The Pacific
Graptolite's Sailing Log
Martyn Pickup & Heike Richter
Thu 7 Feb 2008 04:58
After fuelling-up and taking on an American, Dixon Cole and Danish/American,
Stig Pedersen for additional line-handling crew, the departure from Shelter
Bay was uneventful. The group of seven yachts assembled on the Flats near
Colon before dark awaiting the pilot boat. After the pilot came onboard we
motored to the Gatun Locks entrance where we rafted up with a non-WARC boat
called 'Scratch'. On entering the big concrete locks, which were all lit up
in the dark, heaving lines, to collect the long lines, came whistling in
from the line handlers on the lock walls. The gates closed behind us and we
were turbulently lifted up through three giant flights to Gatun Lake where
we anchored for the night.
Before daybreak the Howling monkeys in the forest ashore started a dawn
chorus and by 6:00AM we were making breakfast. It seems to be pancakes with
maple syrup every day these days for some reason. A new pilot came onboard
after breakfast and we were off again across the Gatun Lake. Although a
man-made lake (one of the world's biggest apparently) it is exceptionally
pretty with its rain forest covered islands. We motored mostly along the
'banana route' out of the main channel, through the islands for about forty
miles and reached the down-going Miraflores Locks flight by mid-afternoon.
After rafting up again with two other yachts we started in on the
down-flight. Maybe somebody was watching the webcam. I waved.
Leaving the Canal system we motored to Flamenco Island Marina in sight of
the towering modern city sky-line of Panama City, and then had a few beers
and other drinks and a buffet dinner with the rest of the WARC-ers.
'Graptolite' is now bathing her bottom in the Pacific Ocean. Who would have
believed it possible? This is also a point of no return in that the quickest
way home would seem to be to keep going.
M