South America Part 3

South America - (part three) palm trees

Cartagena to Panama

Click here for a map of progress from Grenada to Las Perlas islands.

During the 10 days we spent in Cartagena we learnt something of the history of the area. At the Museo del Oro y Arqueologia we learnt of the Zenu society and their intricate system of flood control in the country's interior hundreds of years ago: all that disappeared along with the gold ornaments worn by the natives when the Spaniards invaded in the sixteenth century. Part of the Spanish legacy are the forts built to defend the harbour of Cartagena against the English. Treasure plundered from the Indians was stored there until galleons could ship it back to Spain. We were impressed by the complex of tunnels in the massive Castillo San Felipe which took 150 years to complete.

We met up with Liz and Robert of "Dragon's Rose" again. Their new outboard motor was stolen during the early hours of one morning: this gave us the opportunity to give Robert our old, malfunctioning 4HP plus the defunct one that Ted Curley of "Red Quill" had given us. Robert soon cobbled them together to his satisfaction and we were glad of the space created in the cockpit locker. We had some really good and cheap meals in local restaurants, including the best pizza tasted in years, and an excellent Thanksgiving Dinner which was organised by the Americans at the Yacht Club. Our problems during this period included dealing with an incompetent agent for checking us in and out of Columbia (the officials themselves were very polite and helpful), ongoing battery saga (diode defunct this time), and fighting the rust. But we were soon off to the lovely San Blas Islands off the north coast of Panama.

These islands are part of the autonomous region, the Comarca de San Blas where the Kuna Indians govern themselves. We spent lazy days around Green Island and the Hollandes Cays, snorkelling around the coral reefs, exploring the palm-covered island, buying lobsters, coconuts and molas. The latter are handstitched panels appliqued and embroidered and are now an important source of income for the Kuna women. Many of them continue to dress in a traditional and very colourful manner. A gold ring through the nose, printed headscarf, a short-sleeved blouse with molas, tie dyed wraparound skirt, intricate bead "leggings" - wonderful. My mola purchases, begun in Colombia, escalated rapidly.

We could have stayed much longer, in fact we nearly did, due to the engine not starting. Robert and Jim spent almost the whole of one day tinkering and finally the engine started - but they didn't know how or why.

And so, heading for Colon, we anchored at Balvia Escribano safely, having first run aground in the river estuary. We caught a giant mackerel which weighed about 35 lbs - too heavy for Rosemary to lift. Jim filleted it and next day at Isla Grande, we gave away a large portion of it to locals and a nearby yacht. The rest we enjoyed for several meals.

Coming into Colon was a challenge, motoring into a force 7 gusting 8 wind. We finally entered the Prenta Margarita entrance to the huge harbour of Cristobal with relief, only to check behind and find a huge container ship closing on us. We smartly got out of the big ship channel and continued to the yacht anchorage area where chaos reigned. Several yachts had dragged their anchors and one we saw under tow then picked up another boat's anchor, so that got towed as well. We moved to a berth at the Panama Canal Yacht Club the next day to facilitate all the organisation needed for the forthcoming transit. Clearing immigration, checking in with the Port Captain, having the Admeasurer to come and inspect the boat, arranging for tyres (as fenders) and loan of long lines, hiring line-handlers were just a few of the tasks. The need for a vital engine part meant a trip to the Perkins agent in Panama City.

Our trips into Colon City, on advice from locals and guide books about the crime rate, were always made by taxi. We paid for the transit in advance by signed open credit card slip - we had never come across this before and felt some reluctance! We were advised that, in the absence of any problems, the transit would cost us 550.00 US dollars, to include the pilot adviser who is onboard all the time. We were very careful in Colon but, against advice, did walk around the streets and found the local people fine. We bought a lovely pineapple tart from a pieman in the street, as well as a small Christmas tree!, however on getting cash from an ATM we would immediately get in a taxi and head back to base, under the watchful eyes of the armed guards (present at all banks and most shops). It was not unusual to see guards with bulletproof vests, pistols and pump action shotguns in supermarkets. Later, in Panama City, I remarked to Jim how careful the local women were to keep their handbags held tightly under their arms. While in Colon we had an awning made for the forepart of the boat, we supplied the material (from an ill fitting awning we already had) and an American lady on our neighbouring yacht stitched it up for us.

On the health front we both continue to be well, though both suffered a stomach upset in Colon - the first trouble of that kind since we left UK more than a year ago.

We collected Alex and friend Mark from the airport at about 04.00 on the morning of Sunday Dec 16, took them back to a hotel to sleep and showed them something of the city later. Amongst other things we watched the city Christmas parade, odd to see sloths and jaguars in jungle setting on the same float as reindeer and Father Christmas!

Wednesday 19th December was confirmed as our Panama Canal transit date just in time for us to contact friends in England. They in turn emailed the controller of the video camera at the Miraflores locks: pictures are taken at 5 second intervals and so it was possible for some of our family and friends to watch us go through. For us the day started in Colon around 04.00 when the two Panamanian men we had hired as linehandlers came on board. We left the Panama Canal Yacht Club at 04.30 to rendezvous with our pilot. As we waited for our slot to go into Gatun Locks we experienced the heaviest and longest tropical downpour we've had so far, three hours of rain so torrential we couldn't see more than a couple of hundred feet. One large ship nearby nearly hit another close to us. There are three sets of locks going up and three going down, so most of the 50 miles from Colon to Balboa is about 85 ft above sea level. Yachts share the locks with big ships and there is tremendous wash as the huge locks fill and as the big ships' propellors start turning when they exit the lock in front of you. We went through 4 locks tied to tugs which was fairly easy but the final two we were just tied in the centre by the four long lines. It was the job of Alex and Mark and the two Panamanians to handle the lines as the water level changed. At the end, a successful transit and a big sigh of relief all round, because a significant proportion of yachts do suffer damage in the Canal.

Before leaving Balboa where we rested to recover from the transit trauma, we made an excursion to the Parque Nacional Metropolitano within Panama City. We were delighted to see a family of coatimundis and a capybara.

Since then we have spent a week cruising the Las Perlas Islands. Christmas Day was spent anchored off Isla Contadora (so called because the Spaniards counted and stored the pearls here prior to shipment back to Spain).

We were able to phone home and speak to most of the family: we also enjoyed all the mail Alex had brought for us. Whilst sailing Alex landed a huge mahi mahi - 4 ft 4 inches long and about 25 lbs.We had mixed feelings killing this beautiful fish, yellow with bright blue markings, but we did enjoy eating it. In fact we had a joint barbecue with French people, who had speared a number of other types of fish, on the beach of Isla Bayoneta - rather reminiscent of Scotland except that the weather was a lot warmer. We saw dolphins on the way there and rays on the way back. A couple of things marred these lovely islands - the plastic waste on beaches, and dead turtles (probably due to the ingestion of helium balloons in mistake for jellyfish).

We are now back in Balboa and the boys are packing up ready for departure tomorrow. We shall be sorry to see them go, not least because now we have to start on all those boat jobs that have been piling up.