Panama Canal Transit (and haul-out) April 2017

Roundabout transiting the Panama Canal!

As a small vessel, compared to the behemoths that transit the canal, you just can't rock up and radio for a transit time. We were able to do so transiting the Greek Corinth Canal, but that does not fly with the Panama Canal Authority. Nope, you have to fill out some paperwork, call for someone to come measure the boat and then wait for your assigned transit date. We decided to use an agent, due to the fact we needed to haul out and wanted to spend the time working on the boat and not running to various offices completing paperwork.  Another tip is if you come in with a few other boats and use the same agent--you'll get a discount! Our total cost for the agent was $300 (we used Eric).

We met with Customs/Immigration and got scanned into the country. Their machine broke, so we had to complete this over the course of two days. Next was the Port Captain to complete the cruising permit forms. He is not there every day and not always at the same time. Be sure to ask when you arrive to get the current schedule. Both offices are located behind the Shelter Bay Marina office.
After meeting with the PC to fill out paperwork (all in Spanish, no English) for all of about 10 minutes, he delivered the permit back 2 days later. If you do it yourself in Colon, you can get the cruising permit the same day (that is the office where all the stamps are housed).

At the time we arrived, there was an 8 day waiting period. No problemo, we were hauling out anyway. We scheduled our transit date for April 17th, which would give us plenty of time for completing the haul out projects and re-splash.

Hauling out.

We hauled out on Friday, April 5th and spent the next 10 days doing boat projects. We stripped all the layers of bottom paint off all the way down to the gelcoat (this is one heck of a messy project--blue dust EVERYWHERE!). We covered what we could and took all the cushions inside. We also kept all the hatches closed. It still involved a major clean up job. After making sure everything was smooth, we applied two coats of Sea Hawk Tuff Stuff epoxy barrier primer and then 2 coats of Sigma Eco Fleet 530 antifouling (we couldn't get Sea Jet here, as we had in Greece). They had some other options, but we wanted the color blue to match the stripe on the boat.

Ten days later we splashed and it felt SO good! Face it, leaving any boatyard feels good!
We did a huge provisioning shop in Panama City. One fellow sailing mama rented a car, so she, myself, and another sailing mama hit the town! We filled that car up so full, we could barely peek out over the top of all the stuff! Part of the shopping included things we had to have on board for the agents. You must have cold bottled water (sealed), snacks, and feed them breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you don't provide hot meals, they can call and order food, which is billed to you at a minimum cost of $350!

Yes, we were THAT close! Our group had stopped to watch her cross the road and stopped traffic for her to safely cross.

We had some friends want to transit the canal with us, and since we needed a couple more line handlers anyway, we told them to come on down. Around 10pm on April 15th, they arrived. We spent the 16th prepping for the transit and exploring a little more of Panama. The jungle surrounds the marina and you wake up and go to sleep to the sound of howler monkeys, birds, and insects. We took walks through the old Fort Sherman, which is being slowly taken over by nature. Bats have taken up residence in the buildings. There is a leopard which hangs about. It would have been so cool to see it, but we never did. Another cruiser went for an early morning walk and came face to face with it! Another sailor warned us that the leopard will come into the marina and was caught on camera doing so. I couldn't help but think how cool it would be to see a leopard come onto our Leopard, but if it did, we never knew. We kept Sunny and her food bowl inside though, just to be safe.

Night before we left to transit the canal!

Splashed again and removing the kid netting.

This stuff works WONDERS!

Boat kids!

School in the cafe (and air conditioning!)

I taught a chemistry lab to the boat kids in the marina.

Our agent emailed us updates and confirmed our transit date. We would not know the exact time until one day before. Sure enough, about 24 hours before transit, we heard that we'd be going through in one day, with a 4:30am start time. We stocked an ice chest full of cold drinks and had a huge container of snacks ready to go. Our menu for the transit was breakfast burritos, spaghetti bolognese, salad, and fresh-baked bread for lunch, and Panamanian style tamales for dinner. The snacks ranged from a huge variety of pre-packaged trail-mix, granola bars, protein bars, candy bars, sliced fruit and veggies, and such.

3:45am we were hailed on the VHF and so by 4am on April 17th, we left the marina and went out into the anchorage area to wait for the advisor to board. Eduardo and David arrived around 4:45am and with a smooth transition over to Roundabout, we were then on our way to the first set of locks. We ended up with two advisors, as Eduardo was training David. Eduardo is pretty high up in the chain of command, so we felt fortunate to have him on board. He is also a tugboat captain on other days, assisting larger vessels through the canal. He spent the day telling us all sorts of fun facts about the Canal and life in Panama. I had offered coffee or tea with breakfast once they were on board, but Eduardo said to not worry and that we would get through the first set of locks and then have breakfast. He was so nice and chill, that it made me instantly relax. I had read so many stories that I was a bit nervous.

We reached the first set of three locks, the Gatun Locks, around 6am. We rafted up with a small monohull on our starboard side and moved together into the first lock. I had a huge container of snacks and passed them all around, even to our very appreciative neighbors! By 6:45am, we had lines up to the guys on the wall and our line handlers ready to adjust once the water began to change. What a true marvel the canal is! Such engineering involved! To think that they have operated for over 100 years without fail is astounding! The locks were (for a long time) the world's largest concrete structures. Each lock is 110 feet wide and 1000 feet long. The entire Gatun Locks system, including the approach walls is just over 1.08 nautical miles in length.

Things started off slowly, with only a bit of water churning and then suddenly, we felt the water bubble and shift around us. The force was very strong! We slowly adjusted the lines and pulled in the extra slack as we rose up towards the top of the lock.  Once the water level had reached the appropriate height, the doors opened and we moved forward into the next lock. The process was repeated again and we were raised up to about 80 feet above the Atlantic sea level! Before we knew it, we were un-rafting and motoring out into Gatun Lake! This man-made lake covers about 116.64 square nautical miles and was formed by erecting the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River. Towards the Pacific side, we passed through the Gaillard Cut. This cut is carved through rock and shale of the Continental Divide and the unusual history and geology has remained a point of interest from all around the world. It measures 7.4 nautical miles long and the colors are beautiful!

It took about 4 hours (a little over 20 nautical miles) to get across the lake to the next set of locks, the Pedro Miguel Locks and the Miraflores Locks. The first step is to go through the Pedro Miguel Locks. As we were lowered down about 30 feet, we slowly let out the lines. After crossing Miraflores Lake, we reached the final two steps down to the Pacific Ocean, the Miraflores Locks. Due to the Pacific's extreme tidal variations, the Miraflores lock gates are the tallest. The Miraflores Lock system is just about 1 nautical mile in length.

As the Pacific Ocean flowed past our bows, we celebrated all around! A pilot boat picked up our advisors and after a final wave they set off into the setting sun. Another crew came round to pick up the fenders and lines we had borrowed from our agent. We then set off to anchor near Playita and ended the evening with a nice meal and discussed the day. It was a magical experience to transit the canal in our own vessel!

Island Hopping: Isles deSaintes, Guadeloupe, Antigua/Barbuda

Stef leading a science class on the beach. Cocoa Point, Barbuda

We hopped up the islands from the Saintes, Guadeloupe, to Antigua/Barbuda. The Saintes are full of mooring balls, so we sailed by and headed on up to Pigeon island, off of Guadeloupe. This is one of Jacque Cousteau's underwater parks. The snorkeling area is better in deeper water, as any shallow areas were destroyed in the hurricanes.
We met up with some friends in Deshaies for a fun night out exploring the town and stocking up on a few fresh provisions. Next morning found us setting sail for Antigua.

Antigua

Approaching Antigua treats the eyes to beautiful shades of blue water. We entered Jolly Harbor and dropped the hook in about 2 meters. It's a bright shade of turquoise, but murky.

Kids playing in the water, Jolly Harbor.

Keep in mind there are A LOT of boats in this harbor, but the check in/out is easiest here. There is a large grocery store that has a pretty good selection. Shop like a local to avoid a huge bill. Chicken was the cheapest we've seen since the states.

Grocery shopping in Antigua (Jolly Harbor)

Check in was a simple process. The first part is completed online via Sailclear, and then the rest in person at the customs office. We spent about a week sailing around Antigua and moved on to Barbuda. This island, by far, was our favorite!

At anchor of Barbuda.

The anchorage at Cocoa Point is protected, lovely, and not crowded at all! Wild horses and donkeys roam the beach. The sand is pinkish and so soft! It's quite a long stretch of sand, so there's plenty of room for the kids to run and play. We had sundowners on the beach with friends each night. One afternoon, Stef lead a science class on the beach and later on that evening, we had a BBQ. The kids also built their own little fire to make s'mores.

Beach BBQ with our buddy boats.

The area is now under development, with multi-million dollar lots up for sale. We were glad we got to see it before this construction begins. Such a shame that future generations will not get to enjoy the wild beauty that Barbuda offers.

Roundabout at anchor, with Hermes (our trusty dinghy) anchored off the beach.

We moved to the other end of the island near the town for a night, just to check it out and explore a new place. There's a cool sand spit you can walk out on, adjacent to the lagoon. Lots of conch shells, hermit crabs, and turtles hang out here.

Morning walk along the beach on the coast of Barbuda.

Checking out of Antigua (Barbuda does not have a customs office yet, as they are still in recovery after the hurricanes): you need to clear out online and then visit customs. Any crew under the age of 12 has to pay 75EC (this was unexpected). After customs, visit immigration and then back to customs.


We hoisted the sails and set our course for St. Bart's.

Martinique

Waterfall hike, Martinique.

We had a fantastic sail over to Martinique. It took about 12 hours, and was a little bumpy with the swell, but not too bad. We started off with a brown bird who kept circling our boat, diving occasionally for the flying fish. Eventually we had a few more join him and then as we sailed into the anchorage near Point Catherine, we had about 10 of these birds. They were quite comical, as they'd dive over and over again, attempting to catch a fish. They'd get lucky about every 50 dives or so. What a challenging way to catch a meal.

Point Catherine anchorage was lovely and calm. We enjoyed a nice paddle around. It has a long stretch of beach, perfect for stretching the legs after sailing. The following morning, we navigated all the fishing buoys (they are just about everywhere, including the channels, so be on the lookout) and entered the Cul-de-sac-Marin. It is extremely crowded in here! We anchored off of Queen's island, away from the hordes of boats, and dinghied over to Le Marin Marina to toss the garbage and check into the country. Checking in at the marina office was fast. Just go into the computer room on the right (don't bother to wait in the line), fill out the one page form, submit, and wait for your name to be called. You'll be asked to sign the paper and pay 5 euro. That's it. They don't ask to see any boat docs or ask any questions. Super quick and easy!

How boat kids take out the garbage.

After checking in, we dinghied over to the Leader Price grocery store dock. This dock was donated generously by the property owner for cruisers to use. We had a walk around the town, scored a Digicel data card (Google Fi towers were down), hit up the bakery, and stocked up on some provisions. The Leader Price store has better prices, but make sure to go in the morning or everything is picked over by the afternoon. The Carrefour market is nearby but small and prices are double that of Leader Price. There is a larger Carrefour on the island, but you'll need a rental car.

We met up with some other sailing families who invited us for drinks and hangout at a place called People's Beach. So, we hauled anchor during a squall and dropped the hook in St. Anne's Bay. This is a huge bay and has plenty of space for many boats. We still felt a bit crowded though.

Hiking trail near St. Anne anchorage.

5pm found us tying up to the floating dinghy dock in front of Pirate's Beach Restaurant. To the left is a jungle path that leads to People's Beach Resort. At one time, this must have been a nice resort. It is still maintained, but not very busy (maybe it is still the low season). There are a couple of above ground pools, games for the kids, and nice drinks for the adults. They were not serving food yet.
The kids had a blast playing laser tag with the other boat kids, swimming, and hitting up the foosball table. We had a good chat with a few other families and didn't get back to the boat until late. It was a fun evening, as we always enjoy meeting new sailing families.
We hung around this spot for a couple of days, met up with some friends we met in the Med for drinks back at People's Beach (kids really enjoy the pools there), and then decided it was time to move on. The clock is ticking, as we need to get to Panama in April.

Anse D'Arlet town. This building reminded me of Greece.

We moved around the corner to Anse D'Arlet, and had a great time there. We spent the day snorkeling and saw more fish, sea turtles, and colorful coral than anywhere else! The bay is super calm and we loved it here. Early the next morning, we grabbed some bakery treats, and then set sail for Anse Noir. We had read there was great snorkeling here and the interesting thing about this spot is it has black sand, where as the bay next door, Anse Dufour has white sand. We dropped anchor at the back of the bay (being shallow draft cat, we can get away with that), and put out a stern anchor to keep us from swinging into the other boats ahead of us. It became quite crowded in there after a while and by sunset, we were packed in. We were very glad we had the stern anchor to keep us away, as the wind was light and fluky inside that bay.

St. Pierre ruins

We learned all about St. Pierre's tragic past as well as how the Caribbean islands were formed. Did you know there are two different aged groups of islands?

The next morning we checked out Fort de France and then sailed up to St. Pierre, where we enjoyed the next few days exploring the town, volcanic and science museums, and snorkeling the underwater statues. Sundowners with friends topped off the experience.

Next island: Dominica

Sailing to Dominica.

Barbados

Minutes after we dropped the hook in Carlisle Bay, Barbados. 

We sailed into the anchorage at Carlisle Bay around 2:45 pm on December 26th, dousing Big Red just before dropping the hook. After cleaning up, we took a crew photo, jumped in for a swim, and then called it a day. We crashed hard, as we were finally at anchor after 16 days at sea.
The following morning, Stef and Matt set off for customs to check in to the country and remove Matt from our crew list. He would be flying home later on that afternoon.

Stef's notes about checking in to Barbados:
No need to call on the port authority on the VHF. Just anchor and dinghy in. We noticed that all the boats who hailed on the VHF had to circle outside until the cruise ships departed, which can be hours or even all day long. Some friends who arrived ahead of us filled us in on the details, and so we were thankful to have avoided that issue.

You can tie up the dinghy in the small canal, just past the large green bridge (go underneath it) on the right side. Beware of some broken lights strung along the wall. It is advisable to lock your fuel tank to your dinghy and then the dinghy to the wall (there are cleats to lock up to). Rubbish bins are nearby. There are local fruit and veggie markets, bank to pull out some Barbadian currency, a mall, and supermarkets near here, as well.

The walk to the port is about 20 minutes from the dinghy parking lot. Walk along the Princess Alice highway (side walk goes along through a little park) until you see the large Bridgetown Port sign. The security guard is in the little building on the right, sort of near where the cars drive through. You'll need your boat docs, passports, and crew list. The guard will check these over and then provide you with a wristband with permission to visit customs.

After getting our wrist bands from the security guard, we proceeded on to the large A-frame tourist mall. On the far western side, we entered the building and climbed the stairs to the health office. You have to go in order of health, customs, immigration (although if there is a long line, they will sometimes give you permission to go out of order, just to keep people moving). Be sure to go either early in the morning or wait until after 2pm. The cruise ships and mega yachts get priority and you'll be told to come back later if these guys are checking in ahead of you. 
We filled out one form and handed over a copy of our crew list (if you don't have copies of your crew list, you will have to complete a separate form). From there, the health official gave us a slip of paper and we chatted a bit about her island and things to see. We next walked across the hall to the customs office, where we encountered a very busy and overworked official. She reluctantly handed over two forms for me to complete, twice, so after completing these four pages, we returned to her office to find her gone. A cruise ship had come in and so we'd have to wait an hour or so before we could continue on. In fact, all of the officials from health, customs, and immigration left to go to the cruise ship, so Matt and I walked around the little mall for an hour.

We eventually returned to customs and got processed. There, after the official apologized for being so busy and making us wait, asked a few questions about any pets on board (we were not checking Sunny into the country due to the complications here), length of stay, and next port of call. She gave us the go-ahead to visit immigration, clearance papers in hand.
Immigration involved filling out a form for each crew member, getting passports stamped, and removing Matt from the crew list (crew disembarking will need to show flight details). She was very kind and a cheerful lady. Procedure done, we walked back to the boat and had lunch prepared for us by the kids.
Upon clearing out: You will need $50US or 100 BD which is paid to the customs fee building clerk (behind the customs area, left of where the cruise ships dock. You'll see a yellow 2-story building marked STAFF ONLY. Go inside and up the curved staircase to the office at the back marked SUPERVISOR). Once you pay the fee and fill out a one page form, you'll walk away with a receipt and instructions to visit customs. After filling out two more forms in duplicate for the customs official (the same you completed upon checking in), you'll need to visit Immigration to complete the clearing out process. 
Bringing pets to Barbados: online it says you must complete their pet import application, pay a $25 application fee, a $60 vet fee, and also obtain a customs clearance agent (which would involve paying another fee). So, we didn't clear Sunny in here. We heard of two other boats who brought their dogs and customs didn't care, no fees paid, no vet inspection, etc. So, it may not be as complicated here as it appears online. Either that, or those boats just got an easy customs clerk.

Jared texted me while we were on our way back that Zach would need to see the dentist asap, as he broke off part of his front tooth! Yikes! Apparently, he had slid headfirst into the dinghy and broke his tooth on the anchor locker (we have told our kids over and over not to do this, as the dinghy  bounces with the swell caused by all the jet skis zooming around). I guess he was escaping one that zoomed too close to our boat, bumped his mouth while sliding in and learned a hard lesson.

As it was the holidays, everything was closed except for an aesthetic dental specialist that was by all miracles, was open! They had a spot available for the following day. Thank goodness!

We said our goodbyes to Matt and Jared dropped him off to catch a taxi to the airport. The rest of the day was spent doing laundry, cleaning up the boat, snorkeling with friends, and just relaxing.


We had quite the introduction to the party boats we had heard about. These boats wander throughout the anchorage blasting music from about 7pm until 7am, no joke! It is really loud and forget sleeping. We had heard a little of it the night before, but we had crashed pretty hard after the crossing. We all agreed we would move as soon as possible, if it kept up.

Boat kids at play!

Up early, we wandered into town to get the boys' haircuts, source some provisions, and get to Zach's appointment. We showed up around noon, (our appointment was at 3pm) just in case they had a cancellation and we could go in earlier. We were in luck! While I filled out the paperwork, Jared took Matt and Cadence to a nearby cafe and then Zach was brought back to start the work on repairing his tooth. Dr. Car---- was amazing and so kind to Zach. After learning Zach was a swimmer, he told his story about being an Olympic swim coach! We had a great chat and 2.5 hours later, Zach's tooth was repaired and we were on our way. The office asked to take a photo of us, to use for their instagram account (they loved our sailing adventure story) and with 'farewells' and 'visit our shores soon', we set off to meet friends on the beach.

Landing the dinghy on this beach was a laugh. We thought the swell had passed and made a run for it, only to be surprised by a sneaky wave which filled the dinghy with water. After pulling Hermes up higher on the sand, we pulled the plug and drained out all the water. We then helped our other friends pull up their dinghies and bail out the water (they had the same surprise waves). We all enjoyed drinks from the Pirate's Beach Bar and soaked up the sunshine while soaking in the lovely water. Now this is the way to relax! The kids happily playing nearby, finding all sorts of things like lost sunglasses and discarded beach toys.

Roundabout hosted about 30 people for a huge Atlantic crossing party to celebrate our big accomplishment. We also welcomed in our friends on No Plans Just Options, as they completed their crossing around 6pm that evening.

Dinghy parking lot behind Roundabout!

We spent a few more days here, spending our time snorkeling and playing with friends. Everyone gathered on the beach for  crazy, fun and wild New Year's Eve party . Fireworks completed the night at midnight and boom, just like that we entered 2019.

New Year's Even party and all the boat kids celebrating crossing the Atlantic!

After a last morning snorkel and swimming with friends, we said 'see you later' to all our friends (we also delivered the Atlantic Crossing flags the kids made for our group who crossed with us), and set sail for Martinique.

Passage from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands

The passage from Gibraltar to the Canary Islands was our longest to date. We left on the evening of November 9th and arrived on the afternoon of the 13th.

The first part of the voyage, transiting the Gibraltar Strait was interesting. We aimed to leave with the least amount of current. After checking the tide app, charts, and PredictWind, we thought we had a good departure time. It wasn't awful, but not our best speed. Thankfully, we avoided any traffic or fishing gear obstacles, as we went through in the dark (again, not our desire, but that's how the timing worked out).

First couple of days were motor-sailing, as we just didn't have the greatest wind. The wind gods must have heard our complaints and decided to teach us a lesson. The third day we sailed more and then the wind and swell increased so that we were running bare poles and contemplating launching the drogue. It wasn't the 12+ foot waves behind us that were the issue, as Roundabout surfed down them just fine. It was the random westerly swell slamming into us and rocking us 90 degrees HARD that was the worst part.

However, we learned a lot and our confidence in our tank of a boat soared sky high. She is amazing and we love her.

With Graciosa island in sight, our crew danced a big happy dance. As if on cue, the fishing pole whizzed to life and we brought in a nice skipjack.

We dropped the hook off Graciosa island around 3pm, had a nice fish dinner, and had a well-deserved early night. *Some people commented that skipjack is not good to eat. We marinated it in soy sauce and it was nice. Some friends of ours marinated it in soy sauce, ginger, and honey and said it worked a treat.

The next morning, we set off for Marina Rubicon on the neighboring island of Lanzarote. We wanted to avoid some bad weather and reunite with friends. A week later, after getting some boat supplies and taking a whirlwind trip around the island to explore, we set off for Fuenteventura island. A short stop for a few hours and we continued on to Gran Canaria.

The anchorage outside of Las Palma marina was packed, as the ARC boats filled the marina to bursting! We found a spot and settled in to watch the chaos of the ARC preparations. The anchorage cost us about 7 euro per day, which included access to marina services. It was not ideal, but better protected than any other anchorage on the island. It is also closest to all the shops and hub of the city. Due to the ARC's presence, the chandlery is very well stocked, as are the grocery stores.
If you need to get your passports stamped, you need to either walk the hour to the commercial port authority/customs building or take a 10 minute car ride. The building is located near the Cepsa fuel station. While we were there, we befriended one of the officials. He was so kind to help us as we wandered around looking for the correct building. Then he took us to their large Christmas tree and took our family photo, and drove us back home. All along the way we chatted about sights to see and learned a lot about the island. We are having lunch with him tomorrow, in fact. We love how this cruising life leads you to meeting all sorts of nice people.

Thanksgiving was spent with several other families with lots of laughs and good times. The night before the ARC left, we were treated to a mega fireworks show! The next morning, we took some friends out on Roundabout to have a front row seat for the ARC's departure, wave farewell to friends, and just have an excuse to get moving for a little while. We anchored near the start buoy and enjoyed the sight of over 200 boats sailing for the Caribbean.

A few days later, we left Las Palmas with the expectation of exploring,but our mainsail tore at the leech, so we anchored for the night to avoid bashing upwind. Jared dove in to clean off the worst of the growth but we will need to anchor out again to clean the rest of the hull before we cross.
5am the following morning found us heading back to Las Palmas, where we got a spot inside the marina.

The cruising community here is amazing. Everyone is helping other cruisers with various tasks and the energy level is high. We all are ready to just get off the dock and start this journey already!

Our mainsail is getting a full service, along with the leech repair. We are also finishing off our to-do lists of boat jobs, buying more spares, and provisioning! A car rental has allowed us to explore the island a bit more and run errands a lot faster. We feel as if time is slipping by and we are trying to get so much work done (not just boat jobs, but our regular jobs). Stef had a book published recently, getting ready to launch a second one, and is working on an outline of a third. This, in addition to teaching the kids and managing all her usual boat tasks.

We leave as soon as our friend arrives to help with the crossing (he arrives on Thursday 12/6). That is the quick and photo-less update. I will go back and add photos as I find the time, but right now we are prepping to cross the Atlantic, so time to blog is low on the list of priorities. Thanks for staying with us and we are excited to get to the Caribbean. If all goes well, it can take us anywhere from 14-18 days (good sailing) or as long as 21 days if we don't have good wind. We will have about 7 other boats crossing along with us. Our goal is to get to Barbados or Martinique before Christmas, but of course it all depends on the weather.

Cartagena to Gibraltar

We spent a lovely few days in Cartagena, working on boat jobs and exploring the town. We toured the ancient amphitheater and museum, artifacts, underwater history museum, and marveled at the architecture in every aspect of the town. From metallic inlays amongst the cobblestoned streets to the statues sprinkled every few meters, there is always something to admire.

The sail from Cartagena to Gibraltar was about 2 nights. Escorted by dolphins in the bioluminescence for several hours, was the highlight of the voyage! It was simply magical watching the glittering trails in the water.

We dropped anchor in the Bay of Gibraltar, next to La Linea (Alcaidesa Marina) around 4am. A few small fishing boats were setting up lines in the anchorage, so after dodging those, speaking with one in Spanish (he was worried we would mess up his nets), we settled in and got some much needed rest.

Following morning found us at the fuel dock to check in to Marina Alcaidesa and secure our spot for the next month or so. We met some new friends and reunited with old. At one point, we had 35 kids running around the place! We organized some Halloween games and trick-or-treating and had lots of fun. There is a skate park next to the marina, so the kids were there pretty much every day. We managed to find 15 days to rent a motor home and go on a road trip into inland Spain, France, Luxembourg, and Germany! More on that trip in another post.

The border of Gibraltar is about a 5-10 minute walk from the marina, and it is a super easy crossing. You basically hold up your passport and maybe the official will glance up at you. We were anticipating a long line as they looked over each passport, but in our 5 weeks there, they never did. So many people cross back and forth each day, it just isn't feasible. Sometimes they will stop people to look inside a backpack, which they have good reason to. If you glance inside the bus stop shelters, you will see people frantically plastic wrapping and taping cigarettes and alcohol to their bodies, shoving stuff inside strollers, diaper bags, under hair extensions, hats, and all sorts of creative ways to smuggle in the duty free goods.

We spent a lot of time touring around the tiny country, exploring Gibraltar Rock and its secrets. Definitely take the time tour the tunnels (there are 2 sets), walk around the top with the apes, and immerse yourself in the history.  On one of our hikes, an ape grabbed Jared's backpack and would not let go! It was quite the struggle until the ape finally managed to pull the mini chocolate bar Zach had stuck inside the pocket.

La Linea, back on the Spanish side is the best for provisioning and sourcing boat parts. While Gibraltar is VAT free, the prices are quite expensive, so you don't really save much money. We did most of our shopping in Spain and only went into Gibraltar for a few hard to source English food items. The grocery stores in La Linea deliver directly to the boat, which is fantastic and saves having to rent a car. The local bus system is great.

We left La Linea for the Gibraltar marina (Marina Bay) on Friday the 9th for a fuel top-up (duty free) and spent the remainder of the afternoon retrieving our new jib sail and lazy-bag from customs, as well as visiting with friends before we set off for the Canaries.

The quick and dirty story on getting our new sail and sail bag VAT free:

**We ordered our new sail and lazy bag from Greece in August with a promised delivery date of October 24th. All well and good, as we had booked the marina for all of October. Well, due to several delays (the shop didn't fill out the customs paperwork correctly, TNT had other delays and lost the parcel several times... not a fun experience to say the least), we didn't get our parcel until November 9th. This was all due to Stef calling every day and finally going to the Spanish customs office at Fed-Ex/TNT. She took a chair and waited for the guys to locate the parcel for her before leaving their office. Tenacity pays off! Speaking Spanish also helps a lot.
Then, she had to go into Gibraltar and locate the warehouse--no one seemed to know where it was exactly. An hour walk later, she found it and fortunately, as it was a Friday and the guys wanted to close early for the day, they found the parcel, loaded it into a truck and delivered Stef and the parcel directly to the boat. Whew! We were finally able to get on our way to the Canary Islands!!

***Apologies for lack of photos, but I am desperately working to update the blog before we cross the Atlantic in a few days!***

Pompeii, Rome, Corsica, and Baleric Islands (Folding Prop Install)

Amazed at how well preserved the frescoes are in Pompeii!

After watching the volcano erupt for one last time, we set sail for an overnight passage to Pompeii, near the Bay of Naples. We would have loved to been able to stop and explore Capri, but the conditions were not right. We pulled into the marina, with Mt. Vesuvius in the background, hooked up to a/c for Sunny (we hate leaving her behind, but dogs are not allowed in Pompeii), and caught a cab to the dig site.

Pompeii was not the only city to be demolished by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79AD. While Pompeii is the most famous, there are several other exhibits of town also wiped out by the clouds of ash and gas.

Math in the sand: calculating how many years have passed since the eruption.

The site of Pompeii is quite large and one really needs an entire day to devote to exploring it all. An estimated 20,000 people resided here in this prosperous city.

Wandering the streets of Pompeii. The water from the baths on the hill would flow down into the city streets, washing away all of the refuse. The large stepping stones allowed residents to cross without getting wet.

View over part of the city, beautiful artwork, artifacts awaiting categorization.

Food found around the site.

One of the games they played.

The archeologists are still uncovering many parts of the city still  buried under centuries of soil. As we walked around, we happened upon a live dig where they had just uncovered a tomb. They took photos and then turned to show us through the fence. They told the kids 'you are the first people to see this newly discovered artifact'!

Observing the archeologists at work. We were the first to view the photos of the newly discovered tomb!

Viewing the photos just after they were taken!

We spent the entire day exploring and did not get to see everything. We had to leave to pick up a guest in Rome, so after a quick stop for provisions, we left for an overnight passage to Porto Romano, just up the Tiber river.

The artwork is amazing. I look at these tiny tiles and think about how much work it must have been!

That passage was awful. No matter which way we turned the boat, we got hit with swell. It was severely confused seas and not much wind, but we motored through and were very thankful when we entered the Tiber river and escaped the swell. We topped up on fuel and settled in to our dock, which happened to be right next to the swimming pool.

Michelle getting introduced to boat life. 

The next day, we picked up Michelle, who was very much a part of our family when the kids were little. She was their nanny and we sure did miss her when she went off to college! We loved getting to spend some time with her and show her the sailing life.

We had only a single day to spend in Rome and made the most of it. We got an early start and explored a lot of the area, including the massive colosseum! The guided tour was enlightening and our guide was kind enough to point out some of his own local favorite spots, such as an ice cream shop with over 150 flavors!

Boca de Veritas (mouth of truth). Put your hand in and answer someone's question or make a statement. Tell a lie and you might just lose your hand! 

Gladiator training area.

Taking in the size of the colosseum. 

Another view of the colosseum and Trevi fountain on the right. 

There are fountains with fresh water all over the place!

With another good night's rest, we set off early the next morning for Corsica. We met up with our friends on Abaco in a calm anchorage, where Jared ended up installing our new folding props. Thanks Abaco, for letting us borrow your dive gear!

Corsica sea caves

The folding props were pretty easy to install, thanks to using dive gear! 

Parts ready to be installed. We kept them in separate bags and when Jared asked for a part, I could easily find it.

Cadence shows Michelle how its done! #boatlife #boatkids #Corsica

With the clock ticking and more friends to meet, we left Corsica and sailed on to Menorca. We are pretty even matched with Abaco and sailed together the entire way, dropping the hook in Mahon bay around 1am.

Roundabout at anchor in Mahon bay.

We woke up to our friends on No Plans Just Options waving hello. The kids were happy to play in the water and run around on the beach. Later on that afternoon, we explored the old fort and nice museum.

Walking into the fort.

Isn't this like a scene from Indiana Jones?

The following day we dinghied up the bay into the town of Mahon. This town is beautiful with lush gardens, cobblestone walkways, and shops galore. We were most charmed by the handmade shoes on display in just about every window.

Seriously, there is one in every color, even glitter and animal prints!

We love it when dolphins come to visit!

Boats in the bay at Calla de Porter. Photo credit: Amber Utting.

Our next anchorage was around the corner at Cala en Porter, between two steep cliffs in bright blue water. There was a festival de los caballos (festival of horses) in full swing, so after a quick swim, cave explorations, and dinner, we dinghied over to the town. This was quite the experience. Horses with their riders were decked out in full gear and they danced to special music.

The tradition is to surround the horse and rider and then inside that circle, a group of adults and children run at and chase the horse around, patting its rump. The horses seemed used to this, although our kids did not think it was right. I asked one of the audience members to tell us the story behind this ritual. They explained that back in times of war, they wanted to desensitize the horses and so this was how it was done. This contradicts my internet search which mentions Saint Joan and how it was about the brotherhood between humans and horses. Only the children of the farming community were allowed to be inside the circle with the horses. The true version? Maybe it's both, more to research...

We led the kids back to playing on the beach and ate from the food stalls set up along the pathway. There was a special local drink (for adults) which tasted sort of like limoncello. Lots of energy surrounded us as we shouted over the music and chatter from all of those around us. After the kids came to us one by one with tired faces, we finally retired to our boats for some sleep. It didn't last too long though, as the swell had clocked around and was coming into the tiny narrow bay. We heard NPJO haul anchor around 1am and head out for Mallorca. After 30 minutes of being rolled around and not sleeping anyway, we also left the anchorage for Mallorca. Abaco followed suit an hour later.

Not one is the same...

Around midnight on the following night, we dropped the hook in the large bay of Palma and finally had a good night's sleep. 9am the next morning found us moving to a different spot over by Cala Major, as the spot we were in had sea grass, which you are not allowed to anchor in (let alone have any part of your anchor or chain touching it). We settled into a lovely anchorage with a nice sandy beach near Calla Major. We spent most of the day swimming in the lovely blue water, enjoying more aquatic life than we'd seen in a long time. There were also quite a few of those funky fried-egg jellies floating about.

We enjoyed some time exploring the town, dinner, and sangrias (oh, the sangrias were soooo good), and tried three times to check the boat in with customs. Finally, on the third day, we found the correct official who knew what he was doing. Basically, since our boat is our residence, we don't need to stamp in. If we decided to stay on land, that would be different.

We moved over closer to Puerto de Palma for the big boat kid combination birthday bash. Met some new sailing families and had a blast! The kids slept hard that night after such a long day partying. We had a bit of trouble with our anchor windlass motor (we've had issues with it, ---as you can read about by clicking that link---even after Jared serviced it and installed new brushes), which finally gave up the ghost.

Palma Cathedral in the background.

In 20 knot winds, Jared pulled up anchor by hand and we moved back over to Cala Major (the coast guard would not allow us to remain at anchor near the big port).

Installing the new anchor windlass motor.

On the way, our rudder sensor also died. Fortunately, while walking around the town, I was able to purchase a new rudder sensor off the shelf and ordered the new windlass motor for delivery the following day. With both of these installed, we were back in business!

After a 'see you in the Caribbean' send off dinner, Michelle was back on an airplane returning to land life. We also said 'see you later' to Abaco. They were hanging around there for family to visit and we needed to move on. We left Cala Major for the island of Formentera (near Ibiza). It was another motor-sail. We rode out the big wind storm on Mallorca and there just wasn't much wind left to send us west. Definitely looking forward to the better sailing in the Caribbean!

Formentera anchorage. Look at that water!!

Formentera is gorgeous! Stunning turquoise water and white soft sandy beaches! Our kids dived right in and enjoyed lots of beach time. We stayed the day and ended up leaving around 8pm for Cartagena. We needed to continue on, as we had our new sail and lazy-bag to pick up in Gibraltar.