A Man A Plan...Panama

And so SV Aida and crew reached Panama City intact, integral and surprisingly….in one peace (and a few pieces).

My  wish was that we would have as few adventures as possible along the course of the journey. I say this because often adventures can be a handful. The sea shows no mercy to none! Either be prepared or be despaired. 

My wish was answered and “adventures” were few.

 It took us 16 full days...

It took us 16 full days to cover the distance between San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua, and Panama City with a few pit stops in Costa Rica.

Other than San Juan Del Sur’s typical gale force winds in the first leg of the voyage, the rest of the passage was manageable.  We had some wind and a lot of no wind. A few squalls and plenty of sun scorching frying pan hot days.

 KABOOM went the engine...

Crazy thing however, on the 16 hour of the 16th day, 1 sixth of a mile from our final destination…the motor blew up. Literally…clack clack clack… KABOOM! Earlier in the trip we had taken another boat in tow and I guess our motor over worked itself into a heart attack. In mechanical terms one of the connecting rods on the crankshaft came apart at high RPM and blew out the side of the block.

Needless to say, Regis wasn’t too happy.  The way I see, there isn’t a boat afloat that doesn’t have a continuously working engine.

The salt water environment coupled with heat and constant movement makes for harsh conditions. Many complements must come together to keep a marine diesel engine working.

  The gateway to the America's

It didn’t surprise me the motor went kaput. What did surprise me is that it gave up the ghost in the best possible location…. right at Panama City’s doorstep and at the end our 16 days and 16 nights sojourn.

Panama by the way is spectacular. The gateway to the America’s. Central and South America’s crossroads of culture, commerce and sophistication . Mick Jagger and Brad Pitt own islands in Panama. Donald Trump is building his latest mega tower in Panama City.  The highways are paved and the houses have lawns. 

 Back in San Juan del Sur

Anyway, I am now back in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua working with local team leaders on the single mothers sewing center which will go by the name of NICA NATIVO. We have a new location and would like to expand to make piñatas and other local arts and crafts.

I will have more news on the subject of NICA NATIVO in the next report.

Capt Eric’s Present location:

Latitude: 11' 15.14 N

Longitude: 085' 52.61 W 

San Juan Del Sur, Nicaragua