In Shelter Bay

I am looking at an over 50 dollar per day burn rate for being tied up here! 25 dollars for a taxi into Colon... It feels odd to be in a proper Marina. I have forgotten just how convenient it is to be able to throw stuff off the boat and onto a dock. Needless to say the other boats here are pretty posh.

I managed to rent lines within the first hour of being here and am still hunting for tires.

The photo is D45 at Shelter bay and the other, hopefully, the last photo taken of me in Portobelo in awhile...

Scheduled for Transit!

I now have a date to transit the canal. The scheduled slot will be on Sunday, January 2nd. The transit takes two days for Southbound yachts. It will begin in Colon on the Atlantic side on Sunday afternoon with a passage through the first set of locks to Lake Gatun. Once Lake Gatun is reached Sunday evening, the night will be spent there. Everyone stays and sleeps on the boat. The transit resumes on Monday, January 3rd early in the morning to arrive in Balboa on the Pacific side later that same day in the afternoon.

If you want to volunteer linehandle, you will have to be in Colon to meet up with the boat on Sunday, January 2nd in the morning or the night before. There will be quite a few of us onboard so it will be crowded and not the most comfortable with the sleeping arrangements but it is only for one night and it should be exciting nonetheless... I will provide all food and drinks and can reimburse your transportation costs if you are coming from Panama City.

Line handling is pretty easy. Basically you just have to follow simple instructions while the boat is in the locks...

Cell phone number in Panama 60837084

Colon...

Colon has a pretty lousy reputation. Most travelers skip it entirely as they consider it unsafe and depressing...

Running around trying to get things arranged for the canal transit has given me the opportunity to spend some time there. Actually, I have spent plenty of time here in between San Blas trips and to escape Portobelo. Colon does have a trash problem and most buildings look like they need paint. Here are some standard street shots that weren´t chosen to discriminate one way or the other...

Funds deposited but ACP closed till Monday...

I just left the bank where I handed over $1500 in cash (the only accepted payment method)... I was told that the ACP office is closed today so I will be contacted Monday. Hopefully, on Monday, I can talk to a scheduler and get locked in for a date to transit. Right now it is the slow season so it should only be a 3 or 5 day wait.

Line handlers are still needed. Come volunteer to help get Pelican through the locks and see the canal from a boat actually transiting! Transportation to and from Panama City as well as food will be provided. Phone number in Panama 60837084

Next step is to pay the bank...

Pelican passed the initial inspection to transit the Panama Canal. The inspector had to call his supervisor to find out whether or not a tiller as a steering device met regulation... He had never seen one before. Many questions were asked about the boat and its equipment. One questiion was whether or not there was drinking water aboard!



I will head to Colon tomorrow to pay the canal fee if the bank is open. $1500 with a bit over half being a deposit.



LINEHANDLERS are needed! If you are in Panama and can volunteer, call me at 60837084! Tentative date to cross is the week of December 27 to 31. More updates will be posted here on my blog.

Visited the Ad Measurement unit today...

Back in Portobelo, again!!! I am going to go crazy if I donot leave this part of the world...

The very first step in getting through the Panama canal is to get the boat measured and inspected. Today I visited the office in Colon where they set the appointments to have this done. I was told that the boat must be in the flats (anchorage) or in Shelter Bay Marina.

The plan is to move the boat tomorrow and be measured the day after. Hopefully I will pass inspection without a hitch... The canal is a challenge because unlike all other passages, this one I absolutely have to depend on other people to make it happen! That is a true challenge as proven this morning by just trying to find the ACP office. Actually everyone I asked (taxi drivers, security guards, guy washing a car on the street) were really helpful and seemed eager to be involved.

If you want to volunteer as a line handler ( a great way to see the Panama canal), contact me via email through my profile or call me at 60837084

Indecision blues...

Plans are made to be changed...

I`m off to Panama again but this should be the last time as I am not doing a backpacker run. The decision to spend another season in the Caribbean is starting to feel less and less attractive. Of course I can still think of reasons to do it and who knows, I may still, but for today, I think I should stop dragging my feet and get through the canal. The canal is symbolic because I won´t have the luxury of changing my mind once I am on the Pacific side... I will be forced to head towards the U.S. as the boat is starting to be in need of another refit that I ain´t got the money for...

One part polyurethane nightmare

Below are some pics of finally getting around to wet sanding the cream colored one part polyurethane paint that has been peeling off the topsides ever since I bought Pelican. I knew the day I first looked at the boat in Seattle back in the summer of 2006 what a nightmare it would eventually be. ¨ People won´t buy a boat unless it looks perfect so why not slap on a coat of pain just to get it off the showroom floor.¨ Never mind the mess it will create later...