Hurricane Season

02
Oct
2025
Gallery – Casa Pajero

Gallery – Casa Pajero

During our short vacation a few weeks ago, we already knew that we wanted to return to Colombia for a longer period of time. Now Mabul is safely resting on land in Panama during hurricane season, patiently waiting for us. We, on the other hand, are enjoying our sailing break in Colombia – at Casa Pajero, a small rented cottage in the countryside. It is located right on the edge of a cliff and offers a breathtaking view of the forest, almost like a bird’s eye view – a perfect place to watch birds and take pictures with my camera. We are spending three months here – long enough to even receive two spontaneous visits from friends. This finally allows us to explore the surrounding area. We are particularly impressed by the Chichamocha Canyon. But most of the time, we live an almost unspectacular, but wonderfully slow-paced country life. Our excursions are often limited to walks in the surrounding area – and that’s exactly what makes this sailing break so special.

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27
Dec
2024
A rearranged triangle relationship

A rearranged triangle relationship

Back on Mabul! Time for a brief review.

2024 is the year when everything changes again. It is also the year of a boat timeout. When we arrive in San Blas in Panama in January, we think we’ll be sailing through the canal and across the Pacific with our friends from SV My Motu shortly afterwards – but we don’t. Alex has nightmares for nights on end and constantly dreams of our rig failing. We listened to his gut feeling and stayed on the Caribbean side – as it turned out later: with good reason. Here is our review of 2024.

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15
Dec
2024
Boatjobs on the hard

Boatjobs on the hard

Boat projects hurricane season 2024 part 2

I have spent six weeks on home leave – time with family and friends in my home country of Bavaria and in Switzerland. After such a long time, I was particularly pleased to see Karin again. For weeks it was just phone calls and messages, and now we’re finally in the same room again. No screen, no time difference. Simply real. But I’m also experiencing absolute culture shock at being back in Western society after such a long time at sea. I can’t really cope. Reintegration? Not so much. I haven’t been to Germany in any significant way for over five years, so I see everything from a new, unfamiliar perspective. Above all, the nature with mountains, mixed forest, lakes and rivers is simply incredibly fascinating. Then, after beautiful and exhausting weeks, it’s time to say goodbye again. We part ways again and I return to Panama, to Mabul, to start the dry dock projects in the hurricane season 2024.

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30
Aug
2024
Gallery – Hurricane season in 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. One of them is the rebuild of our anchor windlass – the new pliers wrench proves to be a real all-rounder, especially for hard-to-reach bolts. More about it in the blog post Jungle Boatjobs. Then it’s off to Germany and Switzerland for him too, for the first time in two years…

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17
Dec
2023
On the hard II

On the hard II

It’s finally time to reassemble and the screws are turned clockwise. However, there are still many jobs to be done. The entire deck has to be sprayed with gelcoat and anti-slip coating, the now completely ruined hull has to be completely repainted and the teak in the cockpit has to be regrouted and sanded.We clean the boat and the sofa cushions, bring food and books from the bungalow back on board and Esmen installs the generator. Then it’s time to say goodbye to the Rio Dulce, to Martin and Rikki, Kira, Naia and Thomas, to the boatyard, to Guatemala and our temporary life on land. Although we are still moored at the jetty, we sleep on board again, then it’s off down the river to Livingston, where we clear out. Our next destination is Providencia, a small Colombian island 600 nautical miles away. The trip is the first general test after the refit on the Rio Dulce. We still don’t know when the sailboat refit in Guatemala will be completed, when we will be able to re-inhabit Mabul and when she will be swimming in the waters of the Rio Dulce again.

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23
Nov
2023
Gallery – Rio Dulce

Gallery – Rio Dulce

For over three months we have been living on and around the Rio Dulce, while Mabul is being refitted in the boatyard. We share the boat problems with Riki and Martin from SV Arancanga and the family of Pablo and Dini. They repair their boats in the neighboring boatyard and also live in our little jungle commune. Thomas from SV Irmi is also part of our sailing community, but still lives on his boat. We discuss boat problems over an evening rum tasting and together we go on adventures outside Rio Dulce and travel to Antigua and Tikal, cheer on the gauchos at the rodeo, get annoyed at the growing number of screaming roosters and laugh at the imaginary turkey. It is this community of like-minded sailors that makes living around Rio Dulce so unique – despite the heat, rain and lots and lots of work.

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20
Oct
2023
On the hard I

On the hard I

For more than four months, from August to early December 2023, Guatemala is our chosen home. This is where we spend the hurricane season and where we get our Mabul ready for the upcoming sailing legs. There is a lot to do, the list is long and never stops growing. I put many projects on hold for weeks and months, “You can do it all in Guatemala during the sailboat refit”, I said to myself. At the time I was still thinking that three months should be enough if you just get down to work… I still had no idea how exhausting and chaotic everything would become.

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06
Oct
2023
Gallery – Guatemala Refit II

Gallery – Guatemala Refit II

It took six weeks to put things back together for the first time during the sailboat refit II in Guatemala. The deck project is going well. After some touch-ups with fiberglass, two coats of polyester filler are applied to the deck. After an incredible amount of sanding, seven coats of gelcoat were sprayed on. Meanwhile, Alex rebuilt both toilets, relocated a thruhull, glued in new plastic seacocks, and tinkered with what felt like 100 side projects.

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30
Sep
2023
Gallery – Guatemala Refit

Gallery – Guatemala Refit

In this first gallery we show how Mabul is disassembled during the sailboat refit in Guatemala. Only three days after we arrived in Rio Dulce, our dear Mabul is already hanging in the slings. Karin flies to Switzerland and the prop has to come along. After an inspection of the underwater hull, I get to work, the list is long. Soon Kevin and Joel, the Guatemalan workers, start with the deck project. First the old teak has to come off, then gelcoat on the deck and new paint on the stern and waterline.

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