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sailing life

Dirty Jobs & Superman Swim Throughs

Life on a sailboat is anything but typical. However, there are so many things that are typical of the sailing lifestyle.  Looking back at this week of our lives, especially with new crew on board, it is clear to me just how unordinary our daily lives are.

I love the big adventures and destinations but it’s the unique everyday aspects of this salty life that are simultaneously the most challenging and rewarding.

Jungle walkabouts, boat repairs, climbing up the mast to remove a bird’s nest and swimming through sea tunnels…typical of the sailing lifestyle but fantastically unordinary.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not boasting, it’s more of an ongoing realization that everyday life is an adventure if we choose to see it that way.  Not everyone views their home breaking and needing repairs as an adventure, much less an enjoyable one, especially in the moment.  We spit and curse through plenty of life too, but it’s all part of it.  The days we remember to embrace it all, even the repairs and mishaps, are way more fun.

So, with all that in mind, hit the play button and join us for our last few days here on Isla Bastimentos in Panama.

It’s hard to believe we’ve been exploring the Bocas Del Toro archipelago for six weeks now and a whole month of it has been at Isla Bastimentos (minus the one-week road trip to Boquete).  I feel like we’ve only scratched the surface of the area.  It was our final few days at the marina so we were rushing to get the boat squared away and see all the places we had been procrastinating on visiting.

sailing and exploring bocas del toro

sloth bastimentos panama

sailing and exploring bocas del toro

Old Bank, or Bastimentos as the locals call it, is definitely worth a visit.  The hike up the hill to the coffee shop, Wizard Beach and the little restaurant all made for a great walkabout.  But be warned…the water coming into the dock is crazy shallow with coral bombs everywhere, so follow a panga or make sure you keep a sharp eye.

bocas del toro panama

sailing and exploring bocas del toro

bastimentos panama

sailing and exploring bocas del toro

spiders of bocas del toro

If you happen to find yourself near Polo Beach and you want to snorkel some of the awesome swim-through caves, we found the best ones immediately east of the islands that separate Turtle Beach from Polo Beach.  There’s plenty to see between those islands and that little speck of an Island we showed in the video.

We’ve moved to the anchorage just outside Red Frog Marina and we’re hanging out a few more days waiting on the local chocolate farm to open (because learning how chocolate is born is worth sticking around for!).  After that, we’re sailing south(ish) to explore a little more of Panama’s Caribbean coast before we transit the canal.

Gear Used In This Video

Cameras Used to Capture The Adventure

Sailing Report

To see our full map with interactive pins, click here: gonewiththewynns.com/map

isla bastimentos sailing map

The Crew

Dale and Justin (aka DJDives) are our first Patreon’s aboard and now we’ve welcomed Dan!  We offer up crew opportunities to our Patreons as a way to say thanks for their support and allow others to experience this unique traveling lifestyle.

Thanks

Thank you for tuning in!  Do you like our videos and posts? Find them helpful, entertaining or useful?  If so, check out our Say Thanks page to learn about different ways you can help keep videos and posts flowing. You’ll notice most ways don’t cost you a penny but make a big difference to us.

Hello there! I honestly don’t know what to say, so I am going to tell you a bunch of random facts instead. I'm a fish eating vegetarian who hates spiders and loves snakes. I almost never took vacations growing up. I wanted to be Pippi Longstocking (still do). I misspell about every other word I write and still struggle with grammar. I love splurging on a good high tea (which is really hard to find these days). And whatever you do, don’t tell me I can’t do something, because then I'll HAVE to do it!

Comments (18)

  • Diane Merck

    ?What are you using to support your hard top in this episode? I want to clean up the stainless, our support isn’t broken, but I thought I could do a more thorough job if I took the supports off to clean them. Would you recommend taking them off if it’s not broken, or was it not such a big deal to do so?

    We super appreciate you going first.💕

    Thanks,
    Diane Merck
    Sailing Kindness

    reply
  • joe butler

    Hey Guys! Love yr vids! One question: when you reef the main if the wind increases, what is your technique? Do you roll in the genoa, turn the bows to weather and then reduce the mainsail or do you reduce the main while running with the wind? I’m a newbie catamaran sailor. Thx and keep up the great work!

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  • Brian

    What kind of quad copter are you using? In one of your latest videos, I see it folds up and is very compact, I like that. How do you like it?
    Another great video, thanks for sharing your adventures.

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  • Phil Schneider

    So, you never said what happened with your computer. What was the final resolution? Love your videos! Thanks for the fun!

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  • Roger B

    Regarding the part you had welded, would Cosmoline rust preventative help protect those areas on the braces that are difficult to access? Great underwater videos and I always love the drone videos that give me a geological perspective.

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  • Jamie Dillon

    Great video! The aerial shots from the drone are awesome. Keep up the great work and travel safe. Take care of my fellow Canadians! REGARDS Jamie

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  • Connie Woods

    Thanks guys, that was fun! Waiting for the chocolate farm mmmmmm! Big Love! Did you ask for the sauce recipe? Oh is it now Lobster season? ????????

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  • Martine Felts

    Awesome video as always. I love how brave you all are. I would be terrified of those sea caves.
    Can’t wait till next Sunday :):):) Stay safe.

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  • As always, great video guys!! I’ve gotten a couple of videos behind, because I had to do a lot of voiceover work lately, but now I am caught up… :-). A question I’ve been wanting to ask you, Jason, for a while now: I’d love to know – and maybe see – what goes into creating one of your fantastic videos. I don’t mean the editing part, but the setting up of shots while out on a hike like you did in this video. How long does a one-hour hike really take?? Setting up a camera, everybody passes by it into the sunset, then you have to come back and retrieve it etc. I’d love to see a “The making of…” video! What do you say?

    Stay safe, Bernard

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  • Brian Cleveland

    As always another great video, thanks for sharing. I’m sure it’s in your info somewhere, but I can’t find it, what kind of quad copter our you currently using? Is this current one your favorite or is there another one you’d like to have. Thanks again for sharing your adventures. Happy Thanksgiving.
    Brian

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  • George Hofmann

    The first thought I had while watching is probably because I’m getting older and yearn for your adventures but, all of your fitness numbers MUST be off the chart! Good on ya. The only way I could’ve stayed fit was to NEVER buy a sofa!
    Nikki, seeing you in a dress was amazingly different and a pleasure. It must take you guys forever to sift through all the footage. Well done you! The drone shots were spectacular.I’m trying to figure a way to make a snake effigy for the mast out of what you have available. I’m nowhere close too an answer, birds eyes are so sharp they can spot a fake. Very good episode. And the adventure continues…

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  • JOHN SCHRETLEN

    Very entertaining video. Like the underwater shots and you mention the low vis due rain. On the other hand I saw the rain coming down a few times when you surfaced. Did you find that swimming in the ocean in a rainstorm is somehow both refreshing and invigorating?

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  • Tracy Humphrey

    So glad to see you all this Sunday. Tell your Canadian crew it is -26 here lately. Not sure why we aren’t there doing what you are doing. Enjoy while you can.

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