Update 13/03/25 16:00 GMT-5 Cayos Chichime San Blas 

Since November I have been in contact with the agent who will organise our canal transit. He told me that once we’re physically in Colon, it could take 3 to 4 weeks to go through.

When we arrived at Shelter Bay Marina, on Sunday 2 March, he told us it would now be 4-5 days from the moment we’d say we’re ready to go. This meant we wouldn’t go to the San Blas islands which we were already eyeballing to sit out the waiting time. 

We required a few parts and had to get a few jobs done to commit to a departure in less than 5 days. We arrived in the middle of the Carnaval festivities and, until Wednesday, only the major supermarkets were open. A taxi driver told us most of the Carnaval festivities had been cancelled because there had been too many gunfights! So we cancelled our plans of joining in with the local folklore!  

To our amazement, the chandlery in the marina, which was open during Carnaval, stocks next to nothing. Sourcing parts was an adventure in itself. We had to bribe a guard to enter an industrial site where a hardware wholesaler had the screws we needed to keep our genoa foil together. 

During the rest of the week we got a lot of jobs done while the kids were running around the marina with the other cruiser’s kids. They also explored the jungle. At a 2 minutes distance you can spot cappuccino- and howler monkeys, vultures, eagles, and amazing flora. They didn’t spot the two crocodiles that supposedly live in the area but they did see a python!

On Friday 7 March I told our agent that we’re ready to leave in 4-5 days. He replied that the next slot is the 20th! I reminded him of what he had told me 4 days earlier and pressed it upon him that we wanted to go earlier. Over the weekend he didn’t react of course. We went to visit Panama city. After a long conversation with the agent on Monday it was clear that it was unlikely that we’d now transit before the 20th so we made him lock us in for that date and made plans to go to San Blas the next day. Of course it would be a great use of our time and it would save some budget on mooring fees.

We sailed along the jungle coastline to the first San Blas island. Porvenir is not much more than a sandbank with an airfield on it. The tarmac has recently collapsed at the far end so it’s now out of use. However, we still have to visit the island to check in and obtain a cruising permit here. The indigenous Guna people have maintained a level of autonomy. They are not entirely subjected to the rules and regulations of Panama. Half a mile next to Porvenir is Whichubhuala where a community of Gunas live together in straw huts with thatched roofs. They too rowed out to us as soon as we dropped the hook. This time to sell bracelets and “Molas” which is stitched artwork. 

Update 20/03/25 09:45 Shelter Bay Colon

I’m not going to lie; our 3 days in the San Blas Islands felt like a holiday. Of course we did a couple hours of stainless steel polishing every day to feel less guilty and of course we were there to save on mooring fees, but what a steal that was! 

I find anchoring, in general, a magical thing. Perhaps it’s one of the last freedoms our world has on offer. You just find a spot, drop a large piece of steel on a chain, and you’re there with your whole house. And especially in places like here it feels like a real privilege being able to do that.

We went snorkelling at a wreck at Dog Island. We were pleased to see many colours and a great variety of fish. An hour later there was also a great variety of tourists brought in by an invading armada of high speed longboats from the mainland. I couldn’t help myself from telling one ignorant tourist to not stand on the wreck and its coral… There is hope for this beautiful archipelago to be preserved but education of its inhabitants and its visitors is urgently required. 

We anchored next to a very small island of about 25m by 30m surrounded by a sand bank of an estimated 1000m² which surely used to be above the waterline a while back. Now it had about 40cm of water over it. We were swimming on the ridge of the sandbank when the father of the family residing on the island sailed by in his dugout canoe and invited me to hop in! Together we sailed to their large hut on their small island. Obviously they have no fresh water source on such a small island so I asked him if he had jerry cans so we could offer them some. Our watermaker is working fine now. They were very happy and gave the kids some bracelets. We were allowed to have a look inside their huts. The largest one was completely empty. In the smaller one they were setting up a structure with sticks to smoke fish. Yes, they make fire inside a dry straw hut. They sleep outside in hammocks under a palmleaf shelter. I was a bit shocked when they asked if we had any garbage so they could burn it. I thought about the logic. They have to bring firewood from other islands or the mainland. Having resorted to burning garbage as the best solution to get rid of it, they also simply see it as a good combustible. Did I mention that education would be a good start to preserve these islands? 

On Monday we arrived back in Shelter Bay Marina allowing us 2 days to provision and fuel. On Tuesday our agent simply told us our transit is delayed by another but we will have a one day passage. This means that we will still enter the Pacific on the 21st as was the plan last week. It also means we have to leave the Marina tonight. Hopefully our 2 additional line handlers will be on board on the agreed time. Having 4 able linehandlers is a legal requirement. In the locks we will have 4 lines of 30m running from each corner of the catamaran to the bollards on shore. When the water level in the lock rises, the slack in the lines needs to be taken up. When the level drops the lines have to be slipped so we don’t become suspended or break out cleats. The pilot will come on board around 3am and we will enter the lock around 6am. We should be in the Pacific Ocean by 3pm tomorrow!

Update 25 March 25 1600LT (GMT -6) somewhere between Panama and the Galapagos Islands.

When we finally exited the last lock of the Panama Canal after some delays, I was quite tired. The pilot who had been with us all day was picked up by a pilot boat underneath the iconic Bridge of the Americas, the gateway to the Pacific. We decided to anchor for the night and enter the biggest Ocean on the planet with a fresh and well rested body and mind. 

This part of the Pacific isn’t offering us the Trade Wind sleighride we’ve had since Gibraltar. The winds are light and variable as we are entering the Inter Tropical Convergence Zone what used to be called the Doldrums. I’m grateful for our engine and the extra fuel we carry because having to sit it out here in the heat and humidity would be hellish! What’s constantly on my mind is the forecasted Westerly wind that we will incurr closer to the Galapagos. This boat really does not like to be driven into the wind. So very counterintuitively we are maintaining an almost Westerly course instead of aiming straight for the islands. This will allow us to make a sharp angle South when the Westerly wind picks up. The currents here create weird and eerie patterns in the sea. But more concerning are all the logs and other debris it drives together like long barriers which we have to cross. There is also quite a lot of plastic in this part of the Ocean unfurtunately. We just hope that at night we don’t hit a big log. 

Yesterday we hooked a 2 meter Sailfish. We had it reeled all the way in and quite docile, the majestic creature was swimming next to the boat. Feeling a mixture of awe and fear and -knowing we couldn’t store that much fish anyway- we decided to set it free. Every night there has been lightning in the distance but last night it was nearer to us. Lightning and thunder were still far apart but there were one or two loud crackers. 

Today was a filled program. This morning we were visited by a mega pod of about 100 dolphins. Around 11am we picked up a ghost FAD (Fish Aggregating Device) this is basically a couple of jerrycans and drums tied together with lines and all sorts of plastic. Underneath it, algae start to grow. It attracts small fish and later bigger fish after which the fishermen will circle their nets around it and pick up whatever swims underneath it. It’s an illegal method in many parts of the world and when it loses its anchor it becomes a ghost FAD. As we approached it, a large (about 90cm) turtle swam away from it. Luckily it wasn’t tangled yet!

A few hours later we encountered more fishing buoys. Either from long liners or drift nets. We also saw a fishing vessel which had no AIS signal… all very suspicious. 

A lonely dolphin approached us with high jumps. When it was at the bow we saw it had a remora attached to it. It looked like it was trying to scratch it off using our bow. We thought we should help it getting the creature detached. We stopped the boat and I got in the water with mask and snorkel. It checked me out and came closer and closer. At one point it was 50cm in front of me. I couldn’t reach the remora though. Then I saw the remora unlatch. The fact that the porpous didn’t use the opportunity to swim away made me realise that we were trying to be heroes for no real reason. It’s different if an animal is suffering from a man made danger, but this was nature doing its thing of course. But what an experience to swim close to this wild animal in the ocean of oceans!

Update 02/04/25 1430hr (GMT-7) San Christobal Galapagos.

On Friday the 2nd of March we completed the 7 day passage from Panama City to San Christobal Galapagos. Our anchor wasn’t even properly set when the first sea lion came to say hello. We were warned to barricade the transom steps so they couldn’t jump on deck. 

Checking in happened at the agreed time. A water taxi brought a team of about 8 officials on board. Navy, environmental protection, a doctor, an immigration officer and customs. They saw we were well organised and within 45mins we were allowed to lower the yellow quarantine flag and welcomed on land. We weren’t sure whether we were allowed to take our own tender ashore. The agent informed us:”No problem with that. But when you come back to the tender dock there will be about 8 sea lions on board and the cubs like to sink their teeth in the inflatable parts.” So 1 dollar watertaxi rides have been our means of transportation since we are here. 

On Sunday I went diving and the rest of the gang snorkeling, at Kicker Rock. The snorkelers saw big turtles, lot’s of fish and Jan caught a glimpse of a shark. 20 meters deeper down, I was blowing bubbles in the incredible company of various sharks. Black tips, white tips, Galapagos and even 2 hammerhead sharks. I also swam in a large school of fish and became engulfed by it in complete darkness, which was a mindblowing experience.

Sunday night was less fun as Charlie became violently sick. Our favourite watertaxi driver told us theres a 2 day stomach virus going round, it clearly setpped aboard the Pelki. 

On Monday it was time for provisioning, laundry and fuel bunkering. I heard bad things about the quality of fuel. It was delivered by a small boat carrying dirty drums and transferred by a dirty hose. We had prepared a few empty 1 gallon waterbottles so I could take a sample of each drum before committing to filling our tanks. This was somewhat reassuring but I did refuse one barrel with murky fuel. We should now carry enough fuel to get through the windless first few days before reaching moderate tradewinds that should push us over the 3000Nm to Nuku Hiva Marquesas. 

Charlie recovered quickly and on Tuesday we drove up to the freshwater lagoon in the dormant crater of El Junco where the Frigats come to clean the salt water of their feathers. We also went to the giant landturtle breeding center to see these prehistoric and impressive looking creatures with our own eyes. 

Then we took a refreshing swim at the stunning beach of Puerto Chino. I believe this is the most beautiful beach I have ever been to! The powdersand is incredibly soft and the pale white colour creates a spectacular contrast with the lava rocks. Then there is the deep green lush vegetation and turquoise blue to complete the perfect picture. There is a total absence of construction, not too many people and you have to basically walk around the finches (seabirds) and sea lions.

Apart from Charlie and I the crew went back on board after a nice and typical menu del dia. When they stepped aboard they found our barricade had been compromised. A big sea lion was chilling on the cockpit floor and an even bigger one was lounging on the sofa… They spent hours rinsing away the excrements from the deck and grease, hair and smell from the cushions. Sea lions are funny-not-funny. 

Last night was also less funny as both Sara and An fell victim to the tummy virus. I’m going to guess Jan is once again unshakeable and I am currently fighting it off with a certain degree of success. Oceaan is still bouncing around. The kids are spending time with two girls (9 and 12) from another yacht who had already heard about Oceaan and Charlie in Shelter Bay! Jan and I went to do a big provisioning session at the local market which was a nice experience. We hope that we’re all healthy tomorrow, ready to clear out and attack the 2nd (after the Atlantic) of the two 3000nm legs of this delivery. 

Update 06/04/25 0100am (GMT-8) 400Nm WSW from the Galapagos.

Sara screeched and then screamed high pitched noises. Not exactly intimidating but clearly angry. Seconds earlier we had weighed and secured our anchor. One more audacious sea lion had snuck all the way into the cockpit. But the stinking stowaway thought wise to hop and slide back into Wreck Bay. Danny the friendly watertaxi driver drove out to wave goodbye and receive his Islander t shirt. The girls on SY Calm who had just spent 2 fun days with our kids were ashore unfortunately. 

Sara’s tummy was still a bit insecure, An’s ached and I was sure I had a fever and knew I couldn’t be to far away from the head but I was feeling better by the hour. 

We were all happy to be at sea again. We saw 2 more sea lions 4 miles offshore and a very big pod of dolphins in the late afternoon. 

The next day everybody bar An was in top form again. It was time for the kids to return to their school tasks. That was the biggest challenge of the day unfortunately… Sara, An and I set the example by doing our own office work as well. 

The biggest sperm whale we’ve ever seen swam by followed by 2 more in the distance. Dolphins were here and there. Charlie spotted a shark. The birds are living and crapping on board again. I had to tell Oceaan off for lassooing one! Luckily neither bird nor boy were harmed. We were sailing pretty nicely under mainsail and genoa and later we exchanged the genoa for the Code Zero. At nightfall we dowsed the mainsail. 

Yesterday the routine was pretty much already found as well as the tradewinds. Office time was interrupted by the loud and long zzzzing of the reel. We stopped the boat. We reversed actually as whatever was hooked was unstoppable. Once we could start taking line back in the break was on completely but the monster would at times still run away. The rod was bent like never before. An was manoeuvring under engine. The kids were passing on my instructions to her on the flybridge. 

We were stopped for almost 2 hours. That’s how long the fight lasted. In the last 20 minutes the enormous, estimated 100kg Yellowfin revealed itself. Then ran with the line again. Then was reeled in again. In the end I resorted to setting the line on the capstan. This is a small winch on the back of the boat, designed to pull mooringlines in. I said to Jan that it would be make or break. To our surprise, it worked a dream and with hardly any effort we were bringing in the giant fish. It was circling under and next to the boat. I was just about to grab the gaff -the hook with which you pull the fish on board.

And then, with a loud snap, the nylon line broke and with it our hearts… We decided we need to get smaller lures because we’re only hooking massive fish. Charlie Beau had organised a quiz for afternoon entertainment which was enjoyed together with An’s peanut butter oat cookies. Jan had made a banana bread for evening dessert. I’m on my night watch now and have just adjusted the course from WSW to straight onto Nuku Hiva. We’re averaging 7kts and all is very well!