Monday, December 27, 2010

DEC. 18TH--ON OUR WAY TO BOCAS DEL TORO

Dec. 18th. 0930hours. After 35 days spoiling ourselves at Shelter Bay Marina we’re on our way to Bocas del Toro. We figure the 140mile trip at possibly an average of 5 knots will take us 28.2 hours.

With light winds and very confused seas we’re running with a full main, full jib and 2400 rpm motor.

1420 hours: We check in with John and Nancy (S/V Dixsea) and it’s a real slog for them---averaging 2 knots compared to our 5. The strong current against us is not helping.

1630hours. We’re only 28 miles from the Canal; not making much head way. The positive side is the seas are starting to settle down. Dixsea continues to slog along and have decided they’ll stop along the coast at Euero.

1745 hours.. We’ve double reefed the main for the night. The seas are not so confused; we've got a gentle swell. All our safety gear is top-side. The full moon is making for a gorgeous night.
Sunday 0545hours: Our smiling moon has completely left us in total darkness. The stars are amazing.
We’ve picked up a Feathery Hitch Hiker.













0730hours We’ve got Escudo de Veraguas to our starboard. Our feathery friend is still with us and has jumped into the dinghy. Looks like it is dying. We’ve tried feeding it and giving it fresh water but it is not responding.
We’ve decided with the gentle seas we will keep moving.

We’ve regularly hailed Dixsea with no reply. If John and Nancy did in fact stop at Eureo they’re a good 46 miles behind us.


We continue to motor sail with little wind.

0820hours; Randy has gone below to check the engine as he could hear a change in it’s vibration.. Sure enough he says “Turn off the engine, we’ve got a loose bolt. Try to keep us moving forward.” We’re down to 2.5 knots. Every few minutes I need to adjust our coarse keeping the sails from waffling. I can hear him drilling. We’re travelling anywhere from 1.8 to 4.4 knots. After an hour Rand is back top-side and says it was the alternator bracket bolt. He’s done a makeshift repair and hopes it will hold until we reach Bocas.

1130 We’re still a good 21 miles from the W. corner of Isla Bastimentos. We review our options thinking we will get in too late if we want to go all the way to Bocas Town so we decide a better option would be to stop in the first Bay off Punta Bastimentos.
1715hours. We are anchored at Punta Bastimentos in 30 feet of water after travelling 32 hours; 147 miles.

We have been in contact with Allayne and Dennis (Audrey Paige) who are anchored off Red Frog Marina. After a day or so we will head down to their anchorage using Red Frog’s web-site way points.






It’s great to see Dennis and Allayne again. They invite us along to Red Frog Beach to body surf.
NOW YOU SEE THEM (Rand on the right. Allayne and Dennis in the Blue Rash guards.)









NOW YOU DON’T!!








Sure got thrown around on that one.













Lynn and Allayne after catching a good wave.

We use the water taxi to take us over to the Capital: Bocas Town as we need to check in with customs.
Allayne and Dennis (foreground decided to come along to show us their favorite spots in town.
We’ve also met up with friends Lisbeth and Jann (Nordic Lady). Jann is in the background.


Check in was so simple…..The Port Captain took our Zarpe papers and said ”Have a good time.” WOW!!!
One of the many Hostels. We look forward to spending more time in this funky town.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

ONLY WAY HOME: HELICOPTER


FRIENDS HELPING FRIENDS….that’s what it’s all about.

Fifteen minutes before friends Belinda and Chris, S/V Nahanni, were to leave on their Canal Transit we get a knock on the boat hull….."One of our line handler’s is a no-show---Can you or Randy come along?” Decision: Lynn is to go. Quickly I throw an overnight bag together and we’re on our way.

Now, the rule is a boat must have four line handlers or the transit has to be cancelled and the boat then is charged a cancellation fine. The other handlers are from New Zealand: Shareen and Gerard along with Belinda and I.




We have to wait our turn to enter the lock.

























The first set of locks we do a side tie with two power boats. We had to untie and retie at each lock.


Belinda and Chris with the Adviser.

















Belinda getting her lines ready for the "Monkey Fist" which is thrown by linehandlers on shore.










The canal flooding to raise us approximtely 28 feet.















Looking back to the Caribbean Sea.














RAIN, RAIN, GO AWAY….
Next morning the adviser was supposed to arrive between 0630 and 0700hours. Showing up at 0730 we were first chased by a squall.; then had a torrential downpour with limited visibility for the majority of the day. The next set of locks we were center tied by ourselves. These three locks went very well. In the last lock we ended up with company, an enormous car transporter behind us.

Belinda and Chris decide to take a mooring ball at Balboa Yacht Club so we can quickly get to shore by water taxi. They pay for us to take a taxi directly from Panama City to the Marina which I personally am very grateful for.

By 1600 hours we are on shore waiting for the taxi. The taxi arrives by 1700 hours. We’re in rush hour traffic; forgot what that was like….slower than slow. After a third toll booth we managed to pick up speed, however, the rain still won’t ease up, the visibility is awful so we travel between sixty and eighty km on a 110km highway. We pass an overturned car in the passing lane; very dangerous with no emergency cones and it’s dark. Two miles later we pass a mud slide. Good thing we’re going slowly. Many people are driving with their emergency lights flashing.

It’s now past 1930hours when finally we reach Colon. It has taken us almost twice as long tonight. As we head for the bridge at the Gatun Locks which will take us home to the Marina we are stopped by an enormous flood. Cars are parked all over. We’re in a small low van and the driver says he can not make it through the flooded area. We sit and wait, but only four wheel drives seem to be making it through all the water. We have no choice but to turn around and the taxi driver says he will take us to Hotel Washington as we will not be able to make it home tonight. Aughhhh.

As our luck would have it tonight the taxi driver took one of the side roads that ended up flooded. He tries to make it through the deep water and sure enough we get stuck and the car stalls. He and Gerard decide to push the car out of the water. As they push backwards I steer. The water is approximately eighteen inches high coming in the front doors. Finally out of the water the vehicle motor is actually flooded, so we sit and wait. The taxi driver calls a friend in Panama City who will come and help him. Not a great plan as we do not want to sit in the vehicle for another two or three hours as we are not in a safe part of the town. Plus it not only is dark but continues to pour with rain. He then calls the police and has no luck getting us help. Finally the car sputters to life and we take a different road to the Hotel.

We had torrential rains all night. We tried calling the Marina to no avail. Gerard calls Stanley, a Marine Agent to see if he can get us a 4X4 to drive us back to the Marina. He said not to day; in fact he has heard the bridge crossing the canal has washed away. Not good news. We ask about a water taxi and again he said the weather is so bad the water taxis will not run. Plus, it is a National Holiday: Mother’s Day. This means of course no one wants to work. Well I must say this Mother only wants to get home!!

Flooded street outside Hotel.















Finally we contact Frank, the Harbour Master at Shelter Bay. He explains there is a man who commutes daily by water from Colon, but unfortuantely he in fact left his boat at Shelter Bay and is stuck in Colon. Also Frank said the Marina bus could not make it to the Marina because the bridge was out. The local news is full of flood stories with the highway to Panama City even closed. There have been many deaths from mud slides. At least we are dry and warm. (I later read in one of the Tourist newspapers that the Canal in fact had been closed for seventeen hours, an unprecedented event in the history of the waterway. This was caused by overflowing banks on Lake Gatun and Lake Alajuela. The waters caused entire island-like patches of earth filled with trash to fall into the Lakes and these “trash islands” caused the canal to close. Panama had 315% more precipitation than expected for this time of the year.)

Next we call the Tourist Police to see what condition the road is in now and unbelievably they have no idea.
Communicating with Rand on a regular basis it sounds like the road may not be open for at least another two days. There are so many conflicting stories. We decide the only possible way home at this point could be a Helicopter. Derek and Cathy (Idyll Island) also have friends stuck in Panama City. I call two Helicopter Companies…One says they have no flights for a week. The next company said they can take us today….YIPEEE!!!



The plan is made: The couple stuck in Panama City go to the Albrook Airport. They will be flown directly to Shelter Bay where the pilot will then come over to Colon and pick us up at the Colon Airport and take us to Shelter Bay. We quickly pack what little luggage we have and check out. As we are checking out we get a call saying the Colon Airport has been closed indefinitely….Oh nooooooo!

Then the woman at the Hotel Desk said she has just approved the Helicopter to land right here at the Hotel. FABULOUS!!!!









Even these huge ships look like they are sinking.


Within ten minutes we are home.

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME!!!

Monday, December 13, 2010

YES, WE ARE STILL IN PANAMA

PROHIBITION HITS KUNA YALA;
LOTS OF CHANGES TO IMMIGRATION & CRUISING PERMIT
& STORMY WEATHER IS HERE!!!

Oct 28

In the past few months here in Panama there have been many changes to the Dept. of Immigration & the Department of Ship’s Registration which is where we get our Cruising Permit. Of coarse this has caused some confusion.







We personally now can stay in Panama for a maximum of six months, leave the country and then when we re-enter we receive an additional six months. The “yachts” however can stay for a total of twelve months before having to leave the country at a cost of $180.00 US. We renewed our Cruising permit in Porvenir in August where the Port Captain gave us an expiration date of December 31st 2010. Upon reaching Portobello we were told in fact the new law said the twelve months was in fact for a calendar year so it was recommended we go back to Porvenir and see if the Port Captain could change the date for us.
We needed to stop in Linton on our way back to San Blas to fill our jerry jugs with diesel and gasoline…This of course can only be done by dinghy and the jerry jugs are not light. Diesel is 3.25 a gallon and gas is 3.50 a gallon. The fuel arrives in 45 gallon drums by truck.










After three roily uncomfortable nights we dinghy around the bay with our handheld depth finder to find a calmer anchorage. We decide to move. We’re now in deeper water; 45 feet but with next weeks potential bad weather we are out of the swell.

Arriving in Porvenir the Port Captain was more than willing to change our expiration date at no additional fee. After updating our permit we head for Nalia, a mangrove lined bay where we hope we’ll catch ourselves some rain water. Nalia is off the beaten path; we’re the only boat here. The current is strong turning us 180 degrees. What a no-seeum night. We decide we’ll head out at first light.
We move on to West Hollandaise. The anchorage here is good for one boat and we're it. Rand checks the anchor and decides we are to close to the reef. By 1620hours the wind has changed and is hitting us from the SSW…No protection here. We’ve left the GPS on, and the alarm is set for 20 feet in case we drag. If bad weather comes in the night we’ll head due South, out to sea….





The next morning we have a flat calm but decide not to push our luck. After a nice snorkel we make the short hop to East Hollandaise.










We have met up with friends Allayne and Dennis on Audrey Paige. We have a nice reunion snorkelling. Then Five Islands arrive, on their way to Cartagena. Again the weather deteriorates…What’s new????







We have moved on to Chichime as the weather continues to deteriorate. We’ll be getting 25-35 knot winds due to Hurricane Otto.We regularly check out the weather on www.nhc.noaa.gov/ Presently there is a 20% chance of Tropical Cyclone Formation for us in the next 48 hours.
We truly like Chichime however boats anchoring on top of one another is a challenge. We always try and anchor away from everyone, out as far as possible due to running our Honda Generator. In one week we moved five times.



PROHIBITION HITS SAN BLAS…. Yes, the “Caciques” (high chiefs) that rule Kuna Yala have decided Kuna’s are not to buy or sell beer. Of course we did find beer for sale at Chichime for two dollars a tin; a little steep. Sounds like they buy the beer from the passing Colombian trade boats.

Dec. 13
A storm hits Chichime from Hurricane Otto bringing enormous ten foot seas that crash over the windward side of the islands. You can see on the chart above the enormous reef that gives us much needed protection. There in fact have been 19 named storms to date during this Atlantic hurricane season. In October alone there have been five tropical storms formed and all became hurricanes. This is 40 percent more than the average. Now you know why we have not been able to move very far.

Needing exercise we decide to go over to the Leeward side of Uchutupu Dummat and are amazed at how rough it is. A family’s home is lost as the water erodes the sand from its base.

Finally the weather breaks for a very small window of opportunity and our plan is as soon as the weather is okay to head to Bocas del Toro, but before we do this we want to re-provision for another three to four months. This means heading back to Shelter Bay Marina where provisioning is made so much easier with access to the town of Colon by the free shuttle bus. Of course it is much easier to load the groceries onto the boat from the dock.

0600hours we leave Chichime. Full main and foresail out. We are sailing at five knots due to choppy seas and current. The water is full of debris from the storms. At times we’re down to 2.5 knots so decide to start the motor, using everything we’ve got to get back to Linton before dark. We catch an 8 pound Mackarel. Arriving in Linton we are pleasantly surprised to see Moana I in the anchorage. We give them the Mackeral as we plan to leave tomorrow for Shelter Bay.

Nov. 12th By 0900hours we have the anchor up, main and foresail out. By 1200 hours we are flying…Having one of our best sails in a long time.
Reunion at Shelter Bay. It’s like old home week. It’s the first time we have seen good friends Cathy and Derek (Idyll Island) since a year ago October along with Eileen and Peter (Appleseeds) who went home for the summer.

BUT….IT’S RAINING; IT’S POURING!!!!and we have leaks. Note Rand is still smiling for now.