Crossing over to the Other Side

The preparations are now complete for our canal transit which was supposed to be next week but has been brought forward and we are now the first official Bluewater boat to go through…..at around 5pm local time (10pm UK time) today. We have to leave the marina by about 2pm. You can watch the transit live via the webcam at Gatun Locks on panamacanal.com …or something like that. It’s easy to find anyway! I shall send text messages to a few family/friends as we transit so I am hoping that at least some of you will still be awake.

I had no idea just how much red tape was involved to get the boat ready as well as a small mountain of paperwork to be completed which included a trip to downtown Colon (awfully scary place!) for fingerprinting. This is a new requirement in Panama…they change the regulations frequently and also charge for each new service…. The dollar pile is reducing rapidly......

The boat had to be measured by an official measurer and the loo inspected to make sure it is suitable for use by the “advisor” who will be on board while we are in the locks at Gatun, Incredibly, if the loo is deemed unsuitable for his requirements, a launch has to be called for to come alongside so that he can “go”….this inconvenience (pun intended!) would cost the skipper $300. Luckily, I had only just cleaned out the heads which can be a little leaky. Phew!!

There have to be four long ropes of at least 125’ on board just in case they are needed though these can be hired. We measured out the long ropes that Dick has stored and they are long enough even if they are cut in two. We all have to learn how to catch a monkey’s fist and tie it rapidly onto the 125’lines for the shoreside handlers. No dropping of ropes or shoddy knot tying is allowed.

The length of the boat is a problem as it is now over 50’ with the davits and dinghy meaning that we would have to pay considerably more for the transit so we are discussing ways to tip the dinghy on its side to make the boat shorter. There are enough fenders on board but most people also use old tyres which are covered with bin bags. These are readily available at the marina …in the rubbish bins.

We have three extra people on board for the whole transit which should end tomorrow afternoon. They act as line handlers. It will be a squash for sleeping but it’s only one night. I have already made the dinner with jelly for “afters”! The fridge is turned up to its coldest setting so that the beer will be cool enough. I think we will need it after a long evening of rope heaving.

We anchor in the Gatun Lakes for the night before starting off again for the second lot of locks at Miraflores at the Pacific end. There is also a webcam there and it should be easier to see on the computer as it should still be daylight for us.

The marina has been so pleasant after such a long time at anchor.…all the water we can use…and all the cleaning that has been going on means that we certainly are using lots and lots of the wonderful cooling stuff. There is also a very nice pool for our use though it can get rather full of Germans. Just where do they come from?

Several other Blue water boats have now arrived and so we are gradually meeting them and getting to know some quite well. They are mostly British (Irish, Scots and Welsh and all!) though we have re-met a very nice US couple whom we first met in Trinidad, Steve and Maria on Aspen. Steve is a geophysicist so it has been lovely to talk about rocks! They are rafting alongside us for the transit…we will be a group of three with the boat that has a bow thruster in the middle. The middle boat also steers us all.

So, there’s just time to refill the water tanks and recharge all the electrical appliances via the dockside supply before a light lunch and then it’ll be time to let go.

Exciting stuff!! See you on the other side……