Arrival in Galapagos

Our Drifter Buoy

Rob and Bob deploying drifter buoy

Divers preparing to inspect our "bottom"!

Arrival of clearing in party!

Land - first time in a week

Iquana

Ubiquitous sea lions - smelly!

Arrival in Galapagos

Feb 26, 2015

What an interesting place this is! We were so excited to get off the boat and start exploring that I didn't take the time to write this blog entry for a few days.

At about 88 degrees longitude ( Galapagos at 89 37) we deployed our drifter buoy. This is a weather recording station that sends reports to NOAA. It will track such things as water temp and currents as it drifts in the Pacific. Each boat will deploy theirs at a different location. The position of each can be viewed online. The Atlantic has good coverage from commercial boats but the Pacific not as much so cruising boats are important in their deployment. It was quite large and heavy to be stored in the cabin so we were happy to have an opportunity to deploy it early in the trip!

We ended the passage Thurs am, motoring at a speed to arrive at the north tip of San Cristobal at sunrise. The next few hours we could see the coastline and the increase in animal life. There were many sea turtles, sea lions, dolphins, and a variety of birds. These islands are volcanic in origin with the east islands the oldest. It is obvious looking at them with the shapes of the lava flow and the large rocks of lava. At sea level it looks quite barren since rainfall is slight during the dry season which has just ended.

As soon as we arrived in the bay, the officials were out to the boat. There was the water taxi driver, 2 divers, and 7 others. The divers found the hull very clean after Rob and Bob's thorough scrubbing job. After about an hour with them checking things and us filling out forms we were officially in. Thanks to good preparations all the boats passed their inspections.

There are free mooring balls and water taxis for $1US a trip. You are not allowed to use your own dinghy. The first view ashore was such a surprise! There are sea lions everywhere, lying on the stairs up the dock, on the beach and rocks, on the park benches, in the fishing boats. Also on the rocks are large iguanas and red crabs. We just enjoyed the sights, took photos, and swapped travel stories with the other boaters.

Crossing the Equator

Chart Plotter showing us just south of the equator!

King Neptune and a Sea Nymph!

No wind!

Feb.24,2015

Crossing the Equator

Another milestone on the trip - entering the southern hemisphere.
Dan emailed a welcome to his ocean!
We were watching to see any changes. The latitudes on the chart plotter turned to S. The water temp has gone from 34.5 to 31.5. The cold Humbolt current comes north along SA and turns towards Galapagos. The nutrients it brings are the source of the abundant sea life there. The current will now push us to the islands. The wind turned to the southeast as it should.

We motored south to the equator as there was still not enough wind to sail. That was not the direct line to the islands but we wanted to cross in the daylight with everyone awake. We did a few of the traditions associated with the crossing but drew the line at shaving heads and a dunking. "Neptune" had his trident and his nymphs dressed in lines and shawls. A dram of spirits was given to the sea and, of course, to the crew. Afterwards we could sail for a while and conditions were great. Some new vocabulary for us: We were "polliwogs" who had never crossed the equator. Now we are "shellbacks". Also, when doing the Panama Canal we were "Y-jobs", those doing it for the first time.

Feb.25/2015

We did get some sailing in today. We struggled to get the spinnaker up and working only to have the wind die out. Instead the guys decided it was time for bottom scrubbing which has taken the last 3 hours. Although we were only drifting 2 knots with the current, the swells have been large so it was hard work. Rob has the usual pink hair from the antifouling paint. He was thrilled with how the hookah worked, however. It didn't come with the needed weights which would have helped.

If we continue to motor we will arrive tomorrow morning (Thurs) in Porto Banquerizo Moreno. On arrival our time zone moves an hour earlier. The boats that left 3 days before us are already in.  We are watching out for any sea life welcomes.

The Doldrums

Night on the calm water!

Feb 22, 2015

The Doldrums

After 3 good days of sailing the wind has dropped to between 3 and 5 knots. This afternoon we got the spinnaker up and have been playing around trying to get the most out of it. Right now it is giving us 4 knots, about 1.5 of which is a favourable current. It is also a pleasant treat that we are going in the right direction.

We are using the quiet time to do some of the preparations for Galapagos. The restrictions for entering have been becoming more onerous with time. It seems like they are discouraging private yachts from stopping there. Jimmy Cornell was saying that he will not organize another rally to stop there. There is a thorough inspection of the boat and hull with a point system. Boats have been turned away for not measuring up. There can't be any barnacles on the hull which will attach on this passage. One of these days Rob and/or Bob will have to go under and do some scraping using the scuba gear. The holding tanks need to be closed but there are no pumpouts. The boat needs a fumigation certificate but no company does that work. Signs about dumping need to be made and attached and labels put on containers for compost and cycling. Only biodegradable products stored. We are all pleased that there is an effort to protect such a wonderful area. The logistics of it just need to be worked out better. Recently there has been both a commercial oil spill and a cruise ships' dragging across a coral bed that have done more damage than all the sailboats. We will relax once that inspection has been done.


I meant to mention some of the other people and boats we have seen along the way. The couple on Trillium Wind on our dock are from Oakville. Two boats were from near Saskatoon, one from Vancouver, one from Gaspe. Eye Candy, who we met in the Caribbean, were in the boatyard. The owner of the convenience store and engine mechanic, Carol (Friesen) and Greg Van Wyck, are from Morden area and learned to sail in Yellowknife. They know Sean and Janice, Rob's cousins. Bob's sister and husband are also from Yellowknife. Small world!

We enjoyed a sat phone call to Ottawa today to wish Jack a happy birthday. It was fun to hear all their voices. It is very cold up there compared to the 28C here.

Good Fishing!

Feb 21, 2015

Good Fishing!

We have been enroute now for 48 hours and have covered about 300 nautical miles of the 870 to Galapagos. We have traveled more than that but have needed to change tacks with the wind straight behind. The winds so far have usually been over 20 knots with the boat traveling around 8 knots. We even hit a 10 once down a wave. A bit rolly for typing and cooking but generally good days.

The really exciting part has been the fishing. The first day travelng out of the Bay of Panama which is shallow we had 5 fish bite. Two tuna got filleted for dinners-delicious. The 2 mackeral were too small and were thrown back. The fifth took the bait and hook with him to sea. The next day in deeper water, larger fish were biting. We have seen some but usually we have lost the bait and broken the line. We will have to get stronger line and more hooks next stop.

The route to Galapagos needs to be mostly south at the beginning to take advantage of the NE trade winds spilling over from the Caribbean. The trade winds south of the equator are from the SE. In between is the ITCZ(Inter Tropical Convergence Zone) or doldrums which are somewhere north of the equator this time of year. There is a weather forecast on SSB which is forecasting the light winds to start about 2 degrees N. The northernmost island of the group is at the equator but we will travel west at a spot south of that to hopefully sail with some of that south wind.

We were delayed more than expected leaving Panama. More money and forms were needed for Barb joining us. Another boat also had extra crew. Rob and their captain and a cab driver spent the afternoon trying to find the needed places to go but arrived after closing. We decided to take advantage of the delay and take a dinghy, then cab, to a grocery store and restaurant with the crew on No Regrets. I enjoyed seeing some of downtown Panama City. It has a really beautiful skyline. The architecture is more modern than Toronto. The formalities  finally got done Thurs am and we were off.

Arrival in "Oceano Pacifico"

Entering Pedro Miguel Lock

Rafting prior to first Gatun lock

Exiting Miraflores lock

Entering first Gatun lock behind freighter

F

Feb 18, 2015

Arrival in "Oceano Pacifico"


It is hard to believe that we are now anchored in the Pacific. From a sailing perspective there is no going back now. Actually there may not be much going forward either. True to its reputation there is a week of light winds forecast. It's too bad we missed last week which had better than normal winds. Mon and Tues were spent going through the canal and the captains had an appointment onshore last night to get our checkout paperwork. Unfortunately not all was in order from information given on the Atlantic side so they need to go back between 12 and 3 today and try again. The organizers have been frustrated with all the red tape involved, both for here, and more so for the Galapagos entry. It has been Carnival Fri to Tues so many offices have been closed or lightly staffed. However we had the treat of watching the fireworks from the boat last night.

The canal crossing, fortunately, went very well. We thought it was overkill that each boat needed 6 aboard when 3 are rafted together in the locks. But it was a full 2 days work for all aboard. We only had to hire 1 line handler and a pilot. The pilots were very good so as long as you did what you were told. They helped with getting the 3 boats tied up together while moving, and keeping the "raft" travelling in the right direction. Maurice on Mon and Oscar on Tues spoke good English as well so it was like having a tour guide.

By Mon afternoon we had the rented heavy duty and long lines, extra fenders made from wrapped tires, and our line handler. We moved to an anchoring area where the pilot was dropped off from a canal barge about 5pm. You go through the first 3 Gatun locks until you arrive in the man made Gatun Lake. Our raft on Mon transited with a larger ship. It was after dark by the time we reached the lake. Again we needed to raft up to other boats, several on each of 2 large mooring balls. The first pilot was picked up but Abdel stayed overnight. The new pilot arrived at 6 am and we crossed the lake and Gaillard Cut. The second set of locking started at noon.  First the Pedro Miguel locks, then another man made lake, Miraflores, then the last 2 Miraflores locks. The raft separated again and the pilot was picked up. Later in the canal going out, as we passed the Balboa Yacht Club, a water taxi came along side for Abdel and the tires and lines. All these alongside landings went fine except that somewhere we have lost one fender.

Besides having made a stew for Mon night dinner, the crew was making a lot of sandwiches. I wasn't counting on going through 4 loaves of bread! Barb and I will be baking sooner than we thought.

A few other tidbits of info picked up about the canal. In the am we were travelling straight east into the sun on the way to the Pacific. They refer to the trip as north or south to avoid confusion. We passed the penitentiary where Noriega is living. There is a Smithsonian research station and a few resorts along the canal. There are a lot of crocs in the water-don't swim in the lake. A lot of animals needed moving to dig the new canal. The Gaillard Cut is where the mountains needed to be cut and the most lives were lost in the building. There is a fault line there so the rock has had stabilizers built in. Dredging to keep the depth is done on an ongoing basis. They are working on widening and deepening it to be ready for the new locks. The Chagres River midway used to run to the Atlantic. Now it is what keeps Gatun Lake full. There is now a "plug" or dam keeping the water out of  the new locks until finished. If the dam were to fail the whole system would be shut down for 3 or 4 years to refill the lake. We have watched a documentary on the building of the canal which was very interesting. Rob has read a book worth reading on the building called, "A Path between the Seas"

A Man, a Plan, a Canal, Panama

Meeting with President of the Panama Canal Commission

Three new locks on the Atlantic side

Massive lock gate

Driving along the bottom of the new locks

Panama City skyline

February 12, 2015

A Man, a Plan, a Canal, Panama

Last Thursday we had a very interesting trip to visit the construction site for the new canal being built in Panama. It is actually the third canal, as the existing canals consists of two sets of three locks at each of the Atlantic and Pacific ends.

Through connections of the Blue Planet Odyssey organizer, Jimmy Cornel, we were able to get right into the construction area, and our bus drove along the bottom of the three locks on the Atlantic side.

The new canal was supposed to open in 2014, 100 years after the opening of the original canal, however it is approximately one year behind schedule due to problems incurred by one of the contractors. The new canal is designed to accommodate boats that are 40% longer and 60% wider than the existing canals. The primary market will be large LNG tankers.  Unlike the old canals, the new one has three water saving basins associated with each of the locks, which will result in a 60% fresh water saving for each boat locking through. This will mean that the amount of water used will be the same as for the existing canals.  One of the requirements in the construction contract was that room had to be left for the eventual construction of a fourth canal. The fresh water comes from Gatun Lake, a 126 square mile lake that joins the locks at each end of the lake. Gatun Lake sits 28 meters above sea level, so each of the three locks at each end raises or lowers boat 8/9 meters each. When the water saving basins are being used it will take 17 minutes to fill or empty each lock. In times of excess water when the basins will not be used it will take only 10 minutes. Each lock will use approximately 200,000 cubic meters of water.

The locks on the Pacific side sit over a number of earthquake faults so they need to be stronger than those on the Atlantic side, and contain a lot more steel.

When travelling along the bottom of the locks we passed several of the lock gates that are waiting to be installed in recesses along the canal walls. Each lock gate weights 4,000 tons so moving them is an engineering feet in itself.

The canals, which are owned by the people of Panama, contribute US$ 1 billion net to Panama each year. Given these economics, funding for the new canal construction was easily obtained at low rates from the international investment community. Large boats transiting the canal pay between a quarter and a half million dollars in fees!

After our tour we visited Panama City spending time in the old part of town dating back several hundred years. Lots of churches and restaurants with interesting Spanish architecture. The newer part of the city has a very modern looking skyline, with some quite futuristic high rise buildings.

While in Panama City we visited the headquarters of the Panama Canal Commission and spent an hour meeting with the President of the Commission, a very interesting man who was most gracious in receiving us and answering our questions.

The Panamanians are currently celebrating Carnival so it is difficult to get things done. Each of the Blue Planet Odyssey boats is required to have a pilot on board, and since many of the pilots are off for Carnival we were unable to all lock through on the same day. Six boats left yesterday for a two day transit of the canal, and we, and four other boats, have to wait until Monday when those pilots are back before we can lock through. We have been advised to be out in the “Flats” in front of the first set of locks by 4:30pm to await our pilot, and should be going through the three Gatun Locks within an hour I would think. You may be able to see us go through on the Gatun Locks webcam. The group that left yesterday were seen on the Miraflores Locks webcam around 2:00pm this afternoon. (We are in the same time zone as Toronto!) I imagine our timing would be similar. If you wish to check us out in the locks go to Pancanal.com/eng website, click on "Multimedia" at the top, and choose either the Gatun Locks - High Resolution site or the Miraflores - High Resolution site depending on what day you are viewing.

While we had been anticipating a flying start to our trip to the Galapagos, because of Carnival the Customs/Immigration offices on the Atlantic side are not open and we will have to anchor on the Pacific side and deal with those formalities there.

Arrival in Colon, Panama

The "Black Christ" in Portobelo

Remains of a Spanish Fort at Portobelo Harbour

Ships at anchor off Colon breakwater waiting to transit the canal

Providing water to a local Kuna family

Arrival in Colon

Feb.9 2015

It is very exciting to finally be in Colon, close to the canal. On Fri we had a great sail from San Blas to Portobelo (as it is spelled locally). We had been planning a preliminary stop because the lack of wind and a counter current against you is sometimes an issue. But we were making such good time we stopped at this old Spanish harbour only 20 miles from Colon. On the trip we read some more about other places in San Blas. That’s not as good as a visit but the time was short. I think we will always be wishing that we had more time. Before we left the San Blas Islands we were able to provide some fresh water that we had made to a local Kuna family.

Portobelo used to be a major port for the Spanish when they were taking gold and silver from South America back to Spain. There are old fort ruins on both sides of the harbour to explore. There is a statue of a “black Christ” in the local church which is a pilgrimage spot for many. Sat was a quiet day in town but Sunday it was packed with local tourists. The restaurant, Captain Jack’s, had wonderful food as well as a welcome good internet signal. It was so great to get our emails. Most of the computer time was spent getting caught up on the app upgrades that pour in. It looks like on this trip that our sailmail email address will reach us sooner if the message is time sensitive.

CFN4748@sailmail.com

When the time came Sun to get here we did have the “no wind” day so spent 3 hours motoring on flat seas. Not hard work, anyway, and there is fuel here. We were amazed as we got closer to Colon, where the breakwater to the canal is, at how many boats were anchored outside. I counted about 40 freighters anchored in a wide area in about 100 feet of water. Quite the site!

We are staying in Shelter Bay Marina just inside the breakwater and on the opposite side to the town of Colon. It is next to the former US military reserve and we have seen a helicopter land. The rest of the area around the marina is a national park in rain forest. At dawn this morning you could hear the monkeys making a racket. There are a few services but they offer a shuttle bus both am and pm into town for shopping. It has been a treat to have a freshwater swimming pool especially as the temperatures are rising and the winds diminishing.

Eleven boats are here now and Jimmy Cornell arrived by plane last night. His boat is currently in the Florida boat show and he will catch up with us by Tahiti. We had a short briefing this morning but details of the week and canal crossing won’t be made until later today after we have all been inspected and measured. The plan is to have a tour of the new locks that are almost completed and a tour in Panama, as well as a major provisioning trip. It will be April before we have access again to anything other than the basics in food and repairs. More to come on the Panama Canal in the next blog.

Going, Going, Gone; Another Island, Another Wreck

I mentioned in an earlier blog that there are 365 islands in Kuna Yala. I've been reading in a newer book that there are now 350. It's easy to see how that can happen looking at them. We are traveling in the dry season but in the wet season large sections are swamped.

Yesterday we sailed to Chichime and are spending the day here, Friday. This has been our most sheltered anchorage even though we are outside the island instead of the quiet but full spot between islands. It was nice to sleep without the "roll". Again, the charting of reefs has been inaccurate so you need good light to see them. There is another wreck on the reef just near the entrance as there was one by the eastern Coco Bandero Cays. Our chart plotter can record our track in, so we have something to follow on the way out. That will be useful tomorrow am as we hope to leave early to work our way along the coast to the canal.

We've done some snorkeling this week and hope to again this afternoon. This island is a bit larger and has a primitive resort and water taxis to the mainland. It would be interesting to know the price. You sleep either in a thatched cabin or a tent. There is a dining hut, outhouses, and showers with no running water.  We saw the water arrive yesterday in big barrels in the taxi. The crew on Tom Tom arrived in one of those taxis. There were tarps for their luggage but they personally were drenched.

The Kuna have a few homes here as well, although they are less crowded than the first places we visited. The Kuna are the second smallest race so homes are not too large. All the locals have been friendly to us on all the islands. We were a bit concerned last Tues/Wed when the laundry we turned over didn't return the next day. Just when we decided to leave without it, thankfully the boat arrived.

The boat chores are an ongoing project. We thought it was just us and Maggie with the long "to do" list but it seems to be the case with most of the boats. Rob has taken apart and fixed the head and shower pump and the windlass, used to raise and lower the anchor. Bob has recaulked the leaky deck to hull joint.  We've made water, cleaned, and looked after loose screws and chafe spots. I'm trying to perfect my bread making skills as we have long ago finished our stock. We are collecting a list for the few days we will be in the marina in Panama.

Instead of making an overnight trip to Panama we hope to sail the next 3 days and see a bit of the coast. Portabelo is supposed to be interesting. Some boats have already left if they had more work to get done in the marina there.

Another Day, Another Island

Nestor and Nomai for lunch on Maggie

An exciting landing!

Dinner at Nestor and Naomi's "house"

Sailing with Nestor - dugout with home made sail

Last Thurs the plan was to write this blog and then head off to another anchorage. But Nestor and his wife, Noami,  came by for a visit and stayed for lunch. It was a good chance to learn more about the area. He suggested some particularly beautiful islands to visit, which we have been doing. Later in the day he took Rob and then Bob for a sail in his dugout that can be fitted with 2 sails. They had fun despite a wet start.

Last Fri we had a good half day's sail to BBQ island which is part of the Hollandes Cays. Mostly you are anchored behind the reef so very windy and strong currents but not much wave action. My big mistake that trip was not checking that the forward hatches were tightly closed for sailing to windward. A mattress wet with salt water had us sleeping again in the cabin. Rob made water for 5 hours on Sunday and everything else got washed.

BBQ islands was a destination chosen to have a get together ashore with all the BPO and Pacific Odyssey boats on Sat. Ten of the 12 boats were there. This was the first time meeting the boats that came from the US so was a special day. The last boat from Martinique should be arriving today. There are between 2 and 5 people aboard each boat. It will take me a bit of time to get all the names straight. The island itself is small enough that you could walk around the shoreline in about 10 minutes. One end is being eroded by the sea with coconuts trees and roots in the water. One person lives there and charges $3 for your visit. For that he keeps it in pristine shape and it is beautiful.

We received our drifter buoy from Chapter 2. They brought 3 down from Florida. I'm sure they were happy to get some space back as they are quite large and heavy. They are for collecting weather information to help with forecasting. Ours will be deployed between Panama and Galapagos. After deployment we will be able to track its position.

Monday we sailed to the Coco Bandero Cays and are anchored between Tiadup, Olosicuidup, and Guarladup. Don't ask me to pronounce them. You need good light to see all the reefs and shallows around them. The electronic charts are quite inaccurate here. It shows us sitting right on the reef now. We'll get out in the dinghy today and do some exploring. The snorkelling is supposed to be good on the reefs. Some Kuna have visited and sold some much appreciated produce and beer. They also took a bag of laundry to do for us and sold us a few more molas.

Last night we had the crew of the other three boats here for happy hour drinks. That gave us some incentive to finally clean up the boat and, of course, we enjoyed their company. Afterwards we watched a documentary on the building of the Panama Canal. Quite the story! That will be the next adventure from here. We need to be at the marina in Colon by the 9th  for boat measurement on the 10th and transiting of the canal on the 14th and 15th. We probably won't have internet until then. We look forward to adding photos to these postings then and hearing from home.Hopefully when we get to Colon around Feb 8/9 we will get internet service and be able to download emails from our usual home accounts. So far we are only receiving emails on our boat email address. We are supposed to be able to access regular email accounts through our sat phone and have been working on this, but so far no luck. Hope things are going well.