Panamania Dos

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We spent 3 weeks in Shelter Bay Marina on the Colon end of the canal. It is a new facility and has the usual teething problems but otherwise a very pleasant place to hang out and haul out, which we did to do the regular bottom, but also to add keel coolers for the new Frigoboat freezer/refrigeration systems and as a treat a couple of Oceanled underwater lights. Also on the worklist was a Duogen water/wind generator to help with fuel conservation in the Pacific.
We left Shelter Bay on the 31st of January, late in the afternoon to meet our advisor for the passage through the first locks. 5:30 turned into 7PM as we discovered we were to go thru with 7 boats from the World ARC plus another catamaran.
Our advisor "Jose" spoke perfect English and had it figured that Somerset Cat would be center of the raft. When we made the rendezvous it became obvious that the 65' monomaran would be the center dog, they were Italian and one of their crew was quite excitable and didn't like the way we were tying off on the cleats and subsequently became known as the "knot nazi". On the other side was a French cat who had the petit wife on the bow line and caused us to "touch" the wall in the first lock. Fortunately, the knot nazi went to her assistance taking care of both our problems.
By the time the gates on the first lock closed it was 9PM. By the time we got to the 3rd lock we were officially in fresh water and everything was going a lot more smoothly with fewer loud command and me not having to make as many "corrections", subtle hand signals from Jose. By now the Italians are eating their 2nd course including their skinny advisor. Jose is 300lbs so a bit of back and forth goes on.
Generally you are are supposed to tie up to a bouy, however with so many yachts we anchor for the night at about 11:30PM.
George, our advisor for the second act of this adventure is delivered at 7AM and we up anchor and head thru the Banana Cut which is quite scenic and a totally protected park with the only buildings at all belonging to the Smithsonian Institute who have been doing stuff for
a long time.
As we get back into the main channel there is all sorts of excavators, bulldozers and dredges working at widening and deepening the canal in anticipation of the addition of the 3rd locks due to open in 7 years or so.
Anyway by noon we are in the first of the locks down, this time alonside "Jus Do It" with me in the driving seat. All looks very pretty, we are subsequently told by those who saw us on the "Canal cam"
So by 2PM we were anchored in Playita having passed under the bridge of the Americas, passed the brand new Balboa Yacht Club and dropped off George, who confided to me that he had missed his step and fallen in at this very spot last year.
This has been interrupted by a little glitch. Provisioning has been going gangbusters and Jim and Bill have done a remarkable job despite local strike/riots which yesterday cut us off from the rest of the world for most of the afternoon, fortunately no cold stuff yesterday.
Doing a little final internet, weather connections, bank and insurance, all tend to be time consuming and a huge drag, but at least possible by wi-fi.

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