TIME: 2016/03/12 22:34
LATITUDE: 08-47.62N
LONGITUDE: 079-32.97W
COMMENT: Beach House – MOORED – Toboga Island – Panama…
A bit of breeze, clean water, but also a bit rollier than advertised.
We may need to replace all our house batteries. We\’ll have a load test done on Monday and see.
Good news is that new AGM batteries are available. The generator had a coolant leak caused by carelessness in Guatemala, however
that has too been resolved.
The anchorages adjacent to the canal entrance on the south (Pacific) side are less than desirable. Rolly, big ship wakes, the water is not clean and the tides are currently 20 FEET! Only Darwin and Mackay, Australia have even approached this kind of tide on our journey around the world.
Still a week away from getting off to the Las Perlas while we finish up the teething issues.
Stand by, I\’ll blog the canal transit soon…. We almost had a boo boo right after many of you saw us in the Miraflores locks.
Thanks for all the photos!
Scott and Nikki
AIRMAIL YOTREPS
IDENT: N6ABC
TIME: 2016/03/08 23:33
LATITUDE: 08-54.60N
LONGITUDE: 079-31.66W
COURSE: 094T
SPEED: 1.0
COMMENT: Beach House – ANCHORED – La Playita, Flamenco Ilsland – Panama…Pacific Ocean!
Thanks to everyone who wrote saying they watched us go through the Miraflores Locks and got screen shots!
Please if you have them, send to: beachhouse51@gmail.com
This email WILL NOT take them as attachments.
What a marvelous experience and right at the end we almost had a boo boo. \”Kristiana\” was a fender ball away from possible disaster
as the very last lock had the current from hell as the fresh and salt water mixed. All\’s well that ends well and they did not suffer any damage.
We\’ll go quiet now for awhile. The email bliz will end.
Cheers,
Scott, Nikki, Mike and Beth
Dear Friends and Family,
We will be entering the Miraflores Locks at approximately 2:15 p.m. US EAST COAST TIME or 11:15 a.m. US WEST COAST TIME.
We are scheduled to exit 50 minutes after we enter. You should be able to see us on one of two cameras and they also have \”hi res cams\” for
those with fast internet. If you can get a photo of us and email it to: beachhouse51@gmail.com, we\’d love it!
We will be in a raft of three sailboats. We will be in the CENTER and the plan is to be IN FRONT of the Cargo Ship – \”Berkay N\”.
You can see us on the Miraflores Lock \”Live Web Cam\” at the following link:
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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We left Portobelo in the rain and squalls for the short journey to the north entrance of the Panama Canal. As we were only 17 miles away, we started seeing AIS targets on our chart plotter immediately – eventually counting up to 99 large commercial vessels – mostly at anchor.
For those who don\’t recall, AIS is our automatic identification system which shows up vessels who have it on our chart plotter. It\’s much like a transponder in an airplane. All commercial vessels over a certain size are required to have this device. Small boats like us can have it voluntarily.
Note all the LARGE RED ICONS on the left screen. They\’re all the \”Heavy Metal\” we had to watch out for. The Red graphics on the right are the numerous rain squalls that were upon us which we can see on our radar. The X is the entrance, the line to it\’s left is the East Breakwater.
Between the Rain and Fog and over 100 large Ships, entering the narrow entrance to the Panama Canal would be exciting! Note the narrow entrance of the breakwater on our bow as we approach. Shelter Bay is at the top on the end of the peninsula.
As we approached the fairly narrow entrance to the North side breakwater, we were in essentially rain/fog conditions. As such, I turned on our lights and sound signals for limited visibility. As soon as we entered the breakwater, we made a right turn and paralleled the wall till we came to Shelter Bay about 1/2 mile inside. There\’s a few reefs to avoid, but as you can imagine, the navigation aids here are in perfect shape. Shelter Bay was originally a U.S. Military base (Fort Sherman) during WW1 through the time the US turned the Canal Zone back over to the Panamanian Government in the late 1970\’s.
Nikki on watch while we were dodging the rain squalls. For awhile, we had all Fog Signals and Lights on as we couldn\’t see the entrance to the Panama Canal.Finally, the rain and fog cleared and you can see what we had to watch out for. Thank goodness for modern electronics.
We wanted to make sure we were able to get a good slip at Shelter Bay Marina and to do so, we had to beat in the \”World ARC\”.
The World ARC is an 18 month, round the world rally which usually gets about 30-35 boats (to start) and invades anywhere they arrive.
This would be the third time I\’ll be lapped by the rally. The first time was in 2010, with Cindy in French Polynesia. Then Nikki and I met them in Cocos and Christmas Islands off the Northwest coast of Australia in the Indian Ocean in 2012. Here in 2016, would be the third time at Shelter Bay. To see more on the World ARC, click this link: World ARC Rally
Shelter from the Storm – Shelter Bay, Fort Sherman – Colon, Panama Canal on the North (Caribbean) side. Beach House – awnings up on the left of the photo.
We were lucky and got a slip right in the center of the action in front of the main facility and restaurant. The docks are in excellent shape, the electricity is good and we\’re able to run our air conditioning in the 90-95 degree heat! As many of you know who have been following us this season, Miss Piggy (aka: Beach House) has had quite a few things go awry. While here, we need to get both water makers up to speed (yet again), both engines will get new rings and bearings and too many little details to list. In fact, it got to be so much in terms of parts, that Nikki took a quick trip back to Florida for a week to pick up 140 pounds worth of boat parts and take care of lots of little things for us back in the US. Mike and Beth would still be bringing another entire suit case when they arrive in March.
We met with Greg Van Wyck, a Canadian ex-pat and retired Aircraft Mechanic/Engineer. Greg goes by \”The Engine Whisperer\” and it is a well deserved moniker. He has literally taken both our engines apart and is changing the rings and bearings. Apparently, I babied the engines a bit too much and used synthetic oil on them too soon. As such, the rings never \”broke in\” and we\’ve been getting unburned fuel and some oil burning (blow by). When Greg took the engines apart, he said they looked brand new and told me that for the next 500 hours I\’m to use standard 15W-40 diesel engine oil. Duly noted….:-)
We had leaky rings and low compression. Why? Because apparently I babied the engines too much when they were new. The insides looked new according to our brilliant mechanic Greg Van Wyck. Once rebuilt, they purred perfect and no more oil leaks!Engine \”Head\”. After a bit of clean up from the unburnt fuel (low compression), all was put back in order.Of course, Captain Boat Boy had to get into the action as well. Here I\’m fixing the smaller of our two water makers in the starboard forward locker.Speaking of water….Do you think we cut it a bit close on our arrival from the San Blas Islands? That\’s QUARTS by the way (actually liters), not Gallons!
Our generator was also \”dead\”. Turns out we had three separate issues, none to do with the engine itself. Two broken cables, a bad exhaust temperature probe and some capacitor issues which effected our voltage.
On my birthday, January 25th, Nikki took me to Panama City for a few days. We went via the Panama Canal Railway which more or less parallels the canal. The ride was a little over an hour from Colon, but it takes that long to get into town as most trips require us to wait for the ships to enter or exit the locks. We then drive over a lowered bridge. The wait is typically 20 minutes to an hour. The traffic is backed up for a mile as here, ships have the right of way! The canal operates 24/7/365 and takes in 5 million US Dollars per day. Nice if you can get the work.
We\’d up spending 7 very busy weeks on this side of the Canal and have made a \”recky\” into Panama City as well.
Ah, it rolls around again. This would be number 62 for me. Nikki made a great Cheesecake (my favorite). YUM!
As we write, it\’s now the 3rd week of February and we\’re awaiting friends Mike and Beth Lonnes who will be here within the next few weeks to transit the canal. If it all works out well, I\’ll be able to email everyone the approximate time and weblink to the Miraflores Locks and for those of you with an interest, can watch us in real time transit the canal sometime between on the 8th of March. We\’ll definitely update you for that event. In addition, if you\’ve a keen interest in the building of the Panama Canal and it\’s history, check out this book, \”Path Between the Seas\” by David McCullough – click Amazon link here: \”The Path Between the Seas\” by David McCullough
I leave you with some shots of the Panama Canal in action!
Doors to Gatun Lake. This is the original canal built 102 years ago!. There are two sets of doors side by side.These are the \”New Canal\” Doors looking north toward the Caribbean Sea. The NEW canal will take SUPER TANKERS up to 125 feet in width. These doors slide in from the side and are much more efficient. Despite the statements about, \”We\’ll be open in a few more months\”. Think at least two more years. Gatun Lake is behind me in this photo and they haven\’t broken into the lake as yet.The NEW canal looking toward Gatun Lake. Despite the perspective, it\’s quite a bit wider than the original canal.New LOCK PONDS. These will fill and un-fill with water when the lock is opening and filling. These ponds are designed to be environmentally more friendly as it will keep more fresh water in the lake and let in less salt water. The actual canal is parallel and to the left in this photo.
For my birthday, Nikki took me on the train to Panama City for the weekend and we got a tasty tour of what was to come. The difference between the two sides of the canal is as different as the two seas! The Pacific side is much more metropolitan and looks like a mini Miami Beach.
Arriving in Panama City by the train. These tracks also bring containers back and forth to save money for the smaller vessels.
Get this! The average container ship is charged 150,000.00 to 350,000.00 US Dollars per transit!!!
Passenger Ships are charged up to 500.000.00 US Dollars per trip! YIKES! Our fees all up are $2,125.00. Glad we aren\’t that big.
I leave you with a photo of the modern Panama City and we\’ll tell you all about it in a future Ship\’s Blog.
Yep, that shiny building on the far right is where we stayed. The Trump Ocean Club. Make no assumptions. It\’s just a very nice hotel.
Our friends Mike and Beth Lonnes are \”in country\” and will be here on the 5th of March. We\’ll be doing the \”Pacific Puddle Jump Party\” on the 6th and transit the canal to the Pacific Ocean on the 7th of March into Gatun Lake through the Gatun Locks. We\’ll stay the night and finish our transit on the 8th of March going through in quick succession; the Pedro Miguel and finally Miraflores Locks. We hope to \”live blog\” while going through the canal and when we get to the final Miraflores Locks, let all who are interested link in to see us as we transit to the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 4 years on the LIVE WEBCAM….. We\’ll send a web post out trying to give you as solid a time as we can when we make the jump.
Stand by and KIT,
Scott and Nikki – Shelter Bay Marina, North(Caribbean)side of the Panama Canal.
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.
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Ah, it rolls around again. This would be number 62 for me. Nikki made a great Cheesecake (my favorite). YUM!
