from Aruba to Panama... here we come!

Sometimes in life you jump into a situation that you wish you could jump out of. As good as it sounds at first, the evidence to the contrary keeps stacking up against it. But then you say, "What the heck, it's going to be difficult but I can take it... I can master this thing and come out the other side a better person!"

Well, as unlikely as it seems that a boat trip from Aruba to Panama should be characterized this way, it is... and here's why:
- I've never been on a sailboat at night that wasn't docked safely in a harbor. This time, we'll be sailing all night and even when it's our turn to sleep it's unlikely that we'll be able to because...
- This passage (we just found out) will have waves from 8-12 feet and winds around 20-35 knots with gusts even higher! For the uninitiated, this will mean a very rough ride and seasickness even for the most hardened Popeye. We've got nausea wristbands, ginger drinks, prescription pills and patches... just about the only nausea drug we don't have is marijuana, which is too bad.
- We'll be passing over the columbian coast... not exactly the safest place in the world for independent vessels. I'm told that Venezuela is actually worse these days for pirates (yes, pirates but not the ones you see in the movies... these guys have small speed boats and guns). Normally we'd be taking the long way around the shore to avoid these guys but it's a choice between higher winds and seas offshore or possible pirates onshore. Sounds like a vacation, huh?

Whew. I had to get that out. Oh yeah, and to top it all off... I just heard this trip is considered to be "One of the 5 worst passages in the world" awesome, eh?

Now that being said, we've got a very experienced crew, a satellite phone and GPS for emergencies, a great 42 foot sailboat and warm days (albeit cold nights). It will be an adventure of a lifetime and this blog will be the first to hear about it... so stay tuned!

justin