weaponized by Lake Nicaragua -
on the Pacific side these gusts can get to 50 knots in minutes -
nasty little buggers - just ask around  ...needs to be a
consideration for the timing of next years posse - "they are of
triple black diamond rating" - with one of these squalls our main
halyard separated from the mainsail dropping it straight down into
our stack-pack and our mainsail ripping  a tad - the papagayos are
not to be trifled with - so from the Golfo de Fonseco forward
proceed with caution - gusts are 2.5 x sustained winds wait them
out if you can or hug the Nicaraguan and Costa Rican  shore -
Papagayos are seasonal and subside a bit  in March. - Ask Liquid /
Easy / Respite / Carinthia - on the other hand it's a good
shakedown and you will find your weak points ...

SQUALLS

Suzanne & Dietmar

Suzanne
D

7) RESPITE
Respite just arrived in San Juan Del Sol! The wind decided to do
its usual gusts of 35 when we were anchoring but getting sort of
used to it!
Had a decent trip down from El Astellero. Beautiful houses all
along the coast with lovely beaches.
Now to find the port captain.

Janet
Chris

Janet & Chris

8) LIQUID
We highly recommend you come to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua!

It’s a super cute backpacker town with loads of bars,
restaurants and shuttles to places inland. There is a farmers
market on Saturday morning and a regular market with some fruits
and veggies all other days. We have had delicious bread and
chocolate croissants from the German baker. I have seen signs for
live music, Texas hold ‘em and cribbage nights in town. There is a
water taxi for 100 Córdoba ($3ish) round trip which is helpful in the high winds
of the Papagayos. There is a secure floating dock for your dingy
which is 57 Córdoba with a security guard there 24 hours (We
still lock our dingy to a cleat). It can be a pretty wet ride
in, so be prepared. We have seen lots of laundry services around
and will check one out soon.

Checking into the country here...
it’s been a hassle and we now need to go to the border for
customs.
If we had to do it again, we would stop in Puesta del Sol. They
make the process easy and it seems to be cheaper as well.

Lastly, the winds here are no joke. We have had great holding
and are down to weather the winds, but they kick up a few hours
after sunset every day and don’t really let up until late
morning. The afternoons seem to mellow out and at times seem
downright reasonable. The good news... in town the winds seem
like nothing. If you are feeling good about your boat and down
to Hang in town, it’s a great place to hang out!

Looking forward to seeing many of you again and connecting the
Posse folk we have yet to meet!

Cheers!

SJDS

San Juan del Sur - NIcaragua check in map.

Laura
Marc

Laura & Marc

Interesting developments in Panama. May be worth following. It
seems like the mariners visa has been eliminated along with its
fees of $105 per person. Not sure how this affects length of
stay. See the comments.

"NEW NEWS!!

Good afternoon Sailors,

It is a pleasure to announce that finally, with
the support of our Panama Maritime Chamber and
associates, of which I am a proud member.

The Mariners visa process for sailors has been
suspended.

Panama President has signed the amendment and
now is published and in effect as of today.

Finally, the sailing community is consider as
what they are, a friendly visitor.

Please relay to your good fellow friends.

Best regards

Erick Galvez

Centenario & Co.S.A."

Laura & Marc

Laura
Marc

9) SV AGÁPĒ - Costa Rica

WELCOME TO THE POSSE vessel number 59 - whoop whoop

Joshua & Rachel

JOSHUA
Rachel

10) SV EASY

SV EASY

Easy's Voyage from Del Sol, El Salvador to San Juan
Del Sur. Departing El Salvador, 7:30 bar crossing.
Sailed East toward the Island in Golfer De Fonseca.
Wind was up and down. I ended up with a triple reef
in the main, the staysail witch is a hank on and the
Jib witch is a roller furling. Close hauled most of
the time the Jib can be adjusted for wind. Much of
the sail was just Main and stay sail. Was nice to be
able to add and reduced the jib as needed. As I
tacked up night fell upon me. At one point late in
the night I was tacking in a fleet of what seemed
like barges but i believe they were large fishing
boats. They kepted shining their spot lights at me.
From that point a course was set to cross the
opening to Fonseca. By morning we were off the coast
of Nicaragua. Sailed till the wind died. Then
drifted most of the day where I caught up on some
sleep. Only 5 miles north of Corinto. A breeze
kicked in and sailed about 5 miles south, to the
other side. Once again bobbing w aiting for wind.
Don't remember what time but it came and came with
force. On the nose too. Tacking my way toward San
Juan Del Sol. Still long off. With the wind fierce
and on the nose with the tightest course set it took
me offshore a little before merging with land again.
It was important to stay within a half of mile from
shore. Fetch built quickly and making way was slows.
Some how I was about 7 miles from El Astillero when
Neptune set out the challenges ahead. Tacking
getting nowhere winds building found myself pulling
the triple reefed main and reeling the staysail. It
was time, fired up the iron Jeanie. Put the staysail
away. Was motoring to El Astillero now 6 miles @ 2
knots at cruising power. It was possible to make
anchorage before dark. The wind turned a little was
able to get the staysail back up. It improved the
speed with the engine pushing. We pulled into anchor
at 3. Boy was I happy to be here. Jumped in for a
swim and burrr it was a chilly 70 degrees! After a
good nights rest Pulled anchor and motored to San
Juan Del Sur. Of course the 9 am winds piped up. By
Noon the anchor was set behind Carinthia and Liquid.
They came and helped me check in, showed me around
and was awesome to be with them again.
I have been sitting at anchor in San Juan Del Sur
all week and the winds are insane. Must say the
Tehuantepec is serious, they are no joke. Now the
Papagayos are mean. They don't pause long and if
your heading south they are a bit to on the nose for
Easy who is a full keel, an Ingrid 38 cutter rigged.
She goes well to weather but not quit enough for the
Papagayos. Would love to get wind numbers however
the birds took My Garmin wind off the boat in
Acapolco.

Mike

Mike

11) SV Pineapple, MV Wildest Dreams, SV Gadabout,
SV Patricia Belle, SV Toccata, SV Waponi Woo, SV
Colmena

Posse member meet-n-greet in Zihua this morning...
Here comes the next wave!
SV Pineapple, MV Wildest Dreams, SV Gadabout, SV
Patricia Belle, SV Toccata, SV Waponi Woo, SV
Colmena

posse

12) FYI our closed FB group  @

www.facebook.com/groups/panamaposse

( this is optional - and we cross post what's relevant - many do bit
opartake in the FB
but  if you don't post to the group - or email us here it will not
show up  and your local intel will be lost )

13) The Panama Posse SSB net
needs a new time a cleaner frequency - the best minds are working on
stay tuned ...

Panama
      Posse

Keep em coming !


FLEET UPDATE 2018-02-09

1) Wildest Dreams - Welcome to the Panama Posse

Hola from sunny Zihuatanejo! We just signed on to the posse and
hope to get to know many of you as we travel. Our home, Wildest
Dreams is a Choey Lee 47 Sea Master Long Range Cruiser (trawler).
We've cruised from Mazatlan to Alaska and back.
We will take our time cruising Central America before crossing
through the canal. We love to socialize, explore, travel and play.
We hope to make friends with like minded cruisers for cost sharing
and security.

We leave Zihau Feb 15, weather permitting. We plan to stop for
the El Salvador rally in April. We do not want to go through the
canal this year.
 We want to leisurely explore south of El Salvador in the late
fall/winter. Then possibly Equador before going through the canal.
We would love to catch up to a group heading to Acapulco and
Huatulco.

Wildest
      Dreams

2) Annapurna - Chiapas

Road trip! Coffee plantation in El Salvador.
Proprietor Daniel speaks excellent English and he us a true artist
with a capacino and a great baristo.

Annapurna

3) Panama Posse - Bahia del Sol - El Salvador
 
Five boats departed Bahia this morning, Respite, Sea Glass, Easy,
Sine Timore, and Danika.
- Source Bill & Jean  Salvador Rally

The Fleet

4) Avant   - Chiapas
Another lovely potluck at marina Chiapas for panama posse members
and fellow travelers.

Chiappas
      port luck

5) Volante III Tehuantpec crossing
Shearwater and Volante III did the Tehuantpec crossing and are
safely in Puerto Chiapas.
The Tehuantpec crosssing was a boater's dream crossing. We had no
wind and flat seas at Salina Cruz.
The following day, we had about 15 knots of wind for a wonderful
sail during the afternoon.
Fred Again is behind us and should be here soon.

6) Liquid & Carinthia - San Juan del Sur - Nicaragua
Anchored in a windy Papagayo prone area with gusts into the
upper 30's Local Currency 31 Cordoba = 1 USD
We plan to barhop in this town as it is full of restaurants surf
bars etc etc -
"when surfers and backpacker run out of money in Costa Rica - they
come to SJDS..."

San Juan
      del Sur
Office
Politcs
      & Religion
Cheap
Menu
barhop

7) EASY - PANAMA  info

... my friends sent me this message. I'm passing it on... Mike 
Panama bound, Shawnigan asked me to let you know Bahia Honda @ 7
45.880n, 81 32.406w also known as Bahia Chinche
is lovely and welcomes cruisers.  Anchor in Domingo in front of
Domingo's house.
He and his family love to trade goods for fruit or you can just buy
from him and his son Kennedy.

8) S/V Anila - El Salvador

Hello,

S/V Anila is currently in El Salvador at Bahia
Del Sol. Arrived Feb 2 along with a few others.  Had an easy bar
crossing.  Love the hospitality of Bill and Jean!  They are very
helpful and everyone enjoyed the pupusas. 

We flew back to the states for a week but when
we return on Feb 12, we will be heading for Costa Rica.  We’re
looking for tips and suggestions for land-based tours.

While it’s good to see friends and family back
in Seattle area, we miss the warmth!
~Satin and Dave

9) JULIA MAX - Costa Rica

This a.m. we were breezing along at hull speed trying to figure out
how to slow the boat down more so missed the Posse morning net. We
finally got it dialed into these 20-28 knot winds at 60 degrees just
as you described: reefed mizzen and triple reefed jib. Pretty
exciting and scary at times. We hove to to take down the main which
helped a lot. The seas have been relatively calm close into shore.
After 3 hours of really white knuckle sailing, things are calming
down for the present and we're shaking out reefs.
Our snorkeling spot at Catalina Islands looked way too rough on the
seaward side and there were fishing boats all over the anchorage
area. So we headed into Portrero. Nothing much there. We got in the
water to cool off and enjoyed watching the tourists going sailing in
the heavy afternoon winds on big catamarans. Looked like they were
having fun. A sloop went out with guests and hardly heeled over at
all but went very slowly, triple reefed main and handkerchief jib.
Interesting. Winds were up this morning at 7:30 as we we rounded the
headland out of the bay. So we've been having one of those lovely
sailing days like the ones you had across the Tehuanapec. We've
never had the boat up at hull speed before but that WAS a little
scary. We now have 1.5 kts current against us. We're trying to make
Carrello by mid-afternoon where we'll stay a couple of days before
heading all the way around to Ballena Bay. That is another birding
spot. We will try to get on a birding tour as a day trip if we feel
the boat would be safe there. Hope Mike on Easy is doing OK. With
the big winds, we're wondering how he's doing.

--Sue and George

A heads-up to everyone coming down the Costa Rica coast line. Punta
Guiones at 09 54.3N/085 42.5W, we were less than 3 miles off-shore
when we noticed an extensive calm area between white-horses on
either side. We had noticed a comment on our Navionics chartplotter
showing 'breakers' reported back in 1929 (09 52.55N/085 40.995W). As
we approached the calm area between the mainland shallows and the
chop on the east side of the calm area, we were leery, and watched
our depth sounder which was reporting 200+ feet. The depth went from
200+ to 19 feet in about ten seconds. I turned away from the calm
area sharply! There was no current on this side. But looking over an
expanse of at least 1-2 miles of calm seas between white-horses, we
reversed our course heading north to do an end around north of the
calm seas. We headed out to safe waters (09 51.49N/085 41.82W) that
were 3+ miles off Punta Guiones, as one of the Cruising Guides
suggested. Out on the west side of the calm waters, the current was
running northerly between 1.5-2.0 knots. So the current was causing
some of the chop. But I believe there is a massive underwater
structure off the point that hasn't been charted. Beware. Also in
close to shore there is an uncharted sandbar that is very visible
just off the Point. So remember 3.3 miles off shore around Punta
Guiones. As we get used to running close to shore, sometimes our
guard is down.

--George and Sue sv Julia Max

10) Welcome to the Posse SV DANIKA

Jason & Jenn

Danika

11) Shearwater
Hola Panama Posse,
We left Huatulco at 9am on Sunday and arrived in Chiapas this
morning at 7:30.
We had a good crossing pretty much no wind on Sunday but 10 to 18kts
for 4 hours out of the South East.

13) TAPPAN ZEE

Hi folks.
Tappan Zee is in Acapulco for a few days before heading to Huatulco.
We are enjoying Acapulco. As has been noted before, Vicente is a
wonderfully upbeat, helpful resource in this city. He and his son
seem to be around all the time in the marina area of Aca. We are not
staying on a buoy because we don’t have a bowsprit to hold it away
from our hull, but we have hired Vicente for his support.
We have a question for the the group. I have researched and read all
the posts here and in Southbound yahoo group about liability
insurance and I still have questions.
Tappan Zee carries Mexican liability insurance and self-insures for
the rest. We looked into extending our liability insurance into
Central America and were quoted a price of $1,000 plus a haulout and
survey. We do not have a house or car so an umbrella policy is not
possible. The quote is from IMIS, Jackline Insurance. For a second
quote, I called Novamar in Puerto Vallarta and spoke with the head
insurance agent and he told me that they do not offer Central
America liability ins., only Mexican. So, the question is, do any of
you have experience staying at marinas South of Mexico without
showing or having liability insurance? Do the marinas ask for it?
Thanks in advance for your responses.
Annie and Tom ( sailcoast34@gmail.com )

14) MV Crossroads - Costa Rica

We are busy touring inland in the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
Onward to Arenaul Volcano and La Fortuna tomorrow.
The boat’s in Quepos. Hope you catch up with us! We miss the Posse!

Cheers,

Stan & Diane
M/V CrossRoads

15) "boat"keeping items
- please send in your fleet updates
- OUR MISSION  and therefor YOUR MISSION  is to make it easier for
everyone in the Panama Posse
- share relevant info and keep a good log on obstacles - contacts -
anchorages - tours -rates etc.

The following vessels still need to send in their pictures -

UTOPIA
COLMENA
WINDS OF THE WORLD
TOTEM
SALT
SEA CASA
CHANTEY
DAD’S DREAM
TRUE BLUE
SAMAYA
SEPTEMBER SONG
REBELLIOUS
ISLEÑA
SANS FRONTIERES
MORA

16) SSB Panama Posse net daily at (:15 local time / 15:15
UTC - 8294 / 7 USB SSB

Keep 'em coming

Panama Posse