Ecuador

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After a day in Panama City getting a few stores and looking around the old town we headed out to the Peralas Islands with Julie's Dad. Had a great sail seeing loads of wildlife in the Pacific with Dolphins, whales and loads of manta rays on the surface, never seen that before? We anchored at Isla Contadora, great spot and it was coming up to Easter weekend so a lot of the wealthy locals were there on their flash cruisers and also some massive mansions ashore that makes you wander where all that money comes from?! After 4 days hanging out Elio caught the ferry back to catch his flight home to Argentina and we had a good forecast to head south for Ecuador.   We left Easter Saturday and had a cracking start with the wind up our bum. It's about 550 miles from the islands and the first 2/12 days we made really great time, one 24hour period 190nm with just the 2 headsails, 25knts and a bit of current in our favour. Was the first time sailing with the new autopilot downwind and man it's awesome, straight as a die surfing down the waves, good times. The last day and a half though the motor went on, wind died to a light headwind and the current swung and was against us although not so strong as expected so it wasn't too much of a problem. The last evening out we crossed the equator for the 3rd time aboard Sunflower and for the first time nothing broke! Once we got closer to Ecuador though there were a LOT of fishing boats, small open doreys with just 2 guys setting floating  long lines in the deep water. We hooked up on one in the daylight but it didn't break and nearly hooked up another soon after so we decided to head in and go inside of the 100m contour for the last night and didn't see any fisherman at all which was great and had the anchor down at 3am Wednesday out the front of Bahia de Caraquez. 

High tide was at 6am and you need a pilot to enter the river as the sand banks are always changing. We started calling at 5 with no reply until about 6 when  he said he would come but still there was no sign and the tide was ebbing. A couple of fisherman offered to show us in and being so tired I just wanted to go so in we went, the tide racing out and we were going places the chartplotter tells you not to go. It was pretty hairy to say the least with at times just a foot under the keel and still 2m of water to go out but after 20 minutes we were in the deeper water and all was well.  Puerto Amistad Marina is run by an American fella named Gene, really nice guy and he has moorings for rent which we went on. He organises all the formalities for a cost of $180 to clear in and the next day we had Customs, Immigration, health and the navy onboard checking everything from food, medication, fire extinguishers, flares and our vaccines. Probably the most detailed inspection we have ever come across but they were all nice and we didn't have a problem. 

It's not a bad town but in 2016 was hit with a 7.2 earthquake which pretty well totalled a lot of the town and it is still a wreck but it's not so bad. Everything handy with shops ect and the marina clubhouse is nice with a good bar and clean showers and good food. After a couple of days we got the bus into the capital city Quito which was really different at 2800m above sea level it's right up there. Beautiful scenic 8 hour bus ride through the mountains and then once you arrive you realise how big the city is right up in the middle of know where it's quite bizarre. We stayed in the old town which was very nice, safe place to walk around and check it all out. We stayed at a backpackers for the first couple of nights and then moved to the more modern part of the city close to the French Embassy were Julie had an interview for her visa for French Polynesia. After 4 days sightseeing and getting that sorted I flew out back to Australia for work and Julie went back to Bahia. 

Unfortunately we didn't take any decent photos!

Panama Canal

Panama Canal

Well we got through, no worries:) Here's some info for other yachties wanting to transit or other folk who might be interested, Layla it's probably very boring for you. 

A lot of boats get an agent for the Canal, maybe it used to be harder I'm not sure but really it couldn't be easier and there is no advantage at all we found in spending 3-400$ on an agent. First you go on the pancanal website and fill out the form for small craft and email it back to them, this gives them all your boat details ect. Then call them up (they speak perfect English) and organise a date to get "measured". They can measure you in the "Flats" anchorage in Colon or in the marina not far called Shelter Bay. The flats anchorage isn't very nice, nowhere close to land the dinghy which makes it hard so most people chose Shelter Bay Marina, hence they take the piss with there pricing. For us at 43ft it was nearly $60US a day for a short stay but it is a very nice marina with a good bar so you get to meet a lot of people heading the same way. 

Once the guy from the canal has come to measure you he gives you some more forms which you take to the CitiBank in Colon and pay $1875 into their account, wait a couple of hours then call back up the canal and they have received the money and will now give you a date to transit. Firstly they said our date was 3 weeks away but we kept calling and seeing if there were no sooner dates and we ended up just waiting 12 days, this is the busiest time of the year for the yachts transiting. Yachts are chicken feed for the canal, one yacht $1000, an average container ship $300000. One of the worlds biggest cruise liners just tipped the record of $1.2m!! So they transit yachts when it's busy 3 at a time, behind a ship. One group leaves at 430am and goes through all in one day getting to Balboa late afternoon. The other group leaves around 1500, goes though the first 3 sets of locks and is in Gatun Lake by 1700 and then you go on a mooring for the night and the next day at 8am you continue the 30nm up the Lake to the last 3 locks near Balboa, this is what we did.  First though before transiting a Pilot boat drops of an "Advisor" to each yacht and he coaches you through everything. This time we did it was a lot easier than when we did it the week before on our friends boat. This time it was 3 mono hulls, us being the largest one which meant we were in the middle and did all the steering. So before the locks we pulled up, then the other 2 boats one by one rafted up and tied up to us. Once all sorted and the ship we were sharing the lock with was in we motored in and then the wharfies on the wall through down heaving lines to the boats on our sides and we carry on motoring to the end of the lock, once there, pass the long ropes up and all secure then they fill the lock with 8m of water. Once full the doors open into the next lock and we motor in again, still all tied together and repeat the process 2 more times and then you're in the Lake, easy. There is a fair bit of turbulence though going up, a lot more smooth going down the other end. 

So we left Saturday afternoon in the Atlantic and arrived Sunday afternoon in the Pacific. Was a real good buzz for sure getting through that last lock, beers were cracked and champagne ready, happy days!!

Once you have transited without incident the canal gives you back $891 of the $1875 you paid, so total costs-

Up to 50ft- total deposit-$1875, minus buffer $891, total cost-$984

Over 50ft-total deposit-$2375, minus buffer $891, total cost-$1484

Hire Lines and Fenders-$100

Return Uber for our French line handlers back to Shelter Bay Marina $80 (taxi around $100)

Mooring for the night at Balboa Yacht Club $34

Shelter Bay Marina-$60pd (43ft) we stayed 7 days total but really could have only stayed 4. 

Then the fees for Panama for the boat, Cruising Permit-$190. 

Visas are now free, when we arrived we had to pay $105pp

So all in all it was a little cheaper than we expected