Punta Naranjo,
Panama 07 16.5N 080 15.5 W
Very, very busy day today. Weather looked very bad as we left Isla Cebaco and it didn't get any better. Rain spurting and sputtering, wind blowing but that's the part that sailors like, gray clouds. Isla Cebaco was very rolly so we thought anything would be better. After we got out on the ocean we put up the sails and caught the wind. We turned off the motor and were able to sail all day. It was great, but scary for me because the boat really heels over & hotfoots it across the ocean. Sometimes you feel like you're flying when in actuality you're only going 6 knots. Grace's hull speed is only 8 knots so on a good day you could run faster than she can sail, well maybe.
The wind was increasing quickly when all of a sudden the fishing reel started buzzing telling us we had a strike. It was a beautiful mahi mahi and Jerry wanted it for dinner. When you are sailing and have to stop to take a fish, it's necessary to slow the boat down or else you can't pull in a big fish. I had to turn off the auto pilot and turn the boat into the wind to spill the wind from the sails, but then the sails started banging like they were going to be torn from the mast. I had to try to hold the sails, turn the boat, hand Jerry the fish juice (vodka which suffocates them) and the wind was trying to hit 30 knots. There's no time to worry about anything, just do it. Jerry was trying to bring in dinner. We landed the fish, the sail is still in one piece, and we have a great dinner ahead of us. The fish was 45 inches long & our neighbors on Liberte are coming for dinner.
We are even in a rollier anchorage tonight. Tomorrow we sail to Benao, Panama with Punta Mala or the mal (bad) point in front of us.
- 28 September 2000