6th Feb' 2010

Now in Shelter Bay Marina.  We have been 'Admeasured' and told what to do as we go through the Panama Canal.  We are in with two other yachts, one a Spanish Blue Water Rally yacht and another we do not know about yet.  We are now going through on Sunday afternoon, we are due to get our huge warps tomorrow.  We have to have a  pilot/transit advisor onbord who stays with us for the up canal to the lake after giving him dinner he leaves.  We spend the night in the lake, no swimming between yachts, there are crocodiles, then another pilot comes on board and we go down to the Pacific.  If you want to watch us on the live web cam we are 5 hours ahead of the UK the web site is:- www.pancanal.com we will be transiting in the evening up which is midnight UK time and down the otherside in the morning at about 5-8p.m UK time.  We will wave when we see the camera, but I think a lot of others will as well.

We hope to get all our mechanical problems sorted in Panama as there was nobody this side to do it, just hope to get that water maker working.

Allan Dobson joined us last night and Mike and Amanda Pike join us in about half an hour, we are all meeting up with the other BWR yachts for lunch today and a talk on the transit.

We have at last been able to get alongside to and wash the yacht down of all the salt and do several weeks worth of laundry.

After lunch have to do a big food shop as nothing left on bosrd that is fresh.

Still many more stories coming out of the number of yachts that got into trouble coming across from Bonaire many were Pooped and ended up with fish in the cockpit and cushions floating around, one couple's hatch self locked and so they were stuck outside for awhile until the yacht rolled the other way and they were able to jiggle it open.