Mar 2008

After crossing the Caribbean Sea we reached our destination of Colon in Panama after making a brief pit stop at the stunning San Blas Archipelago.
Colon would be the start of out Panama Canal adventure of which would normally only take 12 hours but managed to last nearly 2 days due to a pilot shortage and consequently having to stay overnight in the canal, which is apparently a very rare thing. During the overnight stay I was the unfortunate one that had to do anchor watch in what has being one of the most nail biting watches I've done.
After dropping anchor the captain has informed me that we are sitting in about 8 meters of water with the arse end of the boat just about in the canal channel, the front within 10 meters of the canal bank and 2 big steel moorings either side which we could possibly hit if we swing around. Nice! the perfect watch. As I'm pacing round the bridge trying to spot the mooring and the shore line in pitch black darkness I notice a massive cluster appear on the radar (like something you see on a Loch Ness Monster film), can't be rain I thought as it's a perfect night and can't possibly be a ship can it, it's massive! So I grab the binoculars and peer out the window noticing that all the shore lights behind us that were there a minute ago have disappeared and now our yacht has started to rock up and down violently, what the hell it going on here. It's only then that I notice a sliver of colour change appear in my binoculars lens, as I step out onto the deck to see a wall of steel hull silently and stealthfully push ever so closely past out now seemly small stern.

Having finally made it through the 5 locks of this marvel of engineering we anchored off Panama City where we are now not only on the other side of Panama but also in the waters of the Pacific Ocean. After being granted shore leave, I headed into Panama City to get my first taste of Latin America.
Having walked round the city for nearly a day and discovering its charms I decided to venture down a street that looked quite enchanting in the beginning; with multi-story colourful shacks and children playing in the streets and chirping "Hola" as I walked past, but then turned quickly into a seedy neighbourhood where anybody not from this neighbourhood should not be. Ignoring my hunch I continued on down the streets, with my head in the sky looking up at what was; and going deeper into somewhere I shouldn't. Somewhere where even if I wanted to turn back I couldn't.
As the realisation set in that I was travelling the streets of a Panamanian ghetto, my heart started to beat faster as my legs picked up the pace and my sense were at high alert before BAM! It happened. In all the time I have being travelling nothing remotely similar had happened like this. I was being mugged. Not knowing how to react to the group of teens who had came up from behind me, I turned round with my bag that they had being trying to snatch still firmly attached to my back and started throwing a few swings here, there and everywhere before they fled with nothing but what they arrived with.
In hindsight I think retaliating like that was probably not the best of ideas, as the rest of there buddies and no doubt there family were down the end of the street waiting to see what bounty they could come back with. I don't hold a grudge to people I don't know and rarely to those I do, and I was just a walking opportunity in a place where opportunities are few and far between but still it scared the shit out of me and I got the hell out of there quick smart.

After spending a few days in Panama it was time to start out 10 day voygue up to San Diego. The first few days were absolutely perfect with clear skies and a rippleless ocean which made it possible to spot the countless turtles and pods of dolphins. It seemed like we were disturbing the peace as we cut through the middle of it all; making waves and noise in the otherwise unspoilt landscape.
The seas picked up a little after a few days and the fog drifted in briefly but our trip to San Diego was just about near perfect......except for the fact that we couldn't get off the boat, were still working on the boat, and were rationed to 2 beers per day

Check out the pics here >>>
http://redmonkey.smugmug.com/gallery/4648377_n8w4r/1/271325639_Fp4SA

Well I've made it!
I've made it past the one month trial period, but only just as there have been a few incidents which I thought would have stitched me up for sure. Such as pre empting an anchor drop & letting it plummet to the ocean floor while still pushing 4 knots and then there was nearly losing the waverunner which I could have sworn I clipped on; until seeing it about 200 meters away and realising that " Hey! That's ours!!". But I take a little comfort in the fact that my deckie buddie, who is also a newbie; managed to nearly lose the tender....at night! We were lucky enough to see it in the dim moon light being wished away by the strong currents. The captain must think he's got a couple of clowns working for him.
So it's being a very interesting, challenging and tiring month.

As the owner was on for all of our cruising of the Caribbean it's being non stop shifts 24/7 and not being able to get away from it like a normal shore job has taken some getting use to and I'm still not cool with it but we have got to see some wonderful places along the way.
After leaving St Martin we headed down to Antigua to pick up some guests before cruising down to Guadeloupe and all the islands down to St Lucia, which is about halfway down the Caribbean chain of islands; before heading back up to Antigua. It all took a little under 2 weeks to take in all the islands on our whistle stop tour before the owner and the guests got off and we started to prepare for our next journey.

The weather here had being a bit shitty and not really what I expected of the Caribbean for this time of year with choppy seas, non-stop wind and countless passing rain showers to drench the boat that you have just meticulously dried from the previous shower.
But on the days that have been perfect I've tried to make the most of the down time we have and any shore leave that we're given and were lucky enough to be treated to a watersports day where we could use the yachts toys like the jet skis, waverunners and kayaks and I've never had so much fun on a waverunner as I did that day. Jumping over 8-10ft relentless swell of one of St Lucia's beautiful points, wave after wave; airborne and blinded from the salt spray. Wicked stuff!

So now we're heading across the Caribbean Sea, heading fro Panama and the famous canal where we will hopefully get some shore time before making the long 10 days treck up the coast to San Diago and the U S of A baby!

Check out the pics here >>>
http://redmonkey.smugmug.com/gallery/4648377_n8w4r/1/271325639_Fp4SA