Life, the universe, and everything
After leaving Panama City, we sailed 40 odd miles south to the Las Perlas islands. In some ways these resemble the coast of Brittany, but without any people. On our second night there we anchored in a small bay, which could only be reached by following a zig-zag path through the rocky shallows. Sitting in the cockpit you could gaze across the water to other islands and other secluded bays, but despite the proximity to the mainland, there were no other boats to be seen, just lots and lots of pelicans. We were joined that evening by another World ARC boat, but by that time the sun was setting and so it didn’t really matter. If the water had been clear, it would have been perfect, but a plankton bloom meant it was a murky green. This was a shame because the abundance of rays that kept swimming past the boat looked more like plastic bags than majestic sea creatures, and it was only their wing tips breaking the surface which confirmed their true identity.
The following day there was an evening BBQ and prize giving on the main island. Astonishingly, Shepherd Moon managed to win three prizes, although none of these had anything to do with our sailing prowess. The first was for being the closest to our predicted arrival time in San Blas (30 seconds, if you recall). The second was for guessing the total combined age of all the crew on the Santa Marta to San Blas leg. The figure was six thousand and something and we managed to guess it to within 18. The World ARC people accused us of hacking their database (which, with Jacob on board, isn’t that unreasonable), but the true secret to our success was The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. As everyone knows (except, that is, the American contingent, who looked more than a little perplexed by my impromptu acceptance speech), the answer to life, the universe and everything is 42. Therefore you just multiply the number of people by 42 and there’s your answer. Simples!
The final prize was for helping the local in Portobello shepherd his sinking canoe back to shore, although any of the fleet would have done the same thing, we just happened to be there at the right time. In terms of proper sailing prizes, we came fifth in our class. Given that the majority of boats sailed the leg with multiple reefs in their sails to make sure they didn’t arrive at night, whereas Shepherd Moon sailed with every scrap of sail she could muster, it doesn’t bode well for the rest of the trip. I guess we’ll just have to find a few more people to rescue!