Wanuskewin was kind enough to buy us all crew shirts with their logo on the front, and a map of Panama on the back. So today we had our official crew picture taken in front of the boat. Melissa drove everyone crazy making them take photos in different locations and different configurations. But i…
Blog posts : "2014 Canal and Caribbean"
Wanuskewin Canal Crossing Day 2
As we know, yesterday went smoothly. But then, the up locks are the easy part. Its the down locks where things go awry because of the current rushing past. And, we suspect that we will again be tied together with Sea Renity which is just going to make things even more complicated if things go sid…
Wanuskewin Canal Crossing Day 1
We awoke to sunrise over Flamenco station. See the building at the top of the hill? That’s where the channel controllers live – so they can see all the boats entering the channel getting ready to start their run to the canal.
Mike went over and picked up Dave and Kim from Maluhia. They a…
Go Seahawks!
This morning Dave went over to Saltydog to plan the installation of the new moving map/GPS system. Steve and Joan would like their whole main console reworked so that Joan can see better over the top of it, and they want a new moving map installed. This means all the existing instruments and the V…
Wrong Turn
On the drive back to the marina, we wanted to stop for lunch. We pulled off the highway at what looked like a likely spot. Only to find that not only were there no restaurants nearby, there was a big traffic jam headed back towards the freeway. Dave quickly realizes that if we just keep going, we…
Breakfast for the Fish
Breakfast again this morning was a feast. A breakfast burrito, sausage, and a pile of fresh fruit. We had been instructed that all food scraps are supposed to be dumped in the water not the trash. Apparently because of the big breakfast served by the hotel, the fish have been trained to show up i…
Trip Adviser denies going berzerk
Yeah, this is another one of those, "Melissa should be a tester" posts. This time it was Trip Adviser that went berserk on her. Melissa has now posted 157 reviews to Trip Adviser. You would think this would be worth something, wouldn't you? For anyone not familiar, the way the system works is th…
Dinner at the Cabins
Breakfast at the hotel included breakfast. Often breakfast included can be a crap shoot. But this breakfast was fit for a king. A peach bread pudding, sausages, and a ton of fresh fruit. Yum!
This is Julie. She is staying in the same hotel we are in. She is from Washington. Turns out she…
Bocas Del Toro
We left the hotel in Santiago and drove over the mountains to Almirante. The mountains were amazing. Tons of big water falls and tropical lush landscape. Up high there were pine trees where the air was a bit cooler. We don't have any pictures because there was no where on the narrow winding roa…
Vista Lago Eco Resort
We left the marina this morning on the first leg of the journey to Bocas Del Toro. Because its about 400 miles, we decided to break up the trip. So we stopped mid way at a great little hotel Vista Lago Eco Resort in Santiago. It was not expensive - $73 per night which included a nice breakfast …
The New Canal
This morning we decided we would rent a car and make another land based trip. We have a number of parts on order for Saltydog projects, and it will be 1 to 2 weeks before the parts show up, so now is a good time to make a short trip. So Melissa made a reservation for a 12:15 pick up at Budget Rent…
Melissa's Magical Medicine Bag
Melissa is helping Joan put together an emergency medical kit for Saltydog. Before we left Seattle 19 months ago, Melissa assembled a first aid kit. Since assembled, we have never had to open it, and hope we never will. We also stocked a number of medicines on the boat. These medicines have com…
Saltydog Repairs Begin
Sometime this year when the weather is just right, Dave will be taking Saltydog from Panama to its ultimate destination in the West Indies. That's a long 1200 mile trip. Melissa will be somewhere else. Anywhere else.
Meanwhile, Dave wants to make sure that everything aboard Saltydog is ship…
Saltydog Canal Day 2
Today was a fiasco. No one injured. No scratches on the boat. But a fiasco none the less.
We awoke to another sunny morning and many of the gang jumped into the lake to rinse off the salt from yesterday.
We were moored right next to the canal diver training ground. The two big white flat …
Saltydog Canal Day 1
When the sun came up this morning it was clear it was going to be a gorgeous day to take Saltydog through the canal.
There were a few last minute to-do’s including getting all eight tires tied up along the sides to protect us from damage.
By 7am we were outside the Balboa Yacht club awaiti…
Saltydog Autopilot Operational
This morning we got up and checked out of the hotel as our plan is to spend the night aboard Saltydog as we need to be underway by 6:30am for the canal crossing tomorrow. For lunch we were able to meet with Dave’s work buddy Ramon. He lives here in Panama and it was fun to catch up with him. Zetr…
How many glasses of wine does it take to fuel a sailboat?
First thing this morning we called the canal office and Saltydog was given our preferred slot of Thursday morning! Whoo hoo!
Ok, so that means today we need to start getting ready for a transit less than 48 hours from now. But first we need food. No scratch that. First Joan and Steve need show…
Excavator entertainment
Today Dave fixed the leaking through hull strainer aboard Saltydog. Meanwhile, Melissa went looking for a replacement water pump. Alas the model aboard Saltydog is no longer manufactured. This means no hope of a drop in replacement - which means re-plumbing will be required. Unfortunately neithe…
Saltydog starts to get ready for the canal
This morning we hung out in the hotel waiting for Saltydog and Wanuskewin to come across the bay. We had a great view from our room of the anchorage and marina and could watch everyone coming and going.
When Saltydog and Wanuskewin arrived, we all headed to lunch, after which it was time for Ti…
Still hangin' in Panama City
We decided that if Saltydog is to go through the canal ASAP, it might not make sense for us to go back to the marina on the Atlantic side. We pay $100 for a cab back to the marina, and then a few days later would pay another $100 for a cab to come back to the city to go through the canal. We found…