Colombia, Kitties & Canals

Our saga of the elusive visa for Panama continues. The whole purpose of us sailing over to Colombia was to obtain a special Panamanian visa that could only be issued outside the country. We were notified that said visa was ready and that we could collect it in Cartagena. Paul duly went to pick it up, paid no less than a small fortune for it, sent the relevant details back to our attorney who explained that we now had to return to Panama but only via the international airport. (Don't ask!) Upon arriving with this visa, we would then be allowed to apply for the Pensionado visa which is the reason we are doing all this.

Having left Calypso in a boat yard and flown back, we discovered that the visa was the wrong one (why were we not surprised?) and he now had to obtain a multiple entry visa or he couldn’t leave (Catch 22?). Two and a half weeks later, and a million thanks to our friends Willem & Rina in Altos who wined and dined us royally as well as having put up with us the entire time, Paul was issued with an interim visa only as we were rushing back to the airport to return to Cartagena. He still didn't have the authorised visa, you know, that one he paid the earth for back in Colombia! We now had to sit back to wait for the go ahead to sail back.

Billy at Sea

Meanwhile, back in Altos, Bronte & Helmke, our friends aboard Cooee, arrived to bring Billy. Now Billy is a very special kitty who 'adopted' them while they were in St. Croix. They couldn't bear the thought of leaving him behind but knew that they couldn't take him through the canal with them (they are not full-time liveaboards). Hence, I asked Willem & Rina if they would take on another cat to which they agreed. Billy acquired his sea legs and made the trip from St Croix to Panama via the Venezuelan Islands, the ABC's and Colombia and is now happily ensconced with his new family in the mountains. He seems to work his way into the hearts of all who meet him and Cooee is a somewhat empty vessel without him now.

Upon our return to Calypso, we discovered that a thick layer of dust from the sanding & grinding of the boat yard had settled on our solar panels which, of course, rendered them useless and, as this was in a protected anchorage, there was no wind. This, in turn, flattened our aging batteries and ruined all the food in the freezer (I'm still smiling! Sort of.) Paul managed to isolate the two ‘newer’ batteries to keep us going but we were now dependent on good winds to keep the wind chargers working and sunshine for the freshly cleaned solar panels. Without these, we could not enjoy our cold wine & beer and certainly couldn't have the luxury of reading in bed.

With Christmas only a short time away, we were getting anxious as we had planned to spend it with friends back in Panama. It took another week or so to finally get permission to sail back but it was now too late to go along with our original plans of returning to Puerto Lindo for the Christmas celebrations. During our lay over, we used the opportunity to browse around the old walled city again and soak up the vibes of a bygone era. The holiday spirit seemed to continue relentlessly so it was a fairly festive time in Cartagena.

We left Colombia with good winds and humongous seas so Calypso ‘surfed’ back to San Blas in great time. However, nothing is ever smooth sailing as when we fired up the engine just at the critical point where we were entering through a tricky part of the reef, our alternator alarm went off. Paul managed a quick fix but it was only temporary. Another item on the list of things to repair.

Christmas Fare

Sometimes upset plans turn out for the better and this was a case in point. Bronte & Helmke returned from Colon to meet us in the San Blas Islands resplendent with a ham and ‘baby’ turkey (spelled C-H-I-C……. well, you get the picture!), thus we had a wonderful meal with all the trimmings in a very tropical setting.

On New Year’s Eve, we decided to be a tad more sociable and joined the masses over at the Eastern Hollandes islands which the cruisers have dubbed ‘the swimming pool’. The party took place on one of the coconut palm islands where a few of the more industrious cruisers had set up a music system and lights. We made good use of a few of our old flares to welcome in the New Year. Gosh, 2009 already!

Sadly, we woke up on New Year’s Day to learn that one of the cruisers, a disabled Frenchman, had not made it back to his boat. His body was found shortly thereafter and it appears as though he fell and hit his head while boarding his boat in the dark. If there’s ever a good side to a tragedy like this, it was that he died doing something he loved as he had apparently been given only a short time to live due to his illness.

Leaving San Blas, we returned again to Puerto Lindo to introduce Bronte & Helmke to our sloth family and found that another baby three-toed, Pippin, had been added to the menagerie. It’s becoming a regular zoo there! This little guy had been born on their property but his mother had abandoned him.

After a few days, Cooee left to finalise their arrangements to transit the canal and Paul got stuck into organising new batteries and diagnosing the alternator problems. There’s always something! Now, if you're living in a civilised country or anywhere near a big city, this doesn't sound too arduous. However, being in neither of those situations, this represents a major undertaking as nothing ever goes according to plans or promises. However, Calypso is now sporting six new batteries in her house bank which is good, but the alternator problems persist for now.

A trip through the Panama Canal as line handlers aboard Cooee was our next adventure and what a great experience that was!

Cooee All Padded Up

In order for a yacht to transit The Big Ditch, it is necessary to have a captain and four line handlers. In this instance, we were to travel through the locks rafted up to a second, smaller yacht which meant that the handlers could double up, two stationed at the bow and two on the stern of each vessel. We had our dinner while awaiting our advisor then, just as the sun was going down, we upped anchor and headed off towards the entrance.

There are a total of six locks in the Panama Canal. From the Caribbean end, the three Gatun Locks lift boats 26 metres up to Gatun Lake. Each chamber is 33,5 metres wide and almost 305 metres long leaving space for the huge tankers which plow their way back and forth each day. However, our lock buddies were two smallish tour boats each around 40 - 50 metres long leaving an incredible amount of space around us. We rafted up to the other yacht just before entering the first chamber, moved in and watched the huge gates close behind us. Two chaps on either side of the walls threw us a thin line with a monkey’s fist which we tied to our thicker, stronger lines. These they secured to huge cleats on either side. Within seconds of the gates shutting, the lock started filling up and the water became quite turbulent which is when we had to slowly take up the slack and keep the boats centred and straight. We waited with bated breath and, after a few anxious moments, managed to hold the two boats in position. No sooner had it filled up when the front gates opened and we moved on into the second lock. Phew! The first lock had gone relatively smoothly but not so the second as the line handler on the stern of our neighbouring yacht was unable to hold on so both boats skewed badly while the water was at its most turbulent. Fortunately, Bronte was able to gun Cooee to keep her straight and, after a few very hectic moments, we were able to start breathing again.

Paul Holding Her Straight

Once through the third lock, we were sailing into Gatun Lake where our advisor took us to an enormous buoy to tie up for the night then boarded a pilot boat and left us. We were awoken the next morning to the din of howler monkeys and at 7:30, our new advisor arrived to lead us the rest of the way. It’s about a 25nm trip through the lake – a beautiful passage through jungle and islands and extremely placid waters. It would have been great to be able to stay there for a few days but that’s not permissible. Once through the lake, we entered the ‘Gaillard Cut’ which is where the hard work digging the canal was performed through the Continental Divide. One couldn’t help but think of all the thousands of workers who died of a myriad of tropical diseases during the Canal’s construction a hundred years ago. It was an amazing feat of engineering to have created this. We saw evidence of the third lane which is currently under construction to enable longer, wider and deeper vessels to transit this route.

The second set of locks are slightly different in that the first one, the Pedro Miguel Lock, is separated by a small artificial lake 9 metres lower and then followed by the two Miraflores locks dropping down to the Pacific side. These locks proved to a simpler process as the descent was a lot smoother with far less turbulence. And, voilà, here we were, spit out into the Pacific Ocean passing under the impressive Bridge of the Americas 200 feet above our heads! The other two line handlers aboard Cooee were our friends, Willem & Francois, whose wives were at the observation deck of the Miraflores locks to watch us pass through. We must have appeared incredibly small compared to the huge tankers normally seen in the locks. A really great feature of this lock is the web camera. Friends and family of B & H's back in Oz, Germany and SA were able to watch our transit live and could even make out who was who. Should you be interested in more info on the canal, visit their website: www.pancanal.com

During a transit, it is expected of the owners to feed the crew and the advisor. We did not simply get fed! We were treated to so much absolutely scrumptious food that I know I’ve gained about five pounds! Helmke had made such fabulous meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner with snacks and desserts to die for! It was a weekend of non-stop eating and drinking with a little work thrown in and proved to be an absolutely unforgettable encounter.

As I write this, we are house-sitting for our South African friends up in the mountains and looking after their pets, one of which is dear Billy. This is also where we have purchased our plot so Paul is busy burning and clearing. We are hoping to start building in a couple of months and to have the first small module ready before the end of the year.

Cruising plans? At this stage, they are still in limbo until we have confirmation on the status of our Pensionado visa, however, we are thinking along the lines of waiting out some of the time back in the islands of Kuna Yala or, if time permits, head up to the Colombian islands of Providencia and San Andreas. Watch this space as we may also have to stop things for a while and try to make some bucks - the economic crisis has hit this neck of the woods as well. Nevertheless, life goes on and is never boring.

'Til next time - all our very best wishes for 2009 to all of you.

PHOTO GALLERY:

Around Cartagena

We Won't Starve!

Helmke's Unbelievable Sushi

Billy Doing His 'Kilroy' Tricks

And Just Being Plain 'Cute'

Christmas Day Aboard Cooee

Closing the gates on the Caribbean Side

The Lock Fills Up

Lake Gatun

Through the Gaillard Cut

Tying Up

The Miraflores Locks in Empty Mode

The Bridge of The Americas - Pacific Side