Thursday November 20 at 0615 Sadiqi motored out past the reefs of the Rosario group of islands – heading south west. The winds were 8 knots from the south west. By 1030 the winds were 8 to10 knots from the SSW. I turned off the engine and we headed slowly – COG 285 degrees M and SOG 3 knots - in roughly the right direction.
Noon
1200 UTC -5 - November 20
Wind
5 to 10 knots SSW
Lat:
10 17.00 N Lon: 076 04.44 W
COG:
290 deg M, SOG: 2.5 knots
Engine:
1447.7 hours
20.5
miles since departing Isla Grande
By
2200 the winds had dropped to 4 knots from the SW and Sadiqi was back
to motor sailing again.
When
I run the Volvo engine I take the front cover off to get some air
circulating in the small engine space. Unfortunately, this heats up
an already hot cabin and is as noisy as hell. At about 0300 I was
having a sleep when I heard an almighty crack and bang. I was roused
from my coma like sleep in a pico second and dashed to the cockpit. I
put my foot on where the steps to the cockpit should have been and my
big toe had a brief altercation with the alternator pulley and fan
belt! A few words were said as I looked around to see what Sadiqi
had hit or what had hit Sadiqi and saw nothing. Some blood oozed onto
the cockpit sole. I was lucky that my toe was not ripped off. During
the day I had seen large logs, trees and other detritus floating in
the water. Sadiqi had probably hit a log. Fortunately at the speed
she travels at no harm was apparent.
Friday
November 21 at 0610 Winds were 5 to 8 knots NE roughly on the beam.
It was slow going pushing against a 1 to 2 knot current in a lumpy
sea.
0800
the wind was 2 to 5 knots from the SW. I started the engine again.
The reason for running the engine is this was passage making. I
wanted to get to a destination during daylight hours.
Noon
1200 UTC -5 - November 21
Wind
5 to 8 knots SW
Lat:
10 03.01 N Lon: 077 11.42 W
COG:
250 deg M, SOG: 2.5 knots
Engine:
1464.2 hours
69
miles since noon the previous day
1645
wind 5 to 8 knots N – on the beam.
I
limped forward of the mast on my injured foot and put up Big Bertha
(Asymmetrical spinnaker), once I had remembered out how to do it.
COG
250 degrees magnetic, SOG 3.5 to 4.5 knots. The speed through the
water was 5.5 to 6 knots. Sadiqi was making some progress in the
right direction.
2145
I dropped Big Bertha as I had been hand steering and I needed some
rest.
Sadiqi
sailed on through the night with the yankee and main sail up.
Saturday
November 22
The
wind held through the night and Sadiqi made good progress. The
skipper managed to get some good rest without the heat and the noise
of the engine.
Just
after sunrise the winds became more fickle and I started the engine
again. Sadiqi was nearing her destination.
Noon
1200 UTC -5 - November 22
Wind
5 to 10 knots NE
Lat:
09 30.07 N Lon: 078 30.83 W
COG:
237 deg M, SOG: 2 knots
Engine:
1473.2 hours
85.5
miles since noon the previous day
1345
Arrived Nargana, Corazone de Jesus, Kuna Yala (San Blas), Panama
Engine:
1474.9 hours
The
contrast from the high rise apartments/hotels of Cartagena and Boca
Grande to the no rise palm frond/rusty corrugated iron shacks of the
villages on the islands of Nargana and Corazone de Jesus was
extreme. I went ashore with Geoff and Alison from Saraoni. The people
were very friendly and greeted us with smiles.
