Since the last Highlights posting, Kosmos has made 15 stops in 8 countries, covering 4667 nautical miles (5367 statute miles, 8634 kilometers). We transited the Panama Canal and did the notoriously bad run up the west coast of the Americas, known for big head winds and uncomfortable seas. And we did all of this in only 4 months!

When we arrived in the Caribbean at the very end of 2008, we were eager to switch modes from city life in Europe to a more rural life in the tropics. In the Caribbean, we went to 6 islands in 5 countries. All the islands were incredibly different from one another, both in terms of landscape and culture. We took a tour of just about every island and tried to get to know the locals. In the San Blas Islands, where the Kuna Native Americans still live a traditional lifestyle, we were extended an invitation to participate in the most important celebration in a woman’s life, which was special. We did a lot of SCUBA diving. No matter how much diving we do, the amazing underwater world never ceases to fascinate and enchant us. We also did some cool adventure activities, like canopy walks, windsurfing, land sailing, and seeing a mother whale nurse her calf.

From there we arrived in Colon, Panama and again switched gears to “Latin American” mode. We transited the Panama Canal and made our way up the west coast of the Americas to San Diego. We especially enjoy the Latin American culture and had a good time with the local people. Unfortunately, we had run out of time and needed to get up the coast as quickly as possible, so we didn’t get to do nearly as much fun stuff on shore as we would have liked. But we did manage to squeeze in a few adventure activities, including zip lines, white water rafting, ATV rides, jungle walks and a trip to a volcano.

Here are some things that stand out, as well as the statistics, from this year.

Guadeloupe to Ensenada

• Average speed this leg: 6.8 knots
• Days on land vs days at sea: 89/31= 26% time underway
• Strongest Winds: 42 knots in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
• Total Engine Hours 2009: 685
• Total Generator Hours 2009: 285
• Best Caribbean Food: Guadeloupe, French West Indies
• Best Indigenous Animal Park: Guadeloupe, French West Indies
• Best Bird Sanctuary: Barbuda, Antigua & Barbuda
• Toughest beach launching: Barbuda, Antigua & Barbuda
• Best Beaches: Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda
• Most Expensive Overall: Antigua, Antigua & Barbuda
• Best Hot Sauce: Dominica
• Least Expensive Overall: Dominica
• Favorite SCUBA Diving Spot: Bonaire
• Most friendly towards SCUBA divers: Bonaire
• Hardest new sport we tried: Windsurfing (in Bonaire)
• Most unique tradition we experienced: Puberty Party, San Blas Islands, Panama
• Most Picturesque: San Blas Islands, Panama
• Most Nordhavns ever seen in one place: Colon, Panama (5)
• Coolest Canal Transit: Panama Canal, Panama
• Most Modern City: Panama City, Panama
• Most unique land animal seen in the wild: Two toed sloth, Costa Rica
• Most frustrating check in/check out experience: Costa Rica
• Calmest Anchorage: Golfito, Costa Rica
• Most exhilirating new adventure activity we tried: Zip lines (Costa Rica & Huatulco)
• Windiest Town: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
• Nicest Port Captain: San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua
• Most Expensive Marinas: Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, closely followed by Costa Rica
• Best Latin American Food: Mexico
• Most Military Personnel: Huatulco, Oaxaca, Mexico
• Nicest Marina We Stayed In: Barra Navidad, Jalisco, Mexico
• Biggest crises facing any country while we were there: H1N1 virus in Mexico
• Whales sighted: 6

But what about our summary for our whole trip? Stay tuned blog readers. More posts are coming!