The sea curls with distant groundswells as the fragmented skyline of Panama City dips into the horizon. A neat queue of cargo vessels waits at anchor for their turn to transit the Canal. Gone are the steady trades I’ve become accustomed to, and we face the serene blue void of the Pacific. Two years after that first chilly Biscay crossing, Elixir’s hull parts a new ocean.
The excitement of waking up in the Pacific lasts for several weeks. I feel overwhelmed by the infinite number of paths leading to exciting destinations. The Pacific season is beginning and everyone on board craves another ocean passage, yet we feel as if we’ve barely scratched the surface of Latin America. We’ve tasted the flavour of life in Colombia and Panama, and it’s left us wanting more.
In the lingering aftermath of Covid, many Pacific islands still have their borders shut. We decide it’s as good an excuse as any to stick around in Central America. Instead of casting off for French Polynesia immediately, we settle on a 2,000-mile detour to the Sea of Cortez. After checking out of Panama, our next stop is Costa Rica.
Punta Burica marks the border between Panama and Costa Rica. It extends like a bead of water about to drop off into the Pacific. Our first Costa Rican sunset is a vibrant orange dream. We pull in bonito on the line. The red Pacific sun melts into the seascape, leaving a burning soup of molten sky and clouds.
LONGEST WAVE
We shift between leisurely drawn-out tacks, until the tip of the Osa Peninsula emerges at sunrise. Golfito, nested in the Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf), is the first port of call for sailors arriving from the south.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2023-Ausgabe von Yachting World.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der April 2023-Ausgabe von Yachting World.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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wallywind 110 launches
The first example of Wally Yacht's new wallywind performance cruising range launched this summer, during the iconic Italian brand's 30th anniversary year - and in time for its debut at the Monaco Yacht Show in September.
Irish skipper wins Figaro
Irish solo skipper Tom Dolan took a historic victory in this year's La Solitaire du Figaro Paprec, winning the solo multistage offshore race overall only the third non-French competitor ever to do so.
Youth AC puts on a show
Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli's team won the UniCredit Youth America's Cup after a highly absorbing series comprising 12 international teams racing the one-design AC40s off Barcelona.
ATLANTIC BEYOND
SAILING THE SECOND EXPLORATION 60 ON A WEST-TO-EAST ATLANTIC CROSSING WAS IDEAL FOR A RIGOROUS TEST OF GARCIA'S NEW NOWHERE YOU CAN'T GO FLAGSHIP
UNCONTROLLED
HELPLESSLY APPROACHING AN UNINHABITED ISLAND IN THE GALAPAGOS WITHOUT ENGINE OR ELECTRONICS, JON VAN TAMELEN FEARED BEING IMMINENTLY SHIPWRECKED
SECRET ISLAND
BEYOND THE FORBIDDING ENTRY RULES OF TAIWAN IS A CULTURE RICH IN SEAFARING HISTORY AND STUNNING LANDSCAPES, FINDS CAMERON DUECK
LAND OF THE BIRDS
SKIP NOVAK DESCRIBES THE PERILS, CHALLENGES AND JOYS OF A CRITICAL EXPEDITION VOAYGE TO SURVEY SOUTH GEORGIA'S ENDANGERED WANDERING ALBATROSS
FIRST STEPS TO BLUEWATER
YOU CAN GET INTO WORLD CRUISING FROM A STANDING START AND EXPERIENCE THINGS NO OTHER TRAVELLERS DO. CATHERINE LAWSON AND DAVID BRISTOW TALK TO FOUR COUPLES WHO PROVE IT
HARD CHOICES
IN AN EXCLUSIVE EXTRACT FROM HER NEW BOOK, PIP HARE REVEALS WHAT DROVE HER ON WHILE RACING THROUGH THE SOUTHERN OCEAN IN THE 2020 VENDÉE GLOBE.
INTO BATTLE
COULD THIS BE THE MOST COMPETITIVE VENDÉE GLOBE EVER? HELEN FRETTER FINDS OUT WHAT THE SKIPPERS WILL BE FACING.