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APRIL 1998 |
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April 14, 1998 Stuck in Colon Part 2 - Paying Dues |
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April 7, 1998 Stuck in Colon with the Panama Canal Blues" |
April 14, 1998Stuck in Colon Part 2 - Paying DuesAnother phone call to the scheduler for canal transit, and another earful of excuses and another postponement - now to Thursday 4/16. The guy says he’s been offered bribes - "a public official - that’s serious" he says. Is that a signal to make my offer? I just tell him it’s costing me thousands of dollars to pay my crew waiting here, and ask what can I do? "Nothing" he says.I go back out to the boat to break the bad news again to the crew. I’m
down, feeling as skipper I should be able to handle this better. But the
crew get energized - Bob is sorting out gear, fixing a broken stopper,
organizing lines; Scott brings out the ice and mixes rum punches and whips
up another tasty galley creation. We put on an old Roy Orbison tape - it
just fits the moment, and I’m brought out of my funk.
In the big picture it’s only a blip. I think about our mission with
Thursday’s Child. She’s been all that I wanted - sailed well and fast when
we chose to fly more sail. She has great potential - can’t wait to start
work on her: longer boom, new sails; straighten out the rudder and steering,
etc. etc.
* Research done by Scott Shaffer on the grounds
of the Panama Canal Yacht Club Bar - to be published at a later date.
April 7, 1998Enroute from St. Augustine, Florida to San Diego "Stuck in Colon with the Panama Canal Blues"We have been anchored for a week now with about 50 other cruisers in the "flats", near the entrance to the Panama Canal on the Caribbean side. Rampant rumors of gross increases in canal transit fees to eminent closure from drought and lack of water have brought boats here by the droves to get through the canal. The Panama Canal Commission (PCC) had set an increase in fees to about $1500 on May 1st (T.C.'s fee is about $400), only to back-pedal last week and declare an average $500 increase to begin sometime in June. But the stampede of boats has already started and the PCC could care less about the delays in transits for cruising boats. Only 2-3 boats ..... it on a lack of advisors, required on board each boat to supervise the transit.We called the transit office in Panama before departure in Florida and were told there were no problems, or otherwise we might have hired an agent who can cut through the red tape and get you right through. Once here we started the process of getting the boat measured (charges are by volume) and scheduled, and found out about the delays. We called an agent, but it was too late for him to help out. So we are scheduled for transit April 10 (we arrived March 31), but other boats have been pushed back on their schedule or even worse, advisors not even shown up on the scheduled day. This can cause great inconvenience and expense, since you must have a skipper and 4 line handlers on board and fenchers and 4 120' lines. Some boats rent those and may have to hire line-handlers if they can't get other cruisers to help out. Two of Thursday's Child's crew - Bob Dixon and Scott Shaffer were line-handlers on the big 65' Shuttleworth cat "Samcat". Their transit was slow and frustrating with long waits to go in the locks with ships. It was a 2 day trip that easily could have been done in 1 day. But the worst frustration is the waiting and not knowing when we will transit. We do a few maintenance jobs on the boat and provision, but mostly hang out in the air-conditioned bar at the Panama Canal Yacht Club. To cruisers with no timetables it's not a problem, but for us trying to get Thursday's Child to San Francisco and ..... Note:
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email:mreppy@tchild.org
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