Sail Away With Us: Colombia to Panama

Santa Marta

Hello Again

Santa Marta, Colombia. What a delightful stop this was. Once again it was such a pity we could not have stayed longer and really explored the area. For starters the marina there is great. Very clean with a wonderful team of staff to look after you. They took care of all our check in and out paperwork which is really helpful as our Spanish is very limited at best. Anyway one has to have an agent here by law to do your paperwork.

Santa Marta

We had arrived into one of the oldest cities in South America. It was founded in 1525 by the Spanish. Of course there are the more ancient city ruins scattered throughout South America which were built by its indigenous inhabitants. Santa Marta sits along a sandy bay surrounded by the highest coastal mountain range in the world – the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Its two highest peaks are 5,775mts. National Parks and lovely beaches are also in close vicinity. We were told that for some days each month a katabatic wind blows off the mountains at up to 50kts at times, creating spray filled waves in the marina. Fortunately for us these winds did not occur during our stay. In fact it was hot and sunny. The temperature was not below 30deg. C. During the day, but in the evenings it dropped somewhat to make going out for dinner and sitting at the outside tables at the restaurants really pleasant.

Santa Marta

The city really comes to life in the evenings with people coming out to enjoy the beach front promenade where street vendors set up stalls selling everything imaginable. We found the supermarket had a wonderful selection of foods at very reasonable prices on meats and local produce. We also found fruits which we have in New Zealand and not seen for ages, like feijoas, tree tomatoes, and banana passionfruit, along with another three varieties of passion fruit. Also there are the lovely purple skinned sweet potatoes everywhere.

Santa Marta

As I said, it was such a pity we could not stay longer, but Alec really wanted to reach Colon in Panama to sort out our problems before entering the Pacific. As our batteries seemed to be behaving properly Alec fits in our replacement chart plotter. Oh what a difference it makes. So, after five nights here we are on our way again. We are heading for the San Blas Islands which lie on Panama’s Caribbean coast.

Port of Santa Marta

Now this leg is one we NEVER want to repeat !!! We thought we had had our run of bad luck, and that we would arrive in Panama, have the problems sorted on the Colon side of the canal in the Shelter Bay Marina ( the only marina on this side of the canal ) head through the canal and into the Pacific. The best made plans of man ( I should say cruisers ) never go as planned. The weather forecast was for NE winds between 20-25kts gusting 30kts. Seas were to be between 2-3mts. This proved to be correct, but at times we had slightly bigger seas. For us it was a downwind run and a broad reach. No problems, SHAMAL can handle this. The first twenty four hours were fine. Second night at three in the morning, oh why is it always on my watch, we were surfing off a wave when there was a load bang ! We swerve to port and the autopilot drops out. At first I think the bang is just the force of the water hitting us. I bring the boat back on course and punch it the autopilot again. SHAMAL just won’t hold our course. I end up starting an engine to help bring the boat back, when this does not work after the third attempt, I call for Alec. Next thing I hear a horrid grating sound coming from the port side. Alec goes down to the engine room and hears it as well. About 10 minutes later the grating noise stopped. We both have our suspicions of what has happened, but neither say so!! Alec starts the STBD engine and after a few minutes we are holding course on the autopilot again and as long as we keep the engine running all is fine. What is left of the night goes smoothly. At first light we both check the port side. Our worst fear is confirmed. Yes we have lost the port rudder. Oh help, talk about up the creek without a paddle (rudder). Thank goodness we have two. The how’s and whys of what happened won’t get properly answered now till we lift the boat, which is now going to happen before we transit the Panama Canal. We may have hit a log as we were in an area where rivers flow into the sea carrying rubbish. So, we will now try to enjoy the San Blas Islands for a few days before reaching Colon.

San Blas Islands

We reach the reef and enter in dropping anchor in the Eastern Lemmon Cays. It certainly is pretty, and the waters are all the beautiful shades of blue depending on the depth, and again they are clear here as we are sitting some distance from the coast. Unfortunately it is extremely hazy the whole time we are here. We only get a glimpse of the sun occasionally. One of the first things we do once we have dropped anchor, is take a dive on the boat to survey the damage. The rudder has gone and all we have left is a piece of 60mm stainless steel pipe protruding out the bottom. There is no evidence of any corrosion. Just a clean break. We won’t know any more till we have been lifted.

Behind the reef in the San Blas

The San Blas Islands

San Blas

There are over 340 islands which run from the boarder with Colombia to Punta San Blas. This area is the home to the indigenous Guna Indians who have kept their traditions and culture virtually untouched over the centuries. Outsiders are prohibited from permanently settling in the area, and the Gunas cannot marry outsiders. Today they number about 55,000. Their forefathers originally lived on the mainland in the Darien Mountains, but over the years migrated out to the islands due to everything from flooding to hostility on the mainland. Like everyone else in the region, they suffered at the hands of the Spanish invaders. They still own coastal lands where they raise animals and crops, and many will take their dugout canoes ashore each morning to tend them, returning in the evenings. Today they make a living from coconuts which are grown on nearly every island.

Guna Woman

San Blas

They also make money from selling “molas”. These are beautiful intricately sewn cloth with different colours of layered fabric cut and sewn in incredible patterns showing abstract birds, animals and marine life. They do a simple one and sell it cheaply to tourists which I first brought, then I was introduced to the “real” molas. It was interesting to learn that many of the top quality ones are made by the men and transvestites. Yes I spent the dollars and got one.

Cheap Molas

We snorkel the reef in our area. The sea temperature is over 30deg. C. We take SHAMAL over to Isle Porvenir to pay the National Park fee and get stamped into Panama. We will need to continue towards Colon to complete the rest of the paperwork and obtain our cruising permit etc.

Expensive Mola

When I went forward to raise the anchor to go over to Isle Porvenir, as I opened the anchor locker the smell of rotten fish took my breath away. I ended up pulling five flying fish out from the chain locker. They must have entered along the chain guide channel. On that leg from Santa Marta we had dozens of them all over the boat. At night they were flying into the cockpit hitting us on the way. The worst part was once we arrived into Shelter Bay Marina inside the break water on the west side of the bay, we could still smell dead fish. We discovered ten more inside the sail bag!!

Isle Porvenir

Flying fish

Time to move on again. We only have about 80nm to run to Colon, but we decide we will take it easy and take short hops. We motor sail out from the San Blas Islands and head for Isle Linton. It is only a run of 45nm. We are running in seas of two metres and winds of 20kts. We have no problems and SHAMAL is managing well on one rudder. This leg we stay fairly close to the coast running behind reefs where the seas are a little smaller. We make Isle Linton just after lunch. Another strange phonily occurs during this leg. At one stage a vessel shows up on the AIS a quarter of a mile behind us. Alec swings around but no one is there. He jokes, oh just a submarine following us! It disappeared before he has time to put the curser on it to get a name, heading and other details. Twenty minutes later there it is again. This time he is on the mark. Have it he yells. Then he starts laughing. It is us. What do you mean, one can’t pick up one’s own AIS. But sure enough it is us. This continues to occur. Another glitch to sort out. Another cruiser called it “ghosting” picking up your own boats AIS signal.

Shamal following Shamal

Anchorage at Isla Linton

Isle Linton, the anchorage was a little rolly, but that really didn’t bother us. We go ashore here to finish our paperwork for checking into Panama. There is a huge travel lift here which we take a mental note of just in case we cannot be lifted at Shelter Bay Marina, but there are really no facilities such as help from staff. The following morning we motor sail on to Portobello. We had read about this place in the cruising guide and felt it sounded an interesting place to visit. Discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1502, and later this port was used to transport tons of gold and silver out of South America to Spain. Between 1574 and 1702 forty five fleets of galleons used this port. The pirate Henry Morgan managed to take Portobello for some time demanding 1000,000 pesos not to destroy it. Today the ruins of the old forts line the inner harbour. There is also the old customs house built in 1630 looking like some restoration has gone on, but stopped again. Then there is the Church of San Felipe de Portobello which is home to the Black Christ.

Portobello

The Black Christ, Portobello

So after a short sail of 8nm we stopped here to visit the town. This was a well protected anchorage. We had dinner ashore at a small restaurant run by a German couple who have stopped here to make some money so they can continue with their sailing in a few years. The husband has a sail loft here.

Portobello

Local Bus, Portobello

Then it was our last leg in the Caribbean, the 18nm run down to Colon. The sun was out, seas were following at only a metre with white caps dancing off the tops. The winds were 15-17kts. Just perfect. We motored in between the break water, turning hard to starboard to enter Shelter Bay Marina which sits in the Fort Sherman US military reserve. There is an old airfield here with the crumbled remains of buildings. Plus it is also located on the edge of a national park so we are surrounded by tropical rainforest. We wake each morning, and at dusk, hearing the howler monkeys calling to each other. They also call out when it rains. Colourful birds and butterflies cross the marina from the rainforest.

Entrance into Colon Harbour

Shelter Bay Marina

Now for the serious stuff. As we check in we ask about the size of their travel lift. Yes we can be lifted here thank goodness. Alec is in touch with the Seawind factory now based in Vietnam. Yes new rudders will be made and sent to us as soon as possible. They just need him to check the size of the pipe that is left protruding. That involves a quick dive. We are told there are crocodiles in the marina. Yes this will be a very quick dive, and it was. We saw our first one yesterday, about three metres long, but not near our dock! Also there seems to be people here who will be able to assist us with our other problems.

The Panama Canal – A Brief History

Advisor arriving on Pilot Boat

Peter at the helm of Kiwi Roa

Three centuries after the original Spanish survey, in the year 1889, construction of the Panama Canal officially began supervised by French engineers. Unfortunately disaster followed quickly. The underfunded company was badly mismanaged, but worse still, the geographic and climatic conditions of the region was to claim 20 thousand lives through disease and the harsh working conditions. Work halted, then was picked up in 1894 by a second French company. At this time it was recommended that locks should be constructed. Again this second company ran into financial trouble, and were forced to hand over all rights and ownership to the United States government.

Entering 1st lock behind a ship

Lock line handlers

Meanwhile Panama, who was still part of Colombia at this stage, declared its independence in 1903. Now Panama and the United States signed a treaty where by the U.S. would do the construction of the canal. The canal was finally opened to traffic on August 15, 1914. Huge excavations were carried out to create the six locks – three at each end – plus a dam needed to be constructed on the Chargers River to form Gatun Lake. Once vessels leave the Gatun Locks, on the Atlantic side, they travel 20nm across the lake then enter the Gillard Cut. This section is approximately 7nm long, and has been carved out from rock and shale and winds through to the first of the three locks at the Pacific end. This section has undergone widening several times to accommodate ships as they are increasing in size.

Tightening the lines as water rises

Due to the increase in traffic using the canal, and larger ships being built, a set of new lock chambers have been built to accommodate them.

The Transit of the Panama Canal

Inside the lock

Hundreds of yachts pass through the canal each year, mostly first timers, but there are a number who are on their second or third transit. For us first timers, it is a good idea to offer to be a line handler on another boat first to learn exactly what is involved. As we are now waiting for parts to arrive we decided this will be a good time to offer. As we are well into the transit season, the number passing through at the moment has dwindled off, but we are extremely lucky to find a Kiwi boat called “Kiwi Roa” owned by Peter Smith, the man who developed the Rocna anchor. This will be his third transit. This guy is an extremely experienced sailor with over 250,000nm behind him. Many of those miles in the southern and northern oceans. He built his own boat, a 52ft alloy boat. Extremely solid. Peter had already arranged for four local boys to be line handlers through his agent, but said to us, yes come along. I was to help with the feeding of the crew, and Alec to help Peter out. Ones needs a boat survey before the transit to determine your length, type of boat, engine power etc. With this done four long lines and eight big fenders are delivered to your vessel. Peter already had his own, so extras were not required. Every other vessel we have seen leaving has hired them, and we will do like wise.

Lock gate closes behind us

We left the Shelter Bay Marina at midday and drop anchor just outsiders the marina with our line handlers already on board. Here we wait for the pilot boat to drop off the “Advisor”. In our case there were two of them as we had a trainee Advisor as well. These guys are not pilots. They don’t drive your vessel like the ones in the Suez Canal did. They are there to advise you of the different situations you will encounter, guide you through the locks, and alert you to the marine traffic you will encounter on the transit making sure you stay on the correct side of the channels etc.

Out on Gatun Lake

Gatun Lake

It is late afternoon when we head for the first set of locks. Going up yachts sit behind a ship. In our case we were the only yacht. There are four lock line handlers for yachts. Two each side. One for a stern line, the other for a bow line. When you are near the entrance they throw light lines to you which your line handlers then attach to your lines. The guys on the lock wall then pull your lines ashore and place the large loop around a bollard. The lock gates close and water is pumped in. As your vessel rises your line handlers take up the slack either around your cleats, and or your winches at the stern, and just around the cleats on the bow. For us we were the only yacht in the locks for the lift up. If there are more yachts, they will raft up together, no more than three together.

Shipping on the Lake

Passing through Gaillard Cut

For the first three locks you enter one after the other and it takes approximately three hours. The dock side handlers walk you through from one lock to the next. On exiting the first three locks we now enter Gatun Lake. We have been lifted a total of 26 meters (84 feet). Here we spent a night at anchor. Our line handlers stay with us, but our Advisor is taken off by a pilot boat. The following morning a new Advisor is bought out to us. We are on our way about 08.30 a.m. and will motor the 20nm across the lake to the first of the three locks which will drop us down to the Pacific Ocean. The lake area is a National Park surrounded by tropical rain forest. Most of the lake is very shallow so it is important all vessels stay within the buoyed channel. We pass through the Gillard Cut being impressed with the huge amount of excavation that took place here. Then we reach the first down lock – the Pedro Miguel Locks. For this, and the other two locks, we will have two smaller mono yachts rafted to us. Once that is completed we enter the lock in front of a ship. We were brought right in front of the forward lock gates and again tied to a bollard on the lock walls. Once through the first lock, we stay rafted together and cross Miraflores Lake, approximately a mile, to the next two locks, the Miraflores Locks. These three locks now drop us to the Pacific. We do have a couple of incidents in the last set of locks. One line is not caught first time by a handler on a boat and has to be re-thrown. We are now pushed towards the opposite lock wall. After lots of shouting and engines working well above normal revs in reverse, we manage not to let the rafted yacht hit the wall. Remember plastic boats and concrete walls are not compatible! Then in the last lock one of the lock wall line handlers wanders off after securing a stern line to the lock wall. When the lines are ready to be dropped, the Advisor will blow a whistle so all four lines are dropped in unison. Well the stern line guy was not there to drop his line. This meant we are all left hanging by one line. There was a bit of a commotion for a few minutes, then he saunters back putting on his life jacket, and lifts the line off the bollard before any damage is done. There is quite a bit of water turbulence in the last and first locks where salt and fresh water mix.

Rafting up

We now motor out to Marina Playita and drop anchor. This sits at a group of three small islands joined by a causeway to the mainland sitting off the canal side of Panama City. Our Advisors and line handlers leave us here. We spend an extra night with Peter gleaning so much knowledge from him. The following morning Alec and I make our way back on the bus to Colon, then get a taxi out to the marina.

Last set of locks

Ship comes in behind us

Panama City, Pacific side

So we have now been through to the Pacific Ocean. The trouble is it is not on SHAMAL. Our little home needs some maintenance before we can make this trip. We are just one of several yachts sitting in Shelter Bay Marina making our boats ready for that long trip out to French Polynesia. Our time will come.