sy Timoneer

FRIDAY 26TH JANUARY 2007

NEWS:
Timoneer is in the Atlantic! We had a few quiet days in Panama City tied up in Flamengo Marina which was very nice and gave everyone their shopping fix. Panama City is a great place and is booming with high rises springing up in all directions.
The Pilot came on board at dusk on the 25th and we entered the first lock just before 7pm. There are three locks going up to the Gatun Lake which is fresh water and about 80 feet above sea level. We crossed the lake in perfect weather, clear moonlit night and made very good time to the other side where there are three down locks into the town on Cristobal on the Atlantic ocean. There is huge excavations going on in the canal as they are widening it all to take more ships through faster. Business and the economy here is racing ahead.
We got through the canal, a distance of about 35 miles in total from one side to the other, in 7.5 hours which is the quickest we have ever done. By 0200 we all closed down and at anchor on the Flats in Cristobal. This morning we completed yet more paper work and then were granted permission to proceed to the new marina here called Shelter Bay. The marina is situated on the west side right on the edge of the Chagres National Park. There is no town or population anywhere near and in the evening we can see howler monkeys, toucans and many species of birds within a short walk into the thick tropical jungle nearby.
We will shortly be leaving for San Blas and then to Grenada.
Regards = PHil

FRIDAY 19TH JANUARY 2007

ARRIVAL REPORT:
Timoneer arrived safe and sound this morning and we are now anchored in San Jose Island in the Las Perlas Islands for a brief visit to our friends Dieter and Gerda. For those that know them, Dieter will turn 80 this year and they are both fit and healthy.
We set off from Jicaron in fine weather but the wind that seems to be following us around soon sprang up and pretty soon we were storming along with 30 knots just forward of the beam. Later the wind got up even more and the highest gust we saw was 43 knots, so this is the third gale that we have had since leaving La Paz in Mexico. Quite amazing considering that this whole coast has a reputation for being flat calm, so much so that many sail boats sail out to Hawaii and then back to California in order to have wind.
Before the breeze kicked in we caught 5 big eye tuna which we have had for a sushi lunch and it was delicious. The rest has gone into the freezer so we are now well stocked.
We will be in Panama for about 10 days and then be heading off to Grenada in the West Indies.
Regards = PHil

THURSDAY 18th JANUARY 2007 – NOON
POSITION: Anchored off Jicaron Island, Panama.

NEWS:
Firstly we must apologise that the tracking is not working on our website. We have been working on it but so far no success so bear with us.
We continued along the coast of Costa Rica all yesterday with numerous fishing boats all around us. The Sports fishing boats went home at dusk only to be replaced by the commercial guys who we believe fish for shrimp at night. They have little regard for the rule of the road so the night was spent dodging them from time to time.
Our ETA in Panama was to be the middle of the night so we slowed the boat down and this morning stopped here at Jicaron Island to kill a bit of time and have a snorkel. We will leave again around 1400 so that we arrive first thing in the morning.
After our fish yesterday we took the lines in and only started at daylight this morning. We were soon rewarded with two Skipjack tuna which we released and as we did not want to catch any more we again left the lines in.
Regards = PHil

WEDNESDAY 17TH JANUARY 2007.
POSITION: 9 10N 084 46W – 25 Miles off the Gulf of Nicoya, Central Costa Rica.
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 262 Miles since departure.
WIND: SE’ly 5 to 10 knots
WEATHER: Very hot, fine and clear. Blue seas and skies.

NEWS:
We had a very nice send off from Nicaragua. 60 school children came down to visit the boat just before we left and we handed over some charitable school supplies which we had brought from the US. As we passed slowly out of the river entrance they had gathered up 16 of the kids and each of them held up a huge cardboard letter spelling out “GRACIAS TIMONEER”! That just about sums up our visit to Nicaragua, really very nice people and a fascinating place to visit, but very poor. It will be a stop long remembered by all on board. THANKYOU NICARAGUA.

No sooner had we left and got settled in with the lines out than we caught our first fish, a skipjack, which is not very good eating so we released it. After catching another four of these we decided to leave the lines in. The sea was glassy calm as we motored south east heading for Panama, but soon an offshore breeze kicked in right on the beam and we were under sail alone. The wind gradually increased until just after dinner we had steady wind of over 40 knots with a deep reefed main and tiny staysail set. We had to slow down due to the head seas but it was not as bad as could have been, but definitely not comfortable. This was the infamous Papagayo Wind, which is a similar phenomenon to the Tehuantepec wind that we had last week – it is a funnelling of the trade winds blowing from the Atlantic across the isthmus into the Pacific.By 0200 it had calmed down somewhat and by dawn it was only blowing 10 to 15 so we were able to motor sail.

We have been surrounded all day by sport fishing boats coming out from Costa Rica, which is renowned for it’s good bill fishing. We duly hooked into one of their bill fish and lost out lure and line but did see him jumping behind us for a while. Shortly after that we caught another Mahi Mahi (dolphin fish) of about 25lbs which put up an exceptional fight. We now have the lines dry again as we do not need any more fish for the time being.

We are seeing lots of dolphins at the moment but not as many birds and no more turtles.

Everyone on board is fine.
Regards = PHil

SATURDAY 13TH JANUARY

ARRIVAL REPORT:
Timoneer arrived off the entrance to the Estuary at 0600 on Friday 12th
January, completing the trip in just over an hour less than 6 days. This
worked out to an average speed of 11.2 knots for the 1380 miles from La Paz.
We anchored briefly in front of the entrance so that we could reconnoitre
with the tender while we waited for high tide at 0830. The river was as
described and we moved in a hour later surrounded by mangroves deep water
right up to Marina Puesta Del Sol, about a mile up the river where we got a
good welcome. Customs to the customary South American couple of hours to
complete mounds of paper work but we were eventually cleared and were able
to go ahore. The nearest town (Chinandega) is nearly two hours drive away
and the next port down the coast is Corinto, in case you are looking for us
on a map.
We are happy to stop for a short break and will be on our way again early
next week headed for Panama. When we get back to sea again we will file the
next report.
Regards = PHil

THURSDAY 11TH JANUARY 2007.
POSITION: 13 29N 90 09W – OFF THE COAST OF GUATEMALA
DISTANCE TRAVELLED:
WIND:160 DEGREES AT 12 KNOTS
WEATHER: WARM SUNNY AND FINE.

NEWS:
We cleared the Gulf of Tehautepec yesterday afternoon and the wind decreased
dramatically. The highest gust that we saw in there was 63 knots and at
times it was a consistent 50 to 55. Quite and experience that will not be
soon forgotten.
Last night it was pitch black with light offshore breeze and numerous
fishing boats, shrimpers we think. The problem was that there were also lots
of tiny boats which did not show up on radar and had no lights. They would
see us coming and turn on a bright light right in front of us – pretty scary
but we managed not to hit any of them although some passed as close as a few
hundred yards away.
This morning we motorsailed along the Guatemalan coast which is quite
dramatic. The twin peaks of Volcan Fuego and Volcan Agua (Fire and Water)
were clearly visible with just a wisp of cloud on the top. They are both
almost 13,000 feet high and are impressive.
Yesterday was a non fishing day due to the weather but this morning we put
the lines out again and soon had an 18 lb Mahi Mahi on board. Seems they
like the red lures as well! We are again seeing lots of big turtles
sunbathing on the surface, dolphins and big flocks of Shearwaters flying
around close aboard.
We are pushing along nicely and expect to arrive off the Marina Puesta del
Sol in the early hours tomorrow. We need to go up the channel at first light
in order to catch the tide. Everyone on board is looking forward to our
arrival and a cold glass of beer or whatever.
PHil

TUESDAY 10TH JANUARY 2007
POSITION: 15 45N 93 50W – EAST SIDE OF TEHUANTEPEC BAY, MEXICO
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 282 miles, Noon to Noon
WIND: 40 to 60 knots Northerly
WEATHER: Bright blue skies, warm and very nice except for the wind!

NEWS:
WOW – What a day! We motor sailed in light airs yesterday afternoon
and rounded the western point into Tehuantepec Bay at 2200hrs. By this time
there was quite a big swell and confused sea from ahead although not much
wind still. We hugged the coast for 90 miles heading NE into the bay. The
wind was gusting from all directions but the sea had calmed down and we
seemed to have a counter current in our favour. By daybreak the wind was 35
knots and we were making good progress, better than expected. Within the
hour the wind increased to 45 to 50 knots and we were screaming along under
sail across the top of the bay, making 13 to 14 knots with spray and water
flying in every direction. We had a deep reefed main and tiny bit of the
staysail out on a beam reach which continued for about 3 hours when we could
bear away a bit along the eastern shore. The wind started to decrease which
gave Penny a chance to rustle up some food and for us to secure the deck
again as the cover on the tender had come loose. Just when we thought it was
all over back came the wind again and pretty soon it was steady at 50 knots.
Fortunately T bay is renown for this behaviour so we were well prepared and
had a really memorable sail. We are still reefed right down and heading down
the western shore out of the bay.
Needless to say we do not have any fishing lines out! All on board are
really happy and well.
PHil

TUESDAY 9TH JANUARY 2007
POSITION: 16 06N 098 25W 10 MILES OFF COAST OF MEXICO, 110 MILES FROM
THE NOTORIOUS TEHUANTAPEC BAY
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 277 Miles in 24Hrs
WIND: Light Land and Sea Breezes
WEATHER: HOT! Few clouds.

NEWS:
Whales, dophins, lots of turtles and birds everywhere. We are motoring
along with full sail in flat seas surrounded by sealife. On my watch alone
this morning I must have seen at least 20 to 30 turtles just floating along
on the surface. Quite often they have one of the birds standing on their
back which looks quite funny.
The high mountains of the Cordillero are clearly visible and there are a few
ships around plus two yachts headed north this morning. Progress is good but
we are nearing the Bay of Tehuantapec and there is one of their gales
forecast for the next three days. These winds usually get up to anywhere
between 40 and 60 knots, howling across the narrowest part of central
America where the Atlantic Trades are squeezed and accelerate across the
land into the Pacific. Fortunately the wind is offshore so this means we do
a detour into the 200 mile wide bay staying about a mile offshore. Many a
yacht has got into big problems by thinking they can sneak across the mouth
of the bay when everything looks quite docile at first. A nasty place to be
caught out!
Right after I wrote the report yesterday we caught another good bull Mahi
Mahi of 25lbs this time. Mick is learning fast how to gut and clean fish! As
soon as we caught that one we pulled in the lines until breakfast time this
morning but not even a hit today despite all the sealife around. This keeps
Penny happy as the freezers are fairly full at the moment. We changed the
lures for red ones in the hope of catching a tuna. We believe that Tuna
prefer red lures and Mahi like yellows and green…. who knows?
Meantime I can confirm that the Atlantic satelite is working well for us
here so the 874 code is good for Satcom calls.
Everyone is in fine fettle.
PHil

NOON, MONDAY 8TH JANUARY 2007.
POSITION: 17 53N 102 48W – 175 MILES NW OF ACAPULCO, MEXICO.
DISTANCE TRAVELLED: 271 miles (Noon to Noon)
WIND: None!
WEATHER: Hot and steamy.

NEWS:
We managed to have a good sail again yesterday afternoon, broad
reaching with all the sails out from 2 til 7pm but then the wind went aft
again and we had to start the engine. By midnight it had gone flat calm and
that is how it continued. The seas are glassy calm and we can see the high
mountains along the coast which is about 15 miles away. Some of the
mountains here rise to 8 to 10,000 feet and further south in Gautemala there
are peaks as high at 18,000 feet just 30 miles from the coast.
We have seen quite a few dolphins and just before lunch had a large school
of them doing acrobatics around the boat as we powered along in the glassy
calm. We took in the fishing lines after our catch yesterday (we had a great
dinner last night)and only put them out again this morning. We have had one
hit but lost that one.
The boys on deck are enjoying the sunshine while they cut the excess off the
rubber deck caulking – a long and tedious job.
We are now on the border of the Pacific Satelite coverage and the Atlantic
so we have changed over to the Atlantic one which is ‘country code’ 874. If
you are trying to call us on the Satcom please try 874 first.
PHil

SUNDAY 7TH JANUARY 2007.
50 MILES OFF COAST OF MEXICO
POSITION:- 20 33N 106 36W
DISTANCE TRAVELLED:- 316 Miles since La Paz, average speed 11 knots
WIND:- Northerly at 20 knots
WEATHER:- Cloudy, fine and clear with sunshine
NEWS: We managed to keep the engine off until 1800hrs but by then it had
gone more astern and we were 20 degrees off course doing 9 knots so started
the engine and took off at 12 knots along the rhumb line. Since then the
wind has decreased a bit but we manage to keep the main and genoa up so the
engine is not very loaded and fuel consumption is much lower.
This morning we had a hit on the fishing line but lost that one. An hour
later we caught a small tuna and while we were putting the lines out again a
good Mahi mahi took the bait. We got him on board in quick order and he
weighed in at 30lbs – it is the first ocean fish that Mick, our new crew
member has ever caught so he was pretty excited. Jeff, the engineer has come
up with a new alarm system for the fishing lines which works really well. We
cannot hear the ratchet running from inside the pilot house so we used to
use one of those personal alarms where you pull the pin and it screeches.
The problem is that they do not take kindly to the water and sea air so had
to be replaced at regular intervals. The new system is totally waterproof
and is a contact switch clipped to the line and connected to our door bell.
When we now hook into a fish he rings the doorbell and we hear it throughout
the boat! By the way, for those interested, Jeff got engaged while we were
in La Paz!
We have not seen a single other vessel since clearing the coast line, not
even on radar but we were visited by a pod of dolphins this morning who did
some aerial acrobatics right alongside. Otherwise all is well on board and
we are moving along nicely towards Puesta del Sol.
PHil