Moving on from Bacas Del Torro

Gil and I finally left the harbor of Bacas Del Torro on a clear and sunny day. Our chosen anchorage for the night was Toby agian. We both wanted to see our friend Jose one more time before we moved on. His son came out to the boat and informed us that his father was visiting his daughter in Almirante. Although we were disappointed we got to chat with his son Jorge and we left a message with him for his dad. as soon as he lft the boat we wre surrounded by the many children from the village once again looking for treats. Gil in his usually gruff way doled out some candies and off they went. The next morning we set off for Esqudo De Veragua. This time the wether was fair and the ancorage was rolly but comfortable enough to stay a couple of days and explore the island on the west side. The Ngoby Indians had set up their fishing camp while we were there, so we got a first hand look at how they make a living. The camp consists of a half a dozen palm roofed huts with a small tienda with some supplies for sale. Every morning they set out in their dugout canoes. They either fish with a hand line or dive for lobster or crab and at the end of the day they send their catch back by launch to the main land to be sold. We bought some lobster for our dinner our final night there. Our next destination was the Rio Chagres. We spent a day and night sailing, to arrive at daybreak in the mouth of the river. The zipper broke on our bimini during the night, of course it was raining when it happened. A little wet and tired we dropped our anchor in the mouth and made a few repairs to the bimini. Once that was done it was a leisurely motor up the river. Panama has a diverse population of wildlife. We could hear the howler monkeys in the tree canopy as we motored along. Green Amazon parrots,toucans and a myriad of other birds. The sides of the river is a cascade of vegetation which is in full bloom in pinks and lavender colors. The vines drape off of the massive trunks of old growth trees and hang just above the river. And from these iguanas and other lizards forage for food. There are crocodiles in the river, but we never saw any. We made our way up to the dam at the end of the river. The dam provides hydro electric power and is essential for the lake level at the canal, which is about a half hour walk from the dam. The Panama Canal in operation is one of the most fascinating things I have seen. Incredible amounts of fresh water are pumped in to convey large freighters through the lock systems. I will give you full details when we go through. It was a pleasant four days on the river exploring and using all the fresh water we wanted for cleaning. Shelter Bay Marina was our next stop. This is situated in the bay of Colon and you have to share the waterway with an incredible number of freighters. Going through the shipping channel you feel pretty small with all the big boys around you. As we passed into the channel we hung to the right and went into Shelter Bay. The marina is one of only two places that a small boat can stay in the canal area. We spent the week there and made forays into the town of Colon for supplies to see us through the San Blas Islands. I would have liked to go into Panama City but we shall be returning and I will get my opportunity then. The marina is one of the nicest we have been to but really expansive. While staying there some of our friends from Bocas Dal Torro came in and it was like old home week. Linda and Rich from the sailing vessel Wild Goose Two, Jean Pierre and Danna on Nikan, and Bill and Jan from Foreigner. One of the best things is meeting up with the people you have met and trading stories of your travels. And of course the it gives you and opportunity to have a few beers while doing so. Gil checked us out through the agent in the marina office and we headed for the San Blas. The day we left it started to get nasty out there so we turned around and went back in and anchored in the flats for the night. The flats is the other area you can stay, it is also the staging area for the canal. The next day we left and made it to a bay called Portebello. We had decided not to go into the bay of Linton because we had heard about a boat boarding in the middle of the night there. A sail boat was boarded and the couple on board were unhurt but robbed. Portebello is a very old, dating back to the 15 hundreds, with and old Spanish fort around the perimeter of the bay. Some of the houses are built into the wall itself. During our stay the town was celebrating a religious holiday. The crucifixion of the black Christ. Yes! In the church there is a black Christ on the cross. The population is a majority of the product of the slaves that were brought there and a mix of Spanish decent. The celebration itself was a week long event, with religious pageantry, lots of food and drinks and music. People from all over the country travelled to make the pilgrimage by the bus loads. The buses here in central South America are very different from north American bus lines. They are decorated on the inside with curtains (swags) and almost always have really loud Spanish music playing. The outside is almost always painted with some sort of regilious theme and prayers. and the drivers have a rosary haging somewhere from the dashboard. And most of the drivers make the sign of the cross before they begin to drive. While we were here we met up with Mike Riley from the sailboat Bo Soliel he had been waiting for his wife Karen to come back from Africa. Karen had spent two months with a girl friend doing aid work there. He was due to get to Panama in a few days to meet her flight, and then they would continue on through the canal into the Pacific. I am hoping to meet them somewhere on the other side when we cross over. They are an extremelly nice couple and we have had many pleasant times with them. Well bye for now and hopfully tomorrow I shall post some of the many pictures I have taken.