Surviving Hurricane Otto

About a week prior to Thanksgiving Day a low front started coalescing just offshore as we waited at Shelter Bay for our final packages to arrive from the States. On Friday we were faced with a decision to go or stay a little longer, so we stayed to see what the weather would do. Fortunately for us that was the correct decision because as the days ticked by the low front became more organized and the predictions centered around what forecasters said would be a Tropical Storm by early Thanksgiving week. Instead we were all surprised to see it gain strength and eventually become a Category 2 hurricane by the time it struck Costa Rica and Nicaragua on Thanksgiving day.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Otto is the latest hurricane to form in the Caribbean on record. It is also rare in that it formed so far south in the Caribbean in what is normally considered the hurricane free zone. Lucky us we were safely tucked in at Shelter Bay for the duration!

Rare, late forming hurricane Otto pins us down in Shelter Bay Marina in Panama.

The calm after the storm passed the first time saw everyone scrambling to gather up blown tarps and re-secure their boats. 

Trees went down everywhere, including a couple palms here in the marina. The roads were blocked and the power went out for three days. Fortunately we had the generator!

 Otto on Thanksgiving Day

Rare Sighting at Shelter Bay Marina

Driving after dark back to Shelter Bay after a day of shopping in Panama City, we had a chance encounter with an unusual animal...the world's largest rodent, the Capybara. These fuzzy photos show the giant rodent wandering across the road. He weighed an estimated 50-60 lbs and did not seem startled by our truck lights as he weaved back and forth across the road seemingly scenting for something...perhaps a female in estrus?

Capybara, world's largest rodent spotted near Shelter Bay Marina

Closely related to guinea pigs, the herbivorous Capybara is a semiaquatic mammal commonly found in South America. They live in forested areas near water, especially swamps, streams, ponds and marshes, so the habitat here is prefect for them with the many streams crisscrossing the topical jungle. They are generally found in groups and are very docile and social, but this one appeared to be alone on his evening stroll along the roadside. After a few minutes of wandering along, he finally disappeared into the tall grass along the roadside. Lucky us to have happened upon this seldom sighted animal!

Here's a better photo of a Capybara...

Fort Sherman Wildlife Abounds

Shelter Bay marina is located on the old Fort Sherman military base. Originally built in 1912 it was used as a defensive fort to protect the Caribbean side of the canal.

We explored the overgrown paths and abandoned fortifications surrounding the present day marina, finding many opportunities for nature walks and bird viewing.

Coatis run across the road in front of us as we take a nature walk.

Two toed sloth in a tree.

We saw many species of birds on our walks, including Keel-billed toucans, Crimson-crested woodpeckers, Baird's and Slaty-tailed trogons, Rufus Motmot, Black-chested jay, Gray-headed Tanager, Blue-gray Tanager, Great Black-hawk, Peregrine, Merlin and Southern Lapwings amongst others.

Jungle path takes us to the beach.

Typical jungle flora.

Orange-chinned Parakeets nest in dead palm trees.

Resident cats of Shelter Bay marina are well cared for by the cruisers.

Howler monkeys are common here. They travel in family groups and generally keep a lookout on guard while the others feed on protein rich leaves.

White faced Capuchin monkeys dance around the treetops and generally seem very curious about us as we hike through the jungle.

Remnants of the fortifications peek through the jungle growth.

Shelter Bay Marina Haulout

Safely tucked into Shelter Bay Marina located on the old Fort Sherman military base, we scheduled Sirena to be hauled out of the water for routine maintenance and a new bottom paint.

The process involves placing slings under the boat and lifting it with a travel lift which can then roll the boat while in the sling to the appointed place where it is then propped up on stilts and braced at the base. Once out of the water the boat can be cleaned, scraped, sanded and painted.

Sirena at haul out.

View from our hotel room at the marina while Sirena was being worked on.

The mast of Sirena can be seen in the work yard.

Sirena gets a base coat (white) of two part epoxy followed by two coats of Jotun antifouling paint, a very effective paint for keeping the bottom free of growth used on large tankers and commercial applications. We were lucky enough to be able to obtain some from a local source.

The ladder up to the deck proved to be very good exercise during the week we were out of the water.

Disassembling the Maxprop so we can remove the shaft and replace the Cutlas bearings.

Taking careful note of the alignment of the gears for reassembly of the Maxprop.

Work completed, Sirena is again put into the slings and hauled back to the water.

Final touches are put on the swing keel before placing back into the water.

Sacrificial Zincs on the underside of the hull and shaft protect the metal from electrolysis.

Sirena heads back to the water.

Sirena is lowered back into the water.

Back in the water we took a test run around the bay and were cruising at almost 8 knots while only at 1800 RPM! This should really increase our sailing performance now that we're in the Caribbean.