We motored all the way to the San Blas, and have had to motor around wherever we go. The wind has been pretty much 'variable at 5 knots or less' the whole time.
We have mostly been hanging out in "The Swimming Pool"... the nice shallow sandy bay enclosed on all sides with reef and palm-studded sandy islands. We have been doing a major snorkeling trip every day, both sightseeing and hunting. Dave has speared a few snapper but the pickings are pretty slim around here these days.
We have yet to be offered any more crabs. But fortunately the freezer is well-stocked with other good stuff.
We have been hanging out with our friends Mike and Sue on Infini (svinfini.blogspot.com). Their son Ty is visiting them--taking a break from graduate studies in The Netherlands. We also met another boat out here with kids... White Magic, a Catana 47 catamaran. This is a nice Canadian family who have just bought the boat. They are still exploring the systems on their boat and planning their final escape. This time they only had 2 weeks to spend, and so just left yesterday to go back to Shelter Bay to leave the boat and go back to Canada. But their 3 girls helped round out a nice group of young kids to hang out together in Paradise.
s/v Blue Sky has been bringing a volleyball net ashore every day and inviting the cruisers for a late afternoon volleyball game. It's a nice way to get off the boat, socialize some, and get some exercise. We have broken out our 2 inflatable kayaks, and between the dinghy, swimming ashore, and the kayaks, everyone can come and go easily.
We had a couple of days of really nice sunny weather, with almost no wind. It's great for snorkeling outside the reef, but a little hot in the afternoons! But yesterday a tropical wave approaching from the east, and the ITCZ approaching from the south, converged on us, and we have had overcast and drizzle for 2 days. At this point we are cheering when we see a big black cloud. We could use the water, as we haven't recommissioned the water maker after laying it up while in Cartagena. But so far the heavy downpours have eluded us. Every big black cloud that approaches seems to part and go around us, and we just get a light drizzle.
Everyone in Cartagena whom we told that we were going to the San Blas kept asking us... "What about the lightning?". Apparently this time of year in this area has a reputation for lots of lightning. But these thunderstorms are nothing compared to the central Florida boomers we'd get every day in the summertime. There is very little wind (comparatively) and yes, there's lightning, but so far in "The Pool" there have been no reports of lighting problems. I think it's riskier to equipment to be at the dock in Club Nautico (in Cartagena) with the power surges there.
To all our Melbourne, Florida friends... we have no internet and no TV, so only have sketchy information about Tropical Storm Fay hanging out in Melbourne for 36 hours. Hope everyone's house, boats, and families are OK after all that wind and rain.
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