Tradewinds Sailing Blog

I finally got back to the latitude of the Panama Canal entrance yesterday, so now I feel like I am really making progress north and west. Costa Rica has been nice to me, offering some good breeze yesterday afternoon, and a favorable counter-current to help me along, so I had a day of good progress.

The night was a bit squally, with winds shifting about from East to West to South and back, so not as much rest as I might have liked, but I kept the boat moving in the right direction. It all added up to a nice 172-mile day.

I had another visit from a school of dolphin in the evening, this time they all seemed to be jumping completely out of the water, right next to the boat, as if they wanted to get a good look at me. I think if I would have held my hand out, I could have touched one.

I should be leaving Costa Rica tonight, and entering Nicaragua. Unlike endless Brazil, small countries make it fun, as there is always something new on the horizon.

5/8  8am   10.05N  86.03W    6029nm gone,  4583nm to go.

Yesterday was a bit squally and grey, with off and on warm rain, and a bit of sunshine, and few hours of good wind. It was also my farewell to Panama, as early this morning I crossed into the waters of Costa Rica. And it is a clear blue sunny hot day. Alas, still not much wind, though, but I was expecting this, and continue to motorsail along the coast, trying to find favorable counter-currents when I can, which isn’t often.

The coast in these parts is dotted with small islands, and it is nice to see the dense jungle, rocky outcrops, and pristine beaches along the way. Not as carefree as the open ocean, but I am enjoying the scenery, and heading in the right direction.

Last night’s nearly full moon provided an interesting spectacle- a moonbow! Or whatever it is you call it when the moonlight creates a rainbow. Rather than seeing all the colors, though, the bow is all silver and shimmery.

5/7  8am   8.26N  83.44W    5857nm gone, 4748nm to go.

I’ve completed my first day back in the Pacific, and is has been pacific indeed. Sunny and hot, with smooth seas and a long, low swell, and almost no wind. I received several fine welcomes throughout the day, from 2 schools of different types of dolphins, and a small pod of whales spouting nearby.

In the afternoon, I crossed paths with 3 of the Global Challenge racing yachts, who were motoring to the Panama Canal, having suspended racing at the bottom of Mexico due to no wind. These are the 72-foot aluminum sailboats that race around the world the wrong way, with amateur crew paying to participate. They had last departed San Francisco (Oakland actually), and were on their way to New York.

I was able to do some sailing when the wind got up to 5-10 knots, as it was on the beam, but I’ve also been motoring a bit, which is what I expected. In fact, it looks like I may have another 4 or 5 days of these conditions, which is what the earlier forecasts predicted as well. So that means for now, I am taking the coastal route. If conditions change, I may still head offshore, but I’ll make that decision when the time comes.

I finished going south yesterday, when I rounded Punta Mala at latitude 7, and am now heading slightly north of west. I should cross the border of Panama tonight, entering Costa Rican waters.

5/6  8am   7.12N  81.26W    5702nm gone,  4898nm to go

As much as I enjoyed the Atlantic ocean and Caribbean sea, it sure feels good to back in the Pacific. The Atlantic side of Panama was cloudy and rainy with thunder and lightning. But the Pacific side has dawned clear and sunny and wonderful. I am continuing my long journey from Buenos Aires to San Francisco, after a 2 week wait in Panama to transit the canal.

After yesterday’s morning delay, we were re-scheduled to pick up our canal advisor at 3:30pm, and transit straight through, without spending the night on Gatun lake. And it actually worked that way. We have a 32-foot Brazilian sailboat rafter up to us on entering the first Gatun locks, and we transited in the center of the chamber, directly behind a monster tanker. There is indeed some turbulence when the lock fills, and when the tanked engages his propellor, but we handled things fine and locked up the 3 locks without incident.

The Brazilian boat couldn’t re-start his engine though, so we towed him to the Gatun anchorage before continuing on our way across the lake. We had to motor at 8 knots to meet the schedule at the other end, but as it was dark anyway, we didn’t miss much. For the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks, we rafted next to a 100-foot motor yacht, who was tied to the sidewall, and locked down that way. The only challenge was that we had to separate after each lock, then he would go first, settle into the new lock, and we would have to cozy up to his side again. Sounds easy, but there was a surprising amount of current running with us, and a bit of wind, which made steering and maneuvering quite challenging. But no harm, no foul, no damage, and all ended well at 1am, when we spilled out under the Bridge of the Americas and officially entered the Pacific Ocean.

At 2am we stopped at the Balboa Yacht Club to allow my crew off, but they wouldn’t allow me stay more than an hour, so at 3am I departed for San Francisco. As soon as I did, the skies cleared, the full moon lit the way, and a 10 knot breeze filled in on my beam. Perfect!

Today I am continuing south for about 100 miles, working my way out of the Bay of Panama so I can turn northwest. What happens then remains to be seen, as a coastal route in still a possibility, as is an offshore route, or perhaps a combination of the two. Its all dependent on the weather. So when you look at the miles to go, it presume an offshore route, which would be longest.

5/5  8am  8.25N  79.36W   5543nm gone,  5065nm to go

Well, the story is that the freighter we were supposed to lock up with this morning got delayed, and the tanker that took its place was a Panamax, meaning there was no room left for me. So now, I am supposed to get the advisor at 3:30pm, and start locking up to Gatun about 4pm. But they are saying I will continue straight through, locking down on the Pacific side at about 1:30am. This would allow my crew to still make their flights home, but may also make the trip a bit more challenging, as we’ll cross the lake at night, lock down at night, and have to find the Balboa yacht Club at night.

Apparently I have some kind of departure/arrival jinx, as the weather can be perfect for weeks on end, but the day I want to leave, or the day I arrive somewhere, all hell breaks loose. Last night was looking great, with a full moon and light breeze. Then at about 1am, dark clouds moved in, and a fierce lightning storm erupted, flashing all around us, knocking out the electricity, and unleashing some torrential rain. It had lessened a bit by the time we left the dock at 5am, but the wind was still 15 knots in the harbor. So we’ll see what this afternoon delivers…

Ah well, it is what it is, and we’ll make the best of it.

5/4  8am   back in Shelter Bay…

We arrived at canal entrance 5:30am per our schedule. No advisor
showed up at 6. At 6:15 I called in and was told we were not going
until the afternoon and to stand by. We have returned to the marina
while the agent tries to confirm yet another schedule. Apparent story
is that the freighter we were to lock through with had issues.

More when I get news…

5/4  7am

We had a slight change of plans this afternoon regarding our transit. Instead of locking up to Gatun lake today and spending the night anchored there, we will lock up at 6am tomorrow morning, then continue straight through, and complete locking down to the Pacific at 3:30pm, arriving about 2 hours later than our original plan.

I am back in Panama, and we are scheduled to transit southbound from the Atlantic to the Pacific starting this afternoon. I have been joined by friends Marianne Wheeler, Steve and Charlene Swierkowski, and Isabelle Deneyer, as I must have 4 line handlers aboard in addition to myself in order to transit.

We are scheduled to pick up our canal advisor ( a requirement) at 3:15pm today, and enter the Gatun locks at 3:45pm. We should complete locking up to Gatun lake at 6pm, and anchor nearby at 6:30pm, spending the night on the lake. At 6am tomorrow, we’ll receive our advisor again, motor some 30 miles across the lake, and enter the Pedro Miguel locks, then the Miraflores locks, locking down to the Pacific ocean, and finish about 1:30pm.

I will drop off the crew at the Balboa Yacht Club on the Pacific side, then continue on my way to San Francisco. They will fly home  in a few hours, while I will sail for about a month. It’s not clear yet whether I will sail a coastal route, an offshore route, and a combination. The weather forecast right now suggests I will start up the coast, at least for the first 5 days, but I’ll talk more about that when I get there.

For now my focus is on starting my transit of the Panama Canal today.

5/3/12   8am Panama time  (6am California)