Farewell Panama, Hello open ocean

Last night we were excited that our entire crew is now complete! We picked up Debby Baldwin at Tocumen Airport in Panama early last night, and after unpacking and a quick meal, we all were excited to bring on today! Debby was the first one up this morning, making pots of coffee and welcoming us all with her smiling face. The weather here in Panama remains warm, overcast, and muggy. Radios are being tested, weather forecasts are being analyzed, and we all are eager to begin our great adventure.

The "itinerary", if there is one, takes us from Panama to Taboga Island, a short 7 miles away. We will swim and search for wasabi in the local store, and then this afternoon, we will begin our watch system as we start our journey to the Galapagos Islands, 850 miles away. Our watch system will begin with 3 hours on, 6 hours off, with Eric & Carter holding their own watch, and Debby and myself sharing a watch. Debby came to Sea Child with a loaded ipod, so our music interests are covered. The stores are stocked, the water & fuel is topped off, and we are good to go. Our next big adventure is about to begin. Galapagos Islands should be about 5 days away.

Balboa Yacht Club, Panama City, Panama. 8 degrees 58 minutes N, 79 degrees, 32 minutes W.

Panama Canal Transit

Between drydock and transit, Sea Child sailed east to the San Blas Islands. Along the way, we visited Linton

Island, where the abandoned FSU Science Building was being taken over by the jungle as well as some wayward monkeys. We found that the further east we traveled from the Canal Zone, the better the weather became. The days were a little cooler, though just as humid, and the nights were filled with lightning storms and wind gusts. We had a short visit to San Blas, visiting the East Limon anchorage and the Swimming Pool. On our sail back toward Shelter Bay, we were hit by a white squall, where the winds blew over 40 knots, the rain fell like a giant waterfall from the sky, and Sea Child sailed along at over 15 knots on main alone.

Once back in Shelter Bay, we were joined by family members who came down to be our "line handlers". Our two day transit began when the pilot joined us around 3:00pm, and advised us on our route toward the Gatun Locks. The skies grew dark as we neared the locks, and as the gates of the lock closed behind us, we said goodbye to the Caribbean Sea, where Sea Child had sailed with us since January 2008. The farewell was bittersweet, as we were excited about our continuing journey towards New Zealand for the winter.

We reached Gatun Lake around 6:00pm, and after a wonderful dinner of meatloaf, potatoes and fine red wine, we settled for the night, alone in our anchorage. At dawn, we were excited about the upcoming crossing, and the weather greeted us with blue skies and warm temperatures. The crossing of Gatun Lake was magnificent! The lake snaked around, from north to south, east to west, every turn providing us with another close-up of the great freighters and tankers that passed us along our way. We sailed for just about an hour, but mostly found ourselves motoring across the great lake towards the Pacific Ocean. As we arrived in the last three locks, we were excited to see that we would pass through them as the only vessel, center tied, and shocked at our good fortune. As we passed through the Mira Flores Locks, we were cheered by a large group from the visitor center, and the currents of the Pacific Ocean pulled us this way and that as the last gate opened. We had made it to the Pacific Ocean.

The overnight transit of the Panama Canal has been a highlight of our journey so far. Sea Child currently sits at Balboa Yacht Club, Panama City, awaiting the next leg, which takes us from Panama to the Galapagos Islands and French Polynesia.

Balboa Yacht Club, Panama City, Panama. 8 degrees 58 minutes N, 79 degrees, 32 minutes W.