Thursday, May 27, 2010 - Shelter Bay Marina, Colon, Panama

Gale and Maureen were both up at 5:30 am for Gale’s shift. We could see land, lights and many large ships waiting at anchor for their turn through the canal. We arrived outside the harbor about 6:30 am and were allowed immediate passage through the breakwater and into the Shelter Bay Marina at Ft. Sherman Point where we tied up to the dock at 8 am. Our agent, Tina McBride, had made arrangements to have Dracula, her representative, meet us at the dock. Yes, “Dracula” is the name he answers to – his given name is Hensley.

We had a little trouble raising anyone at the marina, but eventually someone came by and we were given a slip assignment. Before settling into the slip, Gale maneuvered the boat over to the fuel barge to “top off” the tanks with over 600 gallons of diesel. After fueling, he did an expert job of backing the boat up into the slip.


The day was sunny and hot – we were all sweating pretty good by the time we had the boat secured, the power connected and the water lines hooked up. It wasn’t long before an official from the canal came aboard. Since Adventure had already been through the canal once before, the measurements were all on record and our passage could be officially scheduled.


We relaxed with lunch at the marina restaurant and then decided to put on our swimming suits for a refreshing dip in the pool.

It was nearly sunset when Dracula returned with our Customs and Immigration clearances. He stayed to share a couple of cocktails with us and then promised to return in the morning at 8 am to take us sightseeing for the day. Gale, Maureen, Mark and Diane enjoyed dinner on the boat, danced to music from our iPods and brought out the “band in a box” before retiring for the night.

Monday, May 24 to Thursday, May 27, 2010 – At Sea

Since all the systems had been checked early Monday, we were ready to depart very quickly and had the anchor up by 2:45 pm. Several of the locals waved and hollered farewell to us as we motored out of the harbor at the beginning of a very long journey.



The passage to Panama was approximately 580 nautical miles or about 670 statute miles. We had a delightful start to the run with fairly calm seas and a warm breeze. The mountains of Jamaica made a beautiful backdrop. And, just as the sun was setting, we snagged a fish on one of the trolling lines. Mark reeled it in to find a barracuda, so the line was cut and we let it go. Just as we were getting settled in again, there was another fish on the line. This time Gale reeled in a big dolphin fish (mahi mahi). We were all very excited to have fresh fish again.



The journey was long and, at times, very rough. No one got sick to their stomachs along the way; however, we did “lie low,” for the most part, unless we were at the helm. The captains rotated with 3-hour shifts throughout the 65-hour passage. Gale had the first shift as we left Jamaica and the last shift as we entered Panama.

The last photo is of a flying fish. On Thursday morning we woke to find two of these unfortunate creatures who had misjudged their landing!!

Monday, May 24, 2010 - Port Antonio, Jamaica

We awoke to a sunnier day than the last two. There was a lot of activity at the marina dock as the 60-foot sailboats made their preparations to begin the final leg of their race around the world. About 8:30 am, Gale, Maureen and Big Lucy (we call her ‘Big L’ now) went out for a dinghy ride to explore a little bit more of the harbor. We also wanted to let Lucy swim for awhile to burn off some of her excess energy after being cooped up in the boat for so many days.

Just before 10 am, we went back to pick up Little Lucy and then motored out into the harbor again to take pictures of the sailboats as they left the dock. The ten clippers left one at a time which provided ample photo opportunities. The plan was




to rendezvous outside the harbor and then spend a few hours getting used to the boats and getting ready for the 2 pm race start. As mentioned in a previous entry, there are seven legs to this race and the seventh and final leg began in Port Antonio. Sailors sign up for one or more legs at a personal cost of $12,000 per person, per leg. The race will end in New York.

After the boats were out of the harbor, we splashed both dinghies and set out to find the “famous” Blue Lagoon where the movie of the same name was filmed many years ago. Brooke Shields was the female lead in that movie and she was a young teen at the time. We stopped two or three times to find out if we were on the right track to the lagoon and heard more than once, “it’s just around the next point.” After a few such points, we were finally rewarded in our search and came upon the lovely setting. There were a couple of entrepreneurs there with their bamboo rafts taking people for romantic rides around the lagoon. We stayed in our own boats and explored the small area on our own.






Fletcher, a guy at the Blue Lagoon who was building a floating bamboo barge, told us that if we wanted to take the dogs to a nice beach, we should continue on “around the next point.” We followed his directions and found an abandoned resort with a nice beach. Evidently, this was not the beach he referred us to since the security guard said it was closed and we were not allowed ashore. We asked about a beach and she directed us “around the next point” where we did find a public beach and a spot to let the dogs run for a few minutes.

Back aboard the dinghies, we decided it was time to head back to the harbor – the only problem? – the 16-foot dinghy wouldn’t crank over! We had experienced problems starting the dinghy several times since leaving Stuart, but had always been able to get it going again. No worries, Mon, we simply towed the big dinghy behind the little dinghy and set out. Away from the shoreline, we could see that the race had not yet started and the boats were circling around all vying to be in the best starting position when the gun went off. When we were about halfway back, Mark and Jim hollered to let us know that they got their dinghy started. Gale and Maureen untied the towing line and both the small boats went back under their own power.


By 2:15 pm we were safely aboard Adventure where we racked the dinghies and prepared to leave for Jamaica.

Sunday, May 23, 2010 - Port Antonio, Jamaica

The morning was spent on the internet taking care of business and catching up on the blog. For lunch, we stopped at the Russian restaurant on the marina grounds where Gale and Maureen shared a lamb kebob and a bowl of borscht – both were excellent.






After lunch, George, the marina dockmaster, had arranged for a driver to take us to Somerset Falls. We had seen pictures of people sliding down waterfalls at Reach Falls but since that particular attraction was about an hour away and Somerset Falls was only about a fifteen minute drive, we opted for the latter. We were a bit disappointed with Somerset Falls – it was very commercialized and not something you could actually slide down. We were taken to the falls in a little plastic boat even though we could see it fairly well without the boat ride. We took a few pictures and left about 20 minutes later.

Our driver, Harry, offered to take us to one of his favorite local bars. There we met the mayor of Port Antonio, ordered four drinks and talked to a few of the locals. The cost for two beers, one mixed drink and one flavored water was only $7 – the same order at the marina would probably have been closer to $20!



We didn’t linger long at the bar as we had to get back to the boat for dinner. We had a date with Donovan, the man who took us through the fresh produce market and the supermarket on Friday. He had offered to cook us a nice dinner on the boat. He brought saltfish, pumpkin and akee’n (a kind of fruit) which he made up for us in the Jamaican style. Diane also put on some rice and vegetables while Gale cooked some of the mahi mahi on the grill. We enjoyed a late meal out on the upper aft deck.



Following dinner, Mark brought out the “Band in a Box” and the party continued.

Saturday, May 22, 2010 - Port Antonio, Jamaica

At 10 am we were at the marina office awaiting our ride to the Rio Grande for our “must do” rafting excursion on the river. Albert, who was recommended to us by George, the dockmaster, arrived with his van and a driver to take us up the mountain to his raft. The skies were overcast and the temperature in the mid 80’s – a very pleasant start for the day.

The ride up the mountain was an adventure in itself! In Jamaica, the cars drive on the left side of the road – add to that a very narrow and curvy mountain road with homes and businesses only a few feet away, people, bicycles, goats, dogs and parked








cars on the edges of the road and oncoming traffic driving fast! We were all very glad we wouldn’t have to make that trek again. At the launching site, we were directed to the stairs that would take us down to the river and the raft. Some of us were feeling a little nervous and a bit vulnerable as we looked around; but it wasn’t long before we oriented ourselves to how the excursion was to work. We waited a few minutes for the second raft and its captain to arrive. In the meantime, we took a few pictures as a light rain began to fall.

Gale, Maureen and Jim were seated on Albert’s raft while Mark and Diane rode with Reed on his raft. Even though it rained the entire time, it was a warm rain and we loved the leisurely trip down the river. The scenery was spectacular with the high bluffs, lush rain forest and clean water. The only wilidlife we saw were a few shore birds. The river was very shallow – sometimes only 3 or 4 inches deep – exactly what the rafts were built for. Each raft was made of several 20-foot lengths of bamboo with a bamboo chair big enough for two people. Albert’s raft even had two cupholders!

After more than an hour into our ride, Albert and Reed beached the rafts and encouraged us to go to shore. We found two ladies cooking up a wonderful riverside Jamaican lunch. We enjoyed chicken, crayfish, dumplings, rice and beans, bok choy and roasted breadfruit with the local beer, Red Stripe, for a beverage or soda in 7 ounce bottles. If a visitor was looking for a little something to smoke after lunch, the local “tobacco” was also available. One of the ladies had Jamaican made crafts for sale and we picked up a few of her items as souvenirs including necklaces, a set of coasters and wooden mortar and pestles.

After lunch, we hopped back on the rafts and Albert and Reed took us down river another hour or so before they dropped us off at the end of the line where our driver was waiting to take us back to town.

Gale and Maureen were in bed very early that evening. The rest of the crew went to shore and enjoyed a little of the night life.

Friday, May 21, 2010 - Port Antonio, Jamaica

The first thing we had to do today was clear Immigration. Captains Mark and Jim went in to the marina office to take care of this process while Diane, Gale and Maureen remained on the boat. Also, remaining on the boat were the two Lucys – they were not allowed to go to shore in Jamaica for any reason. The Dept of Health official had told us that if we were caught with the dogs on shore, they would be taken from us and put to sleep!

When Mark and Jim returned, it was time to move the boat over to the fuel dock and take on nearly 1,000 gallons of diesel fuel. We were sure we had enough fuel to get to Panama, but it is always a good idea to take on clean fuel whenever the opportunity arises.




After fueling, we took the dinghies to the marina dock where Donovan, one of the locals we had met yesterday, met us and escorted us to the market. It was a short walk, but we entered an entirely different world reminiscent of many Third World markets found in Thailand, Mexico and other places around the globe. Donovan took us to his favorite vendors to buy fresh produce and coffee and then guided us to the “Supermarket” where we were able to pick up milk, cheese, wine and a few other items for the pantry. We were glad we had someone to take us through the maze of people, goods and traffic.

Speaking of traffic – we were glad we weren’t driving anywhere!! The streets were narrow, crowded with people and vehicles and everyone was driving fast, honking their horns with speakers blaring. Not very serene, to say the least!

Donovan led us back to the marina and promised to find us some Jamaican jerk chicken for our evening meal. True to his word, in another hour or so, Donovan had paddled out to Adventure with a whole chicken that was hot and ready to eat. Along with the jerk chicken, Diane had prepared shrimp stir fry – it was a very tasty meal.

After dinner, we got “dressed up” and headed back to the marina for a party given for the sailors. There was an open bar, banquet tables filled with food and sweets and people from all over the world we found very interesting to visit with.

Thursday, May 20, 2010 – Port Antonio, Jamaica

After 395 nautical miles and 43 hours at sea, we arrived at Port Antonio, Jamaica, at 9:30 am where a beautiful paradise of palm trees, sand beaches, clear blue waters, the Blue Mountains in the background and colorful buildings greeted us. We had hoped to stay at the Errol Flynn Marina; however, the marina was full of large, beautiful sailboats that were taking part in a year-long “Round the World” race. Port Antonio was the port for the sixth leg of the race where the sailors were resting up and enjoying the Jamaican sun before the seventh and final leg to New York. No worries, Mon - we simply dropped the anchor right outside the marina where we had a great view of the harbor.

Errol Flynn used to own the island across the harbor from where we were anchored and had a home there; in fact, his widow still lives in Port Antonio! The town is home to about 10,000 residents and is a very busy little village. The jobs are scarce so it seemed that everyone was out hustling in any way they could to try to make a dollar. As soon as we were anchored, we were approached by some of the local entrepreneurs who motored or paddled over to sell their services or their wares.

We could not leave the boat until we were cleared in by the official from the Department of Health and Agriculture. It wasn’t long before he arrived by boat to check our paperwork, look through a few cupboards and peek inside the refrigerators. When he gave us the OK, we loaded up in our dinghies and headed to the marina office where we cleared Customs. The Immigration people weren’t around, so we were told we had to see them tomorrow.


After Customs, we walked over to one of the restaurants in the marina and enjoyed a wonderful Jamaican “salad” as we sat next to the beach and watched a few of the locals swimming and playing. The “salad” was actually seasoned and grilled chicken garnished with a few curly carrots – not what we expected, but good, all the same.

Following lunch, we went back to the boat and Gale and Maureen changed into their swimsuits and dinghied back to the beach for a little dip before supper. While at the beach, the sky clouded up and we received a small rain shower. Instead of seeking shelter, we stayed in the water and enjoyed the warm rain and respite from the sun.

Tues & Wed, May 18-19, 2010 - Crossing from Bahamas to Jamaica

The reason for stopping in Clarence Town was to officially clear out of the Bahamas as we had been instructed to do by someone at the marina we were headed for in Jamaica. As it turned out, the Bahamian officials told us it was an unnecessary step but accommodated our request, just in case. We waited most of the day for the customs guy to arrive and in the meantime we walked around town, bought some fresh fruit and had breakfast at one of the marinas.

At 2:30 pm, we untied from the dock and began our long journey to Jamaica. The three captains had agreed to shifts of 3 hours on and 6 hours off. Captain Jim took the first shift, Gale went on at 6 pm and Mark took the 9 pm rotation. The passage was rather rough averaging 4 to 5 foot seas with occasional waves of 6 to 7 to 8 feet high. There was a period of a few hours on Wednesday afternoon and evening when the seas were nearly calm; however, later in the evening, they churned up again.