Panama Canal

15th January 2009

09.20 N 079.54 W

We arrived in Colon to prepare for the transit fully expecting to have to wait some weeks before being allocated a slot. However, we found that there was, in fact, little waiting time and within a week we were booked to go. We had to find 4 line handlers to help us through and were delighted when ‘Happy Spirit’, who we had first met in Grenada, turned up and offered to help, in exchange for our help on their crossing. Along with Richard, from ‘Kachina’ we left Colon at about 5.30 in the evening on 23rd January. We were quite excited, and a little nervous as we set off. We transitted with 2 other yachts rafted up together, with us being on one side and the centre boat being in control. We went into the locks behind a large ship and the transit began. It is a little worrying to have an unknown skipper in charge of your boat’s safety, particularly when he and his crew are wearing little more than thongs, and there were a couple of tense moments, but all in all it went well. There are 3 locks going up, each taking us up about 30ft, to Gatun Lake where had to tie up to a buoy for the night.

In the morning we set off to motor across the lake, which took about 4 hours. There are another 3 locks going down and into the Pacific Ocean. I can hardly believe it!! A couple of days later we caught a bus back to Colon to do the transit again, as agreed, with ‘Happy Spirit’. It was a more relaxed affair for us, as the responsibility was theirs this time, and we had a lot of fun.

Our first Pacific stop was at La Playita, a couple of miles from the canal, where we needed to stock up for the long journey ahead. After arriving in a very positive frame of mind we were quite disappointed to find that there was a lot of unrest in the anchorage, with the dinghy dock owners refusing to allow dinghies to tie up. They charged $5 per day for the privilege of using the dock, but as so many people had not been paying and the dock was overrun with dinghies they decided that they didn’t want us there. This meant that we were virtual prisoners on the boat for a few days. There was no other way of going ashore apart from the marina around the headland and the weather was too rough for that to be an option. We just had to sit tight whilst the dock owners tried to find a solution to the problem. It was a bit expensive to go shopping there with the dock fees and taxi fares but we eventually got all that we needed (I hope!!) and headed off as soon as we could with Chinook wallowing a couple of inches below her normal waterline, with the weight of full tanks and several months supplies.

Las Perlas

14th February 2009

08.36 N 079.04 W

From La Playita we headed for Las Perlas Islands, a largely uninhabited and unspoilt group of islands just off the coast of Panama. They were a real treat after the hectic time in Panama and although we did a lot of hard work on the boat in preparation for ‘the longest passage on the planet!!!!’ we still enjoyed the islands. Our first stop was behind a huge rock at Isla Pacheca, which served as a colony for pelicans and frigate birds and each evening, as they all came in to roost, we were entertained by bright flashes of scarlet as the breeding male frigate birds inflated their crop (on the neck!) to attract the ladies. Very impressive! We stayed for a couple of days and it was here that we discovered the huge reduction in the sea temperature since the Caribbean. It was only 22 degrees!!! We had got used to 32 degrees! Anyway it’s too cold for me, although the dolphins who came to play in the bay didn’t seem to mind. I believe the temperature is due to the Humboldt Current, which comes up from Antarctica.

From there we sailed down to another group of small islands, the wind was so light it took us 6 hours to travel 11 miles – it felt like we were still at anchor! Anyway it was worth it as the sea was so flat and the scenery so beautiful. It was almost like being back in the UK (specially with the sea temperature) as the vegetation looked so similar from the boat and, being dry season, many of the trees had shed their leaves and some of the remaining ones were wearing autumnal colours. The ocean here, unlike the Caribbean, is tidal so we also found the shore to be riddled with rock pools and this too felt like a taste of home.

The water is teeming with life here and it was a common sight to see hundreds of birds in a feeding frenzy.
We anchored at Isla Casaya. Our friends, from Happy Spirit, turned up after a couple of days, and anchored nearby, so we spent some pleasant evenings in their company on the beach, where we built a fire and made a barbeque. One evening, as we waded back out to launch the dinghy, we noticed patterns of phosphorescence as we disturbed the surface of the water. On the way back to the boat we drove round in circles to watch the wake sparkling behind us and then I kicked my feet over the side of the dinghy to watch the explosions of light, like fireworks in the water. It’s just as well that this was so entertaining as we had forgotten to put the anchor light on and had some difficulty finding the boat in the dark!!

We had one more stop on Isle de Rey before kicking off to the Galapagos. Here we found the shore to be rich with fruit trees. Our fresh produce was getting quite low by this point so we were very happy to collect mangos, coconuts and almonds for the journey. Yummy.

San Blas and Portobello

12th January 2009

09.33 N 079.39 W

We left Curacao on 19th December to be in the San Blas Islands for Christmas. We had a pretty good sail apart from meeting ‘green monsters’ as we passed the coast of Cartagena in Columbia, noted for its terrible weather conditions, always at least 10 knots more wind than anywhere else in the Caribbean, and horrible seas. It was a bit uncomfortable but at least it picked up our boat speed and got us into the islands a day earlier than expected, just. We had a mad dash for the last few miles trying to make it in before nightfall. It was looking good and we arrived with an hour to spare, except that at that point the sun disappeared behind cloud and didn’t come out again that evening! We had to anchor quite cautiously in deep water rather than risk the reefs in the half light, but at least we were tied up safely for the night.

As we were rushing to get in we saw dozens of dolphins leaping in from all directions, making their way towards a boiling sea just ahead of us, where hundreds of sea birds were screeching and swooping as they feasted on a bounty of fish. Whilst we watched this feeding frenzy a large fin appeared ominously amidst the melee, moving slowly through the pack, taking his share of the spoils at his leisure. We looked on in awe and when he had had his fill this 20ft whale shark slid elegantly away, passing down the side of the boat within 10ft!!!! The patterns on him were stunning.

The San Blas islands are gorgeous; small, coral islands with palm trees, surrounded in reefs teeming with lobster and crabs. Sadly it was overcast the whole time we were there, but that couldn’t spoil the experience and we had some great snorkelling, meeting several stingrays and nurse sharks on the way.

The local population are the Kuna Indians who tend the islands and fish the reefs. Many of them travel around in small dugout sail boats. It takes several hours for them to cross the archipelago and so they have small camps on some of the island where they can spend the night. The women make beautiful ‘molas,’ which are hand stitched, reverse appliqués, depicting their history and the creatures of their land. They are very beautiful and irresistible!!! From time to time they came around to the boats to show them to us. We were also surprised to find that the Kunas come round twice a week selling fresh fruit and vegetables and wine!! Amazing!

Our first stop on the mainland was at Portobello, where the privateer Francis Drake is said to be buried. They have a slightly different view of him here! Portobello is a lovely little town surrounded in forts which protected the bay and the gold warehouses which, in days of old, held huge amounts of gold and silver from Peru. I really enjoyed scrambling around the ruins here and would have liked to spend more time exploring the area.

With Colon and the canal transit waiting for us we have rushed this part of the journey a bit but, nevertheless, it will remain a special place in our memory.

Puerta La Cruz to Bonnaire

4th November 2008

12.09 N 068.16 W

It took over a month to get to Bonnaire as the cruising in Tortuga, Los Roques and Los Aves was superb, despite the millions of mosquitoes who held us captive below on many an evening. There isn’t enough bug spray in the world, believe me, and I have become a dab hand with the electric mosquito zapper!

Before we left Puerto La Cruz we topped up the fuel and were outraged to have to pay $3 US for 90 litres!

Our first stop was at El Barrocha which is a tiny island known to be the home of vampire bats. We sat in the cockpit in the evening and could hear the bats all around us as they bounced their sonar off the boat, in their search for food. As night drew in so a thunder storm began and the lightening cracked overhead, adding to the slightly spooky atmosphere...hahahahahaaa...... Anyway we kept the screens in place at night just in case!

We had a rolly sail from there to Tortuga, where we found about a dozen French boats had beaten us to the pristine, white sandy coral beach. Still it was beautiful and the water crystal clear. After a couple of days in the main anchorage we moved round to Cayo Herradura – Horseshoe cay – which is about a mile long and was very quiet... until the weekend when suddenly we were inundated with local power boaters from the mainland. On the way out to the reef one day we had a bit of a mishap in the dinghy, we got caught in a breaking wave and flipped over; suddenly I was upside down under water. Bit of a shock but no problem; except for Andy who had to strip the outboard down to get all the salt water out....ooops!

From there we went on to Los Roques where we spent a couple of weeks exploring various atolls. The water was clear turquoise blue around the reefs and it reflected on the underside of the small, white sea birds, giving them an exotic glow. The clouds overhead also picked up the green tint. Very strange.

Our first stop was Noronsqui, where we sheltered from stormy weather for a couple of days as Tropical Storm Omar passed nearby. Noronsqui is made up of 3 little islands joined by reefs which completely surround the anchorage and whilst there was no escape from the wind the reef stole all the power from the sea and kept us safe. It was so well protected we decided to stay a few days and do some boat maintenance, stopping just before sunset each evening to snorkel in the shallows where the turtles came routinely to graze.

Whilst each place we stopped had its own beauty the other most notable one was Elbert Cay. The snorkelling was fabulous. We came across a shoal of over 40 large parrot fish, each one over 2’ long! Parrot fish are common on the reef but usually only about 1’ long, when we do see a large one it is usually alone and will disappear as soon as it becomes aware of us. I suppose it was because there is safety in numbers that these stayed around, their curiosity gradually bringing them close to us. Later, in the same area, we spotted a sandbar shark of about 5-6’. We watched him as he cruised the reef, disappointed as he moved away. Then he turned and came back in our direction. He spotted us and approached to within about 10’ keeping his eye on us as he passed by. I confess I tried to make myself invisible whilst dropping back behind Andy.

After a couple of weeks out, with empty tins piling up on the back deck and the thought of corned beef and mixed veg giving us nightmares, Andy began to have some hunting success and we supplemented our processed diet with fresh fish and lobster. Delicious. One day, whilst trawling a line we caught half a mackerel! Something else got to it before we could reel it in. The tail was gone and the body was covered in teeth marks. We are not proud, the leftovers still made a good meal. The next time we were luckier and Andy pulled up a barracuda which fed us for 3 days.

We had a few days in Los Aves; same old, same old – more gorgeous sandy beaches, blue seas, sunshine....... before heading on to Bonaire. We have been here a few days and have done lots of diving, the corals have been lovely and we have seen spotted eagle rays. It has also been nice to buy fresh vegetables and meat. It has been a bit expensive though so tomorrow we are moving on to Curacao, where we can do some maintenance, get anything we need sent out and enjoy a well earned break from paradise!!

Cubagua to Puerta La Cruz

1st October 2008

10.17 N 064.45 W

After leaving Cubagua we saw only one other cruiser in a month, probably because of the reputation Venezuela has for the attacks on boats. There are many stories of yachts being robbed at gun point and of cruisers being murdered in these attacks. In fact whilst we were out we believe there were at least 2 such incidents, one at an anchorage we had been at only days before. However, these attacks are random and, whilst we were cautious, we decided to stick to our plans and do it anyway. And we are very glad that we did.

First we headed for the Golfo de Cariacou. We sailed in changeable winds towards the coast of mainland Venezuela, shrouded in dark clouds. As we entered the Golfo it was clear that we would have to take the first anchorage as the darkness was deepening. We ducked into Puerto Real just before the rain began and spent a comfortable night there before moving on in the morning to Laguna Grande.

Laguna Grande is a lagoon about 2 miles long, surrounded by hills. It is pretty dry and the bare hills are in shades of red and orange with only cactus and gorse adding splashes of green on the slopes. Clusters of flowering bushes gather wherever the infrequent rainfall cuts a path through the landscape. It is stunningly beautiful and completely protected from all weather. It was only surprising that there was no one else there. We had the whole lagoon to ourselves, apart from the goatherd who came every day to check on his stock. He always had a cheery wave for us as he passed and it was lovely to watch the goats coming down the hills to meet him as he called to them from his pirogue, on his way to shore.

We left Laguna Grande reluctantly after a stay of a couple of weeks and headed into Mochima, which is thought to be a sunken valley and is the beginning of a large National Park which extends from here to Puerta la Cruz. The inlet reaches 4 miles into the surrounding hills and is gorgeous, but couldn’t quite match up to where we had just left! Here there is more rainfall – despite it being only a stone’s throw from our last anchorage – and the hills are much greener. There is a small, pretty village which provides for the many tourists who visit the area but sadly not for those of us needing fresh food!

After Mochima we stopped at El Occulto, which means ‘Hidden Bay’. It is on the mainland but hidden by a group of islands close to the shore and it felt like being back in a lagoon. This truly is paradise. The water is so startlingly clear that we could see the anchor on the bottom in over 40 feet of water. Again we had the place to ourselves, with only a couple of local boats stopping by at the weekend, and only one of those staying overnight.

The snorkelling was unbelievable. Thousands of Christmas tree and feather duster worms inhabit the reef and their blues, purples, reds and yellows give the appearance of baskets of dried flowers. There were so many fish of every variety that it would be impossible to describe them, and each part of the bay provided something different. I even saw my first sea horse, which I have looked for on every dive I have ever done! One of the highlights was the appearance of an octopus. I spotted him as he came up from under a rock. First one tentacle emerged, feeling for an adjacent rock, then, in a flash, the rest of his body followed and wrapped itself over the surface. The stretched out membrane of his body was almost translucent, then, gradually it began to change colour to blend with its host until it was almost invisible, only the occasional movement of his eye gave him away. After a minute or two he quickly turned back to his octopus shape and disappeared once more under the rock until he was ready to start the whole thing over again. We watched for some time as he made his way across the reef, totally mesmerised by this strange behaviour. We are truly blessed!

We moved on with heavy hearts, intending to get to Puerta La Cruz but as we passed the next island, Caracas del Este, about a mile into our journey, the view up between the islands just kept calling to us so we had to go in and investigate. Again we were met with outstanding views and just had to stop another night. Another deserted anchorage, more gorgeous views, more fabulous snorkelling. Sometimes life is tough!

Finally we got away and with more than 50 dolphins keeping us company we headed west and stopped at an anchorage just outside the city on the island of Chimana Grande. It was nice, with some interesting and dramatic rock formations, but having been totally spoiled and with civilisation in site in the distance we were perhaps not in a sufficiently positive frame of mind to really enjoy it. We upped anchor early in the morning and came into P la C. Well we are pretty desperate for fresh supplies. It is a huge culture shock, loads of people and pollution; shopping malls and restaurants; and lots of noise. Help!!!

Margarita and Cubagua

12th September 2008

10.56 N 063.49 W

After Los Testigos we went on to Margarita where we could check in to Venezuela. It was quite a contrast from Los Testigos with hundreds of boats at anchor in the large bay at Porlamar and many more tourists enjoying the beach and its restaurants. Pirogues, jet skis and power boats raced by, caught up in the excitement of resort life. As we arrived on a Friday we had to wait until Monday before we could complete the formalities and so we settled reluctantly at anchor. In no time at all we realised that we had several friends already in the anchorage and it was a real treat to catch up with them – particularly Andy’s friend Bruce from RPhurst, with whom he had sailed 10 years ago in Malaysia.

The main benefit of staying in Margarita is the shopping, you can buy anything you need and the prices are good. It was a good chance to stock up on fresh produce, meat and beer for the next part of the journey.

From Margarita we did the short hop to Cubagua. It was a beautiful downwind sail with the Jib poled out. The lighthouse flashed as we rounded the northern point of the island and made our way down the coast to the anchorage where three French boats already sat in front of the small, quiet fishing village. Passing fishing boats waved cheerily welcoming us to the island. In the morning, we snorkelled on a wrecked car ferry, which lies on a shoal, less than half a mile from the lighthouse. The clear water allowed us to see down to about 40 feet, our vision clouded only by the thousands of fry dancing as one beneath us. The ferry was wrecked in the 70s and the rusty, steel bones of its carcass still jut from the water whilst its rotting innards lie below. One can make out the winches and capstans; gas cylinders and trolleys. Huge numbers of fish inhabit the wreck and it would have been a very nice dive site. It is said that cars can still be seen in the hold but we didn’t get down that far and doubt that any bodywork has survived this long in the salt water.

Los Testigos

9th September 2008

11. 22 N 063. 08 W

After a beautiful moonlit sail, from Grenada, in almost ideal conditions we arrived at the remote islands of Los Testigos. Here time has stood still. There are only a few dwellings in this small fishing community which is accessible solely by boat and travelled only by foot. The people here do have their own school and church but shopping and medical care necessitates a trip to the mainland. The sea is clear and sparkling blue and the light is pure. The air is filled with the songs of cicadas and the occasional outboard on a passing fishing boat. Hundreds of frigate birds silently ride the thermals, gliding so high they become mere specks in the sky.

We arrived at this unspoiled, tropical paradise on a fiesta day! The quiet village on Isla Iguana Grande was inundated with visitors. A campsite had taken over the foreshore and the Polar beer tent hosted guests from the mainland and locals alike. Music and laughter blotted out the peace and tranquility. Pirogues raced round the islands as their passengers squealed in delight. Revelers spilled out to Isla Langoleta where they cooled off at Playa Real, sipping cold drinks as they stood waist deep in the cool waters of the Caribbean Sea. As the last light of the day faded an explosion of fireworks filled the air, promising a night of celebration. But as darkness descended peace returned to the anchorage and, thankfully, the promised party failed to disturb us.

The following morning we set out to explore Isla Langoleta. The rocky islands are mostly scrub land, harshly pruned by the goats that roam there, and littered with thousands of cacti. We followed a goat track to the top of the hill where we enjoyed magnificent views towards Isla Conejo with its nesting birds. We soon discovered how the prickly pears were spreading so effectively across the landscape, their barbed spikes gripped our skin, forcing a section of plant to break away and be carried to a fresh area. A task normally performed by the goats, I assume. As we clambered back down, startled hermit crabs froze in their tracks, waiting for the danger to pass. Dozens of them were gathered in the shade of a tree, all sporting stylish snail shells in matching colours. Further along the shore an imperious iguana surveyed his rocky outcrop as sea birds flew above him, unaware of his obvious importance.

Later in the day we took a dinghy ride over to Isla Calentador, a rocky lookout for pelicans and boobies. Here we tied up to a buoy marking fish traps and donned our snorkel and fins. The impressive fan coral garden was a delight and a multitude of various reef fish hurried about their business. Visibility was about 20 meters in the pristine water and it was clear that this would be a beautiful dive site. Sadly, however, scuba diving is banned in this area and we had to satisfy ourselves with snorkeling and free diving.

Sadly we were only allowed to stay a couple of days as we had not cleared in to Venezuela but, should the opportunity arise, we will be back!

Grenada

26th August 2008

12.00N 061.45W

We motored just about all the way to Grenada from Trinidad. It was a dark night with only a small crescent moon, millions of stars twinkling above and, apart from a pod of dolphins coming out to bid us ‘farewell’ in Trinidad, it was fairly quiet.

We anchored first at Prickly Bay and checked in but it turned out to be quite rolly, so we moved round to Hogg Island and then Clarkes Court Bay. It was really nice to be able to swim in the sea again – after the dirty water in Trinidad – and we went snorkelling at every opportunity. Unfortunately, in his excitement at being cruising again after the long stay in Trinidad, Andy dived into the water for a midnight swim. (I seem to remember a bottle of rum being involved somewhere!!!) He came up with jellyfish tentacles wrapped round his neck and shoulder which left angry red welts where they touched. Over the next few days these became worse and it was clear that he had had an allergic reaction to the stings. With medication he was soon sorted out but I don’t think he will do that again in a hurry!

Back at Prickly Bay Andy ran in to some people whom he had met in Thailand on his way to England from Australia 10 years ago! They all enjoyed catching up and swapping memories of people and places they had known.

One of the sad things about Grenada, I felt, is the huge amount of development that is going on, mostly, it seems, for holiday homes and retirement homes for rich westerners! Since my visit 2 years ago a huge number of buildings have gone up and on Hogg Island, a previously untouched piece of land, the plots for another new development are marked out. At St Georges Bay the new marina is growing fast and we were told that a number of local people had been moved out of their homes to make way for it. They now live on a steep hillside just outside town and are very unhappy about it. Oh well, I am sure someone is making a lot of money somewhere!

Away from this madness, though, Grenada is still a lush, green, rain forested island, where hiking is a pleasure. We enjoyed driving out to the waterfalls, passing heavily cultivated areas of bananas, cocoa and other vegetables and hiking in the hills. The market was also fun and there was plenty of banter with the local ladies selling their herbal potions ‘to make you strong, sir!’