Speedwell of Hong Kong

Up and down the Amador Causeway

Author: Shirlz

It was nearly dark before I was able to leave the Balboa yacht club area where the advisor and line handlers were picked up. I wasted no time in motoring down to the anchorage at Playita.

Playita anchorage – spot the yellow boat

My guidebook recommended it as the better anchorage during the dry season as it is protected from northerly winds. This is true. Unfortunately there is no protection from the frequent high speed ferry traffic which shuttles back and forth between Playita and the small island of Taboga about 5 miles away.

The Causeway

The Amador Causeway was created using rock from the canal excavations. It links 4 small islands on the Pacific side of the canal and provides a breakwater for the canal entrance. The Metrobus runs fairly frequently from Flamenco island at the far end to the big shopping mall and bus terminal at Albrook.

Flamenco anchorage with Panama City skyscrapers

After suffering the ferry boat traffic for a few days I moved round to the other side of the causeway where there is another free anchorage. Here it was much more comfortable but the free dinghy dock was very crowded. There is a 5 meter tidal range which makes an easy floating dock quite a challenge. The dock belongs to the navy and there was always a strong contingent of camouflage-uniformed officials. Wearing a life jacket in the dinghy is obligatory and enforced. Luckily someone had given me one of these things some years ago so I could comply with the regulations. (Thank you Neal).

The dinghy dock with resident Great Egret watchbird

Now I had to do some serious shopping to reduce the risk of starvation on the long voyage to the Gambier Islands. I’m not planning to stop at the Galapagos and need to cater for up to 60 days at sea. Could be more of course.

Part of my can collection

Water is also quite important. I split the shopping into manageable loads for the dinghy as it was quite a long row to where I was anchored and there were fairly frequent rain squalls which made rowing quite exciting. On one particularly nasty occasion I had to resort to a tow.

Part of my water bottle collection firmly anchored between the bunks

My main water tanks hold about 100 liters and I have a vast collection of bottles ranging in size from 1.5 to 10 liters giving me all together a total of 200 liters. At 3 liters per day this should give me a bit more than 60 days.

Crushed cranberry juice bottles

My collection of 1.5 liter bottles was given to me by Hutch in Carriacou who keeps his empty Cranberry juice bottles, rinses and squashes them flat for easy storage. If you have strong lungs they can be reinflated and are great for water as they can be tucked in to any available small nooks and crannies.

Recycled

I loaded up some cans of beer to take up the slack and felt I’d done my best. Just grateful that I was only catering for one.

It’s a pleasant walk along the causeway with wonderful views on either side. I loved watching the never-ending stream of massive container ships, either having just passed through the canal or about to start their transit. I wonder how those precipitously stacked containers would have fared had they been forced to go around Cape Horn.

On the opposite side was a panoramic view of the skyscrapers of Panama City  and all the boats, Speedwell among them, anchored in the sheltered waters.

Bridge of the Americas and Eco Museum seen from the causeway

At last I had done all the provisioning that there was room for on board and the last of my ongoing property nightmares back in South Africa were almost resolved. I cleared out of Panama on Friday, 5th May and after a very last quick shopping spree on Saturday, set off early on Sunday morning heading for the Perlas Islands about 35nm away.

On the way out of the anchorage I passed the Sea Shepherd boat looking quite ferocious and wondered what current campaign it was fighting.

The Sea Shepherd Boat

For most of the morning we enjoyed a light Northerly F3. Pretty much downwind and we were moving nicely. It was lovely to be sailing again. But then the wind slowly and irrevocably faded and soon we were down to a depressing 0.5 knots at best. No way of making it in before dark so as it was going to be a dark moonless night and I wasn’t sure if there would be lights at the island of Contadora where we were heading and I didn’t feel like making a no-sleep overnighter, (all these excuses) I fired up the engine and arrived at Contadora just before dark.

Endless strings of pelicans heading home

Also heading home to roost were many hundreds of seabirds. Mainly pelicans and cormorants with the occasional brown booby.

May 7th, 2018  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama  |  5 Comments »

Canal Transit

Author: Shirlz

My transit was scheduled for Tuesday,  17th April and I had to provide food and water for the 4 line handlers plus the advisor,  all of whom, I had been warned, had hearty appetites. Quite a challenge given my minimalist galley and absence of refrigeration. I decided to cook up a big chicken casserole in the pressure cooker the night before,  to be served with rice. Bringing the cooker back up to pressure before serving it the next day would kill any possible microbes. I also had to provide them with drinking water for two days which had to be in sealed plastic bottles  this rather went against the grain given the current concern with plastic pollution and the fact that the water in my tanks is filtered and perfectly drinkable.

All fendered and ready to go

The long lines needed for locking plus 8 enormous fenders were delivered to the boat the day before while I was out doing the food shopping.

At 1pm on Tuesday the line handlers boarded Speedwell and arranged themselves about the deck as we motored out to the Flats anchorage where the advisor was to join us at 4pm. It was hard going against a strong wind and a choppy sea with the unaccustomed weight on board. We anchored and I was told that they would like their lunch! So I fired up the Primus and dished up 4 hearty servings of chicken and rice which I watched them eat as we waited for the advisor.

New bridge under construction

He arrived at 5 and we motored up to the waiting area before the first set of locks where we rafted up to ‘Little Fish’ a beautiful and anything but ‘little’, Amel 55.  Lots of very big fenders were put to use and we were securely tied together.

Being nested up to a bigger boat meant that all the lines holding us in position in the lock chambers were sent to the big boat and my line handlers had an easy time of it.

Big fenders between the boats

It was dark by the time we moved into the first lock chamber and thin messenger lines with heavy monkey fist knots on the end were thrown across to be attached to the strong mooring lines. The boats are then walked along to their position and tied off to wait for the water to flow in as the gates are opened. The line handlers have to keep the lines tensioned as the water level rises

Approaching Gatun Locks

It was an other-worldly scene with the lights reflecting on the water and showing the strong current making whorls and eddies in the water as it rushed in.

Whirlpools as water rushes in

Once the water has risen all the way up the gates ahead are opened and we were walked into the next chamber for another step up. Gatun Lock has 3 chambers raising the canal a total of 26 meters.

Lock doors closing

Now we separated from ‘Big Fish’ and motored about 2 nm to an enormous mooring buoy where we tied up for the night. A launch came to pick up the advisor who would return in the morning at 8:30. I did my thing with the pressure cooker and rice again and kept everyone fueled up. Had a warm beer myself. The others had to stick to bottled water.

Big Mooring buoy in Gatun Lake

It was not a very comfortable night as there simply is not enough space on Speedwell for 5 people to sleep comfortably. But morning arrived, as it usually does, and with it a new advisor for the next leg of the trip.

We now had to cross Gatun Lake which was formed by damming the Chagres River and provides the water to operate the locks. For the first hour or more we had torrential rain with very limited visibility. The line handlers sheltered below. I had to stay carefully out of the way of the big ship traffic by sticking to the edge of the channel. At one point an enormous barge passed us setting up a big wake which created havoc with the passengers down below. Speedwell was easily able to maintain the required minimum speed of 5.5 knots. The good following wind helped us along and the advisor often had to tell me to slow down!

Miraflores Lock with cruise ship

At last the rain stopped and it was a beautiful day. We motored through the narrow and winding Gaillard cut which is about 7nm long and arrived at the Pedro Miguel Lock. Now the water level had to go down,  so water rushes out of the lock chamber and eventually into the Pacific. Before entering the lock we again rafted up to ‘Little Fish’.

The last gates opening to the Pacific Ocean

There was some concern about the strength of the current rushing out of the chamber and possibly overpowering the engine, but this could be avoided by getting the mooring lines properly attached before the gates were opened. We had no problems.

Soon enough we were through and on our own again motoring towards the Bridge of the Americas.

I had to make a stop at the Balboa Yacht Club to wait for a launch to pick up the advisor and another small boat to take the line handlers, fenders and lines off.

Approaching the Bridge of the Americas

Now I was in the Pacific and alone again at last. I carried on motoring past the yacht club and anchored at Playita a sheltered little bay protected from the prevailing North wind. Time to crack the bottle of bubbly.

April 19th, 2018  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama  |  1 Comment »

Getting ready for the Canal

Author: Shirlz

I left the sheltered bay at Panamarina early on a windy morning. Waves were breaking on the surrounding reefs but the channel is well marked and it was no problem. Then a fast downwind run to Portobelo. While moored at the marina I had taken the sail off and restitched all the batten attachment patches to strengthen them and done a bit of maintenance work on the battens where corrosion of the aluminium poles was showing here and there. Everything held together nicely in the strong wind and the sail was setting well. It had been quite a challenge to re-rig it in the fresh breeze that had blown for days on the mooring, so it was good to have a meaningful shake-down cruise.

Portobelo fishermen in the early morning light

The wind was still blowing hard when I reached Portobelo but I found a good place to anchor on the North side of the bay near to the old fort. With the strong wind from the NE it was quite comfortable but it would be a long row to get across to the village. I had no real need to go ashore so spent the weekend, which I discovered was in fact the long Easter weekend, happily on board doing some of the many jobs still to be done and watching life going on around me.

Ships at sunset waiting for the canal

On Monday I sailed on for another 11nm to a very attractive anchorage behind a small island called Naranjo Abajo (Lower Orange Tree). It was one of a pair and with a long section of reef extending from its southern point formed a beautifully sheltered place to stop. I wasn’t in too much of a hurry to reach the busy harbour at Colon so I spent another peaceful night. Looking out to sea at sunset I was amazed to see how many big ships were anchored off waiting for their chance to transit the canal. I felt quite proud to be part of the impressive fleet.

Speedwell in Shelter Bay Marina

Next day it was time to face reality and I reached the entrance to the harbour at about 10am and prudently motor-sailed the last stretch through the anchored ships and in to Shelter Bay Marina. I hadn’t originally planned on going into the marina which is rather costly, but I had decided to use an agent to organize the canal transit for me and he insisted that I go in there to get measured. He warned me of all the crime and gangs in the town. I listened attentively and thought of the many times I have walked through the town between the supermarket and the bus terminal without any problems. So into the marina. Not my favourite habitat. Surrounded by shiny super yachts and lots of people, many of whom had never seen anything like my little boat before with its strange mast and sail. I found myself doing a lot of explaining about how the junk rig worked. I doubt if I have made any converts.

The admeasurer arrived as promised the next day and I filled in a stack of forms and paid out a stack of money and was given a date for doing the canal. It was to be Tuesday, 17^th April.

Rio Chagres

With nearly two weeks to wait I decided to save some cash and move a further 10 miles along the coast to the Rio Chagres where one can anchor in the river surrounded by virgin rainforest. The Eric Bauhaus charts provided details of the entrance and I had no problems finding my way in. There is a patch of reef and a bit of a sand bar at the mouth of the river but I never experienced less than 4m. Once inside, the river is quite deep and I anchored in a peaceful spot a little way past a small dock. It is possible so sail all the way up to the dam which was built to form the Gatun Lake which supplies water to the locks of the canal. Before the canal was built ships used to go up the river to get as far inland as possible before using the railway to Balboa.

If you look carefully you may see my blue butterfly

I rowed ashore early one morning and walked along the track to have a look at the ruins of the big fort guarding the entrance to the river. As I approached the small beach 3 army guys in camouflage gear came down to meet me and showed me where to tie up the dinghy. Then it was a lovely walk along the road through the jungle. My favourite blue morpho butterflies fluttered by and I managed to actually get a shot of one which is just visible as a blue fleck in the photo.

Entrance to Castillo San Lorenzo

The fort itself, Castillo de San Lorenzo, is well maintained with lots of information posters in Spanish and English detailing its history. Many attacks by marauding famous-name pirates such as Francis Drake and Henry Morgan, caused it to be repeatedly rebuilt. Now it is a good photo-op for tourists and provides a wonderful view of the river. I pottered about happily until the crowds started to arrive and then made it back to Speedwell. I had hoped to get a Wi-Fi signal from the top of the hill but no luck. It would have been good to get a weather forecast as I had been warned that if there was a very big swell the entrance becomes a bit hazardous. I couldn’t afford to miss my canal date.

Chagres River with Speedwell just visible in the distance

I decided to sail back to Portobelo and wait there until nearer to the date. Leaving early the next morning I got the sail up and motored past the sand bar and reef. Once I was in the open sea I switched off the engine and tried to sail. The wind was very light and coming from exactly the direction I was hoping to go. It was about 26 miles to Portobelo and at 1.5 knots it was going to take some time. Having to tack all the way would probably double the distance. I decided to fire up the engine again and use it to help us along. Oh dear. When I turned the key there was only a sad little click and no hearty roar of my 13HP engine starting up. No panic, this had happened before and I had been shown how to give the solenoid a tap which caused whatever was stuck to get moving again. It worked last time, but not today. I had a look at all the connections I could see but everything looked OK. I tried tapping the solenoid again. It wasn’t going to work this time. Well it was a lovely day and the Navik could handle the steering so we sailed slowly along.

By the time we reached the entrance to Colon harbour it was already 14:30 and I thought it might be a better idea to make my way back to Shelter Bay and get things sorted out there. I had managed to pick up a Wi-Fi signal as we neared civilization and the forecast was for less wind not more. I didn’t fancy being becalmed off Portobelo with no engine. Once I was able to turn towards the harbour entrance I had the wind behind me and we sailed gracefully through and up to the entrance to the marina where I anchored off and rowed in to try and organise a tow for the last little bit. I was definitely not brave enough to try tacking in between all the shiny boats.

Now I had to solve the starter motor problem as quickly as possible. Eventually, after two days of groping about getting greasy and checking out connections and getting advice from helpful people the fault was found by Greg, the resident mechanic. It was a tiny connector hidden behind the alternator which only became accessible once I had removed the obstructive alternator. Once identified, it took a few minutes to replace the connector and we were back in business. I had contacted the canal agent to say I might have to delay my transit, but luckily my date for the 17^th is still available so now all I have to do is get the boat organized to accommodate the four required line handlers. Its going to be a tight squeeze finding a place for them to sleep on board if we have to anchor overnight in the lake.

April 12th, 2018  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama  |  2 Comments »

Back in the water

Author: Shirlz

Soon after the dinghy incident I had Speedwell hauled out at Panamarina, a very efficiently run small boatyard close to Puerto Lindo. The village of Cacique is a short walk away but doesn’t have much to offer apart from a small bodega and a tiny kiosk selling the barest of essentials. It does have a pleasant waterfront with a natural swimming pool protected by the reef and provides a nice break from dusty boatyard work.

Looking towards Panamarina from Cacique

With Speedwell safely up on the hard, December was spent re-connecting with my son and his family in England, being reminded of the strange luxuries that most people these days seem to consider the norm. I relaxed and let it happen, enjoying the novelty of big-screen TV, hot showers and automatic ice cubes in my drinks. I was enjoying myself, but too soon, had to fly down to Cape Town to sort out a mounting heap of crises relating to property and banks. Once again a drastic change of climate. It’s warm in Cape Town in January. And not too many showers due to the catastrophic water shortage. Problems were duly sorted out and then another week in England before making my way back to the boatyard and Speedwell.

Speedwell safely stored

My poor little ship was in a sorry state after nine weeks on the hard during a hot and steamy tropical rain-season. Fortunately my friend, Henry, had checked on her after the first month, when it had rained very heavily and he had bailed out the accumulated water from the bilge. Somehow it always seems to find a way in. The first few days back were spent cleaning the mildew from all surfaces and again bailing out. At last the boat was liveable again. The rest of the month of February was spent doing the many, many jobs which had to be done.

The corner shop at the bus stop where many hours were spent waiting.

Panamarina is situated rather remotely on the unspoilt Costa Arriba, about 25km NE of Colon and the entrance to the Panama Canal. It is surrounded by the protected rain forest of a national park and only accessible by land via a winding unpaved road. So any necessary shopping trips are a major expedition entailing a 2 mile walk followed by a 2 hour bus ride. Each way. I have learnt to make a careful shopping list before heading out. In fact I rather enjoy the walk as it is an interesting road and there is usually something eye-catching to be seen.

Monkey in tree

Early in the morning the howler monkeys set up a tremendous roaring and occasionally I have been lucky enough to spot them, high in the branches of big trees. Colourful birds and butterflies. Once I saw a small boa constrictor which had unfortunately been killed, possibly by a car as it tried to cross the road. It still looked very beautiful. In the marina itself I have seen toucans from my land-locked cockpit and sloths, of the non-human variety, quite often make an appearance. One afternoon I watched as one made a slow and painstakingly purposeful crossing of the slipway. For once I had time to stroll back to the boat and fetch my camera and was able to get a shot of him climbing slowly into the mangroves. He seemed sublimely unperturbed by the growing crowd of onlookers and two interested dogs.

Sloth in mangrove

At last, on Wednesday this week, Speedwell was afloat again. I decided to pick up a mooring and relax for a few days before deciding on my next move. What a delight it is to be gently rocked to sleep at night with a cool breeze coming down the fore-hatch. Clean water to swim in whenever I fancy.

Speedwell being returned to her natural element

The plan now is to organize a transit of the canal and then explore the Pacific coast of Panama before setting off to French Polynesia and beyond.

March 17th, 2018  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama  |  4 Comments »

A Bad Day for Bokkom

Author: Shirlz

At the weekend the normally peaceful bay of Puerto Lindo gets ripped apart by a busy stream of ‘lanchas’ taking day-trippers out to a small island at the entrance to the bay where there are some beach bars and a strip of white sand. The boats take about 20 passengers at a time and seem to only know one speed: flat out. They are very solidly built fiberglass boats and their powerful outboards send them crashing over the chop creating a fearsome wake. It seems to be a point of honour to pass as close as they dare to the anchored yachts. Some actually going out of their way to do this at speed, to give the passengers a thrill, I suppose. It creates havoc in the anchorage but one learns to put up with it as the weekend is over soon enough.

A typical lancha (Not the one that did the damage)

However, Panama recently celebrated a spate of public holidays and there was a 4-day long weekend. Unprecedented hordes descended on the bay and the stream of lanchas, racing fully laden to the island, was continuous. Speed was now of the utmost in order to accommodate and profit by as many day-trippers as possible.

On Friday, the first day of the holiday weekend, I was sitting in the cockpit as the sun sank lower in the sky, grateful that the busy day was nearly over, when two lanchas on the return trip from the island, approached from astern.  Obviously a race was in progress.  As they approached one tried to overtake the other and at the last moment realized that Speedwell was in the way. When going fast the bows of these boats lift up so high that it’s impossible for the person steering the boat to see what lies directly ahead. Not a good thing in a busy anchorage when you are moving at something like 20 knots.   For a horrible moment I thought he was going to crash into Speedwell. At the last split-second he swerved sufficiently to avoid us but smashed into my beautiful plywood dinghy, Bokkom, which was hanging off the stern. The dinghy was nearly wrecked.

Look what happened

I shouted at them and the driver slowed down and looked back, aware of what had just happened, then sped off without stopping. I had no time to get the name of the boat or take a photo.

I struggled to haul the remains of my dinghy aboard before it could sink entirely. It was too heavy for me as what was left of it was filled with water. Erwin, from a neighbouring boat cane over in his kayak and helped me get it up on board.

Fortunately the thin fiberglass outer skin had held the broken pieces together and no bits were actually missing. For the next two days the rain held off sufficiently for me to fit the pieces together again like a jigsaw puzzle. I used Gorilla tape to hold things in place while I glued it up with a West system epoxy and microfiber mixture. I smoothed off the surface and put a complete layer of glass over the stern and along the seams where they had been cracked. I had to hang on carefully to everything each time a boat roared past threatening to tip the lot overboard. Two of the more responsible lancha drivers came over to speak to me and I think something must have been said to the others as I have noticed that they seem to have slowed down a little until they are past the anchored boats.

Patching things up

Heavy rain showers slowed things down over the next few days, but at last I’ve been able to cover the scars with a coat of paint and it’s usable again.  I was very grateful to have the inflatable kayak which had been given to me by a generous Australian while I was in Chaguaramas back in 2014. Getting ashore was still possible.

Awful scars

I always carry a supply of epoxy and some fiberglass so was able to get the job done quickly. I just hope that I haven’t added too much extra weight to the dinghy as up to now I have always been able to haul it up on board by hand over the lifelines.

November 12th, 2017  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama, Western Caribbean  |  4 Comments »

Shopping and waiting

Author: Shirlz

I spent a few more weeks in San Blas, reluctant to leave the lovely, thinly populated cruising grounds.

Kuna sailors

During my stay in the Naguargandap Cays I met Joyce and Lorenzo on their big blue shrimp boat, the ‘Eileen Farrell’. They were planning one of their regular shopping trips to Panama City and agreed to let me join them. I had read about the possibility of taking a jeep trip from Cartí through the jungle and was keen to experience it.

Speedwell was safely anchored in a sheltered spot near the small island of Saludupored and as we had weathered two strong (35-40 knot) blows, I felt that the anchor must be well and truly dug in. Joyce had arranged for a water taxi to pick us up at 6:30 am for the roughly 20 mile trip to Carti on the mainland. The weather was  good and we got there in 2 hours making one or two stops along the way to pick up more passengers from the scattering of tiny islands.

Carti

The jetty at Carti was quite busy with backpacker tourists arriving by road to be taken out by taxi boat to spend a few days in paradise. This is the only road connecting Guna Yala to Panama City and ‘civilization’. Cartí is not really a village, just a drop-off and pick-uo point for tourists and traders. There is a good place to have a bite to eat and I sampled my first ‘patecone’ which is a delicious fried plantain snack.

Lorenzo supervising the loading

Soon our ‘jeep’ arrived and I was a little disappointed to find that it was not the rattly,  open sort of vehicle that I had expected, but a luxurious, air-conditioned SUV. Well, it made for a comfortable ride for the long trip through the truly magnificent jungle along a roller-coaster winding road. Again, slight disappointment that it was not the rutted, muddy track described in my obviously out-of-date guide book, but a newly tarred road in good condition. We shared the vehicle with two well-travelled Canadian girls. The jeep drivers offer a great service and we were dropped off right at the entrance to our hotel in the city.

Four days of shopping and sightseeing ensued. I took a day off from the malls and supermarkets to walk around Casco Viejo which is the old part of the city that had been ruined by pirate raids hundreds of years ago. It was a rainy day so the photo-opportunities were limited but the Panama Canal museum provided an interesting place to shelter for a few hours.

Rainy day in Casco Viejo

Back on Speedwell it was a good feeling to be properly stocked up again with all my food lockers filled to the brim. The fairly regular visits from the ‘veggie boat’ would keep me supplied with fresh stuff. I felt I could stay indefinitely. But back to reality…

I planned to visit my son, Pete, and his family during December and for this I, as a lowly South African passport holder, needed a visa. So back we sailed to Puerto Lindo on a moonlit night, narrowly missing the spooky black conical silhouette of the enormous Open Blue fish farm along the way. I needed to get to a place with more reliable internet access to complete the online visa application form. Once this had been painstakingly achieved,  a quick bus trip to the city to have my fingerprints taken and the whole lot, including my precious passport,  sent off to Bogotá where the there is an embassy that actually processes visa applications. Now I resignedly await the outcome and hopeful return of my documents.

Puerto Lindo anchorage

Puerto Lindo is a relaxed little place to be waiting. Just a very small village (actually called Garrote) with one or two tiny ‘tiendas’ selling the barest basics. A happy pig keeps cool by wallowing in one of the small streams that run down from the hillside. Blissfully unaware of his ultimate destiny. Chickens range freely. A veggie truck comes by most days and announces it’s arrival over a megaphone which I, of course, never actually hear. So if I need stuff I row ashore to Casa X, a popular yottie hangout, and nurse a fruit juice until it appears. If I have already missed it it can usually be found further along the way.

It’s Saturday today and usually a good day for the truck but Puerto Lindo, 25km down the only access road, is celebrating the annual ‘Black Christ‘ pilgrimage. Folk walk or sometimes crawl on all fours from Sabanitas,  a distance of 22 miles, hoping for whatever miracle their particular circumstances require. Criminals traditionally take part hoping to atone for their misbehaviour. The town assumes a festive air with many food stalls springing up to feed the masses. It all seems suggestive of the sort of thing that might happen on Discworld.

Well, anyway the upshot was that Puerto Lindo was totally cut off for two days. So no veggie truck or buses and a peaceful day-tripper-free weekend.

October 25th, 2017  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama  |  No Comments »

From Island to Island

Author: Shirlz

After a few days anchored off the bustling little village of Nargana I decided to have a look at Green Island, about 5 miles away. It had been recommended to me as a good place to stop, the only reservation being that a few months ago a woman had been attacked by a crocodile while swimming there. I had passed nearby when I sailed from the Holandes Cays to Rio Diablo and noticed two or three boats anchored.

I set off from Nargana in a gentle SW breeze and was just able to lay the course ambling along at 1 to 2 knots. I didn’t have far to go and it was a pleasant sunny day. Some big dolphins came over to inspect us but soon got bored and sped off again. As I got nearer to Green Island I saw that there were no other boats there. I was to have the beautiful anchorage all to myself (and possibly a crocodile). The light was good and it was an easy sail through the gap in the reef. I dropped the anchor in 8m fairly close to the island still thrilled by the fact that I could arrive in a wonderful anchorage like this and not find it crowded with moorings and other boats. Absolute bliss. I determinedly turned a blind eye to the intrusive, ever-present plastic garbage that collects on the shores of these tiny islands and focussed instead on the constellation of bright orange and red starfish that decorated the white sandy bottom.

Green Island

I inflated the kayak and made a circumnavigation of the island. The water along the NW shore was only just deep enough to keep us afloat. Large areas are covered with turtle grass gently waving with the movement of the water but I have yet to spot any turtles. Of course, I was also keeping a sharp lookout for that resident croc, not sure if I wanted to see it or not. How did a croc feel about an inflatable kayak in 6 inches of water?

My water maker in action

The next few days were rainy with frequent strong thunderstorms and I was able to fill all the water-tanks and extra bottles. I was joined by Joana , a beautiful 72ft gaff rigged yawl taking some time off between charters.

Joana

Soon it was time to get moving again and I headed off to anchor in the lee of Saludupored at the Eastern end of the Naguargandup Cays, all of 3 miles away. This time I chose to use the engine as all the cloudy days had left the battery in a rather depressed state and there was virtually no wind. It was a slightly winding passage through the surrounding reefs but the waypoints supplied by Eric Bauhaus in his Panama Cruising Guide helped us safely in.

Another perfect little island

I found myself in the most picturesque setting yet. Clear water, comfortable swinging room for anchoring between the reefs and shoals, and a string of picture-postcard islets. Palm trees and small white beaches. Today the sky was blue, things were getting better and better. I kayaked over to the nearest island, exploring the reefs along the way, and was entranced to see a big spotted ray flapping gently along close by. I found a perfect place to tether the kayak to an overhanging small coconut tree and lay down, floating comfortably in the shade while I gazed at a few bees buzzing about the small flowers of the coconut palm. Vague memories passed through my mind of another life when my natural habitat had been behind a computer screen in a grey office.

Looking back towards Green Island

Back on Speedwell for afternoon tea I realized that I was down to my last can of beer. Definitely time to restock. I had to wait out a few rainy, stormy days and used up some overripe bananas making cake and a rather good chutney. While the weather was still sunny I had also experimented with finely slicing and drying some bananas in the sun. This worked surprisingly well producing a sweet, chewy snack after two or three days.

A fisherman in his ulu

As soon as the weather settled again I moved back to Nargana and was pleased to find a tienda with a good supply of fresh fruit and vegetables and eggs. Unfortunately no beer. There was a crowd of schoolkids near the jetty as a big sports gathering was in progress. My arrival in a rowing dinghy was an interesting event for them. Not too many rowing boats around here. I politely declined their offers to help me when I reached the dock and they all clapped when I got myself ashore unassisted! So much for my preference of keeping a low profile.

Rio Azucar waterfront

Next day was flat calm again and I motored over to nearby Rio Azucar where there is another small Kuna village which might have a beer shop. It turned out to be a very pleasant place with helpful people. They had cold beers and I also bought some freshly baked rolls. Still no butter. In the afternoon I paddled the kayak a short way up the Rio Azucar past magnificent mangrove trees, but turned back fairly soon as the wind started to pick up and it was a hard bouncy paddle back against the breeze. I decided to stay another day and as there was fairly good internet access, a chance to update the blog.

Poling through shallow water

There is a fairly steady stream of small boats and ulus coming in to the island and using the convenient dock where there is water on tap. I watched as a launch carefully poled itself over the shallow reef, were they taking a well-known shortcut or had they misjudged things? As the sun was setting an ulu came in with a rather raggedy sail. Paddle power was also being used. This morning there was a big old tug boat that steamed in and parked close up against the shore. I was glad that I had decided to stay another day as the weather was squally with darkly threatening clouds.

Raggedy sail – Rio Azucar

August 25th, 2017  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama, San Blas  |  2 Comments »

Off to the San Blas Archipelago

Author: Shirlz

I moved back to Puerto Lindo to fill up with diesel before starting my cruise in San Blas. After an abortive attempt at anchoring close to the marina I returned to my spot at the head of the bay near the tiny village of Garrote. It was an easy row to the good dinghy dock at Casa X and much less crowded. Unfortunately, also open to the swell rolling in from the NE.  Apart from the diesel, I realized I also needed to stock up with more essential provisions and made two bus trips through to the big supermarket in Sabanitas. An hour each way on the colourful,  jam-packed bus, severely limited by how much I can carry in my backpack and two big shopping bags. Not just by the weight, but also the difficulty of handling the bulky bags in the bus with standing room only. I still enjoyed the bus rides,  especially when I was able to get a seat. The people were warm and caring and the countryside is so beautifully lush and green and uncontrolled.

Once I’d stocked up all I had to do was wait for a day with a possibility of some westerly wind. At last there was a favourable forecast before my provisions ran out again and I headed hopefully out of the bay under power until I was clear of other boats,  rocks and reefy bits. Then I was able to sail almost all the way. I left in the afternoon planning to sail through the night and arrive in the morning with good light to approach my first anchorage. As luck would have it the current hustled us along and we were at the entrance to the San Blas channel at about 3 am in the pitch dark. I hove-to, waiting for sunrise, and was able to have a short nap.

The beach at Chichime

I decided to make Chichime my first stop as the entry was straightforward and close by. I had been warned that it could get crowded as it is popular with the backpacker charter boats. But it seemed that I had arrived at an off-peak time and there were only three or four other boats and plenty of room in the exquisite bay.

Looking out over the reef

What a pleasure to anchor in crystal clear water, well protected from the swell by surrounding reefs which didn’t block the cooling breeze. No mosquitoes or no-seeums. Things were looking good.

My mola

After a few hours sleep I was woken by someone calling and I met my first ‘Master Mola Maker’ who had paddled quietly up in his dugout canoe or ulu.  He displayed a magnificent collection of his work. All extremely finely hand stitched in intricate designs. My rather strict budget put most of it way out of my league but he had some more modest samples and I eventually settled for a cushion – sized piece that I am delighted with.

Starfish on my doorstep

My ‘overnight’ stop expanded to 3 idyllic days, reveling in the great snorkeling and beautiful surroundings. Of course, this is the rainy season and thunderstorms were plentiful so no shortage of water and I caught up with the laundry. More and more boats were arriving and I felt it was time to be moving on.

My next stop was just 3 miles further on at Banedup. Boats were clustered around the main island where there were some beach bars. It looked a bit crowded but there was another really good place to anchor where I could have more swinging room. This time I left the dinghy on deck as I was happy just to swim ashore. From the cockpit I could see colourful starfish on the sandy bottom.

On day two a fierce squall blasted the anchorage causing mayhem with the boats crowded near the island. Some re-anchored and a few left after things had calmed down again. Thankfully these squalls don’t last too long.

Palm Island seen from Banedup

As soon as the wind turned west again a day or two later, I headed off to the Holandes Cays about 11 miles away. Again I was lucky with the weather and had a lovely sail, the junk rig doing what it does best on a downwind run, sometimes cheating a bit and seeing how much I could get away with sailing by the lee. The Navik doesn’t approve of this tactic and it needs hand-steering.

I had carefully entered some waypoints in my Garmin Etrex which would get me safely into the Swimming Pool anchorage.  The light was good and it was easy to see the reefs and shallows.

BBQ Island seen from my anchorage

I found myself in the sort of place that epitomizes everyone’s dream of tropical cruising. There were very few other boats and not a mooring ball in sight. I got the awning rigged over the cockpit for some shade and settled in. The next two weeks were spent just enjoying it all. There was no need for the dinghy and I used my inflatable kayak to paddle out to the reefs for hours of snorkeling or just exploring.

There were regular visits by the Kuna Indians in their ulus,  sometimes selling lobster or fish, Other times just to chat and show their astonishment at the fact that I was sailing single-handed. A woman! One morning a group of lady Kunas came over and insisted on giving me a gift of limes and plantains.

But soon enough my meager supplies started to get low and I decided to make a shopping trip to Nargana at Rio Diablo where I should be able to do some basic shopping. I was all ready to leave early one morning and it was time to start the engine to see me safely out of the anchorage. Oh dear, instead of the normal noisy startup,  just a click. OK, I’d had this before and it was just a loose connection,  so I switched off and checked things out. Everything seemed fine. Try again. Nothing. The starter motor had been replaced not too long ago when I was in North Carolina,  surely it couldn’t already have problems. Before doing anything drastic I went over to one of the other boats who were long – term residents, to seek advice.  After I’d described the problem it was suggested that it could just be the solenoid sticking and all it might need was a tap to free it. Jim came over and showed me what to do and problem solved. What a relief,  and a new skill acquired.

By now it was getting a bit late to leave so I put it off till the next day and then had a reasonably good sail to Rio Diablo,  only having to motor for the last few miles when the wind died completely. The anchorage is very well protected and I went ashore to find the shops. No big supermarkets here but a scattering of small ‘tiendas’ with just the most basic of wares. No chance of replenishing my supply of Earl Grey. I did manage to find some flour so I’ll be able to carry on making bread. No butter though.

Tech and tradition

The little village is made up of a fairly dense collection of small reed huts with thatched or corrugated iron roofs. Sandy paths between. A shady footbridge connects the two islands and is a pleasantly cool place to linger and watch the world go by. Although this is one of the more ‘advanced’ villages,  many of the women wear the traditional molas and their legs are decorated from knee to ankle with strings of fine beads wound round and round forming patterns.

Rio Diablo

On day two I went for a long row up the river. The entrance is very shallow and littered with big logs that have drifted down but once inside it was deeper and quite magical. I spotted a heron which was new to me and now and then a kingfisher flew purposefully by. I looked in vain for crocodiles.   An enormous blue morpho butterfly flapped by, contrasting brilliantly against the dark green foliage.  I passed two small graveyards tucked in behind the trees close to the river and a bit further up an ulu would be drawn up to the bank here and there where the coconut trees or bananas were being tended.

August 11th, 2017  |  Posted in Cruising, San Blas, Western Caribbean  |  2 Comments »

Portobelo

Author: Shirlz

Portobelo, the name conjures up romantic images of its historic past. Staggering amounts of gold and silver were carried here from what have now become Peru and Bolivia and shipped off to Spain. Slaves were traded, famous-name pirates like Francis Drake and Henry Morgan attacked the town and helped themselves to the treasure. In the customs house there was barely room to stack the tons of silver.

Inside the customs house

Small forts tried in vain to protect the bay and its treasure with their cannons. At one time a third of all the gold in the world passed through here.

The view from one of the forts

Now it is a rather shabbily run down little town, but the forts are still there, or what is left of them after being raided for stone to help build the Panama Canal, the customs house is partially restored and is splendid, the same jungle-clad hills look down on the bay. No pirate ships now, but it’s a popular anchorage for cruising boats. Rather a lot of which look as if this could be their final resting place. When a late hurricane passed nearby in November last year many of the boats dragged their anchors and some still remain stuck in the mud near the mangroves.

The entrance to the bay

I arrived after a short motor-sail from Puerto Lindo, the current against us all the way. There were only a handful of boats anchored and I easily found a convenient spot. Casa Vela is a small bar on the water’s edge which allows you to use their dinghy dock for $1 per day or a beer at the bar. There are a number of well-stocked small supermarkets which also sell hardware. For more serious shopping a bus leaves every 20 minutes for Colon, stopping in Sabanitas, about an hour along the road, where there is an ATM and a big ‘Rey’ supermarket. This is also the place to catch an express bus through to Panama City.

Panama City skyscrapers and the Pacific Ocean

I had to make use of this bus for a trip through to the city in connection with my banking problem which still drags on. The bus stops at at an enormous ‘Gran Terminal’ where long-distance buses run to hundreds of destinations. Very exciting to think that you can just get on a bus and tour the country. There are also metro-buses for getting about in the city. I had to get to the DHL office in the Bella Vista district and it turned out to be a beautiful part of the city with parks and luxury hotels right near the waterfront. I wandered about a bit and was thrilled to be able to gaze out over the Pacific Ocean.

Church of San Felipe which houses a famous ‘Black Christ’

I left it rather late to head back to Portobelo and got caught in the rush hour traffic. Standing-room only for most of the journey. The last leg of the trip on a chicken bus from Sabanitas to Portobelo took nearly two hours as there had been two bad accidents along the road which stopped the traffic dead. We were entertained en route with loud music videos on the bus’s flat screen display while strings of coloured LED lights flashed under a religious banner. I suppose the bus driver needs all the help he can get.

July 5th, 2017  |  Posted in Cruising, Panama  |  1 Comment »