Lightening Strike

We just got the engine fixed and were planning on sailing to the Perla's for a few days to test out the work. The day before we left, we had a severe lightening storm. Erin was in town shopping however I was on the boat. It was so loud and close, I was literally ducking every time it cracked. I had everything unplugged and all the breakers turned off. I also had all portables stowed in the oven (they say to do this but I believe that if you get a direct hit, it doesn't matter where you put the stuff).

Anyway, one bolt hit nearby and scared the crap out of me. Afterwards, I could hear the electricity in the air by the electronics. It was making a light humming noise. After the storm and a few choice words, I began testing the systems. The only thing I could find was that I couldn't transmit on the VHF. Not a big problem as I have 2 others on board.

We woke up the next morning and were just about the haul anchor when I turned on the auto-pilot. Guess what else is on the same breaker as the VHF....the autopilot and radar. Both are currently out. I have power to the auto pilot but it's giving me an error message. The radar is completely dead. All this just one week before my parents arrive and 10 days before our scheduled canal transit.

We have 2 names that should be able to help us and will be seeing them first thing tomorrow morning. I can do w/o the radar for now but I need the auto pilot. No way I'm hand-steering to Colombia!

Panama City

We're anchored just off Panama City, about 4 miles from the Canal. The city is great, with Dunkin Doughnuts and Bennigans! A real treat after coming down the coast where finding anything fresh was a treat. The front seal on my engine went again so I had that fixed right away. The good news is that it was about 1/3 of what I paid in Mazatlan. I can also get hauled out for $100 so I'm thinking about getting my bottom painted before I leave. It doesn't need it yet but if I get it done now, I won't need to do it later.

We did a canal transit last week on a friend's boat, M/V Jenny. Dave and Mary asked us to come as line handlers. The best part is that we learned a lot so we're that much better prepared to bring Spirit through. It rained for 2 hours in the morning but outside of that, it was a great trip. Unfortunately, after spending 48hours on a Nordhavn 46, it makes it hard to come back to Spirit. My clothes were wet so Dave simply put them in the dryer for a few minutes! It was also nice to be able to sit in/on the bridge and turn on the defroster and windshield wipers when it poured. Unfortunately, Dave enjoyed that while I was out on the bow working lines and getting soaked, We had a blast and I truly can't wait to captain my own boat through the canal. Parents arrive on the 1st, we'll probably go through on the 3rd. I'll shoot everyone an email so that you can watch us on the webcams as we go though.

Going to keep this one short. Hosted a Bloody Mary party on my boat yesterday so I'm still recovering! More later,

Dan