Setting Sail Again...

So tomorrow we head out of the marina here in Bocas and make our way back to Colon.  I'm not sure which route Bob's planning to take, we've had advice from several people, some who are also leaving tomorrow.  Nothing they told me sounds good, it sounds like it's going to be a rough trip whichever way we go.  I have to question what will serve me better, the vodka or the dramamine, both make me sleepy, but the vodka makes me happy, and I don't care so much, but then it also makes me pretty useless as a first mate, so I may just have to go with the dramamine. I know for a fact that I'll be sick on this trip, attempting a rough crossing having not sailed in 6 months,  guaranteed disaster...
So, I'm praying the weather will be kind to me, and that we will find a quiet, calm anchorage for the night tomorrow, and not have to sail all night; and pigs may fly!
Probably won't have another Internet signal until we reach Colon, so this is it for now folks, wish us luck, and if you don't hear anything by Thursday please send out the Coast Guard.
:o)

Funny Boat people

""There's nowt so strange as folk" my granny constantly used to tell me.  As a child I really didn't know what she meant.  But I have to say that recently I often wonder whether I have become one of those people that she would have included in her "strange folk" category.

      Take for example a simple shopping expedition; I gather my towel to wipe the sea spray off me, my collection of assorted shopping bags, suntan lotion, anti-mosquito spray, purse and sunglasses, and wait patiently on the dock while Bob unchains "Woops-a-Daisy" (our dinghy) and starts her engine.  I untie the painter jump in, and we head off across the bay towards the pretty shantytown of Bocas-Del-Toro.  A town that, like so many other's in the Caribbean spill's out over and into the water.  Brightly painted hotels, houses, shops and restaurants perched precariously on stilts protruding out from the blue water, surround the island in a disorganized, ramshackle fashion.  It's all very untidy looking, but colorful and quaint at the same time.

      Parking "Woops-a-Daisy" involves maneuvering around, between and under a row of metal poles and ropes fencing off the "dinghy parking lot", we struggle to do this in the bouncing water, without hitting the dock or the other dinghy's tied up alongside, and gradually squeeze ourselves into a space. This takes us a while, and then having jumped out onto the floating dock, I hold the painter and fend off the other tied up boats bouncing around while Bob leans over the side and reaches underneath the dinghy to attach our chain lock.  Some taxi boats speed past while we are doing this, and the ensuing wakes cause all the dinghies and the dock to bounce violently up and down almost tipping me into the drink.  Eventually we're tied off, and Woops-a-Daisy is chained safely to the dock.

       Leaving the floating dock involves a walk along a wobbly gangplank on wheels, (I really should have been born in a circus to cope with this life!).  By now I'm a big sweaty mess, but thankfully the walk to the stores is a relatively short one.

"Where's the shopping cart?" Bob ask's me.  Let me just explain here, we have a small collapsible shopping cart with wheel's, that makes carrying heavy things so much easier.  "I didn't bring it" I said,  "I only need a couple of things".  Bob gives me his "you're an idiot look" and say's "I have to buy 2 gallons of oil, and 6 gallons of water, you're going to carry that in your little bag, all the way through town?"  My reply...  a red sweaty faced "OH"!

       So we make our way back along the gangplank to the floating dock, unchain Woops-a-Daisy, and head back across the bay to get the shopping cart, while my thoughts return to my dear Granny, who I'm sure is watching me from above and wondering what on earth I'm doing.

Awesome Axe wielding Talent!

While strolling through the lovely Bocas Marina grounds this morning (yes we do still stroll occasionally), Bob came across one of the marina workers building a dug out canoe, he called me to bring the camera and photograph the guy at work.  

The method used in building the boat/canoe was inspiring.  They start with the trunk of a large tree, and carve the entire boat with an axe, the precision with which the guy was wielding the axe was incredible.  

Sadly our knowledge of the Spanish language is pathetic to zero, but we did (using sign language) learn that this is the 5th boat this man has built.  

I wanted to post photographs for people to see.

Local Boat builder at work

Just an axe !

Dug out under construction.

Wouldn't change much!

I do believe that my very first post (going back a few years now) on this blog, mentioned how we were planning an escape from all the pressures and trappings of "normal" life, selling our house and going to live on a boat would completely change our lives for the better!  hmmm let me think about that!

Basically life did change, and in so many ways,  obviously the Caribbean is much prettier than Ohio, but the pressures and time issues we're under, often seem the same, we're still trying to meet deadlines, always racing against the clock, trying to finish jobs, and make repairs, find spare parts etc, etc, and don't forget that dealing with anything in the Caribbean takes so much longer than doing the same thing on land.

Beautiful Bocas Marina

The traveling is an absolute nightmare, dealing with the airlines is enough to try anyone's patience, but then once we're on the boat and surrounded by the immense beauty of the islands, all the pressures seem to melt away, at least for a while, and when life gets really frustrating we just go for a swim, or take the dinghy around the island and admire the sights, so life really could be much worse.  If I could just eliminate all the mosquitoes and noseeums, life would be pretty good.

Right now we're under pressure to get all the jobs we're working on finished, so we can set sail down island back to Colon, Panama where the family is flying in for Christmas. Bob had plenty of time when he was here last month to finish all the jobs, but then had to leave the boat in a hurry when his Mum had her stroke, so now we're really up against the clock again, and the pressure is on (again). However, each job we start seems to lead to another, and another, it's never ending, we just can't seem to get out from under the pressure.  Everywhere we turn there's another bill to pay or problem to fix, much the same as it was before we moved onto the boat, in fact I think living on a boat is way more expensive than living in a house, but at least I'm never bored.

J.B's Restaurant at Bocas Marina

I'm grateful to be in such a beautiful part of the world, mosquitoes or no mosquitoes, problems or no problems...

Bocas

Such a beautiful place, I'm so mad that I can't enjoy it because of the damn mosquitos, the weather is lovely, and it's so pretty here, and I'm holed up below decks away from the demonic biting insects, JB gave me a load of ice which I'm applying "everywhere" it feels as though my arms and legs are on fire, I have the air con on at full speed, Bob's going to freeze his ass off when he arrives tonight.  I've been eating garlic by the pound, I'm going to smell really bad (hopefully, to the insects) I can't wait to get to the San Blas where there are no evil biting insects, and I can dive in the water and feel no pain!

There's a big dinner, and party here tomorrow night for Thanksgiving I just hope I can cover up enough of myself to go and enjoy it.

Caribbean Paradise, You May Think!

The happiness at being back in the islands was of but short duration, I’m thinking, as I sit here in bed at 3am in tears, wanting to tear the flesh from my bones, as once again the Caribbean has greeted me with it’s never ending infestation of dreaded mosquitoes.  My arms and legs are covered, yes I do mean covered, in nasty, angry, burning, itchy red welts.  

I have by some miracle resisted the urge to scratch for the last few hours, thinking the itching may eventually stop, but it didn't so I gave in a few minutes ago, having jumped in and out of a cold shower all night, used all the anti-itch cream  I could lay my hands on, which does in all honesty, nothing, and with no ice on board, (the only remedy that works) I just couldn't stand it any more, I honestly think I will go quite mad. 

 I sprayed myself liberally with the nasty, poisonous anti-mosquito chemicals before I ventured out this evening, but all to no avail.  The bites are bad this time, not that they’re ever good, but somehow this time they're worse than ever.  A new breed of demonic mosquito, immune to the poisonous chemicals man has devised as a (so called) deterrent, has evolved to make life miserable. 

Lovely legs covered in bites

 

What a welcome back to Paradise !

Back in Panama...

OH to be back in the islands. Where the weather is fabulous, the people are friendly, the beer is a dollar, and a full dinner with wine and a gin & tonic is less than $10.

Following a day of travel that started at 5am, and finished at 6pm, I was really quite exhausted.

 I flew from Atlanta on American Airlines, who have now dropped even further in my book of airlines NOT to fly with.  Following an early am start, with a quick Starbucks at the airport, I boarded my first flight, where I was served coffee (clearly not Starbucks!) with a teaspoon full of peanuts!  In their favor I should add that even though the flight left 30 minutes late, it arrived on time.  Although during the flight they did not serve a breakfast, or in fact offer anything to eat other than the teaspoon of peanuts. But I was hopeful of food on my next flight, since I had to run from one flight to the next without even time to make a potty stop, and absolutely no time to pick up food.
Sadly on the flight I had been sitting next to a guy who's breath smelt like rotting cow dung, really, OH Dear God it was horrible, then the guy in the seat behind me was snorting the whole time like a pig, I wanted to offer him a handkerchief with the advice to please blow his nose, but he was about 6'10" and 350 pounds, so I just put my headphones on and covered my nose... I could have been in a farmyard, to say it was an unplesant flight would be an understatement.

On my flight to Panama,  only first class passengers were served lunch, so everyone else in economy got to enjoy the smells of the food being served, and listen to the clink of the wine glasses, but were offered nothing at all in the way of lunch, or even snacks. I was sat near the front of the plane so I got to enjoy the strongest food aromas, but had no food to actually eat, and I was bloody starving. Even the flight attendants commented on the food smells, I think they were embaressed... Nice, American Airlines!!!  thank you so much... No, I will not choose to fly with you again...

In Panama I had a tight connection, and I didn't even know where the connection was, it turned out to be outside the airport in another small terminal, I won't go into the fiasco that lead to my finally locating it.

Being in a country where I don't speak the language, and they don't speak English, can make life very trying, thankfully sign language works.

At 3:30, 6 of us climbed into the tiny plane,  and made the 25 minute flight across to Panama City, where I took another short flight (Taca airlines) to Bocas, the joke is, the little 45 minute flight offered me more food and refreshments than the 3 1/2 hour flight with American Airlines.

When I arrived at the marina I couldn't get any power working on the boat, so I decided to leave everything until Bob arrives tomorrow, I had dinner at the marina restaurant, and went to bed at 7:30.

This morning it poured (and poured) with rain, but by mid morning the sun was out and  everything had dried out,  all I have to do now is unpack, and work out where the Hell I can put everything I brought back with me.

I'm really hoping Bob gets here before dark tonight, so he can get the power on.  Despite my horrible travel, it is beautiful here and I'm actually happy to be back...

More to follow...

So happy to be back :o)

Delta Not so Bad!

I'm always very quick to critique the airlines for poor customer service and care. I will admit that  I have a rather large chip on my shoulder when it comes to anything to do with them, and I've written some horrible posts about my experiences (never good) when flying, usually preferring American Airlines to Delta, but something happened recently that, in order to be fair I should write about it.

When my Mother became sick I immediately booked a flight to England, Delta was the only airline that fitted the agenda I required, so I booked my ticket (reluctantly) with them.

While I was in England looking after my Mum, my Mother-in-Law had a massive stroke and family were summoned from all over the world to be at her bedside.  My husband was in panama at the time and he had to take 6 flights to get back to the UK quickly.  He was flying with American Airlines, when he explained the circumstances that his Mother was gravely ill in hospital and about to die, and he needed to get back as quickly as possible, so needed to change his return ticket.  American Airlines gave no concessions, no discounts, nothing, the fact that he had to change his return ticket because his Mother was dying did not qualify him for any special help or circumstances, what they did do was charge huge fees for changing his ticket.

When I had to change my return ticket with Delta, I explained that I needed to change my return date as I had to stay in England longer because my Mother-in-Law was in hospital, they were happy to help and changed my ticket immediately and without question or ANY charges.

SO A BIG THANK YOU TO DELTA  in certain circumstances you can deliver.  As for American... what can I say

Back to blogging...

My dear Mother-in-Law's funeral was Friday, very sad,  an emotionally tearful farewell to a truly lovely lady who was loved by so many, and will be dearly missed by everyone who had the privilege of knowing her.  R.I.P Joanie.

Joanie & Mary

I came to England to take care of one Mother, and while I was here I lost another...

And so a chapter closes.

It was wonderful to get family together, the Morgan/Fleming/Osborne clan are scattered over three continents, so sadly it always takes a marriage or a death in the family to get everyone together.

My Mum is doing so much better after a nasty, lengthy illness, but back on her feet finally, ready to fend for herself again, so I'm no longer needed here, I can put my nurse face back in its box and return to my crazy life as a Mother, wife, writer, artist, chef, sailor,  first mate, and varnishing queen of the Caribbean...

And So...

I'm leaving England for Ohio on Thursday, and will be returning to my Crazy Daisy, and Bob in Panama in 11 days, so much to do before I return, and I know Bob has a huge list of jobs for me once I'm back on board (sigh) as always there's just not enough time to do it all, so my blogging has to wait a little longer, but once back on board (in between all the jobs) I will be the blogging queen again, there are so many more adventures that await...

San Blas this Christmas with my family

watch this space...