A few days before my own scheduled transit I went through the canal as a line handler on Philip’s boat Wandering Star, a 45’ Irwin ketch. The other line handlers were an English couple from Morpheus, my neighbours on the pontoon and a young Panamanian Carlos. Late afternoon and we picked up the transit advisor at the Flats anchorage and motored to the Gatun locks. Before entering we rafted up with a catamaran in the centre us to starboard and a big pilot house ketch to port. The Panamain canal line handlers ashore threw us hauling lines weighted with monkeys fists, we attached the mooring warps to them, we were walked into the lock and once in place the linehandlers ashore dropped the loops over bollards and the linehandlers on the boats took up the slack. Lock doors closed and water flooded in, the turbulence was considerable, there was a lot of strain on the lines and taking in the lines as the raft rose was hard. There are 3 Gatun locks and we passed from one to the other with the linehandlers ashore casting us off and walking us through to the next lock. Going through at the same time was a big freighter in front of us, they have only a few feet clearance either side so move very slowly, guided by the mules( electric trains) to which they are tied so it all took some time. By the time we were through the 3rd lock and could de-raft it had already been dark for some time and we motored to anchor near the designated mooring bouy to spend the night in Gatun Lake. Our transit advisor left us and we could settle down to eat and drink a few beers. Resuming the transit the next morning with a new advisor, we motored across the lake then through the cuts past Gamboa and through the Gaillard cut, past Gold hill, under the Centenario bridge and so to the San Pedro lock where the descent to the Pacific begins. Rafting up again we entered the lock , this time in front of a freighter. Down-locking is much more gentle with no turbulence. On through the Minaflores lake to the 2 Minaflores locks and then finally to the Pacific. Just a few more miles and under the Bridge of the Americas and there is Balboa Yacht Club with its moorings. The club boatman ran us ashore and we said our farewells to Philip and taxied back to Shelter Bay. It was a worthwhile experience and had prepared me for my own transit. For my transit I enlisted the English crew of Tintin, recently arrived and scheduled to transit a few days later. Motoring out of the marina Sea Bear felt heavy and sluggish with 5 aboard. At the flats waiting for the advisor I talked through the procedure with the crew and when the advisor arrived we set off for the locks.
Approaching Gatun locks
Entering Gatun Locks
In Gatun locks
Sea Bear was rafted alongside 2 big yachts and the advisors said the 2 big yachts would do all the line handling and manoeuvring. We were just grateful passengers and so had an easy time of it. Passing through the Gatun locks was quicker this time so we were moored up to the big buoy before dark. Dinner was cooked and eaten and some beers drunk. Now Sea Bear has only 3 bunks so I slept in the cockpit and another elected to sleep on the foredeck It was a fine night.
Mooring buoy Gatun Lake
Sunrise Gatun Lake
The advisor had warned that they would be early next morning and indeed Larry, our new advisor turned up at 6.45 and we were off. Tea was already brewed so I let one of the crew helm whilst I cooked breakfast for all.
Panamax on Gatun Lake
When doing your transit application you must specify your cruising speed, I had specified 5 knots, this is the minimum speed allowed. I was little concerned at being able to maintain this especially so heavily laden as we were but we averaged 5.7 for the next 5 hours that we took to motor the 28.6 mies across the lake and to the San Pedro lock, where we arrived at 11.45. The lake is quite beautiful with lots of tree covered islands, on the biggest of which is the Smithsonian Tropical research station. We did this time see a crocodile basking in the shallow of one island.
Gaillard cut, Gold hill & Bridge Centanario
Down-locking this time was quite quick, no big freighter to wait for, rafted together again with Arielle, and a French Onvi, we locked through with a big sail training ship and a passenger ferry.
San Pedro Lock
Exiting the San Pedro lock we spotted another crocodile. Shortly after 2pm our advisor was picked up and we moored to a mooring buoy at Balboa Yacht club. It had been and easy and stress free transit.
Bridge of the Americas
I went ashore in the club boat with my crew and dropped of the tyre fenders (3$ each to hire 1$ each to drop off). The crew of Arielle were at the yacht club and we drank some beer before they went off in the taxi that we had pre-arranged back to Shelter Bay. Connected up to wifi I discovered that John Whittle, an old friend and work associate from my time as a climbing guide had suddenly died. So no joy at being through to the Pacific. The day ended on a sombre note and I drank the last of my beer in remembrance of him.
I spent a few days at the Balboa Yacht Club moorings, I had been led to believe that they were very rolly with wakes from big ships but I found this not to be the case at all.
Balboa yacht club moorings
Making final preparations for the Pacific I spent some time visiting several chandlers but I couldn’t get all the bits I wanted which I found a bit surprising in such a big place. I did in the course of my wandering use the Metro subway, very fast and efficient in addition to taxis and the metro bus.
Las Brisas and Panama City
I did get a chart for Tonga which I was missing and a new Nautical almanac from Islamoradora the excellent chart agents in Balboa.
Balboa monument
I went to the open air vegetable market at Abastos which was huge and bought lots of good quality unrefridgerated fruit and vegetables which keep much better than cold stored supermarket ones for the journey. Another purchase was a new windup kitchen timer – just the thing to time your catnaps at sea, though I wont be able to doze with it on my chest as used to be my wont with my old one as it it egg shaped and so would roll off. International zarpe got from the Port captain at Flamenco and Immigration visited, I went to get diesel topped up and whilst moored up some clot in a work boat who was moored astern decided for unknown reason to reverse into me. There was a horrible noise and the wind vane paddle was horribly bent. I was fuming as you might imagine. The design of the monitor is such that there is a sacrifical tube between paddle and gear mechanism and it was this that was bent. I do carry a spare but I wasn’t about to tell the other boat that. A yacht club offIcial on the fuel dock was helpful taking all the details . I took off the paddle and stripped out the tube giving it to the guy on the dock who said he would insist it was fixed today as he knew I was leaving. I went back to the mooring to wait. They came by later but it was still not quite straight so he went away again. They came back later with a new one which was a better result and I have also got the old one which is not quite straight but will do as another spare at a pinch. Have just finished putting it back on which involved some slightly dodgy sitting on the back framework. All ready now think I need a beer after all it will be last one for a while. First stop is planned for Las Perlas islands about 40 miles away then it will out into the Pacific proper for the long haul.
Left Balboa moorings at first light and after motoring out of the channel set a course for the Las Perlas, a cluster of over 20 mainly uninhabited islands about 40 miles away. Little wind so mainly motoring until later on when I picked up a southerly breeze. I eventually anchored off the NW coast of La Contadora, the busiest of the islands, a weekend retreat for rich Panamanians. Next day I moved on to a lovely anchorage in the channel between Isla Espiritu Santo and the main island of Isla Del Rey. Supposedly a popular anchorage but I had it all myself, it was very peaceful, lots of pelicans and parrots.
Espiritu Santo
Now I could start the task of diving under and ensuring the hull was clean before passage and that afternoon I got 1 side done but I find it tiring work. Wanting to finish the job off next morning but the tide was running swiftly past the boat and I decided it wouldn’t be wise. Yes welcome back to tides, something you almost forget about in the Caribbean, here the range is about 15 ft. I therefore moved on, motoring down the east side of the islands to almost the southern end. Here I anchored at Rio Cacique which the pilot assured me you were almost certain to find flat water. So it was I and I finished off the hull cleaning.
A quick dive next morning as a final check then it was time to leave, this morning at least there was some wind and from the North so I set off for the long passage bound for the Galapagos. Probably like many other cruisers I had some regrets at not having more time to spend exploring in these delightful islands but the Pacific beckoned.
I did have a calm patch passing between wide gap between Isla Galera and Punta Gorda but then the wind was back. A notable sight was the sting rays jumping vertically from the water, turning end over end and landing with an almighty splash.
So the day passed and the first night, lots of big ships bound to and from Panama but all a good distance off. I was off to a flying start because in the first 24 hours Sea Bear had run 130 miles. However it was not too last and the winds grew lighter and lighter with some periods of calm. I don’t think I saw winds over 8 knots again. So the days passed, once clear of the shipping channel there were no ships and little to do apart from ring the changes with the sails, pole out the yankee opposite to the main, lets try the cruising chute, the occasional gybe to keep on course as far as possible, a little tweak to the self steering now and again. On the 8th day I was a little surprised to see a fishing vessel must be 200 miles at least from the nearest land.
After sunset of the 9th day and a big bird made a determined effort to land atop the mast, succeeding after several attempts. I guessed it must be a land bird as a sea bird would just settle on the water, but I wasn’t able to identify it, it perched there all night leaving with first light in the morning.
sunrise coast of San Cristobal
My patience with these calms and light winds was wearing thin so nightfall of day 10 when it fell calm and there was about 50 miles to Isla Cristobal I resorted at last to the engine. It didn’t help that the auto pilot had packed up so hand steering it was. The wind did return for a while but not for long and when it died again I let let drift and took a 30 minute nap before turning on the engine again. It had been a lovely full bright moon night but eventually it sunk below a thick band of clouds so it was really dark, now I know there is an island somewhere hereabouts. First light and all was revealed and I was shortly entering Wreck Bay there to anchor. It had been 10 days short 1 hour for the 838 mile passage.
I was a little surprised how green was the island after all I had read. Plenty of trees and vegetation, but then I suppose it was the rainy season. First thing after anchoring was a dive over the side to check the bottom of Sea Bear, it had accumulated a crop of goose barnacles so those were scrapped off. A big boxy fish (puffer fish) came along to help, tugging them off and eating them. Formalities took some time to complete, it all has to be done through an agent . At one time there were 6 official aboard plus a diver inspecting the hull. It was all very friendly though and no problems although expensive, I just had to be fumigated in the morning. For that I had to be off the ship for 3 hours so I explored the town, watched the sea lions, swam at the beach and found a nice restaraunt for a 4$ fish meal.
Wreck Bay
Subsequent days saw me walk to the beach and Lobelia for my first sight of marine iguanas, more sea lions of course, this place is ruled by sea lions. Birds including the famed finches, a lava heron, white checked pintails, oystercatcher, a plover and of course plenty of pelicans and frigate birds. Another day I took the bus (they only run on a Sunday) across the island passing through the farming area of El Progresso to La Galapaguera, a breeding project for giant tortoises a walk around here and then on to Puerto Chino, the end of the road and a walk to another lovely beach. No sign of a bus back so after a long wait I rode back in the back of a pickup truck which is what all the taxis here are. Boat maintainance carries on, this time it is major re-stitch of the seams of the spray hood where the stitching has either frayed through or rotted by sunlight and sea air. Its hard awkward work. There is only the one road so some days later I rode my bike up past the highest point, Cerro San Joaquin (896m) to El Junco where I walked up to see the crater lake. That was some hard ride but much easier freewheeling back downhill. I got soaked in a downpour but you don’t get cold here near the equator so it barely matters. Leaving Sea Bear at anchor I took a launcha (fast motorboat with 3 big outboard engines that do the 40 nm trip in about 2 hours) over to Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz to meet up with my son Ged who flown into the Galapagos. We visited the Darwin centre and walked to Turtle bay then managed to arrange a few days on a tourist boat. This was very good indeed, food superb and the wildlife guide very knowledgable and informative. We visited giant tortoises in the highlands of Santa Cruz then the boat took us overnight to island of Espanola where we walked ashore on Gardner bay for sea lions and marine iguanas, snorkeled in the bay seeing turtles. On then to Punta Suarez for a walk across the peninsular though marine iguana breeding sites and masked booby colonies.
Marine Iguana
Gardner Bay Española
Land Iguana Santa Fe
Even though it was a little early in the season we were lucky to see one waved Albatross.
Waved Albatross
One of the features of the Galapagos is the fearless nature of all the wildlife meaning that you can approach really close which is very special. Here we also saw the Galapagos hawk. Next was island of Santa Fe for the cactus trees and land iguanas found only on this island. Then to South Plaza, a different type of landscape, a different type of iguanas plus nesting on the cliffs, swallow tail gulls, blue footed boobies and Audubon’s shearwaters. Throughout there were frigate birds , tropic birds, finches, mockingbirds and Galapagos doves. Tour finished we bussed over Santa Cruz to Puerto Ayora and Ged and I returned by launcha to San Cristobal to rejoin Sea Bear. We had a fabulous snorkel in a rocky cove underneath Cerro Tijeretas with big schools of fish, many brightly coloured big fish and with sea lions swimming really close to you.
Sea Lions
But my time in the Galapagos is up, it has been fabulous, but now its time to arrange my zarpe, clear immigration, stock up with water, veg, fruit and bread and head on out for the Marquesas. They are about 3,000 mile away so 30 days or more.
I had a what I think to be a very slow passage following just about the great circle route which differs not a lot in these latitudes from the rhumb route. I’ll not bore you with the full details but I can understand why Connor O’Brien, who was the first Irish yacht circumnavigator, said if he had to sail 5,000 miles in the trade winds that he would die of boredom. Still as the great Moitessier said, cruising is one long game of patience.
I’ll just add trade winds what trade winds! The pilot books had assured me I would be gently wafted from Galapagos to the Marquesas by the SE trades
Leaving the Galapagos I had no wind then a succession of squalls , one which caught me unawares on a grey drizzly morning when the wind went from 10 knots to 35 – 40 in a matter of moments and torrential rain. It was one of those moments which bought to me how alone you are out here and far away from any help. Then the weather improved for some days but I still had a series of grey overcast days with no sight of the sun. The winds were light many days of 8- 9 knots of wind and sometimes lower. At first they were indeed from SE, living up to their name and we could sail along on a broad reach but then they went E even NE so it was dead downwind, a point of sailing that neither Sea Bear nor I agree to like and there was always enough swell to create at times, lively rolling which was tiresome.
It amazed me how quickly weed and barnacles grow on the bottom in these waters. I had started out clean but after a week already had a fair growth and it doesn’t take too much to slow the boat down and make her sluggish and unresponsive on the helm. One day when the wind was only 3 knots i did launch the dinghy and try and scrape some away but there was too much swell and I adjudged it too dangerous.
There is very little boat traffic this way and I only saw 3 boats, one a freighter and two fishing boats, still with a guard alarm set on AIS it does mean you can get some decent sleep.
The last few hundred miles seemed to take forever, I think i know what its like to be in limbo now.
The penultimate day around midday I spied land, at first not quite sure, was it cloud but no a bit later I was certain Land Ho. The Marquesas are high mountains and I was still 45 miles off.
There was no chance to get in before dark that night so when about 20 miles of I hove too and drifted slowly towards them. Dawn I let draw again, what magnificent islands steep mountainous and verdant and largely unspoiled.
Approaching Hiva Oa
Later as I turned into Atuona Bay, Hiva Oa, I met with Thom on another Vancouver 28 just leaving.
I anchored in the bay, I had made it to one of the most remote group of inhabited islands in the world, Gauguins paradise.
2995 nmiles and 34 days
Hiva Oa Always the first job once the boat is securely anchored is to register with the Authorities. A walk of about 3 kilometers took me to the town of Atuona. At the Gendamarie I discovered that the time zone here is half hour different not 1 hour which is the usual step in time from one zone to another, and the place was shut until after lunch. At that prompt a visit to an ATM saw me furnished with funds, but I had no idea of the exchange rate, although the Polynesian Franc notes were very colourful and pretty, and I could have lunch myself, a real treat after so long on the boat. Later formalities were initiated very easily, but I had to post the form the Gendarmes gave me to Papete, Tahiti where I would have to visit to complete things when I got there. Next a visit to the shops and a real treat in baguettes and french cheese, that would go well with my last bottle of french wine as a celebration of arrival. Ooh and some tins of cold Tahitian beer, one drunk on the spot, perhaps thats why the walk back to the boat seemed so long. I spent a few days at Atuona, looking around and enjoying land.
stone carvings at Atuona
A river emptied into the anchorage bay and it rained a lot meaning the water was very muddy but one benefit of this was that all the fresh water killed off the goose barnacles and weed on the hull. Fatu Hiva Leaving Hiva Oa it was about full moon I thought to have a pleasant moonlit sail to Fatu Hiva. At about 45 miles away it was just to far to guarantee managing all in daylight. It is one disadvantage of sailing in the tropics 12 hour days and 12 hour nights. As it was it turned out very cloudy. Arrived in Baie Hanavave or Bay of the Virgins, a truly spectacular anchorage, steep sided and dominated by rock pinnacles and behind a backdrop of steep high mountains.
Baie Hanavave
The island is very unspoilt and the people super friendly. Went to a dinner of traditional fare for cruisers anchored in the bay hosted by a family from the village. Roast pork, roast goat, breadfruit, coconut milk, roasted pink bananas & pamplemousse was amongst the items on offer. One day a walk took me to a lovely 200 ft waterfall up the valley behind the village where I skinny dipped in the plunge pool, very refreshing. Another walk took me high above the bay looking down on the boats at anchor.
Waterfall at Fatu Hiva
Leaving Bay of Virgins
Tahuata Another night sail took me to Tahuata where I anchored at Baie Hanamoenoa, reckoned by one authority to be one of the 3 most beautiful anchorages in Polynesia. An uninhabited bay with a yellow sand beach back by coconut palms and a backdrop of green hills. Very soft and gentle by Marquesian standards I thought.
Baie Hanamoenoa
From there I thought to visit a bay on the North coast of Hiva Oa, said to be good for ancient Polynesian sites however after all the light winds I had a day of very strong wind with a big breaking swell so it was not to be and halfway there I changed my objective and headed across the 80 miles to Nuku Hiva. A fairly rolly polly night but an early morning arrival in Taiohae bay. I anchored next to Thom’s Vancouver28.
