I am very busy with preparations for the Pacific Ocean. Shopping for provisions, stowing away the MiniCat and cleaning the boat. After the passage through the Panama Canal with six people on board, it became a big mess and I have been busy with cleaning up. Yesterday I made big purchases. The food in the Pacific region is very expensive, so I tried to cram Guppy full of food that should last until I reach Australia. Now Guppy has a 5 centimetres [app. 2 inches] deeper draft [ below the water line]. Tomorrow I will head for the Las Perlas Island, an island which lies about 40 nautical miles [74 kilometres, 46 land miles] off shore, so I can do this trip easily in one day. Panama City is very large with plenty of very tall buildings. But the water in the anchorage is not very clean, and Guppy and I want to sail the beautiful blue Pacific Ocean!!

Laura