Hotel Windfall is open for business!

Ahh...Smooth sailing! This is what Admiral "Aunt Nancy" likes!!

     Nancy's niece Christine, and her boyfriend Soham, came aboard Windfall currently anchored at Bocas del Toro Panama to visit, relax, sail, and snorkel with us. We think this blog may have had a little to do with making their decision to come easier.
     We met Christine and Soham at the HUGE Bocas airport, and within minutes we were aboard Windfall unpacking the items we  had them bring down...nobody comes to Windfall empty-handed!
      After an introductory Balboa beer and great food served at the Bocas Cantena we made plans for the few days they have aboard. So,the next morning at the crack of ohhh...lets say...10 O'clock... we raised anchor, and set the mainsail. Light winds prevailed so we set our course and motorsailed toward the beautiful Zapatilla Islands. 
     It's the Leatherback Turtle's egg-laying season. Four of the worlds eight breeds of sea turtles lay eggs on the beaches in the Bocas area.
     The weather gods were smiling as we set anchor in crystal clear 84 degree Caribbean water and jumped in. The water was smooth as glass as we dropped the dinghy anchor in the white sand 10 feet below....Perfect! This is Christine and Soham's first time snorkeling and no better place to start than right here and right now! After a quick lesson of..breath in...breath out...Yep! You've got it! Lets Go! They were soon snorkeling like pros. We snorkeled till we were exhausted. 
      The Zapatilla Park Rangers came out and asked if we anchor tonight to please reduce our cabin lights and to not use our anchor light so not to scare the turtles. "No problema," we replied. We could see the red flashlights of the Turtle Conservatory volunteers working on the beach and searching for the turtle eggs. They take it very seriously here.
     That afternoon, with a soft tropic Caribbean breeze blowing, Christine and Soham walked the island  hand in hand as they enjoyed time alone...a little romantic time together is always nice. I picked them up at the beach at sunset and returned to Windfall sitting peacefully at anchor in the mirrored glass water. After a few cold Balboa beers, Nancy made her (now famous) Chicken Satay (peanut sauce with chicken and rice). That evening we sat in the dim lit cockpit with a nice breeze, cold beverage, enjoying the wonderful quite of the Caribbean water splashing gently against the side of Windfall.

Christine getting her first sailing lesson from Aunt Nancy.             

"Captain Christine" at the helm. She has Windfall sailing with mainsail and jib full of 20 knot wind, and heeled 15 degrees!         Nice job Christine!!

     The next day we decided to sail to Dolphin Bay....but the weather gods were sneaky. First they allowed us to sail in beautiful 15-20 knot winds with calm water....Christine and Soham took turns at the helm as we taught basic sailing skills and noticed the winds were picking up. As we crossed the open water toward Dolphin Bay the waves were short choppy and 3-4 feet. NOT what we wanted for our new crew...and hoping "Mal de Mar" (sea sickness) wouldn't show up. We laughed back at the gods as we entered calm Dolphin Bay and dropped anchor in protected water! Ha! Take THAT weather gods!
     With the water calling us to come on in, we jumped in near the mangroves and swam along the colorful coral and fishes. A great day was had by all.  We spotted a couple of dolphins nearby and we went to investigate with snorkels and fins in hand. Gulp! This was a "little" un-nerving for Christine and Soham. They slipped over the side of the dinghy and into the water where they couldn't see the bottom (80-90 feet deep). But, they did great and passed the test with flying colors! No dolphins came near enough to "play" with us...but they were close enough that you could hear their "clicks" of communication in the water!

Three dolphins coming toward the dinghy!

     With our new crew, experienced, and having sailed in "rough" water and near 30 knot winds, we pronounced them as TRUE crew members of Windfall! As an initiation, we just had to show them the movie EVERY sailboat has aboard...."Captain Ron" with Kurt Russel and Martin Short. This is a MUST see comedy for anyone wanting to sail!
     The next day the weather gods were smiling upon the crew of Windfall, we saw a few dolphins in the bay, but decided to dinghy 3 miles to another bay in search of more dolphins to swim with. No luck! BUT...we did find a great place to snorkel with awesome corals, colorful fish, sea anemones, and hundreds of fish hiding in the mangrove roots along the shore. We spent a couple hours just swimming in the tiny cove.

         On our return to Windfall, we spotted dolphins jumping and surfacing near us! Soon, we were in the water....a "little" nervousness was had by our new crew as they jumped into the deep water with dolphins, but brave they were! Soham saw one dolphin below as we swam in the deep water.

      On their last day aboard Windfall Christine and Soham went to the Oreba organic chocolate farm for a wonderful sunny day adventure.  Then, sadly, they returned to pack for the 5P.M. return flight back to Panama City and then Florida. We know they'll be a little slower at work and school as they daydream of snorkeling the warm Caribbean water and snacking on a delicious piece of Oreba Chocolate.....Mmm-Mmm! I think I'll have a piece right now! 

     We are loving the Bocas area, exploring new bays and coves, and enjoying life aboard Windfall...THIS is why we sail!

Enjoy the pictures!

Snorkel time! This is how we roll!

"Expert snorkeler" Christine in action!

 Soham is a natural at snorkeling! Hope the watch is waterproof!

Sam snorkeling 15 feet below and near huge coral

Nancy spotted and Sam retrieved this beautiful live Conch

"Snorkel talking" to each other.....Only they can understand what is being said! "Huu huu huu.. Hum?? Brrr...mumble"  

    Whew! We've been busy doing a few repairs (normal for a cruising boat) and getting in some local adventures as well.

    Nancy helped Rick and Sue (SV Moonshine) as they got ready to leave for home in New York, Nancy sewed a cover for an air conditioner to vent into the hatch and help keep the humidity down as well. Rick had Nancy "Miss Windfall" sign the newest edition of Cruising Outpost as Nancy is one of it's centerfold pictures! Congrats to my Centerfold girl, Nancy! 

 

Nice job Sue and Nancy, that looks like a Professional made it!

    Made special for the Bocas Fire Department a classic 1928 fire pumper-truck. This "special" pumper-truck carries a full copper pump, copper tank, and copper pipes to pump salty sea water to the fire. (note the wood spoke wheels and hard tires)

   For Windfall, Nancy has made a nice Sun shade / Water catchment to to help cool the inside of the boat AND catch the rain water to fill our water tanks during the rainy times. This works great! And, to help keep the inside of the boat cool she made a wind catcher to direct the breeze into the V-birth hatch. Mike and Janet said it worked great while they were aboard...except when it rained and they had to close the hatch! We're looking for a new design to let wind in yet keep the rain out.

Sun shade/Water catchment (under the boom) and wind catcher for the front hatch. (Those are our bikes in the blue bags).

 Colorful Wounaan treasures that Nancy keeps on display inside Windfall

     We took a trip to the Finca los Monos (The Monkey Farm) Botanical Garden, a 30 acre area filled with plants from all over the world. It was beautiful with the flowers, trees, and many ginger plants, some ginger is eatable while others are just beautiful to look at.The Monkey Farm was true to it's name, we spotted several groups of Howler Monkeys, one with a new baby. With a sharp eye out, we spotted a couple Sloths lounging in the crook  a very tall tree about 70 feet up in the air, one Sloth had a small baby hanging on for dear life I'm sure!

Garden owner, Lynn, guided us on a two hour tour of the gardens, she has an experienced crew to help tend the gardens

Damage from a Rhinoceros beetle to a palm tree

A pretty Torch Ginger flower

Passion Fruit (Maracuya) and it's DEE-licious...when mixed with RUM...of course!

     We were sad to see Rick and Sue leave for home, we've sailed many miles together and had some wonderful adventures from Mexico to Panama. They plan to return next January to continue onto the Rio Dulce area of Guatemala. We hope to see them again. Fair winds and full sails Moonshine!

"Ahh Mate, THAT'S not a knife....THIS is a Knife!"

 Our propane ran out! "No problemo" I said (with Spanish accent) we carry two tanks aboard, then I found the "full tank" was not working...the propane's valve wouldn't function and we had to send both tanks to get filled and repaired. So, off to the local hardware store to buy a microwave to fill in while the tanks are away. Rick and Sue loaned us their propane tank till our's returns...which WAS to be one week, but now we hear it may be TWO weeks! Thanks for the tank Rick!
     This morning, we got a call from the Marina office that our new anchor chain and 7 new batteries arrived and will all be delivered Monday! Whew!! Now there's some work waiting for us on Monday. We not only have to remove and install the seven new batteries, but we also have to remove our old chain, stretch out the 250 feet of NEW anchor chain onto the dock and mark the depths with spray paint and colored wire-ties, then wind all the new chain into the chain locker. Monday is going to be busy for the crew of Windfall for sure. Oh, and now the kitchen faucet leaks...and just to give me something to do, it can't be repaired but has to be replaced! Sheesh! Who said the cruising life is easy, I just want those red sunsets and fruity tropic drinks with the umbrellas!
    We got word our friend, Donna, a 70 year old cruiser who lives full-time aboard her boat in Panama City, is going to be here in the Bocas Marina today! She's coming to visit a friend and asked if we'd introduce ourselves to him, come to find out he's at the end of the same dock we're on! Small world for sure. We'll meet them for dinner at the marina's Calypso Cantena here, the cantena has wonderful food, cheap drinks, and live music once or  twice a week...plus, the new managers live on their boat docked right in front of Windfall!We love it here!
     Bocas del Toro is a fun little place, a great cruising community, and wonderful places nearby to swim, dive, or sail to for a day if you like. Many cruisers have come for a week and ended up staying for years! We talked with a cruiser who were setting sails for Florida who said they really don't even feel like leaving Bocas! (We understand how they feel).

Bocas and the local islands - WOW!

  Whew! The crew of Windfall has been busy getting ready for Nancy's sister, Janet, and husband, Mike, to come aboard and spend a week here in Bocas del Toro, Panama. Chores have included slicing fresh sweet pineapples, and stocking the boat with all kinds of fresh veggies and goodies to enjoy.

Yummy fresh pineapple!

     Here at the dock is a group of volunteer's with FLOATING DOCTORS who volunteer their medical services to the local community and nearby islands. Nancy was asked to help with a project for an 5 year old girl with cerebral palsy who is blind and mute. The mother had asked for something to help shower her daughter. Soon the eager volunteers were on the dock measuring, cutting, and gluing a PVC frame for a waist high mesh top table.  Nancy sewed the mesh for the table and the next day went with the two other volunteers to take the table to the mother and daughter. I was going to put a picture of the little girl on this blog...I just couldn't, it really rips your heart out. But, the mother was very excited and happy for their "shower table" and couldn't thank them enough...Well done, everyone!

Wonderful volunteers of the Floating Doctors - Project nearly complete

      Mike and Janet arrived eager to see Bocas...after an hour in the warm sunshine I think they saw it all! Ha

    We were soon planning a 3 day sail & snorkel trip to Crawl Cay, Zapatilla Islands, and Bahia Azul.     

     Crawl Cay was great, we dropped anchor in a flat calm pool of blue-turquoise water. Coral and fish were spotted along with one lobster. Lots of snorkel boats come here filled with tourists thirsty for the warm water and cold beers at the nearby beach-side cafes.

     After a breakfast of Nancy's now famous "Banana Pancakes", we managed to motor all the way to the white sandy beaches of the Zapitilla Islands a mere 5 miles away. As you can see in the picture below...there were "horrible conditions"...at least for sailing that is!

Hey Mike! Are you having a good time? Just look at that water! WOW!   

     We dropped anchor for the afternoon in the crystal clear 20 foot depth and could see the anchor's chain leading all the way to the white sandy bottom. Sadly, Janet came with, or acquired, a stomach bug that kept with her the entire trip thus limiting her water activities and taste for local fares.

That's our NEW anchor buoy !

     The Zapatilla Islands are part of the beautiful Bastimentos National Park where $10 is required to visit for the day...and worth every penny! Snorkeling these two island paradises are exactly as wonderful as you can imagine. The turquoise blue Caribbean water was at a very comfortable 82 degrees, flat calm, light wind, and with enough sunshine to burn the Coppertone Baby! 
   Colorful coral reefs surround both Zapatilla islands. With many tropical fishes, sponges, and giant brain coral as big as a table, it's hard to decide where to go snorkel next!  

Giant Brain Coral

A colorful Bluehead Wrasse hiding among the coral

Whew! Another "rough anchorage" for the crew of Windfall (Bahia Azul)

     We sailed in light winds to Bahia Azul, or Laguna de Bluefield as shown on the charts. The bay is named after the Dutch pirate Blauvelt, who roamed these waters in the 17th century in search of booty...or maybe just looking for great place to snorkel! 

     A fisherman came along side and asked if we wanted to buy his 3 lobsters he had in his canoe. Sure! How much? "Ummmm, $1 each", he said shyly. Soon the dollar lobsters were aboard with promises of more to come tomorrow!

     We met Enrique while taking his boy to school in a canoe. Enrique is the Ngobe (pronounced "No-bee") chief of Punta Allegre (Happy Point). He offered to guide us to a nearby waterfall and to meet his family. Whew! We piled into Blondie (our dinghy) for a trip up the small creek lined with lush jungle vegetation. We docked and begin hiking the trail to the village.  It was a hike uphill then down to see the waterfall, but the views were wonderful and the water was clean, fresh, and cool as we stepped in. Ahhhhhh, that's nice! 

"Chef Enrique" showing us the trail from the dock to the village

Jungle explorers on the hunt for action and adventure

Path with Enrique leading us to the village

New construction...and what a VIEW! WOW! With a nice cool breeze to beat the heat

     Before leaving that afternoon, we watched as several 5-12 year old students canoed back home from school....curious, they turned toward Windfall. Nancy was ready with chocolate chip cookies for all. Let me just say here....wild dogs couldn't have got a cookie faster than those little hands!  "Whoa! Whoa! ONE cookie per student!"   Quickly, manners returned to the cockpit and smiles were on each child's face...with a few little cookie crumbs too. 

About 10 Ngobe students stopped by for chocolate chip cookies

     Sure to his word, our lobster buddy had nine more lobster for the crew of Windfall! Mike gave him $10, then another $5 as the "pescador" (fisherman) cleaned his catch for us...and we learned how to get a little more meat in the process! Yum! 

     He kept the heads and bodies, surely his family will be enjoying a nice lobster bisque for dinner that night...or just lobster soup I suppose.

     As we left the calm bay we were facing 22 knots of wind right on our nose (of course) and 3 foot waves from the open ocean. It made for a choppy ride till we passed into the lee of the Zapatilla islands on our return to Bocas five hours away. 

     With a call from our VHF radio, our friends were waiting at the dock to help catch Windfall's lines. Easy to dock with no wind, but we were a bit worried with 17 knot winds blowing as we entered the marina! Thankfully, the wind died as we entered the marina and a smooth docking was made...Thanks to our crew and helpful friends! (no boats were harmed during this docking)

      The next morning Rick and Sue (Moonshine), with Mike, Janet, Nancy, and I made a trip to the Oreba chocolate farm. First you start with a wild and fast water taxi ride to the mainland, then catch a van to the farm and then begin the hike to the top of the mountain where the Cacao (chocolate trees) grow.

Our water taxi had a Yamaha 200 horsepower motor...and USED IT ALL!

Totally organic and delicious chocolates are grown here!

Our guide showing various edible plants we will be eating with lunch later in the day.

Another path.....UP-hill............ALWAYS UP-hill !

Huff... Huff... Puff.........I think we lost the trail !

We spotted the elusive "Red Frog" in the jungle forest....pretty cool!

Yep! That's a chocolate pod with seeds...the white pulp tastes like melon. Yes, delicious like that too!

These are Nibs. The seeds after being  roasted in a pan over a open fire...the real way to make chocolate.

Nancy working the stone to grind the roasted seeds to make the "original" chocolate.... like they did 500 years ago!

Cocoa pods on the branch and ready for harvest.

First you ferment the seeds with banana leaves for eight days.....

...then you dry in a hot-house.... turning every half hour....for eight more days...

......Then you celebrate with delicious chocolates!

       We had a great time with Mike and Janet aboard and we are looking forward to more family and friends coming along on our next adventures. 
     We enjoyed a wonderful lobster dinner as a going away for Mike and Janet. Sam cooked the lobsters with butter and roasted garlic, Rick & Sue (Moonshine) brought along an awesome fried rice to go with Nancy's nearly-famous coleslaw salad and coconut macaroons were served for a sweet dessert.... YUM!!!

     Hey Nancy! Have you seen the chocolate we brought back from Oreba Chocolate Farm? What? I can't hear you with your mouth full of choco....HEY! SAVE ME SOME!!!

How do you end a great vacation? With a delicious lobster tail dinner with friends and family of course!
Thanks Mike & Janet!

     We're back at Bocas del Toro Panama and back aboard Windfall!
     We took a deep breath, opened the hatches, and peaked inside to find the boat was in great shape. The dehumidifier worded wonders with not a bit of mold or mildew inside or anywhere we could find. (Whew!)
     The past few days have been filled with projects to ready Windfall for cruising and family visits  due soon....or as we say "Cheap Crew".
     Our trusty Honda 15 horse outboard was giving us a bit of problem with varnish in the carburetor - even though I ran the gas out of it 9 months ago. UHG! Doug (Aquadesiac) helped me tear the carburetor apart a few times, breaking a METRIC screw in the worst of places. I found "A guy" who had the specific screw we needed...3 screws for $5..a bargain when you have no choices. Finally, our trusty steeds roared to life, I felt like the doctor in Frankenstein..."IT'S ALIVE...IT'S ALIVE" !

Still bringing in more canvas to the cockpit !

This (dead) bug is about 4" long and found in the water by our neighbors boat - it eats fruit...you're safe!

      We toured the local Smithsonian Institute Tropical Research Station and learned that, in fact, the sea levels may NOT be rising, but that the land may be SINKING! Tough to tell the difference when you're standing on sand. The scientists are now wondering if the monitoring stations are moving (sinking)...Hmmmm. If you're standing in mud is the earth growing around you???

2 or 3 toed Sloth just "hanging around"

Smithsonian Institute - Bocas del Toro

The dock at Smithsonian Institute -We spotted a small barracuda in the water here

For you surfers - nearby Red Frog beach at it's best for you!

Typical tourist wanting to buy everything she sees!

     We needed to do a little repair on our main sail, breaking out her repair kit filled with needles, tapes, special threads, and things I'm not sure of.  Nancy had to hand-stitched the repair - Nice job Nancy! Try sewing a full main sail in your cockpit sometime...not much room to move around in for sure! While she was in the sewing mood, she re-stitched our canvas as the sun had damaged the UV thread. Now, she's ready to re-work our main sail cover that's in need of some TLC.
    Plumbing....let me just say it took 3 days to install a new faucet in our back head. Yes, 3 days of total frustration, and I even came up with a whole new list of swear words to make up for it. (Sorry, Nancy). It's not like you go to Home Depot and get everything you need in one place, no no...here you have to take your dinghy to a dock, walk about a mile, (not forgetting your list of things you need), try to find the right fitting (which they won't have), and then rework the whole plumbing design in your head while staring blankly at the wall. Once you've made your purchase, you have to pack your items back..stopping at the store to get a "few more" items from the grocery....now that you're packing about 500 pounds of a "few more" items you have to get it into the dinghy, back to the marina, and back aboard. As you can see, life aboard isn't easy...but the rewards are well worth the trouble in the end.
     I bought fittings that didn't fit properly (China bastards), new hose clamps that failed (China bastards), and even a new hose that burst apart AFTER 1 day of being installed! Oh, plus the plastic fittings on the faucet itself broke - China bastards. Good thing we brought two faucets to install in both bathrooms. I've had it with ANYTHING made in China!!! Bastards! Now that the US has sent the manufacturing jobs to China we have only ourselves to blame for the cheap products.

     We've enjoyed several dinners and lunches at the local marina open-air restaurant....delicious foods prepared by local woman. The views overlook the anchorage on one side and the marina on the other....nice to say the least, to sip a cold beverage, and gaze across the views with a tropical breeze to help cool you. Ahhhhhh....life is good!
     March 13 - It's a SAD day aboard Windfall, we just ordered 250' new anchor chain and 7 HUGE boat batteries...Boy, this is going to cut into our "fun stuff" fund...but, it's necessary.  Nancy, Linda, and I went snorkeling yesterday...82 degree water...looking for the elusive Seahorses, but found none.
     We really enjoyed the swim after working sooooooo hard aboard (Insert your thought here: "You poor people, we really feel sorry for you!")