La Playita

Nous sommes toujours au mouillage de La Playita (Panama City). Ce n’est vraiment pas un mouillage ideal: eau trouble, beaucoup de houle et de vagues venant des gros bateaux qui sortent du canal. Mais c’est un mouillage pratique pour avancer dans nos preparations de la nouvelle grande traverse. Quoi de neuf depuis notre arrive ici mardi dernier?

Nous avons retrouve Pickles (Americain), un bateau copain rencontre en avril dernier avec 4 enfants a bord et Nika (Autralien) rencontre aux San Blas  avec 3 enfants a bord. Il y a aussi les deux voiliers francais Maloya et Archibald avec chacun 3 enfants a bord. Cela fait donc beaucoup d’enfants tout content d’avoir enfin plein de copains avec qui jouer. Les enfants mettent donc a profit leur jours de vacances pour rattraper le temps sans copains. L’avitaillement se poursuit et la ligne d’eau continue d’etre de plus en plus basse. Il nous  reste encore a acheter la viande et les produits frais. Nous avons eu notre nouvelle annexe. Elle est toute belle, toute propre et surtout tres grande! Malheureusement, il y a une petite fuite (le distributeur est en train de trouver une solution a ce probleme. Il semblerait de toute facon que les histories de bateaux ne soinet jamais parfaites). Du tissu special a ete achete pour tenter de faire une housse pour la proteger du soleil et des mauvais pontons. Greg a debute l’installation de notre nouveau AIS (Automatic Transmission System: pour voir sur l’ecran les grands bateaux). Nous avons ainsi la possibilite de transmettre un signal et donc d’etre vu par les autres navires (qui ont le meme systeme, obligatoire au dela d’une certaine taille). Il a aussi debute l’installation de deux nouvelles batteries. La pompe d’eau de mer semble bouder et il va donc falloir y passer quelque sheures aussi. Entre mes differentes visites aux supermarches, j’ai enfin trouve le temps d’aller chez le coiffeur. Il nous faut encore trouver un dentiste pour une derniere visite avant cette traverse loin de tout.

On s’affere, on prepare, on pousse les affaires dans les moindres recoins. Tous les voiliers(il y en a tout de meme une bonne quarantaine)  ici parlent des memes choses : courses et preparations techniques. Cela met dans le bain meme l’equipier le plus novice.



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).  

We are going through today

Today is the big day! We are transiting the canal (1st locks) at the end of this afternoon. We are ready!The other locks and the Pacific will be tomorrow.  Here is a link to the live web cams where you can see us go through http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html (may be only for the patient ones)

Et un de plus!

Clea: "Mon anniersaire est arrive aujourd'hui"

Et J'aime les cadeaux!

Les derniers jours de ce cote

Nous passons le canal lundi. Nous posterons l'heure au cas ou certains d'entre vous voudrons nous suivre (il y a une page Web avec cameras!).

En attendant, on se prepare. Chacun s'y met et avoir une personne de plus a bord rend les choses plus rapides et plus simples.

On repare (les pneus vont servir de defenses lors du passage).

On nettoie et on fait briller

On avance avec le Cned. Encore une evaluation (dessin) et les enfants auront fait 80% de leur programme de l'annee. Bientot plus de poste a proximite donc on en profite. Puis vacances bien meritees pour tous.