Portobelo, Panama

ahhh, Paradise

It’s 2012, a new year with new ports of call for Boto. After spending a month in the remote San Blas Islands we are ready for a little city life. For us this means motor sailing the 50nm to Portobelo, Panama. Although we had plans of stopping off along the way at the Turtle Cay Marina where we hoped to enjoy unlimited fresh water and electricity, after viewing the entrance to the bay which feeds into their channel we changed our mind. The winds were north at 25k, directly into the bay. The swell was out of the NE with 8-10’ rollers, again right into the bay. The wind and waves combined to make the entrance very unattractive, so we continued on to Portobelo.


Portobelo

 There is a lot of history to be shared regarding the Pueblo of Portobelo but first let us talk of our first meal ashore. We anchored in 20’ off of the town, later we will relocate due to poor holding. We clean ourselves up, grab Chula and head to Captain Jacks. Captain Jack is an old pirate who has set up a bar/restaurant/hostel here in Portobelo. For us this means a Cheeseburger and Fries, plus a coldie. While most burgers are good and our Boto burgers are great, nothing really compares to a well made burger cooked and served by someone else. These are good burgers. Jack greeted us with a warm smile and a big hello while the other cruisers were happy for new faces to tell their stories to. Chula was happy because Jacks is puppy friendly and between Vicky and I there would be extra fries. Although we have her on a diet we had to indulge her, after all she was out there in the wilds too.


"Boto" and Cap't Jack

 With our stomachs full and our bodies tired we returned to Boto for a nights rest. In the course of one hour, specifically 9-10pm we re-anchored twice. The anchor alarm going off the first time just as Vicky said, “I think we’re closer to that boat”. The 5th of January dawned grey and humid along the coast of Panama. Although we enjoyed being close to the town and its supply of free (kinda) fresh water we finally succumbed to the poor holding and the unending ocean swell which rocked us. At 1700 we pulled anchor and relocated to the north side of the bay under the battlements of Bajo Fuerto San Fernando. Here the swell is much gentler, the breeze cooler and as we came to find out the howler monkeys much louder. We also became neighbors with an old aquaitence from Santa Marta, Colombia. The catamaran “Meow” was next door and remained so for the next six weeks, Gino and Mel are good people.

If sailing along the coast of Panama, east to west we suggest leaving the formalities of checking into the country until you reach Portobelo. There is no formal check in process for the San Blas Islands other than the occasional contribution to the Kuna Yala and the Immigration and Port Captain in Portobelo make things very easy. Although, you will have to travel to Colon at some time in order to obtain your cruising permit for the country. This task became a non-issue once we learned of Captain Jacks weekly ride into Colon. Jack will offer a ride for $25/person into Colon, anywhere in Colon. Although the bus ride at $1.60 is cheaper, if you are planning to provision, as we did, Jack’s pickup truck is a much better deal. The taxi ride one way from Portobelo to Colon is $30. So off Vicky went with Jack, Mel from “Meow” and Phil (?). It’s a good thing Phil went along too. He speaks fluent Spanish and the check in process for the permit was very simple. Onto the large supermarket to load up on groceries. Although the stores in Colon are well stocked, the Rey in Sabanitas is just as well stocked and a half hour closer than Colon. The catch of course is that you will most likely be taking the bus to Sabanitas, so plan accordingly.


Portobelo, another era of sailing ship

 The Spanish Main. This simple phrase conjures romantic visions of Swashbucklers and Gold. Portobelo was a prominent part of the Spanish Main and its history. Columbus discovered the bay in 1502 and named it Puerto Bello (beautiful port), later her name would meld into Portobelo. Towards the end of the 16th Century Portobelo became base for Sir Francis Drake during his raids on Spanish merchant ships. In 1590 he attacked and destroyed the Spanish fortifications that had begun construction here, during this time he died and his lead coffin is said to reside under the sea just off of the islet bearing his name.


Fort San Geronimo

 In 1597 Portobelo became the gathering point for all of the wealth gathered by the Spanish from South America. The mule trains would bring the cold and silver to this port where it would later be shipped to Spain. This gathering of wealth attracted many a pirate including Henry Morgan (we’ll talk more of him later during our stay in Providencia, Colombia). In spite of the buccaneer raids the port continued to thrive into the 18th century. In 1739 the British destroyed the forts of Portobelo and the Spanish Crown never rebuilt this commercial center. The ruins of these forts would have one last moment in the sun as the rock material was used in the construction of the Panama Canal in 1904.



Church of the Black Christ

 In 1776 when the United States was declaring its independence, the church of the Black Christ was being constructed in Portobelo. Every October a fiesta takes place for the Black Christ, the patron of pickpockets as well as others.

While the history lies in ruins around the bay, one can easily imagine a time when large merchant ships and Spanish Gallons anchored in these waters. Today there are 40-50 modern day pirates anchored in the bay among them is S/V Boto. Now back to the 21st Century.


Portobelo

 We’ve mentioned the buses a few times so let us give some details. The buses are old Blue Bird school buses that have been decoratively painted inside and out. Unlike the school buses of our childhood, standing in the isle is ok, especially as the “pusher”/fare collector crams as many souls as is possible into the bus to make the most of the run. For the run from Portobelo to Sabanitas the fare is $1.50 and will take about an hour. Colon is another 30 minutes and an additional $0.10. Once you arrive in Colon it is your choice take another school bus to Panama City or hop on an express bus, complete with air conditioning and movies. The fare to Panama City is $3.15 and takes about two hours. As an option, you can get off in Sabanitas and flag down the first Panama City bus that you see, odds are you will be sitting in the isle on an upside down five gallon drum, but you’ll save the thirty minutes into and out of Colon.

Our first bus excursion came with the invitation from the“Happy Bird” to serve as line handlers during their transit of the Panama Canal. The “Happy Bird” is a sister ship to Boto circa 2004. We have kept happy company with Roderick and Yvonne since our first meeting in Bonaire. After confirming their transit date and that Chula was also invited we prepared to join them in Colon on Jan. 10.

Rodderick and Yvonne

aboard "Happy Bird"

The transit had been originally slated for the afternoon of the 10th, however it was pushed back until the evening of the 11th. While we were comfortable aboard, Chula was even more so, taking her normal stroll to the bow to take care of things. This gave Roderick some pause, but we promptly cleaned things up and continued with our reunion. Our pilot/advisor arrived at 1900 hours Wednesday the 11th and we were off for the canal entrance.

approach to the locks

 Hector “the Protector” was brought along side in a launch and directed us into the channel leading to the first set of locks. As we fell in behind a freighter we rafted up with another sailboat. Rafting is the tying of boats to one another bow and stern plus spring lines midship. In this fashion we would be going through all of the locks with the “Happy Bird” providing all of the steerage and power from her larger diesel engine.  As we entered the first of three locks for the evening transit everyone was excited and nervous. By the end of the following day we would all be old hands at the canal transit. The first three locks raised us over 80 feet to Lake Gatun where we would spend the evening at anchor. Hector left us at 2300 hours to head home and we all turned in awaiting the 0530 alarm on Thursday morning.

entering the first lock, that's Ed






sunrise on Lake Gatun

alligator (left) and crane

Up with the sun and our new advisor joins us for the voyage across the lake to the next set of locks that will bring us to the Pacific side of Panama. Motoring across the lake we take in the wonderful views including alligators and birds. The trip itself reminds Vicky and I of our trip through the Gulf Coast states along the ICW in 2009. The last three locks were easier to handle as we were descending from the lake so there was nothing to do but pay out the lines as we dropped. Our final resting place after 20 hours was a mooring ball of the Balboa Yacht Club. Here we left “Happy Bird” to continue her voyage into the South Pacific, while we ventured into Panama City for a visit with a Veterinarian.

crossing the lake

keeping busy

 Our first mate, Chula had been limping on and off for a few months, since our time in Santa Marta, Columbia. At first we thought/hoped she had sprained a foot or pulled a muscle. However, as time went on her limp became worse. After much input from other cruisers we decided to take her to the Veterinario School of the University of Panama. Of course as with the best laid plans, we could not find the school. Luck was with us and we ended up at the “Cats and Dogs Care Center” where Dr. Carmen de Solis was a tremendous help. After her initial examination she called in a consulting surgeon to exam Chula’s hind right leg, more specifically her knee. Chula had ruptured her Cranial Cruciate Ligament, similar to a person tearing their ACL.

After much discussion during which time we viewed several different videos showing how the rupture can be repaired we decided on a treatment and surgery was scheduled for Saturday Jan 14. As we had left Boto under the watchful eye of the crew of “Meow” for a week we decided that Ed would head back to Portobelo to check on things while Vicky stayed in Panama City with Chula. This gave Vicky a chance to revisit the days of her youth by staying at various hostels throughout the city. Chula’s surgery went without a hitch and she spent the following week at the clinic with daily visits from Vicky.


Panama City

 If you find yourself in Panama in need of a Vet we highly recommend the folks at the Cats and Dogs Care Center. The taxi ride from downtown Panama City was US$4-$5.

Dr. Carmen de Solis (speaks very good English too)
P)507-260-0991 C) 6612-9015
Ave. Ernesto T. Lefevre #86 at the corner of Santa Elena.

Back in Portobelo the weather had kicked up with 25k winds, rain and white caps in the bay. Vessels were dragging anchor left and right; from the 30’ Elsa dragging next door to Boto, to the 100’ Dutch Schooner serving as a School at Sea. Fortunately, Boto never budged from her position.

Luna's Castle

 
Finally, with Chula’s hospital stay coming to an end, Ed returned to Panama City and Luna’s Castle Hostel to meet up with Vicky. Of course there was first a stop at the Vets to visit the puppy. Luna’s Castle is located in the old town section of the City and it is a great location. We wandered round the small cobblestone streets taking in the old buildings, churches and water front. We manage to make the best of the situation by enjoying the city. Let us not forget the all you can eat pancake breakfast at the hostel.

Picking up Chula at 1130 on Friday the 20th of January we make our way to the National Bus Terminal via taxi. Our driver to the terminal alternated between universes, perhaps even more than two while he negotiated the streets and regaled us with stories in English, Spanish and some other Galactic tongue. Chula posed for pictures before boarding her luxury express bus for Sabanitas. Truly, as we checked with the driver to make sure it was ok for her to ride the bus out came the cameras and click went the photos. We finally made it home at 1630, five hours later. As Chula made herself comfortable we went about making the boat patient proof. Her stitches came out on Tuesday the 24th, compliments of her crewmates.


"I'm in recovery....."



I want pain meds!

 As Chula recuperates and we await a weather window for heading north life returns to normal. Laundry requires the hauling of water. Putting on diesel, gasoline and propane (actually in Panama it’s Butane). Gathering the paperwork to prepare our taxes, yes even in paradise one cannot escape the realities of life. In between our chores we have the chance to explore the area a little further. Following the Rio Clara into the mangrove swamp; climbing the hills around the bay to explore the fort ruins or just strolling through the streets to give Chula as well as ourselves a little exercise.


the mangrove swamp

 As January draws to a close the weather continues to be gusty and wet with more boats dragging around the bay, we continue to stay put. Chula improves every day and we are getting anxious to pull anchor and head out again. With the beginning of February comes the Superbowl and a change in the weather. We join a few folks to watch the game at Captain Jacks, although we were unable to see any of the TV ads from the US. Oh well.

A man, his dog and his cannon

As we have talked about previously one of our major decisions for the new year has been to sell Boto and return to terra firma. We place several ads online for Boto as well as a detailed description on the blog. We have had a number of inquiries with an increased amount of traffic to the blog, perhaps we’ll come across a good soul to take over where we leave off with Boto.


local transportation



local commute

Well, with fuel and water topped off and a good weather window for the coming week we are off. Sunday February 12 we depart Portobelo at 1830 hours, heading out for the first time in over a month for the 200nm sail to Cayos de Albuquerque, Colombia.

BOTO under fire