Thursday, June 3, 2010 – Isla Coiba, Panama

Light rain and very rough seas continued into the morning hours. Gale was still feeling a bit queasy and promised to wear a seasickness patch for the next crossing. Our plan was to anchor off Isla Jicarita with Isla Jicaron as our second choice, however, because of strong southwesterly winds, we continued north to Isla Coiba where we found a protected anchorage on the northern tip of the island and dropped the hook around 4 pm. Even though it was raining, we splashed the dinghy and took the dogs to the beach for a swim and a run. As we were preparing to return to the boat, a park ranger came by in a small panga and told us we needed to register at the park office. We had chosen this particular spot because the guidebook indicated that if we stayed at some of the other designated anchorages, there would be a fee. Evidently this was still a part of the fee area and we had to cough up $100 to pause here even though we told them we were leaving shortly after midnight!! Oh well, we did get a few hours of needed rest.