The forecast for our upcoming passage, westbound, around the Azuero Peninsula of Panama was not ideal. But during the winter months, it never is. Winds blow strong and steady from the south, and ripping currents in the opposite direction can churn the ocean into chaos. Add frequent thunderstorms that build with frightening speed south of […]
Posts with the Island Packet tag
Galley Glam
Most of you probably know by now just how slowly we move. We are never in a race when we sail to new places. When we find an anchorage we like, we might stay put for weeks. We enjoy Panana so much, we’ve stuck around since 2018. We do, pretty much, everything with zero sense […]
Pacification
We finally did it! We crossed the isthmus through the Panama Canal, affectionally called the big ditch, into the expansive Pacific Ocean. Despite having read a ton of blogs and guides, there were quite a few surprises in store for us. The crossing alone was quite the experience. It required extensive prep, and coordinating several […]
Something Is Burning
“Something is burning” are three of the most frightening words you can hear someone say on a cruising boat. Those are the exact words Kimberly yelled out a couple of minutes after we had started our engine. She then ran to the cockpit and shut the engine down while I reached for the fire extinguisher. […]
Our Frosty Drawers
It Started With A Stench For years, every time we reached in to our utensil drawer above the refrigerator, or pulled open the large drawer below, our nostrils were assaulted by the unmistakable scent of mold. Attempts to purge the offending odor with vinegar, then bleach, had no effect. We learned to live with it, […]
Our Cruising Quinquennial
August 9, 2015 was a regular Sunday in New Orleans. It was expectedly hot, humid, cloudy, and the summertime sluggishness had settled over the city like a smothering blanket. It did not feel like a special day for us, yet it was arguably one of the most momentous days of our lives. After our morning […]
We Will NEVER Be a Dog Boat!
Five years ago, when we set sail from New Orleans, we made a vow to ourselves that ¡Pura Vida! would be dog free. We love them all, but made the difficult decision based on reading about the complications and expense of clearing into new countries, the need to ferry them ashore several times a day, […]
Back for Seconds at the Buffet
After over four years of wandering through the Caribbean and exploring dozens of islands and hundreds of anchorages, you would think we are used to the excitement of arriving at a new locale. The thrill, however, never wears off. Each place can be so dramatically different in culture, landscape, language, food, customs and immigration procedures, […]
The Pura Vida Life
After two months living in the mountains of Cartago, Costa Rica, at an elevation of 1,200 meters (4,000 feet), we changed scenery for the hills west of San Jose with a magnificent view of two volcanos from our backyard. We chose the new rental house for its location offering us a relatively short drive into […]
Bungle in the Jungle
Before we knew it, we were hauling ¡Pura Vida! out of the water and it was time to leave Panama. Hauling out is never an easy or relaxing process, as you see your home and all its contents unceremoniously lifted from the sea and set to rest, unnaturally, on dirt. They call it “being on […]