Tires and Hand Lines Delivered Today, Etc

It is after 1900 hours, but not yet 8 PM.  Barbie is asleep - "resting her eyes for a while" after a long day.

This is the first morning that the marina has has proper voltage since the weekend storms that flooded Colon and some of the countryside.  At first the voltage was too low (65 volts) and then yesterday it was too high (145 volts) so no machinery was operating (including the AC power to the boats - which meant for us, no air conditioning) and no laundry.  I was working outside much of the time anyway so I didn't miss it much and besides we have DC battery power, charged by our solar panels so we had refrigeration and lights, but the wash for the entire marina and the hotel has been piling up.  Barb took a load of wash to the laundry before eight this morning, but was refused admittance because of the back log.  Instead, Barb quickly decided to leave on what may be the last Marina shuttle trip to the Reys Supermarket before we depart on Saturday.

While she was gone, Erick Galvez, our agent came today with twelve car tires tightly wrapped in plastic to serve as fenders to keep the sides of our boat protected and four 150 foot long, 7/8" polypropyline hand lines to be used to secure us within the locks as we are raised and lowered.

Photo of gear here


We have expressed our preference to be in the locks' "Center chamber" and in that configuration hand lines would be extended from both sides of the boat and fore and aft (two lines to the starboard - the right, and two lines to port - the left) to both walls of the locks.  If we are "Nested" we would be tied to another boat on one side and not the wall of the chamber.  We could be tied to two boats as well.  Alternatively, we could be tied to a Canal Authority tug or pilot boat.  We shall see.

Vern and Michelle from S/V Enchantment (an Island Packet 40) stopped by.  They will be aboard as line handlers for us when we transit and they will transit the canal in their own boat in the middle of next month.  They wanted to meet Erick and learn about the procedure from him.  They expect to use Erick's services as well.

I had already "checked out" of Cristobal and Shelter Bay and I have our Zarpe (document stating we have permission to embark) to Mexico via Balboa from the Port Captain and Immigration Officer so Erick didn't need to do that for us.  Erick said that the fee would be $13.70, but the Port Captain collected $15 for his work and $20 for Immigration (or the other way around.)  In any case it was $35 and not $13.70.  Maybe I should have let Erick do it for me.  I get my receipt tomorrow when they return and that is a good thing, because the Port Captain wrote on the Zarpe that it was in effect until 1400 hours on 1 November, 2012 instead of 1 December.  I will see how he fixes that when he returns.  I have been carrying a poster that says, "Be lazy - do it right the first time."  Maybe I will give it to him tomorrow - Maybe not.  Not everyone "gets" my sense of humor and sometimes those who do "get it" don't appreciate it.  It is better to keep the officials as happy as possible.

Barb returned from the shuttle at about noon and took our load of wash back to the laundry after a quick bite of lunch.  She waited a little while for a washer and then a long while for a dryer.  After almost four hours she had done one load of wash.  This is not the USA!

I expect an e-mail from Erick tomorrow (Friday) with our official locking schedule from the Canal Authority and on Saturday around 1000 hours, our hired line handlers should arrive at the dock.  I expect to leave the dock at 1300 hours, check in by VHF radio with the Cristobal Signal Control Station on channel 12 stating our intention to proceed from Shelter Bay to "the Flats" - the small vessel anchoring location where we will wait for our canal adviser to come aboard.  Then we follow the adviser's instructions.

The excitement builds!!