The images presented were taken in the 1990's. Taken as prints, there is degradation when going from print to digital images. Also, where we were traveling sometimes delayed processing for weeks or months and humidity played havoc with the undeveloped film. Still, I wanted to share our experiences through the pictures we took.
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December 1991, January 1992. After spending several weeks in Panama and the San Blas Islands, we headed north. We had a fast, but uncomfortable 5 1/2 -day passage to Guanaja in the Bay Islands of Honduras. Many other boats and crews that we knew were in the area and it was fun to catch up and compare notes on the trip north. Also, this area has some great diving and we planned on doing some diving while we were here.  Dec and Jan. We spend two months sailing around these islands so we could snorkle and dive. Absolutely terrific!!  Dec. 1991. Guanaja. A typical "street." We thought it was great. People mostly got around using boats of some kind.  French Harbor on Roatan-the big island. We spent most of our time here. Many of our friends came and went so it was a fun place to be even though it wasn't the prettiest. Coco View Resort was nearby. We planned to do some diving there. We think from this point on and until we reached Florida, our pictures are gone. In getting 10 rolls of 36 exposure film developed in Key West, all of our pictures were lost. We never got them back. So filling this part of our journey with images isn't possible, but we did have our journals and we managed to get a couple of pictures from friends and thankfully the few we had left in the camera. November 1991. Chichimé in the San Blas Islands off Panama. Bijou anchored. November 1991. From the Canal Zone, we headed to a set of islands to the East of Panama, called San Blas. These islands are known for their Molas, a hand-made textile that forms part of the traditional women's clothing of the indigenous Kuna people from Panama, Central America, and Columbia, South America. Layers of different colored fabric are put together and then cut and sewn to reveal the various colors underneath. Boats paddle out to the anchored boats with a variety of goods. Fish, beer, crab, and Molas. We started buying almost right away and continued to buy throughout our stay. We tried to buy something from each boat that came to us. Lisa was our first experience. She and her family had come out to the islands to fish and bring wares out to sell. They get a permit to stay and do what they can to earn a living in the time they are given through their permit. The huts and buildings reminded us of the fish camps in Mexico, but these were much nicer and the families who stay in them keep them clean and litter-free.
 Bijou under full sail, caught by a passing cruiser going much faster than us!! October 10, 1991—this was our transit date for the rest of the canal. After an enjoyable few weeks at the Pedro Miguel Boat Club, we said goodbye to everyone and cast off. Don and Mary from the States joined us for this momentous occasion. Line handlers were Don and Mary, plus a young boy (Carl!!)from the boat club, who got more than he bargained for because he would not be returning home that night. Our pilot on this day was Gregorio Rodriguez, and he was awful. If he wasn’t sleeping, he read a newspaper, which he left behind when he got off Bijou. Not cool. We rode center lock behind another small boat, which also rode center lock. It went fine. Once through the locks, we motored through several miles of channels and natural waterways to Lake Gatun. Gatun Lake sits at the top of the rise and fall of the canal, and its water is what feeds into the locks. We timed it so we would be forced to anchor in Gatun Lake to savor the experience a little longer. We learned this trick from other cruisers who had gone through before us. Boats can’t request to anchor here. Skippers have to finagle their timing, so it’s apparent they won’t have time to lock down during the business day. Radio calls are made, and approvals given. Thank goodness Gregorio left, but young Carl was stuck with us for the night. He was pretty cool about it, though. We swam, ate, and finally went to bed.
 We're in a lot of pictures. That ship kept coming until its bow was right overhead. Very daunting. We arrived in Colon late afternoon. The Panama Canal Yacht Club is there, and we planned to spend the next couple of weeks there. Many friends from our Mexico and Costa Rica days had decided to do the same, along with several new people we hoped would become friends. Over drinks, we all decided this was one of those experiences that lasts a lifetime.
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