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Saturday March 24, 2012

Work done for now, it is time for fun. The breakfast discussion is all about maybe sailing to Saint Marrten if Dutch and Saint Martin if French. Its the same island but roughly half is French and half is Dutch. Years ago to settle a boundry dispute a Dutchman and a Frenchman started walking each in a different direction on the coast around the island. Where they started and where they met determined the end points of the line dividing the island.

Our destination would be the lagoon on the Dutch side. It is a passage getting there which is up hill. This means the wind and the sea state are against you; the passage can take 14 hours with mild discomfort when you wait for the weather window. It is best to take it over night as lying in your bed is the best place to be with the motion of Bella Donna. Of course, you could take a flight from Virgin Gorda and just meet BD; the airport is next to the lagoon in Saint Marrten. Coming back to BVI is a downhill ride, with wind and sea, taking about 10 hours; this can be enjoyed by everyone. We decide to decide at our next destination, Scrub Island. This is without a doubt Donna's, truth is all of us's, favorite. The resort is now marketed by Marriott and consists of marina, vacation condos for rent, 2 pools with slide, hot tub, outside patio bar, restaurant, gym, dive shop, grocery shop, boutiques, shuttle boat 5 minutes to Tortola airport, dinner with Davaday (more later) and a beach house with pool on the other side of the island.

We leave just after lunch for Scrub Island. We plan to sail there by making 2 big tacks as going straight there is into the trade winds. The wind is pretty steady about 20 knots and we fly the main and the genoa. The main has one reef but the genoa is 100% deployed, a big sail. We are sailing close as we can to the wind as we can so as to clear the south end of Virgin Gorda. Our speed over ground is averaging 9.5 knots, a little less if we pinch it, sail even closer to the wind. Just after we tack to lay a line to Scrub we are hit by an invisible squall with gusts of wind exceeding 36 knots. The squall was invisible because there was no change in the sea surface to warn us. We got caught trimming a now way too big genoa; we had just completed our tack and I was sitting on the flybridge floor so I could see the top of the genoa so I could trim it perfectly. John made an urgent plea for help reducing the sail. Now I do not get off the ground very fast nowadays. I did the best I could. Meanwhile John increased the throttle and steered close to the gusting wind so the wind would spill from the big genoa. He started furling the now flogging genoa. I loosened and carefully started letting out on the genoa sheet. The loads on the sheet were radical due to the flogging and the new sheets behaved differently from the old. Finally we reduce the genoa to a manageable size leaving us sailing on mostly the reefed main. We still were experiencing gusts to 36 knots. John steered BD is a direction that was safe and did not fill the main with too much wind until the gusting wind returned to the steady 20 knot level. We motored to Scrub with the main up, but the desire to sail was satisfied until a future day.

One last challenge; someone is on the dock we like so we take a slip that large enough, but tight for BD.

Tied up finally at Marriott Scrub Island Resort, we retire to the flybridge and do sundowners. 

God Bless Bella Donna

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Friday March 23, 2012

Today is a work day. The dodger work gets done and is now complete except for a few needed tweaks. The wonderful news is the flybridge will be much more protected from the weather and apparent wind that always moves forward the faster we go. The new dodger was triggered when a block of ice fell from the mast out of New York in a huge snow storm. Bella Donna likes the tropical weather, winter is hard on her. However, after seeing the clear view looking through the dodger we realize it was needed more than we realized. 

We find we need a new port alternator and thermostat on the port hot water heater. No worries, these are not critical because there is plenty of hot water whenever the port engine is run. The port battery will live on a charger when not running. We can put off the repairs. Bella Donna is showing her age; I like to view it as character, but it does keep John busy.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Thursday March 22, 2012

The forecast is for rain every day through Saturday and it is raining now. We take in the lines and leave the dock; it is almost 11 AM. John is all alone  in the flybridge at the helm. He is having to wear a rain slicker due to the continuous rain. With the dodger sides not yet installed, heading into the wind and sea and the persistent rain John is getting very wet. We are motoring so we can go directly to Soper's Hole on the near side of Tortola to check into the BVI. 

We are still receiving the AT&T phone signal which we will not loose until shortly before we anchor in Soper's Hole. We lost the internet signal as soon as we left the dock; however, it has only been working between 10 PM and 6 AM anyway. The Yacht Haven Marina gave us free internet, but it value is like sleeves on a vest if you want to sleep at night. So those who have iPads or iPhones with AT&T data can get internet for most of the passage. 

The checkin goes fine except Deborah's passport is full, there is no more room to stamp it. This is a huge long term problem as she must return to London to either get a new one or have pages added. I suddenly realize my passport only has 1 blank page left. The US will accept you even if your passport is full because they are 100% on computers. The problem other countries will want room to stamp and even the US wants to see the stamps. Bummer. 

Off to Village Key so we can get dodger sides installed tomorrow.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Wednesday March 21, 2012

Having only their carryon, the new arrivals can only dress in their travel attire. We have been told the bags are in Miami, but they are not in the American Airlines database, so we are not sure. The lady at the counter last night said sometimes they scan the luggage and sometimes they don't. It is easy to start loosing confidence in American. I hear that Jet Blue is coming in to compete soon. Anyway, it looks like the bags will arrive on a flight at 12:05 PM.

The cruise dock we are on has room for up to 3 ships and by 8 AM the dock is full. Today, the Disney Cruise Ship is one of them. We hope to catch its departure just before sunset as they play "When you wish upon a star" so that everyone on shore can hear.

The luggage did not arrive on the 12:05 flight from Miami. We become concerned the luggage is in fact lost. After a lengthy call to check for all 5 bags, we are assured all 5 bags are on the 3:35 flight. I am worried because Donna was bringing my new iPad to me in one of her bags. Looks like we are here overnight; it would not be possible to leave and clear customs in the BVI. This problem is an opportunity to celebrate John and Deborah's Anniversary; they have been married 15 years. We have dinner reservations at Grande Cru Restaurant and Wine Bar at an outside table at 7:30. 

 Yeah, the luggage arrived as promised and the iPad is still in its shipping box. Its good to see everyone wearing something more appropriate to Caribbean life on Bella Donna. 

The celebration starts on Bella Donna in the flybridge and flows slowly ashore and down the seawall a few hundred yards. One long table accommodates all of us. They have Rombauer Chardonnay, a good thing. Event though it rained a little, a good time was had by all. The restaurant had us under an awning and they just dropped the sides for the brief time the downpour occurred. 

God Bless Bella Donna

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Tuesday March 20, 2012

Up early, it is crunch day, Donna and the others are landing at 8 PM tonight. A little after 8 AM Deborah and I leave for the supermarkets. First K-Mart, then Cost U Less and finally The Food Center. Deborah has her clip board with her meal plans and required shopping list. Provisioning day is always difficult due to the planning, the search for items taking you to more than one store and the sheer volume. We always fill up 2 or more shopping carts at one of our stops. The volume of the rental car becomes an issue. Today we will fill up the trunk first and then the back seat. When you are buying food enough for 9 people for 2 weeks, you are talking about a non trivial volume of food. Add to this the likes, dislikes and food allergies of the group and you can see how big a problem it can be.

Checkout again reminds us of the need to slow our roll. Unlike Costco on the US mainland, the checkers must not have a quota to meet. With 2 baskets of groceries and a line behind us it seems to take forever. The checker stops to carry on conversation with the customer ahead of us while I fill the checkout stand and stand with 2 hands full of items with the first basket still not empty. 

We had to restrain ourselves from buying more items at The Food Center as there is no more room in the rental car. There is so much food that the trunk is crammed full. The back seat is crammed so full our front seats are moved forward so much our knees are touching the dash, even the seat back is leaning forward. At the marina we fill up a golf cart equipped with a pickup truck like rear and an attached trailer about the same size. Having a half dozen of us load and unload at Bella Donna, we were under cover before the next rain shower - maybe thanks to the heads up penny. At least that is what I think. Luckily the duration of any one shower is less than 15 minutes. At one stop I found a heads up penny and this I am convinced bought us good luck to miss a shower or two. If we had thought to bring umbrellas it would not have helped us as the intensity of the rain was 9 out of 10. The groceries would be ruined.

The flight from Miami is early. I see Donna pulling her carry on towards the luggage, my heart skips a beat; it has only been a week and I missed her. We all stand waiting for the checked luggage. One after another of the fellow passengers pick up their bags. There are now only a dozen or two left staring at the hole out of which the bags flow. Finally there is a red cone like police use in the streets laying on its side coming towards us. Something is written on it. I read allowed "Lost Bag" but the fellow next to me says no it says "Last Bag", either way the message starts to sink in. All the stranded disbelievers stand and stare at the cone as it makes several trips around the belt. One by one we make our way to the baggage claim counter.

Tonight will be a late night, we still have the traditional arrival party.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Monday March 19, 2012

It is 6:30 AM and I am up but still just lying in bed. I hear the engines start. Right, we have to go back to Road Town to check out with BVI immigration and customs and to the fuel dock to top off Bella Donna's fuel tanks with duty free diesel; it is much cheaper to do it this way. Anyway, it is a short trip. We arrive and drop anchor. As John enters the dinghy he says he should return shortly unless there is a West Indian delay.

More than an hour later John returns. The office was open but the one official person needed did not get to work on time. We have an expression in Hawaii, Island Time; it seems when one is scheduled to be somewhere at a certain time, one is always late. The most common advice given is to slow your roll. Whatever, we are off to the fuel dock.

What, the fuel dock is closed! Yes, all the employees are in a meeting. We have to be in Yacht Haven Grand Marina in Saint Thomas and depending on the conditions it could take up to 3 hours to get there. Tick-tock, tick-tock    here they come. We need to fuel fast and get on our way. We take the floor boards up in the port and starboard hulls above the fuel tanks. There is an opening in the top of each fuel tank where you can stick your finger in and feel diesel when the tank is full. Deborah is real good at it. She yells to Luci and Luci yells to John to stop the fuel hose. Did I mention that you never trust a fuel gauge. 

We arrive at 1:40 PM, a little under the 3 hours as John just put the throttle down a little bit. We squeeze into a narrow but wide enough slip on the opposite side of the dock to cruise ships dock on. We all have to run for the 2:00 PM immigration and customs checkin. The US, unlike the BVI, want to see all persons entering and how they compare to their passports. What should have taken 15 minutes take over an hour due to an immigration computer crashing several times. This could be due to the poor power control on the island which surges, sinks and fails often. 

The ever efficient Caption John already has maintenance people on the boat to fix what needs fixing and clean what needs cleaning.

After the log day we walk into town and eat at Shipwreck a kind of Caribbean sports bar with a really good hamburgers.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Sunday March 18, 2012

Beautiful day! Sunday morning coffee and Captain Cabbage drops by to share with us. He seems so relaxed and satisfied. The Italians managed to place third without breaking more equipment. Racing means you push your vessel. On a 120 foot yacht like Billy Bud II, it is not uncommon to break rigging that can cost $10,000 or more to replace.

After Captain Cabbage has to leave, we decide to take a dinghy ride in our new Nautica, tender to (T/T Bella Donna). We first head to the Costa Smeralda Yacht Club where are the mega yachts are preparing to leave. There goes Billy Bud II, good bye Captain Cabbage. Next we swing by the Bitter End fuel dock to top off our fuel tank. You never trust a fuel gauge on anything that floats or flies. While fueling we discuss Charles Branson's large catamaran, Necker Bell, that is anchored nearby. Branson owns Necker Island which is just north of Bitter End.

Next we take the channel to Oil Nut Bay (ONB) which is on the other side, east side, of Bitter End. ONB is a gated community (88 lots on 200 acres), marina (88 slips), private white sand beaches and Beach Club. Lots start at 1 million dollars and the most expensive is 10 million dollars.  ONB just finished construction last year and not too many houses have started yet. We stop and ask permission to come ashore and look around. It turns out it is only us and 2 sales people. You can imagine how it went. Although they had a huge party Saturday night for the mega yacht regatta, the bar and restaurant were closed. Too bad, we wanted to try it out. We did bring home a brochure and business cards.

We are at the end of the BVI and Tuesday night we need to collect the rest of our party in Saint Thomas at the other end, a distance of about 40 miles. We are on our way to Marina Kay which is right next to Scrub Island and Beef Island which houses the Tortola airport. The reason for this destination is to catch Eric Stone's, www.boatstongs.com, show at the bar at the top of the Island. Eric has a good crowd for a Sunday night, but as he says the 1 bottle was not as big as the 2 bottles of complementary Pusser's Rum shots he served last Thursday night. On a table next to the stage Eric has placed a bottle of Pusser's, some shot glasses, a large tip/donation jar and various CDs and stuff. 

Arriving back at Bella Donna, we decide to eat tapas in the flybridge. Nice warm breezes, music and conversation - a perfect night.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Saturday March 17, 2012

The mega sailing yachts are racing out of the new Costa Smeralda Yacht Club at the Bitter End, named because it is the east end of the BVI. Our friend Captain Clive, aka Captain Cabbage, of Billy Bud II, an Italian owned smaller mega yacht, 120 feet, is racing in the event. Clive was tagged Captain Cabbage because one day Deborah was trying to text him and the autocompletion feature kept completing Captain as Cabbage. After several failed attempts Debora said aw heck with it and just completed the text to Captain Cabbage. So that the rest of the story.

We We plan to sail to the Bitter End to catch some of the last day of racing. There is not too much wind today and our course is going to take us almost directly into the little wind that there is. So we elect to just motor to the Bitter End. 

As we approach our destination the huge mega yacht sails tower into the sky. We have caught the last 2 legs of the race; the 5 mega yachts are to make one last mark and turn for the finish line where the race committee is waiting aboard a large catamaran sail boat to witness the order of finish.

Our timing is perfect. We motor along parallel to the race course and cross perpendicular to the finish line at the same time as the 3rd and 4th place mega yachts. Captain Cabbage and his Italian crew comes in third. 

We anchored right next to the largest cruising catamaran in the world, the 145 foot Hemisphere. Gavin, the Hemisphere captain, met John and Deborah years ago when he had a look at Bella Donna. He drops by after dinner to sit and talk. It is fun to just sit and listen as both John and Gavin take joking jabs at each other. Gavin is a single male who likes motorcycles, sports cars and fast women; so its easy to have fun kidding him. 

Early to bed, early to rise makes a person healthy, wealthy and wise.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Friday March 16, 2012

Up early and off to Road Town. The Winter Wins are blowing very early and very strong. John is loving the new sail; we are doing 10.5 knots and make it quickly to Village Key Marina in Road Town, Tortola. We have a 10 AM appointment with people finishing work on the new dodger, the "wind shields" are done but the sides are being fitted to curve around the wenches and accommodate the lines controlling the sails. The welder on the work crew, Andy who is 49 years old, tells us he is playing in a rugby game tonight in the stadium next to the marina. Saturday is St. Patrick's Day so we start making our plans to see the game at around 6 PM.

We also spent most of the day fighting with a failing internet service. This is high season and BVI gets limited bandwidth from Puerto Rico. There is also a mega yacht race at the Bitter End this weekend. If the Italians are there, and they are, the bandwidth is being consumed sending documentation of their exploits back home. After trying to connect 20 times, you finally get an extremely slow connection that only works for a minute or two before timing out. Thus my blog waited until today to be updated. 

At 6 PM we head off to the rugby match. We can see the field lights from Bella Donna but the entrance to the field is not obvious. We enter on the wrong side of the field, have to crawl under a broken chain link fence, and walk around the track and field artificial surface (the best quality I have ever seen) to the home side stands on the far side. It is a mix of rugby loving locals mostly much younger than ourselves. There is the delicious smell of cooking burgers and dogs. We grab a Heineken beer and settle into the stands to view what is my first live rugby game. The BVI team was playing a team the announcer is calling George Washington. Andy who came too late to play, and a obviously having had a few beers, says it is Washington State, but we think they are from Saint Louis. Anyway, the BVI team is awesome, the final score is 72 to 0.

It looks like the fans and the players are about to party big, but we need to move on the The Watering Hole back in Village Kay.  This is a daytime coffee shop and nighttime South African bar that is one of our favorites. Since tomorrow is Saint Patricks's Day and we are leaving we have to make room for Watering Hole tonight. It is just next door to the marina on the water you have to know the place is there, but it is hard to miss if you look north. There is some seating outside and some inside surrounded by wine racks. You walk in and either order by the glass over the bar or grab a bottle from the rack each marked with a bottle price. We order 3 ciders, a vodka and one red wine, yes that we me. As always John wants to make sure we enjoy ourselves so he grabs a bottle of ClipPort, Clippy's, and 5 shot glasses. Clippy's is a brandy from South Africa. In fact I think most all the alcohol at The Watering Hole is South African. In fact the owners, Graeme and Bridgit Maccallum, are the main importer of South African alcohol in the Virgin Islands. The atmosphere, quality and variety always amazes me. I see more visits in the future.

We finish the evening with a different Deborah recipe for ceviche; I love ceviche and especially Deborah's.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Thursday March 15, 2012

Morning was a little slow, I knew this would happen. After a light breakfast we are off the dock, leaving Saint Thomas and heading to Peter Island for the night. We immediately raise the new mainsail and the Genoa headsail. The Christmas winds seem to still be blowing, unusual for this late in the year. Midday the temperature is quite warm in the sun, but the cool Caribbean winds combine to make it extremely pleasant. 

Moving at 9.5 knots at times we arrive at Peter Island quickly. We secure an anchorage right in the vortex of wind coming over the isthmus where Conrad, a BVI homeless person sits and depends on whatever he can sell or talk the tourists out of. The locals noticed when he received alcohol from visiting tourists he would become quite obnoxious and no fun to be around. So finally someone hung signs in the trees saying "Please DO NOT give Conrad ANY Alcohol". It seems to have worked and everyone says he is now the nicest person. He still tries in his low key way to collect toll from passing tourists or sell them one of his used post cards for $5. 

Tonight will be an early night. We enjoy some delicious Chilean Sea Bass and vegetables, a very healthy dinner.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Wednesday March 14, 2012

The plan for today, rise up at 3:30 AM to dress, finish packing and  throw down a cup of coffee before Don and Nancy pick me up at 4:15. My mental notes to myself before falling to sleep were OMG you forgot you are  going to Houston after Bella Donna not straight home and you will be gone for over a month. So as the iPhone rings at 3:30, as my usual dream/nightmare where I am facing something impossible to solve, my first thought is to pack for Houston, a task I think I can handle. It's 5 after 4 and my bags are ready and I have 10 minutes to finish my coffee and remove all the metal from my body to get through airport security. Let's see, Casio watch, myRoadID, and the silver necklace Lauren gave to me a few years ago.

I picked her up at school one day and she said she had a present for me. Thinking it was something she made in school. I unwrapped it, one, two, three, four, five and even more Kleenexes. Finally the well protected silver necklace. My jaw dropped, not what I expected. Upon questioning it she said it was her dad's but he did not want it anymore and she decided I should have it. The only time I take it off is for airport security; it means a lot to me. I hang 3 rings on it: my wedding ring, my Bella Donna ring and my OSI ring.

Off we go in the rain catching all the traffic lights between Douglas Ranch and Highway 80. Wearing a Hawaiian shirt (with t-shirt underneath to be shed later), cargo pants, crocks and my Galveston Island hat to protect my dermatologist damaged face from the Caribbean sun. Can you believe we are the only car pulling up to the American Airlines curbside check-in. Soon their are other passengers, but non wearing a big sun hat. I must look just as out of place as the  business travelers in blue suits look to me. Oh I remember the days. I am retired, this is as dressed up as I get.

First stop Dallas; every seat is taken. Don draws an interesting seat next to, I think, a business man our age and soon they are having a spirited conversation. I get to sit next to an older lady, probably my age. She has a 5 pound, 7 year old Terrier dog named Big Man in a small cloth cage. I think of Bently, the kids new 2 pound and less than 3 months old Terrier. Big Man desperately wants out of its flimsy cloth cage and is barking, quite loud for such a small dog. The stewardess asks if the lady, "Weren't you supposed to give that dog drugs to keep it calm ?". Proclaiming that she had done as instructed, she later told me she was fearful of giving such a small dog drugs. Big Man did not look sedated to me.

First to Dallas, then to Miami and finally to Saint Thomas. It is a lot better flying the big jets, a lot more leg room and creature comfort. The Caribbean does not go on daylight savings time to we gain 3 hours, not 4. Our touchdown was just after 8 PM and we scan the crowd awaiting passengers for John's face. There he is. 

A short rental car ride later, Deborah meets us at the dock. Luci, our third crew is on deck. A warm "you are home" like feeling comes pver me; it has been a year since I have seen Bella Donna. She looks like a new boat especially with the new dinghy and trampoline. Any hope of getting to bed early vanishes as we sit and catch up with each other over the most wonderful ceviche and scotch.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Tuesday March 13 2012

Stay tuned, I leave tomorrow for Bella Donna. I will post my views on life in the Caribbean.

WHO IS LUKI ?

January 18, 2011

Last year, 2010, I took my sailboat, Bella Donna, from Puerto Viarta down the Central American west coast, through the Panama Canal, hugged the South American coast from Columbia to Venezuela, up between The Dominican Republic and Puerto Rica to the British Virgin Islands, finishing at theVillage Key Marina on the island of Tortola after stoping to wet the whistle at Soggy Dollar, Foxy's, the Willy T, and a swim at Peter Island. It was way back in Costa Rica we met Luki in Carrillo Hermosa, Costa Rica, a little playa (beach) town on Gulfo De Papagyo. Luki is a feisty little critter with lots of attitude is always alertly scanning the horizon. He lives 24X7 on a perch and never sleeps; always vigilant to any puff of wind or motion of the boat. Any significant disturbance to his perch and the attached bamboo chimes sound a warning. Also attached to his perch is a notice that reads Pura Vita which in his home, Costa Rica, means pure life or good life, anyway it is kind of like a toast to a good life that friends make with one another when drinking a sundowner, more about that latter.

We returned to Bella Donna and hung Luki over the table in the salon. There he kept watch on us until we were safely tied to the dock in Village Key Marina in the British Virgin Islands. He was often in alert mode. On a sail boat in the sea there is always, hopefully, wind and always swells to rock the boat. That is OK, Luki got a long deserved rest as we carefully wrapped him up and placed him in a leather travel bag purchased in Costa Rica. He slept soundly in a place that was dark, had a warm Costa Rica leather smell therefore reminding him of home. Alongside Luki for the long rest was the ring game, from Soggy Dollar in the BVI. One day the bag was wisk up and hand carried to their new home, Kailua Kona, Hawaii. They emerged from their bag and now hang in the Tiki Bar at the Johnson Family Hale, Hawaiian home.

Today, this early morning, Luki and I are in the tike hut feeling the Hawaiian day begin. The perfect warm yet refreshing tropical breeze is building from the winter Pacific sea. The swells are big today, crashing on the lava shore sending white water and salt spray high into the air where the breeze transports it to end up in and on our hale. We conduct a constant war against the layer of salt left on everything. Tropical birds are conducting their morning social rituals. Luki chimes in with his bamboo wind chime tail broadcasting a message I understand about as well as I do the multilingual conversations of the other feathered friends. Occasionally a person passes in our view on the Hawaiian Trail that is a narrow path on top of a wall just beyond our pool toward the ocean. Theoretically, the Hawaiian trail will continue one day to go around the entire island at or near the high water line. Year round, early in the morning, you can see people of all ages, shapes and sizes walking or jogging on the trail. Some are in top shape and some look like there minutes away from a 911 call. Legend has it that this area of the Hawaiian Trail is sacred as many years ago leaders were buried here. For whatever reason, the mood of this place calms the spirit.

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Snnday-Tuesday March 14-16, 2010

GPS POSITION 18° 19.06 N 64° 27.30W Norman Island BVI

Sunday is a beer day. For one thing the temperature is lower, the sea is calmer and the wind is not too strong. You can feel your body blooming like the opening of a flower. I think it is just your bodies way of saying thank you,

The wind we do have has shifted to the southeast thus in sailing terminology we get lifted allowing us to sail more into the wind. As a result we are now on a course to the southwest shore of Puerto Rico. The worst of our passage is definitely behind us. That is the good news. However, there is some bad news, there is a current on our nose slowing our speed over ground (SOG), speed determined by GPS progress, is 5-6 knots. The log which measures the speed of water flow under the hull registers 7-8 knots. Since the winds are so light at the moment our sailing is not helping.

We now have a manageable time-frame concerning scheduling our flights to Reno from the BVI. John makes dock reservations at Village Cay Marina in Road Town, Tortola starting on the 17^th. The thought of a hamburger or Grouper sandwich with a cold BVI beer is a thought that makes the mouth salivate and significantly lifts our spirits. Unlike the British sailors who were given half pint of Rum a day hundreds of years ago we do not partake on passage, we look to landfall to wet our whistle.

Monday morning and the new southeast wind has continued and increased during the night. John and Deborah do their weather routine. Today the question is do we route south of Puerto Rico or north of Puerto Rico, After much analysis it is decided that it looks marginally better to go north.

Soon we see the color change on the horizon off our starboard bow signaling the immanent, in BD speeds this may mean up to an hour, appearance of Puerto Rico. Sure enough in bright sunshine in a cloudless sky the light brown cliffs of Puerto Rico grow taller and taller over the curvature of the earth, the horizon. From here it seems to take all day to see the north coast of PR. I see a big white vessel out of the corner of my eye. The last time this happened it was US Coast Guard south of San Diego. Sure enough they pull in behind us and reach us on channel 16. They wanted an unbelievable amount of information and for a while it looked like they may board us to search the vessel. In the end John is able to answer all questions and they must have liked his friendly professional attitude; they let us go.

As we make our turn east our SOG soars to 9.5 knots, we definitely have a current behind us. The log now reads its normal 7+ knots. What helps as well is the swell is passing under us from stern to bow which means BD is surfing, sliding down the front side of the swell. This creates brief surging of our SOG to almost 10 knots. Our single head sail is full with a crisp breeze on our starboard beam. A single dolphin swims a few feet off our port beam jumping periodically out of the water and eyeballing us. Sailing lore says if this happens as you near your destination it is sure good luck. We philosophically discuss luck and agree hard sober work increases your chances for good luck. I thank John and Deborah for their excellent seamanship and work ethic. Deborah says she learned long ago when she competed rowing a skull, there is no I in team. If you look in the word team you can find me.

Monday morning I almost oversleep as I bound from bed, it is 4:40 and my 4:30 alarm failed to ring. I know I set it. A quick look reviels the alarm is not on. It is impossible to turn it off unless you are awake enough to enter a 4 digit code. Maybe there is a sea ghost aboard.

I look at the chart table in the salon as I do every morning sipping my first cup of coffee. We have done quite well over night, we are east of Puerto Rico and still doing 9+ knots SOG. John does not look tired; he is excited about returning to the familiar BVI. The morning is awesomely beautiful; the smells and BVI breezes have a strong familiar feel. John says he has a cool plan, we are going to arrive a few hours early so we will clear in on Jost Van Dyke a few hundred yards from Foxy's and go to Foxy's for burger and Foxy draft beer. Then we will dingy down to Soggy Dollar before sailing to The Pirates Bite, Norman Island for the night where we will have dinner and enjoy late night at the Willy T. This we Ed would be able to say he had been to the BVI. He has never been and it would be a shame to have come all this way through all the pain of passaging and not experienced the reason explaining the "why we did it".

Great Harbor has changed little since the last time we were here. There are several new buildings – immigration, bars and restaurants along the dusty sand road at water's edge. There is a nice concrete fuel dock on the west side of the bay; BVI has talked about the need for this for years. They are even selling ice on the side of the road. Years ago we had to walk a mile up island to a place that sold ice. Now we make our own ice on BD. The check-in process is slow, but expected. Foxy's is bigger and more professional; the prices are higher. There are hundreds of articles of clothing hanging from every available spot; most of it signed with names, places, dates and thoughts – some of it X rated. The food is good pub grub and the beer is surprisingly very good, try the dark brown draft. We are back.

Next stop Sandy Dollar. On the way in we noticed the anchorage off White's Beach was full of vessels, so we dinghy-ed over in a fast bouncy ride. As usual the shore is steep; you get out 5 yards from shore in almost waist deep perfect temperature crystal clear blue-green water and quickly step up to shore. The water is deep enough this close to dry beach some large cats are stern anchored just feet from the beach, sweet. Talk about sitting in your cockpit with a drink in your hand people watching just feet away on the beach. The Soggy Dollar is crowed but its only 2 deep at the bar to buy the next drink. We do a round of pain killers, a rum drink with a sweet fruity mixer shaken over ice, and a single malt Scotch for the diabetic. The place has almost not changed at all in 15 years. We take our drinks and meander through the crowd finding a mixture of people from many countries, but most are US. John meets and greats several mates he has not seen in 3 years. From their greeting you would never see a hint 3 years time has passed; it could be since yesterday.

We quickly dinghy back to BD and set sail for Norman Island and the Bite, a big bay with basically 2 anchorages. The one where the Willy T is anchored. This is the floating Caribbean equivalent of a nightclub famous for outrageous behavior. We have heard reports that they have banned young women from diving nude from the upper deck these days. The anchorage near Willy T is almost empty; the anchorage near the Pirates Bite restaurant is nearly full. BD is too big and too heavy to use a mooring ball, so we anchor near the Willy T as close to the mooring ball field as we can.

We all go to the Pirates Bite for dinner. The restaurant is not as crowed as the number of boats at anchor indicate. The music being played tonight is reminiscent of my son's, Kevin's, nightclub, HUSH, in Houston; it urban hip-hop. It seems out of place in the Caribbean but the locals are black West Indians. We ask what has happened to the steel drum music. We are told that they play different kinds of music every night; Saturday night is steel drum and tonight's music was selected by the bartender, a young black West Indian girl.

The dinner quality and price was on a par with mainland US. What happened to the cheap simple Caribbean menu? This is understandable as most of the boaters are doing a week's vacation charter, they are renting a bare boat to save money, but they are finding enough money to eat out and not heavily provision the boat, cook and clean up aboard.

Next stop the Willy T. The dinghy dock is full; we wedge our dinghy between 2 others and step on board. Where did all these people come from? I guess many of the boats in the other anchorage had sundowners and snacks before going to the T. It turns out to be a moderately slow night. Wednesday night is Saint Patrick's Day and that should be the big night here. We do not see anyone doing body shots on the bar but the people watching on the dance floor is entertaining. It is relaxing watching people from different countries, languages and cultures coming together to enjoy the Caribbean Island fun. We have had a long day and tomorrow is a big day so we pile back into the dinghy and off we go to BD.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Monday-Saturday March 8-13, 2010
GPS POSITION 15° 57.120 N 70° 38.690W Caribbean Sea

Well its almost been a week since my last post. Today is early Sunday Morning and for the first day since I sent my last post I have been totally unable to hold a laptop. The sea state has been that bad.

Monday morning and Donna and the girls are leaving for Houston. We are preparing BD for her up hill, into the eastward prevailing trade winds accompanied by wind fetched large swells. Three years ago passaging from BVI to the Panama Canal we were downhill, wind at your back and surfing the eastward heading swells. There is so much to do after our 9 AM emotional goodbys to the girls as they got into a taxi and head to Panama City. We have to secure everything on deck for the the pounding of uphill sailing.

John and Deborah huddle over the weather reports. John sees a chance to sneak along the Panama, Columbia and Venezuelan coasts to a point east from which we can get at least a 30ｰ angle on the eastward trade winds and swells. We check the Jimmy Conner's website, noonsite, for any unrest or pirating along the cost, non reported. We fuel and leave about 4 PM. The first afternoon is not bad; the smells and sights of Panama fade into the heavy salty marine layer. It is hot and very humid. At night we are close to shore so we still see lights from the little fishing villages. It is hot and humid. Striped down to undies we try not to sweat too much; the fan is pointed right over the bed. The sea state is just bad enough to retard any thought of opening the hatch over my bed. All you need is one rouge swell to clip the port bow sending gallons of water down the deck and into my bed.

Tuesday my watch starts at 5 AM. Having benefit of a restless sleep I reach the fly bridge finding a tired John and The San Blas Islands just an hour away. Remember this is where we wanted to take Donna and the girls. We decide to do a cruise by; so far the next 3 hours just after sunup we tour the various anchorages we have read and heard so much about. The Islands are pretty flat and covered with vegetation including palm trees. Some but not all have beautiful beaches. The bad weather and gray clouds kill the opportunity to capture San Blas at it's best. Our conclusion is it is a good thing we did not bring the girls here as it would have probably disappointed all of us. Better to come back with better weather and lots of sunshine. We return to the coastal cruise.

Tuesday the sea state becomes bumpy and the wind picks up. Most of the time we get 30ｰ angle on the wind and swells are not on our nose. However, the chop, waves left over from the extremely strong winds blowing the last several days, has a short period so BD does not gently roll, but pitches quickly one way then another in a random pattern and direction. While the seas are not that big, walking and standing on deck almost impossible. So we sit and lay down a lot. Every trip to the head, bathroom, or to get a much needed glass of ice water is a burden you consider carefully before committing to. If you can believe it, it has gotten even more hot and humid. Passaging is all about safety, fuel planning but comfort is on the bottom of the list. The marine layer hangs like a thick blanket, hundreds of feet, from horizon to horizon. Getting up and down the fly bridge ladder takes planning and much greater than normal strength. Your body is wiped back and forth, to and fro as you negotiate the 8 steps. All of this leaves you a little sea sick and you avoid all reading, computers, and anything requiring you to focus on anything. I would love to fish off the back but I can't see focusing enough and besides anything except the cockpit and the fly bridge is dangerous; you could easily be pitched overboard.

Wednesday it is more of the same, except hotter and even more humid. We start to dream about the port turn, left, that may make everything better; we hope. We had hopped for 100 to 200 miles before being forced to turn early by a strong east wind. So far each weather forecast has moved the strong easterly to later and later in the week. It is so hot at night we are forced to sleep outside in the cockpit. The only problem is rain and salt water showers that come off and on during the night. Every time a large swell dumps the bow under the Caribbean waters the resulting spray makes it's way to the stern and beyond, so everything is wet and sticky.

Thursday it is more of the same. The strong easterlies did not materialize. It now is almost certain we will make it to Venezuela. We are so close to shore that our phones are able to call home. I have a text message from Lindsay saying she misses me. I miss all my grand babies so much. There is a lot of cargo ships coming and going from Colombian ports. Thursday night we experience a small ship coming towards us with navigation lights that are not correct. We pass port to port so John radios to verify it's intent. The Latin accented voice on the other end says "we are a military vessel". Not wanting to encourage any further interest John politely thanks the captain and returns us to channel 16. The vessel makes a U turn and starts following us. We must look harmless so they slowly pass us and then disappear into the dark marine layer. Another night sleeping on deck on cushions wet with rain and salt spray.

Friday morning, happy birthday Lindsay! I awake to a violent change in the motion of BD. I take one step at a time out of my cabin to the salon holding on to something every step of the way. In the salon I take my first step up hill and then swung downhill towards the galley steps trying to stay on my feet. I make and pour only half a cup of coffee in the galley otherwise I would certainly loose half a cup on my way to the fly bridge. I set my cup on the top step and crawl on my all fours up the steps grabbing the cup before thrusting my body to the salon bar which I grab with my other hand; so far so good. My watch starts John having made the left turn away from the Venezuela-Colombian coast. He has headed BD as far east as we can sail 30-40ｰ off the now strong east wind. This allows us to sail a course to the southeast of The Dominican Republic. Our target is a way point 500 miles away where weather will decide for us how to get around Puerto Rico, Saint Thomas and into the BVI. The ride gets worse before it gets a little better. The period of the chop is still very short, a few seconds and the swells are growing larger and larger. So much for it being better after the long awaited turn. I go into my cabin to get my iPhone to get Lindsay's number to call her on her birthday. Its all I can do to not throw up. I quickly grab the Iridium satellite phone and ascend into the fly bridge. I wait till nearly 7:30 and call. I get to talk to both Lindsay and Lauren, what a treat. It turns out to be the highlight of my day. Most of the day is spent doing nothing, you are alone sitting, sweating, eating a little and drinking it seems gallons of water, thank God for the ice. The violence just following the turn has mellowed a bit, but it is still really severe.

Saturday it is more of the same except now I have the headache that the others have experienced on previous days. The sea state and winds drop somewhat after midday and 2 Advil finally do their magic. It is also a little cooler; in fact it is calmer and cooler as the day progresses. As we sit for the evening meal, the fly bridge is pleasant like a beautiful BVI evening. Gone are the whitecaps and violent swells. This is more like it. In fact we sleep comfortably without a hatch open Saturday back in our cabins.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Saturday-Sunday March 6-7, 2010

GPS POSITION 9° 22.138 N 79° 57.043W Shelter Bay

After a few days you get some idea of what the general Panamanian people are like on this side of the canal. They are more like people from the Caribbean Islands both in looks and behavior. The Panama City locals are fairer skinned and more like central Americans from Mexico to Panama. The attitude of the people who serve you is slow, not warm and not genuine. When they do help you it is with an attitude that you are such a burden to them. We try to cheer them up but they do not understand rarely crack a smile.

The weather forecast continues to look unfriendly. The 20+ knot winds blowing from where we are going will continue until Tuesday when they drop to 4-7 knots for a few days. Donna had planned to leave to visit her mother in Houston for a few days. The thought of staying in Panama in a marina under these conditions is not pleasant so she is looking to fly to Houston a few days early on Monday. I reluctantly agreed as this siting and waiting out the bad weather is not the fun part. I will miss her. We will leave early and get an early start on the uphill passage which is looking difficult at best. The weather window we leave on is only good for the first 100 to 150 miles, after that the weather will return to strong trades from the east. We will take a left turn and sail close to the wind off our starboard. On this tack we will lay a course anywhere from Puerto Rico to Haiti. We would like to at least make the south east shore of The Dominican Republic. Sea and wind conditions will determine how far east we can point.

It would not be too bad here if the marina would provide good wifi covering where the BD is docked. If you sit in just the right spot and point your computer at the marina office, you can get an unreliable connection. Donna is trying to log on to Continental Airlines to book flights; however, before see can complete the transaction she looses her connection. This happens repeatedly until she walks to the marina cafe to reliably access the internet.

I need a walk. Remembering the jungle walk we took 3 years ago I search for the well defined path we use back then. As I walk down the marina entrance road I look right, but all I see is dense jungle, no wide well defined path. Walking too far I take a right on a paved road, that has seen little vehicle traffic in a long time, that has jungle palms and tree droppings covering its surface. There are abandoned and neglected buildings on the right; the first is obviously a church and the second is probably a ammunition bunker. As the jungle closes in, I walk in the middle of the road. Sounds of wild animals are coming from just behind the green curtain of dense forest on each side of the road. I whirl around to look behind me; there is nothing but jungle in every direction. About 20 minutes I come to a familiar circular drive; the street sign says Kennedy Loop. The loop is between ¼ and ½ mile along the way is a short side road leading to a large cluster of abandoned multistory buildings behind 15 foot tall chain link fence with barbed wire on top. The buildings are definitely in need of some repair, but they look like they could be lived in or used as office space. It's a shame Panama can't use these facilities.

I take some pictures and start the walk back to BD. Just before the loop a 6 foot greenish gray snake slithers between my legs from behind. I don't have time to react; it's moving so fast as it slithers off the road into the brush. Now we know even the middle of the road is not completely safe.

As I approach the marina I wonder where is that clear path through the jungle I remember down which we saw the big gun bunkers 3 years ago. The new area where boats are on the hard adjacent to the marina is new. Down it's left side there is the hint of a path into the jungle. I just have to see if this is it. The closer you get it looks like it is; the path follows a ridge that drops off into thick jungle canopy. Quickly the jungle closes in but it has not completely swallowed the path in 3 years. Where is the middle of the road? I do walk in the middle of the now very narrow path. The same wild animal sounds, some obviously generated by quite large animals, comes from beyond the very close green curtain of dense jungle. Suddenly my wide vision tells me there is something just ahead. It is a sharply defined line crossing the path. I remember the huge ants we were amazed with 3 years ago. Approaching the 2 inch bare path crossing my path, indeed the same huge ants are swarming in both directions almost like an LA freeway. In one direction they are empty handed; in the other, most are carrying a piece of a green leaf easily 10 times their size.

I continued to walk for over ½ mile as the jungle closed in more and more. Most ant trails would cross my path, but some ran along side my path; I stayed clear as a bite from one of these giants must be painful. On situation made me uneasy, the ant trail ran right down the middle of my path. Walking in the thicker brush on either side was not comfortable for me. I hope they don't have poison ivy or worse in Panama; I know there are snakes, but I am wide eyed. Finally I come across the first Bunker, Stanley, on my right as I expected. I remember it being a large structure with several modules; however, the jungle has closed in on it the same way it did on my path. There does seem to be a dark path into the structure that resembles a cave. If I were sure this is the multiple module structure I remember and if I knew there were no jungle creatures living inside that "cave", I would explore further. I do not want to enter. Instead I continue on a few hundred yards to a second structure choked by the jungle. There is a cave into this one as well. My path looks like it ends so since it is 5:45 and getting dark I think I will return to BD.

Sunday is a relaxing day as we enjoy being tied to the dock in the strong winds and repeated rain showers.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Thursday-Friday March 4-5, 2010

GPS POSITION 9° 22.138 N 79° 57.043W Shelter Bay

We are greeted at anchor with wind blowing over 20 knots in the morning down the channel over a mile from the breakwater that insures the ocean swells do not disrupt vessels heading for Gatun Locks. The breakwater is about 10 feet above sea level and the swells are shooting white water high into the air as they smash into it on the other side. The winds are blowing even stronger out there where the swells must be huge and the even stronger winds have been fetching building these swells for 1000 miles from the Caribbean. Today would be an absolutely bad day to start towards the Caribbean. That is not our plan. After breakfast we head the 3 miles across the channel inside the breakwater to Shelter Bay Marina. The vessel we transited the canal with, Idle, left an hour before us to the only real marina on this side of the canal.

When we arrive in the marina, it is almost full with vessels waiting to transit to the Pacific and vessels like BD that are waiting for weather that will not beat us up; it's a good thing we have reservations. The marina web site talks about their new super yacht dock which is where our side tie is. John goes in and spins BD, a u-turn, in such a small space with a 20 knot wind that sends deck hands on other super yachts scrambling for bumpers to protect their precious top sides. John's surgical like maneuvers places BD's bow close enough to toss and cleat a line up wind on the dock before other yachts can lower their bumpers. BD then gently settles in a perfect position to cleat stern and spring lines. Down go the steps and the shore power is connected; we are nested. The line handlers finally leave us to seek transportation home.

Shelter Bay is the marina we spent a week or more in 3 years ago when we transited to the Pacific heading to Galapagos and the South Pacific. The marina is isolated in a remote area where shore gun bunkers were placed to protect the Panama Canal during WW I and WW II known as Fort Sherman. The inlet where the marina was built is smack in the middle of Fort Sherman and the old gun batteries. All the security puts your mind at ease. American military occupied this fort until US control of the Panama Canal ended. The Panamanian government took control thereafter and set up security complete with manning the entrance gate. However, they did not maintain the area; jungle and weather has taken a heavy toll. Buildings are crumbling and gun batteries are so overgrown you have to know exactly where they are and hope the jungle thickness doesn't stop you; you really need a machete. A ranger jungle warfare training camp was big here during the Vietnam War.

Friday is see Colon day. Everyone says and the marina guide states do not rent a car; one should take a cab to shop and pay the cab to wait for you. You should not wear jewelry, carry a backpack, take a camera, go after dark or have much money. You should always dress like you are a local; e.g. look poor. Your shoes should be old and worn. Women should never travel alone. Stay on main streets where there are likely to be armed military. Colon is very dangerous. Three years ago the military were putting down violent protests on this side of Panama.

We get our cab driver who speaks a little English. We also take Luci with us to translate. We drive though the ruins of camp Sherman some inhabitable dorms are being used by a cadet of Panama Canal Police in training – left--right--left-right-left. We pass through the heavily armed gate; then a long stretch of raised road that falls off into a thick dense jungle. Miles later we come to where the road crosses the canal at the end of Gatun Locks. Here traffic may be held until vessels enter or leave the lock chambers. Our driver has timed our crossing so this is a little more than a stop light to us. You either see an empty chamber or the large towering gate if the lock is full of water.

This side of Panama does not welcome tourists or outsiders like Panama City does. There are no condos for sale or nice looking homes for that madder. Rich Arab merchants who work mostly in the free zone (more later) have built a walled community that is exclusive with armed security. It includes of course their Mosque. The homes in this walled community are very nice with air conditioning and satellite, Our cab driver refers to the inhabitants as Arab Thieves.

The local Panamanians live mostly in abandoned American neighborhoods. Our cab driver took us into one such neighborhood to visit "some monkeys". One could imagine what the lawns guttered streets and simple white fenced houses looked like when Americans lived here. However, however wear & tear, neglect and the tropical climate has lowered the property values. We stop at a home with an obvious large number of fenced animal cages. There are a deer faun, raccoon, parrots, toucans, dogs, sloths and a number of a variety of monkeys. Luci translates that this is not a zoo but a rehab for sick or injured animals. They take donations from visitors, like us, to feed and care for them and they are returned to the jungle if they a young and heathly enough. However, all the animals look healthy and a couple of the monkeys are tame, gently taking bananas from the caretaker. We make our donation and renter the van.

From the guide we see 3 options to shop or walk around safely. One is the cruise ship area called Colon 2000 located on the sea wall in downtown Colon. The second would be the Free Zone where you can get a variety of tax free merchandise from all over the world. And the third is a shopping mall where three years ago Deborah and I provisioned for the South Pacific. The Free Zone is surrounded by very high fences and walls; you have to show your passport to check in at the front gate. All the stores are like warehouses and you have to know what you are shopping for and most people buy in quantity. We decide to skip the Free Zone.

Our cab driver presents a plan which I am sure he uses on most gringos like us. He says we will go to the mall first and then on to Colon 2000. He says a ride through downtown Colon is something we should do, we agree.

Downtown Colon, there are very few haves and a lot of have nots. Poor people with more time on their hands than jobs and money sit or idly occupy the streets. The traffic is heavy and there are few stop lights; it seems there are implied stop/yield rules that experienced Colon drivers obey. You have to be an aggressive driver if you are ever going to get anywhere. It is a weekday, but there are many children playing with sticks and whatever else there is laying around. We drive the main street with its stores and the driver wants to know if we would like to get out and shop. Would you get out in one of the worst areas in an American City? What if you did not speak the language and did not understand how to behave like a local? We stayed in the car. We ended up near the port; it is a large commercial container port. There were 2 ships washed up on the shore. One lost its mooring in a storm 3 years ago and is still there. The other was involved in a Colombian drug bust and all neglected it went aground; the crew is in jail.

Finally we come to Colon 2000. There is a MacDonald hamburger and a Subway sandwich. The area is very small and contained with small tourist shops. There is no cruise ship in today so most of the people we see are armed military. Our driver tells us the cruise ship people walk through and board tour buses on the street in front of Colon 2000. Where do the buses take them? Tours of the canal, Gatun Lake, Chargres River Resorts, shopping and the Jungle. So where do they go shopping?, the first place I showed you, the mall. Some do also go to the Free Zone, but we do not have our passports.

The mall is interesting and we do speak to an American running a coffee shop on the third floor of a department store in the mall. He says Colon is every bit or more dangerous than people say. He says people get off the cruise ship and shop at this mall. We buy a few things and end with a trip to Rey's Market to get some items for Deborah. Our driver brings us back to BD and the entire afternoon costs $160, a lot more than the $10 to $70 in Panama City and more distant airport.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Tuesday-Wednesday March 2-3, 2010

GPS POSITION 9° 15.346 N 79° 54.641W Gatun Lake Panama Canal

Tuesday is very very humid; a hazy layer of wet air hangs over us. I decide to climb Flamenco Island which is shaped like a large ant hill just at the end of the Marina before it really gets hot. A paved road switches back as it ascends to a number of communication antennas, a helicopter pad and an old WWII gun bunker probably there to protect the Pacific entrance to the canal. At the highest point you have a 360° view of the marina, Panama City and the approach channel to the canal. Pausing to burn memories I snapped a few photos including several of Bella Donna below in the marina. Upon return to BD the tide is far out; the polls on which the docks are guided as they float up and down look like telephone polls. At high tide later today they will resemble short stubs.

About 1 PM it is so hot we are all huddled in BD's Solon with the large generator running to allow us to use all our air conditioning power. We do have shore power, but its not powerful enough to run full air conditioning. Sometime before 2 PM the large gen just stops and we quickly switch to shore power. When John isolates the problem it seems the high temperature cut off stopped the gen to protect it from over heating. Was it really too hot or did something else contribute to the shutdown? The big gen has been a real workhorse; we have over 9000 hours on it. We will solve this and even without it we have some air conditioning.

We just got word from Tina, our agent, we start our transit of the canal early tomorrow morning. Her line handlers, 4 of them, will board BD at 7 AM in the morning and we need to be positioned at the beginning of the canal channel to take our pilot on board. A vessel as large as BD must take on a pilot to do a transit. They don't take the helm, But they do tell you exactly where to go and how to do it. So we will have 14 people on BD as we transit tomorrow. Deborah and Luci will be responsible for feeding all these people for the duration of the transit. So it is early to bed and early to rise.

Wednesday morning the activity starts at first light. John finds time to work on the big gen as well as arrange to checkout of Flamenco Marina. Deborah makes sure our line handlers have a nutritious breakfast. At a little before 8 AM we leave and make our way around Flamenco Island to the Panama Canal channel. We hover in position for over an hour before a launch with our pilot aboard pulls alongside and transfers the pilot and his computer bag on deck. He sets up office in the rear of the fly bridge where he has the best view still close enough to talk to John at the helm. We proceed up channel towards the Miraflores Lock accompanied by Idle a 100+ foot mono hull sail boat from France. We are scheduled for a center chamber transit; this means our 4 line handlers will manage bow and stern lines to canal workers on both port ans starboard sides keeping BD in the center of the chamber as the water rises. The lines must be constantly managed to maintain tension as the line shortens as we rise in the chamber.

Suddenly the pilot shouts we must turn around. He tells us we must nest with Idle in order to fit lengthwise in the lock because the cargo ship in the chamber already is bringing it's tug boat with her unexpectedly. Nesting requires BD to tie alongside Idle such that both vessels become like a raft; this is something both BD and Idle paid more money not to do. Such rafting could damage BD, but we do not want to reschedule either. At last we enter the first lock chamber whose walls tower 40-50 feet above us. To an observer walking the top side of the chamber only the top 2/3 of our mast is visible.

Four canal workers, 2 on each side of the chamber, throw a thin line with a monkey fist tied on the end into BD's port side and Idle's starboard side. The 4 line handlers tie the thin line to their thick 170 foot lines. All this happens while John and Idle captains keep going forward keeping the nest/raft centered. The canal workers walk, keeping pace with the nest, until we are positioned in the chamber. The canal workers secure their retrieved lines to cleats forward and aft of the raft. All 4 line handlers tighten and cleat so the nest stays away from the horribly rough, scrape marks that surely damaged a vessel, chamber walls. The chamber doors close.

The water in the chamber starts to churn like a boiling kettle. The water level in the chamber rises about 2 feet in little over a minute. The line handlers test the tension of their line by playing it like a guitar string. With their experience they know when to uncleat tighten and recleat the line. In less than 20 minutes we are lifted more than 40 feet into the sunlight. The doors open, the lines are uncleated and we start moving forward as the canal workers walk. Miraflores Lock has 2 chambers, so we repeat the same process over again.

The cargo ship with its tug is pull to the side to hover as DB and Idle disconnect from each and continue the transit we paid for, no rafting, center chamber. A short distance ahead is the single chamber Pedro Miguel Lock. We smoothly handle this lock alone in the center with Idle behind us also alone.

Next is the Gaillord Cut, the trench that was built to connect The Rio Chagres and Gatun Lake to the Pacific Ocean. A lot of work is being performed on the new set of locks that will handle larger super vessels. These new locks are set to open in 2014.

Next we are in Gatun Lake which is surrounded by jungle. Along this stretch of the canal you have crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, jaguars, ant eaters as well as various unfriendly snakes.

We anchor in Gatun Lake near the entrance to the final lock, The Gatun Lock with its 3 chambers. Our pilot leaves us and word is we will be called around 9 PM and a new pilot will board shortly thereafter to finish the transit. Deborah serves a delightful chicken tortilla soup to all 13 of us. The line handlers enjoy their soup at the cockpit table and we take our dinner at the air conditioned solon table.

The pilot shows and we finish the 3 chambers of Gatun and drop anchor about midnight; the transit is complete.

God Bless Bella Donna

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Sunday-Monday February 28 – March 1, 2010

GPS POSITION 8° 55.036 N 79° 31.199W Flamingo Marina Panama

At 7:18 tonight the visitors fly in. The work day starts fueled by the minimum partying we did last night. Hopefully today we are the pigeon, if you read yesterday's blog. The morning is cloudy, hot and humid – not exactly the kind of day I had hoped for to greet our guests fresh from a winter storm in Reno-Lake Tahoe.

Money is required to pay all the workers and officials. Yes officials, there has been a steady stream of them with their hand out and more mountains of paperwork. Nothing is that expensive in Panama, the wages and the prices are quite reasonable, low. Some things that are not a Panamanian commodity are US priced or more. To prepare for the canal transit we need lots of cash to pay deck hands that handle the 4 heavy 170 foot ropes that will keep us in the center of the locks as the water goes up and down. Our plan is to draw cash up to the daily ATM limit each day until we transit. Panama does not have their own paper money; they just use US dollars. They do have their own coins however, known as the Balboa. Balboa coins are similar to US coins; just consider a Balboa to be the equivalent to a dollar. For example I got change and in addition to a US quarter I received a Balboa quarter. At first look it appears to be one of the new US state quarters; it is the same diameter and thickness. Obviously they spend like equivalent to US quarters in Panama. I wounder it you could use it in a coke machine in the US.

One job this morning is to research what there is to do in Panama on the internet. We know about the visitor's center at the first lock transiting north, the Miraflores Lock. We visited it 3 years ago when we transited on our way to the South Pacific. A large three story building of interesting history and operational details. At one level there is a large observation deck from which you can observe movement in the lock chambers, north and south, 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This is definitely a stop on the planned tour.

The top jungles of the world are north of Panama City. There are several resorts that are designed for a typical one week adventure complete with comforts and excursions. Think of it as a land based cruise ship with excursions each day. Such as resort is the Gamboa Rainforest Resort, a 5 star hotel on the Chagres River. There is also the Canopy Tower where each room is a tree house high up with the jungle birds and monkeys above the larger wild animals.

There is always the shopping mall trip; we know the mall is a great air conditioned playground with some good prices.

About 6 PM we mosey to the street to meet the large van we made an appointment with to fetch the new guests from the airport. It is Sunday night and the Panamanian families are out bicycling, running and kite flying. Adults and children are riding rented 2 wheel - segways, 3 wheel - huge tricycles and 4 wheel - cycle buggies. All the many restaurants were very busy. Our van is late; a call tells us he is caught in heavy traffic. Already 15 minutes late we leave only to enter more traffic. It is a good thing we left early. Our driver says the traffic is because the Panamanians are making the most of the dry season which ends in two weeks.

As we drive on the tollway south the driver tells us about the exceptional 19 to 20 foot tide expected tomorrow and the next day. The very tollway we are on will be under water when a high tide coincides with a large enough amount of rain.

Hundreds of people at the airport at the exit from immigration and customs mix with the trickling stream of passengers leaving the official inspection area. It truly seams that more waiting people are arriving than matching up and leaving. About 30 minutes after landing our tired guests emerge and our 30-40 minute drive to Flamenco Marina starts. The conditions at the Marina could not be better as a strong cooling breeze is blowing.

Monday morning is tolerable until around 10 AM; our new arrivals are then introduced to humidity and heat. Some of us schedule a cab to the Miraflores Lock Visitor's Center and some of us stay cool reading and studying our Spanish in BD's air conditioned salon.

The tide is extremely low in the morning; BD's keel is sitting 1 foot above the Marina mud bottom. The high tide a few hours from now will raise the water 18 to 20 feet. I thought tides near the equator are supposed to involve small changes and large tidal changes occur as you go to higher latitudes closer to the poles. It's only on the south, Pacific, side of the canal that the tide is so big; on the north, Caribbean, side of the canal the tide changes only a few feet. What's up with that? That's not right, but true.

About 5 PM we are visited by the Direct TV guru who is to assist us with getting our dome antenna and satellite modems/DVR hooked up. TV satellite coverage areas vary all over the world. We've had US and a Mexico systems. We are putting a Puerto Rican system in that will cover from north of LA, California, to Florida including the Caribbean Islands and the Panama Canal. This guy is good; he is able to cobble together some parts that we not designed to work in our system into parts that would work. It takes him 3 hours to do what would have taken us at least a full day.

We rush to shower, dress and go out to eat to celebrate Birthdays for Don and Nancy. Don's birthday is February 29, 16 years old, and Nancy's birthday is March 1. We walk up the hill to the Bucanero Restaurant and even before we sit down the Tequila shots are served. Add a little Chilean wine with fish and steak – yum, yum. With enough Tequila Nancy agrees to stay on BD and do the 1000 mile passage to the Caribbean.

God Bless Bella Donna`