“Forget not that the earth delights to feel your bare feet, and the winds long to play with your hair.” -Khalil Gibran
“Good morning early risers. It is 6:21 and our captain has brought our ship to a wonderful anchorage here in Pearl Islands… in the area of Chapera and Mogo-mogo Island. At 6:45 we will start disembarking our early bird cruisers in order to board our inflatable boats and try to go for the discovery of this not usually visited place. Temperatures are about 76 degrees Fahrenheit, 25 degrees Celsius, and we have a few scattered showers on the horizon. Therefore we don’t know if we might get a little bit of rain this morning, so remember to protect your gear…” I looked out the window to pink and blue-gray water and skies to the east, with showers in the distance to the north.
The mixture of sun and rain produced several beautiful rainbows as the first round of inflatables headed out to explore the area. The rain did not end up coming our way as we admired the beautiful seabirds, including oystercatchers, cormorants, tiger heron, great egret, frigatebirds, pelicans, and turkey vultures. The rocky shoreline was dotted red with Sally Lightfoot crabs, and a spiny-tail black iguana played peek-a-boo through a fissure.
Immediately after the second round we headed to a sandy horseshoe-shaped beach cove on Isla Mogo-mogo. It was a perfect setting for both R&R and water recreation: kayaks, snorkeling, swimming, floating, beach walks and relaxing in the shade with fellow travelers. What a delicious introduction to the Pacific Ocean’s refreshing waters.
The afternoon was devoted to cruising 190 nautical miles through the Gulf of Panama to get to Coiba Island for our anchorage and activities tomorrow. While sailing, people took siestas, read, spent time on the bow, got massages, edited photos, and chatted with companions. In the late afternoon our photo instructor gave an introductory talk. At this writing, people are enjoying drinks on deck and beginning to gather in the lounge for our first session of recaps, followed by what is sure to be another delicious meal from the galley.
