Date: 30.1.2022
Author: Knut
Position: Shelter Bay Marina, Caribbean Side of Panama
Geographical Position: 09 22“ 139 N 079 57“ 00 W
Etmal: 0 NM (8495 NM)

In the marina

Today was a full day in the Marina we arrived in yesterday. I had Galley Duty today, so my day started very early. But after tons of dishes and potatoes and completed training for social climbing, we finally could go ashore for basically the remaining day, except for lunch and dinner.

Good thing, Shelter Bay is such a relaxing place after the exhausting Panama-Channel. There is a swimming pool, where you can just hopp in and get cooled down. We did a jumping competition in there, which ended up in all the boys hurting their balls. Next to the pool, there is a restaurant, of which the others say the food is great, but I sadly never tried. Also, there is a very much overpriced store, but there you can get Panama-Channel T-Shirts. But it was closed during our stay.

Outside the marina

Outside the actual marina area there are other cool things: A shipyard with many abandoned yachts, an abandoned wreck, a few old big houses, also abandoned, and parts of the old US military base Fort Sherman. Some of it is hidden in the jungle, such as two bunker facillitys. It is very cool, but quite spooky because of long, dark floors with bats and serious challenges for people with arachnophobia, for example me. Before Costa Rica we did a night trip there. Many of the places feel like in a zombie apocalypse.

The boat right next to us

I really like the place because so close there are many interesting things. The only bad thing is that you can’t do any calls with the Public Announcement System because you would disturb the other people like the greek vessel right next to us. They have a german onboard the four man crew. He does sail boat tramping. He is from the same town as Paula and he even was on the same school as Paula and Maxim. He was allowed to visit our ship yesterday, what few people can do. His ship will go to Haiti next, but he want’s to go to Colombia. Also, every time we move through the marina at night, I fear stepping on one of the crocodiles which live here and which are known to lay on gangways, pontons and the grass. So, that is the daily life in Shelter Bay before we start our long voyage to the Bahamas.