First, in order to pass through the canal, you have to make arrangements with the canal authorities, pay money, and get a time assigned. Since it was not our boat, we did not have to worry about all that. All we had to do was show up on our friends' boat. So all is well - or so we think. After loading up me, Mike, and Pam (the third line handler), we waited only to be told that we had been cancelled, and would have to leave the following day instead. No big deal for us, but it was disappointing for the owners of the boat. But the next day we actually got to leave.
The canal crossing is usually a two day process. The first day, we went through like we had done it every day of our lives. We entered the first lock, threw our lines to the tug we were tied up to, and then sat as the water rose in the lock. It is strange because you can't feel it - you just look up and see the guys on the walls getting further and further above you. We did this twice, and then we found ourselves in Lake Gatun, which very well maybe the biggest man made lake in the world. We tied up to this big red buoy, and spent the night, but not after having an awesome fresh water swim. Our friends, D'Arcy and Isabelle, were the most incredible hosts, feeding us well, and providing a better bed than we have on board! (Their boat is fancier and I admit to a moment of envy.)
The second day did not go as smoothly, to say the least. We had a different advisor, and we thought the first one was a lot better. We were scheduled to leave at 8 am, but after waiting for the advisor until well past that time, discovered they had changed our time until 2 pm. So we spent the time swimming in the lake. By the way, you are not supposed to swim in the lake. I asked our advisor about that, and he said the reason for the rule was only to make the canal authority's collective life easier by avoiding any possible problems with people drowning. So we swam anyway as there was no one to stop us. The water was a perfect temperature - not too warm and not too cold.
Anyway, when we entered the first lock, the guys on the tug we were supposed to tie up to did not grab the lines as they should, and the boat swung around like crazy. It took quite awhile to get it back on track, and in the process, a small light (like a turn indicator on a car) hit the side of the tug and got broken. Once we finally got straightened out, we went down this time (you go up from the Pacific to Lake Gatun and then up from Lake Gatun to the Caribbean) and entered the second lock. This time it was worse, except nothing got broken. The wind came up, and this time the boat got turned around backwards and could not be straightened out. One of the things about a sailboat is the difficulty in steering if you are not going very fast. There are times when you simply cannot get the rudder to respond. I am not explaining it well, but it happens. I have had trouble when we are going very slowly with our boat getting completely turned around. It is not that big a problem in open seas - you can turn on the engine and just speed up and get yourself back on track. But there is limited room in the lock to turn around, and the engine was already on, and there is no way to build up speed. So we ended up tying up to the tug backwards. When the doors to the locks opened, D'Arcy had to back is boat out. Backing a sailboat is also difficult - it tends to want to veer to one side or another, and does not back like a car or a powerboat. But D'Arcy did a fabulous job. We wonder if we were the first to back out!
After all of that, we motored on to the marina, got the boat docked, and had a wonderful time eating, drinking, decompressing, and debriefing. Mike, Pam, and I then took the bus back to Panama City from Colon. All in all it was a wonderful trip and I am so glad I got a chance to do it.
Here are some pictures of the Grand Crossing:
As the lock opens
The tug we tied up to
Isabelle, the advisor, the tug, and a huge boat behind us
Mike tossing a line to the tug
The Tugboat Crew
Getting ready to tie up in Lake Gatun
The Crew of Ideal 1
D'Arcy, Mike, Isabelle, Pam, Kate
There are more pictures that have not yet been downloaded, and also some video I shot. I will try to get some video posted.
So anyway, we are now back in Panama City, happily aboard Magda Jean, and looking to get all of our problems solved so we can move on. Logistics are always a bit of a problem, but it is easier here than in El Salvador. Mike and I were a little discouraged after trying all day yesterday to deal with the watermaker that decided to stay broken after all. We contacted the maker via email, and he walked us through some trouble shooting, and the upshot is he is sending us a valve rebuild kit. We are hoping against hope that will do the trick. It is disappointing to have it break down so soon - there are only about 250 hours on the motor - but the company (Cruise RO Water) has excellent customer service and I am optimistic that we will in the end have a functioning watermaker. The depth sounder and AIS will have to be returned to Simrad and hopefully they will be fixed. (Interestingly, we discovered that the Simrad repair facility is in San Diego. Might be a good time for a trip if we can find some way to secure the boat while we are gone. That is just my idea and has not been discussed.) If not, and we have to replace them, it will cost a small fortune and I really really really hope that does not happen. As much as I like it here, I want to move on to the islands and then head to Ecuador. There is talk of continuing down to Peru, and I would like to go to Chile. I have a lot of research to do first!
So that is all for now. Adios for now from Panama City!
"It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to our enemies, but just as much to stand up to our friends." (J.K. Rowling)
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