Time for an update, at last. La Plahita 08.55N79.31W
Salsa af Stavsnas
Ellinor Ristoff Staffan Ehde
Fri 19 Apr 2013 18:14
|
We are at anchor on the Pacific side, at a place
called La Plahita 08.55N79.31W
As we left Shelter Bay on the 15th of April we had
a big load of people on board, there where 4 adults and two children plus
ourselves.
It was the family from Free Spirit; Marianne, Lars,
Lilly and Ona, plus their crew member Oskar. Then we had Billy from Sunrise who
took a longboat from Lemon Cays in San Blas to shore, then a jeep to Panama City
and then a bus from Panama City to Colon and then a Taxi to Shelter Bay, just to
help us out! We tried to save him this trip but he would not take a
no.
The canal regulation is that you have to have four
line handlers on board and we had more than that!
We anchored at the flats as directed and waited for
our advisor. They where announced to come by 15.00 but arrived half an hour
earlier. And on top of all the people we had on board we got TWO advisors, one
to be examined as an advisor by the senior that came with him.
We headed to the first docs, called the Gatun Docs.
Outside we where tied with two other boats and Salsa stayed in the middle.
Meaning that I had to steer the whole package (that felt as I had done it
before, and suddenly somebody said, must be like a trimaran).
That also meant that all line handlers we had on
board had to do NOTHING. Because the boats on each side of us had to work with
the lines to the docks.
The docks are HUGE and the current wild when it
sets off. All went well and by 1800 we had been moved 29 meters up from sea
level to the lakes of Gatun. At that time the biggest man made lake in the
world. The only way to create a passage through Panama at that time. The French
who started the project thought they could just dig a ditch and then it would
work, but with the tide on the Pacific side and almost no tide on the Atlantic
side that would not work. The lakes provide the canal with water and the locks
act as ....locks for the tide situation.
Since there is always a lot of fresh water needed
to the locks the lakes are totally "WILD", meaning that no humans are alowed to
live near the lakes. Reason, if they start to cut down the djungle the rain
might not fall....
We moored over night in the lake and the advisor
told us NOT TO SWIM, Alligators in the lake are hungry.
I did not see any but some crew members saw three
by the locks.
We had a great evening/night, drinking Portwine
from Porto that Free Spirit had saved for a special occasion.
We talked about life and it became very interesting
and deep discussions.
To late we went to bed, some sleeping on deck.30
degrees at night is no problem to sleep on just a madras.
Next morning, new advisor showed up at 06.30. Long
drive to Miraflores Locks, it took about 4-5 hours in 6 knots. Wonderful
scenery, just broken by big ships coming through this wilderness.
We where budled again but this time only two and
two. We got a lock time by 12.10 and where done by 1400.
By Bridge Americas (the bridge that connects South
and North America for the cars) we left our advisor to a pilot
boat.
Then we went to Balboa and left lines, tires and
line handlers ashore.
Coming to anchor we just fell asleep. Totally
exhausted.
Ellinor had been in the galley for 24 hours, and I
had been at the wheel and taking responsibility for our transit. But I think
Ellinor had most of the work load.
We had two days of shopping here in Panama City and
that is the worse! To take in all the traffic, messages, translations, cost,
money, advises etc etc.... Contrast with San Blas is enormous. But believe it or
not, in a shopping mall that is so much USA you can think of, you can find a
Kuna woman in traditional clothings talking on the cell phone while her teenager
is trying a new make up.
The world is changing fast.
By the way I'm reading "Galapagos" by Kurt
Vonnegut
That is a story to read on the way
there!
Tomorrow we hope we can go to Las Perlas. We should
have left today, but we did not get a gas bottle we ordered to this
morning.
|