The adventures of Mr. Whiskers

The adventures of Mr. Whiskers Welcome to the sailing adventures of Mr Whiskers. Check out our live location below (predictwind)

Howler monkeys were plentiful…
09/18/2025

Howler monkeys were plentiful…

Let’s get to the monkeys! I have never met a monkey that I did not like. The same can not be said for monkeys meeting ...
09/12/2025

Let’s get to the monkeys! I have never met a monkey that I did not like. The same can not be said for monkeys meeting me. I have had branches and f***l matter thrown at me, though not recently. Nonetheless, my fascination with all species of monkeys has done nothing but grow. I have searched them out at every opportunity and along the way a better understanding and love for these beautiful creatures.
Fortunately, Carmen loves all animals, including insects, so together we explored the jungle practically daily. We were able to see a variety of animals, some crazy insects and various types of monkeys. My favorite are the Geoffrey’s Tamarin. These are a mere 5-12 inches body length and a tail longer than their body. They are omnivours, live in groups of 4 to 15 and are territorial. They are very timid and when you move to fast, they are gone in a blink. Super fast little guys and they jump incredible distance for their size. If you are patient and have bananas they warm up very quickly. Within 10 minutes they were eating out of our hands, but still you must move slow…
More monkeys next post. This post is all about the Tamarin.

Tripp, Carmen and I took a historical train ride from Panama City to Colon and back. This route was established in 1855...
09/11/2025

Tripp, Carmen and I took a historical train ride from Panama City to Colon and back. This route was established in 1855. We rode in the panoramic car, which had a glass roof. It was a historic railway car, though not from the 1800’s. It was very relaxing to sit in air conditioning as the city, jungle and canal scenery went past.
We also were able to see the Titan crane once again. This is one of four historic cranes, marveled for their technological construction during the N**i campaigns. To this day N**i insignias mark this crane. Originally left in France, upon the defeat of Germany, and later given to the United States. U.S. later moved it to Panama to continue its work. Now it remains alongside the Panama Canal and is still in use. Locals believe it is a haunted artifact of the N**i movement. Rumor is that voices and ghost sitings surround the crane wherever it sits.

We developed a love for sloths. They truely are amazing creatures. Practically every day we would wander out into the ...
09/10/2025

We developed a love for sloths. They truely are amazing creatures. Practically every day we would wander out into the jungle in search of animals. Various monkeys, coatis, giant jungle rats, and numerous species of birds. Sloth’s are very hard to spot. A part of their evolutionary defense is their slow speed. So slow that it does not catch the eye of predators. We managed to find two in the wild. Fascinated by these creatures, we visited two sloth rescue centers. Crazy cool animals…

Our second day through Lake Gatun and the last set of locks gave us a sense of accomplishment. We have now sailed in fo...
09/10/2025

Our second day through Lake Gatun and the last set of locks gave us a sense of accomplishment. We have now sailed in four oceans, navigated Gibraltar twice and crossed the Panama canal. Tripp joined us for the transit and it was great to spend time together.
It is the rainy season in this area. Now everywhere has a rainy season but Panama redefines that for me. It rains and rains and rains. I learned watching the locals that you can go on with life despite rain. Umbrellas? Nah! You just remain wet. Everything remains wet. The bonus of all this rain is amazing jungles. We will be sharing our many jungle explorations with you soon…

The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, stands as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. Spannin...
09/04/2025

The Panama Canal, completed in 1914, stands as one of the greatest engineering achievements of the 20th century. Spanning about 50 miles across the Isthmus of Panama, it provides a vital shortcut between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, dramatically reducing travel time for global shipping. The idea of a canal through Panama dates back centuries, but serious attempts began in the late 19th century with a French project led by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the builder of the Suez Canal. However, the French effort was plagued by landslides, poor planning, and tropical diseases such as malaria and yellow fever, ultimately leading to its failure.

The United States took over the project in 1904 after supporting Panama’s independence from Colombia. Under the leadership of Chief Engineer John Stevens and later George Washington Goethals, the Americans redesigned the project into a system of locks and artificial lakes. A major factor in its success was the large-scale campaign against mosquito-borne diseases, which drastically reduced illness among workers. Despite these improvements, the human cost was immense: an estimated over 25,000 workers died during construction, most during the earlier French effort, while about 5,600 deaths occurred under U.S. management.

When the canal officially opened on August 15, 1914, with the passage of the SS Ancon, it transformed international trade and naval power. Today, the Panama Canal remains a strategic global waterway and a symbol of human perseverance in overcoming natural and technical challenges.

We began our transit going under the famous Panama canal bridge. Our entry time had been delayed so we were entering just as the sun disappeared on the horizon. It was surreal as we entered the first lock. From Mr Whiskers, we could only see the walls of the lock. We snuggled behind our “buddy” boat, Cururo. As the water rose, the view of the canal workers and the equipment used came into site.

For information Cururo is a tanker, 607 feet long, 48 foot draft, with a dead weight capacity of 53,000 tons. When it is in the canal locks there is 2 feet on each side of the vessel. I can attest that when it engages the propellers it creates a huge current. Kudos to the Captain of that vessel.
We are half way through the lock system and now crossing the beautiful Gatun lake, toward the Pacific. We will keep you updated.

09/03/2025

We left Provedencia and sailed to Colon, Panama. Colon is the staging zone to transit the Panama Canal. Intially, we expected to transit as soon as possible, but we needed some replacement parts for our watermaker. US customs new tariff requirements delayed our shipment nearly two weeks. We paid no tariff, but it seemed no one knew what to do or how to get it released. So we sat in marina for most of that time. Between happy hour at the restaurant, the swimming pool and being surrounded by a jungle natural preserve, we kept busy.
The sail to Colon was once again miserable. Fighting wind on the nose and currents of the Gulf Stream, we fought to make headway. At times waves came completely over Mr Whiskers. We had rigged safety lines and were in full storm conditions for almost the entire voyage. It is rainy season so the opportunity to pick a nice weather window was not present. So, we buckled up and got it done.
We have some beautiful pictures of our jungle adventures and will share them in a later post. This post is to catch you up on our location because this evening we transit the Panama Canal. Our transit will take two days and we hope to share live photos as we go through the locks. If amazing feats of human accomplishments are your thing then our next few posts may interest you…

We began our sail away from Cayman on a beautiful day. Dolphins on the bow, lounging around watching the ocean pass us ...
08/26/2025

We began our sail away from Cayman on a beautiful day. Dolphins on the bow, lounging around watching the ocean pass us by. Then mother nature became jealous. Within a couple hours the ocean turned angry. Pelting us with rain, followed by high winds and waves. Amidst it all, thankfully during a lull in weather, our halyard broke (the line (rope) that holds up the main. At first it was workable and we were able to keep the main up. Evidently King Neptune wanted to test us further, and the pulley atop the mast broke, sending the main falling and spilling onto the deck. That began the wrestling match of getting the main sail back in it’s cradle. Once that was achieved, I was laying exhausted on the upper deck, thinking, well that was not to bad and mother nature laughed as the heavens darkened and the waves strengthened. Waves were hitting us at about 75 degrees off the bow and sending spray over the entire boat. An entire 24 hours, we dealt with these conditions, as we headed straight for a reprieve. Well not straight, as I left out the 3.5 kt cross current. We needed rest so we set our sites on Isla de la Provedencia, a Columbian island in the middle of somewhere and nowhere.
Cruising into the leeward bay of Provedencia at 3:30 am, everything became still and quiet. Both Carmen and I looked at each other in total relief. We dropped the anchor and raced to get some sleep.
We spent a week in Provedencia. Should have spent more because the people, every single one, were astoundingly friendly and pleasant. Not to mention the island itself is beautiful. There are only 120k people on the island and they are scattered in small communities along the coastline. Carmen and I rode bicycles around the entire island a couple times. Every bus stop was a art installation. Ironically, there is no bus. We ate lunch at local beach bars and drank local alcoholic concoctions. We rode inland to see the local dam and water supply. That left us grateful for our on board watermaker.
Despite its small size in the middle of the ocean and lack of supplies, it was a treat to experience Provedencia. There is no crime on the island and most all residents leave their keys in their scooter or car. That coupled with the overwhelming friendliness of the people it has been one of my favorite places to freely expore. Here are some pics of our exploration of Provedencia.

07/16/2025

We are preparing to sail away from Cayman. On our way to check out of the country, we stopped at a shipwreck we had snorkeled before. It is one of around three hundred, well buoyed, dive sights around the Grand Cayman. Everything from shark encounters, drift dives, numerous wrecks, and a deep wall structure surrounding the island. Authorities prefer you don’t anchor and live aboards, like us, are welcome to overnight on buoys. So, we went to pick up a buoy at the Kittiwake wreck and my favorite sun glasses ended up resting on the sandy bottom below us. Nonetheless, we were determined to share with you the USS Kittiwake, George Town, Grand Cayman.
The Kittiwake was commissioned in 1948 and served the Navy until 1994. She was a submarine rescue vessel. She is 251 feet in length, with a draught of14 feet and a displacement of 1780 tons. She carried a complement of 102 officers and enlisted and was armed with a .50 machine gun. She cruised at a speed of 16 kts. She has served as a artificial reef since 2011.
So come hold your breathe with me…. Literally !

Last post on the stingrays and we will move on to other cool things we did in Grand Cayaman. Sharing some still photos ...
07/15/2025

Last post on the stingrays and we will move on to other cool things we did in Grand Cayaman. Sharing some still photos taken. Again great photos by Carmen!

07/14/2025

This next clip is also unedited and features “Sandy”. Sandy is the name we called this stingray. Sandy seemed to follow us regularly. You would not think that a dark colored big stingray could sneak up on you, but she managed on a few occasions. She would bump your legs to get attention. She seemed to want the contact and initiated it regularly. On one ocassion she swam directly into my arms and as best I can describe it, gave me a long hug. There was no rapid movement to escape, on either of our behalves. She literally wrapped her wings around me and the connection seemed surreal. Carmen is happy observing and prefers to keep personal space between her and wild animals, Sandy had other plans. She harrased Carmen while filming numerous times. Even under water, I could hear Carmen squeal, as Sandy chased her.
I am not promoting Go Pro, but I find these videos quality quite amazing. We have a Go Pro 11 and use it in the clear plastic case. Carmen had never used a Go Pro before. I provided less than 30 seconds of functional instructions and turned her loose with a card full of memory space. She captured some amazing memories. Carmen has a awesome intuition and an eye for some amazing camera work. As far as Go Pro, great product that is absurdly user friendly. Again this is unedited and literally the “clip” from pushing button to start and stop…

07/14/2025

We sailed from Isla Mujeres to Grand Cayman Island. A day and a half of the sail was enjoyable and a day and a half was on the verge of miserable. We arrived exhausted and looked forward to some relaxing. That was until we realized the unique beauty and opportunities surounding this island.
We spent 2 days snorkeling in the same area with these magnificent creatures. We anchored within 25 meters of the sandbar they hung out at. We spent so much time with them that we began to name them. We experienced one beautiful moment after another. We wanted to share this with all of you, so we charged up the Go Pro. This is unedited footage.
We have a hour and a half of video so I will post more… Sending Love from Mr Whiskers ❤️

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