OUR ΜΑΝ IN PAΝΑΜΑ

A 5,000-MILE CROSSING FROM PORTUGAL ΤΟ PANAMA TESTED TOR JOHNSON, BUT THE REWARDS WERE WORTH EVERY CHALLENGE

- TOR JOHNSON

Bluewater sailing requires patience, persistence and optimism. Buying a boat I'd never set eyes on in Portugal, equipping and sailing her across to Panama, in a pandemic, then shipping her to the US West Coast took more than a little of all of the above.

I began boatless in a US market nearly devoid of inventory. Searching online for months turned up a great boat, which happened to be in Spain: a newish 2012 50ft, roomy, quick-sailing Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 509. Her owners had abandoned their hopes of a round-the-world voyage, and left her lying in a Spanish marina, banging against a dock with black rub rails. She looked a bit bruised, but Kaholo was only lightly used.

Then the challenges began. Burdened with high Covid rates, Spain refused entry to our crew. Nearby Gibraltar didn't want us either. Finally Portugal made an exception for us as a professional delivery crew. We had the boat delivered to Vilamoura, a good place to commission with a tidy little boatyard and lift. It was a fortunate choice because, as it turned out, the standing rigging needed replacing, and rigger Pete Keeping has a shop there. Eager to set out across the Atlantic, I became the boatyard's most persistent customer, making daily rounds to cajole Pete and the many local specialists, like stainless fabricator Sergio Rilho and mechanic Mr. Conde.

Finally, after a month of polite pestering amid supply chain disruptions, we had new standing rigging and were commissioned, fully provisioned, and ready to set sail. As we made a final sea trial off the white sand beaches of the Algarve, I took a look back at the marina I'd been struggling to leave for over a month, and had the completely unexpected thought: "I'm going to miss this place."