Aboard Dignity (Lagoon 420) Blog

Another first light departure from Portobelo sent us on our way to the Rio Chagres. Winds were up and behind us giving us a nice downwind run all the way regenerating most of the time. Once in the river things were suddenly quite calm. We had been told that there was a creek on the first bend in the river that would lead to a small pool and waterfall. After stopping for lunch at the first bend I took the dinghy out and explored three nearby creeks all of which appearing to end in impassably overgrown trickles. On the last exploration I was spooked a little. First I was given a jump by a load of bats taking off when I went under an old bridge. Then, as I was taking the dinghy over a fallen log, a large lump fell in the water. In the corner of my eye the movement made me think a croc had just entered the water. It was only when I looked closer that I realized it really was just a lump of wood.

We took Dignity further up the river and stopped where the charts listed a couple of creeks. This time we all went in the dinghy and explored the two creeks. Although the ride was quite pleasant we did not find any pools or waterfalls. We even tried our luck up a third smaller creek. No luck there either. I’m going to try asking on the morning SSB net to see if anyone can give more specific instructions. We passed another cat on the river, Manana, who’d been given similar information and had similar bad luck looking for the right creek.

On the way to the Chagres River I got in contact with our agent to make sure we were good for the 8th transit. He told us that the authorities had, this year, introduced a new tarrif of $250 for date changes. I expressed my displeasure about finding out about this this late on as hanging around Colon was exactly the scenario I had told him I wanted to avoid and that surprise fees were not what I expected to hear from allegedly the top (and most expensive) agent in the area. He said he’d try to do something with the authorities. Cell phone coverage is poor here in the river. I managed to get a text confirmation from him that we are booked for the 8th but neglecting to tell us the rendezvous time. I guess we’ll get this soon.

Here on the river we get the sounds of the jungle. There are plenty of bird and insect calls often interspersed with the grunts of what I believe are the howler monkeys. From the guide we understand there are paths to walk which could be interesting for us today. We passed the spot they’re supposed to start and it wasn’t clear where to land the dinghy. Another adventure ahead I’m sure.

We set sail for Portobelo fairly early in the morning so we could make the most of the next stop. The wind was light so we motor-sailed round the corner. We could have sailed but it would have taken over twice as long and time was limited.

We went ashore soon after arrival. By consensus we skipped the fort on the north side and tied up at the dock to see the fort and town on the south side.

We spent a little while in the museum in the old customs house. Annie was desperate to see a monkey and we did indeed find one outside the museum up a tree. We spent a while watching it and at one point it jumped on Annie to try and get inside her backpack.

We explored the rest of the fortifications and the central church which houses the ‘Black Christ.’

We decided to eat lunch in town before buying provisions. We bumped into the couple who used to sail ‘Double Dutch’ (who we last met on the turtle tour in Grenada). They now have a new boat but I have unfortunately forgot the name. They were sitting at a table in a tiny restaurant with their family. We chatted for a while before going off to choose which restaurant we would eat at. We eventually ended up back at the same place.

After lunch we shopped including treating ourselves to ice cream on a stick.

Back on the boat we rested for a while. Sam and Annie went back into town to find the monkey. They came back having found it, fed it and being bitten by it thinking it was all worth the pain and effort. I think Annie now wants a sloth and a monkey for pets.

We left Portobelo at first light this morning and are currently sailing towards the Chagres river where we expect to spend two night before transiting the canal. If the winds stay as they are we should arrive around midday.

For the main part the sail from the San Blas to Linton was good. Initially the wind picked up and given that the forecast on the morning net had said the winds would strengthen we thought it would be good all the way. The winds, however, didn’t agree and after the initial pickup began to die off. We missed our downwind sail as this would have made a lot of difference in the conditions we had. In the end we motor sailed the last two hours so that we could arrived in good light.

As soon as we’d anchored a couple of men came over in a small boat, one of them wearing a scuba tank. They said we’d anchored near their pipe, something to do with the fish hatchery nearby. There was no indication of any pipe or hazard on our charts or marked with buoys. He used his tank to go down and check out the pipe. He came up saying all was ok. I gave him the email of the chap who writes the guide most folks have so he can ask to have the position of the pipe marked in the charts.

We went ashore around 4:30 and tied the dinghy up against the one and only restaurant’s dock. We spoke to the owner saying we wanted to visit some friends before coming back to eat. We headed off to Beannie and Roger’s house to see if they were in and could let us see the sloths again. Unfortunately they were out at the time but someone in the adjacent apartment said they should be in soon. We walked around the rest of town discovering the one and only ‘shop’ and not a lot else.

On our return we did find Beannie and Roger home and were welcomed in. The sloths were a big hit with the kids who got to hold and pet them.

Back at the restaurant we all had kingfish with beers. Annie treated us to the meal so thanks to Annie for this.

Today we’re off to Portobelo to see the ruins and explore the town. It will also be a chance to provision with a few items we’ve run out of before we hit the big stores in Panama City in a few days time.

Yesterday was our last day in the San Blas together. Helen and I may get back some as we’ll arrive again if we keep on heading west. I’d made an offer a while back to send everyone who wants to up the mast for the view and this was our last chance to do this around small islands. In the morning I dug out the bosuns chair. The wooden seat was looking a little soft so I decided to send up Annie, Sam and John in weight order, lightest first. That meant Annie got the first ride. We used two lines for safety reasons. One attached to the chair and the backup line around the waist. We shared hand signals so Annie had control of the ascent and descent in case she ran into trouble or had enough. In the end she had no issues and made it to the top. from there she took a few pictures and stayed a while before descending. Up next was Sam. Much the same although with his longer arms he was better able to hang onto the shrouds (mast supports) to stabalize himself. John waited until midday for his turn so he could have better light for his pictures.

After Annie and Sam had been up we decided that we weren’t going to use the hookah again. I went snorkeling alone with my spear gun and caught a very decent sized lobster. I tried to find more but apart from one tiny one I could find none. Back on the boat I cooked it straight away as it was already dead – unsurprising having been shot through the head. I shared a little with John but scoffed most the kill myself.

Lunch was leftovers from the previous day after which John had his turn up the mast. After a hour or so rest Annie and Sam swam ashore to begin collecting firewood for an evenings bonfire. Later, John and I went out in the dinghy to collect some larger driftwood I’d seen on another beach. We picked it up and took it to Annie and Sam in the dinghy.

Back on the boat we had dinner then went ashore to light the fire. It was a perfect evening, the stars were out overhead and could be seen through the palm trees. The fire was welcoming, triggering our primal instincts to hang around and enjoy the warmth of the flames. Once the fire had died out, Annie, Sam and I snorkeled back to the boat in the dark. We’d brought our gear and two torches. Although one failed along the way we were able to enjoy the reef at night. For a while we turned off the torches and swam in the pitch dark seeing an impressive display of luminescent algae which surrounded each of us with twinkling lights.

No booze was consumed yesterday evening as we have a long sail today. We need to be sharp and to avoid seasickness. Alcohol doesn’t help with either of these.

We set sail shortly after 6am. The forecast had been for light and variable winds. Fortunately we’re seeing around 12-13 knots of wind. If this keeps up we’ll sail all the way. The kids are all fast asleep right now – just Helen and I sailing the boat. Seas are fairly calm.