We are on the other side since yesterday!

Monday lunch time: we filled up with diesel. Another 600kg on board and a water line even lower. With internet access from the marina, we sorted out the last few things we could before a new adventure. Our linehandlers joined us around 2pm: Rob and Linda from Changing Spots and Simon from Troutbridge.

We moved to the Flats, the anchorage where our Canal Adviser joined us at 6:30pm. While we were waiting we introduced our crew to Uno and played all together some fun games. A relaxed way to wait for the new experience.

Gatun, the first locks: Our adviser arrived. We lifted the anchor and went to the locks. We nested with another monohull on our port side, having all the protection well positioned (tyres, fenders) to avoid damage on the hulls and our windows. We entered the locks rafted up together, Greg being the one controlling the 2 boats. Once in the locks, behind a huge ship, we tied up next to a big diving charter boat. We were then in the middle, not doing much with our lines. However, Greg was at the wheel checking we were staying in the middle of the lock. We then went up with the water. Once at the top of the lock, we untied with the diving boat and moved to the next lock. There are 3 locks in the 1^st series of locks, so we did that 3 times. We had a very competent crew on board (Rob and Simon did the transit once before on another boat) and everything went very smoothly. Around 11pm, we tied up to a big buoy in the Gatun Lake, close to another cat and with the monohull on our side again. Our adviser left us. We had a very late but rewarding diner with some wine before crashing to sleep.

The next morning our new adviser, Edwin, arrived at 6am. With all the other sailing boats (4 in total), we motored crossing the Gatun lake for about 4 hours, trying to spot crocodiles, checking the “moving” landscapes (they are building a new canal and are cutting islands in the lake to have a straight route for the really really big super tankers), checking out for birds, admiring the huge boat crossing the lake the other way... The kids, very happy to have so many playing partners, taught our guests how to play mancala and showed they were still the best. Our adviser told us lots of great info regarding the canal, its history and its future (however, too long to write here!). We arrived around 11am close to the 1^st lock of the Miraflores series of locks.

We rafted up with the same monohull. We had nobody on our stardboard side this time so we had to control our line going ashore on that side, while we were going down. There was no big ship in front of us, only the 3 other sailing vessels rafted together. Going down is an easy process and our friendly adviser was very helpful, experienced and competent. We had the feeling that everything was under control. Accidents happen when people are not concentrated, not serious or incompetent. We didn’t experience any of this and our transit was smooth, stress less and really enjoyable. The last door of the Miraflores lock open to the Pacific around 12:30, while our family was checking us life on the Panama Canal web site. We then motored again, goind under the bridge with divides North America to South America. A pilot boat came to pick up our nice adviser. We went to La Payita, our new anchorage spot for few days in Panama City.

Now we are trying to get ready for our next leg to the Galapagos (via Las Perlas).  

Comments

[Peter]

Sounds like a wonderful adventure!

[Todd]

Congratulations on entering a new sea and the next leg of your wonderful adventure! We went to the Olympics in Vancouver last week and will send you some pictures soon. Miss you. Todd, Tara, Tyler, Kaeli

[Jean-Robert]

Incroyable de vous avoir suivi en direct !
Plus incroyanble encore : c'est vous qui nous avez annoncé le drame qui se déroulait en Vendée Dimanche dernier. J'ai des amis a qui c'est arrivé aussi de la même façon (annonce par un membre de leur famille depuis Equateur !) : comme nous étions tous privé d'electricite en Vendee, personne n'etait au courant du drame qui se deroulait a 30 kms de chez nous.
De vrais drames : des gens surpris pendant leur sommeil par la montee des eaux extremement rapide (2 metres en a peine un quart d'heure), et impossible de s'echapper de leur logement : il faisit noir (pas d'electricite), les meubles flottaient, les volets roulant electriques non focntionnel, de l'eau a 10°C. d'autres otn, tente de rejoibdre leurs combles sous leur toit (dans les maisons vendeennes, il n'y a pas de grenier) : mais impossible soit d'ouvrir la trappe (il afut une echelle), soit de passer a travers les trappes trop petites.
Une tretaine de morts dans la nuit.
Bref, l'horreur !
Depuis, la solidarite s'organise en vendee : des gens ont tout perdu, principalement des retraites qui etaient venus construire une petite maison au bord de la mer.
Accuses aujourd'hui : les maires qui ont delivre des permis de construire sans se poser les bonnes questions (mais il est dur de resister a l'expansion de sa petite commune quand on est maire), des digues plus en etat, ...
Chez nous (dan sles terres) : pas de gros degats, il faut dire que des venets a 120 ou 130 km/h, on en a tous les ans une ou deux fois. Alors 150 km/h, ça ne fait pas beaucoup de difference.
On vous fait de grosses bises : et on vous souhaite de belles joiens sur le Pacific.
Les dernieres photos sont superbes : surtout celles de lanniversaire de Clea que nous embrassons tout particulierement, ainsi que la grand navigagatrice !