Kuna Yala (San Blas Islands) or Panama

During late 2007 we visited Kuna Yala, a/k/a the San Blas Islands of Panama. This is a very unique culture and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. Hoping to return in a few years for a more protracted visit. Rather than describe our time there, I have copied and combined here several postings from our original website that describe Kuna Yala. So if you followed our original website, you can skip this long posting because you might already be familiar with all this stuff.

Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador were originally combined into one country known as Gran Colombia. During the very early 1800s Simon Bolivar was instrumental in the division of this territory into the 3 separate countries as known today. But during the 1800s the area now known as Panama was actually still part of Colombia. There has always been dissension between Panama and Colombia, and the Darien Indians in southern Panama are incredibly fierce people. The Darien had driven the Kuna (also spelled Cuna) to the Caribbean side of the isthmus. Even today the Darien control the Pacific side of southernmost Panama and the Kuna control the Caribbean side. Both indigenous groups have proven over the centuries their total refusal to accept being ruled by a central government. Both the Darien and Kuna are part of Panama, but rule themselves, each with their own unique style of tribal rule. The central government of Panama realized after many deaths that the easiest and most logical way to deal with these people was to let them operate somewhat independent. This has worked well over the past century.

The Kuna live in the Comarca de San Blas, which for statistical purposes is treated as part of Colon Province in most official documents. The provincial borders have not changed since they were determined at independence in 1903. The other 9 provinces of Panama are divided into districts, which in turn are subdivided into sections called corregimientos. Configurations of the corregimientos are changed periodically to accommodate population changes as revealed in the census reports. The borders of the Comarca de San Blas where the Kuna live under tribal rule are not changed by the census count. Don’t think the Kuna would accept that. They are not going to give up any of their lands to the central government of Panama.

History of Separation of Panama from Colombia (copied from an official Panama government website):

During the last half of the nineteenth century, violent clashes between the supporters of the Liberal and Conservative parties in Colombia left the isthmus' affairs in constant turmoil. Local self-government for the department of Panama was extended when the Liberals were in power and withdrawn when the Conservatives prevailed. The Catholic Church was disestablished under the Liberals and reestablished under the Conservatives.

The fortunes of local partisans rose and fell abruptly and often violently. According to one estimate, the period witnessed forty administrations of the Panamanian department, fifty riots and rebellions, five attempted secessions, and thirteen interventions by the United States, acting under the provisions of the BidlackMallarino Treaty. Partisan clashes and foreign intervention exacerbated racial antagonisms and economic problems and intensified grievances against the central government of Colombia.

Between 1863 and 1886, the isthmus had twenty-six presidents. Coups d'état, rebellions, and violence were almost continuous, staged by troops of the central government, by local citizens against centrally imposed edicts, and by factions out of power. The chaotic conditions that had prevailed under the federalist constitution of 1863 culminated in the 1884 election of Rafael Nuñez as president of Colombia, supported by a coalition of moderate Liberals and Conservatives. Nuñez called all factions to participate in a new constituent assembly, but his request was met by an armed revolt of the radical Liberals.

Early in 1885, a revolt headed by a radical Liberal general and centered in Panama City developed into a three-way fight. Colón was virtually destroyed. United States forces landed at the request of the Colombian government but were too late to save the city. Millions of dollars in claims were submitted by companies and citizens of the United States, France, and Britain, but Colombia successfully pleaded its lack of responsibility. Additional United States naval forces occupied both Colón and Panama City and guarded the railroad to ensure uninterrupted transit until Colombian forces landed to protect the railroad.

The new constitution of 1886 established the Republic of Colombia as a unitary state; departments were distinctly subordinate to the central government, and Panama was singled out as subject to the direct authority of the government. The United States consul general reported that three-quarters of the Panamanians wanted independence from Colombia and would revolt if they could get arms and be sure of freedom from United States intervention.

Panama was drawn into Colombia's War of a Thousand Days (1899- 1902) by rebellious radical Liberals who had taken refuge in Nicaragua. Like the rest of Colombia, opinion in Panama was divided, and revolts in the southwest had hardly been suppressed when Liberals from Nicaragua invaded the Pacific coastal region and nearly succeeded in taking Panama City in mid-1900. The fortunes of war varied, and although a local armistice gave supporters of the Colombian government temporary security in the Panama-Colón region, the rebels were in control throughout the isthmus. Meanwhile, by early 1902 the rebels had been defeated in most of Colombia proper. At that point, the Colombian government asked the United States to intercede and bring about an armistice in Panama, which was arranged aboard the U.S.S. Wisconsin in the Bay of Panama in 1902.

Throughout the period of turmoil, the United States had retained its interest in building a canal through either Nicaragua or Panama. An obstacle to this goal was overcome in December 1901 when the United States and Britain signed the Hay-Pauncefote Treaty. This treaty nullified the provisions of the Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850 and signified British acceptance of a canal constructed solely by or under the auspices of the United States with guarantees of neutrality. (And we all know that the US built first the Panama railroad to handle traffic for the Alaskan Gold Rush and then later built the Panama Canal; but those are future stories in our travels.)

(Aside note: Several times in Cartagena we heard talk about the United States having expressed an interest recently in helping to build another water pathway between the Caribbean and the Pacific using 2 rivers in Colombia. Apparently this would not require a huge investment to complete. This secondary water pathway would be used by pleasure craft and smaller shipping vessels, and leave the Panama Canal for the larger ships. We have no idea if there is any basis in truth for these rumors.)

All that brings us to Panama self-governance in 1903. The Kuna won their right to self-government in the Kuna Revolution of 1925, an historic event that San Blas celebrates every February with the local holiday of Mor Ginnid. During the Kuna Revolution, the Kuna killed everyone in the area they defined as “their land” who was not full-blooded Kuna. They wanted no dilution of the true Kuna bloodlines. The officials in Panama realized at this point that it was futile to continue to try to control the Kuna, and the Comarca de San Blas was established. This system has worked well ever since.

The Kuna are a matriarchal society. The women control the economy. When a man marries, he goes to live in his wife’s village. But each village has a man chief known as a saila or sahila or salia (I have seen various spellings for this Kuna word). More about all this in future postings. Strange arrangement but it works well for them. The Kuna are probably the last remaining indigenous people of the Americas who continue to live a truly traditional lifestyle – no cell phones, televisions, radios, modern conveniences, etc.

The San Blas consist of 357 islands spanning roughly 260 miles of the southeastern Panama cost of the Caribbean. There are 49 separate Kuna communities in this territory. Truly a gorgeous place.

Kuna life: (all info borrowed from various websites)

Kuna law prohibits fishing in their waters by boats with sophisticated machinery or the taking of anything from the sea that a diver can not reach with air from his own lungs. Scuba diving is not permitted; but you can snorkel in the reef, which is one of the oldest and best preserved reefs in the world.

The men rise early to fish or tend their farms on the mainland, paddling off in dugout canoes that are sometimes equipped with makeshift sails. Fresh crab, lobster, octopus and fish are caught with nets or spears and are exported to Panama City. For this reason, it is now illegal for tourists or visitors to harvest lobster; you must purchase from a local Kuna. The larger lobster tails now are exported into the US and can be found at places like Sam’s Club or Costco. I do hope this does not cause over-harvesting of the lobster in the San Blas and create a lobster shortage like that which currently exists in the rest of the Caribbean.

On their farms, the Kuna men raise vegetables, fruits, coffee and the all-important coconut. Fifteen million coconuts are exported each year to neighboring Colombia. Coconuts can actually be used as coins in Kuna commerce and have a value of about ten US cents. A soda, which costs about 40 cents, can be purchased for four coconuts on the islands of San Blas! Because coconuts are such a staple to the Kuna economy, it is illegal for any visitor to pick up or take a coconut anywhere in the San Blas Islands. It would be the same as stealing money from them.

Women work at making molas, the traditional women's garments. This tradition is passed from mother to daughter. If a family does not have a daughter, then usually the first-born son is dressed and raised as a girl; and “she” is taught the mola skills. One of the best-known mola makers presently is “Mola Lisa” who is technically male, although “she” is considered a woman by the Kuna. (See, even the oldest societies had tranvestites.) Molas are one of the primary expressions of the visual arts in Kuna society. All genuine molas were created by a Kuna woman as the focal point for her own dress. The designs are always original and are an important way for a woman to express herself and demonstrate her talent and industry in this traditionally matriarchal society.

Molas are panels of hand stitched reverse cloth appliqué, which are sewn into the fronts and backs of blouses. Molas are always made in a pair; never a single piece mola. Laye

rs of cotton cloth and thread are the only materials used in the process. Mola designs vary from the abstract and geometric to representations of birds, fish and innumerable other subjects, all different, but all distinctly Kuna. The designs are based on things that the women see in their daily life. Shortly after the US involvement during the end of the Norreiga control, one could find molas depicting soldiers and helicopters; because the Kuna women had seen these things and considered them to be part of their lives.

All mola designs are more or less abstract, but many of the most traditional in style are completely geometric, non-representational designs. This type is considered the most authentic, and therefore the most valuable by colle

ctors intere

sted in molas as an indigenous art form. The favored colors appear to be predominantly orange and black; one rarely sees predominant light blues or pastel colors.

The women also make and adorn themselves with necklaces of sea shells, and chaquiras. Chaquiras are the bead bracelets worn on women's arms and legs, usually many at a time covering most of their ankles and calves and forearms. The women often wear nose decorations, either a gold nose ring or a line painted down the length of their nose, but rarely both at the same time. They also paint bright red on their cheeks. None of these adornments would be considered attractive in our western culture, so this just goes to prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Towns or villages in San Blas are exceptionally tidy. A traditional Kuna house is made of palm-thatched roofs and cane walls. Public buildings include schools, health centers and the town hall. A town hall is a long building with thatched roof and is the heart of each community. Villagers meet each weekday to discuss community affairs, as well as issues involving neighboring communities and Kuna culture in general. Town meetings are presided over by the village leader known as the sahila.

There are hotels on the islands of Wichubwala, Nalunega, Ailigandi, Nargana, Achutupo and Carti-Sugtupu. Most Kuna communities have an airstrip, either on the island or the mainland nearby, and are easily accessible by light aircraft. Eco-tourism is a big deal in the San Blas, in case anyone contemplates a visit to this unique area.

Panama Canal transit April 12-13, 2008

MISTER Chicken Man and our Panama Canal transit

April 15, 2008 Tuesday

08.56.250N; 079.33.500W      Distance traveled approximately 55 NM

Balboa Yacht Club mooring

We are now in the Pacific Ocean!

The canal transit was tiring but we all came through without a scratch to either person or yacht, and that is all that matters.  We were accompanied on the canal transit by B’SHERET on our starboard side and ARGANAUTA I on our port side.  I did the driving and Bill was free to move around the boat as needed to assist with various line adjustments or anything else that needed tending.  Our line handlers were Paul & Diane from S/V FLAME from Perth, Australia, and Hans & Georgie on S/V ARBUTHNOT, also from western Australia.  Both boats are in the final legs of circumnavigation and all 4 people are experienced with locks in various parts of the world but this was the fist Panama Canal transit for everyone on BeBe.  We came close to 2 mishaps during our transit but both times the reason was because a stern line was too tight which prevented movement of the bow, not because our line handlers on the bow did anything incorrectly.  As soon as the stern line was loosened both times, I was able to move the bow back to the middle of the lock.  This happened once on the starboard side and once on the port side.  But no one hit the wall; so as our kids say when playing basketball: no blood, no foul.

Now for the blow-by-blow details of our transit:

We left Shelter Bay Marina around 4:00 p.m. on Saturday April 12 and motored to The Flats anchorage as instructed by the canal authority.  They are only allowing 3 yachts every other day to transit at this time, so it was easy to spot the other 2 boats that would be accompanying us.  All 3 of us had black car tires hanging down the sides of our boats; that really stands out on a white sailboat.

The advisor arrived late at around 7:20 and managed to get aboard without any damage to our boat.  His first words were “Communication is the most important thing.”  And that was almost all his communication for the rest of the evening.  His second sentence was “What is on the menu for tonight?”  We found out later that this is an important issue for this particular guy.  He agreed to try the meal I had prepared.  He sat in the cockpit and ate dinner (we had all eaten earlier while waiting for him).  Then we pulled anchor and motored off towards the first Gatun lock.  The advisor decided that we should be tied next to a tug boat instead of being nested with the 2 smaller monohulls.  So we waited patiently (and later impatiently) for the tug to assist the huge ship CALEDONIA into the first lock.  I drove the boat in circles repeatedly while this incredibly slow process was completed.  CALEDONIA finally was inside the first lock around 10:30 p.m.  By this time the tug decided that it was too late and they were quitting for the evening.  That meant that we reverted back to Plan A – nest with the 2 smaller monohulls, with us in the center.

The other 2 monohulls were already tied together.  In order to nest with us they had to separate and then tie onto either side of BeBe – in the pitch black darkness.  This was accomplished and BeBe took control of the 3 boats tied together and drove us into the first lock.  Man did it look close to that big ship in front of us in the lock!  The control lines were shared by all 3 boats.  The stern lines up the lock walls were run from the aft of the boats on either side of us, so the aft line control was something we did not have to deal with.  The bow control lines up the lock walls were run from the bow of our boat.  So our line handlers only had to deal with the bow lines as we were raised in each lock.

I do not know how boats manage this procedure without a bow thruster.  The bow thruster was the only way I could control the rafted 3 boats inside the locks.  There is a lot of turbulence as the water fills the lock from beneath; and there is a lot of current in the locks.   And the prop wash from the huge ship directly in front of us was quite strong when it would motor forward to the next lock.  Also, when the water level is down and the locks walls are high around you, the slightest bit of wind will cause the boats to turn and become difficult to control.  But we managed the Gatun upward locks just fine.

After the third lock we entered Gatun Lake.  By now it was after midnight and the advisor was quite tired.  In fact, for the past 4 hours he had been falling asleep in the cockpit – when he wasn’t talking to his wife or girlfriend on the phone.  We untied from the other 2 boats and motored quickly to the mooring where we were to spend the night.  It was a very dark night and we prayed that this guy knew where he was taking us, as we were speeding along at 8 knots in total blackness.  Turned out that he did indeed know the route to the mooring and we tied up for what was left of the night.  The other 2 boats arrived shortly thereafter (lucky them; all they had to do was follow us in the darkness).  They tied to the other mooring, one on each side of the large rubber mooring.  Our advisor called for a launch to come pick him up; and he left our boat around 1:30 a.m.

When the above mentioned advisor arrived on our boat in The Flats, we of course asked his name.  He said his name was Ernest Cooper.  Someone asked what he preferred to be called:  Ernest, Ernesto, Ernst, or Mr. Cooper.  He replied, “Mr. Cooper would be fine.”  This set the tone for entire evening.  He called all of us by our first names, but he wanted to be addressed as Mr. Cooper.  Bit haughty, don’t you think?  After all, he was the age of our children and addressed all of us by our fist names but he wanted to be addressed as “MISTER Cooper.”  He seemed to have an attitude that did not set well with any of us.  We later learned that MR. Cooper does not have a good reputation with the other advisors.  In fact, he is called Chicken Man by the other advisors.  Chicken Man was given this nickname because he really likes turkey and was served chicken for dinner one night by a transiting yacht.  He refused to eat the chicken and called for a catered meal, at a cost of $255 to the transiting yacht.  Guess it was lucky for us that he liked the carne guisada, yeast rolls, salad and brownies that were served to him on BeBe. 

Here is a link to another cruiser’s notes about their canal transit and it mentions Mr. Ernest Cooper:

http://www.noonsite.com/Members/doina/R2006-06-26-1

And FWIW, here is a link to another yacht’s YouTube videos of their canal transit.  One clip shows Mr. Ernest Cooper, a/k/a MR. Chicken Man, arriving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGhLGSB_5fw

Our second advisor, Meza, arrived at 6:30 a.m. and hurried us off the mooring.  Meza said the San Pedro Miguel lock was reserved for us to transit at 10:00 and we needed to motor at 7.5 knots in order to travel the 24 miles and nest-up again with the other 2 boats and enter the lock on time.  I had prepared a full American breakfast of bacon, eggs, bread, cantaloupe, banana bread and juice.  The crew ate this, but all Meza wanted was coffee.  What a difference from MR. Chicken Man!  Meza was very nice, communicated instructions clearly, provided us with lots of information about the canal and surroundings, and was a very, very nice man.

BeBe maintained the 7.5 knot boat speed and we arrived at the lock on time;  B’Sheret arrived next and Arganauta I arrived last.  Arganauta I was having an engine temperature problem and could not motor faster than 5 knots.  We nested up again ----- so much easier to do this in daylight rather than in total darkness.  Then BeBe drove us into the lock. 

We had the entire lock just to ourselves!!  That was unbelievable.  There are dozens and dozens of yachts waiting to transit the canal from the Atlantic side (current transit date being assigned is 8 weeks out, meaning mid-June), and here we are experiencing a private lockage.  Such a waste.

Locking downward is very different than locking upward.  Everyone had warned us that locking upward was very turbulent (and it was), but that locking downward was very gentle and calm – just a piece of cake.  Well…..not really folks.  The movement is gentle as the boats float while the When locking down the nested boats obviously finish with very high lock walls on either side.  This creates a wind tunnel effect.  Combined with the strong currents in the downward locks, the boats can be difficult to control.

The canal wall workers throw down a thin line with a large knot tied on the end; this is called a monkey fist.  And it is the size of a large monkey’s fist.  They are pretty accurate throwing these monkey fists; they throw them like one would throw a baseball.  But everyone needs to watch out for them because getting hit in the head or face would hurt.  The yacht line handler then ties the heavy yacht line into a bowline knot around the monkey fist and the wall worker pulls the heavy line up to the top of the wall and ties it off on a bollard.   Four heavy yacht lines are used, so the boats are tied up both forward and aft.  The yacht line handlers then adjust the line tension on all 4 lines as the water level and boat are raised or lowered in the lock.  This holds the boat stationary as the water current swirls around inside the lock.  When the water is either fully down or fully up, then the heavy yacht line is retrieved from the monkey fist thin line and the yacht motors to the next lock.  

Since BeBe was the largest of the 3 boats, we were the center boat.  The control lines were run both port and starboard from our bow and from the port stern of ARGANAUTA I and the starboard stern of B’SHERET.  As I said in the first paragraph of this log, the only times we had serious movement toward the wall and I was unable to move the bow of the boat back to center was when a stern line was too tight.  As soon as the tension was loosened on the offending stern line, then I was able to straighten the boats into the middle of the lock.  Both times this happened were during downward lockage. This happened once on the port side and once on the starboard side; but neither time did a boat actually hit the wall; so in our opinions the transit was smooth and uneventful.  I’m sure the boat getting close to the wall during these incidents didn’t consider the transit quite so uneventful.

Our enthusiastic thanks to Paul, Diane, Hans and Georgie for a job very well done.  We wish you all pleasant passages and calm seas during your Pacific travels towards home.  Hope to see you again either in New Zealand or Australia.  Hope your canal transits go as smoothly as ours.

Within minutes of going beneath the Bridge of the Americas and entering the Pacific Ocean we were on a mooring at the Balboa Yacht Club.  A few minutes later we were visited by 2 men from the Port Captain authority.  Our agent Stanley had already obtained our zarpe clearing us out of Panama to the Galapagos Islands, but we had to pay $20 and give copies of various papers to these guys.  We are now free to leave Panama whenever we like. 

As luck would have it, our printer decided to refuse to power on just when we needed it to print a copy of our documentation for the authorities.  I found last year’s certificate of documentation and they accepted it.  But we had to buy a new printer before leaving Panama.  Good thing the printer decided to die here as you really need a printer on a cruising yacht these days in order to handle all the copies of various documents needed to clear in and out of ports.  We were able to find one that uses the same printer cartridges so we won’t have to trash all those extra printer cartridges we bought in Houston during our Christmas visit home.

Last night we had delicious burgers at the new Balboa Yacht Club with a dozen or so other cruisers.  Very nice new facility and great tasting, reasonably priced food.  Learned that B’SHERET will be sailing on to the Galapagos about the same time as us and FREE SPIRIT.  FREE SPIRIT began their canal transit last night and will arrive in Balboa this afternoon.  We plan to leave Balboa tomorrow and go to Espiritu Santos in the Las Perlas islands.  We will wait there for FREE SPIRIT and then we will start the 950 mile passage to the Galapagos Islands shortly thereafter on the first decent weather prediction.  

This website probably will not be updated again until after we arrive in Galapagos.

Update June 2013:  We have been told by another sailor who just transited the canal that Mister Chicken Man, a/k/a Ernesto Cooper, no longer works as an advisor on private yachts. He supposedly now worked strictly on tug boats on the canal.  Good.

Transiting Panama Canal this weekend!

According to the canal authority last night, our transit date is definite for this weekend.  The agent will deliver the tires (to tie alongside the sides of our boat) on Friday; and we are supposed to be in the anchorage area called The Flats at 4:00 p.m. Saturday to pick up our advisor.  We will then move near the entrance to the first Gatun lock and will be nested there.  Nesting means rafting up.  We will tie up with 2 other sailboats and then enter the first lock while all tied together.  We have met the owners of one of the other boats.  Supposedly we are the largest boat of the 3, so that means we should be placed in the center.  Could not be any happier about that bit of news!!  Sure hope it turns out to be true.  If we are the middle boat then we will be the controlling boat who uses their engine to drive all 3 boats through the canal locks.  We will untie the boats when we reach Gatun Lake and then tie up again before we enter the San Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks.

We had planned to have the agent supply the linehandlers but have changed our minds.  A very nice couple from Perth, Australia are docked here at Shelter Bay Marina.  They are on the last third of a circumnavigation.  They offered to be linehandlers for us.  Another young couple, also from Australia, said they also might volunteer; but we won`t know for certain for another day or so because they might have another commitment.  If they cannot help us, then we will find someone else.  We really only need one more person because either Bill or I could also be considered a linehandler while the other one of us drives the boat.

We will transit the 3 Gatun locks on Saturday evening; then motor across Gatun Lake and stop for the night.  Sunday morning we will transit the San Pedro Miguel lock and the 2 Miraflores locks; then enter the Pacific.  There are live cameras in 3 spots of the Panama Canal.  If you want to look for us, here is the link:

http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html

Sorry that we cannot provide times that we will be in either Gatun locks, Miraflores locks or the Centennial Bridge area.  But there should be only 3 small boats transiting this weekend so we should be easy to spot.   Look for the brown genoa cover on a ketch and that should be us -- hopefully in the middle between 2 smaller monohull sailboats.  Once we have exited the Miraflores locks then we will be untied, so we will pass beneath the Centennial Bridge (Bridge of the Americas) individually.

Bill has gone to Panama City today to pick up his visa for French Polynesia.  We tried to go yesterday but due to various delays there just was not time for us to make the trip and be at the Embassy before they close at noon.  So we returned to the marina and Bill will try the trip again today alone -- while I defrost one of the freezers and pre-cook some things for this weekend. 

Each boat is required to provide meals for their advisor, among other things.  Must also provide shade for him and drinks.  If the meal is not to his liking then he can call for a catered meal to be delivered to our boat once we are stopped in Gatun Lake.  A delivered catered meal for an advisor would cost us $350.  These guys think they are important!  As we are also required to have 4 linehandlers (even if we are the center boat and won`t be handling any lines), that means I need to provide dinner, breakfast and lunch for 7 people, plus drinks in this hot weather.  And there is always the possibility that the advisor will be accompanied by an advisor trainee.  In that case I will need to feed 8 people for the 3 meals.   So I want to cook or bake several things today and tomorrow to have ready for the weekend. 


We bought some very sheer cotton fabric when we were in Panama City last week.  I hope to make some long pants and long-sleeved top of some sort to protect me from the "no-no`s" in the Marquesas.  I`m sure these are the same as what we call no-see-ums.  Since I do not have a pattern and definitely am not a seamstress or tailor, there is no telling how bad this outfit will look and fit.  But the important thing is just to cover up, so wish me luck with this sewing project today. 

Bill is back in Panama

Bill arrived back in Panama City on Wednesday.  I took the express bus over and we got a hotel room for a couple of nights.  The hotel made a mistake and had the wrong date and was booked full, so we had no room when I arrived.  Good thing I arrived several hours before Bill`s flight was due to arrive, because the hotel shuttle would not have picked him up.  The hotel asked if we would mind having a king-sized room rather than the standard room; well, duh!.  I walked around for an hour and found a McDonalds for lunch while waiting for our room.  When I returned, we were given a large corner room on the top floor.  This hotel is known as a dump (but popular with cruisers), but our room was better than expected.  Actually had new sheets on the king-sized bed, a television with a few channels in English, a small breakfast table with 2 chairs, a sleeper-sofa and a small refrigerator.  What more could be ask for!  Bill returned with one 50-lb bag and one 67-lb bag, loaded with boat spares and a few things that cannot be purchased outside the USA.  He also had 2 heavy carry-ons.

Late on Wednesday afternoon we visited the Halcon photo shop and got photos for Bill to get the 90-day visa for French Polynesia.  While waiting for the photos to be printed we walked around the area near Hotel El Panama and found a wonderful Rey Supermarket -- far superior to the ones in Colon.  We bought two bottles of champagne, brie, a baguette, good crackers, small filet of smoked salmon, orange juice and sweet rolls.  Might as well put that little fridge in our room to good use.  These items were our dinners for the 2 nights we stayed in Panama City.  I do love champagne and smoked salmon and we so rarely have it these days.

Thursday morning we visited the French Embassy/Consulate and submitted the application for Bill`s visa for French Polynesia.  This was exceptionally easy now that we knew exactly what to bring.  Big difference from the stress-filled morning that I experienced last week when trying to obtain everything required and meet the noon deadline.  I also picked up my visa.  My visa indicates dates of June 1, 2008 through November 27, 2008; but supposedly is really only valid for a total of 90 days in French Polynesia within that 6-month period.  Nowhere on the visa does it indicate that it is only valid for 90 days within that 6-month period; but that is what the lady told us.  Doesn`t matter because we will have to move on within 90 days in order to make it to New Zealand before typhoon season starts at end of November.

After our visit to the French Embassy we walked around a couple of hours.  The embassy is located on a point that is called Casco Viejo  This is where the original city was built by the Spanish in the 1500s.  After it was sacked by pirate Henry Morgan, Spain declared that the city should be abandoned and rebuilt in what is now known as the Ancon district, close to the foothills and will more difficult land access than Casco Viejo.  The Casco Viejo area deterioted over the centuries.  As the city grew the Casco Viejo area became a very low-rent residential area.  Now this area is finally being re-discovered.  Restoration is occurring all over the place.  Most of the area is still pretty delapidated but the restored buildings look great.  Lots of neat little restaurants and bars.  We enjoyed sitting beneath a tree canopy at Simon Bolivar Parque and people-watching.  Neither of us was interested in doing any of the tourist stuff that Panama City has to offer. 

After we had our fill of people-watching we grabbed a taxi back to the hotel, then another taxi over to Albrook Mall.  We had the best steak in many months at a place called Lenos.  Then we caught a movie.  Wasn`t very good but was in English and a new release, so what more could we want.  Cost for the matinee was only $2 each.  What a change from USA movie prices.

Friday morning we took the Panama Railway back to Colon.  The Panama Railroad was built in 1863.  It was a financial bonanza.  Stock traded on the New York Stock Exchange for $265 per share -- that was an incredibly high price back in the late 1800s!!!  The railroad was used to transport people from the Atlantic to the Pacific so they could get up to San Francisco and to the Yukon for the gold rush.  The railroad continued to operate but was in deplorable condition.  Finally, it was refurbished and in year 2000 the name changed to Panama Railway Company.  The Panama Canal could not have been built without the Panama Railroad.  The two run basically side-by-side.  The trip from Panama City/Balboa to Colon took a little over an hour.  It cost $22 each and was comfortable.  We sat in the only vista-dome car and were served complimentary coffee.  It was a nice little trip but the only thing interesting to see for us was the tree stumps in Gatun Lake.   Sure hope our advisor knows the route since we will be transversing Gatun Lake in the dark when we do the canal transit soon.  FWIW, the train only saves about one-half hour time over the express bus.  Given that the bus costs $2.50 each and the train costs $22 each and the scenery is basically the same, we would not bother with the train again.  But we are glad we did it just for the experience.

Our canal transit date is still set for April 12, but they said for me to continue to call back because it will probably be changed to the 10th. 

Boat rammed by a whale -- not us! Plus got visa for French Polynesia

S/V VAGAMUNDO recently was rammed by a whale while enroute from Cartagena to San Blas Islands.  They were about 5 miles from the Eastern Hollandes Cays and sailing along peacefully when a whale rammed the port side of the hull.  It was quite a jar and there was blood in the water all around the boat.   The wood joinery inside the boat was shifted almost a foot over towards the starboard side.  This was a major impact about mid-beam area of the port side.

They limped into the Hot Tub area of the Eastern Hollandes.  Another cruiser helped them use a halyard from the top if the mast and tilt the boat as far as possible to the starboard side, exposing the cracked port side of the hull.  And another cruiser had lots of underwater epoxy on hand, which they used to fill the crack.

M/V DIESEL DUCK was about 15 miles behind VAGAMUNDO when the whale struck and they hurried to help.  DIESEL DUCK had a portable large capacity pump, the discharge hose is almost firetruck sized.  DIESEL DUCK could not stay to help further because they had to hurry to Panama for a reason that could not be delayed.  So, they loaned this pump to VAGAMUNDO and went on their way.

VAGAMUNDO used the pump and very slowly made their way to Shelter Bay Marina, where they hauled the boat.  This will require major repairs.  While it is awful that this happened, they are very fortunate that this happened in an area where other boats were available to assist.

It is extremely rare for whales to ram vessels.  The owners of the boat assume that they sailed between a mom and her calf.  They were under sail with no motor running, so they were moving quietly through the water.  The mother whale might have taken this boat as a predator after her calf.  This is still the season of humpback whales calving in the Caribbean.  I wonder if the shape of the hull and keel had any bearing on this incident.

Bill`s visit to the VA hospital was very beneficial.  He was able to obtain a script for the expensive drug that he takes for Crohn`s Disease.  The VA benefits covering just this one script will save us more $4550 per year, so this was certainly worth a trip home.  The doctor said Bill`s lab results were excellent; like they might see in a 35-year-old----unheard of for a 61-year-old who takes no meds for chloresteral or blood pressure or anything of the other typical things one expects for someone his age.  So he again has a clean bill of health.  Guess living on a sailboat agrees with him
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Thursday I made a trip over to the French Embassy in Panama City to apply for a 90-day visa for French Polynesia.  I couldn`t wait for Bill to return so that we could do this together because my visa for Panama will expire on April 7.  So needed to get the French visa handled before the Panama visa expires.  Don`t think the French would look too kindly on me if I am in this country beyond my visa date.  The family on S/V FREE SPIRIT accompanied me on this day trip to also apply for their Polynesia visas.  Also along was their guest Jerry, who is a French Canadian.  His fluent French was a great help.

Getting the required photos and copies of various documents was a bit of a challenge, but we did manage to get everything and complete the application forms before the Consulate closed at noon -- thanks to Michele.  Michele was determined we were going to get these applications processed that day and not have to make another trip from Colon.  She went walking down a side street going into businesses and asking to use their computers and copy machines; and she found one office willing to help us.  We printed and copied the things required (a lot more than the Consulate had told us to bring when we called there the previous day).

We high-tailed it back to the Consulate and arrived about 20 minutes before closing.  Paul and Michele and their kids went first and did not have a problem.  Then it was my turn.  The woman processing the applications initially rejected my photo because my face was too large and there was not enough white background showing around my hair.  Tried to tell her that I have a lot of hair, but that did not matter.  As I was leaving, Michele pointed out that the photo lab had given us 6 photos each and that the face on each one was a slightly different size.  So I went back into the office and the woman agreed to take one of my photos and process my application after all.  The French are very, very picky about the photos.
   
By the time we left the Embassy we were all emotionally wrung out and decided to stop for pizza and beer.  I could have used a stiff drink after that morning but settled for a Diet Coke since I don`t drink beer and the tiny restaurant did not sell liquor.  Then we grabbed our fourth taxi of the day and visited the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal.  Recommended if you ever visit the area.  Then back to Albrook Mall to the bus terminal so we could catch the express bus back to Colon.  It was well past dark before I finally made it back to the marina.  This was a busy day, and I am glad that we accomplished the French Polynesia visa application. 

Our canal transit date is still set for April 12.  The canal authority told me to check back again on Wednesday as they are expecting things to speed up a bit next week.

 One final note about the James Bond movie #22.  When the film crew finished here at the marina most of them were then going to Chile.  There was a duplicate film crew already in Chile shooting the same scenes they did here.  There are also 2 film crews in Europe.  So they had at least 4 complete film/production crews operating at the same time.  No darn wonder these movies cost a freaking fortune.

Almost finished shooting the Bond movie at this location

March 22, 2008  Saturday

Bill is on his way to Houston this morning and will return April 2.  He will take care of medical appointments and also use this opportunity to bring back 100 pounds of various things for our boat, as well as a couple of items for friends’ boats.

The portion of the filming of the Bond movie here at Shelter Bay Marina is winding down.  This morning they are breaking down the “market” that they had built in the boat yard.  That filming was completed yesterday. This consisted of 4 small vendor stalls; they had placed lots of plants all around the stalls to make it look tropical.  Will be interesting to see how big the market place looks in the final movie.  Take it from me – it was really tiny.  They also flipped the black inflatable boat yesterday afternoon.  I knew it was happening but did not bother to walk over to D dock to make a video of it.  I have sort of lost interest in all this movie stuff and will be glad to see them leave soon.  It was nice to have this diversion but I am tired of diesel fumes from the enormous motor cat that docks next to us every night.  Bill had worked hard for a couple of days and our boat was nice and clean and shiny; now it is covered with grime from diesel fumes.  This big motor cat is used by the film crew as a lounging/eating and make-up “trailer” out on the water during the day while they are filming.  Then it docks on the T-dock next to us each night.  It is loud and dirty and I will be glad to see it gone. 

BTW, everything was shipped in for this movie production.  Even the catering company and trucks were shipped in from Georgia, although surely they are buying some of their food locally.  A lot of the workers are from California and England, but It has surprised me how many of the production people are from New Zealand.  The vast majority of the workers are young, very few over 35 years of age.

They have completed the action shots and chase scenes – and the real Bond actor didn’t participate in any of those scenes.  They only brought in Daniel Craig for the close-up shots.  Basically any time that the boat is moving or any action of any kind happens, that is the stunt actor, not Daniel Craig.  BTW, the stunt actor is a really nice guy; almost always has a smile on his face and chats with everyone.  Daniel Craig is a serious fellow; never a smile for anyone.  And he is not an attractive person; the stunt actor has a much more pleasant appearance than Daniel Craig.  I did not realize just how unattractive Daniel Craig really is until I came face-to-face with him near the marina office and had to step back out of his way.  From a distance I thought he looked a lot like my brother Boyd looked when Boyd was younger.  But after seeing him so up-close and personal, I realized that Boyd never looked that bad.  Haven’t seen this man on camera and am now curious if cameras are kind to him.  Surely he looks better on film than he does in person or he would never have been selected for this job.  After all, James Bond does have a reputation to maintain.

There were actually 2 stunt doubles for the actress who appears in the action scenes.  One girl did all the real action scenes.  She did not look much like the real actress; her hair is much redder and straighter with coarser texture.  Then they would switch to the second stunt actress and she appeared in scenes closer-up, but not in the more dangerous action shots.  This second stunt actress looked much more like the real actress, smooth dark hair and same complexion coloring, but taller than the real actress.  She has a very large scar in the middle of her back; looks like an old burn scar.  This was covered up with make-up.  Then they used the real actress only for close-up shots with Daniel Craig.  BTW, the Bond girl actress is cute; not drop-dead gorgeous like some of the Bond girls in yesteryears; but she is cute.  Whoever she is, she at least smiles a lot and talks with the film crew people; unlike Daniel Craig who has an angry, sullen look all the time and is addressed as Mr. Craig by the film crew and production workers.  As you can tell, I really do not have a favorable opinion of this man.  There is no need for him to act the way he does towards the “little people” working so hard to make this film a success.

I called the Panama Canal Transit Authority yesterday and learned that our transit date has been moved up to April 12.  They told me to check back every 3-4 days for updates because transit dates are shifted continually.   Keeping my fingers crossed that our transit date ends up being on April 3, the day after Bill returns.

James Bond movie #22

The filming of the James Bond movie #22 continues.  Seems like the entire marina has turned into the movie production business.  All, that is, except the marina restaurant and the marina office.  They are entirely remote from all this movie activity.

I made a shopping trip to the new Mega Depot in Colon.  While I was gone the marina manager came and made Bill to our boat to another slip.  This was accomplished and I returned to find our boat missing from where I had left it.  But she was just across the dock so not hard to find.  In the first slip we were facing bow-to the wind and it was very comfortable.  Now we are stern-to the wind and don't get the nice breeze flowing through the boat since the hatches now face away from the wind. 

Yet another mega-yacht arrived today and we are now surrounded by mega-yachts.  They run generators 24-hours a day and the noise and diesel fumes are not pleasant.  Did not bother us when our boat was on the other side of the dock and facing the wind because the diesel fumes were being blown away from us.  Now the diesel fumes are being blown into our boat through the companionway.  Hope some of them leave soon.

Today they filmed a chase scene directly next to our boat.  S/V BeBe was in the camera line, but since we have not signed a waiver with this movie production company I am sure our boat will be digitized out of the movie.  Or maybe they will just change our boat name and leave the boat itself in the movie.   Will be interesting to see the edited result when the movie is released later this year.

Since our canal transit is scheduled so late (April 14 at the moment), Bill has decided to use this time as an opportunity to visit home.  He recently obtained VA medical benefits.  He was able to make an appointment for next Monday.   He has no medical complaints but it would be wonderful if he can get a script for Pentassa through the VA.  This is the drug he takes for Crohn's Disease.  Right now we have no insurance and we pay roughly $5200 per year for this one script.  If the VA writes the script, then it would cost only $9 per month.  So that makes it worth paying for a trip home.  I will stay in Panama on the boat.  We are hoping that our transit date gets bumped up before April 14, but seriously doubt that it could be before Bill returns to Panama on April 2.

This trip also will enable Bill to bring back even more spares and some of the things we have not found locally.  I ordered cans of powdered eggs and half-dozen cans of butter. to be delivered to our son's house and Bill will bring those back.  These will be great to use if we do the Pacific crossing.  I also ordered some MREs for our ditch bag.  For you non-sailors, a ditch bag is exactly as it sounds.  If we have an emergency and are forced to abandon ship and get into our liferaft, we will also bring along the ditch bag.  it contains survival items which are not packed inside the liferaft -- like the epirb, extra flashlights, fishing hooks & line, small rope, lots of granola bars and peppermint candies, handheld GPS, handheld compass, extra flare gun and flares, and numerous other things.  I thought MREs would be perfect for a ditch bag because they require no water to prepare and each pouch comes with its own little heating packet.  If other sailors are reading this, you might want to check out http://MREdepot.com

We are right in the middle of the filming of new James Bond movie

March 15, 2008 Saturday

As mentioned previously, the newest James Bond movie (#22) is being filmed here at Shelter Bay Marina in Panama.  The movie is set in Haiti and we guess that most people won’t realize that Haiti doesn’t look a thing like Panama.  For one thing, there are no trees in Haiti because they have all been cut down to be used as fuel for cooking and such.  And Panama is jungle so there are millions of trees of all kinds. 

It is interesting watching all the work that goes into making this movie.  They have 4 little souped up boats that are being used in chase scenes.  These look rather derelict but are really fast boats with brand new big engines.  They look like they are driving themselves but there is a guy strapped into a rocorro seat inside the wooden console in the middle.  There is a very small slit for the driver’s eyes so that he can see, but with limited vision range.  This small slit is covered by netting so it appears the boat is driving itself.  The James Bond actor and a brunette Bond girl stand in the back and sometimes act like they are fighting while the boat drives itself during these chase scenes.  Funny to see and we are sure the final movie won’t look anything like the play-acting fighting that happens while the shots are made.  Don’t know how they shoot and edit to make this play acting fighting look realistic, but it just looks funny in real life.

The actor playing James Bond (think his name is Daniel Craig or something like that) is being hosted on the big mega-yacht docked right next to us, named OLGA.  But we have only seen the actor from a close distance so far.  He has a body guard that makes sure that no one gets too close.  And they don’t like photos taken.  We are not fans of this guy so really don’t care.  But it is entertaining to watch all the movie goings-on happening around us.  Bill talked to “James Bond” and his Bond girl this afternoon; just a few sentences.  The body guard didn’t stop him.

They were supposed to blow up a small boat yesterday afternoon.  The explosives are all set, but they still have not blown it up.  Hope we are around when that happens.  Would like to see what it really looks like and then see how they make it look in the final movie.

The admeasurer was out to our boat this afternoon and measured BeBe in every direction.  We now have a Ship Identification Number for the Panama Canal transit.  Our agent is supposed to call us after 6:00 this evening and tell us the assigned transit date.  But we already know that it is very likely that the assigned transit date will be changed, probably more than once.  We arrived to transit the canal right in the middle of a work slow-down by the pilots.  

A pilot is required on a big ship (I think a pilot is required on any boat over 80-feet length.)  At any rate, smaller boats like ours do not use pilots; we get an advisor.  An advisor is someone who is gaining experience so that he can eventually be a pilot – because pilots make the big bucks.   The advisor will board our boat and remain on the boat through the transit process.  We have to feed him nice meals while he is aboard (as well as the 4 line handlers that are also required).   The advisors make a big deal out of the quality of the meals served to them.  If we do not feed him or if he feels that the quality of the meal served is unacceptable to his standards, then a catered meal must be brought out to our boat – at a cost of $350 to us.  So most cruisers make it a point to serve something good.

So back to the pilot work situation.  This is the busiest time of the year for canal transits.  We have heard that the pilots now make $250,000 per year and they want a raise to $400,000.  They have labor contracts and cannot simply strike for higher pay.  But they can call in sick.  And they can move the ships through the canal locks at 3 knots instead of the required 8 knots.  And that is what they are doing right now.  This explains the unusually high number of ships outside the breakwater awaiting canal transit on the morning we arrived here.  The pilots are creating a backlog of ships to transit the canal.  And we are caught in the middle of this, even though we don’t use a pilot.  Commercial traffic takes precedence over pleasure yachts transiting the canal – as it should be, since they pay roughly $300,000 to transit the canal and we pay less than $2,000.

Nothing we can do about this except hope for the best.  The transit date is out of our control.  Stay tuned for several updates about this, I’m sure.

You might remember that we came to this marina so that Bill could work on our engine because we experienced a slight problem on the passage from Bocas del Toro.  Bill wrote the following about our engine heat situation:

We were experiencing white puffy smoke or steam and overheating at high RMP.  This symptom means that it is likely that water is hitting a hot mixing elbow in spurts rather than an even flow. 

How a Marine Diesel Engine is Cooled:

A marine diesel engine cools itself with a combination of two water systems.  One is sea water; the other is a mixture of coolant and water.  The mixture of coolant and water circulates through the engine just like an automobile.  However instead of a radiator, we have a "heat exchanger."  Cool sea water passes thru small tubes which are surrounded by the coolant and water.  The sea water removes the heat from the coolant and water and is expelled through the exhaust.  It is injected into the exhaust at the "Mixing Elbow."

We did the obvious things we thought:

• Checked the Water Chest Strainer (it was OK)
• Replaced the Impeller (old one looked fine)
• Removed and cleaned the heat exchanger (looked OK)
• Removed and cleaned the Turbo Intercooler (looked OK)
• Replaced the thermostat (did not check the old one)

The problem continued on our passage from Bocas del Toro to Shelter Bay Marina near Colon.  On the way here I recalled that a small transmission oil cooler is plumbed in-line with the sea water line from the Water Chest to the sea water pump on the main engine.  It is relatively simple to disconnect the rubber end boots from this oil cooler. 

I disconnected both ends of the transmission oil cooler.  On the inlet side of the cooler I found about 1/3 cup of small mussel shells and other debris which almost completely blocked the water flow.  The water flows thru 3/16" tubes and the transmission oil flows around the tubes.  The whole thing is about 2 1/2" in diameter and about 8' long...water hoses on each end: 1 "IN" the other "OUT"...and two high pressure hoses from the transmission - 1 "IN" the other "OUT."

Anyway, I got it cleaned and put everything back together.  I started the main engine and noticed that a lot more water was flowing through the exhaust.  I am 99% sure the problem is solved.  We will not know for sure until we power up to 3,000 RPM under load.

Bocas del Toro to Colon

March 11, 2008 Tuesday

Laguna Bluefield, Rep. of Panama

09.09.447N; 081.54.179W                  Distance sailed approximately 30 NM

Anchor and up at about 10:30 yesterday morning and we motored out of the channel between Isla Bastiamentos and Isla Carenero.  Goodbye to Bocas del Toro.  As we approached the final channel markers to exit Bocas we encountered what was first beautiful sailing conditions.  Winds were light at 9 knots from the east but just high enough to sail.  Large 10-12 foot swell was running from the ENE but spaced well apart so there was only a slow lifting and lowering movement to the boat.  We cut the engine and enjoyed a couple of hours of very pleasant sailing.

And then things suddenly changed.  We had been watching dark gray/blue masses approaching from the east, but radar didn’t pick up anything.  Instantly the winds jumped to 20-24 knots, the temperature dropped at least 10 degrees and the drizzly rain started.  This lasted a couple of hours.  It was cold!!  Not what you would expect in the Caribbean where our normal temperature lately has been 88F.

The course here took us down the eastern side of Isla Bastiamentos.  We have too deep draft to safely navigate the Crawl Cay cut way out of Bocas which is on the sheltered western side of Bastiamentos.  Our course was basically eastward bound but did have several waypoints taking us further and further back westward until we finally were heading west towards Bluefield.  These course changes placed our boat beam-to the swell.  For you non-sailors, the 10-12 foot swell is not uncomfortable if it is hitting the boat from an angle off either bow or stern; but a large swell hitting a boat directly on the beam makes the boat roll side-to-side.  We did this for a couple of hours.  Not pleasant. 

But the final hour of approach to Bluefield was behind some very small islands which broke up the swell.  And our direction to the swell was now comfortable anyway and the rain stopped, so the final hour was pleasant. 

We dropped anchor at 3:30 in exactly the same spot where we had anchored here on our way to Bocas on January 30.  This large lagoon is really an enormous bay with several long smaller finger bays branching off.  The water is totally calm.  There are no no-see-ums or mosquitoes – why I do not know, because there is plenty of vegetation and some mangroves.  There are no other boats anchored here right now.  The local Indians are friendly and paddle by in their little canoes but haven’t bothered us. 

We had hoped to go to Escudo de Veraguaz today.  This is small island about 27 miles away and would be a great jumping-off point to start the direct passage to Colon.  Haven’t decided yet if we will go.  If that large swell yesterday is still running, then it might be pretty uncomfortable anchored off a small island as the swell curls around it.  It is already after 10 a.m. so we need to make a decision soon whether we want to try it today.

Later same day…..

We did sail/motor the 30 miles out to Escudo de Veraguaz.  Cost us $20 “contribution” to the local Indians for the privilege of anchoring there.  Could have also gone to Tobobe and 2 other Indian places for the single $20 contribution, but we weren’t interested.  Stayed one night at Veraguaz and it was quite rocky – reminded me of Prickly Bay in Grenada with all that motion.  Wasn’t bad, but was a lot more motion than we are accustomed to.  By the next morning we were ready to leave.  On the way out to this island Bill noticed that our engine is still smoking.  So the mechanic we hired in Bocas was unsuccessful in finding and fixing this problem.  After we negotiated through the rocky area and were in deep water, we set the sails with preventers; put the engine in neutral and revved it up to 2500 rpms; and put in a healthy dose of Yanmar turbo wash; then flushed it with clear water.  Unfortunately, this did not solve the smoking problem.  Now Bill is very worried about the engine, so we will go into the marina in Colon so he can work on it himself now that his back is not hurting anymore.

March 12, 2008 Wednesday

First, Happy Birthday to our youngest son, Aaron.  Hard to believe that he is 33 years old today.  Seems like just a few years ago he was only 2 or 3.  Time does fly and seeing our children age really brings it home to us.  Sorry we can’t even call Aaron on his birthday while we are at sea today, but our SAT phone signal is intermittent in this area of the Caribbean.

We left the rolly anchorage at Excudo de Veraguaz shortly after noon.  The plan was to sail as slowly as possible and hopefully average 4.5 knots so that we would arrive in Colon area in daylight.

March 13, 2008 Thursday

Shelter Bay Marina, near Colon, Panama

09.22.086N; 079.57.019W                  Sailed 104 NM on overnight passage

It was an uneventful passage (the best kind!), and we arrived at the breakwater to the canal at 0800 this morning. There was a fairly large swell running and winds changed all over the compass, so it made for a very tiring passage.  Worst part was that we had to run the engine for about one-third of the passage and the diesel fumes made me nauseaus.  Very glad that this passage is over.

Boats are supposed to contact Cristobal Station on VHF 1212 when 20 minutes from the breakwater and they direct the traffic in and out.   We contacted Cristobal Station as required and were instructed to call back when we were one mile from the entrance.  When we called back at that point, the controller said he had 3 ships lined up to enter and 1 to exit so we should stay out of their way as we came in.  Yeah, well, that got my attention!!!  There were between 40 and 50 ships anchored outside the breakwater.  We waited while one ship entered and then we made our way through the entrance – with another huge ship coming up right on our tail!  All went smoothly but it is unnerving to have a ship that large coming that fast directly behind us.  We know that their navigator or pilot cannot see our sailboat when we are that close in front of the ship, and those ships move many times faster than our little sailboat.  We scooted out of the entranceway as fast as we could and headed toward the marina.

Cannot remember if I already mentioned this or not.  The latest James Bond movie is being filmed in the Colon area right now.  They were looking for sailboats to anchor in a certain place as background scenery for the movie.  We know another boat that wanted to participate but they did not want to commit for the full 2 weeks required and already left here.  The movie producers are paying $100 per day plus fuel and water, but each boat was required to commit to staying anchored in the same place for 2 weeks.  Heck, we would have done that if we had been here last week.  Too late now because they are already in the second week of filming that requires the boat background scenery.  Besides, we need to be in the marina slip so we can have shore power to charge the batteries while Bill works on our engine.

Anyway, as we headed toward the marina from the breakwater entrance we encountered all these sailboats anchored where boats are not supposed to anchor.  Turns out that these are the “movie boats” and that this James Bond movie is being filmed on the premises of Shelter Bay Marina where we will be docked for the next week or so.  There are notices posted on the doors of the marina facility telling the movie people that they are not welcome in the restaurant or bar and that they cannot use the marina restrooms.  That struck me as strange.  Seems like the marina restaurant and bar would welcome the additional business rather than rudely turn it away.  We recognized a couple of the boats anchored out there so maybe we will learn more about this movie deal.

We treated ourselves to a nice breakfast at the marina restaurant and today we will rest up and lounge around. Tomorrow we will contact our agent to get cleared into Colon and to start the process to obtain our canal transit date. Hoping to transit March 23 or so.