We are finally going through the Panama Canal!

We have to meet our pilot at 16:30 tomorrow in the Flats which is the entrance of the canal so if all goes well and on time we should be in the Gatun Locks at about 17:00. We will have to wait in the Gatun Lake until the next morning 6:00AM before going to the next set of locks. It is about 4 to 5 hrs motoring through the canal before reaching the last set of locks.

We will be 6 onboard: Ed and Molly our Annapolis friends who we met when sailing in Maine, another American lady who we met here in Shelter Bay Marina and was keen to do a transit, Peter the Californian guy who will come with us through the Pacific and us!

We then intend to go to the Las Perlas Islands, 40nm away from Panama, for a few days, then return to Panama to do the last grocery shopping before the Big Passage to Galapagos, Marquesas and Tahiti early March.

No need to say that we are glad to move on at last!

We had a fun time here though with Trevor and Joanne from MALARKEY and a particular good day last Monday as it was Trevor’s birthday. We hired a car for 24hrs and went for a nice lunch at the Melia Hotel located on the Gatun Lake. We then went to the San Lorenzo Fort at the entrance of the Chagres River and had champagne watching the sunset. Photos attached.

Yesterday we took advantage of the last few hours with the car and did a big supermarket shop and a few other things like gas refill etc.

Been cooking Banana and Nuts muffins, blueberry muffins, baked a bread and cooked a beef casserole with Guiness. All ready for the big day tomorrow!

Hope you are all well

Love from us

Mike and Catherine