09:15:61N 79:54.90W Day 1 of the Panama Canal transit

Babe!
Paul & Trish Ducker
Fri 22 Feb 2013 13:34
Saturday 16th Feb preparations start for our adventures up the Gatun canal,
having gone to have a look on Thursday afternoon after our mammoth provision
(food) trip with Sue and Geoff and pile of other oyster folk on the free bus
provided, that took us along at speed, round bends on 2 wheels (thought
Paul was driving - no he's sat next to me :)) diverted up through a bit of
the jungle as the road in front has disappeared - this trip just gets better
and better - hehe, on the way back in an open 4 by 4 we get the guy to stop
at Gatun Locks to have a look and give us a bit of an insight as to what we
will be facing on Sat - em interesting/impressive/ scary all of the above
and more - not sure if I'm glad I went or would have preferred to be
blissfully ignorant, oh well it's done now an hour later head back to our
little man looking after are shopping and ice cream that we forgot we
brought - oops liquid mess? no looks ok.

Friday was spent at the elegant pirate party at Fort Lorenzo start time noon
till 4pm, brilliant time fancy dress, Paul dropping his shorts (see pics)
locals custom music and dance fantastic as were the oyster participant,
food and way to much booze also spot on :) staggering bodies back to the
buses, sing-along on ours, wheels on the bus, it's a long way to Tipperary,
10 green bottles - you get the picture :), back to the marina and straight
into the bar,(I head back to the boat to get out of my pirate costume,
arrive back at the bar to find Paul very pleased to see me,- he seems to
need help to leave (i can't think why , it's not like he had anything to
drink hahaha) Back to the boat we go and straight to bed Paul goes - the
time I hear you all asking - 6pm (that's a first) well he does needs his
sleep after all we are going through the canal tomorrow big day ahead.

So back to preparations there are 10 yachts going through today 3 lots of 3
plus 1 (should have been 2 but we lost one (bit careless of Oyster really)
we have been told who we are all with our 3 are Babe / Dreams come Tyre / In
Flagranti and we all need 5 people on board plus an advisor, dreams are 5 &
in flagranti 7 so we are borrowing 2 of theirs and Geoff from spent -
sorted. We have to be outside the pickup point for 2ish as that is when the
advisor will board us that's when the 3 boats will nest together (tie
alongside) (which is when we will pick up are 2 crew (Geoff already on
board) only it doesn't work like that as Marino (our very friendly pilot /
advisor who has just jumped on board from a very big tug boat that came
alongside) informs us that we are nesting with that boat there (points in a
direction) and that one over there (opposite direction) and we are not set
right as we will now be on the opposite side of the nest and we are doing it
now - but he wants to know where are other crew are - em well there over
there on that boat as that's who we were tying up with. No he says we need
to go and fetch them a few shouts later and on leap Marco and Beet (don't
ask) are new nest of boats now comprises Babe / Pearl of Persia / Om Shanti.
It's quite scary having 3 boats all come along side each other & have to tie
up. The advisor on the centre boat is the master and we all have to do what
he says no question.

Paul as skipper is at the helm the rest of us are linesmen and the advisor
tells us that the guys on the wall (way up there he points - 80 foot) will
be throwing you a monkeys fist - do not catch it) pick it up and tie your
line to it and he will pull it back then starts walking down the canal
holding our lines (there are 4 - 2 either side front and back of the nest)
when he starts to walk up a very steep bank we have to pull the line back
and hold his part of the line way up high over our heads (it now looks like
a long skipping rope from school where loads of us would jump in and out at
the same time) it really helps to be tall at this time as I had to keep
jumping but the blooming thing still kept getting stuck on the side wall,
the advisor came to the rescues and my guy on top of the wall had the
loveliest smile (yet another one I hear my girls laughing - up there with
the washing machine man and the one from dial-a flight says Ed)

3 locks later and the Gatun locks are completed - and it was absolutely
amazing (wish I was going back to help Geoff and Sue come though). Head to
the lake to anchor for the night but first we have to deposit Marco and beet
on their boat and wait for the tug to collect Marino. All gone, spag bol for
dinner great chat with Geoff then bed (well for some, lucky sods both are
snoring peacefully while I type due to noise levels hehe)

Our new advisor arrives at 05.45 in the morning ready for day 2 of the locks
- first port of call In Flagranti to pick up are 2 missing crew :) let's
hope are new guy is just as nice?????

xx

JPEG image

JPEG image

JPEG image