The Last Passage

Provisioning for our boat to get from Panama to Tahiti!

Panama City, Panama---We were supposed to leave yesterday but after waking very early and heading to the city for boat provisioning, buying enough food to get the boat to Tahiti, returning to stock the boat in the beating sun with no wind, we were exhausted. The crew came up with an offer to the captain to finance one more night so we could stay. Shannon actually had heat sickness.

So, we got one more day to relax here and today, we leave for the Galapagos Islands. According to PassageWeather.com, there is NO WIND. So it is possible for this passage to last a lot longer than planned. I have booked a red eye flight/return ticket to the US from Quito, Ecuador for April 1. The time remaining is the time I get to explore the Galapagos Islands. There is a standby position on a small tour cruise boat that is for the 24th that I plan to take IF we make it in time. It goes to multiple islands and you stay aboard. A land tour means you can’t see as much. I guess it’s up to God!

We will pass the Equator on this trip and we are planning or ceremony, hopefully different from the hazing that large military ships give their first timers. After crossing we become a “trusty Shellback”.

I have mixed feelings as I love the feeling of sailing and this will be my last passage on this year long adventure, mixed with the excitement of seeing the Galapagos, but combined with the anxiousness to return home to see my 15 year old beloved dog in questionable health.

Never-the-less, we are off.