Last time we left you we were anchored in Portobelo. Well it feels like a lot has happened since then! As I write this, Azimuth is now anchored in the Pacific Ocean, and it feels a whole world away from the Caribbean.
So we pulled up the anchor in Portobelo and had a lovely downwind sail to Colon and the entrance to the Canal. Its only 20 miles down the coast, and the swell had died down. Ahead of us on AIS were about 200 vessels. There was a huge field of cargo ships and super tankers at anchor outside the entrance to the canal. The entrance is guarded by two huge breakwaters that form a harbour. It was a bit nerve racking entering through the entrance to this harbour. As we approached, two huge tankers were leaving the canal, so I had to time it to sneak in the entrance just after they left. We headed over to the North side of the Bay, where we dropped our anchor outside of Shelter Bay Marina. Its wasn’t the most inspiring of places. The water looked dirty, and we were surrounded by wrecked ships!
A bizarre thing had happened to me over the last two days. After our trip in to the mangroves, the next morning I woke up to find what looked like a burn mark on my right leg and my leg swollen up below the knee. It was quite painful to walk. After a couple of days it was getting worst to the point that I thought I needed to get it checked out. The next morning we took the dinghy in to the Marina, paid the extortionate dinghy fees, picked up a taxi and headed in to Colon. The marina were actually very helpful and sorted the taxi as well as arranging for them to wait for us whilst we visited the doctors. After a half hour ride which took us over the Atlantic Bridge across the canal entrance, we arrived in a pretty rough looking area of Colon an were dropped right outside the clinic. With our terrible Spanish, we negotiated the reception and paid $12 for a consultation with a doctor. After a 30 minute wait, we went in to a little back room, and a lovely woman who spoke perfect English saw us. She checked my leg and decided that it was just an allergic reaction to something, probably a plant? No idea what! Anyway, the main thing was it was not infected, so she prescribed me an antihistamine crème to help reduce the reaction. The whole process could not have been easier. Who needs medical insurance???
The taxi was still waiting outside and whisked us to a huge supermarket to start the process of provisioning for crossing the Pacific. Rey supermarket was probably the biggest we have seen since leaving the UK, and had a great selection. We filled two trolleys, one just for Ailsa’s wine! Loaded in to the taxi and he whisked us back to the marina. A crazy dinghy ride back to Azimuth piled with shopping and we could relax for the rest of the day.
The wind picked up strongly in the next day. It was rough too, with the swell coming through the entrance in the breakwaters, and waves crashing over the top of the breakwaters. We kept checking throughout the day, but the anchor looked good, and we had 60m of chain out too in only 8m of depth. As it got dark the wind picked up more, and started blowing 30knots, (force 7), with heavy rain and squalls. We watched a movie as we do most evenings, and at the end of the film we went out in to the cockpit to check on everything. The scene outside looked different? Had one of the boats that was anchored next to us left? I checked the chart plotter and couldn’t see our position? Strange? Then I zoomed out a bit on the display, and oh my god, Azimuth has dragged! And not just dragged a few metres, we had dragged 0.25 miles! Directly behind us was a huge wreck, an upturned tanker, about 100m in the pitch black. The wind was howling. My adrenaline went in to overdrive. I don’t think I have ever started the engine so fast! Ailsa immediately started to pull up the anchor and I stopped Azimuth from drifting towards the wreck. Thankfully it went smoothly, and 10 minutes later we dropped the anchor in a new position, this time putting out 80m of chain! Thankfully the chain held tight. Still I slept in the saloon that night next to the anchor alarm, whilst the wind howled and the rain lashed the boat. A close call for us, but one that we can say we survived!
Another trip in to Colon the next day had us doing more shopping and loading provisions. We are probably about 50% done at this point. Our friends on Coral Moon, Donna an Mark turned up in the marina too. Along with their guest Kev, they had agreed to be our line handlers for the canal transit. I would return the favour later in February.
The day before our transit, I got an email from our agent, and the time for arrival of the Canal Advisor who would transit the Canal with us on Azimuth was set at 0330 on 23rd February. So we got Azimuth some more diesel, and headed in to the marina and collected our lines and fenders. That was quite amusing as they completely filled the dinghy and Ailsa and I had to perch on top! Later that afternoon I picked up the “crew”, Donna, Mark and Kev and we all had a meal together and an early night. I actually slept really well, despite the pre-transit nerves. Up at 0300, the canal advisor, Hector, did show up. Now we had been told the day before by the agent that we would be going through the canal with at least one other boat, probably 2, and we would be rafted up in the lock. The first thing Hector tells me is that we would be transiting on our own. That meant that all crew would be required to handle 4 lines, 2 on each side of the boat to hold Azimuth in the centre of the lock chamber, whilst I would be at the helm. Kev, was a little unsteady on his feet, and we had all assumed that he wouldn’t have to do anything, and would just be a passenger for the trip. Unfortunately now, he would have to step up and be one of the line handlers.
We pulled up the anchor in the dark and started motoring towards the outer channel.
We passed under the Atlantic Bridge and then had to hold position for an hour whilst we waited for the huge tanker called Stadion, 180m long to receive their pilot and enter the first of the Gatun locks. Once they were in place, we headed in to take our position at the back of the lock behind Stadion. The locks are huge. As we approached, 4 guys were standing on the lock walls 6 metres above us with monkey lines. As we passed by, they threw the lines, port side first. The crew had to catch these lines and tie them with bowlines on to our much heavier hand lines. With both sides attached, I manoeuvred Azimuth in to the centre of the lock, about 20m behind the huge tanker. Then the 4 guys on the lock walls pulled their lines in to retrieve the hand lines and put them on huge bollards. The crew pulled these lines tight and Azimuth was held firmly in place. The huge lock door shut behind us, and almost immediately water started to enter the lock.
As Azimuth rose, the crew had to pull on the lines to take up the slack. Azimuth was buffeted a little bit by the currents, but it was not too bad. Eventually, the lock filled and the huge tanker in front of us moved slowly forward. It was held by lines attached to 4 trains that moved slowly along the lock wall. With a signal from Hector, our lines were released from the wall and the crew had to pull them in, and we moved forward too behind Stadion in to the next lock.
The whole process was repeated twice again as we moved through another 2 sets of locks. Eventually we found ourselves 25m above sea level at the exit of the third lock in Gatun Lake.
The whole process had taken 2 hours and we were greeted by glorious sunshine low in the sky across a very peaceful lake. Phew…. first part done!
It took about 5 hours to motor across the lake. There is a dredged channel that is used by all traffic and being a small little boat, we had to stay right at the edge of the channel. Its quite daunting at times as you share this channel with huge ships. For at least an hour, we were alongside a 200m container ship, about 20m on our port side. This would be crossed by ships going in the other direction and we would get thrown around by the wakes of these large boats. Also we had tugs manoeuvring around at the stern of the big ships helping them make the tight turns in the channel. 20 miles later and the lake finishes.
At this point we entered the Calabra Cut. This is where the monumental amount of work took place as the engineers cut through the mountains to build the canal. The cut seems quite narrow when you are sharing it with these huge boats.
There were still 3 locks to go before we would reach the Pacific. We thought it would be a case of the reverse of what we had done coming up to the Gatun Lake. However, Hector let me know that we would be rafted up against a tourist boat called the Pacific Princess instead.
They would be against the lock wall, and we would be rafted to them. That turned out to be a lot easier. All I had to do was manoeuvre Azimuth alongside the Pacific Princess and tie up. All good, except the Pacific Princess had about 100 tourists all watching! Cameras and videos were all running as we approached. Put the pressure on to get the process right!
It all went smoothly. It was more tricky in the last lock as the current was very strong. This is where sea water mixes with fresh water and causes all kinds of strange behaviour. Going down, Pacific Princess and Azimuth were positioned at the front of the locks. Stadion was behind. As Stadion entered behind, it would push all the water forward too making the current strong.
It was fun being next to the tourist boat. Everyone staring at us!
It was an amazing feeling though when that last lock opened. There in front of us was the Pacific!!!! We motored out with a feeling of elation, all of us with big smiles on our faces. We all still had smiles on our faces as we motored under the Bridge of the Americas.
We dropped off the lines and fenders at Balboa Yacht Club, and Hector was picked up too by the Canal Pilot boat. Beers were opened and we headed up to the anchorage about 2 miles further up and dropped the hook at 1530 that afternoon. 12 hours for the transit. 42 miles to go from the Atlantic to the Pacific.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank our amazing crew from Coral Moon, Donna, Mark & Kev. Awesome!!! Also, Hector our Canal Advisor, who was a lovely guy and really knew his stuff.
It feels amazing to be in a new ocean, and we can’t wait to start exploring!
Join us next time as we explore Panama City and prepare to set sail to the Marquesas Islands!