Friday 20 February - a day of doing the bureacratic stuff and exploring Golfito. This small town used to be a big banana exporting port but something happened in the 1980s and this ceased see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golfito Lonely Plant says that the place is slowly being swallowed by the jungle - this is so. It has one main street which runs up the side of the bay. There is a large commercial jetty and a number of smaller jetties and three boat service providers, one of which is a small marina.
In order to complete formalities (called Pratique for shipping) we had to go first to the Port Captain, then Quarantine, then Immigration, the Customs, then a bank to pay a fee,then back to Quaratine and finally the Port Captain. They were all in different places. Fortunately Golfito is a small place !
By this time it was well past lunch so after finding a small local restaurant to recharge we spent the afternoon in an internet cafe, then food shopping and back to an evening on board.
Saturday 21 February - a day of practical things (looking for spare parts for the outboard and towed generator) we had lunch in a nice restuarant (Samoa del Sur) and returned to the yacht for the afternoon. David fixed the towed generator (by attaching the old outboard propellor where the correct propellor had fallen off. This is simply a steel rod about 2 feet long attached to a long rope. When towed the propellor spins the rod and the rope which, when twisted enough, turns a small generator tied to the guardrails in the stern. Simple. And it works when the yacht is going fast enough).
The day ended with a lovely sunset.
Sunday 22 Feb
Lieing at a bouy is not very exciting, so we left early this morning and went out into the Golfo Dulce to find a smallprivate botanical garden we had heard about - Casa Orquidae - two bays up from Golfito. This has been created since 1974 by a couple of north americans. Most beautiful plants and flowers - many types of ginger, and many orchids (including, again, the Crucifix orchid which grows wild in the Andes) See pictures here : http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/CasaOrchidae#
In the afternoon we had some wind to sail with and practised our Man Overboard Drills unti the wind died away to nothing and forced us to motor back.
Monday 23 Feb
The plan now was to stay in Golfito until Friday and I was getting cabin fever ! Time for some space so I jumped on the afternoon ferry to Puerto Jimenez, the port for the Osa Peninsula across the Golfo Dulce. After a very fast launch ride throuh windy and chopy water I arrived at Puerto Jimenez and walked a dusty road into the town. After some searching I found a reasonable and cheap backpackers and settled in. I had met a young 'Tico' (what Costa Ricans call themselves) who offered to be my guide to the Corcovado National Park. I was not sureabut this but decided to go ahead so we went to buy food for the morrow. We also went to a creek to see some caimans) ´friendly´crocodiles ' harmless apparently. http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/WildAnimalsOsaPeninsula02#
For info on the National Park go here...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corcovado_National_Park
Tuesday 24 Feb
Overnight I was not well and still feeling sick at 5.00 in the morning I cancelled my trip with Manuel. After a quiet morning wandering around until I felt better, I met a young couple of north americans (Todd and Meredith) who were staying in his brother's house up in the jungle in a place called Dos Brasos de Rio Tigre (Two arms of the River Tiger). They were returning that afternoon so I decided to go with them and see somewhere off the beaten track.
We went in a 'Collectivo" (local bus - a minivan) which rattled its way slowly up the dusty dirt road which was full of rocks and pot-holes. I love local transport in other countries! It is truly an authentic experience. All that was missing were the chickens !
Dos Brasos is a small place at the end of the road across the bridge over the Rio Tigre - an old gold mining town now of about 200 people. Todd & Meredith found Val who owns a lodge up in the hills called Bolita - I paid for one night. We then went to Todd's brother's house (see pictures) which is lovely - all open as this is tropical jungle. As long as there is a mosquito net over the beds walls are not necessary - just a large roof to keep off the rain. I left them there and walked over the Rio Tigre and up into the hills, up a long winding path finally coming to the lodge pouring sweat in the evening gloom. A group of 5 french people were already there with dinner ready to which they invited me. Very friendly - so I joined them and enjoyed a wonderful evening of my broken french and their (rather less) broken english. The kitchen area and eating area was the open space under the platform which formed the sleeping space. Very simple, very rustic. http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PuertaJiminezToBolita#
Wednesday 25 Feb
I woke before dawn and heard howler monkeys and heard more birds than I saw. After breakfast the french group went back to Dos Brasos and I set off for the hills. Up and up and eventually came to GotoGo lookout with view right over the Golfo Dulce. the paths are well keptbut in places very narrow. The hills here are steep sided -typical river valley hills covered in tall trees, undergrowth and some flowers. Right now everything is very dry - there has been no rain since before December. This is not the dry of the Australian bush - it is much greener here and the the vegetation clearly is not the burning type although if it was really dry I imagine it would go up.
From time to time the canopy was disturbed by monkeys although mostly to high or far away to see clearly. No ground animals crossed my path, but I did not mind. Walking amongst the trees up and down the trail was just wonderful. I came down a long hill and suddenly found myself on the edge of a landslip. I could see the trail on the other side of the 30 metre gap - so with very carefully I traversed it trying not to look too far down into the chasm that held the river - some 50 metres down there. Safely on the other side I came to a waterfall with a deep pool beneath it. The cool water was bliss after the morning's walk. Great place for lunch.
The only way out now was down the river - going back up the trail was pointless. But there wa no trail I could see, so after a few minutes of clambering over rocks I jumped in the shallow water. Somehow books wet with warm water are not nealy so bad ! Much the best ad fastest way of getting down stream.
This was a gold mining area and there is still gold to be found in the river - gold dust. I came across three men panning for gold -all on their ownpatch of river. They greeted me with friendly 'Holas!' - one showed me the tiniest speck of gold in his pan - I was not even sure myself but smiled encouragingly. Photos here : http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/DosBrasos#
At length I came back to Dos Brasos in the mid afternoon and checked into Los Maneros - this had once been the local bar, brothel and jail - the toilet being one cell and the shower the other cell...... I wandered around this very rural village in the late afternoon feeling totally at peace with the world. And i the evening joined three local ex-pat north americans for dinner. Everyone goes to bed early - sunset is at 7.00pm and we were gone to bed by 9.00
Thursday 26 Feb
Up at 5.00 and the the return collectivo to Puerto Jiminez - somehow not quite so unnerving this time. Another fast ride back to Golfito and return to the yacht to find David and Sarah had also gone to the other side. They returned late afternoon to say they had been on a guided tour in the other direction to me and had seen more wildlife - monkeys, birds and a Sloth - David said "it wasn't doing anything" - funny that !
Then in the evening we had a tremendous rain storm - vast volumes of water fell - the dinghy had 6 inches of water in it when we eventually got to it. The locals (ticos) will be happy - they have been complaining of no rain.
And so we prepare to depart for Panama. Farewell to Costa Rica - a very lovely place
Enjoy the pictures - you should be able to browse in all my public albums. I don't have time to label them all but I expect they give a good impression of things I have seen. Isn't the internet wonderful ....
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Monday, February 23, 2009
PANAMA TO COSTA RICA 14 - 19 FEBRUARY
Saturday 14 February - Valentines Day - and we are off to Costa Rica. Yesterday was frustrating. We hoped to be going but did not know that the Port Captain's office shut at 1600 so we missed our check out (clearing customs and immigration for departure from Panama). The Port Captain called David's mobile at 0700 calling us in for 0800.... David and Sarah went ashore and returned 4 hours later. After a quick lunch we weighed anchor and motored south. There was no wind - an almost flat sea under high cloud so the whole world looked grey. Out in the bay of Panama many merchant ships are at anchor - I counted 30. We were later told that they are here for a number of reasons : no cargo, waiting for cargo, impounded for some legal reasons, no crew, or in storage (Panama acts like a garage and provides caretaking duties). Economic conditions can affect the number of ships parked here.
We continued south on acourse of 185 for most of the day. We had an early dinner on the deck at sunset which inthese parts is just after 1830 at the moment - very lovely and as we ate a small pod of dolphins came to visit. They are steely blue and mottled like a leopard down their sides. Dinner was interrupted while we wtched them play up and down the sides of the boat and in and out of the bow wave.
Darkness fell. Venus shone brightly above us. Here in the tropics she is very bright. On previous nights when we have been at anchor she casts a bright path on the water. I have read that Venus is the only planet that can cast a shadow on the earth. Other stars came out and the Milky Way splashed across the sky. Bright stars, but not so clear as on land - it must be the moisture in the air at sea. still, it is all very impressive and the sky is very big.
This is our first night sail together. David decided he would sleep on deck and Sarah and I would take turns on watch - she from 2200 to 0200 and me from 0200 to 0600. As the evening wore on the wind picked up and we were able to hoist Main and Genoa. I went below to sleep - and awoke at 0130. It is many years since I slept at sea and the movement of the boat brought back many memories of my Naval life at sea.
Up on deck wind had picked up and was coming from the NE. An hour into my watch David ordered a Jibe ... steering at night is a whole different experience. We steer our course by GPS on a Raymarine chartplotter which is a marine version of a land GPS. we also have ships compass and a wind repeater at the steering consol .... but I am used to steering a yacht visually using the sails and the masthead wind vane neither of which are visible at night. My steering for this jibe was not a happy event - we went around twice ! David was calm and understanding - steering IS different at night.
Dawn came up silver, gold, pink and yellow over a ruffled sea. we were now steering west. To the north land showed blue and misty. We were sailing well with 15 knots of wind from the NE. And after a time came to the Bay of Benoa,a small bay on the south side of Peninsula Los Santos. This was a sheltered spot with a long beach on the north side, backed by trees and a line of low brown hills. As we cameto anchor aflock of pelicans was wheelinga diving into a feeding frenzy. To our right was a lump of an island connected to the shore by a narrow ithsmus.
The sun was bright and hot and a light breeze ruffled the surface of clear blue water. I swam ashore - a bit further than I thought. The beach was brown sand and slightly gravelly. Walking to the trees I found a small creek full of fish. Hundreds of hermit crabs rustled through the dry leaves under the trees. I heard a plaintive cry and thinking it was a bird looked up, and then down to see a small brown frog caught in the jaws of a long thin green snake. As I watched, the snked realising that eating a frog feet first was not sucha clever idea, let go of the frog, whipped round and tookits head in its mouth. I have never seen a snake each before, and it was slightly gruesome wonder to watch the snake's mouth and body expand to swallow whole a frog four times its width.
We had a pleasant day in this place and were entertained by Nick and Robin, a couple from North America working in Panama who had come to the small resort on the beach for the weekend. They came onboard for sunset drinks and we joined them for an excellent dinner a the resort after.
The next day, Monday 16 Feb, we lay at anchor for the morning and then departed in the afternoon in a nice strong NW breeze which did not last the rest of the day. By mid afternoon we were motoring along with a lovely coastline to our right rising to blue hills in the far distance. We motored all nightand it got a bit lumy at one point as the wind came up. we hoisted sails and had a fine sail up the side of Isla Coiba in the Golfo de Chiriqui. The coastline of Veraguas was on our right. We came at length to a small bay in the north-east corner of Isla Coiba to a tiny rock island called Granita de Oro. Anchoring a ittle to the north of it we went ashore to a beach on the main island as there was a crowd of people on the Granita. I tried snorkelling but the water was too cloudy. So we took the dinghy to the Granita de Oro - a large rock with a small sandy beach and submerged rocks. The snorkelling around the rocks was wonderful - brown corals, brightly coloured fish some irridescent blue, oranges, yellows and pinks. And on the beach more hermit crabs in the thousand. Isla Coiba and surrounding islands are National Park. After lunch back onbord we motored around the north end of the island and came into a large bay Ensenada Santa Cruz for the night. In the late afternoon I took the dinghy to nearby rocks for more snorkelling - again with great results. This island is pure jungle, green and lush. we think it is how this country must have been before humans started felling the forests.
The next morning, Wednesday 18 Feb, we left mid morning in a light breeze coming from 300, right on our head. So a long tack on 240 for the afternoon and thena tack round to the North A very slow passage that did not get us very far up the coast. we sailed through the night with the wind veering to the north which helped our passage. But at dawn David had had enough so we motored for the rest of the day (Thursday), up the coast of Costa Rica. At lenght the coast of the Osa Peninsula appeared over the left and by mid afternoon we were in the Golfo Dulce. We came through the entrance to Golfito into a large bay of water stretching a little to the north with the bulk of the bay to the south. A thin strip of shore with buildings upon it is backed by steep wooded hills. we were met by Tim from Tierra Mar (Land Sea services) who guided us to our buoy. It was to late for Pratique (entry procedures) so we stayed on board with Flag Q fluttering from the yardarm (Flag Q is a solid yellow flag which declares that the vessel needs to clear customs. Once done it is replaced by the flag of that country).
So now we are in Golfito for a few days - time to store up, look around, do some repairs .....
Photos here : http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PanamaToCoastRica#
We continued south on acourse of 185 for most of the day. We had an early dinner on the deck at sunset which inthese parts is just after 1830 at the moment - very lovely and as we ate a small pod of dolphins came to visit. They are steely blue and mottled like a leopard down their sides. Dinner was interrupted while we wtched them play up and down the sides of the boat and in and out of the bow wave.
Darkness fell. Venus shone brightly above us. Here in the tropics she is very bright. On previous nights when we have been at anchor she casts a bright path on the water. I have read that Venus is the only planet that can cast a shadow on the earth. Other stars came out and the Milky Way splashed across the sky. Bright stars, but not so clear as on land - it must be the moisture in the air at sea. still, it is all very impressive and the sky is very big.
This is our first night sail together. David decided he would sleep on deck and Sarah and I would take turns on watch - she from 2200 to 0200 and me from 0200 to 0600. As the evening wore on the wind picked up and we were able to hoist Main and Genoa. I went below to sleep - and awoke at 0130. It is many years since I slept at sea and the movement of the boat brought back many memories of my Naval life at sea.
Up on deck wind had picked up and was coming from the NE. An hour into my watch David ordered a Jibe ... steering at night is a whole different experience. We steer our course by GPS on a Raymarine chartplotter which is a marine version of a land GPS. we also have ships compass and a wind repeater at the steering consol .... but I am used to steering a yacht visually using the sails and the masthead wind vane neither of which are visible at night. My steering for this jibe was not a happy event - we went around twice ! David was calm and understanding - steering IS different at night.
Dawn came up silver, gold, pink and yellow over a ruffled sea. we were now steering west. To the north land showed blue and misty. We were sailing well with 15 knots of wind from the NE. And after a time came to the Bay of Benoa,a small bay on the south side of Peninsula Los Santos. This was a sheltered spot with a long beach on the north side, backed by trees and a line of low brown hills. As we cameto anchor aflock of pelicans was wheelinga diving into a feeding frenzy. To our right was a lump of an island connected to the shore by a narrow ithsmus.
The sun was bright and hot and a light breeze ruffled the surface of clear blue water. I swam ashore - a bit further than I thought. The beach was brown sand and slightly gravelly. Walking to the trees I found a small creek full of fish. Hundreds of hermit crabs rustled through the dry leaves under the trees. I heard a plaintive cry and thinking it was a bird looked up, and then down to see a small brown frog caught in the jaws of a long thin green snake. As I watched, the snked realising that eating a frog feet first was not sucha clever idea, let go of the frog, whipped round and tookits head in its mouth. I have never seen a snake each before, and it was slightly gruesome wonder to watch the snake's mouth and body expand to swallow whole a frog four times its width.
We had a pleasant day in this place and were entertained by Nick and Robin, a couple from North America working in Panama who had come to the small resort on the beach for the weekend. They came onboard for sunset drinks and we joined them for an excellent dinner a the resort after.
The next day, Monday 16 Feb, we lay at anchor for the morning and then departed in the afternoon in a nice strong NW breeze which did not last the rest of the day. By mid afternoon we were motoring along with a lovely coastline to our right rising to blue hills in the far distance. We motored all nightand it got a bit lumy at one point as the wind came up. we hoisted sails and had a fine sail up the side of Isla Coiba in the Golfo de Chiriqui. The coastline of Veraguas was on our right. We came at length to a small bay in the north-east corner of Isla Coiba to a tiny rock island called Granita de Oro. Anchoring a ittle to the north of it we went ashore to a beach on the main island as there was a crowd of people on the Granita. I tried snorkelling but the water was too cloudy. So we took the dinghy to the Granita de Oro - a large rock with a small sandy beach and submerged rocks. The snorkelling around the rocks was wonderful - brown corals, brightly coloured fish some irridescent blue, oranges, yellows and pinks. And on the beach more hermit crabs in the thousand. Isla Coiba and surrounding islands are National Park. After lunch back onbord we motored around the north end of the island and came into a large bay Ensenada Santa Cruz for the night. In the late afternoon I took the dinghy to nearby rocks for more snorkelling - again with great results. This island is pure jungle, green and lush. we think it is how this country must have been before humans started felling the forests.
The next morning, Wednesday 18 Feb, we left mid morning in a light breeze coming from 300, right on our head. So a long tack on 240 for the afternoon and thena tack round to the North A very slow passage that did not get us very far up the coast. we sailed through the night with the wind veering to the north which helped our passage. But at dawn David had had enough so we motored for the rest of the day (Thursday), up the coast of Costa Rica. At lenght the coast of the Osa Peninsula appeared over the left and by mid afternoon we were in the Golfo Dulce. We came through the entrance to Golfito into a large bay of water stretching a little to the north with the bulk of the bay to the south. A thin strip of shore with buildings upon it is backed by steep wooded hills. we were met by Tim from Tierra Mar (Land Sea services) who guided us to our buoy. It was to late for Pratique (entry procedures) so we stayed on board with Flag Q fluttering from the yardarm (Flag Q is a solid yellow flag which declares that the vessel needs to clear customs. Once done it is replaced by the flag of that country).
So now we are in Golfito for a few days - time to store up, look around, do some repairs .....
Photos here : http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PanamaToCoastRica#
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
SAILING IN THE ARCHIPIELAGO DE LAS PERLAS (2 - 9 FEBRUARY 2009)
We have just returned to Panama City after a week of sailing in a group of islands 35 miles to the south west of Panama City in the Bahia de Pamana (Bay of Panama). I have put a few pictures on my picasa site - just limited by speed of connection at the moment - gohere http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/IslasPerlas#
The Archipelago de las Perlas, named when the Spanish conquistadores Gaspar de Morales and Francisco Pizarro sole a large amount of pearls from the indigenous King Toe. A 31 carat pearl known as "Peregrina" belonged to Queen Mary Tudor came from these islands.
Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Islands
We motored out of our mooring at the Flamenco Yacht club on Wednesday 4 Feb and set course 130. However as we started to haul up the mainsail we found it had a large split near the top of the sail which had not been there when the sail was last used. Sadly this meant that we were not able to sail further so we motored round into the bay west of Isla Flamenco and spent the rest of the day taking down the old sail and bending on the new one. This is a brand new sail David had bought in St Maartens. We remained at anchor overnight.
Next day, Thursday, we resumed our journey motoring out round the Isla Flamenco, raised main and genoa and set course 130 for the Islas de las Perlas. The wind was from the north-east at 10 knots which gave us some really excellent sailing. It increased during the morning to just over 20 knots giving us some top speeds of 8 knots (which David reckons is top hull speed). In just over 4 hours we arrived at the Islands and selected the straight between Isla Chapera and Isla Mogo Mogo to anchor. These are the islands on which the TV series 'Survivor' has been filmed. This was a very beautiful place - the shore is mostly covered in trees, with rocks at the water's edge and some small bays of pale fawn sand. They look idyllic. Many of the trees looked dead, then I remembered that here in the northern hemisphere (even 8 degrees up into it!) winter is still here, although with day temperatures in the high 20s-low 30s it does not feel like winter. David and I took the dinghy and landed at the nearest beach, then took a walk along the shore. The rocks looked like solid mud and in places seams of pumice showed through - signs of ancient volcanic activity. Some beautiful shells on the beach including pearl shells - just as you might imagine ought to be on tropical islands.
What ought not to be on tropical islands is a line of plastic bits and pieces as high water mark. The oceans of the world have become our rubbish bins - and the ocean currents are duumpiong this imperishable stuff on our shores. I don't suppose the birds and animals care much - but I do..... our own Paradise Lost.
The moon is now waxing towards full and casts a silver net across the sea. In the evening light grey pelicans glide in a line towards the shore, their wing tips an inch off the surface of the waves, as the leader flaps its wings they all follow suit, a few flaps and then a long glide. It is a wonder of synchronised flying.
So lovely is it here we decide to stay another day. David has to fix a septic tank so Sarah and I take the dinghy ashore again. The engine is feeble - something is wrong. After lunch David and Sarah go out again and I stay onboard for a quiet afternoon.
The next day we weigh anchor and motor out into open water and set sails, course north to Isla Contadora. This is a small island but inhabited and with an airstrip. It is, apparently, a favourite holiday island for people from Panama city, but we did not see much activity on the airstrip. It is not a big island, but has some shops for basic provisions. Dry and dusty, it looks like is is waiting for rain. The people were friendly and we went ashore for and excellent dinner in the evening, returning under a bright moon.
One night here was enough so the next morning we left and had a fine morning sailing south before and northerly breeze goose-winging all the way (the mainsail is over one side of the boat, the genoa on the other to catch all the wind). Isla Pedro Gonzales is another inhabited island - a small village of about 500 people. we anchored in a small bay off the village, and spent the afternoon out in the (sick) dinghy looking for places to snorkel. The wind seems to have stirred up the water which was cloudy. I did see some small colourfu tropical fish but nothing dramatic. We did go and look at a wreck on the shore - and again were saddened by the rubbish on the beach (see pictures).
The next day, being Monday, we needed to return to Panama. David wanted to take the torn sail to Colon, get more gas, find out where we can get the outboard motor fixed, and check emails. So in a brisk breeze of 17 knots from the north, we weighed anchor, set main and genoa and course 310 for Panama. After 45 minutes the genoa suddenly started coming down - something had broken at the mast head. Such a shame as we were sailing well. So we haukled down the main and motored into the wind. After investigation we were able to raise the genoa again on a spare halyard and so resumed our sailing - and a very fine sail we had all the way to Panama.
At anchor I volunteered to be hauled up the mast in the bosun's chair - a very scary process. Sitting in a piece of canvas on the end of a thin rope being hauled 60 feet ina gusting wind is not a lot of fun. But I got the end of the number 1 genoa halyard and returned to the deck, not something I wish to do again in a hurry.
So here we are back in Panama at anchor of Isla Flamenco again. I have had the day onboard swabbing the decks (ha ha) while David and Sarah are ashore on these essential errands. The sun is shining, I have the company of grey pelicans.... what could be nicer.
The Archipelago de las Perlas, named when the Spanish conquistadores Gaspar de Morales and Francisco Pizarro sole a large amount of pearls from the indigenous King Toe. A 31 carat pearl known as "Peregrina" belonged to Queen Mary Tudor came from these islands.
Reference : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pearl_Islands
We motored out of our mooring at the Flamenco Yacht club on Wednesday 4 Feb and set course 130. However as we started to haul up the mainsail we found it had a large split near the top of the sail which had not been there when the sail was last used. Sadly this meant that we were not able to sail further so we motored round into the bay west of Isla Flamenco and spent the rest of the day taking down the old sail and bending on the new one. This is a brand new sail David had bought in St Maartens. We remained at anchor overnight.
Next day, Thursday, we resumed our journey motoring out round the Isla Flamenco, raised main and genoa and set course 130 for the Islas de las Perlas. The wind was from the north-east at 10 knots which gave us some really excellent sailing. It increased during the morning to just over 20 knots giving us some top speeds of 8 knots (which David reckons is top hull speed). In just over 4 hours we arrived at the Islands and selected the straight between Isla Chapera and Isla Mogo Mogo to anchor. These are the islands on which the TV series 'Survivor' has been filmed. This was a very beautiful place - the shore is mostly covered in trees, with rocks at the water's edge and some small bays of pale fawn sand. They look idyllic. Many of the trees looked dead, then I remembered that here in the northern hemisphere (even 8 degrees up into it!) winter is still here, although with day temperatures in the high 20s-low 30s it does not feel like winter. David and I took the dinghy and landed at the nearest beach, then took a walk along the shore. The rocks looked like solid mud and in places seams of pumice showed through - signs of ancient volcanic activity. Some beautiful shells on the beach including pearl shells - just as you might imagine ought to be on tropical islands.
What ought not to be on tropical islands is a line of plastic bits and pieces as high water mark. The oceans of the world have become our rubbish bins - and the ocean currents are duumpiong this imperishable stuff on our shores. I don't suppose the birds and animals care much - but I do..... our own Paradise Lost.
The moon is now waxing towards full and casts a silver net across the sea. In the evening light grey pelicans glide in a line towards the shore, their wing tips an inch off the surface of the waves, as the leader flaps its wings they all follow suit, a few flaps and then a long glide. It is a wonder of synchronised flying.
So lovely is it here we decide to stay another day. David has to fix a septic tank so Sarah and I take the dinghy ashore again. The engine is feeble - something is wrong. After lunch David and Sarah go out again and I stay onboard for a quiet afternoon.
The next day we weigh anchor and motor out into open water and set sails, course north to Isla Contadora. This is a small island but inhabited and with an airstrip. It is, apparently, a favourite holiday island for people from Panama city, but we did not see much activity on the airstrip. It is not a big island, but has some shops for basic provisions. Dry and dusty, it looks like is is waiting for rain. The people were friendly and we went ashore for and excellent dinner in the evening, returning under a bright moon.
One night here was enough so the next morning we left and had a fine morning sailing south before and northerly breeze goose-winging all the way (the mainsail is over one side of the boat, the genoa on the other to catch all the wind). Isla Pedro Gonzales is another inhabited island - a small village of about 500 people. we anchored in a small bay off the village, and spent the afternoon out in the (sick) dinghy looking for places to snorkel. The wind seems to have stirred up the water which was cloudy. I did see some small colourfu tropical fish but nothing dramatic. We did go and look at a wreck on the shore - and again were saddened by the rubbish on the beach (see pictures).
The next day, being Monday, we needed to return to Panama. David wanted to take the torn sail to Colon, get more gas, find out where we can get the outboard motor fixed, and check emails. So in a brisk breeze of 17 knots from the north, we weighed anchor, set main and genoa and course 310 for Panama. After 45 minutes the genoa suddenly started coming down - something had broken at the mast head. Such a shame as we were sailing well. So we haukled down the main and motored into the wind. After investigation we were able to raise the genoa again on a spare halyard and so resumed our sailing - and a very fine sail we had all the way to Panama.
At anchor I volunteered to be hauled up the mast in the bosun's chair - a very scary process. Sitting in a piece of canvas on the end of a thin rope being hauled 60 feet ina gusting wind is not a lot of fun. But I got the end of the number 1 genoa halyard and returned to the deck, not something I wish to do again in a hurry.
So here we are back in Panama at anchor of Isla Flamenco again. I have had the day onboard swabbing the decks (ha ha) while David and Sarah are ashore on these essential errands. The sun is shining, I have the company of grey pelicans.... what could be nicer.
PANAMA CITY- Sunday 25 to Wednesday 28 January
I was not sorry to leave Lima in the end. There are only so many churches to see and museums to visit. The old part of Lima is interesting and historical; the newer part, which is Miraflores, has everything one would expect in a modern western city - Macdonalds, Starbucks, Burger King, KFC ....I did have fun finding my way around on the buses which are fast, chaotic and cheap. OH&S would have a field day. Mostly they seem to be Toyota minibuses, in some cases severly dilapidated, and they run up and down all the main routes. Each has a driver who is skilled at nipping in and out of small spaces, and a conductor - they all have a sing-song cry which gradually becomes intelligible the longer you listen to the same conductor - which on the hour journey from the Miraflores coast to the centre of the old town is long enough to hear that Wilson is pronounce like Weesow.
The flight up to Panama took us over the Andes again - some covered in snow. There is no road link between Panama and Columbia - I do not know if this is political, financial or geographical. The flight was uneventful and the views from the window were impressive.
I took a smart, airconditioned shared minibus into the city - Tocumen International Airport in Panama is 35km out of the city. The hostel I had booked from Lima - Hospedaje Casco Viejo - was not good despite the Lonely Planet guide recommendation. I found Luna's Castle nearby - a funky backpackers run by americans which was excellent. So after one night with the bed bugs at the Hospedaje I moved. For the next two days I wandered around the old town called variously Casco Viejo, Casco Antiguo and San Felipe.
This area is a mixture of crumbling ruins, skeletal houses, beautifully restored buildings, museums, the Cathedral, National Theatre and the Presidential Palace. On arrival I thought I had wandered into a ruin .... well a lot of it is, but later realised that this is a UNESCO World Heritage Area (so restoration only can be done) and restoration is happening slowly. You'll find some photos here http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PanamaCity#
Luna's Castle was an excellent place to stay - lots of backpackers to talk to. On the Tuesday I went out with a couple to Cerro Ancon - the hill behind Panama City flying the national flag. From here are excellent views across the city and up to Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal.
On Wednesday I had breakfast with David Hetherington and his daughter Sarah. David owns the yacht NEREID on which I will be crossing the Pacific. Sarah had just arrived from Europe. Together we caught a bus from Panama to Colon which was 2 hours on a crowded airconditioned bus. Not much to see as the curtains were mostly pulled against the hot sun. A fairly ordinary thriller was showing on the bus TV dubbed in Spanish. Surprising how much can be understood ! It was not a good movie.
And then we arrived in Colon. Lonely Planet : "The mere mention of Colon sends shivers down the spines of hardened travellers and Panamanians alike ...." - not wrong. It is a hole, seriously, a filthy, run down, miserable place and so nad that we were told NOT to walk about by the LOCALS ! NEREID was moored at the Panama Yacht club which is a safe area. I have never been anywhere before where I could not walk safely outside in the daylight. Still the yacht club had simple but pleasant facilities - a bar and nice restaurant.
To go down the Panama Canal all boats and ships have to register and wait for a time to proceed. Small craft normally go in tandem with a large ship. After some delay we were given a slot for Saturday night - not so bad for Sarah and I who had just arrived (we had 3 days in Colon) - the others had been there since Sunday so were itching to get away from Colon. Fellow crew members who had come over from St Maartens were : Dirk Sweiringa (David's brother-in-law), Michael Johnston (school friend of Dirk) and Andrew Smith (friend of Dirk). So now we were six.
We slipped our mooring at 4.30pm on Saturday 31 January and motored out into the bay to anchor and wait for the pilot who arrived about 6.30. We then motored into the Canal channel to join the other two yachts who would be rafted up with us to go through the locks. ASPHALT VICTORY was our tanker and she steamed by ahead of us.
On the Atlantic/Carribean side of the Canal are the Gatun Locks, a set of 3 chambers which raise ships 26 metres into Gatun Lake. For information about the Canal try this site : (wikipedia). It took about 3 hours to go through all three chambers. They are huge, but fill up very quickly. Big ships are attached to on either side of the docks which keep the ships in the centre of the lock chambers. The ships power themselves through the locks.
We were on the starboard side of a 60ft american yacht PELICAN EXPRESS and on her port side was a french yacht MADRAGORE. We motored in behind ASPHALT VICTORy, the lock gates swung shut, water came swirling in beneath us and up we all went. These locks are huge .... the whole experience was really powerful and made more so happening at night.
Once through the three chambers we were released and motored round to a bouy on the east side of the Gatun Locks for the night. The morning revealed the vast expanse of Gatun Lake - created by damming the Rio Chagres to form a lake to carry vessels across the dividing range.
Our passage took us through the Banana Channel shortcut for small boats joining up with the Canal channel at Bohio Point. From then on it was straight motoring down to the Gaillard Cut. This is a piece of true canal which takes us from Gatun Lake to the Pedro Miguel Lock, going under the Puente Del Centenario, a wonderful new suspension bridge.
Pedro Miguel Lock is a single chamber that lowers vessels into Miraflores Lake. We did not have an accompanying tanker this time so rafted up just the three yachts and went through on our own. We continued into Miraflores Lake and across to the Miraflores Locks - two chambers which dropped us down into the Pacific side of the canal. On the east side of these locks is a Visitors Centre. I was quite glad not to have gone to this place whilst I was in Panama - going through the locks is more exciting that watching it from above. Just as impressive as a night crossing too.
So our passage through this extraordinary engineering feat took us nearly 24 hours with an overnight stop. It was a most wonderful experience and I am so glad to have done it. Pictures here http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PanamaCanal#
From then on we were on our own again. We could not get into Balboa Yacht Club so spent a night at anchor off Isla Flamenco and went into the Marina the next day to say farewell to Dirk, Michael and Andrew. After a couple of days there to restock and arrange some repairs we left to sail down to the Islas Las Perlas, an archipelago of beautiful islands 35 miles south-west of Panama City. We are riding at anchor as I write this. The moon is nearly full, the night calm with a slight swell from the east. All day flights of pelicans glide past, frigate birds drift on the breeze and three vultures spiral on the updraft. It is very peaceful. The sun shines brightly (so I am turning dark brown rapidly), the water is clear and blue, the sand on the beaches is white ......
.... and the high tide mark littered with plastic rubbish.
All is not well in Paradise, but this will be the subject of another entry one day.
Life on NERIED is good. We had a fantastic sail yesterday in a NE 25-30knot wind on a course of 120 - perfect sailing, at times hitting 8.5knots - about hull speed. She sails well. I am looking forward to many more days at sea.
The flight up to Panama took us over the Andes again - some covered in snow. There is no road link between Panama and Columbia - I do not know if this is political, financial or geographical. The flight was uneventful and the views from the window were impressive.
I took a smart, airconditioned shared minibus into the city - Tocumen International Airport in Panama is 35km out of the city. The hostel I had booked from Lima - Hospedaje Casco Viejo - was not good despite the Lonely Planet guide recommendation. I found Luna's Castle nearby - a funky backpackers run by americans which was excellent. So after one night with the bed bugs at the Hospedaje I moved. For the next two days I wandered around the old town called variously Casco Viejo, Casco Antiguo and San Felipe.
This area is a mixture of crumbling ruins, skeletal houses, beautifully restored buildings, museums, the Cathedral, National Theatre and the Presidential Palace. On arrival I thought I had wandered into a ruin .... well a lot of it is, but later realised that this is a UNESCO World Heritage Area (so restoration only can be done) and restoration is happening slowly. You'll find some photos here http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PanamaCity#
Luna's Castle was an excellent place to stay - lots of backpackers to talk to. On the Tuesday I went out with a couple to Cerro Ancon - the hill behind Panama City flying the national flag. From here are excellent views across the city and up to Miraflores Locks in the Panama Canal.
On Wednesday I had breakfast with David Hetherington and his daughter Sarah. David owns the yacht NEREID on which I will be crossing the Pacific. Sarah had just arrived from Europe. Together we caught a bus from Panama to Colon which was 2 hours on a crowded airconditioned bus. Not much to see as the curtains were mostly pulled against the hot sun. A fairly ordinary thriller was showing on the bus TV dubbed in Spanish. Surprising how much can be understood ! It was not a good movie.
And then we arrived in Colon. Lonely Planet : "The mere mention of Colon sends shivers down the spines of hardened travellers and Panamanians alike ...." - not wrong. It is a hole, seriously, a filthy, run down, miserable place and so nad that we were told NOT to walk about by the LOCALS ! NEREID was moored at the Panama Yacht club which is a safe area. I have never been anywhere before where I could not walk safely outside in the daylight. Still the yacht club had simple but pleasant facilities - a bar and nice restaurant.
To go down the Panama Canal all boats and ships have to register and wait for a time to proceed. Small craft normally go in tandem with a large ship. After some delay we were given a slot for Saturday night - not so bad for Sarah and I who had just arrived (we had 3 days in Colon) - the others had been there since Sunday so were itching to get away from Colon. Fellow crew members who had come over from St Maartens were : Dirk Sweiringa (David's brother-in-law), Michael Johnston (school friend of Dirk) and Andrew Smith (friend of Dirk). So now we were six.
We slipped our mooring at 4.30pm on Saturday 31 January and motored out into the bay to anchor and wait for the pilot who arrived about 6.30. We then motored into the Canal channel to join the other two yachts who would be rafted up with us to go through the locks. ASPHALT VICTORY was our tanker and she steamed by ahead of us.
On the Atlantic/Carribean side of the Canal are the Gatun Locks, a set of 3 chambers which raise ships 26 metres into Gatun Lake. For information about the Canal try this site : (wikipedia). It took about 3 hours to go through all three chambers. They are huge, but fill up very quickly. Big ships are attached to on either side of the docks which keep the ships in the centre of the lock chambers. The ships power themselves through the locks.
We were on the starboard side of a 60ft american yacht PELICAN EXPRESS and on her port side was a french yacht MADRAGORE. We motored in behind ASPHALT VICTORy, the lock gates swung shut, water came swirling in beneath us and up we all went. These locks are huge .... the whole experience was really powerful and made more so happening at night.
Once through the three chambers we were released and motored round to a bouy on the east side of the Gatun Locks for the night. The morning revealed the vast expanse of Gatun Lake - created by damming the Rio Chagres to form a lake to carry vessels across the dividing range.
Our passage took us through the Banana Channel shortcut for small boats joining up with the Canal channel at Bohio Point. From then on it was straight motoring down to the Gaillard Cut. This is a piece of true canal which takes us from Gatun Lake to the Pedro Miguel Lock, going under the Puente Del Centenario, a wonderful new suspension bridge.
Pedro Miguel Lock is a single chamber that lowers vessels into Miraflores Lake. We did not have an accompanying tanker this time so rafted up just the three yachts and went through on our own. We continued into Miraflores Lake and across to the Miraflores Locks - two chambers which dropped us down into the Pacific side of the canal. On the east side of these locks is a Visitors Centre. I was quite glad not to have gone to this place whilst I was in Panama - going through the locks is more exciting that watching it from above. Just as impressive as a night crossing too.
So our passage through this extraordinary engineering feat took us nearly 24 hours with an overnight stop. It was a most wonderful experience and I am so glad to have done it. Pictures here http://picasaweb.google.com/Stephen.Couling/PanamaCanal#
From then on we were on our own again. We could not get into Balboa Yacht Club so spent a night at anchor off Isla Flamenco and went into the Marina the next day to say farewell to Dirk, Michael and Andrew. After a couple of days there to restock and arrange some repairs we left to sail down to the Islas Las Perlas, an archipelago of beautiful islands 35 miles south-west of Panama City. We are riding at anchor as I write this. The moon is nearly full, the night calm with a slight swell from the east. All day flights of pelicans glide past, frigate birds drift on the breeze and three vultures spiral on the updraft. It is very peaceful. The sun shines brightly (so I am turning dark brown rapidly), the water is clear and blue, the sand on the beaches is white ......
.... and the high tide mark littered with plastic rubbish.
All is not well in Paradise, but this will be the subject of another entry one day.
Life on NERIED is good. We had a fantastic sail yesterday in a NE 25-30knot wind on a course of 120 - perfect sailing, at times hitting 8.5knots - about hull speed. She sails well. I am looking forward to many more days at sea.
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Through the Panama Canal
There is a good Wikipedia article on the Canal here - and of course other sites to look at - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal
I joined David Hetherington and his daughter Sarah in Panama last Wednesday and we went by bus up to Colon, the city at the Atlantic-Carribean end of the Panama Canal. The bsut station there was a short taxi ride to the Panama Yacht Club and we found NEREID moored there with the other three (Dirk, Andrew and Michael) onboard to welcome us. Dirk is David´s brother in law, Michael was at school with him - Michael is also on the Board of the SMSA which is how I got into this adventure. They all brought the yacht over from St Maarten in the Carribean.
The bus journey from Panama to Colon was uneventful - couldn´t see much as the curtains on the bus were mostly closed against the midday sun.
Colon is a really awful place. Lonely Planet guide says ¨hardened travels pale at the mentio¨n of the place¨. It is so dangerous we were not allowed out onto the streets by the locals fearful for our safety. So taxi everywhere we needed to go. Dirty, run down, hot and dusty. A most unhappy place.
We had to stay 3 nights there waiting for a space to enter the canal. Everyone is alloted a date and time, and small craft have to go into the Gatun locks behind a large ship, and in company with two other small craft.
So at 4.30 on Saturday we left the Yacht Club and motored out to a holding ground. Once the pilot came aboard we set off into the channel and waited for our tanker to come through.
We met up also with an American and a French yacht and followed our tanker to the first lock.
The Gatun locks have three chambers and raise ships 26 meters into Gatun lake. This large artificial lake allows ships to cross the divide (see the map in the Wikipedia article).
It took us 3 hours to get through the locks and into the lake.
We were put to a large buoy overnight. At 7.30 another pilot came aboard and we cast off to motor down to Pedro Miguel lock (one chamber) which dropped us into Miraflores Lake and thence into the two chambers of the Miraflores locks. We emerged an hour later and motored out of the canal under the Bridge of the Americas (Puente de las Americas) and to an anchorage for the night.
I shall have to write more on this later as my time is running out for the moment.
I joined David Hetherington and his daughter Sarah in Panama last Wednesday and we went by bus up to Colon, the city at the Atlantic-Carribean end of the Panama Canal. The bsut station there was a short taxi ride to the Panama Yacht Club and we found NEREID moored there with the other three (Dirk, Andrew and Michael) onboard to welcome us. Dirk is David´s brother in law, Michael was at school with him - Michael is also on the Board of the SMSA which is how I got into this adventure. They all brought the yacht over from St Maarten in the Carribean.
The bus journey from Panama to Colon was uneventful - couldn´t see much as the curtains on the bus were mostly closed against the midday sun.
Colon is a really awful place. Lonely Planet guide says ¨hardened travels pale at the mentio¨n of the place¨. It is so dangerous we were not allowed out onto the streets by the locals fearful for our safety. So taxi everywhere we needed to go. Dirty, run down, hot and dusty. A most unhappy place.
We had to stay 3 nights there waiting for a space to enter the canal. Everyone is alloted a date and time, and small craft have to go into the Gatun locks behind a large ship, and in company with two other small craft.
So at 4.30 on Saturday we left the Yacht Club and motored out to a holding ground. Once the pilot came aboard we set off into the channel and waited for our tanker to come through.
We met up also with an American and a French yacht and followed our tanker to the first lock.
The Gatun locks have three chambers and raise ships 26 meters into Gatun lake. This large artificial lake allows ships to cross the divide (see the map in the Wikipedia article).
It took us 3 hours to get through the locks and into the lake.
We were put to a large buoy overnight. At 7.30 another pilot came aboard and we cast off to motor down to Pedro Miguel lock (one chamber) which dropped us into Miraflores Lake and thence into the two chambers of the Miraflores locks. We emerged an hour later and motored out of the canal under the Bridge of the Americas (Puente de las Americas) and to an anchorage for the night.
I shall have to write more on this later as my time is running out for the moment.
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