Leaving Panama, April 2009

We have been, on and off, debating about taking Fortuitous back to Ecuador for the rainy season. However, Ralph, once again bitten by the work bug, found that there was work in the office for him if we returned earlier than the scheduled late June date previously planned. We were to fly out of Lima Peru, if we returned to Ecuador. We haven't come to grips with whether, for next season, we plan to go through the canal to the Caribbean or cross to the South Pacific. So, instead of heading back to Ecuador, we decided, instead, to leave Fortuitous in Panama and fly home from there. We took off all electronics and stored them on land.
This is a group of friends gathering at the Balboa Yacht Club for book exchange and hamburger night.

While we were readying Fortuitous for the rainy season, we took a break and visited the Miraflores Locks as tourists. Quite a different perspective from crewing through the locks.

This is a great photo showing how the water is held back by the big gates. You can't get this shot on board.

This is looking into Pedro Miguel Lake. The Miraflores locks are the first 2 in a set of three. They lead to the lake and, at the end of the lake, is the Pedro Miguel lock that leads to Gatun Lake.

A sailboat down-locking into the Pacific.

We were in Playita anchorage for the first 5 weeks in Panama City. We moved to Balboa Yacht Club for the last few to ready Fortuitous to be left for the summer. This club is a group of mooring buoys situated right on the channel leading to the Miraflores locks. Cruise ships and freighters pass by regularly.

We'd come up to the cockpit and never were quite prepared for how large they are and how close they come.

The photos just can't do it all justice.

They are much larger than they look. Interestingly enough, they seem to leave less wake than the tugs assisting them.

That is our solar panel in the foreground. That sailboat is about 50 feet long, so you have some idea of size. We got to know what each type of ship was by their appearance. This is a car carrier.

We planned to leave Fortuitous on the mooring in the Balboa Yacht Club. However, someone recommended moorings on Taboga Island (about 10 miles away from Panama City), and our insurance gave us the go-ahead, so we took Fortuitous there. This is the little village from the mooring.

It is a holiday resort island and Fortuitous will be much more protected from the Southerly winds here. Also, there isn't the dirt from the bridge and canal traffic, so she should be cleaner.

Our major concern here is lightning and rain. The owners of the marina will air, check, and keep her clean.

We walked up to visit the owners of the moorings. It's a very cute little village.

This is a view to Fortuitous from their home. In the distance, you can see the freighters waiting for their turn to enter the canal.

Good-bye Fortuitous, or should I say "Hasta la vista"! I feel quite sad just looking at this photo!

We took a ferry back to Balboa Yacht Club, had dinner with our friends, then took a taxi to the airport hotel in order to leave the next morning. We had already moved our bags into the storage locker, along with the electronics. That way, we didn't have to drag them back from the island. This was a great plan except for the minor problem that: THE STORAGE LOCKERS CLOSED AT 4PM AND WE DIDN'T GO TO GET OUR STUFF UNTIL 7!!!!!!!!!! Thankfully, we didn't have to fly out at dawn's crack the next day, so Ralph managed to go back, in the morning, and retrieve our baggage. So home we went and home we are.

More to come in the fall, so stay tuned!

Buque Escuela Esmeralda, de Chile

We had heard that a Chilean navy training vessel, B.E. Esmeralda, was in Panama City. So, a few of us boarded a bus and headed off to view her. We had seen it advertised in the newspaper, and had checked the visiting times but, when we got there, they said it was closed to the general public and only open for "special groups". After much haggling, Ralph and others managed to convince them we were special enough! We had to walk into the base in order to get to the ship. We had no idea how long a walk it was, nor how dirty (huge dump trucks full of dirt travelling on a dirt road kicking up dust everywhere), or we might have just gone home! However, she was a beautiful sight to behold, once we arrived! This was a special ship, for us, as when we had lived in Chile, friends of ours had given Ralph a large, beautiful model of this ship as a going away present.

After at least a couple of KM's, we were black and hot and arrived at the gangplank for the ship. The ship was chock-a-block full of good looking young Chilean men, all dressed in the whitest whites we cruisers had ever seen! (When you send your laundry off to some lady who probably uses chipped hand soap, true white becomes a distant memory!) The contrast between these clean-cut lads, and all of us with dust and dirt in our hair and our BLACK sandal-clad feet, was unbelievable!! I didn't even want to go aboard. And, I surprised they even allowed it!

What a beautiful ship she is!
More brass than you can imagine, and all sparkling and shiny.

























Chileans are a proud lot and their emblem says, "By Reason or Force". I have to say, though, the carved figures looked a bit amateurish to me.










This translates to "Conquer or die", pretty tough words.

Huge wooden blocks slathered in coats and coats of varnish. I guess it's possible to maintain all that varnish and brass with 50 or 60 crew members.

Here we are on our tour. It was strange that they originally had told us we couldn't see the ship because, in reality, there were very few other visitors aboard. As soon as we came up the gangplank, a young man was dispatched to us to give us a tour. His English was quite good, considering his ripe old age of 21.

The Chilean flag in the rigging.

This is the Bridge of the Americas, from the Esmeralda.

Here's our entire tour group from the bridge.

Here's Ralph, pretending to be capitan, and wishing he had a wheel like this one!

They're big on the "do or die" thing!

Here I am, with Stan and Lynn Homer of Homers' Odyssey. They too are BCA members and from Calgary. Stan is wearing his newly aquired Esmeralda hat. In fact, all the guys got hats, and all chose exactly the same one. I bought one for Ralph, as it was his birthday that day. Now, all the guys have chosed days they can wear the hats so they don't all wear them at the same time.

This was the young fellow who gave us the tour. All the women wanted to know (but didn't ask) what kind of skin cream he used as we all marvelled at his great complexion! I'm sure he's never shaved yet! Doesn't he look to be about 14?

Casco Viejo, (Old Fort/Old Town) Panama City

So, after our canal transits we decided it was time to play tourist while waiting for our autohelm to arrive from the States.

We went to the canal museum, a very worthwhile $2! This is the view from the inside out. They wouldn't allow photos inside.

This fellow wasn't happy with Ralph for taking his photo. Usually we ask, but didn't this time.

We came upon a Kuna Indian stand on the waterfront. I was amused by the kids sitting in the shade, under the table, working away on the molas.

Here I am looking like I might purchase something. However, I really want to wait until we get to the San Blas Islands (on the Caribbean side of Panama), should that ever happen.

The Kuna are tiny little people, as you can see. It is a matriarchal society, which is quite a refreshing thought!

The ladies wear very colourful clothing and many beaded bracelets and "leglets"?

Here we are in front of the Panama City skyline. We haven't made it to that part of the town, yet, but those are supposed to be mostly apartment buildings.

There is real poverty here and it seems that there are a few very rich, and many very poor. One street over from the main shopping street can be very dangerous for tourists and cruisers. We were advised to take a cab, rather than walk the one block, to a marine shop we wanted to visit.

I feel a painting coming on!!

One of the tourist shops had these lovely cane/grass masks.

They were very detailed and colourful.

Yet another painting coming on!

Our camera is great for taking candid shots, as it has a viewer that is adjustable 360 degrees. So, Ralph gets some great shots!

Dave, from Nuage, chatting up one of the local kids in a square. We don't think that was her baby, but here you never know.

They are trying to restore this old part of the city but, as you can see, they have a lot of work to do.

I love the old balconies.

Very quaint.

This is Carol. For SV Nuage, she takes the photos.

"Patiently", Dave stands and waits for Carol!