4. Panama to Costa Rica via the Canal

Nov. 18th - Dec. 1st. Nothing can prepare you for the thrill of a canal passage, except of course the long queue! Our need was to sail Wirewalker through the canal and up to Golfito, Costa Rica where we'd swap crew and proceed to Mazatlan, Mexico to keep the boat. We had 4 weeks to do this in. No time to lose.

We left Bocas del Toro, Panama on the 20th and headed directly to the canal zone.

It's a bit thrilling to sail in November through the night close to the canal zone. November is the height of rainy season, so squalls are everywhere, blanking out the radar. When the squall would pass, you to see the freighter 1/2 mile off your stern that you didn't even know was there while the squall was upon you! Life in the canal zone!

We wanted to get the paperwork shuffle going 1st thing Monday so we would be properly in the queue. We arrived at the Panama Canal Yacht Club at about 2:00 pm and quickly made contact with a person to assist us with the dance. Great progress, but we didn't make it onto the list on Monday. We did get the fees paid and joined the queue on Tuesday, with a tentative sailing date of Sunday. Yeah! No long wait.

The next issue on the list was a very stubborn helm that we'd noted on the sail down. Turns out that the nylon rudder bearing on the port side was seized. With the nearest place to haul in Cartagena, we had to figure out how to fix the problem while the boat remained in the water.

We had to dive on the rudder bearing and hand saw it out (under water). And while we had a spare rudder bearing, it was also oversized. Fortunately, we were able to machine it down, put it in place (under water) along with the rudder and get going again. The only cost? Two days of being in the not-so-clean water at Panama Canal Yacht Club. So far, no strange diseases noted.
(Bill and Jim diving on the rudder bearing in the Panama Canal).

With 3 or 4 days left on our wait for the canal passage, we decided to take a sail up the Chagres River. If you have the chance, don't miss this! While the entrance (bar) is a bit challenging, it is well worth the trip.











Now, for the canal: We finally got our spot and had to prepare Wirewalker for the passage. Because the shoreside line-handlers throw monkey fists to the boats in transit, we needed to protect our solar panels, ports, etc. from errant throws. After using all our cushions for this task and realizing more was needed, we pulled out the sail bags, life jackets, suitcases, etc. to make sure we were adequately covered. (see picture to right). And it turns out that it's a smart thing to cover everything. The monkey fists really can cause damage to unprotected gear!

For the passage, we rafted with a beautiful Morris 51' to our port. By far the most expensive bumper we've ever had! Here are some of the pictures while transitting:





















When you see the Bridge of the Americas, you're through. What an amazing sight, and of course, the champagne had to flow!





Through the canal, but we still had 350 miles or so to go to Golfito, Costa Rica, and our time was really limited. We stopped in Flamenco Marina, Panama for about 2 hours to refuel, top off the provisions and then headed out. Just like the Caribbean side, the Pacific side is chock-a-block with freighters; five in one hour was not unusual. You keep your eyes open, and the prayers flowing!

Two and one half days later, we arrived in Golfito, for a weekend's R&R, and a change of crew.











Thank you, Jim and Darda, Gary and Sandy, and Ray for being a part of our canal passage!