Vega - A Real Howler

A Real Howler

Vega

Hugh and Annie

Tue 28 Feb 2017 14:35

Here in Central America there is some of the most undeveloped rainforest in the world. On the mainland to the south of the San Blas Islands the forested hills rise from the coast and are often shrouded in cloud whilst yachties in their sun drenched anchorages to the north look on. Even where there is development along the coasts this is surrounded by lush forest and in two locations, including here in the Shelter Bay marina, we have been startled at dusk and dawn by loud, deep roars coming from the trees. These are howler monkeys, the largest of the new world monkeys. We also heard their echoing calls over the forest at dawn in the Amazon. There are so many sounds that are reminiscent of boyhood trips to the zoo and dreams of exotic, faraway places that it is a real thrill to be experiencing these creatures in their natural habitat.

Another sound that I previously waxed lyrical about was the ringing call of some exotic bird we heard in the mangroves in the Gambia. This of course turned out to be a pinging notification on Annie’s iPad. I have now discovered that this notification goes off five minutes before the international space station crosses overhead and is triggered by the app. Skyguide. Skyguide is an interactive view of the stars with information on any star selected and also gives information on the trajectory of satellites. The space station notification pinged at dusk recently as we were having a beer in the cockpit and we were able to watch this bright yellow light speed overhead. Another thrilling moment and it is wonderful to think of those astronauts in their little metal world zooming around and around the earth.

And the excitement continues because it transpires that we get a notification when there is to be an Iridium “flash” as one of the satellites passes overhead, reflecting the sun’s light down to earth. When you know precisely where to look you can follow the satellite across the sky and see it become extremely bright for a moment. Without the app to show us the trajectory we had spent many a time staring fruitlessly into the heavens for some awaited flash, occasionally getting lucky as when crossing the Bay of Biscay.

In between watching satellites and listening to howler monkeys we are preparing for our canal transit. Immigration and customs formalities for Panama have been easier than expected, particularly as we found that you can do immigration in the San Blas without an 80 mile round trip to a port of entry on the mainland and a further bus trip to customs. Erick has sorted out all the paperwork for the canal and we are to transit on 5th March. We went through what seemed an extremely elaborate measuring process merely to determine whether we were above or below 50 feet in length. Ian and Steph from Nautilus have volunteered to go through with us as line handlers (we will do the same for Terry and Carol on Little Dove, it is good experience to line handle for another boat) which means that together with Tom who is joining us from Bristol we will have the required four line handlers on board plus the “captain” (i.e. me) and a canal authority pilot.

Each day there is a free bus from the marina into Colon for shopping etc. The first time we went we took the route across the locks and watched two cruise liners and a square rigger sailing ship going through. It really is an amazing sight. Even more amazingly on the return journey we saw the same cruise ships going back the other way! They go through and back at the Caribbean end in one day to give the passengers a “canal experience”!! On the other occasions we have gone into Colon the bus has used the ferry at the seaward end of the canal and where the longest concrete single span bridge in the world is being built together with a new highway. Designed by the Chinese, built by the French, the bridge construction is being supervised by a German engineer who is living on a boat in the marina here.

Getting Vega ready for the Pacific is proving slower than I would like. Not that there is a huge amount to do. Just an engine service, windlass service, clean and polish, bottom scrub and fumigation - the last two for the Galapagos. It is so hot during the day that any work outside after 1000 and before 1600 is just impossible - well, really uncomfortable. So we spend the middle of the day sorting out the lockers and lazarettes, provisioning with trips to the supermarket and feeling guilty that we aren’t doing more (in my case). We have had three trips to the supermarket for food provisions and Vega is like the Tardis - every available space has been utilised to stow it all away. Planning food for up to two months or more ahead, given the poor provisioning and high cost in the Galapagos and beyond, requires huge quantities. Unlike some, the logistics of planning meals for each day in advance is completely beyond us. We have good recipe books for yachties but defer to the ingredients lists to make sure we have enough things to prepare a variety of meals as and when required. Our prime concern is not to starve or get scurvy and we are happy to ensure this with some combination of pasta, pasta sauces, pulses, rice, canned tomatoes, onions (which keep pretty well), breakfast cereals, UHT milk and orange juice as staples, flour and bran for bread making and various tinned and instant meals for bad weather or when nothing fresher is available. Packets of tortillas last for months and smoked salmon and sausage will keep for a considerable time.The lessons learned from the Atlantic crossing include making sure onions will be available (in Cape Verde they weren’t) and having plenty of night watch snacks and goodies. We also have new, bigger fishing lures, a landing net and gaff…………

As things stand the coachroof has been cleaned and polished with one more wax coat to go, the engine has been serviced, the lazarettes sorted, the rig checked over by a rigger, most of the provisioning has been completed. Our shiny new larger aluminium gas cylinders arrived - albeit with the wrong regulator and pipework - and we have tracked down a new solar panel to be delivered on Wednesday. At best we got one amp out of the current flexible one but hopefully we will get five out of the new solid one (half price for cash!). Vega is lifted out on Wednesday morning for the bottom clean. The metalwork has to be attended to and the windlass service is still five years overdue. If there is time I will clean the fenders now that there is again room in the lazarettes for them and also clean and oil the teak table and trims in the cockpit. Although Annie says we can do the polishing in the Pacific we do need to be shipshape for the canal!