We returned to Waisladup (in the Holandes Cays of the San Blas
\nIslands) on Friday. We could not find good swimming or
\nsnorkeling in Kanildup, where we were previously, but we get our
\nfruits and veggies there. Waisladup is just on the edge of the
\nHolandes Channel, our preferred passage back into the Caribbean,
\nand the snorkeling was great when we were their just days ago,
\nso back we went for our last two days. Unfortunately, we did
\nnot get much snorkeling in. Friday there was a big swell
\nbreaking onto the reef and it was not safe to snorkel or land a
\ndinghy on the beach. The swell was down a bit on Saturday so we
\nhad one last swim in the Caribbean. Our next swim will be south
\nof the equator in the Pacific off of one of the Galapagos Islands.<\/p>\n
We spent most of the last two days trying to deal with some
\nrecent maintenance issues. We had a water leak from the
\nwatermaker, which once tracked down, was surprisingly easy to
\nrepair. The anchor chain counter stopped working, but a
\ncleaning of the optics seems to have brought it back to life.
\nThe most trying issue is the sudden failure of the fresh water
\npump pressure monitor. Instead of pressuring an accumulator
\ntank, the fresh water pump cycles continuously when a faucet or
\nshower is on. I took the pressure sensor apart three times (once
\nI left a part out) and still cannot get it to work. I was
\ndrenched in sweat each time as I had to kneel between the engine
\nand generator on the floor of the engine room to take out all of
\nthese little screws. It must have been over 120 degrees in
\nthere. I am hoping that I can get some help fixing it in Canal
\narea. There seems to be some corrosion in the fresh water system
\nthat is gumming things up.<\/p>\n
We are currently anchored between the isthmus of Panama and
\nthe island of Isla Grande, only 20 miles from Puerto Cristobal,
\nthe Caribbean entrance to the Panama Canal. Our location is N 9
\ndegrees 17.6 minutes, W 79 degrees 34.0 minutes. We left the
\nHolandes Cays this morning in 18 – 20 knots of wind from the NNE
\nand 6 foot swells. The passage to Isla Grande was surprisingly
\nfast and comfortable even though the swells built as we got
\ncloser to the mainland. Coincidentily, the German yacht “Vera”,
\nwho left Bonaire at the same time as us and arrived in Porvenir
\nat the same time as us, also left for the Canal this morning.
\nWe called them on the VHF early in the morning and they told us
\nthat they were heading for Portobella. They changed their minds
\nand are now anchored just to the side of us here in Isla Grande.
\nIsla Grande is a weekend destination for Panamanian and since
\ntoday is Sunday, the beach was crowded. There were dozens of
\nsmall power boats ferrying people from the mainland, where
\nthere is a road to Colon, and Isla Grande — a distance of 1\/2
\nmile. There were a few jet skis as well. Once the sun set,
\neveryone was gone.<\/p>\n
Tomorrow morning we will head into Puerto Cristobal and the
\nbrand new marina just inside the breakwater below Fort San Lorenzo.
\nOur reservation at the marina (Shelter Bay Marina) does not
\nbegin until March 7, but the marina has allowed us to come early
\nand tie up to their unfinished dock until then. This dock lacks
\nwater and power, so it might be a hit hot down below, but at
\nleast we have a place to attend to arranging for the transit
\nthrough the canal, provisioning for the Pacific crossing, and
\ngetting our maintenance issues resolved.<\/p>\n
M.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
We returned to Waisladup (in the Holandes Cays of the San Blas Islands) on Friday. We could not find good swimming or snorkeling in Kanildup, where we were previously, but we get our fruits and veggies there. Waisladup is just on the edge of the Holandes Channel, our preferred passage back into the Caribbean, and … <\/p>\n