We had barely left the anchorage in Las Brisas we saw humpback
whales, wow, didn’t know they are here in Panama.
It was a beautiful day and the occasional humpback whales
breaching added to it. We had a good start but the closer we go to the island
we encountered an awful current against us, we were motor sailing with 1.9
knots and sometime even less through the fairly calm water. Our ETA showed way
after dark, not good. Then thunder clouds popped up out of nowhere, there was
no way to outrun them with that speed. We did watch on the radar how they
approached and a little change of course help a little, we didn’t get the brunt
of the storm and we missed the lightning bolts by a mile but boy did it rain.
As we got closer to the islands the current disappeared,
guess it was tidal change and we did drop the anchor at 4 pm. This is a whole
new ballgame learning to anchor in 14 to 18 foot tidal changes. It was just a
little passed low tide so we dropped the hook in 15 feet of water to be safe.
It felt good to be in our style and environment again, at
anchor in front of a beautiful island with beautiful beaches. Although the beaches
are enormous at low tide and disappear at high tide.
Our first sunset was beyond spectacular and we had a calm
night. It started to get a little bouncy in the morning and a fresh breeze
headed out way from the North.
We met Giny at 8am at the Executiva beach, which
is the most favorite swim beach on the island. It was a happy hello and 5
minutes later we arrived at her house where Werner happily greeted us as well.
My laundry went into the machine and there we sat for hours just chatting. We
had to keep an eye on the tide so that the dingy will not float off. Wheels on
the dinghy here are a must and it can be quite a long tow up the beach or back
into the water.
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| Playa Executiva seems to be the favorite of all beaches |
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| This guy takes his dogs for a swim every day |
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| View of the nicest hotel on Contadora from Paradsie, unfortunately the owners just closed it down and it's up for sale |
When we returned to the boat it was pretty rough. Our
neighbor we noticed dropped his mooring and moved around to other side. Looks
like he had been here for a while and so we pulled anchor and followed to the
other side which was not affected by the rough swells. We met Cristo a few days
later and he did tell us that when he moves for us to follow, thanks bud and that’s
just what we did in the 3 weeks we were on the island. Sometimes it seemed we
did the yo-yo back and forth almost daily.
Second time in Executiva in the morning I noticed a juvenile pelican trying to eat algae off the hull on transom. It kept looking up at me and talking to me. Then when it was along side boat:
This time of the year the South side of the island is
unpredictable as tropical waves and weather out of the East can hit at no
notice and make it downright dangerous. We were caught in one and had a very
rough night, when the sun peeked across the horizon we noticed we were
dangerously close to the rocks behind us. Not because we had dragged but do to
stretched out chain and low tide. We pulled anchor ASAP and did the yo-yo trip
back to the North side for a day it seemed.
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| The south side of Contadora |
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| Mar & Oro Hotel best place to get ashore, or shall I say least challenging |
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| Saboga Island in Background |
We had a great time catching up with Giny and Werner, had
them over for dinner and some dinners were spend in their house but that always
depended on the tide. A couple of times it was such high tide the waves were
breaking ashore on the south side we could not attempt a dinghy landing without
getting turtled, meaning capsizing dinghy including us, so we would cancel our
visit ashore. After about 8 days of yo-yoing we finally had a very calm night
and slept like a logs.
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| 8 bucks for this nice Dorado from local fishermen |
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| Made Hawaiian Poki |
The view from the anchorage was on
either side breath
taking and I almost refused to go down below at any time there could be whales
breaching out of the water. We had no idea that the whales are here in Perlas.
Every June to around the 15th of October these giant mammals migrate
from the North and the South some 3000 miles to the Las Perlas Islands to give
birth and mate. They give birth in about 30 to 40 feet of water that would be
where we are anchored.
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| Caught 7 of these huge trigger, 1 was hooked the others broke the hook |
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| Blue footed boobie |
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| Dolphins were a daily sight as well |
We had a mama and baby surface about 60 feet next to the
boat and there was one that stayed about 300 feet behind our boat in shallow
water. She stayed at same spot for a long while. I watched her intently and
wondered what she was doing then all of a sudden a tiny fin popped up on the
surface as a new born baby took its first breath, wow. I witnessed the birth of
a baby hump back whale how kewl is that. Immediately the mom’s pectoral fin
came out of the water and gently she rolled around then the baby was surfacing,
mama rolling around the baby, baby surfacing and slowly disappearing out of my
view. Wow. Did you know that their flukes/tail is like the finger print for us,
for dolphins it’s the dorsal fin.
One evening I sat on the bow watching the sunset and one
hour after dark heard the PFFFFFF breath of the whales. At the same time the
phosphorescence was playing with the mooring line it was magical. Another PFFFF
and PFFFFF noise much closer now and then the magnificent humpback whales back
illuminated with the phosphorescence as they glide about 60 feet in front of
the bow of Paradise into the current. Couldn’t stop smiling and stayed
positioned on the bow for hours until my eyes could not stay open anymore.
Giny and Werner hadn’t been in the States in several
years and needed to go back for some medical check ups, problem is finding
house sitters. When we heard that Sid and I looked at each other and at same
time we said: “we can house-sit for you”, we are here already. So after a little
over 3 weeks in Contadora we pulled anchor and sailed to San Carlos to the new
Vista Mar Marina. We had a wonderful sail and at one point Sid said: "I see 3 boats on the radar but visually can only see 2?" He was right, so we kept looking for a 3rd boat. I was on the helm when I all of a sudden saw a big lancha's bow shoot way out of the water and pointed at it saying there it is. But as I said there it is I realized it was a breaching humpback whale wow. He came by us fairly close continually jumping way out of the water wow.
The closer we got the marina the better the sail was and the water flattened to a mirror.
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| Whale Splash |
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| Sid trying to spot the 3rd boat |
Paradise found her new home for the next 3 months of which we will be in
Contadora for 6 to 8 weeks. We moved lots of stuff off the boat into the house already,
in regards to my frozen stuff, seasonings and my sewing machine as I will sew
projects especially a new sun shade.
The marina is not quit full yet but word goes around that
it is a reasonable marina. Our monthly bill at Shelter Bay was $ 866 including
electricity, expensive for a 36 foot boat.
At the Vista Marina if you pay 3 months in advance which we did we paid
pretty much what we paid in 1 months in Shelter Bay but we get 3 months.
Amazing. For electricity they also charge ½ than Shelter Bay did. It’s a little
rolly but we felt comfortable leaving Paradise in this marina. Well, lets see
when we return to her LOL.
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| View from Dock |
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| Approaching thunderstorm |
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| It's nothing to see 60 fishing pangas come and go from this beach. Here you can buy fresh fish all day long |
On the 28th of June we rented a car and drove
out to Shelter Bay Marina to pick up our sunbrella fabric and any other thing
we needed for the island life. We also collected our money for the outboard we
sold and did ask the marina office why we had not been billed for our storage.
We were told that we had a pending issue and they put it on hold for that (they
are working on our refund money they still owe us, and we have left the marina
several months ago). It was great to see Carol and Greg, by the way Carol is
working the store again and has turned it into the Gourmet Tienda it used to be
when she ran it a few years back. There were no other cruisers there from our
time, all had left and the rest were spending rainy season in the US.
We drove back to the boat and left early in the morning
to Panama City with all our stuff to bring to the island. Did the needed
shopping, LOL, ran out of room in the car and had to drop all off at the hotel
before shopping for some more, plus returning the car. Back in the hotel we had
to pack and label everything. Sid got firsthand knowledge now what Deb and I do
when we are in town. It was funny I felt like being with Deb in town, except
this Deb had a mustache LOL.
Anita, Teri and friends had moved already into the hotel
and so did Melania. Yes they all came to see us take off for the ferry to
Contadora. Ida joined us later for dinner. It was a fun evening, everybody
enjoyed it.
6 am Sugar the bellboy knocked on the door and took all
our 2 hotel carts full of stuff down stairs and into the hotel bus and shuttles
us to the ferry just down the road.
Before everything goes on the ferry they check every bag
and every package. We had 12 boxes and suite cases so they charged us extra per
bag. The ferry left on time and we were told that if the Captain spots dolphins
or whales he will stop so that we can take photos. We were gone but 10 minutes
when he slowed down and we had whales right next to us, so kewl. The ferry by
the way is superfast, does up to 26 knots and is comfortable. 1 ½ hours later
we arrived in Contadora. We had soooo much stuff that the truck that drives all
luggage up the beach to a receiving area, kept our stuff on truck and drove it
all directly to the house, just on time before a major thunderstorm hit.
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| First dinner was a party with Giny and Werner's friends |
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| Sid grilling the lobster and Werner cutting his fresh baked bread |
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| Giny |
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| Road to house |
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| View from Patio |
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| Kitty, Browny and Elisabeth, 3 cats to feed, cuddle and schmooz up |
We were moved in and spent a wonderful week with Giny and
Werner getting to know the house and still catching up. They are the nicest
couple. I don’t think I have mentioned yet that we met them in 98 in the Sea of
Cortez at Thanksgiving in Agua Verde. Neither one of our two boats had a Thanksgiving
Turkey and barely any veggies and since I had just caught a nice size cabrilla
we invited them to a Thanksgiving Fish dinner. While in Mazatlan months later
we celebrated Xmas and New Years together and stayed in contact ever since and
here we are house sitting while they are in Oregon with family and friends
doing their doctor visits.
But the CLOD life I will save for later as we are still
here enjoying this different Paradise.
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