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Hello to all our friends and family,

We enjoyed the serenity of the Rio Chagras for a little over a week and on May 25th went down river, then 10 miles east and into the breakwater entrance to the Port of Colon and the Panama Canal. Dozens of ships were in the area; some at anchor, others entering or exiting the locks a few miles south and still others drifting outside of the breakwater awaiting their turn to enter. The port signals controller sounded much like an airways approach controller, albeit at a slower pace. The international language for such things is English, so we could follow the activity. Small craft were not required to communicate with the port controller so we sequenced ourselves into the stream of traffic and made our way over to anchorage area F, "The Flats". The Flats are about a mile from the Panama Canal Yacht Club and access to taxis, fuel, etc.

Colon isn't a beautiful town and doesn't measure up to any kind of attraction for tourists. We have read and were told by every taxi driver not to walk around town because theft was far too likely. Oh-, we could shop within a few blocks walk on the main thoroughfare, but to walk across town, say to the Yacht Club would be foolhardy. After the first taxi ride through the edges of Colon that condition became obvious. Still, the town has a nice mall, a great street produce market, a huge duty free zone and taxi rides were only a dollar from anywhere to anywhere in this smallish city.

During our five days at Colon we resupplied the perishable foodstuffs and bought some boat bottom paint at 1/3 US prices. The "Yacht Club" was a big disappointment. It was unfriendly, poorly organized, and just about every thing a marina shouldn't be. They had diesel fuel ($1.65/gal) and we bought a hundred gallons (pay before you pump) to increase our safety margin. However, when we wanted water, it was necessary to borrow garden hoses from other boats for the 250 feet to get to the nearest spigot. Surprisingly, everyone said that the water was the best quality in the Caribbean, so although aggravating, it was worthwhile. This "Yacht Club" has been in existence since forever and there was no excuse for the pitiful, unfriendly service. Everyone complained, some even yelled, but since it's the only act in town, well. . . .

It was really interesting to be anchored just a few hundred yards from the ships making passage through the canal. There was a continuous parade of vessels from super container carriers to liveaboard cruisers. Each announced to the Canal Signal Controller their port of origin and last port. They hailed from Hong Kong, South Africa, Japan, Argentina, and a thousand far places.