Ahoy, Everyone from
ULTRA,
We hope that this fun blog entry finds all of you doing
great! WOWIE! It is has been quite some time since we have updated
our blog. We sincerely apologize for that. However, we have been
posting on our Facebook page and on our Yacht Ultra You Tube Channel some.
However, without good internet, it is very difficult to do that and especially
to update our blog, since we always love to include lot of photos. We
sincerely hope you enjoy this blog entry and we welcome all of your comments.
We love to read them and hear from all of you and also how you are doing!
Thank you so much for following our blog! To see more of what we have
been up to, you can check out our YACHTULTRA1 YOU TUBE CHANNEL!
FUN BLOG SUMMARY:
- · ULTRA ENGINE REBUILD IN PANAMA
- · WE HAVE A GREAT VISIT WITH THE LEGENDARY JIMMY BUFFET
- · OUR COSTA RICA GETAWAY
- · FUN FAMILY REUNION AND CATCHING UP WITH FRIENDS IN TEXAS
- · KEY WEST FANTASY FEST 2015
- · OUR SECOND PANAMA CANAL PASSAGE
- · EXPLORING PORTABELLO AND PUERTO LINDO AGAIN
- · BACK IN THE AMAZING PARADISE OF THE SAN BLAS ISLANDS
- WE CELEBRATE 7 YEARS OF LIVING ABOARD ULTRA FULL TIME!
We sincerely appreciate all of you cheering us on as we chase
our sailing dreams!
BIG HUGS TO ALL OF YOU!
J & B & Sailor Kitty : )
· MARCH 2015: ULTRA PERKINS ENGINE REBUILD
While
in Bocas Del Toro, Panama, we had a complete rebuild done on our main engine, a
Perkins 4.236 85 HP Engine. After we returned from our spectacular month long
adventure in Colombia in February, we discovered our anti-siphon break on the
engine had failed and saltwater had filled the 4th cylinder and the
engine was completely locked up. We tried and tried to break it free and
even had others try, but it would not budge. We located a company in Panama
to do the rebuild and sent it off to them. They are considered one of the
very best companies in Panama. It put a HUGE dent in our boat budget
since it cost us $10,000 to do the rebuild, since we also incurred travel
expenses as well as additional months of marina slip expenses.. We could have
almost bought a new engine for that price! The problem was they quoted one
price ($6,000) and then after it was apart another price. EEK!
After several trips back and forth to visit our engine that was a 1 hour water
taxi ride plus a 4 hour bus ride away and at least 3 nights at a hostel, we
tracked the progress on our engine. Since this is Latin America, the USA
style since of urgency we have, does not exist here. The engine definitely did
not get rebuilt in a timely fashion. After a few weeks of We ended up
dealing directly with the owner of this huge engine repair company. In the end,
they had to send a mechanic twice from their location to our location to repair
outstanding items that Bill had on their TO DO List for the rebuild.
However,
in the end Bill still ended up doing around 30% of the engine work and also
installed new parts, since our engine was not completely done to his standards
nor to the standards we were promised. With the great help of
friends that towed us back to the port to get a crane to put our engine back
into ULTRA, we were one step closer to resuming our cruising life. Finally, in
August we felt that our engine was complete and ready to be tested. We had to
work out more kinks in it, but in the end it seemed to be happy once
again. Ultra and her crew were especially happy, since we all were
able to cruise again. INTERESTING FACT: THE WONDERFUL GUY THAT TRANSPORTED THE 1200 POUND ENGINE IN HIS PANGA (LOCAL WOODEN BOAT WITH OUTBOARD) ON A 1 HOUR JOURNEY WITH US ABOARD FROM BOCAS MARINA TO ALMIRANTE WAS NAMED MOSES. THE GUY ON THE OTHER SIDE THAT UNLOADED IT OUT OF THE PANGA INTO THE TRUCK WAS NAMED JESUS!
·
AUGUST 2015: ROMANTIC GETAWAY TO COSTA RICA
We
were to fly back to the USA in September, however, our visa in Panama is only
good for 6 months and then we must leave the country and then get stamped back
in again. This renews our visa for another 6 months. Well, our visa was going
to expire in three weeks, and we still would have another 1 week to go before we
departed to the USA. Pain in the neck!
We
headed to immigration to see if they could help us with this situation. Well,
all they could do was to charge us the price of renewing our visa which is $105
per person. If we allowed our visa to expire, the fine was going to be $50 per
month per person for each month that it was expired. Furthermore, the
risk of being illegal since having an expired Visa is NO BUENO! The
problem with getting the $105 visa that is good for 1 year was that as soon as we
flew out to the USA in two weeks, our visa would be null and void. Upon our
return, we would have to start all over again and our visa via airplane is only
good for 6 months.
So
we worked up some numbers, and decided that for around $50 more, we could have
a fun getaway to Costa Rica for almost the same price of paying the $105 for
each Visa or the fines. So once again, we left Ultra and Sailor Kitty once
again and took a water taxi and a bus ride to the border of Panama and Costa
Rica. There we walked across a bridge between the two countries and checked out
of Panama and then into Costa Rica. There we stayed in a great and very cheap
hostel in the town of Puerto Viejo (old Port). Our room was not ready, so
we ended up getting a small house for the same price that included a big
kitchen. We rented bikes and rode all around the town. There were
lots of art galleries, shops, restaurants, and of course the beach town. The
very best part was that our hostel had a gigantic swimming pool, so we were in
the pool every day. Since it was slow season, we had the hostel almost totally
to ourselves. After our stay in Costa Rica, we got our proper visa stamps and
loaded up on the bus once again to Almirante, Panama, and then the water taxi
to Bocas Marina.
Note: That was our second time to Costa Rica. The first time we
went was in 2004, and we had cashed in some airline and hotel points and the
trip was free. We stayed in Guanacaste in Papagayo Peninsula. Back then they
were beginning to develop this area for ex-pats and the prices for beautiful
oceanfront lots were around $50,000. Well, then the market crashed and the tax
structure of Costa Rica had been geared towards ex-pats. However, the ex-pats
bailed out and the country was left with the same tax structure for all people.
Therefore, in our opinion it was very expensive. We bought our groceries at the
supermarket and cooked in the house, rather than going out to lunch or dinner.
· SEPTEMBER 2015: FAMILY REUNION IN TEXAS, CATCHING UP WITH
FUN FRIENDS ALL OVER, AND THEN THE FINALE WAS CHECKING THE KEY WEST
FANTASY FEST 2015 OFF ON OUR BUCKET LIST
In
September, after celebrating JoAnne’s birthday on the 25th in Bocas
Del Toro, we hopped on a plane to Texas by way of Miami. There we had an
excellent reunion in San Antonio. It was Dad and Karen’s (JoAnne’s parents)
Karachi American School high school reunion that was held at a beautiful hotel
on the Riverwalk. We had a great time and Dad and brother, Tobin, along
with their other band members were the fantastic entertainment. JoAnne's uncle Terry, she had not seen in several years, was also able to attend. Unfortunately, JoAnne’s other brother, Joe, and her sisters, Lisa, Jenny and
Katherine and their families were unable to attend. We look forward to
seeing them all soon! After spending a few days at the reunion, we were
off to Boerne, just an hour away, to spend a fun filled week with David, Bill’s
son. While in San Antonio, we were able to catch up with The Gothards, The
Jordans, and The Koppes’. The Gothards threw us a great party complete with an
early Thanksgiving dinner. So fun!
Bill's son, David, was building a swimming pool while we were there, so very fun to be part of the last parts of the installation. We were even the first ones to get to swim in it with him! : ) We also got to visit his beautiful longhorn steer, Peppermint, that we had purchased for him as a Grand Opening gift for his business, Riverbed Concrete, Inc.
Bill's son, David, was building a swimming pool while we were there, so very fun to be part of the last parts of the installation. We were even the first ones to get to swim in it with him! : ) We also got to visit his beautiful longhorn steer, Peppermint, that we had purchased for him as a Grand Opening gift for his business, Riverbed Concrete, Inc.
After returning back to Clear Lake,
we spent November visiting with more friends and family and catching up on
routine doctor’s appointments.
KEY WEST FANTASY FEST 2015
At
the end of October, we flew to Ft. Lauderdale and hopped on the Tri-Rail Train
to Miami in order to catch the Greyhound bus to Key West the next
morning. We were ready for our amazing week long adventure at FANTASTY
FEST 2015. The theme was an alien theme, but we love Heros and especially Super Heros, so we went for that theme instead. Imagine the very best Mardi Gras, Caribbean Carnival and Halloween Parties you have ever been to and multiply those by 1,000,000. We have been to several Mardi Gras, Caribbean Carnivals and Halloween Parties, and we must say that this is one of the best and most amazing events we have ever been to! The great part is that it is held over Halloween, so it makes even
more of a celebration. We had great costumes for every day, and even were
included in all of the VIP parties. Great thing is that the tickets offer
free food and free drinks. We love the word FREE! The only catch
was that JoAnne was competing in the different contests and since Bill was her
guest, he got VIP treatment, too. The competitions were: HOMEMADE BIKINI
CONTEST AND BODY PAINTING CONTEST. THE FINAL VIP PARTY was for the EPIC
HALLOWEEN NIGHT PARADE! The entire week was full of amazing memories we
will definitely never forget!
SNEAK PEAK AT THE FORT LAUDERDALE BOAT SHOW
·
DECEMBER 2015: WE RETURNED TO BOCAS
DEL TORO
Jimmy Buffet walking passed ULTRA the day we met him. : )
We
returned to ULTRA and Sailor Kitty that were docked at Bocas Marina. We were so
grateful once again, to have everyone taking such great care of Sailor. He had
so many EXCELLENT babysitters looking after him! We cannot thank them
enough! : )
We
got the boat organized and we were prepared for our extremely long journey back
to the Eastern Caribbean. It was well over 2,000 miles and we had
provisioned the boat. We departed mid December and ended up in Shelter Bay
Marina in Colon, Panama, due to bad weather. We had to wait for the Christmas
Winds to die down and then we would head for the San Blas Islands once
again. Well, being the way our life is, we never know what is going to
happen from day to day. Yes, we make a plan, but it never seems to stay
the way we planned. We had the pleasure of reuniting with our fun friends,
Steve and Sandra aboard S/V YONDER. They asked us if we would like to be
line handlers for them through the Panama Canal. WOW! In February
2014, we had the amazing experience of crewing for our wonderful French friends
(that are more like our family) aboard their beautiful catamaran, and now we
get a second opportunity to go through the Panama Canal. We checked our
schedule and we still needed the winds to die down before making our journey to
San Blas and then onto Jamaica and beyond and to be in Grenada, West Indies by
June 2016. We celebrated Christmas and also rung in the New Year at Shelter Bay
Marina and then the second week of January 2016, we made our second passage as
crew through the Canal. It was again a great experience and we ended up
having another surprise. Yes… the whole plan thing, it always changes.
Our
friends, Alice and Steve on S/V OCEAN STAR, were in Las Perlas which is the
Pacific Side of Panama and invited us aboard their boat to cruise the Las
Perlas for a few days. Of course we said YES, and were so excited to see
them once again. After making our way through the Canal, we rendezvoused
with OCEAN STAR. We grabbed our bags and transferred from one boat to another
via water taxi at the Balboa Yacht Club. We immediately put on our
swimsuits and were ready for our next adventure. We had fun sailing with
them and catching up. After spending 4 fun filled days with them, we hopped a
high speed ferry back to Balboa Yacht Club.
There
we rendezvoused once again with Steve and Sandra and had a great dinner and
drinks to celebrate their fun Canal Passage. The next day, we hopped onto
a water taxi and were prepared to take the Express Bus from Panama City to
Colon and then a taxi ride to Shelter Bay Marina. Since we had some hardware
store shopping to do before getting on the bus, we picked up some items. While
there, we ran into some friends from Shelter Bay. They reminded us that the
Shelter Bay minivan was picking everyone up in 2 hours. It was the
only day in the week that the minivan does a shopping trip in Panama
City. IT WAS DEFINITELY OUR LUCKY DAY! The great part is, that is
FREE! If not, it would have cost us $4.00 each for the Express Bus from
P.C. to Colon, and then another $40.00 to take a taxi from Colon to
Shelter Bay Marina.
·
JANUARY 2015: PORTABELLO AND ISLA
LINTON
We
arrived in Portabello and explored the forts and the town. When we were here
there in 2014, we had anchored in Puerto Lindo and then took a 45 minute
chicken bus to Portabello. We had explored the town then. This is the location
of the famous Black Christ where people travel for days by foot and even arrive
on their knees to worship the Black Christ for all of its’ healing
powers. We stayed in Portabello for about a week and then we were onto
Puerto Lindo. Here we had a spectacular surprise as we met up with our fun
friends, Dawn and Randy, that we had written about before. They had set
sail to the South Pacific around the time that we had headed to Bocas Del Toro
in 2014 aboard their sailboat Nirvana Now. Randy and Bill had gotten the HUGE
GROUPER in San Blas that year. Well, on their passage to French Polynesia their
boat began taking on water. A LOT OF WATER! 1000 miles off of the Marquesas,
they had to be rescued. They were able to escape with a couple of suitcases of
their belongings and the rest was sunk with their boat. Randy had to cut the
hoses on the thru hulls and sink the boat, so it would not be a hazard to
navigation. SUPER SCARY! Well, upon their return and within 6 months they
had bought another boat, a very beautiful boat. The name is RENACIENTE,
which translates to New Beginning.
Here
we also snorkeled very often and also explored the wildlife. There are
countless sloths, monkeys and more!
We
had a great time catching up with them, fun happy hours, exploring and also
helping them on their boat projects. As having any boat is always a
challenge, since everything is always in some sort of stage of broken or
breaking. It is especially difficult if one is not familiar with the boat and
what was done by the previous owners. The cool thing about the boat is,
there were only 6 made. One of them was owned by the Beach Boys and they even
had a recording studio put inside. How cool is that!
·
FEBRUARY 2015: WE ARRIVED BACK IN
SAN BLAS
We
got the boat organized once again and then we were ready for our passage to San
Blas and then onto Jamaica and beyond. The weather had finally calmed down and
we had a great trip to the San Blas. We arrived safe and sound and met up with
our Kuna friends that we were supposed to have met up with in December 2014,
but our engine had other ideas for us. : )
We
had a spectacular time hanging out with them. We alternated with them on the
meals. One night we cooked, the next night they did. We also hunted for fish
with them. We had fun making sails for their ulus (local wooden kayak) and also
repaired the numerous holes in their wooden boats.
·
MARCH 2015: BILL’s BIRTHDAY BASH AND
WE CELEBRATE 7 YEARS OF FULL TIME LIVING ABOARD ULTRA
This
was a fun month, too. We celebrated Bills birthday on March 25, by having an
amazing day of exploring the islands, snorkeling, hunting for fish, and then a
big party aboard ULTRA complete with all of the cruisers in the anchorage and
even live music!
On
March 29, we celebrated 7 years of full time living aboard ULTRA! It is hard to
believe that we have been aboard that long. Seems like only yesterday.
Time flies when you are having rum!
Note: It is 3:20 a.m. in the morning and we are here in San Blas. Been working for several hours on the blog, but now a Culo de Pollo which translates to CHICKEN ASS has blown in and is bringing 40 mph gusts. So gotta go for now. More fun photos coming your way on next blog entry.
We hope you all
enjoyed this Blog Entry! We will have more updates asap! In our next Blog
Entry, we will share our immigration nightmare as well as our 16th
wedding anniversary!
CHEERS, JoAnne , Bill and Sailor Kitty : )
