Well, once again we have spent more time than originally planned in port. This time our delay has not been the result of major repairs to be made, but rather, the need to wait on the arrival of a basic $30 part (an oil pressure regulator valve) to complete a minor but necessary repair of the port engine. Waiting is frustrating, of course, but we have been keeping pretty busy, engaging in some fun and/or productive activities beyond the boat—(hence our lapse in blogging). I am going to try to catch you up on our recent activities while also making suggestions for those who plan to pass through.

Meet fellow cruisers
Since Shelter Bay Marina is the only marina on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, all cruisers who pass through the Canal stop here either before or after they transit. Some of them have been here for several months or even years in order to make major repairs or deal with medical or financial issues. For example, we met an older British couple who had been cruising for three years, were delayed here due to engine problems (see below), and were finally planning to sail home across the Atlantic when their Canal advisor informed the woman that a scab on her leg was skin cancer! Naturally, she got on the next plane to England where she found out she had lung cancer which needed to be treated as well. Her cancer is now in remission, and she and her husband are back on their boat and ready to follow through with their plans.

Others cruisers stay here only a few days, just long enough to provision and get in touch with an agent who schedules their boat inspection/measurement and Canal transit. One such transient who arrived early this morning is Zac Sunderland, a 17-year-old American who is attempting to be the youngest solo circumnavigator! Thus, there is an interesting, ever-changing collection of cruisers here from various countries, all of whom have common interests and goals.

The pool has been a great place to meet people, and naturally we got along well with the youngest of the cruisers, a motley crew of 20-somethings from the U.S., Sweden, France, and Belgium. The American of the group had just left Bolivia after spending a couple of years working as a Peace Corps volunteer and came to Panama just to experience a transit of the Canal. When asked by the Belgian captain to stay on for their 5-month trip to Australia, Dave initially replied that he could not, but when pressed, he had no good reason as to why not and is now part of the crew. It will be interesting to see what he thinks about sailing!

Marionette is ready with tires required for the Canal

Dallas met some of our favorite cruisers on one of his several trips on the free bus into Colón to process paperwork for the transit. Jeff and Jose are English and Dutch, respectively, and are aboard a trimaran, Stravaig. Jeff has traveled the world aboard various boats, one of which he and Jose built, and has many interesting tales of the South Pacific. He has piqued our interest in places like Vanuatu that are still quite isolated from the rest of the world and as such, have some really unique traditions. One such island engages in Pagan worship of the Duke of Edinburgh. More recently, Stravaig sailed through tropical storm Alma which became a hurricane while they were in its midst! This was not intentional, of course—it was the first storm to have hit so far south at that time of year in 125 years. Despite the 80 knot winds and 45’ seas, they managed to maintain their composure and ride out the storm with relatively minor structural damage!! As much as we admire them for their courage, we are reminded that we should steer well clear of hurricane zones!

Stravaig

Consider being your own agent
Dallas appears to have become the local expert on immigration/customs and Canal paperwork among current residents of the marina, as cruisers have paid him a visit to ask him about the procedures involved in taking care of the paperwork oneself. Dallas explains to them that the immigration/customs paperwork is time-consuming to complete and requires fairly proficient Spanish. On the other hand, scheduling the boat inspection with the admeasurer’s office and calling to schedule a Canal transit is quite simple and does not require any Spanish (and saves the $200 that the agents charge).

Be a line-handler
As each boat is required to have four line-handlers to transit the Canal, many cruisers are in need of others to join them and would prefer to take along fellow cruisers rather than pay for professionals. Thus, we asked around and found spots for Dallas and Wes aboard Dragon, a home-made 38’ Wharram catamaran. They reported that this was a very worthwhile experience in terms of demystifying the procedures of the Canal transit and was fun as well. Check out the pictures of the transit that Wes posted (see Photos link above) as well as his videos (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jd5MlMfAPM

Dragon, a Wharram Tiki 38

Dragon's crew for the transit

Explore the jungle
Since the high crime rate prohibits us from spending any leisure time in Colón (the concrete jungle), we have been pretty penned in here at the marina. However, some other cruisers suggested that we explore the real jungle that surrounds the marina. We were told that we could see monkeys and sloths. So far, no sloth pictures yet, but we managed to see at least ten Capuchin monkeys that swung from tree to tree just above the road on which we were hiking. When they noticed us, they became more timid, but once we were a safe distance away, they continued on, and Dallas was able to catch them in action. We also saw long rows of leafcutter ants, which were amazing in terms of their organization and ability to carry leaves twice their size.

Capuchin monkey joins his friends

Leafcutter Ants

Tiffany is not as spooked as she looks

 
Provision
Since this is the last stop for cruisers heading to the South Pacific, where supplies are limited and very expensive, many people purchase enough groceries here in Colón to last for five or six months. Fortunately, the Rey supermarket is located in a safe area, is very well stocked, and carries reasonably priced goods. Much of the food here is what you would find in an American supermarket, and there is cheaper, locally manufactured stuff as well. If you spend over $200, the supermarket will transport you and your groceries back to the marina for free. There are also several stores with inexpensive clothing and housewares nearby. Finally, if you are looking for electronics (or anything else), head to the nearby free zone (Zona Libre) where there are blocks and blocks of duty-free supplies brought here by freighters passing through the Canal.

Stay at Hotel Melia
Wednesday marked four years since Dallas and I started dating (the 2nd time around), and we are using this as our anniversary since February is booked up with birthdays, etc. To mark the occasion, we spent the night at Hotel Melia overlooking Gatun Lake, the site of the first set of locks for the Canal. The hotel staff were friendly, and the facilities were nicer than I expected. Dinner left something to be desired (not much in the way of fresh ingredients), but the free breakfast buffet was wonderful with enough variety to give even Dallas the vegetarian plenty to choose from. Oh, and did I mention the air conditioning? We had forgotten how luxurious central air can be. Don’t take it for granted!

The cruisers have a reason to get cleaned up

Obtain marine supplies
OK, so after waiting for several days for our $30 part to be shipped here from the U.S., we found out that Tesa, the Yanmar dealer in Panama City, has had it in stock the whole time! We had heard horror stories about Tesa from the aforementioned British couple who spent several weeks waiting on them to install a new engine, only to have it seize up before they got out of Panama. As a result, we did not consider calling them, but in hindsight… nevertheless, our part should be here today or tomorrow, so we should be in the Pacific early next week!