s/y Nine of Cups Return to Panama January-June 2008 |
Our trip from the Manatee River (Tampa Bay, Florida) to Panama took us around the western end of Cuba through the Yucatan Straits and almost directly south to Cristobal, the port on the Caribbean side and north end of the Panama Canal. The trip lasted a fairly pleasant 10 days and we logged a total of 1258 miles. We arrived early in the morning after having rudder problems about 8 hours out. David was able to temporarily fix the problems and we anchored in the designated anchorage "F", known by cruisers as "the Flats". We hoisted the "Q" flag, tidied up Cups and went for a nap. The adrenaline rush of having been in the midst of heavy Canal traffic minutes before did nothing to inhibit our sleeping and we were out in no time. |
We completed all the necessary check-in visits and then contacted Shelter Bay Marina across the Canal in Limon Bay to arrange a haul-out for "Cups" while we left for a couple months to sail our friend's boat, Sadko, from Ushuaia to Uruguay. |
Shelter Bay didn't even exist the last time we passed through the Panama Canal (2003). It is located on the grounds of the old Ft. Sherman, a US Army base and Jungle Ops Training Center until 1999. |
The environs of Shelter Bay were wonderful. Dense mangrove lined the shores with views of the ships waiting to transit. |
Cups was in need of more than just bottom paint. She needed to have years of bottom paint stripped off and sanded down. We thought we added a bit of abstract artistic flair to the boatyard with her "coat of many colors". (mixed metaphors??) |
The stripping was done before we left for Ushuaia. However, once we returned our work was cut out for us. It was hot and sweaty and the work was dirty and nasty. Once the hull was properly stripped, repaired, filled and sanded, she got two coats of a barrier interface coat. |
Folks asked if we were leaving her yellow... NOT! Ah, two final coats of black bottom paint and Cups was looking terrific again. |
One question we had when moving to Shelter Bay since it's on the opposite side of the Canal from Colon was how do you get back across the Canal? There are no bridges in the area |
Unbeknownst to us, there is a single lane swing bridge which spans the Gatun Locks.When there is no ship traffic, vehicles pass from one side to the other. This was a whole new view of the locks we had never seen before as we traveled on the Shelter Bay mini-bus across the locks several times a week. |
Parque Nacional San Lorenzo was within easy walking distance from the marina. Our favorite time for walks was dawn and dusk. We watched huge troops of howler monkeys cavort in the jungle canopy and when we couldn't see them, we could certainly hear their roars! We saw agoutis and coatimundis. We bought a Panama Wildlife Guide to help us in the identification of those we weren't sure of. Anteaters ambled through the boatyard and sloths hung from trees. We spotted caiman in the swamps while riding in the mini-bus to town and more than once stopped the bus to let a snake or sloth or coatimundi cross the road. Brightly colored birds swooped overhead and we could hear toucans and parrots. Since the area had previously been a US Army base, many abandoned buildings and structures remained, but the jungle had worked quickly to reclaim its own. We wandered along paths and dirt roads close to the marina and found old concrete bunkers. It was eerie roaming through these old buildings wrapped in vines and housing all variety of critters. |
Howler monkeys roared like lions. |
Our good friends, Fay Moore & Doug Grimm had been planning to linehandle through the Panama Canal with us since Fall 2007. Former cruisers themselves, they understood the vagaries of sailing and the changes inherent in trying to schedule. Finally, in June all was a go. Nine of Cups was back in the water and we had a firm transit date. They had only a week, but what a week it was! Midst getting "Cups" ready for the actual transit, we took a day to show them Colon. Now, Colon is not the prettiest city in the world, but it does have character! |
Fay picks out Kuna fabric as a souvenir. |
A draft beer at the legendary Panama Canal Yacht Club still costs 75 cents and Oscar still tends bar. |
The remains of grand old buildings left to decompose are the norm here. Some efforts are being made to renovate and reconstruct, but the job would be nearly impossible. |
Pippin the 3-toed sloth is a resident of Shelter Bay and a pet aboard "Chewbacca". Fay couldn't resist a cuddle from this little sweetie. |
At last, we were ready to go. "Cups" had ten old tires wrapped in plastic hanging off her topsides and four 110', 1" lines (standard and required equipment for a yacht transit) aboard. The other requirement: 4 linehandlers plus a captain. We were short one linehandler and Jorge, a local worker at the marina, was contracted to take the linehandler spot. We left the marina around 1500...just in case there were any problems and went to anchor in the Flats to wait for our "advisor", the person appointed by the ACP (Canal Authority) to provide direction and instruction during the transit. |
Doug was celebrating his 60th birthday and transiting the Canal had been on his "bucket list". |
Jorge and Fay practiced their bowlines for the linehandling duties ahead. |
We transited the first set of three locks at Gatun at night and spent the night moored in Gatun Lake. |
Though exhausted, nobody slept all that well anticipating the next day's transit completion. |
We sidetied to a super huge mooring buoy in Gatun Lake for the night. |
We transited rafted to a catamarran so not all four linehandlers had jobs to do. After practicing her bowlines, Fay wanted to make sure she had her turn. |
A monkey fist, a tight knot with a lead weight in the middle in the shape of a ball and a long tether line, is tossed from the lock to transiting yachts and ships. The linehandlers tied our 110' lines already prepared with huge bowlines, to the tether. The canal workers hauled in the lines, attached them to bollards on the side of the Canal and walked them from one bollard to another as necessary. I nicked this old black and white photo from the PanCan website showing the construction of the Gaillard Cut. Compare it to the photo below. |
The restoration project had lots of raw material to work with and a long way to go. |
Another photo nicked from the PanCan website gives an aerial perspective. |
The Miraflores Locks are the last set of two locks to be transited. |
We passed a car carrier as we went through the Gaillard Cut. The Centennial Bridge is in the background...new since our last transit. |
Jorge stands at the bow as the second gate opens and we exit the locks into the Pacific Ocean. |
David toasts Neptune as we enter the Pacific. We were greeted with a torrential downpour. |
No moorings were available at the Balboa Yacht Club so we sailed a few miles further and tucked into the Amador Causeway anchorage The Bridge of the Americas is in the background. |
Once settled into the anchorage and having a good night's sleep we set out to explore some of Panama City with the Grimms. Though we had been here before, we'd missed several things (or forgotten them) so we were happy to be tourists with them. Our first stop was Casco Viejo, the Old City. We wandered along old city streets admiring the architecture.There is a huge restoration project in process and we could see the significant progress being made. In many cases (right), only the facade of the building remained and peeking inside rendered only a vacant lot. We strolled, had a cold beer, strolled some more, had lunch, strolled some more and had an ice cream cone and then...we strolled some more and shopped for molas and Kuna jewelry. All in all, a full day. |
We ate at a pleasant open air cafe for lunch in Casco Viejo. |
A scenic cityscape view of Panama City. |
We used the facilities at the Flamenco Yacht Club, but we anchored out. |
The view from the Amador Causeway towards the anchorage and the Bridge of the Americas, which connects North and South America! |
We provisioned for our freshies at the huge and fantastic Abasto Market. |
We finally broke down and bought a new AB RIB (rigid inflatable bottom) dinghy to replace our old Avon. |
"Watch out for that big stick", I cautioned David as we were returning to Cups in our dinghy one afternoon. Hmmm...not a stick, but a boa constrictor...yikes! |
An osprey stands sentinel on the lighthouse entrance to Flamenco Marina. |
Fairy terns all aflutter on a deserted barge in the anchorage. |
Before we knew it the Grimms were flying back to the States. We knew they'd be back again...some other port, some other time. So...we completed Panama Canal Transit #2 and we were in the Pacific again with plans to cross it, but.... it was late June, really too late in the season to cross leisurely and enjoy the sights. What to do? We decided to wait and transit early in the season in 2009, but what to do till then? Ecuador was always a favorite place of ours and we has missed some sights in Chile that we'd really like to see. So new plans were formulated. In the meantime, we met up with German cruisers and fellow SSCA members, Brit and Axel aboard Hello World. Engine problems had caused their delay for a crossing and they, too, decided to stick around South America until early 2009. We decided to travel in "loose company" from Panama to Ecuador, taking in some of the islands and rivers en route. Join us in the Islas Perlas (Pearl Islands) and the rivers of the Darien on our way to Ecuador. |
Not sure what was so good under Cups, but we had loads of pelicans, on, under, over and around the boat. |
The flora was lush and exotic. |
Cups ready to leave the dock |
We reserved a tour of an Embera village which takes a page of its own. Come with us! |
Colorful Kuna molas and jewelry lined the sidewalks. |