I returned to the boat in Panama on September 30th after a 3 month stay in the U.S. and it didn't take long for me to settle down to the slower pace of everyday living on a sailboat. Soon after I returned we sailed to the San Blas Islands of Panama (Kuna Yala) an archipelago on Panama's Caribbean coast composed of 340 islands. We visited the Kuna village of Tupile where a young Kuna man befriended us and took us on a tour of the village. The Kunas live in houses with thatched roofs made from a special palm leaf, and [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left the Bahamas in late May and headed to Jamaica. We spent a week in Jamaica waiting for good weather for the anticipated crossing to Panama. We eventually got acceptable weather (not really enough wind but at least no BAD weather) and made the 4 day sail to Panama. We arrived in Panama on June 1 in plenty of time for hurricane season. June 1st is technically the beginning of hurricane season but normally no named storms are seen until July. We spent a few days in Shelter Bay Marina which is near Colon and also near an old US [View Full Entry]

---

---

We've been traveling through the Bahamas since late March. We have sailed in the most shallow water here than anywhere else, but is crystal clear beautiful water in various shades of blue and green. Since the water is so shallow I have spent alot more time than usual standing on the coachroof and picking out reefs, rocks, and hazards as we approach harbors. We approached the Bahamas from the south after leaving Puerto Rico and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Our first stop in the Bahamas was Mayaguana where we got a good lesson in keeping up the the times of [View Full Entry]

---

---

Hi, everyone. We are anchored in Fat Hog's Bay, Tortola, British Virgin Islands. We've been in the BVIs a little over a week and have once again enjoyed our stay here. This is my 4th visit (Jimmy's 5th) to the BVIs. Jimmy has been diving at 3 different sites here this past week, plus a lot of snorkeling. We ran into our friends Dave and Michelle on s/v Daniell Storey whom we haven't seen since last August, so it has been fun catching up with friends. In January we had friends visit from Fort Worth. They met us in Puerto Rico. [View Full Entry]

---

---

Jimmy and I are in Puerto Rico now and plan to spend Christmas on the boat this year. Since the last blog entry we have put a few miles under our belts. We left Puerto la Cruz, Venezuela in late October and headed out of the country via the offshore Venzuelan islands of Los Roques and Los Aves. We spent a couple of days in each island group before sailing to Bonaire. Bonaire is part of the ABC Islands (Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao). This was our second visit to Bonaire. Jimmy and I were in Bonaire about 10 years on a [View Full Entry]

---

---

Wow what a whirlwind the last few weeks have been. Our time in Venezuela is winding down. What a country! It has mountains, beaches, jungle, amazing waterfalls, and the list goes on. After leaving the island of Margarita we traveled north to the island of Blanquilla for a few days and then south to the island of Tortuga for a few days. These islands have pretty beaches and Blanquilla especially has very good snorkeling. They are both virtually uninhabited with only the coast guard and a few fishermen as residents. It made for a quiet restful time but after a few [View Full Entry]

---

---

We left Grenada August 19 and sailed to Trinidad with our friends Val & Lloyd on s/v Puddle Jumper. On August 22nd I flew from Trinidad to Atlanta, GA to visit my family in Dalton, GA. My son and daughter-in-law flew in from Dallas, and my sister flew in from Houston. We all gathered at Mom's house. I spent 9 days in Georgia . My Mom's family has a big family reunion every year, so I had a chance to see aunts, uncles, cousins, 2nd cousins, 3rd cousins, etc. I flew back to Trinidad around the 1st of September. Jimmy stayed [View Full Entry]

---

---

We spent most of June in the Grenadines. We visited Bequia, Mustique, Canouan, Mayreau, Tobago Cays, Petit St. Vincent, and Union Island. While sailing in the Grenadines we started traveling with several other boats from island to island. At one time we had as many as 8 boats traveling together. It was great fun and we made a lot of new friends. Toward the end of June we made our way further south to Carriacou and Grenada in preparation for hurricane season. After a couple of weeks in Grenada we decided to go to Tobago with Tom & Rose of s/v [View Full Entry]

---

---

In early May we left St. Martin and sailed to Oranje Baai, St. Eustatius (also called Statia). We stayed there 2 days and one of the highlights of our visit was a hike to the crater rim of the Quill Volcano. Most people have never heard of Statia but in the 1700s it was the trade capitol of the Indies with over 100 ships in the harbor at a time. After Statia we sailed to St. Kitts where we anchored for a couple of days and then to Nevis. St. Kitts and Nevis make up a twin island state that is [View Full Entry]

---

---

After spending a month in Puerto Rico, we made our way back through the Spanish, U.S., and British Virgin Islands in order to be back in St. Martin by the first week of April. After returning to St. Martin we had guests from Fort Worth for a week. While they were here we traveled to the French side of St. Martin where we visited Marigot, Grand Case, Tintamarre, and Orient Beach. We enjoyed the street party in Grand Case where vendors bring their wares every Tuesday night to sell in booths along the road by the beach. At Orient Beach we [View Full Entry]

---

---