Location: Panama City
This morning started with my usual fitness routine on deck before breakfast. I used to be the only one, but lately, Kelsey and Molly practice Yoga, and others join irregularly. I had a good night’s sleep thanks to only being awakened once by the anchor watch for unusual anchor chain movement. Moving from the 0.3m tide of the Caribbean to 5.8m tide in the Gulf of Panama, we need to consider tidal currents and depth. I scanned the anchor watch sheet for anomalies and appreciated the creativity and some humor in it, e.g., the accuracy of centimeters in the “distance to next boat” column.
For some people, material luxury means diamonds or fancy cars. For me, it is fresh mango for breakfast. Thank you, Chef Toby!
The rest of my morning was littered with immigration documents, passport screenshots, fumigation and hull-cleaning certificates, and other administrative preparations for the upcoming passage to the Galapagos. I spent some time thinking through our passage plan, including our intended route, sail plan to match the forecasted weather, fuel consumption in case we need it, and the highly unlikely ports of refuge along that route. In my mind’s eye, I imagined the cockpit view and light conditions when we plan to approach busy shipping routes or outlying shoals.
At the same time, our crew visited Panama City’s Biomuseu, Panama’s most bizarre building. Filipe found Panama’s 80-million-year geological creation process super-interesting, as well as the variety of ecosystems on display. He also spotted a sloth in the wild! Molly said the gigantic aquarium is super-cool, featuring both Caribbean and Pacific habitats. She also appreciated the frappuccinos, coffees, and soft drinks served at the museum’s cafeteria. Klay felt that looking at the fish in the aquarium without being able to scuba-dive with them was weird.
We have two more exciting days in Panama City as we prepare for the first passage into the incredibly vast Pacific Ocean.