Ship's Log

Provisioning for the Pacific Crossing

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 01:26:31 GMT

The 9.5 aluminum AB dingy was filled to the brim with grocery bags. I hate shopping. Especially when after the big shop you have to clean out every possible stowage area of the boat, clean them of dog hair, then repack like a giant jigsaw puzzle. I hadn’t ever purchased this much food since I did the big shop back in Kemah, Texas before I left on this grand odyssey. The work is slow, tedious, dirty, and has to be done. It goes slow as many small projects must be done in the process. For instance, the new locker I had built in Cartagena could not be filled with canned goods until I first crawled in and isolated the HAM radio wires used to run my antennae. Once found a longer sections was spliced in and all cables were zip tied back into place. Only then could the packing begin. It is like this with every locker. Nevertheless, dry goods are aboard and the countdown continues to the big jump.

With dry & canned goods aboard and mostly stowed I’ll leave tomorrow for a big necessities shop. This will include everything from new bed sheets, diesel engine oil, two stroke oil, pillows, toilet paper, dish soap, boat soap, bath soap, antibiotics, and the list goes on. Ones places for these things have been found or created all that will be left is a proper cleaning of the cabin and decks, filling of the water tanks, taking on of diesel, and choosing a day to depart. There are several more days of tedious and tiring labor which may deserve a day or two of complete rest. If the winds have not filled in to carry me to the Galapagos I may run the 40 miles out to the Perlas Islands to swim, cook, eat, and sleep before the big jump.

Cheers to getting it done.

Lee

T-7 Days to a Pacific Ocean Crossing

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:33:49 GMT

I woke up done with boat projects and ready to go sailing. Not because the boat was perfect by any means, but because I realized that the projects on the list are not critical to a safe ocean passage. I have plenty of small odds and ends to do like oil changes, zinc replacements, and provisioning, but that can all be done in a few days time. The biggest upgrade, the Sailomat self steering vane is installed and done except for one small loose end.

With the realization that is time to move again the excitement of my adventure returned. It has been an amazing, brutal, rewarding, and draining road I’ve followed over the past 14 months. I dare not begin to even dream what I’ll discover and find about myself, my boat, the sea, the world, and its people over the next 10 months and 11,000 sea miles to New Zealand.

I am off to do the first of several huge grocery shops. Today is canned foods and dry goods. Ever try making a shopping list good for nine months?

A solo cruisers log – Georgia has flown, Tsunami, AB Dingy

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:09:16 GMT

2/24/2010

Massive engines drone through the days and nights as consistent as the tides as PanaMax cargo ships stream in and out of the Panama Canal carrying goods around the world. Their wakes stir the anchorage forcing the sailboats anchored here to pitch and roll as violently as though Neptune himself were punching them from below. As the sun dips over the horizon casting its red haze across the endless sea a forest of masts ignite their lights aloft defying the pending darkness and signaling to all around that in fact, we are here.

The winds are confused and cannot decide from which direction they should blow sending sailboats on a never ending series of circles around their anchors like dogs chasing their tails. Swing room is limited as the cool Pacific waters rise from 20 feet of depth to over 35 feet with every tide, twice a day. Over 70 boats swing great circles now with three to five more showing up almost every day in preparation for the Pacific crossing season. 35 boats are a part of a group that paid $12,000 USD to be a part of a world circumnavigation rally. Is the flag they all fly to identify their unity worth the extra price tag? I wonder if Slocum would be elated or horrified to see what cruising has become.

2/27/2010

Tsunami! I thought my friends on s/v Coconut were playing a cruel, horrible joke on me when I heard the VHF radio call this morning. Tsunami. I couldn’t quite believe or process what I was hearing. Through the grapevine someone had received word of a massive earthquake along the West Coast of South America. We were advised to raise anchor immediately and head to sea.

It took a minute to clear the fog from my head and determine that joke or not, the only thing to do was weigh anchor and get to deeper water. Motoring hard for an hour all I found was 95 feet. Maybe it will be deep enough, maybe not. Radio calls included everything from near panic and dissemination of misinformation to calm collected reports being pulled from reputable news sources shore side. It is 10:30 a.m. now. Our tsunami was supposed to hit at 9:50 a.m. I am still ghosting along at 1.0 knots 7 miles offshore. In another hour I’ll tack and ghost back into the anchorage.

When my Mom’s plane took off to return to the States yesterday my most constant companion for the last 11 years was in a kennel in the luggage hold. The boat is eerily empty without her. Georgia’s earned a spot on a comfortable couch with constant air conditioning. The goodbyes are hands down the worst part of this trip. That may have been the worst one yet.

March 1^st

AB Inflatable is the best dingy company out there in my opinion. In 2008 they moved from venezuala to Colombia. I got the second boat they made from the new factory. It wasn’t up to their usual standards. After several repairs I contacted them about the ongoing problems and they agreed to give me a brand new 9.5 aluminum bottom replacement for $1,200. The price was established based on the fact that was close to what I could sell my current dingy for. Motoring back out to Jargo with the new dingy in tow I found a buyer for $900 for the old dink. For $300 I am ecstatic with my new launch.

The tsunami turned out to be a non-event. After spending the day loafing around a bit offshore we all motored back in. It was a good lesson to remind me to keep the boat ready to go to sea at a moments notice. After a year I’d fallen back into the trap of letting the boat turn into a floating condo at anchor. When you have to move, you have to be ready to do it fast. Thank got this tsunami was only around 12 – 18 inches.

Mugged at Gunpoint: Panama City

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 09:38:02 GMT

It’s amazing how quick it happens. The last time my friends and I had a night out on the town was well before I left Cartagena, Colombia for Panama. We cleaned up, donned some clean clothes and headed for an area known as Cosco Viejo and the infamous Luna’s Castle. Around 11:00 p.m. my limited cash reserves were depleted and I needed a few dollars for one more round and a taxi home. A local and one other Texan who’d been living in the neighborhood for a two months walked with me to the ATM. I pulled out $100 and we started our two block walk back to the hostel.

As soon as we reached a small alley way four guys surrounded us, one pointing a pistol at my chest as he slid the lever back to load a round into the chamber. The dramatic effect of the click click was no less poignient than in any Hollywood movie and we all stopped cold. The four young men immediately went into our pockets pulling everything out that they found. My small coin and credit card bag, a cell phone, a new packet of Marlboro Lights, a lighter, a Panama cell phone, and $100 USD cash.

While my pockets were being rummaged I kept telling myself the pistol wasn’t loaded. I could just see into the breach as the young assailant cocked the weapon and I was 99% sure there was no cartridge present to slide into the chamber. The gun was empty, but where was it? Looking for the hands of the muggers I scanned for the pistol. I suppose in order to work faster they’d put the pistol away facilitating the looting of our clothes. Not knowing were the pistol was and still with a 1% chance it was loaded, I let them take my things.

Just before they ran away my personal assailant found my debit card in my breast pocket. As he pulled it out I mumbled in broken Spanish, “Las tarjetas no trabaja para tu, pero estan muy importante a me”. I don’t even know if he understood what I was trying to say, but he dropped the debit card and as they ran away, I found the rest of my little bag laying on the ground behind me. I still had my two debit cards and Missouri ID. Nothing would have to be cancelled or delayed and everyone was fine. As muggings go, $100 USD and no violence isn’t too bad.

For some reason I keep seeing him cock the pistol and the empty chamber as it closed. I still can’t be certain, but I still feel the need to know if it was loaded or not.

Transiting the Panama Canal by Sailboat

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 22:05:41 GMT

At 11:00 a.m. on Saturday I heard the call on VHF channel 12, “Jargo, Jargo, Jargo, Signal Station transit time 15:30 hours, copy”. I copied and freaked a little.

They’d moved my time up by almost two hours. It was time to leave the dock.

Two friends from s/v Coconut, Greg & Kerri, and two new friends Erin & Colin joined me for the transit as line handlers, cooks, and general moral support. After a last minute scramble to stow the decks, lines, and fenders we warped off of our dock through a maze of mega yachts and made our way to the flats anchorage. We dropped the hook in 50 feet of water and radioed the signal station we were in place and standing by for our advisor. It took several more hours, but eventually he arrived and we discovered the most terrifying event of the entire canal crossing, loading your advisor from the pilot boats. These boats are built with fenders for cargo ship which are mostly perfect for knocking down sailboats stanchions. However, we got Ricardo on board and he set to work explaining how the next four hours events would transpire.

For the ride up to Lake Gutan I would be the lead vessel and we’d be side tied to a 35 foot Hunter who would be along for the ride. I was nervous for my newly rebuilt engine, but we made 3.5 knots no problem with the extra ship side tied to Jargo and proceeded into the first lock at Gutan. A massive cargo ship entered before us called Clipper Tenacious and I loved the name. Nerves were high and shortly after entering the lock Monkey Fists came raining down from above as the canal personnel threw us the light lines to tie to our heavy transit lines. Luckily, I’d advised my handlers to walk to Jargos amidships and invite the monkey fists there so as not to put my solar panel in jeopardy. It worked perfectly.

As the line handlers walked forward with our lines we fed them slack until they looped the line over the giant bits on the edge of the concrete canal. Now it was our turn. The lock began to boil just after the heavy door closed like a book on the Caribbean and the ships began to rise. As they did it was our job to take in the slack in the heavy lines keeping our fragile vessels off the jagged sidewalls built for steel cargo ships. The water boiled like our nerves as the salt water from the sea mixed with the fresh water from the lake.

Once we’d reached the top of the lock, the forward door opened and the Clipper Tenacious made her way out. We followed behind after the shore men had released our lines and let us retrieve the heavy lines so that they could walk with only the light lines they would pull in again once we’d made the second lock. This system repeated itself three times and we found ourselves in the freshwater lake called Gatun. It was after 10:00 p.m. by now and finding the mooring balls full we dropped anchor in 60 feet, scarfed down some chorizo macaroni and cheese, and promptly fell asleep.

The new advisor arrived exactly at 6:30 a.m. to begin day two. I’d just forced myself out of the bunk at 06:00 to start coffee for my crew, but most were still not up by the time he arrived. After yelling for help to tend fenders for yet the third deadly encounter with a Pilot boat we hauled up the muddy chain and started the 26 mile motor to the next set of locks, Mira Flores. On this long run my new advisor and I began to loose our ability to see eye to eye.

It is true that the Canal requires you to state that your vessel can run at and maintain 8 knots. This is faster than hull speed for my boat and I lied through my teeth. However, the finer print states that any vessel that can maintain 5 knots may continue its transit without penalty. Jargo was by far the heaviest boat we transited with and on the long motor the other vessels slowly, but steadily pulled away from us.

Along the route my newly installed alternator built disintegrated due to faulty construction and I lost my tachometer. I knew I was running about 2300 rpms and I didn’t want to push her any further. I’d continued increasing throttle at the advisors request to this point, but making 6.2 knots I refused to push it any more, he wasn’t happy, but he relented.

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Eventually, we made the Mira Flores locks and this time we’d be three transiting together as one large raft. Another 45 footer took the middle releasing me of duties at the helm except for an occasional boost of thrust either forward or in reverse to help keep us centered. The lines moved across smoothly and as the last doors closed, we were lowered back down to sea level and the doors opened on the Pacific ocean. We got our advisor onto his boat and made way to the anchorage at La Playita where I’ve been for the past two days.

It was a stressful experience, but in hindsight there was nothing to it. The Canal is truly an engineering marvel and I still can hardly comprehend I just crossed a continent on a 39 foot sailboat. The Pacific lies ahead and another year of sailing I am only beginning to wrap my mind around. On one hand I am telling myself it is just another long sail. On the other I filter the thoughts of what could happen on such a long ocean passage and sequester the negative aspects in a part of my mind to be dealt with at another time or never at all. There is work to do and an ocean to cross. The horizon is calling. It is almost time to go.

Lee

A man, a plan, a canal, Panama -- It's more than just a palindrome.

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:52:12 GMT

Jargo bobs in the Pacific. We made it safely through the Canal and now it is time to rest and relax for a day or two. The final day of Carnival is tomorrow night and I'll be in the middle of it. Cheers everyone and more to come when I have better internet access. Lee

Hurry up & Wait: Transiting the Panama Canal

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 22:19:58 GMT

Just a quick update before the next how to post on the Canal Transit. I am leaving the dock tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. with myself, Georgia, and four volunteer crew to handle my lines during the transit. It has been a mad dash to get all the tires tied to the boat, raw water pump replaced, belts replaced, food shopping done, Sailomat self steering purchased (mostly), and to get the lines on the boat sorted for the crossing. I never take crew to begin with so to suddenly have five people on board plus the canal advisor is going to get cozy.

At three we will head out of the Shelter Bay Marina and into the F or Flats anchorage. There we will pick up our advisor at 5:00 p.m. and begin our trip into the first lock at Gutan. We’ll ride the three locks up to Gutan Lake, tie up to a big buoy for the night, then transit three more locks down to the Pacific on Sunday. If you are really bored you can watch the action around 5 p.m. tomorrow starting at the Gutan locks on the Panama Canal webcams at http://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html. Cheers and here’s to crossing the ditch.

Lee

Transiting the Panama Canal by Sailboat: Part One

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 13:55:09 GMT

My transit of the Canal is from the Caribbean side at Colon going to the Pacific side at Balboa. Be aware if you are planning this trip that the agents and locations of offices will be entirely different on the other side. I am writing this mostly because as I began looking for more reliable information on crossing the Canal in my 39 foot sailboat I could find very little detailed info that told me what I was in for or even how to proceed. I hope this helps shed a little bit of light on a canal transit for cruisers wanting to jump oceans without braving a cape.

If your plans are to transit the Canal your first step, and probably the most difficult, is simply to arrive. With the destruction of the Panama Canal Yacht club there is only one commercial operation in Limon Bay at Colon, and that is Shelter Bay Marina. The marina is very nice and they try hard, but it is also brand new and they have a monopoly so prices are high and space is very limited. Two new docks are coming online as I write this, but if you arrive after February don’t be surprised if you are waiting on anchor for a few days for a slip to open up. If you are more adventurous, there is at least one other option.

First and probably the best is the old F anchorage, affectionately known as, “the flats”. This used to be a place to drop the hook then dingy into the Panama Canal Yacht club, but with its demise there is now no longer any safe place to land a dingy. For those not needing to run ashore this is no problem. Enter Tito.

Take this number down, Tito @ 6463-5009. Tito is old hat at this canal stuff and is currently taking boats who enter the bay, anchor in the flats, and transit the canal through the entire process in two to three days. He is not a full service agent, but will walk you through the process, provide lines and tires, and arrange handlers if you need them for around $115 USD. If you want him to handle your checking in and out of the country he’ll include that as well for $60 USD.

The difference between Tito and a full service agent is that Tito will not front your buffer fee of $900 USD for your transit. That means you will have to put this deposit, along with the $600 USD transit fee, in the Citibank before you cross. Assuming no problems the $900 will be returned, but those details will be discussed when I get mine back!

So, the first part is dead simple. Once cleared into Panama simply find the office located at Edificio 1000 at Puerto Ports. The building is down a long drive just past the office where you get your passports stamped in Colon by immigration. Arrive there with two copies of your boats registration (for US boats USCG Registration is better than State registration), two of your crew list, and two of your passport. After a handful of questions they’ll provide you a phone number to call that afternoon to schedule a visit from the friendly ACP (Autoridad del Canal de Panama) admeasurer. NOTE: You MUST tell everyone who asked that your boat is capable of maintaining 8 knots under its own engine power alone. If not there will be another fee around $800 USD. This is faster than my boats hull speed and everyone makes this small lie, but to date, I have not heard of a single boat fined for delaying the schedule. It simply doesn’t appear to be a problem.

Once back on your boat call the Admeasurers office (Laura @ 443-2293) to schedule the day to be admeasured. This was the very next day for me, Friday, and the admeasurer was on the boat by 10:00 a.m. he spoke perfect English and had the boats length measured in five minutes. We than sat for a coke and we walked me through the rest of the paperwork needed to schedule the crossing.

Following the admeasurement, you must return to town and the Citibank with the admeasurers paperwork to deposit your total of $1500 in the bank. ($600 fee + $900 buffer for all boats under 50 feet) This is the step I am off to complete today. This should allow me to confirm my date and time for the transit itself.

Stay tuned for scheduling the transit, picking up my port pilot, fixing lines and tires, and entering the locks. Cheers,

Lee

Colon, Panama: Transiting the Panama Canal

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 02:51:20 GMT

Winds stayed steady between 14 – 18 knots the whole way from Cartagena to Colon, but as I chased the setting sun and dropped the Colombian mainland behind me the swells built mountains in its place. Near gale force winds have been howling off the north coast of Colombia for the last week and more. While those winds were much abated along my route the swells continued on making for some very uncomfortable motion. Fortunately, slight seasickness aside, the passage was mostly uneventful except for two minor repairs underway.

The first I noticed just as I left the Cartagena breakwater. The massive pin that holds the boom to the mast (this is the gooseneck) had worked itself free and was only hanging on by hair. It took a bit of finesse along with an 8 lb winch handle for a hammer to drive it home again. However home it went before any damage was done. The second was the complete flying away of the main sheet tackle. Again, a damn screw in cotter pin backed itself out and the whole block went flying overboard leaving the boom untended. It was fairly easy to round the boat up and get the sheet attached again, but lucky for me things were momentarily calm. Lesson, I need to check every pin on the boat to make sure all are tight before heading any further west.

Since the old Panama Canal Yacht Club is no more, Shelter Bay Marina is the only game in town for boats transiting the Canal. Oddly enough, I didn’t want to pay the slip rents here and sure enough, they don’t have a slip for me. No worries, I’ve wormed into the back 40 of the marina and am laying to anchor and stern line, slip rent 50% off. From here I can easily check back into the country and begin the paperwork for my own canal transit.

Many a debate rages about the usage of canal “agents” or doing it yourself. Because I am a constant glutton for punishment I’ve opted for the cheaper and latter option. We’ll see how it goes. Many people ask about the fees for small boats crossing the Panama Canal and I can finally give a definitive answer. For boats under 50 feet the fee is $600 USD + an $850 refundable deposit assuming you are not the cause of any shipping delays during your transit for a total price, to be paid in cash, upfront, of $1450. Now, on top of this add another ~$30 USD for the rental of tires and lines and you are off and running. If you choose to use an agent add another ~ $350 USD, but you don’t have to put the $850 USD deposit down. So take your pick, cheaper to do it yourself, but it requires more upfront and may take two or three weeks to get your deposit back or pay more, but put less upfront and don’t front the deposit at all.

I am still cheap and will be opting for the DIY route. Tomorrow I’ll be on the 8:00 a.m. ferry to check in formally and make arrangements to get Jargo admeasured, the first step in getting in the line up for my transit. The Pacific is oh so close…

Cheers,

Lee

P.S. A neighbor boat ran out of gasoline so I gave them a gallon or so. They repaid the favor by giving me a beautiful filet of sailfish they caught on the way over. Just finished off my second bowl of home made thai green curry with sailfish. Awesome.

Sailing: West

lee.winters@sailingforsos.com — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 13:38:51 GMT

I was nervous all day yesterday and I could not put my finger on why. It’s been four months since my last passage, but it was the same one I am about to make today. No worries there. Eventually I figured out it isn’t this two day jump to Colon that has me wound up, it is the commitment I am making as soon as I turn the bow of this boat West.

From the day I started I told everyone that I could only see as far as Panama and the Canal. Everything else would be figured out later. Well, when I make Panama on Monday or Tuesday I’ll start the process of transiting that ditch. Once done, I’ve just committed myself to 4,500 miles of ocean sailing between Panama City and the Marquesas Islands. Single handing that huge Pacific passage is a daunting task. Recognizing the feeling for what it was I feel much better today and can’t wait to get moving.

Van Morison and Ryan Bingham are blaring on the stereo this morning while I tidy up the breakfast dishes and stow the odds and ends that keep crawling out of their lockers. I’ll run the dog ashore for a her final walk, hoist the dink, then I am off to the fuel dock and the jetties. I’ll be updating every ~ 12 – 24 hours via spot on the position page and occasionally to twitter via Iridium. Use the contact us page to send me SMS messages on the Iridium. It is great entertainment!

Que le vaya bien!

Lee

P.S. A special thinks to Cindy Osborne and Courtney Goddard. Cindy filled up my fridge with two weeks of food and Courtney just made a big difference to SOS Children’s Villages.