Panama Pacific Side – Friends and Fixes

Kim was our first NZ friend to come on board Cerulean and we had both been looking forward to her arrival and visit.   Not only is Kim fantastic company, who I love dearly, but she was a regular sailing partner on my first boat, EJ and brought with her some much needed supplies which she triumphantly deposited on the salon table!   Amongst the many treasures were the required stainless steel bolts needed to repair the hydrovane, one of which had snapped on our passage from Bocas to Shelter Bay a few weeks earlier and had been impossible to source locally.  

With one job done we now turned our attention to the most important, fixing the watermaker.   We had been in regular contact with the manufacturers who had recommended the list of replacement parts we needed to rebuild the high pressure pump (an essential part of the watermaking process).   The diagrams provided to complete the jigsaw were not clear and after failing to get the pump to build pressure and, even with the help of friends, we were unable to resolve the problem.    I had so desperately hoped we could have the watermaker working while Kim was with us so she wouldn’t have to put up with minimal showers and strict water conservation measures but, with time pressing, we did not want to stay anchored in Panama city for the duration of her stay.   A few days after coming through the canal, having explored some of the old city together, we set sail to a small island just south of the city called Toboga which would be a good overnight stay before leaving early the next morning to sail to Las Perlas islands, about 40NM to the south east.   Named after the pearls found in abundance there, the small group of islands are a popular cruising ground and we were keen to explore them with Kim.  

On arriving in Toboga we found the deep main bay was scattered with mooring buoys and the only anchoring spot was very close to the ferry terminal bringing regular boatloads of tourists to the island.   We decided to pick up a buoy next to a lovely looking American yacht on a mooring in the next row over from them.   Usually boats of similar size and shape will respond to wind and current in the same way so when one turns, the other usually follows so I wasn’t too concerned that the buoys were close to each other – certainly no closer together than in other places we have been.   We settled in for the night, enjoying the calm, clear evening.   At around 1am we were woken to someone banging on the boat and to our horror, found that we were T-boning our neighbour’s boat.    They were on board trying to keep us from hitting them again and knocking furiously on our boat to alert us to what was happening.   In the process our lower navigation light got smashed but fortunately that was the only damage done to both boats.   We started our engine and backed away and they very generously offered to move moorings while we sorted things out on board.  

After a quick visit to make sure there was no other damage to our neighbour’s boat, we left in the morning to sail to San Jose Island, the most southerly of the Las Perlas group.    We arrived in the late afternoon and joined one other boat in the protected anchorage.   The other boat turned out to be Free Spirit, who we had met in Bocas with Ruffian and sailed back in their company to Shelter Bay.   They were leaving the next morning to start their Pacific crossing and we gave them a loud send off as they left the bay.  

We had hoped we would see whale sharks in the bay, as we had been told of other boats who had enjoyed diving with them there, but we were not lucky enough to experience that.  We did however have several huge flocks of Cormorants and Pelicans fly in formations overhead and around us.   The sky was almost black with birdlife as different flocks circled the island numerous times.  

It was lovely exploring the islands with Kim.   We sailed, fished (unsuccessfully), saw big swarms of stingrays and even had one jump out the water infront of us, had dolphins play in our bow wave, celebrated Steves 60^th birthday and watched a whale breach and then spyhole as we sailed back to Panama City.   All this was done with lots of laughter with the wonderful comfortable calm that good friendship brings, although it would have been great if we could’ve showered more!!!!    All too soon, it was time for Kim to leave us and we returned to Panama anchoring in La Playita so we could catch up with our friends on Zelda before they left for Galapagos.   We were both sad to see Kim go, not only because we had loved having her on board but it also it felt like a little bit of home was leaving us too!  

After experiencing a couple of unpleasant nights on anchor in La Playita we decided to move around the corner to Las Brisas which is more sheltered from the roll of wake from canal traffic.  The big disadvantage of Las Brisas is the dinghy dock which is very busy and, if the conditions and tide dictate, could cause damage to your dinghy – and dinghies are essential and valuable assets when you live on a boat!   However, having a comfortable anchorage outweighed the possible dramas of the dinghy dock, which cost $1 per day compared to $50 a week in La Playita!   Once we understood that the best place to leave the dinghy was behind the dock on a long line, we had only one drama when a friend called us while we were in the city to inform us that our dinghy was high and dry on the rocks.   We had miscalculated the spring tide, but fortunately it was afloat when we returned and some kind sole had raised our outboard to ensure there would be no damage.

We were now waiting for more spare parts to arrive, including a replacement navigation light which we had been unable to find in Panama.  Repairing the watermaker was now a very high priority and we were in contact with the manufacturer and had video calls with a knowledgeable and patient friend to get advice.   In fact, it was our friend who suggested what the problem may be and much to our relief and delight, Steve serviced the parts (replacements had not been provided for this particular part) and all of a sudden we had a working pump!

Panama is a big modern city and thousands of yachts pass through it each year, but sourcing parts and getting professional work done in Panama is extremely hard, if not impossible!   Several attempts have apparently been made to set up well equipped stores for sailors, but on-line shopping has killed them and it is usually cheaper to purchase the parts needed in the US and have them shipped through an agent.   We did visit one store which was located in, what turned out to be, a rough area of the city.   We had found our way there using public transport, which is only 35c for a bus or subway ride.   Needing to stretch our legs, we decided to walk back to Albrook bus station, completely unaware that our route would take us through the unsafe ghetto!   I became very nervous as Steve led the way, reluctantly following him as I stuffed dollar notes down my bra and voiced my concern about the route googlemaps was taking us.   When we found ourselves in the middle of a rundown housing area with rubble in the road and apartments with broken windows, boarded up doors and men with bandanas spilling onto the street, calling after us, I was terrified!   We reached the end of the street, thinking it would be a main road but it was another frightening looking area and Steve was blindly following the directions Siri was confidently giving, to take us down a road with a bend under a bridge.   I stopped and refused to continue, just as I heard a voice behind me yelling, “Hey!”   I turned around and two heavily armed policemen with bullet proof vests, helmets and large guns in their hands called us back.   We had no idea where they came from but had obviously seen two naïve gringos wandering in a place they shouldn’t, telling us we were in great danger and needed to leave!   With our Spanish and their English being very limited, we were told to wait by the side of the road.   A taxi came into view and, unsure whether we were under arrest or not, we hailed it and jumped in before the police could translate any more instructions and left two bewildered policemen on the side of the road!   Lesson learned – trust your instincts – Steve obviously doesn’t have any!  

While waiting for our packages to arrive we serviced and worked on a number of items on board.   The autohelm was working well but had not been serviced for two years, so we removed it, checked and cleaned it and re-installed, only to find it no longer worked!   With the watermaker now fixed, it was the next priority item and Steve soon discovered some loose connections and resolved that issue too!   He was on a roll – could he make it a tri-factor and repair the generator which had last worked at Christmas?   No!   Sadly that was going to take a bit more skill than we had and, even calling in help from our canal French buddy boat who happened to be a diesel mechanic, proved successful in getting the engine working but unsuccessful in generating power – and before anyone suggests it, we did check the capacitor!  

Our friends who were on ARC Pacific (a rally of about 40 boats), arrived in Shelter Bay and Steve offered his services as a linehandler through the canal for our friends on Escapade of London.  I welcomed the boats as they arrived in La Playita marina, enjoying catching up with our friends on Escapade, Walkabout and Casamara.   We all went out for a lovely meal together, having last been together in Grenada nine months ago. 

There was a weather window forming and, as there had been no wind between Panama and The Galapagos for a couple of weeks, we were determined to join the flotilla of boats leaving to cross the Pacific.   We collected our packages, said our farewells, did the last of our provisioning, filled up with fuel, cleared out with immigration and customs, and headed to Toboga for our last night in Panama.

The next morning we motored around to a lovely protected anchorage on the south side of the island and Steve spent a couple of hours scrubbing the bottom of the boat in the clear water while I prepared food for the crossing and stowed everything away.

At 1330 on Thursday 23 March 2023, we pulled up the anchor and set our sails, heading southwest as we bade farewell to land and civilization for the next 30+ days.