En route pour Panama Fr - En
Trip Start
Jan 20, 2006
1
8
76
Trip End
Jan 19, 2007
Isla Coiba, Panama
Tuesday, February 7, 2006
Comme nous ne pouvons pas vraiment arriver dans l'estuaire de David sans moteur (trop etroit et trop de caillous partout), nous decidons de continuer et faire escale a l'ile de Coiba, moitie reserve naturelle tropicale, moitie centre penitentiaire. Nous y arrivons dans la soiree du lendemain, utilisant le peu de brise qui souffle. Comme nous ne pouvons faire les formalites d'entree au Panama sur cette ile, nous ne pouvons aller a terre et passons la matinee suivante a faire quelques petits travaux: couture de voile, nettoyage du moteur, reparation deŽl'echelle, ... et reinstallation de l'ancienne pompe (celle qui donc ne marchait plus non plus et a besoin d'etre tapotee constamment, si vous avez bien tout suivi jusqu'a present).
En milieu de journee, le vent s'est leve et nous repartons vers Panama a 3 jours de voile si le vent continue de souffler...
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We left Golfito under a threatening dark sky. Heavy rain was to follow very shortly. At the helm, Seb is trying hard to keep smiling. Thankfully it was just a heavy shower, and unlike in our familiar waters when it's raining here, it's still very warm and you dry off fairly quickly.
With the newly installed (automotive - that's all we could find!) fuel pump we're full of confidence that we are going to make it smoothly to the next port of entry, David, less than a day's sail away. But once again, the wind is shy and after a whole night under engine, our expectations to make it to port are shattered... The pump suddenly gives up and we're there, stuck in the middle of the ocean, drifting away without any help from Eole. It's too risky to try to go to David without engine: the estuary is quite shallow with dangerous rocks everywhere!
We decide to keep bobbing around and carry on towards Isla de Coiba, another 20 (?) hours away - at this painfully slow pace. The island is half a tropical reserve, half a penal colony. The sailing guide recommends not picking up any swimmers as they might have escaped from prison... ok, we'll try not to! We finally reach the anchorage in Coiba in the evening. Since there are no port authorities in Coiba, we are still flying the quarantine flag and cannot get ashore as we have not officially entered Panama and have no stamps on our passports. Frustration, terra firma is so close... yet we can't get to it! We spend the night anchored in this beautiful spot and the following morning it's time for more maintenance. Eric and Seb re-fit the old pump (the one that needs triggering manually with some poor soul stuck in the engine bay!) while Chantal's tries her sewing skills with the sails.
Repairs sorted and the wind back with us, we set off for Panama City, hopefully only 3 days' sail away if the wind keeps blowing. Fingers crossed!
