Happy Days

Since I last wrote the blog last week the weather seems to have got a lot better. We left the Lemon Keys for Puerto Linton which is a town 40 miles away and we did the formalities there. You anchor behind Isla Linton with 100 other boats and it is quite rolly with the swell wrapping around but unfortunately it is only one of the few good anchorages along this bit of coast. There is a good Marina that is reasonably priced(for Panama) and a little town. The town looks very quaint and beautiful from the anchorage and then you go ashore and it is a disaster with rubbish and crap everywhere, the Panamanians don't seem to be too worried. We went to Portobello 15 minutes away to get a few supplies and then I got a message from work saying I might be going back mid January so after going back and fourth with ideas what to do we decided to come back to the San Blas. I would have liked to go through the canal and leave the boat on the pacific side when I go back to work but it is just
ridiculously expensive over there, unbelievable so here we are.
We arrived just before Julie's birthday so we spent it in the Holandes Keys, very nice chilled out anchorage and we just cooked up lots of nice food and had a few drinks and filled the tanks from the rain:) On the way in though we did manage to put a little scratch on the bottom with a bombie, very lucky it wasn't worse but was just hard to see coming in the narrow channel.
Yesterday after anchoring in another bay we could see a beautiful 50ft Catamaran sinking so we rushed over to help. Turns out they come in at night doing 6kts into an area with lots of bombies and went over a couple with a big one at the stern that broke the saildrive for the propellor. The port hull was full of water, luckily the only hole was from the saildrive and they were also very lucky there was a few young guys in the anchorage to help anyway after a lot of messing around we managed to pull the whole engine out, saildrive and all, put it on the deck and patched the hole with a piece of wood. Then they pumped out out all the water, pushed of the bombie and floated back again and made there way back Linton to haul out, never a dull moment around here.
Anyway thought that we met some nice people, Brazilians, Spanish, Italians, Americans, quite a mix. There are a lot of young people with boats here that do charters for backpackers and seem to do very well out of it keeping there cruising kitty cashed up.

San Blasted

Welcome to the San Blas, torrential rain big squalls from all over the place and few good anchorages. We arrived on daylight but had to hang around 3 hours out the front for the rain to clear. Was funny on the way I saw some rain squalls on the radar at night and I was trying to chase them to give the boat a much needed wash, there was no need at all. 

We arrived at Porvenir Island where we thought you can check in with authorities but you can only get a visa there and not the rest of the permits ect so we have to sail further east 40nm to a town on mainland called Linton, we will next week. 

Had a look on the next island there is a little local village, friendly Kuna people living a simple life. Managed to get a couple of very basic supplies and a SIM card that seems to work every known again but internet is very limited. 

Porvenir anchorage is pretty exposed to the swells that come in and the next morning a big squall came through with plenty of rain that hit with force.  First the boat next to us dragged a little then a large 55ft steel motor sailer behind dragged straight onto the reef, well his stern was but his bow still into the wind. We started our engine, fired everything up and then the wind dropped a touch and I went over in the dinghy to lend a hand to the older French couple, a hell of a lot of boat to look after with 2 when it all goes pear shaped. Anyway we managed to pull it off with the anchor and then the engine and all seemed ok. I quickly jumped in my dinghy as the sight of the other boat dragging with his 6ft bow sprit he was motoring with anchor down and was swinging from side to side out of control and twice came Very close to us, time for us to get the hell out of there!! Again outside waiting for a couple of hours for the weather to slightly clear and then we made our way into East Lemon Keys Where we are now. 

Today the weather is better so far this morning but the last 2 were much the same, not a lot to do as you can't leave the boat for long. Went to try and get a fish at a couple of spots yesterday but only saw very small fish but lots of nice coral. Locals have been coming by in there dug outs selling lobster they call longastinas "baby lobster" and that's what they are, slightly smaller than big shrimp, big shame. 

Thought maybe Julie could stay on anchor here if I get called back to work but with this weather there's no way so we are trying to come up with a new plan. 

This place would be paradise in good weather, maybe next month but not now. 

I'm trying to find some patience, but it's hard:)

San Blas

Been a wet n' wild few days that's for sure. Had 25-30kts on the beam a couple of nights ago with some big greenies crashing over us, last night had it on the quarter and were surfing and tonight we have eased off for a daylight arrival, happy fecking days.
Surprisingly enough after pulling Sunflower to 1000 pieces over the refit all seems well, was a bloody good sea trial anyway. The new mast compression post base seems all good and everything that bit stiffer so that was definitely worth it, and no leaks except for the cockpit hatches that we need to replace the seal, and then new autopilot which really is awesome. Soon we will start the engine and go inside the passage, switch on the watermaker and fill the tank back up, ha still can't quite believe it, been quite some year.
We are both that crusty from all the salt spray so a good shower and some bacon and eggs and we will be good to go and do the formalities. From what I can gather Panama is going to be one of the most expensive countries we have visited with immigration , permits ect ect adding up to $500US but I think we will get our value out of these islands for sure, they really do look amazing, will let you know

Change of Plans

Well I finally cracked yesterday. Bashing to windward with Sunflower stalling with the current and waves we called it quits and altered course 20 degrees and will head for the San Blas Islands much more comfortable ride, the current on our port side so we are making a lot better speed and it's a lot more comfortable although still getting the odd wave crashing over us making a racquet. We were both excited about Colombia but it will have to wait.
Also had a life changing experience yesterday. In this shitty weather we find ourselves eating a lot of 2 minute noodles, try chopping up a bit of cabbage and boiling it with the noodles adding a touch of soy sauce and wallah, 3'minute feast:)
Between those and the 2 blocks of cheese and crackers I've eaten I'm looking foreword to a fresh fish BBQ I can tell you.
Well it's 3am now and so far haven't had a squall all night but no doubt writing this will jinx it for sure, so far so good. Although yesterday's sad run was just 104nm, today's should be a lot better. 265nm to the San Blas from here, hopefully Thursday morning arrival

Slow Progress

Been a frustrating few days that's for sure. Hard on the wind, pushing 1.5-2kts of current and then throw in a heap of never ending squalls and you get the idea?! Yesterday we had a 98nm day, day before 112, today will hopefully do a little better. The average wind has been about 15-17 kts which is ok but with all the squalls around we are sailing with 2 reefs in the main and a little bit of headsail, one of the squalls yesterday that looked like nothing, just a bit of grey misty rain not like some others that look like a mushroom bomb with that thick black defined line across, anyway it pretty well knocked us flat with over 40kts and vertical rain. Since then when we see a squall coming on the radar we drop the headsail and put the motor on for a short while and just go through it, not worth breaking anything. Normally we are down wind sailing and you are running with the squalls so you see less, but have them for longer. Now we see more but they are over quickly but there's not a lot of rest.
Anyway it's easier now as we just went through the Nicaraguan Rise Shoals and have now turned away 10 degrees and are heading straight for Cartagena Colombia which is just under 400nm away. The forecast is for the winds to pick up tomorrow but hopefully we should still be able to make our course of 145 we will see, trying not to get excited about Colombia just in case. Anyway we still have a little current against us but not that much at the moment so let's hope it stays that way.
So anyway here we are, bobbin like a cork wandering what the f*#k are we doing here:)
Will all be forgotten after that first beer ashore

Lots of current

Yesterday was a great day, each day we plot the position on the chart at noon and then can work out our 24 hour run and we make a guessing game of it and crack a beer. I guessed 141nm, Julie 148, we made good 147.6, was a great days sailing:)
With those miles we had a little bit of current against us but not much, last night though it hit us at least 1.5kts against us. Between that and a lot of rain around with squalls and wind from 5-25kts it was a real slow night. Today's run I reckon we will be lucky to make 110nm although now it is day light and we have taken out a reef and are doing a lot better, 6.5 through the water but only making 4.5-5kts good.
There's been a few ships around but not much else although a fair bit of bird action with fish around, shame it is too rough for us to tow a line at the moment, hence last night we had chicken stir fry:)
Everyone and everything is well aboard Sunflower

Cruising

From Placencia town we headed north to Tobacco Cay, a coconut covered little island with a few tourist huts that sits at the entrance to the reef about 70nm north of Guatemala where we left from. The weather was perfect and we snorkelled on the outside of the reef, lots of nice coral but hardly any decent sized fish which was a real let down.
We downloaded a really good forecast which promised NW winds for a few days which is generally unheard of here as it always seems to be E-NE. Our plan to head to Panama or maybe Colombia means First we have to head over 300 miles east to round the horn of Honduras and seeing as there has been a bit of trouble off there our plan was to be well offshore, which we are, 2 days out and been rolling and surfing down sloppy seas but making good easy miles and nearly due north and 100 miles north of the horn, definitely no dodgey fisherman in launches out here:)
The forecast is looking ok for the next few days and we will still keep trying to head east as much as possible to try to make Colombia which is 700nm east of where we left from but if it looks like we won't make that we will head for San Blas of worst case (still good) to Bocas Del Toro further west which is mainland Panama.
Hardly seen any shipping out here so it's been very quiet, letting the new autopilot do all the work and it's making it look easy. Cooked the last of our fish in a Thai curry last night which turned out to be a little spicier than I planned and besides that just trying to get into a sleep pattern with a couple of hours here and there, been so long it is taking us both a while to adjust I think.
Good to be sailing again!!

Escaped the Rio

Been a busy 10 days leading up to leaving the river. Installed the new Autopilot, finished installing the watermaker and a heap of other little jobs as well as storing up ready to leave. Also had to do a survey for our insurance which we did at our Friend Casey's place in Cayo Quemado, a magic quiet little place down the river.
Checking out wasn't as hard as we thought. After 3 months you have to extend your cruising permit which we didn't do choosing to pay the fine which we were sceptical about. The permit is $150, earlier in the year we asked customs what the fine is, $300 but you get a 75% discount so it will only be $75?! We weren't convinced but went with it and when it did come time to check out $75 was all we paid for customs, $40 for harbour master and $10 per person at immigration. I'm saying this as most people use the local Agent here and he charges a LOT more for his fees and it really wasn't hard at all although Julie does speak Spanish.
We also did a bit of a survey in the dinghy over the sand bar with our portable depth sounder, figured it's shallow right across so the waypoints don't matter a hell of a lot. We went on a spring tide at 67cm (supposedly) very nervously. We hung the dinghy with 100 litres of water from the spinnaker pole to give us a bit of a list to port and the plan was to hit it fast and that's what we did. 5 knots and there was a little bit of chop with the sea breeze and as soon as we started touching I gave it full power and we only slowed to 3.5kts pushing on through the mud, not a nice feeling as it was in the dark but we made it through, stoked!! After packing up the dinghy we motored north 25 miles following a previous track and anchored at midnight at the Bedford Cays in Belize. The next day we sorted a problem with the plumbing for the watermaker and it is now all working fine, very happy. I also managed to find time to spear 2 very nice red snapper which we've been eating the las
t few days.
We then carried on to Placencia and got wifi and a few more stores and downloaded a great grib file weather forecast that looks like we have a good window to leave Wednesday/Thursday for Panama or maybe Colombia? So we are heading north now to exit the Barrier reef and will also put us well north of Honduras where there has been a lot of trouble with piracy so our plan is to spend an extra few days at sea and keep well clear.
So now we wait a few days and hopefully catch a few more fish:)
And happy to report the Simrad Nac-3 autopilot is amazing and the watermaker seems to be making 25litres of very tasty water per hour and Julie's patience with me rushing about is just about holding out!!
Update-Julie just swam with dolphins and is super happy

Varnishing

Once you launch after a big refit you start looking at everything else and it really does your head in, for us it was the varnish. We struggled to get the motivation and got a couple of quotes from people to strip all the outside varnish for us, but while getting the quotes we realised we were shit sick of dealing with workers and what the hell are we thinking let's just get on with it and do it ourselves. After some advise from the old owners we used a paint stripped called "Peel Away" a citric based stripper that didn't hurt your hands or seem to damage the 2 pack paint although we were very careful with it and it did cause a fair bit of stress at the start! Once we got the hang of it though it couldn't have been easier and we had all the outside wood stripped and sanded in 3 days so it wasn't too bad at all. We thought we would give the most expensive varnish in the world a go, Awlgrips Awlwood. You first apply a primer which is also sort of a varnish that goes super hard and you can put a few coats of that on over a few days and sand a lot of the holes out and it comes out pretty good. Then the actual varnish goes on really nice and "we"(I'm not allowed to hold a brush) managed to put 3 coats on a day for 4 days and she came up very nice and shiny indeed. In total I think it was less than 10 days work and only the first 3 were hard days and even those had a few beers in between so all in all it was a lot easier than we thought it would be thanks to the paint stripper and hopefully it will last another 10 years before it all has to be totally stripped again. 

Once that was finished it was time to find a marina and pack up Sunflower and we both flew to Bali for my sister's wedding which was absolutely beautiful. Not long after arriving I was of course called by work to get back to Aus so I had to cut my trip short but luckily Julie could stay on for another week. She's now back onboard for the last month and I'm due to fly back next week so it's happy days. On the 18th of November there is a high tide and we should be able to get out of the river without  scratching up the bottom over the sandbar so that will give us 10 days once I'm back to get ready. Will be busy as we have a few things to do including fitting a new autopilot but I'm sure we can do it no problem, then maybe back to Belize and catch a few fish while waiting for a good weather window to head for Panama, that's the plan for now anyway ;)

Stripping

sanding

The Shine:)

Finally Floating

After nearly 7 months we are finally floating again, it was a long slog that's for sure but these things always take longer than expected, right??? 3 months it took the yard to paint the topsides/deck and mast. It was a long time for sure, but as with paint you never seem to get it right the first time, well in this case it was, that's for sure. Whether it's a run, overspray, dirty fingers and of course the weather but one thing is for sure Sunflower is well protected with all the paint on her! We are very happy with the end result that finally arose anyway. While they were painting it wasn't all sitting around for us either, we were flat out stripping the mast, polishing all mast and deck fittings, re bedding all fittings and windows, sorting out toe rail the list goes on. Also inside we took out the mast compression post, strengthened its base, new wood and more support for it to sit on, while we were there may as well paint the bilge, take the water tanks out, paint the floorboards oh and while the windows are out paint the ceiling the list just goes on.

The day after the 3rd and final attempt of the topsides getting painted and we were all happy I got a call from work and we had to pack up and head out the next day, perfect timing but a mad rush all the same. Julie went home to Argentina and I flew to Perth and then went to sea for 6 weeks which was a great cash injection as we had certainly been chewing it up. 

The bottom was sandblasted as soon as we were hauled so when we returned after nearly 6 months sitting she was definitely dry and good to go. Sandblasting left a pretty rough surface so we got a couple of guys to sand it back a bit (very itchy job!) and then we finished the rest. Big process, doing little sections at a time, like 3sq metres. First a coat of West System epoxy resin to the taped off area, let it go tacky (about half an hour) then mix epoxy resin with a filler called colloidal silica till it's like peanut butter and then trowel it on filling the holes, then a second and sometimes 3rd go all going on wet on tacky. When you have a couple of areas going on at once you can't really stop all day, especially in the heat of the day it all dries faster and your running around like a madman covered in epoxy, not much fun at all and hats off to Julie who was a star. The end result is a super strong finish that protects the fibreglass really well. The thing that's not good though is how hard it is to sand! So we got the yard guys back for a couple of days to sand and fair that back and then we carried on bogging some more to places that needed it and then more sanding and more bogging, could go on forever really but we got it pretty good. Once finished they lifted us and moved chocking under the keel and we did that and then 4 coats of Interprotect went on. Interprotect is an epoxy paint with some additive that protects water ingress that happens over time and gets into the fibreglass and causes osmosis. Once that has dried a week and all the solvents are cured it was time for Coppercoat, Coppercoat is another type of water based epoxy that you get in a 1 litre kit plus 2kg of copper powder. You mix this kit together and roll it on doing 5 coats in 6 hours with 3 of us working flat out. Once it's dried after about 3 days you then sand it and you basically have a supper hard, smooth copper bottom that lasts for 10 years all going well. It's more expensive than traditional antifouling paint but pays for itself after a few years of not having to haul out and pay all those bills once again. You can dive on the bottom and scrub without losing all your expensive paint!

The downside of this is it's waterbased and takes so long to dry, any rain for the first 24hours and you will have big runs that will eat right through. Guatemala is anything but dry, one of the wettest countries on the planet and we are trying to do this mid wet season! We waited and waited for what looked like might be a dry night on the forecasts but it didn't happen so we built a waterproof tent and went for it. We said if it looks good in the morning let's go for it. No rain the night before and clear sky's we had the first coat on before 8am, then just before lunch the clouds rolled in and the sky's opened up 30knts of wind and lightning and thunder to boot, worst bloody day we have had, you just never know here funny things happen in just half an hour with all these mountains around. Anyway our tent held up well and we were fine, just the blood pressure well high. 

Another high blood pressure moment was putting back the mast, not a great feeling but that all went well. Then a night later we had a LOT of rain and wind and we had a BIG leak inside from the mast support. I nearly cried, gut wrenching on the brink of throwing up. We had put shitloads of silicone, how did we miss that spot??! Drove me mad, re siliconed the bolts and then I saw a bit of sand out a drain hole. They sandblasted the mast, you idiot it's just full of sand! I thought we had got it all out but obviously not. So we drilled the drain holes out a little larger and then with the hose just kept flushing inside the mast out for a couple of hours and then waiting nervously for the rain. We were good, not a drop, those visions of taking the mast back off and putting a tiny dob of silicone on were gone:) 

Another big job has been installing the watermaker, same old story may as well paint the back hatch then that leads to something else and the list goes on.... Anyway that is finished and seems to be working although it is hard to say for sure as we are in fresh water here but I think it's good.

So it's been a long slog for sure but now we are good to go to the Pacific and "hopefully" our maintenance bills are not so big for the next few years. 

We will stay in Guatemala until probably November and then sail on to Panama or Colombia once the weather is good, that's the plan anyway. 

Just like to say Julie you are a star, thanks for all your effort and patience!!xxx

Slow process!!

But now we have topsides and shiny copper bottom!

More shine

Shit everywhere!!

2 pack varnish came up a treat

Stripped

Deck finished

Starting the epoxy sections

The home straight, rolling on the Coppercoat 

Watermaker 

All seems to be working!

Trying to sell a load of our unwanted treasures at the swap meet!

Finally back on anchor!!!

Refit Time

This might sound very boring for some.....

We're in the thick of it now, that's for sure but it started 3 weeks ago just after we arrived. There are 3 boatyards here in Rio Dulce that can haul you out. We wanted to do the work in RAM Marina but got quotes from people in the other 2 first to compare. After buying all the paints in the USA to bring here before we arrived I had an email from the American owner of the yard here saying we had to use their products for the paint job so didn't have much hope of being able to do it in RAM. After a meeting though with the Manager Karen and a talk with the head painter this ended up not being a problem and when the quote was given we were super happy as it was just in our budget and this is a very professional place. As they are a one stop shop so to speak they could do us a bundle on everything including-removal of mast, sandblast off all old bottom paint back to bare glass, paint topsides, deck and sandblast mast and paint, haul out and handstand fees and even included accommodations in a share house they have for the time it takes to complete the job.

Taking off the mast was an eye opener, they strapped 3 telephone poles to the travel lift with some pulleys and man power but it worked real well!! Next was the haul out and sandblasting, that took nearly 5 days of real dusty going but it came up well. We had some osmosis blisters but it wasn't too bad at all and now we are back to a bare base it can dry quicker and we can start fresh with huge amounts of epoxy to go back on but it will be all good in the end. Next they moved us back to the concrete work area and the boys started preparing the deck for painting. They estimated 3 weeks for the deck and I thought the work ethic would be pretty casual but we are REALLY surprised they are into it flat out and are doing a great job, really getting into every detail including a lot of epoxy and fibreglassing work I didn't think was so necessary but great all the same like new glass pads for stanchions and staysail and strengthening other areas they really are getting stuck into it, it's amazing to watch and to think we can actually afford to have all this work done on our budget Sunflower will be new once again........

Not for a while though, at least another 6 weeks to finish the painting, then we have the bottom to do also and put the stripped mast back together and back on. Also a lot of other jobs, a big one was we got the mast compression post out from inside and will strengthen that and put a new wooden base for it to sit on so at the moment the floors are all stripped from inside and we will also varnish them. Then there is a leaking stainless water tank that's pulled out, prop to rebuild, cutlass bearing, maybe drop the rudder and a lot of other little stainless repairs, yep we fricken flat out!! Not to mention every deck fitting we pulled out to polish and clean up the nuts and bolts, we have a hell of a lot to do but will get there in the end but at the moment it's just one big mess!! 

The weather has been great for nearly a week  now with no rain and that makes for great progress but the heat is right up there also so we normally take a couple of hours for lunch and have a beer and get stuck back into it later on. 

Our French friends left today on Syrah so that was a bit sad as it's been great fun hanging out with them in the evenings.  So now we will just carry on chipping away and will update in a couple of weeks when hopefully the deck is all painted.

Taking off the mast

Stress is just about over

Sandblasting 

Getting ready for painting

We stripped the deck for them to paint

Progress 

Lots of epoxy

We will redesign and strengthen mast base

Our workstation 

Goodbyes to the French 

Guatemala

Guatemala, it's bloody amazing!! Well we have only been here just over 2 weeks now but are absolutely loving it. We arrived at the sandbar at the entrance of the Rio Dulce river just before sunrise to go in on the high tide. We draw just under 2m and had a 54cm tide and from the waypoints we found online chanced it and went in but not long after we're pushing through the mud. A nice fisherman came alongside for a little support and said we were in the deeper water but that didn't help much!! We committed, gave it shit and pushed on through for 400m,down at one stage to .5kt just making way we could feel it was just mud but we made it anyway. When we leave next time I will have to do some serious survey in the dinghy beforehand that's for sure! By the look of the worn antifoul we pushed through maybe 20cm deep mud.

There are a LOT of stories about Guatemala and lots of them are not so good, a bit like Madagascar and that was one of our favourite places. It's funny the more 3rd world you go a lot of the time the more friendly the people are but sure you can also find yourself in trouble if you're in the wrong places or not so careful! But so far we couldn't be happier to be here. 

Checking in with Customs ect in Livingstone was super easy with the help of the local agent Raul, all done very quickly with the officials really polite and friendly not asking for any bribes or trying to rip us off. Livingstone is the mouth of the river Dulce and  mainly makes its way from the fishing fleet, it is nice enough place for the day with a few local bars and restaurants but not a lot else to do there and apparently not the place to stay overnight as a few boats have had stuff stolen of their deck while asleep.

Heading up to Rio Dulce town is about 25nm up the river and the scenery is just spectacular. Big green canyons on either side for the first 7 miles with loads of birds and fisherman it's really stunning. Then the river opens up wide and before long you're in the first main town Rio Dulce. Everyone gets around by water rather than car it seems and they all wave and are genuinely nice which leaves a smile on my face. The town must have 10+ little marinas, a lot of yachts just anchored also and then 3 boatyard's you can haul and do work in. The main town is small and a little chaotic but has lots of rustic charm for sure, loads of little stores selling everything you need including the freshest and nicest vegetables we have seen for a real long time. There's a couple of really good little hardware stores for the gear we need and also a couple of real nice little bars on the water, one we have become very familiar with "Sundog Cafe" has it's own jetty we can safely leave the dinghy. My Spanish is coming along well, I'm the second week into having lessons each morning at Sundog which I'm really enjoying.

Now we are full on into a refit and will post some more pics of that soon

Livingstone 

Coming into the canyon 

Belize Islands

The last 3 weeks we have been island hopping 120nm down the coast stopping in lots of different spots. The first 2 weeks we had plenty of wind and a fair amount of rain so most of the times we were hidden in the mangroves. The fishing has been mixed, not a lot of big fish around at all but still manage to always get a feed which is great and most of the time we can find lobsters so we have been eating pretty well for sure. Anchored at the Colson Cays for a few days and there were a lot of Blue Holes, just a big hole that has dropped right down with massive cracks running sometimes for 50m with lobsters wedged inside it was pretty cool.

We met a nice French family on Syrah and have hung out and fished a lot with which has been fun. Placencia was the last town we stopped in, well actually only the second town we had been to and was nice enough for a couple of days to have a look around and meet a few cruisers who like to hang there. There's not many yachts at all in this part of the world which is surprising although with the high fees, prices and not that many nice beaches maybe it's not all surprises. Maybe when the weather is better next month and you can hang out at the reef it would be perfect but December and January are probably not the best but it was still well worth it to finally eat fresh fish again!! Now we have just arrived in Guatemala and it's bloody amazing, completely different to be in the jungle😀