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!