Overcoming, or ignoring, various medical issues, including cancer scares and, in Liz’s case, major surgery, we decided to return to Panama where we’d left our 37ft Colvic Countess and continue sailing rather than await seemingly never-ending medical tests.
Our return flights were, miraculously, on time, including the connecting flight from Bogota, enabling us to take a taxi to a chandlery in Panama City where, equally miraculously, the stuff I’d pre-ordered from the United States – antifoul, deck paint and automatic fire extinguisher – was waiting for us. By mid-afternoon we’d made the 90-minute taxi journey across the width of Panama and arrived back at our base in Shelter Bay Marina, on the Caribbean side, deep in the jungle.
We’d booked a room in the marina’s hotel for the first few days while the boat was still out of the water as living on the hard with no water, no air conditioning and high humidity is no joke. This turned out to be a wise move, as American friends who had opted to live on board their boat on the hard had woken up to find a large puma in the cockpit on more than one occasion.
We collapsed into bed and tried to recover from the bus, flights and taxi journeys. By 0730 the next day we’d had breakfast, the marina workers had moved the boat from the secure yard to a place where we could antifoul and so we commenced work.
Scraping barnacles
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2023 من Practical Boat Owner.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة May 2023 من Practical Boat Owner.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
A sailor's guide to UK sharks and fish
Genevieve Leaper looks at some of the shark species around the British and Irish coasts and how to spot these fish from your boat
Multihull anchoring
Brush up on your multihull sailing skills before heading off on a holiday charter with Gavin Le Sueur's guide to anchoring
A revolution in fabrics
Marine fabrics are using natural fibres, less harmful chemicals and longer-lasting colours. Jake Kavanagh looks at the cut of the cloth
Shoestring voyage of adventure
Richard King and Serafin Colmenares Jr. look back at the remarkable Pacific voyage of Florentino Das in his 24ft home-built boat
A fine day out with a visitor
Six hours afloat and a guided tour to vindicate a fictional sailing heroine's navigational skills
Boats for Baltic cruising
Duncan Kent picks the best sub-40ft sail and power boats for crossing the North Sea and exploring a Baltic summer
Boatyard life
The tide of the year Is rising. Time for work
Weather or not to go sailing
Ignore the apps: it's much safer to swear by the weather wisdom of a local oracle
The angelic East Coast pocket cruiser
It is 100 years since the first Deben Cherub was launched. Julia Jones looks back at the history of this 21ft river racing class
Best anchor types for varied cruising
Rupert Holmes on choosing the best anchor for your boat, your style of cruising, how you’ll use it and your budget