BACK IN PORTOBELO

AUGUST 17, 2014

ROD'S NEW LEAD LINE

Our sail to Portobelo was uneventful. We left Porvenir along with Island Fever, anchors were up and we were on our way by 6:15 AM. The only navigation instruments we have aboard are the hand held GPS, our trusty compass and paper charts. After 12 hours on the water we turned into Portobelo and were anchored by 4:45. Because we have no depth gauge Rod made a lead line, a weight on a line marked every 5 ft to test the water depth for an anchor spot. He took the dinghy out with the GPS and the lead line testing the water we were soon anchored in 35ft of water. The next morning we made a quick trip into town to find all the power out and no internet. We have decided to wait until Wednesday to take a bus into Colon and begin the process of finding replacement parts. High on the list is the refrigerator compressor and controller and the inverter/charger.

The process of replacing systems is daunting. Our first month in the waters of Panama were beautiful and relaxing. We had settled into a daily routine that any cruiser would envy. It could be months before we have It's Perfect back in order. Until then remembering the sweet slow days of cruising the San Blas will keep us moving forward once again.