We arrived here at the Las Brisas anchorage in Panama Bay on Monday at about 4pm after transiting through the canal. We were more than pleased to leave the confines of Swelter Bay Marina and are here with a pleasant breeze so it is cooler which is great!
The lines and tyres were delivered on Saturday morning and the four local line handlers came aboard at 12 on Sunday.
A last look at Swelter Bay!
We left Swelter bay at about 1pm local time and headed out to anchor on the ‘Flats’, just by the channel to the locks. The advisor came aboard about 4pm and we pulled up the anchor. YUK! The chain was covered in slimy clay and wouldn’t move until it was washed. The boys were very helpful and brushed it off and kept a chain of buckets of water to clean it with but still a lot of mud had gone into the anchor locker.
When we got near the lock gate we were centre boat of three in the raft, a catamaran on one side and a small fibre glass yacht on the other. Being centre meant that we were the driving force of the ‘raft’ and that our Advisor was in overall charge of operations. Because the little yacht was so small, our line handlers, had to take the port lines from high up the wall at Gatun Locks - the first set of locks. We were in the lock behind a big ship. The boys did the line catching and heaving of ropes to the port side whilst the folks on the cat did the starboard side and the Captain did all the steering. The locks raised us up 27 metres above sea level.
Heading for the lock.
Rafting up.
Entering the Lock
Going Up ! Up to the top of the lock!
Overnight we moored up in the freshwater lake and the Panamanian lads jumped in for a swim and had great fun diving off the mooring buoy before their well earned supper.
The next morning a new advisor came aboard and we then travelled down the channel the 27 miles to the Pedro Miguel Lock.
There are many small islands in the lake and with the jungle over the hills, it was a very pleasant ride. Didn’t see any crocodiles or alligators but lots of pretty birds and butterflies.
The dredging of the waterway is a continuous task to enable the huge number of large ships to pass through the canal.
The heavens opened as we reached the Pedro Miguel lock gates and everyone on deck got thoroughly soaked.
Clouds forming as we approached Pedro Miguel locks
Down comes the deluge!!!
The last set of locks at Miraflores, brought us back down to sea level and then the rafted boats let go all the lines which had joined them together.
Leaving the final lock at Miraflores
The Advisor got picked up by a pilot boat after having congratulated the Captain for his skills at the helm and we motored under the Bridge de Americas and round the headland to reach the anchorage.
The Bridge of the Americas.
We are hoping that having put the anchor down again it will wash off the excess mud and clay. The Captain then took the lads ashore along with the tyres and lines, which took 3 trips. The dinghy was well loaded up each time!
There are masses of pelicans here which dive bomb so close to the boats that they almost knock themselves out! They certainly hit the side of the boats. I guess they are after the small fish which always congregate in the hull’s shadows. It is a very funny sight, not at all elegant!
We have been inundated with flying insects which the Captain thinks might be termites as they seem to lose their wings. This could mean that they intend boring into the decks and woodwork to lay their eggs!
The Dredger in the Gatun Channel
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