March 7th, 2016 (-5 on UTC) We\’re on US East Coast time….
We\’ll be beginning our transit of the Panama Canal this evening around
7 pm US East Coast Time.
To possibly see us in \”real time\”, go to the following link:
http://www.kroooz-cams.com/portcams/so_america/gatun1.php
We\’ll try and send a last minute blog to refine the time as much as possible!
It will be dark, but the canal should be lit up. We will be raft tied to at least one other sailboat and we will be BEHIND any commercial vessels in the first lock. There is a Camera 1 and Camera 2 selection. I believe camera 1 shows us entering and camera 2 shows us exiting into Gatun Lake. Commercial traffic may block our entry view from the camera today on the the way in, but not the exit. Tomorrow, we go in AHEAD of the commercial traffic and should be easy to see. Stand by for that update.
We\’ll be anchored in the lake overnight and send an update when we\’ll go through on the morning of the 8th, that\’s Tuesday here in the Western Hemisphere.
Tomorrow:
The Miraflores Locks \”Live Webcam\” is at:
http://www.kroooz-cams.com/portcams/so_america/miraflores1.php
REMEMBER, we won\’t be going through the second and third set of locks till tomorrow, the 8th of March (Pedro Miguel and Miraflores) and we\’ll try to send a real time update as we get close to \”shooting through\” into the Pacific.
KIT!!!
Scott, Nikki, Mike and Beth
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I was very pleased to wake up the other day and receive an email that I have been awarded the \”Charles F. Hathaway Long Distance Cruising Trophy\” for 2015 from the California Yacht Club in Marina del Rey, California.
The Charles F Hathaway Long Distance Cruising Trophy may be awarded annually by the California Yacht Club to one of its members in recognition of the skill and courageous act that an individual or couple accomplished while deep water cruising. This award is in honor of late Honorary Commodore Charles F Hathaway who kept the vision of the Club on track while also crossing oceans, racing and cruising for many years. This trophy is not intended as a mileage award, but more for recognizing California Yacht Club owners/skippers for their adventuring spirit that personifies the California Yacht Club mission of excellence in boating activities.
This year, the award is to Dr. Scott Stolnitz, D.D.S.,(Staff Fleet Surgeon, CYC), member since 1975, cruising around the world on his Switch 51 Catamaran, \”Beach House\”.
The Trophy held by (r-l) Mrs. Charles F Hathaway (Patty), Steve and Stephanie Hathaway.
Congratulations on an amazing voyage. Best wishes for a successful conclusion.
Regards – Commodore Richard F. Hamlin – California Yacht Club
We wish we had more time and not so many boat teething issues, as clearly staying in the San Blas Islands would be good for the soul!
With all the various little problems discovered in our 1000 mile (can you believe it?) shakedown cruise and no water maker for the moment, we decided to head toward Shelter Bay and the Panama Canal. A nice stop off en route would be the old port city of Portobelo about 50 miles to our west. What a history this place has.
Looking northeast to main town of Portobello from the southern fortress. Beach House is in the center of the photo, just above the palm tree.
This city was straight out of the “Pirates of the Caribbean”. Portobelo became a very important port on the \”Spanish Main\” (see link here: Spanish Main) and sailors from Christopher Columbus, Sir Francis Drake and Henry Morgan all were here. Francis Drake was buried in a lead coffin just outside the harbor – exact location unknown! Most of the Spanish gold and silver that came from South and southern Central America passed through Portobello. To find more about Portobelo, click on the following link: Portobello, Colon – Panama
Drakes Rock – This is the entrance to Portobello and named for where it is believed Sir Francis Drake was buried at sea in a lead coffin.
Once the Panama Canal was built in 1904, the city of Portobelo lost its’ economic importance. Despite being only 20 miles from Colon (Columbus) on the north shore of the canal and its’ status as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it’s well off the beaten path. Today only a population of around 4,000 people live here.
The people are mostly locals with a smattering of ex-pats, all of who remind you of escapists from a Jimmy Buffet song. We had plenty of room to anchor and were in the company of around 40 boats, many of which looked like they were semi-permanent residents. The city is in general disrepair, built amongst the ruins of the old fort.
\”Captain Jack\’s will get you high tonight\” – Billy Joel. This was THE local hangout. Jack is an American ex-pat who just sort of threw out his anchor here after sailing around the world.
The natural harbor is quite large and has two walled fortifications on each side. The entrance is fairly narrow and should have been easy for the defenders to protect. Despite this natural advantage, many Pirates were able to take over and sack the city on multiple occasions. See link to Captain Morgan’s sack of Portobelo here: Captain Morgan\’s sack of Portobelo
Looking toward the entrance to the northwest. Drake\’s rock would be just outside to the right. You can see how narrow the bay is and how easy it should have been to protect the town. But alas, that\’s what makes history. The canon and fortifications of the southern fortress looking toward town and the northern fortress.
We also visited a famous local Church of the Black Christ, which on October 21st every year, swells the cities population into the 10’s of thousands. This statue is famous because of the mystery it’s shrouded in. It is perhaps the most important Christian shrine in Panama. The statue, found by fisherman was created in Spain and washed ashore around 1658 – presumably from a lost ship at sea.
The legendary wood statue of the \”Black Christ\” – Cristo de Negro. To see more about the statue and its’ legend, click on the links below:
With one night in the anchorage and anxious to get settled into Shelter Bay, we’d go the final 20 miles tomorrow and get down to the serious “fixits” Miss Piggy (aka: Beach House) would require. The list just keeps getting bigger and we’ve a very long way to go!
Nikki just loves a canoe. This was the place we tied the dinghy up to wander the ruins of the old southern fortress.
We’ll next write you from the north side of the Panama Canal – Shelter Bay Marina.
We last left you in Isla Providencia, Columbia as we were about to set sail for the San Blas Islands of Panama.
No matter how we timed our departure, it would be a two day, two night sail to Isla Povenier in San Blas. The first 6 hours were a bit too close to the wind, but finally, the wind backed and we sailed pretty much the rest of the way. One of the things we would have to watch out for, was the possibility of heavy ship traffic heading into and out of the Panama Canal. We were surprised at how little we actually saw.
We arrived at first light and anchored off the small airstrip, which could handle nothing bigger than a large Cessna. We watched the local flight use every bit of the runway to land and most of it to take off!
Our first discovery was that there was no way to get any cash in the San Blas and as such we couldn’t check in with Customs and Immigration at the airfield. Panama is quite pricey at $365.00 USD for two people, the boat and the small local Guna Yala Council fee. Given our water shortage due to both water makers being out of service, we would have to make our stay in the San Blas shorter than we would have liked. Many cruisers spend weeks or even months in this 40 mile by 15 mile area with hundreds of small islands.
A local \”Ula\”. The Guna Yala\’s main method of inter-island transportation. Note the colorful \”Mola\” blouses worn by the locals..
The people of the San Blas are known as the Guna Yala (also: Kuna Yala). They are truly an anachronism to the modern world. They are one of the few peoples of Central America who staunchly refused Christianity. They have a very interesting language. Their society is based on a matriarchal structure. The Guna Yala\’s religious beliefs include village Shamans and they are known for being very superstitious. There are three male chiefs of various geographical areas and one Big Chief for the entire people, but home life is ruled by the women.
Few speak English and few even speak Spanish. There are about 50,000 Guna Yalan people in Eastern Panama. Their Grandparents fought against the Panamanian government and were declared an independent autonomous region in 1925. They seem to have a high natural resistance to disease and are known for extremely long lives. In the jungles of Panama, which were heavily subject to Malaria and Yellow Fever – killing tens of thousands of Westerners – the Guna Yala have evolved to stand up to much of what the ancient tropical jungles could throw at them.
When the Christian Missionary’s arrived, they taught the Guna Yala the art of applique. The Guna didn’t adapt to Christianity but really adapted to the art of making Mola cloth. See the following link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mola_(art_form)
In the boating crowd, it’s an absolute must to buy some Mola Cloth from the Guna Yala. Two of the most famous Mola artists are “Lisa” who is a transvestite and Venancio who is a “Master Mola Maker”.
We didn’t meet Lisa, but she is not unusual amongst the Guna Yala. In many cultures (Tonga comes to mind), if there are too many male children, one is chosen to help in traditional female roles. Amongst the Guna Yala, a matriarchal society, there is no stigma to sexual orientation.
It\’s actually unusual for men to make Mola cloth, but Venancio has been doing so for 35 years.
Nikki and I chose this one after looking at several dozen. It\’s quite intricate and has several layers of hand stitched appliqué
As we were low on cash, we opted to buy an expensive Mola, but were limited to one!
The Islands of the San Blas are very much like the Tuamotus of the South Pacific. Everything here is owned by someone. This includes all the land and ocean surrounding the islands. This includes the fish, the lobster, the conch and the coconuts. As such, technically we need permission to go ashore, but we actually saw few people to on shore to ask. The one small island we did go ashore at was called “Otub” and it’s tiny little neighbor “Little Otub”. There was a sign welcoming visitors in English and French. Quite interestingly, not in Spanish.
Welcome to Ortub Island. There was no one here till the evening when we saw lights from the locals.Nikki taking in the Palm Tree seat. We\’re on the northeast side of Ortub Island. Little Ortub is on the left.Here we are on \”Ortub Island\” in the San Blas. Beach House is anchored just in the lee of \”Little Ortub\”
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We took some photos, investigated what were clearly transient huts (not permanent homes) where we imagine the owners come to tend their coconuts and perhaps fish. Lobster and Conch abound in the region. At night, we did see what appeared to be Guna Yala ashore. Interestingly, it is not allowed for non Guna Yalan’s to be ashore at night. As well, they strongly discourage intermarriage and any outside influence on their culture.
There were two different huts on the island. Both in great disrepair. Despite this, they seemed to both be used at night.\”Little Ortub\” Island. You could walk across this little piece of heaven in about 10 seconds in one direction and 15 seconds in the other. A classic little oasis in the San Blas Islands of Panama
Water was getting low and knowing we had lots of boat projects to work on, we headed toward our next destination – Portbelo and on to the Panama Canal.
Nikki and I chose this one after looking at several dozen. It\’s quite intricate and has several layers of hand stitched appliqué
