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Leaving Panama

Okay, so I thought a blog about the Panama Canal would be great, but let’s just say the last 24 hours have been a bit of a whirlwind. I’ll save the canal for calmer days.

First things first, we’ve got a new crew member! Say hello to Adam, our resident yacht owner and videographer extraordinaire. We’re hoping he can work some drone magic and capture some truly epic footage. My attempts so far have been… less than stellar, and at this stage I am just happy not to have crashed the drone into either the sea or the mast.

And then there’s the weather. Oh, the weather. We’ve been spoiled rotten with pretty calm conditions up until now, excluding the few days of 40knts heading to Panama, but at least it was from the right direction. The weather maps and what we are experiencing are very different pictures.

Yesterday morning, we were feeling pretty confident as we motored out of the marina. That confidence didn’t last long. Around 2pm, the sky turned an ominous black. It was like someone had flicked a switch from midday to twilight. I’ve never seen so much lightning in my life. It was literally all around us, then above us, crackling and popping like fireworks on steroids. The boat was lit up like a Christmas tree, and I was convinced we were about to get struck. 

As if that wasn’t enough, the wind picked up to a crazy 40 knots from the wrong direction. And then, of course, the heavens opened. Remember, we’re still in the shipping channel, so dodging massive ships in zero visibility and gale force winds is not exactly ideal. Its one thing to see a ship at several miles on the AIS but its very different when it emerges from the rain as a grey smudge at 1.5nm.

Looking at the forecast, it seems we'll need to head south for another 200 miles before we can even think about turning towards the Galapagos.

So, that’s where we’re at. Stay tuned for more exciting (or terrifying) updates as this adventure continues.



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Location: Calle 4 100-40, Arraiján, Provincia de Panamá Oeste, Panama

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