Latin America

12
Jul
2025
Gallery – Panamarina

Gallery – Panamarina

The time has come again, Mabul is spending a few days on the hard in Panamarina so that I can replace the shaft bearing and rectify the cause. The recently installed rudder bearings are still like new, but the keel-hull joint repair from the last dry dock round didn’t hold. So I pull out my beloved angle grinder again and remove everything I laminated on a few months ago. And this is exactly where the problem lies. I laminated over the keel joint, but that doesn’t make much sense from a sober point of view. The slight movement that is always present here will and has simply sheared off two super-stiff, thin layers of fiberglass laminate. We book a room with air conditioning right next to Mabul, which makes the whole experience much more pleasant. Back in the water, we decide to have a fixed railing welded to Mabul and since the welder is already on board anyway, we could do this and that… And that one as well…

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03
Jul
2025
Boatjobs on the hard

Boatjobs on the hard

Boat projects hurricane season 2024 part 2

This blog entry was actually supposed to appear in December. But as is so often the case, life got in the way – or more precisely: Mabul, with ever new projects. Writing was low on the list of priorities. Now, six months later, it’s finally happening. Better late than never, as they say….

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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25
May
2025
Stranded in Linton Bay

Stranded in Linton Bay

We reach Linton Bay in early February – we have no idea that we will be stranded here for much longer. But staying in one place for longer also has its advantages. You get to know the people on the boats and on land. These people and their stories are particularly interesting in Linton Bay – and in many cases also quite weird.

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07
May
2025
Gallery – Birding in Panama

Gallery – Birding in Panama

The wildlife and especially the birdlife in Panama is simply amazing and too often I was unable to capture them well in photographs. Even the most modern smartphone camera gigantism is not enough, the flight distance of the shy animals is simply too much. So I’ve been carrying a longer lens for my mirrorless camera on our walks for a quarter of a year now. And all of a sudden, it’s become a new incentive to explore nature. So I spend hours and hours birding in Panama in the forest, in the mangroves or on the dinghy to get to know more and more of this diversity. All the photos were taken on the Caribbean side of Panama, between Colon and San Blas.

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21
Apr
2025
Gallery – Puerto Lindo

Gallery – Puerto Lindo

Back from San Blas, we are on anchorage near Puerto Lindo in Linton Bay. Here our friend Moni disembarks again, and Karin also sets off on a research trip to the Pacific coast. Meanwhile, I repair Mabul’s minor aches and pains and once again encounter major problems. The almost new shaft bearing is already showing some play again, so there’s still something wrong. One way or another, Mabul has to go ashore again and a new shaft bearing has to be ordered and delivered. But the area here has a high recreational value and so we explore various small islands, meet new animal friends and immerse ourselves in local life. This should actually be the last stop before the canal, the canal administration has already approved all the documents for the transit and Karin’s sister has also booked a flight to go through the canal with us as linehandlers. Once again, plans are there to be changed. Read more in the blog Stranded in Linton Bay

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21
Feb
2025
Gallery – San Blas III

Gallery – San Blas III

From Isla Tigre, we sail on to Waisaladup in San Blas, where our friend Moni comes on board. We continue with her to the so-called swimming pool: here we meet up with many old friends from the Turtle Cay Marina in crystal-clear, turquoise waters. After various dream islands, we also make a detour with the dinghy into the Rio Mangles on the nearby mainland. We are immediately surrounded by the intense green of the mangroves, and the contrast to the piles of sand and palm trees could not be more striking.

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17
Feb
2025
South America’s first climate refugees: the real story behind

South America’s first climate refugees: the real story behind

The small island of Gardi Sugdub in Panama is in danger of sinking due to rising sea levels. As a result, almost all the inhabitants have been forced to leave their homes. This was reported by international media last summer. But reality is different.
Published in “Echo der Zeit” from 17.02.2025.

https://www.srf.ch/audio/echo-der-zeit/erste-klimafluechtlinge-suedamerikas-die-wahre-geschichte-dahinter