Written by:
2/3/2010 8:51 PM 

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.

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