Reissue of 26 Mar blog. 02:32.1N 85:21.8 W
Meryon.bridges
Fri 2 Apr 2010 15:27
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This message didn't get through either so is also retransmitted on 2
Apr Still en route to the Galapagos!
On the advice of a tall and somewhat lugubrious
looking American we met in Shelter Bay we stuck to the west side of Panama
Bay. He proved to be 100% correct as we had a good knot and a half of
current under us until we reached Punta Mala at the end of the bay. Since
there was not a breath of wind this was a GOOD THING. Bits of breeze came
and went and the engine went on and off. Yesterday morning we were sailing
along when it became obvious that we had run into a brick wall of current.
Nothing mentioned in the Pacific Pilot, nothing mentioned in Ronnie
Cornell. Since Meryon had the Admiralty Routing Charts on his
computer we consulted these and lo and behold there is a counter clockwise
swirl of current stretching from where we are to 3 degrees N, some 200
miles to the south. Our speed over the ground fell to 2 knots
and we could not sail in anything like the right direction as we were
being swept to the north west. On with the engine again and it stayed on
for the next 38 hours with just the odd break. Our decision to leave
Panama without topping up the tanks is beginning to look like a very bad
one! Meryon had spent his watch last night calculating the fuel
position and had concluded that we might get in with empty jerrycans, empty
tanks and an oily rag stuck in the intake.
At 0500 this morning though our fortunes
changed. The wind, which has been from the SW all night, backed enough for
the main to go up, followed a bit later by the genoa. Revs reduced to
reduce consumption and finally at 0800 the engine was switched off.
Peace at last. Friday afternoon and we are sailing along in a steady F3 -
4 and all is well with the world. A highlight whilst we were still on the
continental shelf in relativedly shallowq water. We streamed the fishing
line and hey presto caught a brace of 4lb bonito in quick succession. The
first 3 fillets made an excellent dinner and we still have some more in the
freezer. Sorry Holden!
Time to remember Panama. We saw little of
Colon beyond the Rey supermarket and a hardware store to which the infamous
Dracula took us, giving dire warnings that we could all be mugged, killed and
worse, rolling his one remaining eye as he did so. It is certainly an
unprepossessing place and I am not sure that I would be that keen on walking
around at night. On to the canal, a marvel of engineering. Completed
in 1913 at a cost of squillions of dollars and 20000 lives it has worked 24/7
ever since. If you have a spare moment a look Wikipedia will tell you
much about it. Those of a certain generation will have heard of Ferdinand
Comte de Lesseps who built the Suez canal. He popped up in Panama
clutching a wad of francs and had the first go here. Failed!
Another French crowd tried. Failed! Finally the Americans, largely I
think the Army Corps of Engineers, got the job done and the US ran the canal
until it was handed over to Panama in 2000. During our tour of Old
Panama we saw the memorial to the French who died in the attempt and to
old de Lesseps and his top men
What is hugely impressive is that when it was built
a 10,000 ton ship was large, yet they built it so that it can handle 100,000 ton
ships today. While the ship handling locomotives, or Mules, have been
replaced and upgraded (they cost $2.5m each) the operation of the canal is still
slick and efficient though handling very different traffic from what existed in
1914. I must say that the Canal workforce are very smart and
efficient. The line handlers, who hurl a monkey line at passing yachts so
that they can draw the real mooring line up onto the lock walls, are
amazingly accurate and despite dire warnings of damage get the rope straight to
hand.
Old Panama is being renovated, slowly but
sensitively. The President's Palace is there as are several ministries and
the National Theatre, complete with relief visages of the likes of Wagner and
our own Bill Shakespeare. The building which seems to be in pole position
and which is still a wreck is the old Union Club (Officers Club) which was
destroyed by the Americans during the invasion of 1989. It seemed to me
that there are many property opportunities here! New Panama on the other
hand is a soulless series of skyscrapers built along the beach. A fleeting
glimpse is enough although if you have to stay in a flash hotel this is the only
place to go.
As I have written these notes the wind has held and
we are having a truly splendid day on the water. We now have about 300
odd miles to go and things are looking much better than they were at 0400
this morning. We may not need the oily rag
after all! Ares is in good shape with the exception of George 1, one of
the two autopilots, which has gone on strike. A job for the
Galapagos. In the meantime we still have George 2 and Tim, although
the latter needs more beers than the former. The same applies to our next
crew!
En Route to The Galapagos. Back to Shelter Bay and Dracula tells us it's now not Monday or Tuesday but
maybe Wednesday. Decided to go back to the Chagres river-its delightful, quiet
and no cost!
We have a nice sail round and after anchoring at the top take the dinghy
ashore and walk about a mile up to the top lock. Freighters and 3 yachts appear
and we watch the yachts to see where they anchor.All good info but we feel we
should be there.Back to Shelter Bay marina on Weds. Dracula appears and now it
could be Friday ..or?
We begin to get the picture on Friday.We have to have an Advisor on
each yacht but the advisors are on unofficial strike.By now there are some 20
yachts in the marina like us.The Authority may now decide to fill a lock with
yachts to get rid of us...maybe on Saturday! More shopping and a new gas supply
and things look promising.We meet 2 Americans who offer to be our extra line
handlers and we are ready. Saturday and we are off at last. We motor to
the assembly point and are joined at 6.30pm by Ricky who will be our guide
through the first 3 locks and into the lake.It is night by now but we enter the
first lock in a raft of 3 boats tied together with us on the outside of a large
catamaran Another raft ahead of us includes a hospitable crowd from the Cowes
RYS! The filling of the locks is quite turbulent but surprisingly quick for a
lock 1000ft long. About 15 mins in each of the 3 locks and by 9,30pm we
are 120ft higher in the lake. Ricky directs us to an anchorage for the night and
then is collected. We may see him tomorrow or another but must be ready to leave
by 0630.In fact the new shift appears at 0545 and we must leave now! The new man
is Amadi and very knowlegable about the Canal, Panama and much more.We have 30
miles to motor through the lake passing many freighters going the other
way.There also seems to be a lot of dredging and widening.We reach the narrow
part of the canal and the final 10 miles to the next lock arriving at about 1030
after passing a square rigger and the Bridge of the 20thC-The latter apparently
had no connecting roads for several years after it was first completed! Going
down is the same as going up but much simpler for us.We are also made aware of
the tourist viewing platform adjacent and a webcam.We motor out the last 5 miles
to the Bridge of the Americas (Pan-Am Highway) were we say thankyou to Amadi
before going on to the Balbao Yacht Club and moor up to a buoy.Our 2
American friends leave us to go back to Shelter Bay and we go ashore to have a
look around.
Our mistake is not to take a taxi but start walking. When a
cataclysmic rainstorm starts there is no shelter and we get drowned! After a
taxi ride to the largest shopping centre I have ever seen we take a guided tour
to the old City which is fascinating with a very voluble guide. Probably worth
what he charges and we manage to decline his add-ons. After a good meal at
the Club we go back on board. Up at 0700 and decide to move on to the next
marina to top up with diesel. No luck, the office will not open until 1030 and
so, itching to get going, we set sail for Galapagos.
The first hour we pass through waiting freighters and then off.
There is no wind so much of the day is motoring but we sail when we can and
catch 2 splendid fish. Wind appears in the evening and we make good
progress through the night and more today with the Asymmetric. It's
warm! At last we are back on track and will be in good time to meet Andrew
and Nick at the Galapagos.
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