Even frozen,southern Lancaster County is still special and it’s home.Thumper at least is warm and in the very capable hands of Capt.Doug Wallis of Seattle.Doug is supervising some minor repair work while we are waiting for a weather window to continue our tour.Inta’s kneecap was knocked out of place in the storm and her Doctor’s are attempting repair without surgery.Capt.Paul (superfish)Vissicchio is the connection in Panama City when you need to Git er done.Many thanks for his invaluable unselfish assistence and friendship.Also many thanks again to Gabe for attempting to bring my sliderule mind into the digital world.Looking forward to many exciting fishing adventures in 07 with Thumper and Capt.Tom and hope you are planning to come along.

Many thanks and gratitude to our eastern shore waterman for bringing us through.

 Spending our last few days in Panama with Maya and Gabe on the Chagres River in the Parque Soberania.Did a Jungle Canopy trip today,visited an Orchid nursery and an Indio Kuna Camp.Tomorrow we head back to civilization with a trip to Old Town,Panama City and then to Flamenco Marina and a revitalized Thumper.Be home friday

Since limping into Panama City 4 days ago we have restored power for the first time and are back online.Many thanks to Gabe for keeping everyone up to date during our repair phase.The geek even sent you pictures.Due to continued weather conditions we have had to cancel our Panama Canal passage scheduled for tomorrow.Instead we are leaving Thumper in Flamenco Marina on the Pacific side and returning home for some much needed R&R.We will return and continue the next 2000 mile leg to Isla when we get the next weather window.

The boat is coming back to life with repairs scheduled for all day today and tomorrow. We have scheduled passage through the canal on Tuesday–hopefully we’ll be ready!

You want pictures? Okay, ask and you shall receive.

I grabbed these off of Jeff Banta’s camera – he was nice enough to give Harry and Inta his digital camera after theirs disappeared.

Maya and I arrived in Panama City, Panama just after 8 p.m. last night. We hadn’t been in touch with Thumper since Wednesday morning when Harry said they were badly beat up by a freak storm trying to cross the Bay of Panama and they were still 70 miles from Panama City. Originally, we had intended to stay the night in a hotel and then take a short plane flight today to Piñas Bay, the home of the Tropic Star Lodge and some of the Pacific’s best sport-fishing. Plans change though, so we got the hotel driver to take us to Flamenco Marina where Harry said he was intending to make repairs. We had no way to get in touch with them, though, to find out where exactly they might be… or if they had made it at all! Our driver Edwin was kind and patient though as we drove around marinas asking about Thumper and Harry and Inta. On a hunch, Maya decided to check the bar and lo!

There they were. They’d found fishing-buddy friends already and we’re about to leave for a well-needed sleep in a shore-side bed at a nearby hotel. Our arrival had them stay a bit longer and share a meal of whole fried snapper and fried plantains as well as several local beers. Then we were off to our respective lodgings and we’re about to go meet up with them to assess the damage on the boat and what it’ll take to get her sea-worthy again. More later…

A monkey at our hotel watching us eat breakfast.

Just endured 30 hours of horrific conditions in Panama Bay.After 8 hours we were forced to retreat.Took a lot of damage both to Thumper and us and will try and get it together tomorrow.My Inta gets the tough bitch of the year award.We all need sleep

Anchored for the evening at Bahia Ensenada Naranga on Isla Cebaco ie.7.29/81.13.Uninhabitated except for occasional nomad oceanic indians the cruising fraternity is served by a floating city consisting of a fuel barge and small commercial type ship.Services include everything from rum to laundry.However no women so you can hardly call it “full service”.No billfish today but we did catch dinner.Tomorrow we start the 250 mile run to Pinas Bay on the Colombian border and home of Tropic Star Lodge.Famous as the location of Zane Grey Reef the home of numerous IGFA records, Big Marlin and Guy Harvey’s Portraits of the Deep series of Paintings.

Just released #101 a 500lb. class monster at 11:20 A.M. on 80lbs. standup at Banko Hannibal

Arrived Puerto Armuelles last night and port captain sent a panga to our anchorage to bring us ashore.We cleared customs,quarantine,immigration and got our Zarpe(cruising permit) and fishing permits.These guys then went over the top with a guided tour and fiesta grande.And I thought Costa Rica was cool.Left this morning for our next anchorage at Bahia Ensenada Hermosa on Coiba the largest island in the Mesoamerican Pacific and 15 miles from Banco Hannibal.At dawn tomorrow we hunt.