Well, we hope you all had a great Christmas and we wish everybody the most wonderful New Year.2008 for us was far too exciting for our liking and we are hoping for a quieter life in the year to come, ie no whales, no storms and no equipment failures would be much appreciated. We did enjoyed most of it though and are just very happy and grateful that we are here to look forward to a next year, it could have been very different.
In order to transit the Canal we first were required to be measured and generally checked out by a Canal official and upon receiving his paperwork blessing we were then permitted to pay the fees and agree a date for our transit. Just before we were due to go, there was a very bad spell of significant weather which caused landslides and other catastrophies and for us such high winds that we cancelled the trip and opted to go a few days later when things had settled down.

OUR CREW FOR THE TRANSIT

We picked up our advisor( pilot)and four friends to act as line handlers at 7.30 in the morning, headed for the Miraflores set of locks. The boat was dressed with 12 motor tyres wrapped in plastic to act as fenders and four 125ft lines were strategically positioned fore and aft on both sides.

THIS BOAT WAS IN THE FIRST LOCK WITH US, PLUS A 96 FT SAILBOAT BHIND USThe first 2 locks are interconnected, whilst the 3rd Pacific side lock, the Pedro Miguel lock, is a mile or so from the Miraflores complex.Once a chamber is entered , 4 lines are thrown to the boat and the boats lines are quickly attached and hoisted up and secured on the lockwalls high above.

THESE TRAINS CONTROL THE BIG SHIPS AND THE LOCKS AND KEEP THEM SECURELY IN PLACEOnce all is secure and the boats position is stable, the gates are closed and water rushes in lifting us up about 9 meters in each of the chambers.Each chamber is 33.5 meters (110ft) wide and 304.8 meters (1000ft) long.In some of the locks we were lucky enough to be tied alongside a tug boat, which was itself secured to the wall. This made the work for our line handlers much easier, for when we were center tied by oursleves as the waterlevel rose, the lines needed constant attention in order to keep us in position.

HERE YOU CAN SEE THE TURBULENCE OF THE WATER ONCE THEY LET IT INTO THE LOCKOnce through the first 3 locks we had climbed 26 meters or so to the Gatun Lake, through which we motored and since we arrived too late to transit the last three locks, we spend the night tied to a mooring buoy in the lake and went down through the Gatun locks the following day.The Gatun locks are a 3 lock complex, all of which are part of the same concrete structure.Somtimes we would share the lock with ships or other yachts and on one occasion we were the sole occupant of one huge chamber!

HERE WE ARE, JUST OUR LITTLE BOAT IN THE PEDRO MIQUEL LOCKYOU SEE ALL THE SHIPS WHEN YOU TRAVEL THROUGH THE LAKE TO THE NEXT LOCKS, THIS IS AT THE FAMOUS GAILLARD CUTAND THE LAST SET OF LOCKS THE FOLLOWING DAYTHE TUGBOAT THAT WE TIED TO FOR THE LAST THREE LOCKS, WE HAD TO UNTIE AND RE-TIE FOR EVERY CHAMBER

ONE OF THE TUG BOAT CREWMEMBERS HAVING A GOOD TIME

AND THE GPS DOING ITS JOB!

THIS BOAT WAS GOING THE OTHER WAY, HE IS BEING LIFTED AS WE GO DOWN

Once safely out the other side, we chugged on down to the Flats, a yacht anchorage area near the Panama Yachtclub. Our crew , Michele and Robin from Warrior and Susan and Graham from Chandrika had been great help and wonderful company and we sadly said goodbye to them as they needed to get the bus back to the Pacific side in order to return to their boats.We were so very grateful for all they had done!We also were pleased to divest ourselves of 11 motor tyres and four long lines; the tyres being picked up by a friend who will be doing the transit the beginning of Januari and the lines needing to go back to the Yachtclub from where we had rented them.

THIS IS HOW WE LOOKED WITH ALL THE TYRES ON WHEN WE CAME OUT OF THE CANAL

Our first priority upon arriving at the Caribbean side of the Canal was to get ourselves out of the water in a repair yard, so that we could fix all the damage done by the whale and Alma. We went to Shelter Bay Marina and spent a few days there before being hauled by their travel lift

. SOME OF THE DAMAGE AFTER THE STORM

It took us 2 weeks of hard labour to get the boat back in order and then just before Christmas we were returned to the marina to spend the festive season with our friends.

NOT A TREE, BUT HAD TO HAVE SOME DECORATIONS ON

BOARD

After a wonderful Christmas party we crossed the bay and took up residence at the Panama Yachtclub which is more conveniently situated for shopping. We have been able to fix an annoying leak in an engine waterpump and now the boat is ready for sea again.

ONE OF THE SLOTHS IN THE WILD

JUST HANGING OUT

THIS ONE IS MY FAVORITE

Whilst at Shelter Bay the wildlife locally was fascinating and within a few minutes walk from the boatyard we were able to see sloths and howler monkeys, toucans and coati-mundis (racoon like animal) in their natural habitats.Under foot were fascinating trails of leaf cutter ants.

THIS IS THE NOT SO NICE SIDE OF THE FASCINATING

WILDLIFE!

BIGGEST MOON OF THE YEAR, BUT I CHEATED , THIS WAS THE DAY AFTER, I FORGOT TO TAKE A PICTURE ON THE NIGHT IT WAS THE BIGGEST

We shall be spending New Years Eve celebration at the Panama Yachtclub (which is the oldest yachtclub in Panama) and hopefully, weather permitting, we shall sail for Boca del Toro in the first week of Januari.Meanwhile we shall be thinking of you all and we wish you a very happy,safe and prosperous New Year!