Sailing Vessel Beruta Ship's Log
Panama Canal
Friday, 13 December 2024
This was my second transit of the Panama Canal. The first one was on April 29-30, 2016. These days, it is possible to book the transit online. Unfortunately, payment by credit card is not accepted. Cash is the only option — can you believe it? I couldn't! I even visited Citibank in hopes of using my Visa card, but no luck. Imagine a bank that doesn't accept credit card payments! Well, that's Citibank. You must pay them in US dollars.
The real challenge was withdrawing the cash. The total bill was $3,280. Most ATMs only allow withdrawals of up to $250, and each transaction incurs nearly $7 in fees. Shelter Bay marina has no ATMs, so I would have to take a bus to Colón — $3 for the round trip. To withdraw $250, I'd need to pay $10 in fees, plus around $30 for my stay at the marina. This process would take about two to three weeks and likely cost me around $1,000, including the $185 fee for a one-year cruising license. According to Noonsite, the port captain requires you to buy one if your transit lasts longer than 14 days. However, one sailor told me the license was necessary if the transit exceeded seven days.
The agent charged $450, accepted credit cards, and didn't require a safety deposit (which is almost $1,000). I was recommended Eric Galvez from Centenario by a fellow sailor. He managed to book the transit in just one day. I contacted him on Tuesday afternoon, and by Wednesday, he had confirmed the transit date for Friday. The final time was confirmed the day before the transit: Thursday at 3 PM to Gatun Lake and from 8 AM to 4 PM the next day to the Pacific.
Eric also offered line handlers for $120 each, as well as renting fenders and docking lines for $129. The total cost came to $3,369. Even if I had been able to pay online with a credit card, I would still have needed to find experienced line handlers and rent fenders and docking lines, which seemed challenging, especially at Shelter Bay marina.
Well, I have tried to do it without an agent, and it did not work. Perhaps, in another 8 years, there would be possible to use a credit card.
The proper 8 fenders (6 ball-type and 2 cylindrical) and the docking lines were delivered to Beruta Thursday morning while I was shopping in Colon.
I needed to feed 4 line handlers and a canal advisor for two days.
I bought a grilled chicken and a bag of frozen cooked shrimps as well as bottled water, coke and beer plus fruits and veggies. The plan was to make sandwiches for lunch on Friday; rise, the chicken and beer for dinner, eggs with beckon for breakfast on Saturday, boiled potatoes with shrimps for lunch.
On Friday morning, I called Cristobal Signal Station on VHF 12 to confirm the schedule. They informed me that the canal advisor would board at 2:30 PM at Anchorage F. With that settled, I started preparing Beruta for transit. I cleared most of the ropes from the deck to avoid interference with the heavy mooring lines. I also moved the outboard motor and the BBQ grill from the railings to the cabin.
In the local shop, I bought three courtesy flags (Panamanian, Canadian, and US) for $10 each. Afterward, I checked out of the marina.
The line handlers, Mario, two men named Jose, and Caleb, arrived around 11:30 AM. We had lunch at noon, then left the marina at 1:45 PM, heading towards Anchorage F. I decided not to drop an anchor, as the 20-knot wind would have made retrieving it too challenging.
The canal advisor, Ivan, arrived right on time, and immediately asked for a sandwich! This was part of my plan, but I remembered that during my first transit, the advisor hadn't requested food since lunchtime had already passed. I didn't like how the sandwich turned out, so I offered him rice with chicken and vegetables instead, along with coffee with milk. He seemed satisfied with that.
While I cooked, Mario steered Beruta toward the first set of locks.
Before long, we passed the new bridge connecting Shelter Bay Marina to Colón. Built just a couple of years ago, it replaced a lengthy detour that used to be required to reach Colón.
In the first set of locks with three chambers, we followed the Atlantic Reefer. Behind us was a large motor fishing boat.
The turbulence in these chambers was intense, as the water level rose rapidly. All six of us had to push against the wall to keep Beruta from colliding and damaging her mast. I had requested two mooring types for the locks: center chamber and nested alongside another vessel. I avoided the options of mooring along the wall or alongside an ACP tugboat, as they are considered unsafe for sailboats. Despite my request, we were moored to the wall on the starboard side.
Because of the extra weight on the port side (water and diesel canisters), Beruta heeled slightly to port. However, with most of the crew working on the starboard side, she leveled out. The mast, particularly the spreaders, came dangerously close to the wall but didn't touch.
In one of the chambers, Ivan argued with the lock worker dropping the heaving lines. According to protocol, two lines should have been dropped simultaneously—one for our bow and another for our stern. However, only one worker was present, and he dropped the lines one at a time, which Ivan deemed unacceptable. He ordered the line handlers to attach both bow and stern lines to the same heaving line. This caused the lock worker to protest, as it violated the usual procedure. Ivan noted the worker's name and reported him to the authorities, explaining that his instructions, as a superior, should have been followed.
After clearing the final chamber of the first set of locks, we motored into Gatun Lake. During my first transit, we had anchored immediately to the left of the canal. This time, we traveled for almost an hour before securing a large rubber mooring buoy on the right side.
A pilot boat came to pick up Ivan.
At sunset, I served the line handlers a well-deserved beer. They were skilled and efficient, performing their duties flawlessly. Dinner—rice and chicken—was served alongside a third round of beers.
As night fell, I went for my customary swim in the freshwater lake, despite the risk of a crocodile attack. Naturally, no one else joined me. It wasn't much of a swim—more like a quick dip, hanging onto the ladder. Still, it felt refreshing after such a hot day.
The line handlers moored Beruta to the buoy in an unusual way, tying both bow and stern lines tightly and even using a midship line. With the wind and waves hitting the starboard side, Beruta rocked uncomfortably, causing the fenders to squeak noisily against the hull. Sleeping was impossible.
I had to redo their work. I released the stern line, leaving Beruta secured by just the bow line, as is customary. I also removed all the fenders from the sides to eliminate the noise caused by the waves.
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Despite my adjustments, the night was far from peaceful. The line handlers stayed awake for a long time, talking, listening to music, and making calls. Later, their snoring echoed throughout the boat. It rained several times, waking the people sleeping in the cockpit repeatedly. When I closed the cabin hatch, it became stiflingly hot inside.
I got up around 6:00 AM, as Ivan had warned me that a new advisor might arrive between 6:00 and 7:00 AM. The line handlers were still sleeping, but they woke up around 8:00 AM, just before the advisor, Victor, boarded at 8:30.
The captain of the pilot boat managed to damage my portside railing during boarding, and Victor broke the lower lifeline by stepping on it. While I had expected it to break eventually due to rust, the incident was frustrating. I'd already had to repair the starboard lifeline the previous year. Thankfully, the railing didn't break entirely but simply disconnected from the pulpit, which I could fix later. Still, I wasn't pleased with their unsafe boarding practices as more severe damage could have occurred.
While Mario steered, I prepared breakfast for everyone.
We reached the second single-chamber lock around 1:30 PM. We had to wait for a large ship to moor behind us, so I used the downtime to prepare lunch.
After we finished eating, the large vessel secured its position, and we began descending. Going down was much easier than going up — there was no turbulence. Nevertheless, we were moored to the portside wall.
With Beruta initially heeling to port and most of the crew working on that side, the tilt became more pronounced. I explained the issue to the crew, handed them pieces of stainless tubing to use as push rods, and assisted them myself in keeping Beruta off the wall.
I also asked Victor why we were transiting along the wall, contrary to my request. He checked his papers and claimed that "along the wall" was selected. I showed him my paperwork, which clearly stated otherwise. He said that if I insisted, he would follow my order, but center-chamber mooring would take more time as it required additional personnel.
Since the second lock went smoothly, I decided to continue with the along-the-wall transit.
The final set of locks, Miraflores, was just ahead.
At Miraflores, a crowd of tourists watched from the grandstands, as if at a sporting event. We moored perfectly, but instead of applause, they simply took photos and videos.
Around 5:00 PM, we exited the last chamber and headed toward Las Americas Bridge and the Pacific Ocean.
Victor wasn't in a hurry. I suspected he was either waiting for the end of his shift or hoping for overtime. He instructed us to motor at 3-4 knots, but even at the lowest RPM, we moved at 5 knots due to a strong canal current.
After passing the bridge, a pilot boat arrived to pick up Victor. Oddly, he asked them to wait a few more minutes. We allowed Bratan to pass, then crossed the canal in front of Balboa Yacht Club. Victor disembarked there.
One of the line handlers called the yacht club on VHF 6. A small motorboat guided us to a mooring buoy. The crew helped me secure Beruta, then left on the motorboat, reminding me to pay $12 for the water taxi. I handed them $20, as I didn't have smaller bills.
And finally, it was rum time! The Panama Canal was behind me, and the Pacific Ocean lay ahead!