Just called Transit Control and they must be busy right now: my transit date is March 13th. More details to follow later.
Just finished a transit on board Sayonara, a 32 ft Cheoy Lee ketch. All went well.
At the moment the line handlers will probably be: Peter (Sayonara), Irene and Roy (Peggy West) and Rosie (Sanctuary).
Most of my friends have gone through the canal by now, might become a quiet week in Colon, though new boats are coming in all the time. I might go up the Rio Chagres, only about 6 miles from the anchorage, for the weekend. Than I could scrub the bottom clean. The area of Colon is very polluted, for a while they were unloading a cement ship just upwind of the anchorage. After adding water I had fresh cement on deck!
Just this morning I installed the genoa on the roller furling. I promise I will not try this again before having my coffee! It took me three attempts to get it right (first having the furler turn the wrong way around, second time I did not slide the luff in the furler).
Paid my friends at the immigration headquarters a third and final visit. Supposedly my visa was valid for only one month, thus it expired last Friday. I had gone in twice when they told me it was either too busy, or the right people were not in. This morning they looked at my passport, and than told me nothing needs to be done since I have a 90 day visa, maybe they could have told me that a week ago?
Morning Light is not going to make it into the next James Bond movie. It was tempting to do so, they pay well, but I would have to commit for another 2 weeks in Colon. And just when I learned that I had set the date to transit the canal. And, to be honest, I have been here way too long, I want to get those sails up and start sailing. Mind you, there has not been any favourable winds for passages to the Galapagos. But, I will enjoy being out at sea better than being in an anchorage where the decks turn black and the bottom collects barnacles.
Last two days I have been searching for a barometer, another piece of high tech technology impossible to find. Closest I have come is finding a runners watch with a pressure sensor. Still trying to make up my mind about that.
After the transit last Tuesday I picked up my camera, which I left on board Peggy West after the previous transit. Maybe later tiday I start uploading some of the pictures to the web site.