Ripple2's Web Diary - Engine Rebuild & Transitting the Canal

Engine Rebuild & Transitting the Canal

Ripple2

Wed 3 May 2006 22:51

We have just arrived in Balboa after transitting the Panama Canal. What an epic voyage it has turned into. We ended up spending just over a month in Colon- at the dock at the Panama Canal Yacht Club - as it took a lot longer than first indicated to get the engine rebuilt. But that's one of the things about boats isn't it - everything takes 3 times longer than expected and costs 4 times more than you thought. Anyway now we have a shiny new/old Perkins 4108 - apparently you can't kill them with a brick, this one is 20 years old. Here are some pics for the mechanically inclined:

Here is the engine before, during and after removal.

Here is the before and after of the engine rebuild and repaint and reinstallation.

Our new friend Andy the Mechanic did a very meticulous job for us - right down to priming, sanding and repainting it bright Perkins Red. The sea trial was 2 days before our transit and all appeared well, no time for more testing. The next big test was to get us through the Canal which includes a 4 hour motor at maximum speed through Gatun Lake which separates the 2 sets of locks. All went well although Darren is back in the engine hole tightening and checking hose clamps and draining the water and replacing it with coollant as per Andy's instructions. The other good news is that the freezer is still going like a Polar Bear - we were worried that a few weeks rest (it is engine driven) might make it 'forget' how to go. But after a few false starts she's cranking away and even making ice - phew.

We really actually liked Colon and the Yacht Club, well, after a month there it felt just like home and we made a couple of friends who we could hang out with and drink beers and rums and shoot the breeze with. I liked the Panamanians a lot - they were very friendly and polite on the whole, and very helpful especially in terms of translating/interpreting for us poor monolinguals. I have made a vow to learn Spainsh before I return. We spent our last night in Colon with our friend Wolfe having a few drinks in the Bar and then off to a Club in the Washington Hotel to see a local band - Fiesta - who played meringue ( salsa) music from the 60's and drank and danced the night away.

Here is the Yacht Club, the WIFI access outside the laundry and some of the gang - Wolfe is 2nd from left and Andy 2nd from right.

The next day we transitted the canal - after a few last minute tweaks on the engine/fridge system and loading on some MORE provisionswe set off at about 6pm. We were in the first lock by 8.30 and through the first 3 locks by 10.30 with no hitches. We were tied to a tug with another boat in between and went 'sidewall" which means the tug got pulled through on one wall and we went along for the ride. We spent the night on a mooring buoy in Gatun Lake, woke up with the Howler Monkeys at 6 and were off by 7 with our Pilot advisor, Jairo. We motored our way to the next set of locks - about 4 hours away. Amazingly huge supertankers (they are just a bit smaller than the locks which are 1000 feet by 110 feet) would pass us in the opposite direction - that's the closest I hope to ever get to one of those big boys, a mile away or so will suit me fine out in the ocean, but it's quite fascinating to see them up close. We got through the 2nd set of locks okay - this time we were rafted up to 2 other yachts and were linehandled through - which means 2 lines each side of the raft-up which were man handled either end. We hit the Pacific Ocean at 3.30pm and after tying up to a mooring at the Balboa Yacht Club finally cracked a bottle of Champagne. Feels like we are really on our way now. Here are some pics.