Sailing Vessel Beruta Ship's Log
Panama - Hawaii
Monday, December 16, 2024
So, I'm back in the Pacific Ocean! The first time Beruta sailed into the Pacific Ocean was in May 2016. Back then I was heading to New Zealand. Now I'm heading in the same direction, or rather, to Australia, but by a different route - through the Hawaiian Islands, Kiribati, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna and New Caledonia. Yes, I'm on my second lap! However, I can't call the first circumnavigation, which ended on the island of Martinique in February of this year, a purely solo one, because on a couple of stages I was not alone, but with fellow travelers. This time, I hope that somewhere in the Fiji region the first purely solo circumnavigation will end. And it will be a circumnavigation that took only two years, not ten!
On Sunday I went to the Albrook Mall for groceries, to the Super 99. I decided not to fill both refrigerators to save electricity, and bought fresh food only for a week, so that only the small refrigerator would fit. I bought fruit for a couple of weeks - these are just green apples, because they keep best, and oranges. I think that without a refrigerator they would have spoiled if I bought them for the entire voyage.
The distance to the port of arrival Hilo on the Big Island is 4,540 miles. Considering the average speed of 4.9 knots, it will take about 39 days. This is exactly the same as it took me to make the longest passage from Darwin, Australia, to the French island of Reunion.
On Monday I thought about taking a taxi to the so-called Flamenco Island, where the immigration service and the port captain are located, to formalize the departure. But then I decided to take a risk and go there on a boat. The thing is that the so-called Balboa Yacht Club, where I moored for two days after passing through the Panama Canal, stopped selling diesel fuel and water. But they still charge $26 per day for a buoy. On Flamenco Island, which is actually a peninsula, since it is connected to Panama by an isthmus, there are a couple of marinas where you can buy diesel and water. I thought I would fill up and quickly run to check out.
However, I was cruelly let down. When I was already entering the Flamenco Marina, I contacted them on the VHF 10, because I could not find on their website or on the Google map where their gas station was. They turned me away and told me to come at 2 pm, because, they say, it was low tide. They should have at least said a word about low tide on their website! It was only 10 am. They also did not allow me to moor at any free slip. They said, like, drop an anchor behind the breakwater outside of the marina and come to the marina in a dinghy. Oh no! I had already everything prepared for the ocean crossing. I had no plans to lower the dinghy again, etc.
Nothing to do, I go back to the Balboa Yacht Club to my buoy, angry with myself for not following the original plan. Against the wind and current for a distance of just over 3 miles it takes almost an hour.
I take a taxi for 4 dollars to Flamenco Island. The immigration and harbormaster offices are in the duty-free center, which is next to the marina. First I go to the port captain. There is a man in the reception area who speaks passable English. He asked me to fill out several forms. While I was doing this, he glanced at the name of the boat in the form and was surprised - Beruta?!
It turned out to be Eric - my agent, with whose help I went through the Panama Canal! We were very pleased with each other then. I - for his punctuality and impeccability - everything went as well as possible, if you don't count the broken railing and along-the-wall mooring in the locks, which I did not request (it's definitely not his fault!). He - apparently, for my gratitude and a promise to recommend him to other yachtsmen. Of course, we did not know each other by sight, nevertheless, we were both happy with the unexpected meeting. He immediately offered to help me fill out all the forms. He took 106 dollars from me. This is not for his services. This, as it turned out, is the standard fee for a departure sheet, the so-called zarpe.
Then he went with me to the immigration service, where they stamped my passport. In short, with Eric's help, everything took no more than 30 minutes. I told Eric my story about trying to fill up with diesel in the marina in the morning, and what came of it. He drove me to another marina, which is nearby. You can also fill up there, and also after 2 o'clock. But they close at 3, and they also charge $35 for mooring at the fuel dock - well, that's too much! Imagine a situation where gas stations charge money not only for fuel, but also for parking at the pump!
To be honest, I thought that Eric would give me a ride back to the Balboa Yacht Club, but after dropping me off at the marina, he drove away. I had to find a taxi. This time they charged me $5. The drive was only 5-10 minutes.
I returned to Beruta at 1 o'clock - just one hour ahead of the high tide at the Flamenco marina.
Exactly at 2 o'clock I enter the marina. They are already calling me on the radio, asking if I know where the fuel dock is. I say that it's my first time, and that there is no map of the marina on their website. They sent a boat to meet me, which took me to the fuel dock, and two guys helped me moor. First, I fill two 25-liter water canisters. Then I pour 4 diesel fuel canisters through a filter - it looks clean. In total I have 6 water canisters and 9 diesel canisters. My fuel tank is 120 liters, and my water tank is 160.
I go to the office to pay. My credit card doesn't work in this marina either. I give them my last cash - $77. I ask if I can drink their water without boiling it. They say they don't recommend it! This means I can't. I still have two canisters of water from Aruba. That water is definitely drinkable. The same desalinated sea water as in Curacao, only 10 times cheaper! I paid $1.50 for 150 liters in Aruba.
Well, it seems like all the work is done. I launch the nmea service on the Raspberry Pi, which reads data from the Raymarine devices and also writes a track. And at 3 o'clock I leave the marina. I set the mainsail. I maneuver between many ships at anchor, away from the Panama Canal. Having reached open water, I raise the jib. The wind is about 15 knots, between a reach and a broad reach. Starboard tack.
To celebrate the end of my misadventures in Panama, mainly related to their bureaucracy, which I talked about in the blog about passing the Panama Canal, and entering the Pacific Ocean, I open a can of Balboa beer.
Tuesday, December 17, 2024
I plotted a course away from the main traffic, so the AIS did not bother me at night. Nevertheless, I got up several times to see if there were any fishermen on the way. These are usually all without AIS.
The gulfwind combined with a tail current gave a speed of 8 knots at times! Panama City had disappeared from view very quickly yesterday. But all this pleasure soon ended in accordance with the forecast. Around Cape Morro de Puercos, the wind first died down, and then a headwind of about 15 knots blew. The current remained for some time, but by the evening it changed to an opposite, 0.5 - 1 knot. However, the wind died down to 10 knots.
I switched from the windpilot to the autopilot. I lowered the sails. I'm going on the motor. And so for another 450 miles! Weak headwinds of about 8-12 knots and a head current. Almost all the diesel fuel will go away! I wouldn't want to, but what can I do? I hope that the trade winds won't let me down later, and I'll only need to start the engine to recharge the batteries for an hour a day, or maybe even every other day, depending on the sun and clouds. Without a refrigerator, if I don't catch a fish, in theory I can do without an engine.
Sometimes I can help a little with the mainsail and even the staysail, but not for long. The weather is sunny without squally clouds. Starlink works. I only replaced the upper slider on the mainsail. I should put something more reliable instead - like the aluminum slider that I had on the old mainsail.
Wednesday, December 18, 2024
In the morning, everything as usual: yoga, shower with sea water, breakfast, updating the weather forecast, entries in the logbook.
In the afternoon I saw a couple of sea turtles, tiredly drifting in opposite directions. One towards Costa Rica, the other somewhere in the ocean!
I was fishing. There were two bites. It's hard to be sure about the first one that it was a bite. It twitched once, but it could have been anything: from a stick to the same turtle. The second time, a fish was definitely caught, but while I was getting ready to pull it out (I was getting out a gaff, rum, a yo-yo reel), it got away. Too bad. Shrimp on the third day already smelled unpleasant, and I didn’t want to eat them at all.
Thursday, December 19, 2024
I only managed to sleep in the early morning. There was traffic all night: fishing boats, brightly lit, but all without AIS, and cargo ships. One almost ran into me from behind, and turned away only at the very last moment. Were they sleeping there on watch? I was ready to steer away myself. The width of the cargo ship was 30 meters, or three of my hulls. I hoped that I could quickly cover this distance if necessary.
At lunch, I poured in 5 canisters of diesel, and thus freed up space in the cockpit, removing 3 empty canisters from it into the stern locker. Now I have a full tank plus 4 canisters.
Received a fresh weather forecast. Changed course from 287° T to 291° T to catch a favorable wind a day earlier - Friday evening.
At 8 pm local time (UTC-5) the wind died down enough to sail without Yanmar's help: 14-16 knots 50-60° to port. The weather forecast is roughly the same in terms of wind direction, but 5 knots less in speed.
Friday, December 20, 2024
How comfortable it is to sleep with the engine off! A pleasant beat with a slight list to starboard, right where my bench is, I mean, my sleeping place.
At 2 am the wind came up again, as expected. I had to start the engine and take in the sails. Even though it was 6 hours, it was still fuel saving.
In the morning the dolphins came. It was obvious that the yacht's low speed against the wind and the waves did not suit them. So after a couple of minutes they went to look for other entertainment.
I decided to treat myself to some pancakes.
After lunch, I managed to sail, using the engine. But by sunset, everything was quiet again. I had to take in the jib and leave only a third of the mainsail to reduce the rocking on the waves.
At sunset, I passed the 500 nautical mile mark. The average speed for these days was exactly 5 knots, which is quite good, considering the weather conditions.
At 9 pm, when I was already asleep, it blew again, and the wind shifted enough that we could sail only under the sails. 10-15 knots, close-hauled, turning into a beam, starboard tack.
Thus, I managed to cover a 400-mile zone with relatively weak headwinds and currents in three days of engine operation. I thought it would have taken four. An additional supply of diesel is always nice!
Saturday, December 21, 2024
I kept getting up at night and adjusting the course. Firstly, I wanted to go around the Guardian Bank. It looked very dubious. The Navionics charts simply listed depths reported in such and such years. These were numbers from 12 to 42 meters. The bank itself was not listed. On the Admiralty charts in iSailor, the bank was outlined, its name was given, and the comments said that its position was dubious and that it probably extended further to the east, although the shallow depths were to the west of the bank. Around it on both charts were very deep depths from 1 to 3 km! It is difficult to believe in the reliability of this information, since then it would be a very steep underwater rock or rocks. But better safe than sorry, as they say. So, if it was possible to go around it without much difficulty, then why not do it?
In short, instead of the true course of 183 degrees, I had to hold 170.
And secondly, on Sunday, if I had held the right course, I would have encountered gusts of wind up to 32 knots. Not fatal, but if you can avoid them, then why not?
It should be noted that the last two nights the traffic has significantly decreased. Last night I saw only one cargo ship and one fisherman. This morning, too, a light was visible on the horizon, similar to a fisherman's. There was nothing on the AIS.
I approached the bank at dawn. The wind was a reach, turning into a broad reach, 12-15 knots, apparent. Thinking that the wind would continue to strengthen, I took the second reefs on the mainsail. With the jib, the speed is about 6 knots.
Usually there are always more birds and fishermen over shallow water. But here it was empty. I turned on the echo sounder just in case. And indeed, it showed values of 13 and 7 meters a couple of times. But these readings were not very credible, because there was no visible dynamics! One reading, and then an abyss. Well, let's say not an abyss, but depths greater than 100 meters - the Raymarine depth sounder does not probe that deep. Most likely, some thermocline passes here, from which ultrasound is sometimes reflected. There is no bank here.
Having passed the so-called bank, I changed the course to 175 degrees. I need 188, but in the evening forecast, there is a strong wind there. If I keep going on course 175 all the time, then somewhere on Sunday a gusty wind will reach there. Therefore, from about 7 am on Sunday, I need to go higher, that is, lie on the required course. Nevertheless, gusts of up to 28 knots (according to the forecast, in reality, apparently more) cannot be avoided. But such weather will last, again according to the forecast, only a few hours. Then there should be a normal trade winds of about 15-20 knots.
The map shows the north equatorial current right behind the bank. And in fact, it adds about half a knot to the speed, which is always nice!
Around 11 o'clock the wind did not increase as I expected, but on the contrary, it died down a little. I loosened the second reefs.
Today is the shortest day, and there are less than 4 thousand nautical miles left to Hawaii.
To be continued...