Life under the Q

Out for a walk on a nice day.

For over two months we have been holed up in Red Frog Marina on Isla Bastimientos in the Bocas del Toro Province of Panama riding out the worldwide pandemic under quarantine. As cruisers when we enter a country we hoist the yellow "Q" flag to denote quarantine. Going forward quarantine will have a new meaning. As I reported in our last post, we came to Red Frog Marina when it became clear we would not be able to sustain ourselves in isolation on anchor for what was appearing to be an indefinite period. Most of us on sailboats can stay out for long periods but eventually we need some shore-based resources.

Sneaking a quick dip.

In assessing the factors we thought about the need to be able to get food, water, laundry and dispose of trash. We could get food by going into town but with all the restrictions it might be tough to negotiate docking our dinghy and staying safe in public. We would still need to get water about every 35 days and we would need a place to dispose of our trash and get our laundry done.

Provisioning before alcohol sales were banned.

So these concerns directed us to think about going into a marina. There are boats anchored out and many of them have watermakers alleviating that concern for them but trash disposal and doing laundry are still major concerns. Looking forward to all the uncertainties it would be difficult to asses managing under more restraints and if we were stuck in one place what better time to do boat projects.

Doesn't that look like a set for a TV commercial? (It's out on a vacant lot)

Initially, we came into this marina for fuel, water and to do some maintenance but about a week after we came into the marina, Panama imposed a moratorium on all boat traffic directing every boat to stay in place where it was. Had we been in an isolated location sustenance would have become extremely difficult although being on anchor in a remote location we could have been swimming and snorkeling. During this hiatus we decided to accomplish a list of boat chores that would have been difficult at anchor.

The deserted Polo Beach

For us, living on our boat is wonderful regardless of where it is. The design, comfort, security and engineering of our Island Packet makes living aboard very pleasant. But, although it is home it is a piece of equipment and it requires a lot of upkeep. In a land home if something needs fixed there may be no urgency. In our home, it could be a matter of life or death so it usually needs immediate attention.

Last year I didn't do the winches. I try to do them every two years. Took that off my to-do list

As a piece of equipment in a very harsh environment everything requires attention to prevent corrosion, degradation and risk of serious harm. We also need to be able to go offshore at anytime and be able to survive whatever conditions occur. Many boats sit along dock sides with no intent to ever leave. That is not us and with my many years in the service my commitment to maintaining the service level of our equipment is my first concern.

Scenic overlook of the beach

When we got into the marina we took care of immediate concerns. Cleaning the boat, servicing the generator, filling with water and all the usual marina chores. While we were here the conditions began to deteriorate as restrictions flowed quickly from the government. In less than 2 weeks of our

The beach at the Point.

 The Beach Club at the Point.






arrival we were forbidden from leaving the marina; all social gatherings were banned; the marina services were reduced to nothing more than utilities and contact with anyone outside the marina was forbidden. Initially, we were allowed to dinghy to some uninhabited little islets to snorkel but that was soon curtailed.

A big project was working on the teak. Missed getting on a coat last year but still doing it as I can working around the daily rain.

It wasn't long before Panama went into to a 24 hour curfew which meant that everyone is confined to their homes.  The government initially allowed shopping for 2 hours per day based on the number of your national identification (for nonresidents it was your passport). Shortly after that scheme they went to an even more restrictive protocol with only women allowed out on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the men allowed out on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday to do essential errands. Alcohol sales were banned nationally. The essential errands included only grocery, fuel, prescriptions and banking. With the additional exception of a few hardware stores every other business in town was closed.  Tourists are gone and except for the residents and a few cruisers there is nobody here. The workers from other parts of the country that work in the local businesses have also gone home so even when local businesses try to reopen there will be nobody to work in them.

The almost finished project. (Waiting for the rain to stop)

The finished teak


These restrictions failed to reduce the number of virus deaths so to preclude any holiday gatherings on Easter weekend a full curfew was imposed for 48 hours. Semana Santa (Holy Week) is traditionally a time  of great celebration in Central American countries.  This year they were forbidden. The weekend curfews continued for 6 weeks and still the daily infection rate remains high.

The inside of the seat.

Another long-overdue project was to grease the fitting at the bottom of the rudder post seen below. But to do it I had to remove the stern seat which is not normally removable but I removed it. Otherwise unless you have a 3 ft arm and a long grease hose it's almost impossible to grease. I got the seat reattached and it is solid as a rock and you would never notice that it had been removed.



            The mounting screws still in the fiberglass.

That pesky grease fitting.

                                                     The finished seat reinstalled.

Just outside the marina gate is a small grocery store that is owned by one of the larger stores in  Bocas Town. It carries most of the essentials and can bring items over on special order. But with the disruption of supply what they can get and when they get it is a surprise. We can also order from a

Our cockpit combing stripped ready for refinishing

smaller store in town that tends to have higher quality foods and produce that we can get delivered to us once a week. So between the two we can usually get most of the supplies we want including fresh fruits and vegetables. Alcohol sales have been banned nationally since very early on. The local store here was selling off its stock until someone complained that they weren't following the orders so they stopped.

Happy hour


Some boat supplies have been available through the chandlery at Bocas Marina and the remaining hardware stores that are open. We have a courier that visits town twice a week to run necessary errands.  So through all these sources we are able to do well through the sequestration. There is a local courier service that imports items from the US. We have been using them extensively to get supplies shipped in. The items are shipped to Miami and then in about a week they arrive here.

Another project was to replace our shorepower connections with Smart Plugs to reduce the risk of fire. There is a scorch mark on this cord plug we suffered recently due to a power surge. 

The new receptacle

The site of the old receptacle.

The new plug end of the cord.

We use our time to do many needed and long deferred boat tasks. I have renovated our teak which didn't get done last year restoring it to good condition. We are doing annual tasks like cleaning the canvas, stainless and plastic. So much to do before restrictions get eased. Though we seem to have unlimited time we are busy every day. We do our maintenance tasks everyday which include the mundane of cleaning inside and or out, larger boat projects and meal preparation. Occasionally there is laundry, on Wednesdays we get our fresh food provisions. either Tuesday or Thursday we get our supplies from town and then there are phone calls to family, emails, banking and just everyday routine stuff.

Defrosting the refrigerator is a frequent task with the high humidity and putting water in to make ice.

Each day we try to get off the boat and walk through the closed resort next to the marina. In the resort we can walk through the jungle and along the beaches. We routinely see sloths, monkeys, caimans, crabs and numerous jungle birds. We also finally got our folding bikes out to ride around the resort. We haven't had the bikes out since three years ago in the Cayman Islands. Occasionally we slip into the ocean for a quick dip (the beaches are all closed by public order) or open coconuts to drink the water. I have harvested several coconuts for their meat since we've been here as I've done for years. Coconut is a very healthy additive to our diet full of nutrients and antioxidants.

Some driftwood on the beach

Many of the other boats in the marina are doing much the same as we are and some are streaming videos to pass the time. Although we are limited in our resources, it was ingrained in me very early in my military education to always work to improve your position. There is no such thing as "free time." There are always things to improve. Our lives at sea require that our equipment is always in the best condition possible. So we do that along with exercise, improve our Spanish and pleasant living. Looking forward to this passing soon so that we can be free to move about and once again enjoy the beauty of the sea and her surroundings.

Some of the critters we see frequently. Above a rare thumb-nail sized Red Frog on a leaf. Next here is a sloth high up in a tree with an infant.

 One of the many Caimans on the island.











Amazing how quickly the days have gone by. I will admit we rarely get an early start because it is uninspiring to hear it raining when your to-do list focuses on outside chores. Usually by late morning the rain stops and then we get about our tasks. At some point during the day we  try to get in a walk. Some days there is the task of meeting the supply boats or shopping but quickly the day passes into evening and then we are in for the night. We flip on the air-conditioning, enjoy a nice dinner and watch a movie while doing Duolingo before passing off to bed. Although some days we rarely venture beyond the boat, the lack of freedom builds a desire for things that we haven't done recently like going out for a meal, shopping where we have more choice or having any freedom of action. We stay here to protect ourselves and those around us. But we all long for the time when we can move on.

We've pretty much stopped looking at this because we won't be going anywhere for a while.

Now after 60 days some restrictions are easing. Alcohol sales were resumed largely because the Minister of Industry pointed out that a lot of beverage product would be expiring and losses would destroy many businesses so that they might never recover. Now, during your 2 hour every other day period in addition to shopping people may exercise alone but you can take a dog. Exercising includes

Rich green jungle foliage on the island is beautiful.

swimming and surfing. In addition, the marina has now allowed groups of 6 people at a time to go into town shopping for a 2-hour period. Women on Monday and men on Thursday. Boats have also been moving among anchorages without restriction so we may leave Red Frog Marina sooner than we thought to get back out to doing what we love at anchor. We can't leave the area but we can change scenery. We are still hoping to get back to the States in the summer to visit, do shopping and complete our medical tasks. But our boat is looking good although it needs some cleaning badly after just sitting here although the heavy work is done.

                                                                 Getting ready to go.