We arrived in Balboa, and prepared to transit the Panamá Canal. The sight of the Bridge of the Americas connecting the two American continents across the Canal, along with the constant traffic of huge commercial ships was an awesome experience.

March 29, 2002

We left Bahia Honda the next day, thinking of making one more stop before coming around the infamous Punta Mala, known for its foul weather, similar reputation to Cabo Corrientes off Banderas Bay, in Puerto Vallarta.

We experienced a very favorable current and were going like gangbusters. We checked the tide at Punta Mala, and the beginning of the flood tide was at 12:30am, right about the time our navigation projected our non-stop arrival. We had weather forecasts that said winds were going to be turning variable 5-10 knots. We were hardly experiencing any winds, and were motorsailing all the way. So, we went for a night rounding of Punta Mala, into the Sea of Panama.

SIESTA arrived off Punta Mala on schedule. By then the winds had freshened to 15-18 knots and veered from the North. Once we got around Punta Mala, we encountered these closely spaced, steep waves, about 6-8 ft, and the same stiff wind, with gusts up to 22 knots. We had become complacent given the weather so far, so our cockpit curtains were up. We got drenched, soaking wet, for the next few hours until daylight, when we rolled them down. Water got into the anchor locked in the forepeak, through the anchor housepipe, by the bucket full. We forgot to seal these before this leg! Some of the water spilled into the forward v-bunks. It really got wet up there!

We had the option to fall off and head for the Las Perlas Islands. These islands are beautiful, but navigation around them is tricky. Arrival in the dark was out of the question, and even daylight arrival was going to be in some very chopped seas.

We chose to continue to slug towards Isla Bona and Isla Otoque to anchor, dry up, and rest after the overnight trip. We headed closer to shore, to get some protection from the seas and winds, and continued our progress. Here is where the 85 hp Perkins, with our wonder Autoprop folding prop, came in handy. We were doing a consistent 6 knots against a strong local current and wind, in spite of the favorable tide! This is precisely why we opted for the larger engine when we repowered.

We arrived at a lovely Isla Otoque south anchorage at 1:30pm, just 20 minutes off our original ETA. Not bad. We brought all the soaked cushions and bedding to dry on deck, took showers, had lunch, and then took a well-deserved siesta aboard SIESTA!

The next day, we awakened to blue skies, light winds, and the view of a nice bay. We hoisted anchor and headed for Isla Taboga, for a quick touring peek for sightseeing and photography, then proceeded to Balboa and the Pacific entrance to the Canal. Our friends had called the Balboa Yacht Club, and secured reservations for a mooring there.

The sight of ship after ship anchored, waiting its turn to transit the Canal, was imposing. We called the Canal Transit Authority, Sector Flamingo, to announce our arrival, and were granted permission to proceed, staying outside the main channel whenever possible. We went by Flamingo Island, and did not see much there. We would later find, when we visited by car, that there is quite a marina, boat yard, and modern buildings with many places to eat, including a Cuban restaurant! The causeway leading to Flamingo from Balboa is very popular for bicycling, jogging and rollerblading. Really nice, clean, and safe, according to the cabbies.

We proceeded to the Balboa Yacht Club, announced our arrival on channel 06, and made the turn to starboard after passing buoy 14A. A diesel lancha was waiting for us at the mooring, to pass our bow line through the noose and back to us. Very nice! Once we were settled, we called for the lancha on channel 06: "Muelle, muelle, una lancha para el velero SIESTA, por favor!", and always got a friendly reply. We were told to tip the lancha operators from time to time, not always. We have done this with a dollar each time, and gave received a big smile back. This gesture from SIESTA quickly spread among the lancha operators. We think this may have assured us a quick response when summoned on VHF 06. There have been reports of lancha operator deafness concerning repeated calls from yachties who have not contributed.

More detailed information about Balboa and the Canal will be sent via our next report, so that this one is not cut off by Sailmail.

We are tentatively scheduled to transit the Canal this coming Friday, April 4th. The video cam on the Panama Canal interenet site should show SIESTA going through the Miraflores locks as early as 7am EST. We will let you know when we know more.

¡Saludos a todos desde la maravillosa ciudad de Panamá!

Edgardo y Daisy a bordo del velero SIESTA

Note: We had the opportunity, while staying at the Balboa Yacht Club, to visit Casco Viejo, the really old section of Panamá City. Enrique Plummer acted as our host, and we really enjoyed the opportunity, particularly the visit to the Panamá Canal Museum, located where the Canal offices used to be located during the contruction by the French and the Americans.