#12 To cross an Ocean we must first cross a Sea

“So team, are we going to carry on or what?”

“Of course we are going to carry on, let’s go to Panama!”

So went the brief family meeting we had in George Town prior to embarking on what would be by far the biggest challenge yet, a week living offshore while we crossed the Caribbean Sea.  When planning this year long adventure, my biggest fear was that one or more of us wouldn’t like the lifestyle and so we built in two “bail out” locations, the first one being right now, just before we headed South to Panama.  From George Town we could easily spend the northern hemisphere winter cruising the Bahamas before sailing back to Florida and selling the boat in what is a very strong sellers market.  However, pleasingly but unsurprisingly the family confirmed that this wasn’t to be our destiny, we all agreed we wanted more adventure!

George Town is the heart of the cruising scene in the Exumas, in fact the whole of the Bahamas with anything up to 400 boats anchored at one of four locations all around the small town.  During our stay there were about 80 boats but it was still a bit confronting coming from anchorages we often had to ourselves.  The boats were almost all American or Canadian but we did spot the odd European and British flag amongst all the stars and strips and maple leaves.  As usual we appeared to be the only antipodean.

Many boats come back year after year and some spend the whole season here in this one place, meeting up with other cruising friends. There is a strong cruising community with a daily radio schedule where new boats are welcomed, leaving boats are farewelled and all manner of assistance is asked for and offered (“does anyone have a spare 1987 pump for a jabsco toilet as mine has just broken” “Yes I have one, but it will cost you a bottle of rum!” – that sort of thing). There are volley ball sessions, island walks, beach yoga, birthday parties and all manner of other activities arranged and there is even a “kids corner” where kids can arrange to catch up or, as when we were there, walk the other cruisers dogs.

The centre of the scene is the “chat n chill” beach with its famous bar and conch shack and it was off here that we anchored and dinghied ashore to be met by the grinning crew of Womble who we hadn’t seen since Boxing Day.  A couple of days later, Noonsun and Swift arrived to complete the reunion.

We had the best part of a week in George Town and we used this time to prepare for our big passage including boat jobs, provisioning and getting our third vaccination, COVID management now being a significant part of the cruising experience.  The job I was most proud of was building a bracket to carry the dinghy’s outboard engine on long passages.  This would reduce the load on the davits and allow us to raise the dinghy higher making it safer in big ocean waves. The bracket involved gluing and bolting various bits of marine plywood together, drilling attachment points, installing the whole thing on the rail and then working out how to lift the engine off the dinghy onto the bracket using the boom and block and tackle as a crane.  This was the kind of brutal engineering I was good at, no moving parts or electronics here to befuddle me! I obtained the wood and fastenings by dinghying ashore to the beach nearest the hardware store, unfolding the bike and the cycling the rest.  This was the kind of project that I needed to up the confidence in my skills and I was very happy with the, admittedly rather agricultural, result.

Completed and commissioned engine bracket in all its agricultural glory

As the boat jobs got ticked off we also found time to explore various walks across the island, body surfing on the windward side and have several meet ups at chat n’ chill which Lottie declared had the best conch salad she had ever tasted and where the kids could pet stingrays from the beach.  Our leaving drinks were held here and to mark the occasion a pod of dolphins came right into the beach delighting the snorklers that were lucky enough to be in the water.  I happily added sting rays and dolphins to the list of animals observed whilst holding a beer.

We were to be ably assisted for this trip by Jess (our Aussie meteorologist friend I have mentioned earlier) and her husband, Dennis a Dutchman who was high up in the navy and was currently the senior military representative for the Netherlands on the Caribbean Island of Sint Maartin where he and Jess live. Keen to get to know him, I asked about his sailing experience.  “Well I haven’t sailed a great deal but I am used to managing warships with 250 crew and I know my way around the ocean.”  Gulp!  250 crew? Should I hand over captaincy of the vessel to this much more experienced naval leader or was the fact that the vessel was Australian flagged mean I could still maintain authority?  I needn’t have worried, we soon learnt that Dennis is a very friendly, laid back and witty bloke who fitted right into the Kilauea crew as of course did Jess.  They arrived on Sunday and were keen to head off the next day to maximise their time in the San Blas Islands. With a half decent weather window on offer, there was absolutely no reason not to.

As part of our safety plan and similar to the trip Tom and I had taken we had set up a daily schedule of emails to our “shore crew” that consisted of Dale from Womble and the fathers of Jess and myself all experienced sailors.  I thought for this instalment I would include extracts of these emails to describe the voyage.

Day 1

Hi shore team,

We had more variable weather last night than in the whole of the trip up so we’re all pretty knackered. And wet. It’s rained constantly since about midnight varying between English drizzle and tropical downpours. We had wind from all directions and strength. Very annoying. We now have ESE which means we can’t hold our course. At this rate it’s a 7 day trip, not a 6 day one as we had hoped.

The good news is our new crew of Jess and Dennis have been awesome and we’ve settled into our watches really well. The kids were pretty ropey for the first day but have sparked up this morning so I think their bellies are getting accustomed to the constant movement.

No fish caught yet but Dennis is making sure any fish that come near our boat have no chance avoiding the BBQ.

Not much else to report. Forecast for the Caribbean looks incredibly light so I’m glad we loaded up with extra jerry cans of diesel as I think we may need to motor quite a bit.

It’s 9am and we are currently just west of Aklins Island. We should be approaching the windward passage tonight and pass through tomorrow, then we’re expecting a big no wind area in the lee of Haiti.

Day 2

We’ve just eaten our breakfast a couple of miles off the coast of a very green and lush Cuba and are entering a calm Windward Passage after a settled night at sea.

Yesterday we had a mixed bag and had the jib, gennaker and code D up at various times but it was always on port tack and we managed to sail all day. Last night was very settled on a tight reach after a bit of drama just after it got dark.

We sailed into a squall and the wind quickly rose from 15 to 34 knots and shifted 90 degrees. I went forward to furl the gennaker which was a little challenging in the wind but doable but at that point the autopilot decided to disengage and we gybed and at the same time the furler malfunctioned and the whole sail was deployed again. I managed to get the sail furled rotating it the other way but it was pretty hairy for a bit and a lot more drama than we would have liked during the kid’s bedtime!

It’s all blue water sunshine and smiles now though. We have just had a tiny Cuban fishing boat check us out. Two very different cultures coming together and both taking photos of each other to show their friends. We will turn south then south west soon and I expect we’ll hoist the code D to make the most of the wind before it dies.

We are all settling in to the rhythm of offshore sailing and all stomachs are now acclimatised which is great. Certainly the big pot of chilli charlotte made last night got wolfed down by everyone! The kids are doing very well which makes us proud and they play hours of cards to pass the time. We are so grateful to have Jess and Dennis with us, it makes a massive difference and they are both great company.

The weather in the western Caribbean is very unusual in that there are flat calms forecast for us on the rhumb line. We are going to head more west going just south of Jamaica to hook into the northerlies before running straight to San Blas. Even with this route we anticipate having to motor for a day and a half which we’ll use to refill the water tanks with the water maker (very power hungry) and maybe even do some washing! The skipper has decreed that today is a shower day much to everyone’s happiness (except the kids of course).

With the extra distance and light winds we now anticipate a 7 night passage arriving Monday morning but there is a lot of water to pass under the keels before then so who knows.

The “bit of drama” I referred to above is worth elaborating on as it was actually quite scary particularly for the kids and we leaned some very good lessons. Jess had been monitoring a squall that could be seen very clearly on the radar as an angry yellow and red cigar shaped blob. She predicted that the squall system was “very organised and is likely to create a lot of downwash” which for us meant stronger winds. We had passed through several of these already and experienced a few knots of more wind which the sails we had up were more than capable of handling. This is why we took a wait and see approach which of course meant by the time we realised we should have reduced the sail it was much too late and much harder to achieve. The system was much bigger than the previous ones and in the wonderful world of hindsight it is obvious now we should have taken in sail before we sailed into it.

Added to this was the fact that the roller furler rope had some chaffing in it which meant that it very occasionally jammed and had to be jostled through the furling drum. Of course this jamming occurred just when we didn’t need it at night in a squall and the process of “jostling” had caused the whole thing to unwind. Having your second biggest sail fully deploy itself at night in very strong winds is a recipe for disaster and I was amazed that we didn’t do some damage to the sail, or worse, the rig. I knew about this rope problem but replacing it hadn’t made it to the top of the to-do list by that point. With far too much sail out the autopilot was overwhelmed and, waving an electronic white flag, disengaged which meant that no-one was steering. As the light on the port side compass was not working (also on the to-do list) and it was teeming with rain wiping out all visibility we had no idea we were so wildly off course until we jibed.

So a couple of things to learn here. Firstly, our “squall strategy”. From now on, when we see a well organised large squall system we reduce sail before we sail into it. Simple. If there is any doubt whether it is large or not then we err on the side of caution and reduce sail. Secondly for critical systems such as anything to do with safety or sail handling such as the furling rope or the light for the compass, these should take priority on the to do list. It was yet another classic example of the Swiss Cheese effect where multiple failures could well have ended up with something quite disastrous.

That being said, there were a lot of positives. Communication was excellent, our personal safety was never in any way threatened and we stayed calm and solved the problem without damaging anything or anyone.

Day 3

Very little to report. Instead of flat calm we have 10 knot head winds and chop which is very frustrating. To conserve fuel we are only running one engine which means we’re pretty slow. We only have about 1.5 days left of motoring in the tanks plus reserve in the jerry cans but I want to use that for getting from San Blas back to Linton bay.

We still haven’t caught a fish but we did have a bite this morning which jumped off.

The good news is that there’s no sea sickness and everyone is well and happy. The food has been great with Jess and Dennis treating the crew to a Dutch omelette for lunch yesterday and we had some good steaks on the BBQ last night.

In other good news we have had plenty of water making and have done a few rounds of laundry so we are all clean and fresh. I woke this morning to the smell of Jess cooking a couple of rum cakes so we have one of those to look forward to this afternoon. We had sundowners on the bow last night as a crew and even saw the green flash!

There is very little else to report. We have seen Cuba, Haiti and just now Jamaica. After that there is no land until Panama!

Hopefully this time tomorrow we will be sailing and have a fish at last!

Day 4

WE ARE SAILING!!!!!!

The breeze finally clocked round to the NW in the middle of the night and we’ve been bounding along ever since on a close reach with gennaker and now, after a quick spinnaker peel any race boat would be proud of, a broad reach under main and Code D at between 7 and 9 knots. As we head south the temperature is warming up and the thunderstorms have disappeared so it’s real champagne sailing. 

Only slight grumble from the skipper is that the sails are completely shadowing the solar panels on starboard tack so we still need to run the engine to recharge but we have enough fuel for that. We anticipate the wind clocking round to the N and then NE so there is plenty of debate on board about when to gybe. Models seem to agree this will be around 10pm tonight then it’s a broad reach on port tack (with solar panels in glorious sunlight) all the way to San Blas. Monday morning is looking increasingly likely.

We’ve started a tradition of sundowners on the foredeck for our 1 alcoholic drink of the day and last night we were rewarded with a pod of about a dozen dolphins playing around the bows as the sun disappeared. Absolutely magical.

Dennis is working the fishing lines hard all day clearing them of weed and he has twice spotted fish feeding and birds diving but not so much as a bite today which is soooo frustrating!

Despite the lack of fish, the food is getting better and better as all four cooks get more and more imaginative with our dwindling fresh produce.

The kids are a bit bored and my hands are getting sore from the amount of cards we are playing!

Jess is getting on with her knitting, not sure she’ll have the whole blanket done by the time we arrive but maybe a square or two. Dennis is enjoying mum’s book and Lottie is getting her next YouTube video ready for publishing. I’m catching up with my blog. Our minds are turning to where we want to go in the San Blas for the three days Jess and Dennis have there before we return them to mainland Panama.

So very much more positive news today and I won’t be having nightmares involving empty fuel gauges again tonight which is certainly an improvement!

Day 5

We caught a fish!

The rod buckled over this morning and Dennis reeled in a modest but very tasty looking 3kg albacore tuna. Dennis made light work of the filleting and we have already planned how we’re going to eat it. Jasmine and Lottie are trying out the sushi making kit for the first time, I’ve got some ceviche on the go and Lottie is making some bread so that is lunch sorted. Then it’s Niçoise salad for dinner from the Van Kinderens.

We have been experiencing a steadily growing breeze since which means we’re trucking along on a broad reach at 7 knots in calm seas under full main and Code D. We haven’t trimmed the sails now for about 8 hours.

Last night was one of the nicest night watches I can remember. Almost full moon so bright you could almost read by it, calm seas and gently moving along under just the Code D with all but the on watch crew fast asleep. Very mellow.

We haven’t heard any news from the real world for almost a week but none of us are missing it. The highlight of the day is definitely the sundowner drinks although with this breeze building today we may be confined to the cockpit rather than the foredeck today. 

Ships are very few and far between but I suspect in the next 36 hours we will start crossing some of the shipping lanes that lead to and from the canal so it will probably get busier.

Looking very likely for a mid Monday morning arrival at the San Blas which is perfect and we’re targeting an anchorage at the East Hollandes Cays called “the swimming pool” just off “BBQ Island” partly because it is stunning and also because I have been there before and therefore have the track saved in the chart plotter meaning we don’t have to stress to much about navigating the coral heads on the way in.

We had a tiny sparrow type bird visit us yesterday 200 miles from the nearest land (Jamaica) but he didn’t land on the boat despite obviously being exhausted.

Day 6

Less than 24 hours to go!

We are absolutely romping along. The wind has been exactly as forecast, 15-20 knots ENE for the last 24 hours slowly building to its peak which is now. Seas are building but the once newbie ocean sailors are taking it in their stride now after almost a week at sea. 

We went from gennaker to jib in the middle of the night as we were planing at over 10 knots at times and whilst the boat was handling it very well, the two owners weren’t getting much sleep! The sails do have to get us across the pacific after all.

We don’t want to get there before dawn anyway so the slight reduction of speed is fine if a little less exhilarating.

I love applying racing strategy to cruising and it’s been great having experienced ocean racer Jess on board to discuss ideas. I’m doing a lot of landfall planning as there are no lights, the islands are incredibly low lying, there are reefs everywhere and the electronic charts aren’t reliable. Fortunately I was at the anchorage we are targeting less than 3 months ago so have good knowledge of how to get in.

We’re learning loads about the boat and which sail configuration to use in certain conditions. Jess has made a sail chart based on our experience so far which we can use to make decisions as to when to change sails based on wind angle and strength. She’s also set up a temporary outboard sheet for the jib for reaching which is working so well I am going to rig something up more permanently when we get to mainland Panama.

Dennis hooked a beautiful 1m long wahoo yesterday afternoon. It was fighting so hard we had to furl up the gennaker and dump the main to get our speed down so he could reel it in. We got it alongside the boat and I was ready with the gaff when the bugger bit through the line and was gone. It was the only lure we have without a steel trace. So annoying!

Anyway we had tuna 4 ways yesterday with sushi nori, sushi nigri (both as good as you will find in any Japanese restaurant) and ceviche (with Lottie’s home made bread) for lunch followed by a kind of Niçoise salad for dinner adapted to the remaining fresh food we have. Equally delicious!

Yesterday we saw our first sailing boat, an American island packet 38 which was sailing the other way from Cartagena to Bahamas via Jamaica. She was heavily reefed and pounding into the seas upwind while we surged at 9-10 knots downwind so it was hard not to be smug. It was great chatting on the VHF to another human being out here in the endless expanse of ocean.

As we get closer to the Panama Canal the amount of shipping is increasing but the AIS system makes it so easy to avoid them at night.

That’s all for now folks. Everyone’s getting excited about landfall and I can’t wait for that first swim!

Landfall

Soon after dawn, just under a week after we had left George Town we spotted what looked like bunches of palm trees seemingly growing out of the ocean, our first sight of South America and the San Blas Islands.  The islands are so low lying you can’t actually see the land itself until you are within just a few miles of them.  It was very exciting taking in the sights and sounds of land after a week in the blue nothingness of the ocean and we saw a pod of dolphins and a spectacular fluorescent man of war jellyfish as we sailed in. The anchorage was very busy.  Where there had been four yachts when I was last there with Tom there were now about 20 but we found a nice spot in the lee of an island of a gorgeous beach to drop the anchor. Quickly launching the dinghy we motored ashore and stood on land for the first time in a week.

After a glorious swim in the crystal water we walked around the island and met Ivin, a local kuna man who lived on the island and had grand plans to turn it into a place for people to visit and stay overnight.  He said that if we had protein, he would cook for us that evening for a modest fee and supply all the sides.  We provided the small tuna we had caught the day before and he chucked in a few lobsters for good measure and we had one of the most memorable and delicious dinners right on the beach watching the sun set and contemplating what we had achieved as a team and as a family.

The time for a detailed debrief would come but for now I was very pleased with how the passage had gone and especially impressed with how Lottie and the kids had taken to life at sea. Lottie carried her full load of watch keeping, most of which was on her own and the kids hardly complained at all and even then only when they were bored. We’ve now all crossed the full width of a proper sized sea and its given us a lot more confidence that we might just be able to cross a proper sized ocean as well.

It was also so good having Jess (one of the best sailors I know) and Dennis accompany us sharing the watch keeping and meal preparation load and providing plenty of banter along the way. All of Jess’ long distance sailing has been racing and I found it really interesting applying yacht racing principles to cruising and I think more cruisers should do this. For example, when sailing dead downwind (ie wind directly behind you), most cruisers would point their bow at their destination trim the sails and be on their way. Racing sailors know that sailing directly downwind is very slow and its much faster to sail maybe 20 degrees to one side. Whilst you cover more ground, you sail much faster, and therefore get their sooner than the more traditional approach.

For the next instalment we explore the San Blas Islands with the Kinderens and then with Lottie’s friend Kate from the UK before hauling the boat out of the water to repaint the bottom and then explore Old Panama City and the Gamboa rainforest.