To the Atlantic side of the canal

[Editor's Note:  The Yellowbrick Tracker website is working again; link "where are we now?" on the right.]
[Also, added two fantastic images of Oysters in the Gatun Locks at the bottom of the post, from Oyster]

Bridge over Gatun Locks

Here's a several-day update covering our trip to the Atlantic entrance of the canal, and some of our preparations for the canal transit.

You can just read on, and go through the whole thing or skip to your favorite parts!




Feb 14-- To Colon and Shelter Bay
Feb 15-- Shelter Bay Marina
Feb 16-- Elegant Pirate Party
Feb 17-- Provisioning
Feb 18-- What's next?


TO COLON AND SHELTER BAY

Modern "Superhighway"

On Thur. Feb. 14 it was time to head to the Canal's N side and join Quester at the Shelter Bay Marina just W across the bay from Colon. We could have struggled with our four big duffels and two shoulder bags to the train which leaves every morning at 7 for the one hour scenic trip along the Canal to Colon, then transferred to a taxi for the half-hour ride through the jungle to isolated Shelter Bay, or much better - we just loaded luggage into a taxi at our hotel and he took us all the way to Shelter Bay.

4-masted Cruise Ship leaving Gatun Locks

Getting out of Panama City took half our trip time because of the spaghetti work of old roads and incredible traffic. As in most Central/South American cities and throughout the Caribbean, there is great contrast between the new modern vs. people still living in shanti huts. Once out of PC, we drove on a very nice, fairly new four-lane freeway through the hills of Panama, over the unremarkable Continental Divide to Colon.

Colon is reputedly "the world's worst city" because of it's incredibly high crime rate. We were advised never to go out after sunset there, and later not even to take a taxi or guided tour because of lack of security. It is the old city center of the American Panama Canal construction and management effort and has gone downhill since the US turned the Canal over to Panama in 1999.

Once we left Colon the road turned to a narrow 2-lane affair which crossed over the top of the northernmost Gatun Lock. When boats go through the bridge is impassable and you can wait there several hours while ships make their way past. After the locks it took about 20 minutes to drive through the jungle to Shelter Bay.



SHELTER BAY MARINA

At the north tip of this point of land one first encounters the abandoned and dilapidated Ft. Sherman which was the US military base for the north end of the Canal. At one point over 9,000 people a year were trained here in jungle warfare during the '60s and '70s. One of the James Bond movies was filmed here. There is a guarded gate at the entrance but no visible occupation of the base.  Some interesting photos and history are at Wikipedia.

Shelter Bay!

Once through the ruins of the old Ft. Sherman we arrived at the fairly new and spiffy Shelter Bay Marina. What a contrast! Over 100 yachts are at the docks including many Oysters, of course. Outside the entrance to the marina lies a very long breakwater running all the way back to Colon. The breakwater shelters 3-4 mile across Lemon Bay where tankers and cargo ships anchor while they await their canal passage.

We were the only people aboard Quester because Mike and Deb, the owners from Boulder, were off visiting friends and Joe, our 5th hand, had a flight delay back from Miami where he had flown for a few days to visit his girlfriend. We settled in and had dinner at the nice restaurant before retiring for the night. There is an amazing amount of activity here considering that we're 20 miles from anywhere out in the jungle. The marina office is staffed by four people, there's a very active restaurant and bar, a well-stocked small grocery and a small chandlery. Very nice digs for our five night stay!

DRESSY PIRATE PARTY

The next day was the big Oyster-organized "Dressy Pirate Party" from noon until 4pm. Mike and Deb made it back just in time and everyone boarded nice modern 25-passenger busses to trek through the jungle about 8 miles to the old Fort San Lorenzo at the foot of the Chagres River. During the 1600-1700 period when Spain was raiding Inca gold from Peru, it would be brought to Panama City over about 10 miles of jungle road and down the Changres to the fort. What an ideal place for pirate raids of old (Henry Morgan among the most notorious), and fitting place for the Dressy Pirate Party.

It was a very grand affair with history guides, white tents pitched over 20-30 tables with white table cloths and centerpieces, a bar with wine and beer and a fabulous buffet lunch prepared by the marina restaurant. Eating out on this promontory fort location overlooking the impressive Changres River you could imagine the cannon firing on attacking pirate ships.

Unfortunately, I forgot both our camera and cell phone which had been laid out for this even so I don't have any photographic evidence. But one of the pirates from another boat has promised to e-mail me some of his pics soon.

LEISURELY BOAT PROJECTS AND PROVISIONS

We will be taking off tomorrow, the 19th, for the first day of our two-day Canal passage. While in port we have been provisioning. Deb and Jan went into Colon to the Rey's supermarket and spent $900 on groceries (in three hours!!!), and then the meat man showed up yesterday with $850 in frozen vacuum packed meat. That's a lot of food, and it was just amazing to see them pack it all away down in the holds of the boat, and the meats fill the substantial freezer. They have calculated that we will be serving 1,228 individual meals during our trip to Tahiti with few places to re-provision between here an there.

We have also been busy with a few minor boat projects, but after owning our own boat for six years and knowing the many things that need constant upkeep on a boat, I am very impressed that everything aboard Quester is clean, neat and in great working condition.

NEXT

Tomorrow we go through the Gutan locks, three locks that lift the boat the 84' up to Gutan Lake which forms most of the passage to the Pacific. We'll moore overnight and then proceed down the three locks to Panama City and the Pacific Ocean on the 20th. The 20 and 21st we're staying at La Playita marina, another new marina on the south side of PC, just E of the Canal channel. More from there on the transit process.

Oyster has a photo of some boats who have already transited-- can't wait to see all this in person!

Oysters in Gatun Locks (from Oyster Marine)

Some of the Oyster fleet transiting Gatun Locks (from Oyster Marine)