Feb 24th-- Leaving Panama

Feb 24:
QUICK CHANGE IN PLANS - OUT TO SEA!
1030: At 6:30 this morning we arose to Mike telling us he'd changed his mind about stopping at Isla San Jose for tonight. He'd been able to download the Passage Weather forecast last night (he's often up for an hour or two in the middle of the night) and it showed NO WIND between here and the Galapagos for the next week. Since the wind had been blowing 10-12 all night and looked to continue, he said, "Let's go -- NOW!"

In five minutes we were headed south. In 15 we had the spinnaker up doing 7kts in steady north winds. So we're saying goodbye to Las Perlas drifting out of sight behind us - our last look at land for what we figure will be 7 days (with wind) to 9 days (with spotty winds). We need to take full advantage of any wind we get for 900 miles.

We have established our two-hour shift schedule:

6-8a Steve
8-10a Jan
10-12a Deb
12-1400 Joe
1400-1600 Steve
etc.

Mike is on standby 24 hours so he does not have an assigned shift. He'll be helping with sail changes, course adjustments, mechanical opportunities, and worrying about everything in general. He is very keen on having the boat clean and ship shape, so if we leave an iPad, for instance, unattended in the main salon we may find it later in the electronic devices cabinet. It's nice to sail on a tidy boat. One disadvantage is the boat has no cup holders so we hand hold our coffee and water cups most of the time. Or find them in the sink if they're left unattended too long!

We are taking turns cooking evening meals which we enjoy together in the cockpit, but breakfast and lunch are on our own.

1400: Going on watch and the wind has died so there's not much sailing going on. We're headed S out of the Panama Gulf in gentle rollers coming in from the SW - right at us but they're so gentle and far apart you don't really feel them. It's hot and humid and the best place to be is under the bimini in the cockpit with what breeze there is blowing over you. We're motoring with no sails.

1700:  We stopped the engine and are motionless in the water except there's a 1.5 - 2kt current taking us in the direction we want to go - a free ride. We lowered the dinghy in the water so we could take the outboard off and put it up on the rail. At the same time Mike and Joe put on their wetsuits (jellyfish protection) and scraped the hull and prop of barnacles so we'll glide faster through the water. I put Quester's old circular gas BBQ grill on the rail and we tested it enough to know I'll do dinner tonight and cook sausage and serve it with salad and broccoli, with strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.