October 19, 2025
In late July, while still in Panama, I had drafted a journal entry about our cruising in Islas las Perlas after we crossed the canal. A couple of weeks ago I finally got to edit the post but it was gone. Something went wrong with the Microsoft Apps I had been using on my iPad. An AI bot from the App — devoid of empathy— tried to help me recover the files. It could not, and after having let my frustration take the best of me, I deleted all Microsoft Apps. I am now using Google Docs on my IPad. I don’t have a choice but to keep Office on my computer for work related reports and papers, though when possible I use Latex.
I am writing this from Hua Hin. Natalia and I came back three weeks ago after a 10 day trip in Spain where we celebrated her birthday. We visited Madrid, Toledo, Cordoba, and Granada. Like with my father, we walked and walked through towns and medieval villages, visited churches and mosques, had opera and flamenco nights, and excess food and wine. Two highlights for me were eating callos madrileños (twice) and discovering in the Alhambra some of the famous mathematical symmetries on the tiles that adorn the floors and walls.
As for Panama, I just regret not having had more time to cruise Islas de las Perlas. After crossing the Canal (see previous post where I have added some pics), we spent one day in Panama City; Natalia and Marina doing some shopping and re provisioning the boat, Ian (Marina’s boy friend) and I getting her ready for sailing. At night, we celebrated our wedding anniversary in the old city. Natalia found a wonderful restaurant – Marula -and got us a table in the veranda overlooking the church and plaza.
The next day we motored some six hours to Isla Pacheca – no wind. We were received by whales and a dolphin who guided us to the anchorage on the east side. We dropped the anchor in 7 meters of water, letting plenty of chain out for the incoming tide. In this part of the Pacific the tide range is around 5 meters, not a big deal as long as you don’t anchor in waters too shallow at low tide or without enough chain for high tide. There are strong currents around the boat that limit swimming but then you have beautiful beaches a few meters away.
From Pacheca we sailed to Contadora the next day and then to Camacha where we spent the last two nights. All pretty islands with white sand and fine anchorages in prevailing winds with good holding grounds. It was the rainy season but the weather was perfect. We read, swam, suntanned at the beach, dinghied around the reefs, enjoyed drinks on deck while watching the sunset, and took turns cooking dinner. My only job one morning was to change the alternator belt. I didn’t have a replacement — the belt was supposed to be changed in Shelter Bay Marina — but I was lucky a mechanic in Contadora had two that fit.
On July 17 we raised anchor at 06:00 and set course to marina Vista Mar some 60 miles to the West, where BEHEMOTH would stay for the next couple of months. We had great sailing in 10-15 Kts of wind from the north east with all sails up; main and genoa with one reef and the staysail full. While crossing from east to west the shipping lanes leading to the Canal we used the AIS to locate the cargos while still faraway and called them on VHF. They were all nice and gave us right of way. By 16:00 we were in BEHEMOTH’s new slip and after showering and changing into clean clothes we had drinks and dinner at the Boga restaurant. The other one, La Divina Comedia, is probably more charming but doesn’t have the views.
Natalia, Marina, and Ian left the next day. I stayed behind to prepare BEHEMOTH for hibernation and meet contractors that could do some repairs and upgrades. She is now on the hard protected with shrink-wrap plastic. She has new teak on her deck and the scratches she got at the Canal on her hull and keel were repaired.
She will get her anti fooling and go back on the water at the end of this month so that the blue and red monsters and fridge’s compressor can get some maintenance work done. I will go back on December 15 (Marina will meet me there) to fix and test the Pacific Plus wind vane and check everything is in good order for the passage to the Galapagos Islands. Around the 20th we’ll fly to Quito where Natalia, her mother and Sofia will be joining us to spend Christmas and New Years with my father and the rest of the family. In early January Juan David and I will fly to Panama and a few days later sail to the Galapagos. In the meantime, we are finding an agent in Ecuador to help us with the paper work, including getting a certification that the anti fooling paint we’ll be using is environmentally friendly.
Not much else to report, things are pretty much settled between now and December. Natalia left this morning, she is flying to Riga to see her mother and then to DC for work. Woland and I will be here this coming week and then drive to Bangkok where I’m giving a training to colleagues from the Fiscal Policy Office. We’ll stay in BKK the week of the 27th and take the opportunity to get my annual check up done and renew my drivers license. Then back to Hua Hin on November 1st for two weeks after which I’ll have to travel for work to Tunisia and Mozambique. When I’m back to Thailand the trip to Panama will be around the corner…
Sailing to the Pacific 