 |
|
The morning of January 7th was an early one. We were originally informed that our transit would be at 06:30, necessitating the picking up of
our line handlers at 05:30 from the Panama Canal Yacht Club and our Advisor shortly afterwards. We did not actually transit until 08:30, although
our line handlers had been on board for three hours!
Another boat in the anchorage was to transit with us. Amusingly, S/V Marissa Ann, a ketch, was also from Victoria, B.C. although we had not met them before. The ketch had a slightly lesser powered engine, but was a few feet longer than us with her bowsprit - issues of importance when rafting on transit. We received our Advisors - we had the privilege of having Ernesto Cooper on board. It is important to say that the handlers of the pilot boats exercise tremendous skill in maneuvering their vessels around sailing yachts. On two occasions they were able to safely deposit personnel aboard DP without even touching our hull!
We were ready for Cooper and had been circling around for about 15 minutes in anticipation of our transit. We started our progress along
with S/V Marissa Ann, but had to slow down as the freighter we were transitting with was far behind us. The Dockwise Yacht transporter turned out to be
an excellent vessel with which to share the transit.. Perhaps being experienced in the handling and transporting of sailing yachts gave the captain and
crew respect for us smaller vessels. We never experienced any backwash from her propellers and when she moved from lock to lock, we didn't even
feel a ripple.
Going up the Gatun locks, we rafted up with S/V Marissa Ann and followed behind the Dockwise vessel. We were very pleased at having our line handlers as the crew on our accompanying vessel seemed initially confused and tried to tie the rafting lines over their life lines. I am sorry that I do not remember the name of the Advisor aboard S/V Marissa Ann, since he ended up coordinating the transit of our two vessels (the rule with the Advisors is that the Advisor on the larger vessel calls the shots).
The first lock was a bit scary, entering the lock and having the doors shut behind you. Then watching (and feeling) the turbulance of the water coming in and raising the boat from a depth of 30 feet to 70. The small platform vessel behind us was shifting around violently, reminding us of the importance of keeping those lines tight.
Having hired four line handlers was the best possible insurance for the safety of our vessel. Three of the four had worked for the Panama Canal prior to the handover by the Americans to Panama, and had extensive experience moving vessels through. They knew the people working on the other ends of the lines, and having locals that spoke the same language in the same dialect was an asset. Furthermore, having four of them freed me up to assist with other tasks, get drinks & snacks, and assist Barry with any last minute needs. We came out of our experience feeling that it should be mandatory to hire at least 2 experienced line handlers (although we enjoyed having 4) and having 6 people plus the advisor - 4 four handling lines, one at the wheel, and one to keep an eye on things. For us, this is probably going to be a once in a lifetime experience - it was worth doing it well!!
 |
 |
Each of the three Gatun Locks was a new experience, and it was utterly bizarre to come out of the third into this huge freshwater lake crowded with freighters and cruiseships. We immediately separated from the ketch and headed off. We did set sail as our boat can sail easily at 8.5 knots, but it's a push to motor her at the same speed. The route is clearly marked with red and green cans, and smaller vessels take the "bananna cut", which is a shortcut away from the largest vessels. It was fascinating to see not only the sticks of dead, submersed trees, but the full canopy of submerged live ones projecting out of the water!! Monkeys, crocodiles and parrots abound, and the jungle is very close to the water's edge. As we joined up with the main thoroughfare, we were passed by several freighters, one of which gave off such a bow wave that one of our line handlers got utterly soaked!
 |
 |
Perhaps the most fascintaing section was the Calubra or Galliard Cut. It was here that they had to blow the rock out of the hillsides to carve out the canal. It is fairly narrow, and as we neared the Pedro Miguel lock, the battle between land and canal was evident. A dredger was at work down the sides, and the hills alongside were squared off and reinforced to slow down erosion. Suddently, large freighters could be seen waiting for the lock - it seemed like they came out of nowhere. We rafted up to one of the large working tugs at dock to await S/V Marissa Ann and the Dockwise freighter, which we had passed before entering the Calubra Cut
 |
 |
The Pedro Miguel lock is a single pair of locks leading down to Lake Miraflores, then a gap before the Miraflores locks and the Pacific. It is in this lake that the Pedro Miguel Boat Club, our destination, is lcoated.
On the downwards trip, we went in first with the freighter behind us. Once again, we rafted up with S/V Marissa Ann, and slowly moved into the lock. With the sun now lowering in the sky, the shadows that were cast were quite long. Subsequently, as the water level was lowered in the lock, the Dockwise Freighter looked more and more ominous. Since the water was being drained from the lock, the turbulence was much less and the boats felt steadier. This particular lock has double doors for added safety, and we had a good look at them as we exited into Lake Miraflores.
 |
 |
Immediately to our left was the Pedro Miguel Boat Club. We were in the right-most lock, so the club wasn't obvious until we had exited. We separated from S/V Marissa Ann and wished her well on the final part of her transit, then headed off to the Boat Club.
Such a fantastic place! The docks are in definite need of some TLC, but given that the area is so protected, it is possible to find safe dockage. Situated parallel from the Pedro Miguel Locks, there is a clear view of the vessels transitting. Anything from US Miliary supply ships to the Queen Elizabeth II cruised through while we were there.
More importantly, the people at the Pedro Miguel Boat Club turned the place into a delightful stop. Sadly, many of the boats residing at the Boat Club were sufferring from damage sustained during their transit - a reminder to us of how lucky we were. But despite the sadness, the people were wonderful and immensely helpful. The clubhouse is very complete with a large shared kitchen (complete with microwave, two stoves, commercial sized refrigerators and freezer), dining area, TV room, computer and T1 for laptop connections to the internet. This space turned out to be the central hub of activity in the evenings, and we even had the privilege of music jam sessions with wooden drums, pipes, and guitars.
It was with great reluctance that we left Darwin's Passage for a 5 week period. We were comfortable leaving her in the hands of Heather and Jim, who help to manage the Boat Club, but we missed her the moment we left. Our hope was for a quick trip back to Canada, and then onwards to the Galapagos Islands!!
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |