04 November 2012; Fuerte Amador, Panama.

 For the morning we sailed under the coast of Panama, seeing various cargo ships on the port and starboard side. By 11.00 we turned into the Gulf of Panama and then it is 70 miles to go to the pilot station. That is caused by this strange curve, or crook in the land of Panama. When you head for the Panama Canal anchorage, you get the flow of all traffic, to and from the canal. Basically on two routes or track lines. The one we are on; which is followed by the ships coming from or going to the West coast of North America and the track line that is used by for the ships coming from or going across the Pacific. The closer you come to the anchorage the more these two routes converge and the more interesting it gets navigation wise.

The ships going IN are normally not a problem as all their bridges are going to standby, their captain is on the bridge, the ships slow down, they are calling Flamenco signal station for anchorage location, and are in general on high alert. For ships going the other way, it can be a different kettle of fish. The bridges are going off standby, the captain disappears, ships go to sea speed and not unusual, the junior officer is left behind to fend for himself. That can result in the fact that a certain ship goes directly on a track line that will eventually end in Japan and does not budge anymore; even when it has to according to the Collision Avoidance Regulations. We are all aware of that phenomenon, so we make sure that we are well inside that track line, when we approach the sea buoy of the Panama Canal and keep them all to the East. We managed to do that with all those ships and by 16.30 we arrived safely at the pilot station and the harbor pilot for Fuerte Amador hopped on board.

In the meantime, I was not a happy camper as the Quest of Adventure had pinched my anchorage, while she was not even on the list for call there. So I had to anchor more to the south. It did not affect the tender distance but it meant that I was anchoring outside the leeside of Amador Island. Luckily there was no wind when we arrived, nor was there for the remainder of the night. So, for once, I did not need the lee side. We dropped the anchor, lowered the boats and started our regular & planned tender operation. Then suddenly the Quest raised anchor and moved to the western anchorage to obtain bunkers. Whether that was a last minute decision or whether they did not know that you are not allowed to bunker at the Amador anchorage, will remain a mystery I suppose. So I contemplated moving, but as the forecast looked very good, I decided to stay where we were. The Weather Gods were with us this time.

We call & tender in Amador mainly to offer evening tours to Panama City and the Panama Canal/Mira Flores locks. Everybody has to be back by midnight, as we do not know when the Canal will call us for lining up for the convoy. That is normally around 04.00-05.00 but it could be earlier, if the clearance agent is busy and wants to gets all the ships done in a row. This time the planning is for: – be ready by 05.00-to receive clearance and pilot at 05.30 – 06.00. That means raising anchor and then drifting into the Panama Canal anchorage, otherwise they cannot board. The P.C. only has jurisdiction inside the anchorages and not at the anchorage of Fuerte Amador. We will see tomorrow morning, if it all works out.

It means for me, that I will be on the bridge at 04.00 tomorrow morning to get it all going. The Staff Captain will be on the bridge until midnight to supervise the tender service in the evening and get the tenders safely home and secured, when the last guests are back on board. So an early evening for me, for half the deck officers, but also for the chief engineer, as he will be sitting in the Engine Control Room, for the beginning to the end of the Canal to look after his engines. If I need – in an emergency- more power or something else, he has to be ready to give that to me, and/or to prevent the lights from going out, if I have to execute an emergency maneuver. People quite often forget that there is an engine room team working hard to support whatever the ship needs and the results are quite often taken for granted without realizing what hard work goes into it all. So both Captain and CE were in bed by 10 pm. getting ready for a 15 hour day, sailing from the Pacific to the Atlantic. The weather looks very good. Mainly overcast, or hazy skies, and the weather forecasts on both sides of the Continental Divide show no sign of rain.

Getting rid of the last batch of emails before going to bed. Luckily today was a Sunday, so only half the amount of a weekday. (Courtesy of roving reporter Lesley, testing her camera before going ashore)