Back on Course

During our brief break we managed to achieve our objectives back home in Panama. Briefly, our new neighbour upstairs has been remodelling his apartment and careless workers had caused some flooding over the past few months..............the end result being that we needed to re-tile part of our kitchen and a bathroom - at our neighbour's expense. What a pain, but once again our friend Jacinto (with faithful Pedro at his side ) has completed the repairs. I will try to impress upon the excitable Spaniard upstairs that water is subject to gravitational force, duh.

While we were watching the effect of gravity on our wall tiles Last Mango was being attended to by James Knight, his business being NordhavnOnly/Yacht Tech. There were something like 25 Nordhavns at Old Port Cove, and James is the reason they are there. In no time at all Last Mango was hauled and carefully inspected by James and his team; a pro-active maintenance work list was produced to deal thoroughly with some important but often overlooked items. Apart from all below-the-waterline maintenance, we now have improved sea-chest fittings; new stabilizer seals; new pumps and hoses; and last but not least, a new anchor, "Rocky".

Rocky replaces the standard CQR which Nordhavns are usually supplied with. Whereas the CQR is 170 lbs, this Rocna weighs 254 lbs and quite a number of the 55's have them; they set extremely well and hold better, so we welcome Rocky to the team. We tested him outside OPC and he was indeed most reluctant to be shifted from the mud. While at OPC we have once again made more Nordy friends: Bradley and Kathy on "Sheer Madness" ( all boats probably should have that name) and Bill and Rosie on Nexus.
Looking ahead to the year's schedule and the cruising plans we started factoring in all the ingredients........... the most important factor in East Coast cruise strategy is that just offshore one has one's own personal boat travelator - the Gulf Stream. Once in it, you get a 3 knot boost to anywhere, so the sensible thing to do is to hurry North offshore but to meander South inshore on the ICW. So after waiting a couple of days for weather to pass, we embarked OPC, Florida and plotted a course for Beaufort, North Carolina, a distance of 530 miles. It was a good journey completed in 55 hours, weather was choppy at the beginning but for most of the way we had calm conditions - good timing because here in Beaufort we have had a couple of storms through.

Beaufort was founded in the early 1700's and is careful to preserve

its heritage. It reminded me of somewhere like Tenterden, Kent; wide streets of white clapboard houses. The town is small and mainly around the waterfront; quiet, 25 mph speed limit - no-one is in a hurry - no dog mess, rubbish, parking meters; no Macdonalds, KFC, Subway. Plenty of history here, since the town is just inside Beaufort Inlet - the first place of safety you get to from Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Atlantic. The wreck of Blackbeard's ship, Queen Anne's Revenge, lies just offshore. The Union forces ran the blockade of the South from here. We got the bikes out and did the trail around the town; plenty of quiet streets and historic property. And the Beaufort Grocery Company is a great place for brunch.........

Looking at the schedule ahead, the current plan is to head inland from here on the ICW and get to the Chesapeake Bay area. The alternative to the ICW is to head back outside and round Cape Hatteras, but with the current weather that is not an option. We have looked at the cruising guide for the Chesapeake and we

estimate that we could easily cruise there for the next two or three weeks. After that, our plan is to get to Newport, RI and leave Last Mango for a few weeks while we head off to England for family visits. Beyond that we will cruise more of the Atlantic coast.
Tomorrow the weather looks ok so we will leave early and head inland, keeping a careful eye on the depth sounder and checking off those channel markers.

Taking a breather

We are going to take some time out of the cruising for

a few weeks while we decide where to go next.

I do have some more photos relevant to the recent trip. Firstly we have Captain Don flying by instruments during our long passage from Panama. And I have some data from the travels over the past few months while we were transitioning from the Pacific to the Atlantic. Since our departure from San Diego, California on 6 November we have travelled 5,700 miles. Fuel consumption over the whole period was 3,100 gallons, not bad at all. In that period there were only two engineering issues to deal with; a new exhaust bracket and a stabilizer
control box. We have hardly dented the spares

cache but we have made some inroads to the oil stockpile.
While we were on the way North from Panama towards Cuba we had some extra passengers - see the exhausted colorful swallow in the picture, he just sat on the cockpit rail all day and watched us trying to reel in the elusive fish. There was a whole flight of his colleagues up on the flybridge rails.
After we had left Key West we headed around the Keys in Hawk Passage, anchoring on successive nights off Channel Five and then Key Biscayne, off downtown Miami.

The passage then turned inland and we headed into the ICW for a stop at Fort Lauderdale. The following day was all about the bridge openings on Channel 12. From the very first bridge you just have to get your timings right, otherwise you miss the scheduled opening and have to wait. It was essential to have the listing of bridges, distances, and timings in front of the helmsman.
Finally we arrived at Old Port Cove which is going to be Last Mango's home for a little while. We have arranged for a haulout locally to get the bottom painted and some scheduled maintenance done by the local Nordhavn specialists; we will take off home to Panama for a couple of weeks and catch up on land-borne affairs.  

Finally, here are Chris, Dad and myself after our passage through the Panama Canal and across the Caribbean to Florida. A great experience for all of us.

Arrival Florida

Our Caribbean passage continued through the Yucatan Passage and on into the Straits of Florida, somewhat equidistant between Cuba and a line off the Florida keys. The Scrabble Games on board were getting quite hard fought and we were enjoying the Admiral’s legendary cuisine and working though the days and nights on our watches. But, ahead, we were warned over the satellite email by Jo and Dan that the winds were going to increase substantially; around midnight Tuesday over 30 knots. We weren’t going to be allowed to get to Florida without a reminder of the force of nature. Right on cue, the seas built and just before my watch (000 to 0300) we had to reduce speed and fall off to the North. It was an uncomfortable night; good job that I had stowed the rods and fishing gear and we had checked again for any loose items that may fly around – apart from ourselves that is. As the wind climbed into the low thirties and the waves built to around 12 feet we plotted another course to the nearest point of shelter which would be near Fort Jefferson, Garden Key. By mid-morning we had decisions to make. Option A would be to arrive Garden Key around nightfall, anchor and then spend most of the next day getting to Key West. Option B would be press on towards Key West, enter the West Channel behind the reef for protection and arrive Key West around 2200 and anchor off Fleming Key in the dark. Since we considered that we were probably through the worst of the conditions we went for Option B. Of course it was only the humans that were interested in getting to calmer waters, Last Mango just chugged along quite happily, up one wave and down the next, churning a good solid wake through everything the sea put in front of her. Finally we closed on the lights of Key West and headed into the mooring field. Some difficulty finding decent space among the thronged yachts – some unlit – and also some difficulty getting holding on the coral and sand; finally the hook was securely down and tugged and we were at rest after our six day passage. In the morning we headed for our slip in the heart of Key West, we had to squeeze our 18 foot beam between two pairs of wooden pilings which were 19 feet apart ………… snug I think you would call it. Certainly sent the neighbors scrambling for their fenders. With our quarantine flag up we tried calling the CBP 0800 number for a while before heading in person firstly to the Federal Building and then a short taxi to the immigration folks at the airport for our check in and Cruising License. And there was the inspection, curiously enough the instruction is for these officers is to remove most of our fresh food. I cannot imagine how threatening French Brie, a Chilean apple, a Mexican egg, or a Panamanian onion would be to the agriculture of the United States, but anyway the remaining things we had in the fridge are now heading for controlled incineration. But then, we were in! Another One-Year Cruising License and the liberty to explore a new coast, it should be great entertainment. And talking of the latter, we headed into Key West to marvel at the quaint Caribbean town of Key West and its incredibly lively bars, restaurants, and attractions. Here is the report: The ale at Kelly’s was just fine, especially the third one. The food at Fogarty’s was really excellent value. The Steve Nicks’ – style guitar/singer at the Bull was terrific. The dueling piano player/singers at Pete’s were brilliant. And the blues at the next bar along were fantastic. The quality of the live entertainment was just excellent, I just might need to get the guitar out of the closet where it has endured a lonely passage.  And it was good to be on land……….well, at least for a short time. We spend one night in Key West and then day-hop up the coast towards West Palm Beach. Soon our crew will be heading home and we can make some plans, maybe.

Caribbean passage

Our departure from Shelter Bay led straight into some heavy and confused seas with a consistent 20 knots of wind. Waves generated by a low off Venezuela, combined with a counter current off the Panamanian coast, resulted in mucho chop. Through the first night the seas stayed around 8 feet and sleep was of the partly airborne variety. Our new crew were wondering what they had let themselves in for but in retrospect it gave them their sea legs and the experience to appreciate the lessening seas to come. It was pointed out to me that the combined ages of these two added up to 150! As we made our way North, the wind relented and during the second night we were down to 12 knots with subsiding seas. We are now into Day 5 and the Caribbean is all gentle swell. We have been around 150 miles offshore and there has only been commercial traffic. As we closed in on the channel off Rosalind Bank, we picked up a welcome boost from the Northbound current; our speed increased from 6.5 knots to over 10 at one point. With the smooth seas on board routine has settled down well; the watch bill is light with 5 on board. Yesterday we had an enormous strike on our single lure; with full brake the line tore out nearly to spool; Chris was strapped into the light fighting harness when suddenly there one was immense sideways leap out of the water and our fish, almost half a mile behind the boat, was gone. There will be another day. Captain Don has the morning watch and is not fazed by the instruments in front of him in the pilothouse. A graduate of the Pensacola Flying School in 1944, and a member of the Active Reserve after WWII, one day he was given a Handbook to read overnight and the following morning was told to take her up - a Spitfire.

Panama photo catch-up

 I haven't been able to upload photos via the email link, needs more experimentation. So here are the back-log photos, I hope the presentation is not too messy. I will put some minimal commentary - essentially they relate to the trip to the canal and the canal transit itself.

First, on the left, Last Mango heading out into the Gulf of Tehuantepec, getting across just in front of a 50-knot T-Pecker storm.

Above is the hook and fishing line caught around the starboard stabilizer.And on the left, the 10,000 milestone for our passages to date.

Above - the yellowfin tuna caught 100 miles off Guatemala. Below - the six of us having our eve-of canal supper in Bella Gianni, El Cangrejo, Panama

 Six of us in the cockpit of Last Mango awaiting transit. Below - Chris, Dad and Susie after we had tied the tyres on.

On the right, below, our transit advisor Amado coming aboard on the pilot launch off Flanenco Island.

Above - Bridge of the Americas, the start of our Northbound transit.

The view at the Miraflores Locks, and entering the locks behind the Crown Garnet and Speculator.

Rafted up to Speculator.

Bad boy Magna Carta behind, center chamber.

 Rafted to Speculator.

Passing under Centennial Bridge.

Pedro Miguel Lock.

Above - final view down the Gatun Locks - 85' fall over the three locks

Finally, phew!

Panama Canal night Transit

Just relating the story of our transit………………..on an “as I remember it basis”……………..our agent had asked that we be waiting off channel buoy 6 at 1500 but Flamenco Signal re-confirmed that it would be 1615. Oh well, that was just a bit more hanging around. We had spent the morning tying our salubrious plastic-covered tyres around the boat so that we would be able to fend off anything that might threaten the paintwork. And we also practiced catching and tying monkey-fisted lines and flaked our long canal lines so that we could hold center chamber. We headed out to the channel area, noting that the number of AIS targets around us was over 250. Around 1630 the pilot launch appeared and came alongside. Hand line transits Speculator, Magna Carta and ourselves soon had transit advisor/pilots aboard – our was a very pleasant young man, Amado. He completes one transit a day on his work days. We then ran up the channel towards the Miraflores Locks arriving at 1750; we slowed down to let a freighter – the 500 ft Crown Garnet - pass and go into the West lock in front of us. For the transit we lost our identity and we three motor yachts became 25 Charlie, 25 Daniel and 25 Echo. North bounds are odd numbers and South bounds even. 25D was being rather difficult at every stage – rather like a horse refusing to go into the gate – and insisted that she go center chamber on her own, rather than being the center nest to 25 Charlie and 25 Echo. Crown Garnet went in first, then 25 Charlie caught the hand lines and tied to the port wall, then we came alongside and rafted up – so we had our own personal 80’ fender between us and the wall, how useful! 25 Daniel came in behind us.  Gates closed and the chamber was filling, some extreme turbulence and 25 Charlie was using motor and thruster to try to get away from the wall, or at least to minimize the crush on his port fenders. While all this was happening we were emailing with my sister in Australia who was monitoring Last Mango on the live webcam – particularly since we have on board my Dad and brother Chris as crew on this trip. After we had been lifted, the doors opened; we untied from 25 Charlie and moved through the turbulent prop wash from the freighter up to the next lock for the same procedure. Of course it was now past nightfall. This time 25 Charlie kept shy of the wall and used more or less constant motor/thruster to power away from the concrete. Soon we were again on our way chasing the freighter up the Miraflores Lake and into the single Pedro Miguel lock. Slightly different procedure, 25 Charlie tied to the starboard wall so we had to do some rapid switching of fenders from starboard to port. I can tell you that having the six of us on board, plus advisor, was essential; it was busy. After Pedro Miguel we had a 24 mile run through the Culebra Cut, the Chagres River and the Gatun Lake to the Gatun Locks. All of 25 transit raced off ahead of us since we were slowest – although we maintained our top speed of 9.1 knots or so. 25 Daniel (note that the canal have their own substitute for Delta) meanwhile were whingeing about the lateness of the hour and wondered if they could anchor in the Lake while they still had some Bloody Mary Mix left………………and they also had asked most courteously if they could pass on our starboard side in the narrow Culebra Cut. After moving over they then came up and passed on the port side. Interesting! After racing up the Gatun Lake in the dark we could see on the AIS that our locking companions were ready to enter the downward chambers and half an hour in front……………champing at the bit to get through and out; but the Canal told them to wait for us. This time we hand liners were in front of the freighter; it was getting even more rehearsed by this stage; we swiftly got into the first lock, then the second and finally the third. Those gates opened and we were through and in the Caribbean; just after midnight. A pretty rapid transit we thought, there was no hanging around. By 0100 we were anchored off the flats near Colon, we would head into Shelter Bay Marina in the morning.

Readying for Transit

Well the week has certainly been busy here in Panama. We got temporarily back into “dirt-dwelling” (cruiser speak) and started organizing ourselves for our next passage. I will post here where we went and what we got up to in the City so that any other cruisers can have the benefit of whatever local knowledge we have; it might be useful. Firstly there is the business of trying to get a slip. There is one large marina on the Pacific side which is Flamenco; it is extremely busy and in spite of calling every day they had no room. The small marina here is La Playita; it is right next to Naos Island, near the Taboga Ferry and the Smithsonian Punta Culebra Park – great for sloth watching late in the afternoon. After extensive networking every day at La Playita’s office, we got a slip, which was useful for provisioning and getting on and off the boat. Our provisioning started at the Riba Smith supermarket at Multi-Plaza: that is the mall with the expensive designer stores. R-S is the most upmarket super here and better than either El Rey or Super 99. We then went on to Mega Depot, on Transistmica, which is our favorite warehouse store – no membership required. We didn’t have time to get to the large public market (Mercado de Abastos) for fruit and vegetables, that is highly recommended for lots of fresh produce. Our final topping up of fresh food was at the Transistmica  branch of Riba Smith – excellent place for fruit and vegetables, shrimp, and other produce. Oh and we had a few visits to the huge mall here which is Albrook – the place where the whole region comes to shop. Panama is very busy, the economy grew by 10.6% last year. The Yamaha service people here are Tesa and they have a place down the Amador Causeway but weren’t too good at returning calls. A useful place is the Balboa Yacht Club – they have mooring balls and a launch service – that was our back-up plan if we could not get a slip. Now a word about our agent, Tina McBride, and her assistant Elias. They have been superb, and have delivered everything promised. We have had excellent service which has resulted in our transit on the requested day, our inbound and outbound documents processed swiftly and painlessly, and timely delivery of our hand lines and fender-tyres for the canal. And if you are looking for restaurants here in Panama then Manolo Caracol in the Old Town is excellent; Gaucho is more or less the only place for steak, there is a new Italian called Bella Gianni down the road from our apartment which is excellent and where we had dinner for all our crew, and the place for mojitos and Cuban food is the excellent Rincon Habanero on Via Argentina. Of course there are hundreds more places to dine but these are some of our recommendations.

 

Today we were informed that our transit starts at 1600 local tomorrow; the pilot will come by launch to meet us between buoys 3 and 6. We will have an evening/night canal experience, since private yachts are now going through at all hours. Our best guesstimate is that we will pass the live internet camera at the Miraflores Locks at 1700-1800 local.