Arriving at the DeFever Rendezvous
Useppa Island, Florida
Yesterday saw Ole off again for Independence, five weeks earlier than planned. But the last few days of February and first couple of days of March were fantastic for both of us.
Prepping for the DeFever Rendezvous
February 24, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Bocas Marina
Bocas del Toro, Panama
Ole’s replacement aboard Independence has resigned, so his 10 weeks off has been cut down to 5, with one of the weeks requiring his attendance at diesel school in Ft. Lauderdale. Happily, though, the end of his course coincides with the beginning of the annual Winter Rendezvous of the DeFever Cruisers. We have been invited to present for about 45 minutes about our cruise from Guatemala to Panama, so we spent the last few days before Ole’s departure running through the presentation, editing and refining the Power Point slides, and working up our George and Gracie act to take it on the road. Well, I’m off tomorrow to join Ole in Ft. Lauderdale for a quick overnight and then a drive to Useppa to join the Rendezvous. Can’t wait!
Valentine’s Day in Bocas del Toro
February 14, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Sweethearts Forever
Bocas Marina
Bocas del Toro, Panama
With the Bocas Marina Cantina under new and creative management, a Valentine’s Party was planned and executed with impeccable flair by Dyllan and Darian. The festivities included welcome pink jello shots, romantic poetry on ribbon-tied scrolls, hundreds of paper hearts flying all over the posts, walls and tables, and a great meal of eggs benedict, champagne, and rum punch. The highlight was a musical trio booked in from Peru – with a keyboardist, percussionist, and “girl singer” who started slowly and romantically, then built up to full-on dancing music. They were truly the best entertainment we’ve seen in Bocas, and it figures, considering they are from out of town! Here are a few moments from the party… [Read more…]
Full Moon at Starfish Beach
February 12, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Full Moon at Starfish
Bocas del Toro, Panama
During a break between the rain squalls, we decided we needed a few days out at anchor, to get our sense of territory back, give the new engine exhaust manifold a tryout, and find somebody to repair our bimini top and bridge cover. We joined Steve (Serenity) and Gary (Sea Feather) for a planned couple of days at Starfish Beach, and shared a good meal aboard. We were fortunate enough to experience a full moon rise, and Ole went out in the dinghy to try to capture a few “mood” shots.
After a relaxing couple of days, we picked up anchor and moved to Dolphin Bay, where Cyntha and Tommy from Moondancer are house-sitting for Carl and Mary of Camryka. We were able to cajole Cynthia into repairing our canvas, much to our delight. Should get at least another year out of our “bargain” bridge cover from Rio Dulce after repairs.
Happy New Year from Independence of the Seas!
January 31, 2009 By Leave a Comment
Ole and Jan on New Year’s Eve
Independence of the Seas
The beginning of the year greets us with more change. It looks like Ole’s schedule is changing (again) and our projected 10 weeks of planned projects will be cut down to 5 weeks.
We were invited to present at the 2009 Winter DeFever Rendezvous at Useppa Island Resort in western Florida the end of February, and Ole has a 5-day course from Wartsilla Diesel the third week of February. So we’ve got to get our heads around a new schedule. [Read more…]