Finally Panama Canal Pictures

Sorry it’s taken so long to post our pictures of our Panama Canal transit but we took a little family break and things have been kind of busy. Also let me apologize ahead of time…..this is a long story, it was such a great experience and with three of us taking pictures, there was so many to choose from. Okay let’s get started:

We started our 2nd trip down the outside of Mexico on November 4, 2009. On January 17, 2010 we finally arrived at the Balboa Yacht Club, Panama City, Panama. Here’s an overview of our stops:
We were on a mooring ball right by the Bridge of Americas.

It was a bit rocky and rolly when a big ship went by but also quite an experience. It’s not everyone who gets to sit on their porch and watch the “big boys” go by.

Here's a video Peter took:

One thing that was a bit annoying was the “pilot boats”…they delivered passengers and cargo to the big ships and worked 24/7. They were not very courteous to those of us sharing their anchorage and boy were their engines LOUD!

We were close to where they unloaded all the shipping containers….what a busy place that was.


There was the most interesting statue between the Yacht Club and the harbor.

Time to start provisioning……………

Taking the launch back to Effie with all the supplies…..

The “V-Birth” was the perfect place to store all the beer and soda…

Once the food was on board…..it was time to start getting things ready….Mac in the galley.

One last “cerveza” with friends before the big day….
L to R: Ginger, Victor, Alan, Debi, Margaret “Mac”, and Peter

Effie with her tires on, waiting for the big event the next morning….

Okay the day has finally arrived:

9:00 a.m., Feb. 11th, 2009

Time for the pilot boat to bring our “Canal Advisor” to the boat.

Each boat, the largest ship to the smallest sailboat, has to have a “Pilot” for the big guys and “Canal Advisor” for us smaller ones. We also decided it would good to have a “Professional Line Handler” to help us along the way. The “Canal Advisor” is an employee of the Panama Canal and is included with the cost of your transit. They do not spend the night on your boat and we had 2 wonderful advisors. Astro took us through the first set of locks and Yvonne took us through the Gatun Locks on the second day. Javier was our “Professional Line Handler” and what a great decision it was to have him with us. Everyone was professional, great at what they did, but also very personable and we had a great time with them.

Above: Astro Below: Yvonne

Alan with Javier...he was super.

While we’re talking about crew let us introduce the rest of our fantastic crew; Ginger, a high school friend of Mac’s who flew down to join us on our PCE (Panama Canal Experience), Peter, an old friend we first met while in the Santa Rosa Sailing Club, and Kevin & Kathy SV Hispaniola new cruising friends we met in Ensenada Benao then traveled with around Punta Mala. We really appreciate everyone’s hard work….thank you crew for keeping us sane and our “Effie” safe while going through the Panama Canal with us. Here’s the motley crew:

Okay we were more nervous when we had to go over “The Bar” at Bahia del Sol, El Salvador but there were a few nerves exposed as we headed to the first lock “Miraflores.”

Looking back at BYC and the Bride of the Americas;

There are actually 2 separate locks you go through at the Miraflores Locks then you go less than a mile and reach the Pedro Miguel lock. In all 3 of these locks you are “up- locking”; you enter the lock then they fill the lock with water to raise you up to the next level. We were tied to a tug boat on the first 2 locks. (I used the suggestion of a friend and had cupcakes ready to give to the tug crew members….they seem to be a little nicer after a treat.)

Mac making sure we’re not too close…if you look in the background you can see the blue line tying the tug to the lock wall.

Kenny and Brother John got some great shots of Effie and her buddy boat from the web cam (notice the head of a vulture in the lower right hand corner…):

To add to the pressure there is an observation deck where the tourists come to watch boats go through the canal.

There’s quite a bit of action in the water as it swirls upward.


Once the water was at the top and we were untied from the tug our advisor said, “Put your foot in it…..” It’s important to “get way on” (getting the boat up to speed) for maneuverability before the tug boat starts his engines. Friends have been turned in circles by the currents made by tugs when they start their engines. It also important to get out of the way!

Then it was off a short distance to the Pedro Miguel Lock. As we approached we saw several sail boats coming from the Atlantic side. There are more boats going from the Atlantic to the Pacific side than there are from the Pacific to the Atlantic side so many times they are “rafted up” as they go through the locks.

Locks closing behind us.

The tug left us and in this lock we were tied up to a party tourist boat. We had fun talking to their guests and boy did they have a lot of questions for us.

Peter & Alan enjoying the trip:



Ginger & Mac having fun too!

Time to leave the locks and head under the Centennial Bridge toward Lake Gatun.

Picture from the live cam….we’re the last boat in the line.

We had 20+ kt. winds and it was a bit overcast so we were late arriving at the Gatun Locks by 20 minutes which meant we had to stay in the lake, DARN (We actually were excited….we wanted to stay in the lake overnight but if it’s your fault they charge you extra. Alan did some fast talking and used the fresh water, wind factor, and them being late getting us into the first lock as an excuse and they didn’t charge us. Actually I’ve never heard of anyone being charged….I think they expect sailboats to take longer.) Anyway I’m glad I had lots of food and drinks on the boat. We tied up to the mooring ball (largest we’ve ever seen) and settled in for the night. We had dinner and Alan played music and we all relaxed after an exciting day.

The pilot boat from the Gatun Locks came to pick up Astro. Astro gave me the biggest compliment; I was so worried about feeding everyone, especially the “Advisor”. I had heard horror stories about “Advisors” not being fed properly and ordering food in, costing up to $300. Well after his second helping of lunch he said, “In 8 years that’s the best lunch I’ve ever been served.” Wow did I feel good.

We were a little crowed that night but we managed. Javier and Peter both had a side in the cockpit, Ginger slept on the settee in the cabin, Kevin and Kathy took the V-birth, and Al and I were in the aft cabin. I guess everyone slept okay because at around 10:00 p.m. the boats coming from the Atlantic side starting arriving at the mooring balls. The only ones who woke up were Peter and me (Mac). I heard Peter get up to help them so I peeked out the back hatch….when I saw how close they were getting to Effie I was up and out on the deck, short nightie and all, in a heart beat. Peter and I were up again early in the morning to help them shove off and were surprised to see how many big boats were at anchor waiting to go through the locks.

We had a big breakfast and spent the day waiting until around 2:00 p.m. for our turn to go through the locks.

The pilot boat brought our advisor, Yvonne, but we still waited. Good thing I had more food on the boat…..we had a big lunch and waited some more. Calls were going back and forth…it’s time..it’s not time…you’ll be tied to another boat….you won’t be tied to another boat…finally it was time to go. We still weren’t sure how we would be tied but off we went.

We ended up being a center tie…that means we finally had to use those long blue lines we rented and we would be by ourselves in the center of the channel tied with 2 lines on the bow (front) and 2 lines on the stern (back).


Kathy and Peter were our stern line handlers....

Javier and Kevin were our bow line handlers…

Canal crew who handled our lines first when we were high in the lock and also when we were way down low. (Gives you a good idea how much water they let out)

We were all set to go after some maneuvering around the lock. Then we looked back and saw who was coming up behind us…WOW.

Here's some pictures Ginger took put some music:

Here's a video Peter shot:


Our advisor had some fun with us after we were all tied up and ready to go. He explained how proud they were to have female pilots and explained that the big ship behind us had a female pilot. Alan asked if that was a good thing or a bad thing and he explained, “It’s usually a good thing, they are good pilots, however, she’s also my ex-wife!” Then he laughed. We all got a good laugh on that one. They say it’s easier to down lock than it is to up lock since you only have to let out the lines instead of pulling them in. Everyone did a great job and our advisor stayed calm and cool throughout the process.

Ginger and Peter enjoying some down time.



Gives you some idea how big the ship was behind us (Pictures don’t do it justice…when you are there and looking up 3 stories it’s pretty awesome.)


We had plenty of room but you can see by the next picture the big ships don’t have much room on either side. We used our motor to get us through the canal but the big guys have “mules” (the little train like things on the tracks) to pull them through.

There are 3 locks in the Gatun Locks. Once through the first lock the canal line handlers undo your lines and walk them to the next lock while you motor then tie you off again. Then the process of letting out the water starts again. When we reached the 3rd lock we got our first view of the Caribbean.

The last gates open and it was time move…again the advisor told Alan to give it all he had and he didn’t argue. As we were heading out of the last lock we had fun waving at the crew on the National Geographic ship, Sea Lion.

The pilot boat pulled along side us and got our advisor as we headed to the flats of Colon. We got to the flats and set the hook…..we were all tired but all excited and thrilled to have had such a great adventure. Here’s a picture of our canal mate as they passed us once through the canal…

It was sad when the launch came out to the boat to pick up Kevin, Kathy and Javier.

Again we would like to thank all of those who helped us get through the Panama Canal. We had some overcast skies going through the lake (which actually helped keep it cooler), we had some rain while we were moored in Lake Gatun but boy did we have fun. We laughed, listened to the howler monkeys, played some music, ate some food, and thoroughly enjoyed our guests and the experience. Not everyone can say they took their “house” through the Panama Canal

Hi From San Blas

We'll we made it through the Panama Canal...........wow what a neat trip! We were tied up to a tug for the first 2 locks, then on the third lock we were tied up to a party/double decked cruise boat. We were 30 minutes late arriving at the Gatun locks so we spent the night in Lake Gatun on a huge mooring ball. Alan played some music for us while we sat and listened to the howler monkeys. The next day around 3:00 p.m. we starting down-locking in the Gatun locks. We were center tied with a 750 ft huge tanker behind us. It looked like a 3 story building behind us, wait until I can send some pictures. All and all the passage was perfect. Everyone got along famously, there was plenty of food and drinks, and we didn't have any "Oh S- -t" moments. After clearing the last lock we stayed in the flats of Colon and the next day went to Portabello. We stayed 2 nights in Portabello and Peter had to leave on Monday to get back to Panama City to catch his flight on Tuesday.

Next stop was the anchorage Linton, a couple of hours around the corner from Portabello. M/V Panchita arrived and we went to a great little French restaurant and had an excellent meal. Then off to the San Blas....wow, there is a lot more wind here in the Caribbean and we had seas to 8 ft. We were all glad to arrive here in the San Blas. We are all checked in and are currently in East Lemons. Jan and Rich on S/V Slip Away got a party together for all us from the Pacific side and it was great to see everyone. Here's some you might recognize: Ralph & Cheryl & son Greg from S/V Fortuitous, Joan & Ted from M/V Panchita, Stan and Lynn S/V Homers' Odyssey, and Sharon and John S/V Sunbow. There were about 12 boats who came to the party and it was a great time. Plan is to stay here in the Lemons and relax for a couple of days before Ginger has to fly to Panama City on Monday. More pictures of our adventure will follow when we have internet access.

Golfito to Panama City

December 30th, 2009....time to leave Costa Rica and head into Panama. We left Golfito with SV Obsession, Gilles and Rachel, around noon and had a wonderful sail through the bay. It was like old times in Monterey Bay, tacking back and forth and just enjoying sailing and the water. We had winds up until the evening and then eventually old Mr. Perkins (our engine) had to be turned on. It was a comfortable and uneventfull over-nighter and we arrived in Isla Games on New Years Day Eve. We welcomed in the new year eating coconut shrimp and enjoying dinner with Rachel and Gilles. The snorkeling wasn't so great so we just spent another restful day enjoying the island and the anchorage before heading to Boca Chica on Saturday.

Next stop Boca Chica....as you can see by the pictures below, you have to be careful going into the channel but once there it's a pleasant anchorage. It was nice to get caught up on internet and we got to spend some time with Suzy and Jim from SV Sparta. They actually have two boats there and are building a houseboat on a floating dock. It was great to spend time with them. It was pretty windy and choppy coming over from Isla Gamez and windy while we were trying to anchor, but no swells!

Mac on the internet at the hotel on the island.....the howler monkeys on that island, by the way, were some of the loudest and most vocal we have heard. It was great fun listening to them every morning while we had coffee and tea, actually they also carried on several times during the day, all welcomed by us.

While in Boca Chica we hired a driver to take us to David (Da-veed) to go shopping for the day. We needed wood to build a small platform for under "Sparky", oil for the motor, money, groceries, beer, soda, etc. etc. Of course we had to stop at Price Smart (Central America's Costco). We enjoyed the drive through the country side on the 1 1/2 hour trip.

After leaving Boca Chica we headed over to the Islas Secas. There are several island, we anchored off one of the private ones where they had luxury tents for $300 a night. It was quiet and peaceful and the water was so clear and the color turquoise. After getting settled the first thing we did was jump in the water and go snorkeling. Unlike most places we snorkel, the best spots were scattered throughout the bay. The bottom was sandy and then you would come across some big pieces of coral and that's where we saw all the fish. The water was absolutely beautiful and the color unreal. We, of course, had to get one last snorkel in the following morning before we headed over to Bahia Honda. Pictured below: I tried to get a picture of how turquoise and beautiful the water was....pictures never do nature justice.

Along the way from Islas Secas to Bahia Honda we had a passanger who needed a rest from flying. He/she landed on our solar panels and took a rest before taking off.

On the way into the bay Alan caught a nice big Dorado........

Next stop Bahia Honda. It was a beautiful little bay tucked way back with one of the flattest calmest anchorages we've been in. We got the hook down and our first visitor was Domingo (pictured below). He was the cutest old guy and what a talker and proudly wearing his "Total Yacht Works" hat. We gave him some of the Dorado Alan had caught on the way in and he seemed pleased. He knew enough English to ask for cookies for his grandchildren and we knew enough Spanish to pick up the jest of what he was saying. The next visitors were a family in a panga. They had fresh limes for us and they also got a big piece of Dorado and were all smiles when they left.

The next visitor was Kennedy, Domingo's son, and he was a talker also. Again between his sparse English and our little bit of Spanish we had quite the conversation. He had a big story about loosing all his fishing stuff when he lost "The Big One" so Alan was very generous and gave him all kinds of stuff including an older fishing pole and reel he wasn't using. (Later we heard he uses a similar fishing story on everyone....that's okay he'll probably get more use out of the stuff than we would.)

Next stop Cebaco Bay......they have a large boat there that acts as a restaurant and store and supplies the fishing boats with fuel and water. It was pretty windy so we elected to stay on the boat but we heard later their buffet dinner was very good.

The next night we stayed in Naranjo Bay. Again the anchorage was pretty rolly so we had a nice dinner, played a game of scrabble and went to bed early. On the way into Naranjo Al caught a nice yellow fin tuna.

Picture below: underway to Benao.

Sunday, January 10th, we arrived for what we had planned to be a one night stay at Ensenada Benao. It is a beautiful bay that draws the younger surfer crowd. We anchored well away from the surf and were surprised at how flat it was. Well the north winds picked up and we stayed 5 days there. There's always a positive side, however, and we were able to assist Hispaniola into the anchorage on the second night (nights landings are always a bit scarry). It was a pleasure to meet Kevin and Kathy and we all went ashore on Thursday to watch the surfers and have dinner (first time we felt safe enough to take the dinghy ashore). It was nice to get off the boat and walk along the beach. We had a long walk to the restaurant from where we landed the dinghy but that's okay, we all enjoyed to walk. Pictured below: front Alan and Mac back Kathy and Kevin SV Hispaniola.

Once we left Benao we had to go around Punta Mala, Panama's Point Conception (worst point on California coast to go around). We had winds upwards to 20 kts. and the seas were a bit choppy but it was pretty much an uneventful passage, uncomfortable, but uneventful. (Pictured below Hispaniola rounding Punta Mala)

28 hours later we got our first views of Panama City. It was a crazy night on watch. We have never seen so many "big boys"..... We were 2+ miles out of the shipping lane but all night long we watched as they passed us. We have an AIS unit which identifies each large vessel, their length, tonnage, width, where they are going, how fast they are going but most of important their CPA, Closest Point of Approach, and their TCPA, Time of Closet Point of Approach. The closest we got to one was 1 1/2 miles, but even that far away he looked pretty big. When we got to Panama City we found them all anchored waiting to go through the canal.

We arrived on Saturday and spent the first night in the Flamenco Anchorage Playita where we were able to hook up with friends Rachel and Gilles from SV Obsession. On Sunday we obtained a mooring ball at the Balboa Yatch Club and moved over. View above shows the mooring field to the right of the Bridge of Americas. We are on the far left side towards the front of the field of boats.

You can almost touch the boats as they pass us on their way to the locks. The Canal runs 24/7 so there is constant activity here.....what a change from being by ourselves anchored off a beautiful island.

Meet "Sparky"

Okay, okay, okay some cruisers call me crazy but I like doing my own laundry. While we were in Golfito at the duty free shops we purchased my new buddy "Sparky." He's the cutest little washing machine......he fits in the bathtub and I can do the laundry right where he lives. He's light enough so when we want to take a shower we lift him out into the aft cabin. We do look like a Chinese laundry while we have the wash out on lines all over the bow but talk about a nice wind blown dry.....we got it. I think Al was humoring me when he let me buy it, but he even thinks "Sparky" is working out nicely.

Enjoying Panama's Northern Islands

Having a great time enjoying Panama's Northern Islands. Last night we were at Isla Seca and the water was turquoise...the snorkeling was fantastic! Can't update blog with pictures since we don't have internet but you can follow our travels by going to "Where is the World is Effie" on the left hand side of the blog. Once you click on the link you will have a world map that let's you follow each stop we make on our way to Panama City.