Atlantic At Last

Here we are at the final lock with our line handlers preparing to enter the Atlantic (in the background).

We arrived at our destination in Shelter Bay around 6 p.m. Ken (who had a flight back to Seattle on 5/2), Junior, and Alphonso were all picked up for the trip back to Panama City. Ralph and I stayed as there was much boat cleaning to be done. We completed our work and the boat is now stored in Shelter Bay for the hurricane season. We have no pictures of the sights around Shelter Bay and Colon because we had no Ken! We missed you those last two weeks, thanks for all of it, Ken! We returned to New Mexico on 5/12.

Canal transit completion

We loved some of the freighter's names.


Ralph did an excellent job of driving the boat - both in the locks (our advisor complimented him on his skill when we were tying up each time) and between the Pacific and Atlantic locks.

You may not be able to read the name of this freighter, but it is Seattle! The water in Culebra Cut looked muddy. This reminded us of the stories of all the landslides that occurred while the Canal was being constructed and that continue today.

Usually, it just takes one day to transit the Canal when going from the Pacific to the Atlantic. However, due to decreased traffic on that route, ACP started the boats coming in from the Atlantic so early on our transit day that we had to spend the night on Lake Gatun at this buoy. We subsequently found out that this has happened to about one-half of the boats that recently transited. Cacique anchored nearby. They asked if we had a deck of cards (they had not planned on a two day passage!) which we did and which we were happy to give them. Fortunately, we had enough food for all those extra meals. We also got to know Junior and Alphonso better - thank goodness they were so pleasant. In addition to getting to know about their lives, we discussed their views on the upcoming election, on all the high rise apartment buildings in downtown Panama City, and on the economic downturn. It rained so we all slept below decks on the boat which got pretty stuffy! We were at the buoy about 24 hours due to this re-scheduling.

Francisco went home for the night, however. The ACP boats deliver the advisors and picks them up at the end of their shifts. We would see Francisco the next day when he was assigned the Cacique! The guys on Cacique offered us the deck of cards back and we told them to keep them. We also gave them each a Snicker's bar which produced very happy smiles all around! On 4/30, our new advisor was delivered to our boat about 3 p.m., we were tied up with Cacique at the first lock by 4 p.m. and through all three locks at 5 p.m.

Transit part deux

Consultation before moving out of the second lock.


We were following a relatively large freighter - you can see that there is not alot of room on either side! The car on the lock to the right of the freighter is called a mule. There are two attached to each freighter on both sides. Mules ride on tracks and control the freighter's progress through each lock. When the locks were originally built, there was concern that the whole system would be out of commission if a large boat ever rammed a lock while tying up - there can be quite a bit of churning water especially on the uplocks. The mules were the solution to that potential problem.


Tied up to Cacique in the third Lock.

Leaving the third lock on the Pacific side at Pedro Miguel which is also the location of the Continental Divide. This area, and the Culebra cut, features prominently in the history of the Canal's construction as these were especially difficult areas with lots of slides. The story of the construction of the canal from the French attempt to the completion by the U.S. is remarkable. The consensus is that David McCullough's book is the definitive one.

Once the three Pacific Locks have been navigated, boats then have 27 miles of the Culebra Cut and Gatun Lake to travel until arriving at the three Atlantic Locks. The Culebra Cut is like a two way highway with its steady stream of boats. It seemed very strange to be so close to these huge freighters, as you generally provide them a wide berth on open water.

Panama Canal Transit

In years past, it could take up to a month to get scheduled for a canal transit. Due to decreased traffic, we were scheduled to leave in two days. We had to hire two line handlers because sailboats require 4 line handlers (Ken and I were the other two) in addition to the captain (Ralph). On 4/29, Alphonso and Junior arrived at our boat at 5:45 a.m., as scheduled. They were absolutely delightful from the first minute aboard - what good luck! The first task was to tie tires onto the boat to protect the sides and organize the lines to secure us to each lock or to whatever vessel we would tie up to while in the locks. We left our dock around 6:00 a.m. for the trip to the waiting buoy where we were scheduled to get our transit instructions at 7:00 a.m.

As we were waiting, we spotted this fishing boat, Cacique. We thought it would be perfect to end our trip by transiting with them since we had been looking out for fishing boats and fishing lines since we left Ensenada six months ago! On the up locks from the Pacific, the boat order is for a freighter to tie up first and then smaller boats to tie up behind the freighter depending upon how much room is left in the lock.

The ACP provides a trip advisor whose job it is to remain in communication with command central during the transit. He instructs us on how fast to go and how to tie up in each lock. Francisco, our advisor, was originally scheduled to be on board at 7:00 a.m. But, he was sent out an hour late. Here Francisco is confirming that we are to follow the fishing boat into the first lock. Hooray! However, since the freighter ahead of the fishing boat had trouble positioning itself into the lock, we ended up driving in circles for 2 hours until we were allowed into the first Miraflores Lock at 10:00 a.m.

Finally, we are in the first lock at Miraflores. Here you see the freighter at the front of the lock. The tug behind the freighter is tied to the lock wall. Cacique is tied to the tug. Junior is preparing the line which will tie us up to Cacique.

Once we were tied up, the lock doors were closed and we were on our way! We are not in the Ballard Locks anymore...

Mas Panama

Old Panama City is an area of extensive ruins from the original settlement. This city was burned by the pirate Henry Morgan in the 1600's. Instead of rebuilding the city here, Panama City was re-started at Colonial Old Town for defensive reasons. Old Panama City extends through several neighborhoods and is not walled off from the people. Anyone can walk through parts of it. We saw a soccer game where the fans were sitting on the old walls and people were enjoying picnics on the grounds. On the way home, we spent over one hour in traffic on the Amador Causeway due to a well attended rally for a Presidential Candidate. As in El Salvador, there are party posters and flags in great abundance and the parties are very involved in turning out the vote for the 5/3 election.

This is the guy from the ACP who measured our boat (he is called an admeasurer). Rates are figured based on the length of the boat with the category under 50' being charged less than the category over 50'. We had to stow the dinghy on the deck and fold in the davits to stay in the under 50' category.

Whenever a boat enters a different country, rules dictate that it fly a yellow quarantine flag for identification. After the officials process your boat into the country, you fly that country's flag, called a courtesy flag, in addition to your home flag. In Panama, not until after the admeasurer completed his work, were we able to take down the yellow quaratine flag and put up the Panamanian colors.

We went to dinner at the visitors center overlooking the Miraflores Locks the night before our transit of the canal. Here is a Panamax (built as large as possible in order to still transit the canal) ship. The Panamanians are building larger locks to accommodate larger ships. The original locks will remain in operation once the larger ones are open.

Panama

4/23 - Panama City! We stayed at Fuerte Amador Marina on Flamenco Island. It is on the end of the Amador Causeway which is a wonderful walkway-bikeway-roadway that affords lovely views of the city and of the freighters and other boats lining up to go through the Panama Canal. This area (like many in Panama City) figures in the building of the Panama Canal as it was built up with some of the earth moved during Canal construction. On the 24th, we spent a good part of the day going to the Port Captain, Customs and Immigration - all in different locations. Ralph also checked in with the Panama Canal Authority (ACP) to get the process started for our transit through the Panama Canal. So, we went through a huge ACP campus. The whole area, which also contained many neighborhoods with houses built for workers associated with the U.S. operation of the Canal, had previously been off-limits to Panamanians. We felt there was plenty of residual anger from this time if the Panamanians we met were representative of Panamanians at large.

The next day we needed a boat part and hired taxi driver, Luis, to take us there and point out places of interest along the way (predominately a large shopping center and a large warehouse like area where Noriega stored military items). He also drove us through the very large and jungly Municipal Park which has many walking trails, gardens, and a zoo. Luis said he had never been on a boat before so we invited him to come see our boat and have a beverage. He enjoyed that and walking through the docks and seeing the really big power yachts. He especially liked the three story ones!

Ken and I walked to the Smithsonian's Punta Culebra Nature Center which is just up the Amador Causeway on Naos Island. This tropical interpretive center informs visitors about beaches, shellfish, turtles, fish, and sealife. It also has a path through it with signs that identified indigenous plants and trees and wildlife. We did not see the three toed sloth, but we did see several huge iguanas and heard lots of birds.

On 4/26 we went sightseeing. First stop was Colonial Old Town (not to be confused with Old Panama Town). On the way, our taxi driver locked the doors when we went through one neighborhood close to Old Town. He said that Panamanians do not feel safe there and for sure, we should not walk in that area. I don't know if some of the hostility had to do with the fact that some of the people who lived there had been relocated when the city decided to renovate Old Town...or if it was because it was a very poor area. However, Colonial Old Town is a work in progress. Some of the buildings have been restored and others are in disrepair. It is a lovely spot with great views of the water, streets with pretty plants, two story buildings with wrought iron balconies, a Cathedral with a gold altar, and nice center square.

That's us in front of the Presidential Palace. We also toured the National Theatre and an outdoor monument to the Panama Canal that was built on top of embankments from WWI and WWII. The Panama Canal Museum is located in a beautiful Colonial Building and we spent quite a bit of time viewing its excellent displays. We had lunch in a store that featured crafts from throughout Panama which we learned about in talking with its South African owner.

Benao to Las Perlas

While anchored in Benao, we decided to make a provisioning run into the closest town, Pedasi. There was a bus that ran two times a day and while we were waiting for the bus to arrive, we got lucky.

Because Ken, a retired AF pilot, stopped to offer us a ride to town. Benao is a surfer beach and Ken had to go into Pedasi to rent a surfboard. We were delighted to take him up on his offer. Turns out, he also had to get some beer, so he not only took us to town, he took us back, too. He, his wife, and surfer son then came out to the boat for a tour and a cocktail and a good time was had by all. We sure had the luck of the Irish while in Benao! It was hard to leave, but we had another good weather report and were heading past the notorious Punta Mala (Bad Point) so decided we had to leave when conditions were agreeable. As it turns out, the seas were big and confused and the wind was up to 30 knots so we had another long day of bashing and bumping as we headed toward the Las Perlas Islands. Even Ralph had a hard time keeping upright throughout the day. In addition, on this leg of the trip, we had to pass the shipping lanes which lead to the Panama Canal so we were on the lookout for freighter traffic. Interestingly, we did not see any freighters that day. We were to discover that the current worldwide recession is felt in Panamaa with reduced traffic through the Canal. But, first we arrived at San Jose Island - a beautiful, privately owned island with a first class fishing resort located on its shores. We enjoyed a night there and the next day, April 22, enjoyed a cruise through more of the Las Perlas chain and ended up at Contadora Island. Contadora was recently featured in the Survivor series and was the site of the Contadora Peace Process.

At Contadora, we met up with Lost Elvis. We had last seen Randy and his crew in Golfito. He left Golfito after we did and came straight to the Los Perlas chain. He had experienced the same rough seas and high winds. So, we were all in a celebratory mood as we enjoyed the views of the nude beach, swam, and relaxed in a quiet anchorage just a half a day away from Panama City. The water was 85 degrees and it felt cold!

Randy picked us up in his dinghy and we met up with his friends and crew who came in another dinghy. We walked to Restaurant Romantico which was a couple beaches up from ours. It was not serving dinner til later in the evening, so after a beer there, we walked across the island to Punta Galleon Resort where we had dinner. We were not finished eating til well after dark and had quite an interesting walk back on the unlit, unpaved roads and rocky beach to the dinghys. But, we made it!

Naranjo to Benao

We left the morning of 4/18 and had 15 knots of wind which made for a beautiful sail. We were cruising at up to 9.1 knots!

Often birds would hitch a ride on the boat while we were out at sea. Birds also rode the back of turtles which was harder to capture on camera, but we got a kick out of that sight whenever we saw it (frequently!). We arrived at Bahia Naranjo in the mid-afternoon and were greeted by a herd of cows on the beach. It looked as if they were on a salt run from higher up in the hills as there are no roads to Naranjo. It does not appear that anyone lives right on the beach - there was what appeared to be a fishing hut but not much else. That evening several fishing boats arrived and others departed. We left early the 18th and had another hellish day of fighting the currents, beating into 25+ knot wind on the nose and generally bashing about all day. However, it was worth it to get to Ensenada Benao...

...where we met Jean Claude, a chef from Normandy, and his wife, Liliana, from Columbia. Their boat, Papillon, was at anchor when we arrived. We learned they had been having engine trouble, so invited them over for cocktail hour. They gave us information about the Benao area and we had a lovely evening talking about our respective adventures. They are also headed for Panama City where they can get their engine repaired.

The night before we were going to leave, Jean Claude hailed us on the VHF radio and asked if we would mind it if he brought over dessert. We had just finished dinner and told him that would be great. So, he and Liliana delivered hot dessert crepes in their dinghy. They were delicious - even better than they looked - and they were the only homemade dessert that we had on the trip. What a memorable event!

Bahia Honda

We left Golfito on 4/15 and were happy to do so. It was so hot and humid there. We arrived at Bahia Honda, Panama on the 16th. Still humid, not so hot. This is a gorgeous place - we heard lots of howler monkeys whenever the wind picked up or shifted throughout the day and as the sun went down.

As soon as we dropped anchor, Domingo arrived on his small panga selling bananas. He said he also had cilantro and pineapples which he would have to bring on another trip. We did not have much cash at this point but had two dollar bills. We asked him how many we could get for $2.00 and he gave us what he had. He said we could have them for $2.00 and a coke and some chocolate for his niece if we had any. We gave him the $2.00, a coke, and a small bag of oreos. We really wanted to swim, but the water was infested with jellyfish. Domingo said they would not sting us, but we did not take the chance. He came back early the next morning as we were raising the anchor and I gave him some gum and mints for his niece and he seemed very happy!

Domingo's bananas. When red, they were ripe. They were very sweet and lasted for several weeks. After Domingo left, Ishmael and his son came by on their bigger panga. They had wooden carvings to sell. Ishmael said, "Get your Panama souvenir from me" so we bought one. He also asked for school supplies and fresh water which we gave him.

Ralph rowed us to shore where we looked for wildlife in the thick jungle. We only spotted a couple birds and some crab (and lots of jellyfish!). Bahia Honda is not accessible by roads. It would be a project to build one through this jungle!

Costa Rica

Our next stop was Playa Coco. This is a touristy area with many restaurants and shops. Ralph and I had been here years ago when we stayed on-land at Playa Hermosa, one beach up. We had to check into Costa Rica here, and while waiting for the Port Captain, saw the town band which was leading a small parade to the grand opening of a supermarket.

We followed the parade and were able to enjoy some local dancers right in front of the new supermarket. From here we went to Marina Papagayo and met up again with Rich and Jane on Rediscovery II who were kind enough to take Ralph and Ken to the airport at Liberia where Ralph had to clear customs. I did laundry and enjoyed the swimming pool in their absence! We left for Golfito which was three days/two nights away. Although winds were reported to be only up to 15 MPH and the weather report was a good one for sailing, the winds built the whole day on April 7. By dawn of the 8th, the winds were gusting to 40+ knots and we were heading into the wind. At the Gulf of Nicoya, we stopped making headway, and Ralph determined that we needed to go back some 20 miles (the closest bay) to wait out the storm. Poor Ralph was soaking wet from getting the brunt of the waves while he steered the boat in an effort to keep the bashing down to a resonable level. I mentioned to him that I thought this was an extremely uncomfortable leg of the journey and Ralph said "Are you kidding, this is exhilarating!" We ended up at Bahia Carrillo and had a most pleasant evening in a very pretty bay. I must say, the boat handled it all very well and that reinforced our confidence in the Beneteau. It is built for the rough, open seas and that is what it has gotten the last couple times we were out!

We did make it to Golfito, Costa Rica on 4/10 and what we really needed was to get off the boat and get some cocktails. However, since this was Good Friday, bars, restaurants and stores were not allowed to sell alcohol. Fortunately, we had a supply of such provisions on the boat so we made due. This is a really pretty spot, however, and we will check out of Costa Rica here and prepare for our journey to Panama.

We stayed several nights at Banana Bay Marina in Golfito. The greenery you see behind this building is part of a national park that skirts the city. This used to be a major port for the export of bananas until the banana trees were wiped out by an unfriendly bug. Then the growers tried to grow palms for palm oil, but that industry was decimated due to health concerns in the countries that had used the palm oil (like the U.S.). The old buildings from the "company store days" are now used for schools, hospitals and housing. Its major business is now a duty free center where Costa Ricans reportedly shop for appliances and other items at reduced prices.

Santa Elena

After a day of 25+ MPH winds with reefed sails, we arrived at Santa Elena National Park, Costa Rica on 4/1. This place is spectacular! This is a land-locked bay. We were on our own except for several Costa Rican fishermen who spent the night on-shore. There was no one else on the beach when we went exploring. There were some spots to snorkel, but not as many fish as up north.

Undisturbed beach - the most seashells we have seen on any beach this entire trip.

The view from the boat was pretty much like this on all sides. We could watch many pairs of parrots and other birds flying at sunset each night. The mornings and nights were filled with various bird songs. It was wonderful. Utterly serene.

At anchor all by ourselves! This was the gentlest anchorage of the trip, I think. We urge anyone coming this way by boat to spend a night or two at Santa Elena.

Nicaragua

Ken went to visit family for a week and while he was gone, we went to Honduras for 4 days. We have no pictures of Honduras given my unfortunate incident with our camera. However, we spent a couple days seeing every historic building and one excellent museum in Tegucigalpa, the capitol. This may be the only Central American capitol that has not been devastated by earthquakes and its downtown has block after block of interesting buildings. However, most are in a state of disrepair. In better times, I imagine it could be like a small Oaxaca! In the city and in a tour we took of the countryside around the capitol, the povery and disparity of income levels is the most notable of any country we have been in to date. There are also more fast food restaurants and banks here (like 5 on every block) than any other place we have been.


On 3/26, we said goodbye to Mac and Allen from Effie and the rest of the folks at the Marina and headed south with Lost Elvis. Lost Elvis headed directly to Costa Rica, but we headed for Puesta del Sol in Nicaragua and arrived in the above beautiful spot on 3/27.

On 3/28, we, along with four other boaters, hired a van to take us to the nearest town, Chinandega. The road to the Marina won't be a dirt one for too much longer!

The church is dated 1885. It is well tended, but somewhat in disrepair. This would be about the best looking building in Honduras. Only in Honduras there would be garbage every where. Chinandega may be the most litter-free town we have ever seen. There was no garbage anywhere! The park at the main square was filled with brightly colored swingsets and other playgound equipment for kids. We had not seen that anywhere before. It was bustling and the people were very friendly.

The restaurant our driver took us to was pretty basic, but the food was delicious! Jalepeno sauced beef, beef with tomatoes and chilies, red beans, rice, tortilla chips and potato salad.

See this clean street? We just liked this juxtaposition of old/new with the horse drawn buggy on this one-way street. There are also three wheeled bicycles for hire to take people places within town. The town was busier than this picture shows.