still in panama city

The original plan was to leave Panama City on the 5th Feb, we are stuck waiting for 150 foot of anchor chain which Bobby has been promised for the last 3 months. It will arrive here on a ship from the States around the 24th Feb. As soon as we get it on board we can set off but in the mean time I’ll use the time to keep provisioning, stocking up and trying to get to grips with cooking on this boat! Very proud of my small achievements; coleslaw and chocolate brownies (obviously not together!) Yes I know getting to grips with the sailing stuff is slightly more important!

Have had the most amazing “mini break” (for all you Bridget Jones fans!). Bobby’s friends, Clyde & Mia, invited us to join them for a few days over on the Caribbean coast of Panama. We flew to Bocas Del Toro (north eastern coast of Panama for all those without an atlas!) and joined them on their boat, Kaleidoscope. What I didn’t realise is that I was about to have a taster of celebrity life for a few days – check out the next issue of Hello and OK magazines, you may just see me sunning myself on the deck of a luxury yacht pretending I didn’t call the paparazzi to come and take photos!! ; )
The boat was amazing, a 100 foot catamaran (check out the photos). Built by the owner, Clyde in his back garden! Oh yes you read correctly he built & designed it himself. That alone is amazing but then you see it and, the system’s he designed and adapted for different uses, it is just fantastic. Bigger than most people’s houses and has every luxury possible. Our cabin had a proper full size bed, flat screen tv and dvd player, but more importantly an en suite with shower and hot & cold water! As for the rest of the boat, where do I begin; 4 toilets, huge chest freezers (oh yes not just one!) 2 American style fridges, a proper cooker, washing machine and dryer. There are two separate lounge areas with corner sofas, a dining room and two workshops that seemed to be bigger than Bobby’s boat (Gilly you would be in DIY heaven!) Lifts took you down into the hulls and the forward deck could be big enough to play tennis. Ball boys needed, diving equipment provided!!!
We were totally spoilt by Mia and Clyde’s generosity and fantastic cooking – loved the pancakes and our midnight feasts of ice cream, Clyde, and Mia I’m still dreaming of your cheesecake and Thai green curry. A huge thank you to you both and big hugs to Kaiser, the softy guard dog who thinks he is human and prob hasn’t forgiven me for throwing him in the water!!

Bocus Del Toro was totally picturesque. Forested islands, with houses and restaurants on stilts overhanging the water. A laid back Caribbean feel to the place immediately put me in the mood for chilling in the hammock, sipping cocktails.

For now it’s back to the list of things to do and overcoming my total lack of Spanish. Somehow I’m managing to call on the radio for a launch to take me to the dock and ask the security guard for the key to the shower, I’m just at a loss when they divert from the script and end up looking blankly at them – nothing new there I know!