Panama Canal, in the Caribbean

As all of you know, my parents flew down for the transit. I asked my dad to write this update for the blog and unfortunately for me, he did. Please do not expect anything this well written or lengthy from me on future updates, it's not going to happen. Enjoy!


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Ginny and I returned home Friday from our visit with Dan and Erin on Dan’s boat, Spirit. While we were onboard there was plenty of time for talking and one of the subjects that arose was his blog. Being the leader that he is, he delegated the job of recording our visit for his blog. Since he wasn’t present for all the things we did, I guess that is only fair. Our flight to Panama was uneventful, punctuated with meeting several Panamanians along the way who extolled the virtues of their home country. Warm, outgoing and helpful, one even gave us her home number to call in case we needed assistance while in Panama City. Additionally, Rosie Lazar, mother of one of my favorite people, Kim Keely, gave us her brother’s number in Panama City so he could be of assistance if needed. Armed with these allies, we were prepared! After clearing customs, Dan was there to meet us and escort us to the marina. Boarding his dingy, it was ¼ mile ride to where Spirit was on anchor. There we met Erin who had been on board since mid June. Time was to prove Erin a skilled sailor, gracious hostess (at least as possible space constraints would allow) and a true asset to Spirit. Unfortunately, she’ll be returning home to South Dakota soon. Spirit still was suffering damages from the recent lightening strike. Several days were spent on provisioning for a long sail, repairs and general maintenance. While on anchor, it was rather breezy with almost constant chop. Apparently, this was as rough as it had been since Spirit had arrived in Panama City. We felt so honored! On the day we were scheduled to enter the canal, we awoke early to a rising wind and a rolling sea. Leaving the anchorage, we had to round a point in order to enter the canal. There we meet 6’ swells coming from several directions. All of a sudden, Dan’s solar shower, filled with water and weighing about 50lbs was lifted overboard by the wind and quickly disappeared. When a loop in the rolling seas failed to find it, it was decided to continue on into the limited shelter provided by the canal entrance. Reporting in to the command center, we were told we would be passing through the locks with a tanker, a sport fishing boat and a pilot boat. Unfortunately, the fishing boat was 3 hours behind schedule and we were doomed to circle the entire time awaiting their arrival. Finally, they appeared on the scene, our advisor provided by the canal boarded Spirit and we were told to follow our fellow travelers into the lock. There are a series of three locks that lift you about 160’ into the lake that carries you across the country. The first one went fine. However, the wind had arisen and the tanker had trouble maneuvering into the second set of locks. This necessitated another tug to guide him and the result was an additional 1 1/2 hours spent due to our fellow transients. The major concern here was that if you don’t transit in your allotted time, a 50% penalty will be assigned to your crossing fees. For a boat the size of Spirit, the charge is about $850. For a tanker, it is around $225,000. When we finally entered the lake, the crossing was uneventful. The scenery was lush rain forest, clear water and the occasional tanker in transit. There are only two seasons in Panama – wet and dry. Right now is the wet season. However, we had less rain than usual. Speculation was that the hurricanes to the north were pulling moisture from the tropics. Every day was in the mid 80s. To put it another way, tropical Panama is cooler than Philly, although more humid. Evening found us tied to a buoy near the eastern locks, howler monkeys sounding off in the jungle and clear fresh water for swimming. Unfortunately, our advisor informed us that the lake was full of alligators and if we decided to go swimming, less of us would exit the lake than entered it. Thus our fresh water bath was delivered via a bucket instead by swimming. After a night that was not characterized by rolling seas for a change, we awoke to a perfect morning. The advisor the previous night had told us we would be the first boat to exit the lake. What he neglected to mention was that every tanker in the western hemisphere would enter the lake before we would be allowed to exit. Around 11:30 our new advisor boarded to take us through the down locks. He casually asked us if we enjoyed swimming in the lake as it was one of his favorite places for scuba diving. Further questioning revealed there had only been one case of alligator attacks (20 years ago) and the lake’s residents were afraid of humans. Down locking found us ahead of another tanker with a pilot boat powered by three engines. Actually, it was powered by one as the other two were broken and he was leaving the lake for repairs. As you may guess, he was having problems maneuvering with his power coming form the side of his stern. After a period of trial and error, he finally was secured to the side of the canal and we came along side and tied to him. Perhaps now would be a good time to explain locking techniques. Each boat the size of Spirit needs at least four line handlers who control the ropes that hold you to either the side of the locks or fellow boats passing through. Supposedly, they should know what they are doing. As a result, Dan also had Bruce and Marion on board who were experienced cruisers, interested in a canal crossing. Their travels over the years have taken them to places about which the rest of us can only dream. I won’t attempt to relate their travels but theirs is a book waiting to be written. Technique called for the pilot boat to tie to the canal side, looping a 1” line around a cleat on the boat. As the water was released (about 1’/minute), the line handlers on the pilot carefully release their lines at a rate that secures their boat to the canal wall. The handlers on Spirit secure their lines to the pilot boat and as the water goes down, Spirit follows, attached to the pilot. Between the boats tires are tied as well as inflatable bladders that act as fenders so there is no damage from boats touching each other. Well, that is how it is supposed to work! Once the pilot boat was secured, the first down lock was uneventful. Unfortunately, there were two more to transit. Tying to the second lock, we began our descent. After going down about 10’, we saw the stern of the pilot swinging away from the wall and we were headed toward the opposite side. Yelling to them as to what was happening, we heard their crew shouting to shut the water valves. At that point the bow of the pilot began to rise out of the water, pulling Spirit under it’s port side. With the bow about 3’ out of the water, the 1” line that had fouled on their snubbing cleat suddenly snapped, dropping the pilot onto Spirit’s fenders, missing the starboard side by a few inches and pushing Spirit down into the water. It was so fast that it was hard to see but it was a foot or more lower than normal. Coming back up, we quickly looked for damages and were relieved to see that we came through unscathed – except for racing hearts! From there our down locking was uneventful and we headed out the channel with Shelter Bay as our destination. Before leaving Spirit, Dan forced our advisor to get on the phone to see if Spirit would be penalized for not clearing the canal in time. Because the delays were beyond Spirit’s control, Dan was assured he would not be assessed a penalty. Now he’ll have to see if the promise is reflected on his bank account. After weaving through a forest of tankers at anchor, we arrived at Shelter Bay Marina. The highlight was the most high tech showers I have ever seen. A garden hose with a nozzle would have been appreciated. All I can say is there is a picture of the showers when we get our pictures posted. Somewhere in our travels someone defined cruising as the act of repairing you boat in beautiful locales. After changing the filters on Spirit’s fuel lines, the following morning we departed Shelter Bay after enjoying a quiet night. When Balboa crossed Panama to find the Pacific, he named it as such because it was peaceful. Based on my observations, I can only assume that Balboa must have also found something in addition to tobacco to smoke. The Pacific side was windy, had the lightning storms that struck Spirit and 16’ tides. The Atlantic had 2’ tides, gentle winds and the clearest water I’ve ever seen. Unfortunately, just as we cleared the jetty at Shelter Bay, Spirit’s engine shut down. Raising the sails, we sailed to the edge of the channel, dropped anchor and Dan became a mechanic. Over an hour later after bleeding the fuel line, Dan emerged from under the bow, Spirit fired up and we were on our way. Clearing the shipping lanes, Dan and Erin hoisted the sails and we were finally able to experience the joys of sailing. Traveling at 7.4 knots without diesel fumes and the chugging of the engine, we began to understand the lyrics from Jimmy Buffett. With flying fish skimming the water at our side and the bluest water we’ve ever seen, only a cold pina colada could improve the day. Just before sunset we arrived at Isla Grande, dropped anchor near a friend from Dan’s travels down the Mexican coast and finally relaxed. The next two days were spent snorkeling, resting and visiting ashore. Every night we had been serenaded by the choruses of howler monkeys in the jungle. Using the dingy, we motored to a nearby island where we had been told we would see some spider monkeys. I may be wrong but the two that greeted us were so photogenic I suspect they had been put there by Kodak. If you check our pictures, there is footage of Dan sharing the dock with his new friend. Leaving Isla Grande, we truly entered the San Blas Islands after a day’s travel. Frequently, schools of dolphins cruised next to our bow until they became bored with entertaining us. We trailed a fishing lure behind us in hopes that it would attract some interest. The first strike resulted in a north bound fish snapping our south bound line before we could get to the pole. An hour later we were luckier when a 3’ barracuda struck. After an entertaining fight, Dan gaffed the biggest fish I’ve ever caught. The only thing that would have been better would have been for it to be a better eating fish. The end of the day found us dropping anchor at the Kuna Indian island of El Porvenir. Words fail me as I try to describe the beauty of this island. As we arrived we were met by Indians in dugout canoes made by burning out the center of logs and then hewing the sides into shape. The women were selling molas, sewn fabric in designs of birds, monkeys, etc. The men were supposedly were selling fish, lobsters, etc. However, they had none with them and it seemed they just wanted to greet us. Having spent 5 years in Mexico, Erin was extremely fluent in Spanish and a godsend when we needed her skills. I suspect you have probably seen the San Blas Islands. The Corona Beer ads showing people relaxing on the low lying, palm covered beaches had to be filmed here. As we entered the anchorage, I was on the bow, watching for coral on the bottom that could damage Spirit. Suddenly, there it was and I asked Dan for the depth. 42’ down and it looked like it was just below the surface. Jacques Cousteau would have loved it! This is the island we were flying from so we could return to Panama City for our return flight. If Cousteau would have liked the water, Indiana Jones would have loved the island. A runway of broken concrete! A one story blue hotel with 4 rooms. A terminal with a concrete floor and thatched roof. A one story control tower that didn’t work because lightning had hit it and they hadn’t gotten around to fixing it. It wasn’t needed though because there are only two flights a day. The only air traffic here was frigate birds and pelicans. The day after arriving we sailed to a nearby island for snorkeling. 100 yds long, like most of the islands there was an Indian family living in a thatched house that may have been 10’ X 5’. The water here is very deep or very shallow. Coral reefs are just below the surface but 10’ away the water may be 70’ deep. The sides of the island drop away from the surface but are covered with enough marine life to illustrate a library of biology books. Everywhere are fish of every color, shape and size. Myriad varieties of coral, sponges, sea fans and anemones illustrate all the phyla I discussed while teaching. The wreck offshore was populated by schools of squid. Crabs hid in any place that offered shelter. What I would have given for a scuba tank instead of a snorkel! Returning to El Porvenir, our last night was not too restful as a late arriving boat seemed to be captained by college students who knew little about anchoring and, thus, we were concerned about swinging into them if the wind changed during the night. The next morning our flight out was scheduled for 6:30 so it was up bright and early. Taking the dingy over to the island we struck up a conversation with the only English speaking passenger. We were somewhat taken aback when he asked if we were the owners of the boat that sank. As it turned out, a Colombian family who was also flying out, had been on their 62’ boat traveling at 17 knots at night when they struck something in the water, possibly a container that had fallen off a ship. After several hours their boat sank and they were rescued. Before we could gather any more information about the sinking, the two planes arrived, roaring to a stop at the end of the abbreviated runway and came to rest in the grass. Scurrying out, the Kunas became ground control, ticket agents, luggage handlers and any other position that needed filled. Unfortunately, they were so short that they couldn’t get up into the cargo hold. At that point I lifted a Kuna into the plane so he could stow cargo. There were more passengers than there were seats on our plane so the over flow headed for the second plane. I assumed that since ours was filled we would head to Panama City. Roaring down to the end of the runway our pilot made a u-turn without stopping and roared back up the runway. We didn’t take off as much as we just drove off the end of the field. Climbing into the air I was able to catch Spirit in the video I was shooting. Once airborne we continued down the coast which I thought was unusual as I knew Panama City required crossing over the country. Suddenly, we went into what could only be called a power dive and swooped down onto another landing strip that made our first one look like Heathrow! After skidding to a stop, a few people exited and a few more got on as our pilot leisurely smoked a cigarette while standing in the grass that served as a tarmac. Now I’m not a smoker but after that landing I could have been persuaded. Now we head to P.C! WRONG! Two more take offs and landings from postage stamps and finally we turn inland. I won’t say the airline was rustic, but the in-flight movie consisted of the co-pilot passing around pictures of his children. Arriving in Panama City we called Tony who we had reserved as our driver. Since we couldn’t check into our hotel until 3:00, we thought we’d have Tony give us a tour and take us up into the rain forest. Tony, on the other hand, had reserved the day for a regular customer who periodically came to the mainland from her home in the Perla Islands. Since she was a regular customer and we were one and done, he offered to take us to the mall to kill time until she was done shopping. Arriving there, we found that the mall didn’t open for another hour. That is how the Kinkeads became porters for Jenny from the islands. As it was, it worked out well as we got to see another side of Panama City, getting an insider’s tour without paying for it. At 1:00 we went to our hotel, checked in, took a shower with all the water we wanted, slept on a bed that didn’t move and actually flushed toilet paper down. No, Dan is not so cheap that he recycles toilet paper – the plumbing can clog on a boat sewer system. The only regret that we have from the trip was that there was no opportunity to fit in a visit with Rosie Lazar’s brother. We called him from the hotel and it was obvious he would have been a gracious host. I know we missed an event that would have been a highlight of the trip. Also at the hotel we saw something that we had anticipated but had not seen on the entire trip – a mosquito! 5:30 a.m. found us at the airport for an uneventful flight to Miami. Since we had an eight hour layover, we took a three hour tour of Miami to kill some time. Arriving in Baltimore, we were in our hotel for a good night’s sleep by 11:30. ### As I sit here with my computer, wide screen tv showing today’s football games and a pile of newspapers waiting to be read, it is hard to imagine that a few days ago we were floating in tropical waters surrounded by indians living as their ancestors lived for hundreds of years. Take your pick as to which is a more civilized lifestyle. It was great seeing Dan who we hadn’t seen since December. We are often asked about when he’ll return to the real world. That may be where he is now but I suspect he is closer to the end of his odyssey than the beginning. It was also wonderful meeting Erin, a confident and capable young woman who is wise beyond her years. We just wish she could stay aboard instead of returning home. I assume Dan will be pasting his rebuttal on his web site, http://whereiskinkead.blogspot.com whenever he has email access. Hopefully, he will also have some of our pictures.