The dream and reality of our life on a sailing boat.
Our report appeared in the NZZ am Sonntag magazine on 13.10.2024.
Alex
Panama’s corrupt officials
Karin’s column about Panama’s corruption.
Published in “global” magazine from Alliance Sud, issue autumn 2024.
https://www.alliancesud.ch/de/panama
Gallery – Hurricane season in Panama
Refreshed and energized, we return from Jamaica to the Turtle Cay Marina, where Mabul is patiently waiting for us. We actually want to replace the rudder bearing as quickly as possible and then sail to Cartagena in Colombia to spend the hurricane season there. After some back and forth, we decide not to sail to Colombia but to spend the hurricane season in Panama. Mabul will therefore remain in the Turtle Cay Marina for most of the time, so the rudder bearing can wait for the time being and its repair can be planned properly. This immediately takes off all the pressure and stress, and we can relax and enjoy the untouched nature here.
It’s already time for Karin to fly to Switzerland to work for the SRF for five months. Alex stays on board for another eight weeks and deals with lots of little things and some larger projects. Then it’s off to Germany and Switzerland for him too, for the first time in two years…
Gallery – Jamaica
After Mabul is fixed, we make our way to San Blas. San Blas is over 200 nautical miles to the east, and we want to set off from here with an improved angle to Jamaica. The passage will be a tough ride upwind anyway. But we don’t want it to come to that. We continue to be dogged by bad luck and notice a loose rudder on the passage, the rudder bearing is completely worn out. As a result, we are unable to sail as far as Jamaica and Mabul has to be hauled out of the water again for repairs. While still in San Blas, we decide to park Mabul in the Turtle Cay Marina and fly to Jamaica for a (boat) vacation. It was a good decision. We enjoy two carefree and boat-free weeks on an incredibly green island in the best of company. We take a small rental car on a round trip through Jamaica, which takes us from Negril to Kingston and over the Blue Mountains to Portland and back.
Continue reading →The Cayo Guano lighthouse keepers
Our feature on the lighthouse keepers of Cayo Guano del Este in Cuba.
Published in NZZ, issue 3rd August 2024.
https://www.nzz.ch/reisen/reisen-die-leuchtturmwaerter-von-der-cayo-guana-del-este-ld.1825105
Gallery – Bocas del Toro
Finally, a weather window opens up that allows us to safely leave the atoll of Cayos Albuquerque without an engine, and we set sail. On the way, we are accompanied by a few birds that are still asleep when we drop anchor at eleven at night. There are lots of boat jobs to do here in Bocas del Toro. The priority is clearly to replace the cutlass bearing and find the cause of the rapid wear and tear. Before we haul out in Almirante, we spend a week close to Bocas and get all the provisions on board Mabul. The long-awaited and well-traveled gennaker has also finally arrived. Many thanks again to Stephan from our sponsor VM Sails! We tow Mabul the last ten miles to the shipyard with our dinghy moored alongside. Once there, the true extent of the damage becomes apparent after a few days. Once again, Alex works like mad for a whole three weeks before Mabul is floating in the water again.
Continue reading →The supposed paradise
Karin’s column about Cayos Albuquerque, a Colombian atoll off the coast of Nicaragua.
Published in “global” magazine from Alliance Sud, issue Winter 2022/23.
https://www.alliancesud.ch/de/cayo-albuquerque
Logbook for a happy life
Karin’s portraits of four sailors we met on our trip.
Published in NZZ, issue 21th Jun 2024.
Traffic jam at the Panama Canal
The Panama Canal is one of the most important bottlenecks for international shipping. Approximately five percent of world trade is now handled through the canal, and two thirds of all ships that pass through the canal come from or go to the USA. Thanks to the Panama Canal, international shipping routes have been shortened by weeks or even months. Merchant ships, cruise ships, sailing ships and warships no longer have to sail around Cape Horn, which is feared as a ship graveyard with its wild storms and untameable waves, but can cross the continent in a day. The canal is fed with fresh water from two reservoirs: Lake Gatún and Lake Alajuela. These also supply the two million Panamanians who live in the center of the country. The population and the ships compete for the water. For a long time, this was no cause for concern, as tropical Panama is one of the rainiest countries in the world and the reservoirs were always well filled. However, everything changed last year with the El Niño climate phenomenon.
Published in the magazine “Reportagen”, issue #77.
https://reportagen.com/reportage/stau-am-panamakanal
Gallery – Cayos Albuquerque
We say goodbye to Panama and set off for the Cayman Islands with our friend Lea. This is right on our planned route to the Bahamas and makes an ideal stopover. On the very first night, water spills into the forward bathroom in the middle of the night, so we sail to Cayos Albuquerque to dry out and seal Mabul again. A completely unexpected paradise awaits us here. Two small islands in the middle of an atoll surrounded by crystal-clear water. We meet the Colombian army and coast guard, spend time with the local fishermen and experience and hear many a curious story.
Continue reading →