Panama - Linton Bay Marina, Goodbye Jenny, and Hauling Out

We left Shelter Bay Marina and did a tour of the Colon Bay, looking to see if there were any other anchorages, as we might be returning here next year.

Cargo ships in the Bay

Looking toward one of the two openings in the Breakwater

One one corner it seemed to be a Graveyard for ships

We arrived back at Linton Bay, and Jenny made arrangements to leave us, after being aboard Meshugga for 7 + 1/2 months.

We made arrangements to Haul Out, and on a windy Saturday morning 30 July, we Hauled with Jim and his team for a Very Professional Haul 

Jim, the Hard Manager, and Crane Driver, Nicholas and the Diver who checked the straps were all the in the correct position

Meshugga hauling in the bay

Slowly moving to our spot

By the time we were Chocked, it was 11.30am. The marina staff Hi-Pressure Hosed us for an half hour then packed up and left! And did not come back after lunch!

We took out our small Hi-Pressure hose, and soon thereafter Jim came to apologize that they’d run out of time, and lent us the Marinas Big Hi-Pressure Machine.  Whilst not ideal, we had their machine for the whole weekend, and was able to give Meshugga a fabulous once over, thus reducing the amount of sanding we’d have to do 

One very Blue, and dirty Nicholas

Panama - Colon, Shelter Bay Marina

We sailed 80 miles from East Lemon to Colon, overnighting in a bay at Puerto Linton. Most of the way we had nice winds, sometimes a little light, but we kept moving well and only started the motors when we approached the Very Busy entrance to Colon (which is also the entrance to the Panama Canal).

These are all the ships at anchor waiting their slot for transiting the Canal. Jenny visually counted 45 ships at anchor at sea.

We headed to the northern side of the Colon Bay (where the red square is), which is Shelter Bay Marina.

We had 6 months ago, ordered from them Antifouling Paint, and we headed there to overnight in the Marina and collect our Paint.

Ducking in through one of the two entrances of the Breakwater with this Ro-Ro bearing down on us

Tied side on at shelter Bay Marina

Checking into the marina, we were surprised at the costs. 

Diesel, which we are sort of getting ready to need, $5.98 a Gallon

Berths, are not cheap either; at $2.31 per foot per night for Meshugga. That $144 just for tying up. No electricity or water either, that’s extra.

Maybe the rates are justified by this beautiful pool

Or an area where the vendors hang out, and the Live-aboard Cruisers have a BBQ on Sunday nights

Or that they have a very small Chandlery which have limited stock, and most has to be ordered (like our paint)

However, after a month in the San Blas, we treated ourselves to a dinner night out. Great meal, which I did not have to cook, and Jenny did not have to do dishes 

Panama - San Blas Islands, Back at East Lemon

After Cayos Holendes, we had time to waste before returning to Mainland for Jenny to make her flight on 26 July. We had enjoyed the anchorage at East Lemon, so we returned there. No sooner than we’d anchored, Attie of the small island came to say Hello and ask if he could get Fresh Drinking Water again. - - No Problem for us.

Way back in 2018, when in Sarasota, USA, soon after we’d anchored and not yet furled sails away, we were hit with a Buster of 60 knots of wind, which pulled our Genneker out and pretty much shredded it. We had to buy a new one, at huge cost, however were able to selvage a many meters of Laminated sail cloth with the intention of making Sail Bags or something…..

We’d noticed that many of the Guanas have sails on their Ulus, but Attie did not, and he seemed quite improvised, living in a hut with;

Attie and Family’s Hut

His wife

His 4 daughters, ages 12, 8, 4 and 3

His wife’s mother

His wife’s sister and her daughter

His wife’s grandmother

His wife’s bother

That’s 11 people in one hut!!!!

Attie, seated, and some of his family

They have another Lean-too where they store water both for body washing, laundry etc and containers of drinking water

A Pig and some Chickens (two)

So we asked Attie if he had a sail, as he had to paddle everywhere, and he said No and that he did not have the funds to purchase one. Further establishing that his Ulu did have a Mast, and that he had the Boom and Gaff Rig Pole, Nicholas and I decided we’d make him a Main Sail and Jib.

A little googling to get a Sail Pattern, and measuring Attie’s Mast and re-sizing everything, we were set. Nicholas and I took sail cloth ashore, and with Sharpie/Koki, measuring tape and Straight edge we measured out a Main and Jib and cut them out.

Back aboard Meshugga, I hauled out my trusty sewing machine and got to work.

Nicholas and Attie attaching the Main to the Mast

Next morning Attie took Janna, his wife, for an early morning sail to test out the sail

I then made the Jib

Attie used the full sails to fetch water from the adjacent island

Sailing past Meshugga with full sail laden with containers of non-potable water. Great to sail back to his island instead of paddling. Just saying!

No sooner than this task was done, and I was packing up all my equipment than Attie came to see Nicholas asking if he had any Resin. Nicholas went ashore with Attie to ‘see’ the problem and it was that his second Ulu had a huge hole in the forward part and the bow was seriously cracked and broken.

Nicholas to the rescue…..

Thankfully we had a large container of Resin and a big roll of Fibreglass

Cracks filled with Epoxy, and hole filled with a large chunk of fiberglass and epoxied in

Aft section glassed, busy with front section routing and fairing

Whilst Nicholas worked, I visited with Janna, her sister, mother, grandmother and the kids.

They were most kind and showed me their Mola work (sewing and embroidering) scenes on fabric which the sell. The grandmother gave me one as a gift.

The older daughter, makes bracelets with seed beads to sell, and also gifted me one

Final Farewells, Attie collecting Potable (drinking) water from Meshugga

Attie had arranged to take me for a sail on his Ulu, but it was not going to happen with no wind

Panama - San Blas Islands, Cayo Holendes

After an unappealing visit to the local town, we sailed north to Cayo Holendes. Our first overnight stop was at the fabled BBQ Island. No sooner than our anchor was down, a Ulu came with 3 men aboard wanting and Anchorage Fee, of $20. I asked to see his receipt book, which he grudgingly showed me. All the other yachts had paid $10, but he indicated our size and that we must pay $20, which was valid for a month. No-where else in San Blas were we asked to pay to anchor, including other anchorages in Holendes!

On one of the islands, the owner told Jenny that he lives/sleeps aboard this house to escape the mosquitos 

BBQ island

Beautiful clear water

We went ashore for a Cruisers BBQ, and was amazed that nothing was organized by boats that had been here at anchor for a couple of months. They waited for the locals to bring wood, light a fire, bring a BBQ grid. By this time the Cruisers had piled into the ‘shared’ dishes. Not sure if they brought meat to BBQ or not. After 3 hours, we returned to Meshugga to have our own BBQ 

Onto west Holendes Islands………looking for the best anchorage/depth/reefs

Ashore, a chap lived with his animals

We took bananas for the monkey, and gave them to the chap who fed him

Jenny with the monkey

Nicholas was taking photos and put his glass of Mango Juice on the sand. Quick as a flash the monkey picked it up and ran away with it …..

And Up a Tree ….

Where he drank the whole lot!

At least he threw the glass down afterwards, which we retrieved and then bleached it well, just incase of ….

Nicholas with the dinghy

The other island had this Welcome sign, so Jenny and I went to look.

Nothing much, a inhabited island with a family, a couple of boats which the owner told us had been donated to him by Cruising Yachts

A pig

Interesting local dog that seemed interested in catching his own fish

Back aboard Meshugga, this Ulu came round to see if we wanted fish. We bought their largest fish (dont remember what type), and I made pickled fish with it

Our solitary anchorage had two more yachts come anchor close to us

Next morning , on our way out, you can clearly see the two islands. We were anchored in the middle of the two.