Fuzzy Goes Through the Panama Canal

(Kai wrote this story about the Panama Canal and just finished it yesterday while we were anchored in Contadora Island in Las Perlas. Just didn't want to confuse you.)




I, Fuzzy the Great Seventy Eight Poppa Nate, (Kai’s stuffed bear) had heard the news. Kai was taking me on a boat across the Panama Canal! Kai came into my room, put me in his backpack and I fell asleep. I woke up to Kai shouldering his pack and we were leaving the bus. We were in Colon, on the Caribbean side of Panama.

Kai took me in a ponga and about 5 minutes later we (me, Otto, Kai, Ruth, Tim and Maya) were greeted by Andrew and Kerry, (the owners of Mariposa, the boat we were going to transit the canal with.) Kai took me down below, sorted through his stuff, brought me outside and said “let’s go up to the foredeck so you and Maya and I can explore the boat. Fuzzy, it’s too dangerous for you to go up here without me or Maya.”

Kerry pulled up the anchor and a boat came by and dropped off a Panamanian man who was going to help us cross the canal. About 20 minutes later we tied three boats together, like a raft! We saw the first lock and the people onshore opened the gate. We went in the gate and it closed behind us almost like one of the humongous cages in the zoo. We started going up and up as the water bubbled into the chamber. The gates opened and we did this two more times. It was just like the history books that Kai had read to me. We finished Gatun Locks and motored to Gatun Lake.

And when it was getting dark, we went to a mooring. Kai gave me a meat dinner and put me down below. I saw everyone on the boat go to another boat and they left me behind.

Now that I had the boat to myself, I scrambled up on deck and thought how big everything is and how small I am. I knew Kai had warned me not to go up alone, but I was so curious. Suddenly the wind picked up and blew me up in the air all the way to the top of the mast. I reached for a line and grabbed it. Then the line started to go down fast and I was swinging. This was a life or death situation. I jumped for the spreader and I inched my way to the mast. I held on tightly.

I saw Maya and Kai walking from the other boat back to Mariposa and I roared but they did not hear me. I was on my own. I slowly climbed down paw over paw. I didn’t want to fall down and end up in the water because I could see crocodiles circling the boat and I knew if I fell into the water I would be a dead bear. Paw over paw I scooted down the mast, but I fell down about 100 paws down all the way to the deck.

My head was spinning and I couldn’t tell what was up or down. Maybe the cockpit had gone where the mast was and the mast was upside down. I was so confused.

Kai picked me up and told Maya, “I thought I put Fuzzy in the backpack. I wonder what he is doing here.” I didn’t want to tell him what happened, but I was glad to be safe in his arms.

On the second day, we went through two more locks and then we were back home on Kamaya. Kai unpacked me and put me with the rest of my friends and family. I was so glad to be back with Snowy, my daughter and Balto my son.



That night, Curlo, Paca, Al, Flitter, Golden Fur, Ali, Sparkle, Duck Shoes, Moonlight, Spot, Stormy and Phili and all of us gathered together and I told them the story of the canal. I’ll never go out on deck alone!

P.S Don’t tell Kai about this! And Happy Birthday to Poppa Nate!

Ready to Set Sail

We leave tomorrow morning for the Galapagos Islands, but we’ll stop along the way to break up the 900 mile journey. In the meantime, I wanted to update everyone on our recent days in Panama City. Besides going to the 3D version of Avatar, we've been working a ton preparing Kamaya.



After Ethan and his family left, we had to deal with our leaky fuel tank which eliminated us from getting the carbon neutral award. Up until then we had been doing really well supporting our planet, by generating electricity with our solar panels, sailing instead of motoring and in fourteen months, we had consumed as much gasoline/ diesel as we had used in one month driving in Oregon. Everything was looking great until about 70 gallons of diesel spilled from our bilge into the ocean. We were horrified!

We determined that the bottom of our fuel tank had corroded because of its proximity to the bilge and salt water. Next we had to decide how to fix the stainless steel tank. Our boat is built around the huge fuel tanks so taking it out wasn't an option. We considered getting a plastic bladder, but the baffles in the tank could pop it. Fortunately, we found Ali, an experienced welder and fellow sailor, who was willing to help us fix our tanks while anchored out at la Playita in Panama. Ali managed to make the opening of the tank large enough so he could stick his arms down into the tank and weld a new bottom about two feet above the holy one. This wasn't an easy job, but he managed to do so without blowing us up. Thank you Ali!



see the small space - that's where he had to weld.



So after that was fixed and a few other projects completed on Kamaya, it was time to provision. Sometimes I wonder if we’re on a shopping trip around the world. Panama City though has everything we need and then some, so shopping – though painful – is fairly easy here with Price Smart, Riba Smith, Foodies, and even a Kosher Deli.

Shopping was also made much easier and even fun thanks to Teresa, a native Panamanian and cousin of Mara’s (my sister in law) step-mother. You know how we're all related all around the world with perhaps less than six degrees of separation.



Not only did Teresa take me all over, but assisted in turning me into a Latina Diva, with high heeled flip flops, a pedicure and a manicure, a haircut and fancy hydrating creams. Tim and our other sailing friends didn’t recognize me when we returned one evening from our “shopping excursion.”

But on Sunday we did have a scare when I was buying eight pounds of sushi rice and seaweed at the Asian store. Maya and Kai had been tussling on the boat and suffice it to say that after Kai shot a rubber band at Maya, the fighting escalated and Maya kicked Kai who somehow cracked open his head on the interior wooded rail. Teresa and I came rushing back to the Yacht Club and took Kai to the hospital. Having a local brought such piece of mind. Teresa called the emergency room at Punta Pacifica, a John's Hopkin's hospital, ahead of time and the doctor was there to give five stitches to the back of Kai’s head.

Since then, we had a family mediation to figure out how Maya and Kai could assure us that this would not happen again. They usually get along pretty well, but they certainly know how to push each other’s buttons and they love to play wrestle with each other. They came up with four different ideas including not teasing one another, not fighting if your intention is to hurt the other sibling, recognizing moods and pausing their game to either eat something, read a book or whatever else is needed. Hopefully, our passage will be smooth and uneventful in the sibling department.

Right now Kamaya is stuffed to the gills with all sorts of food. This morning we went to Abastos, the fantastic fruit market, and bought ten pineapples,



a stalk of bananas,



four cantalopes, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, carrots, limes and so much more. We won’t starve on this boat! I’ve also learned how to make yogurt thanks to our friends on Calypso. And did I mention that we also have our trusted sourdough starter? I guess we’re becoming true sea salts.


Parting shot: Our last bowl at the Mall!

Crossing the Panama Canal

We crossed the Panama Canal … on another boat.

The Kamaya crew was picked up in a dinghy with another crew member who would be sailing (motoring) through the Panama Canal aboard Mariposa, a Westsail 43, owned by Kerri and Andrew. Kerri is from New Zealand and Andrew is British and South African. We were going to be linehandlers and help them transit the canal. The other crew member was Otto, a South African who is nice, but unfortunately a chain smoker.

Otto told us there was a boat called The Road, so called because its hull is painted black with white stripes just like a paved road, and they have a pet parrot called Rubbish. Mariposa was anchored right next to The Road on the Caribbean/ Atlantic side and we’re living on the Pacific side of Panama.




After a tiring 1 ½ hour bus ride to Colon we took a taxi to a hut and then a ponga took us along the point where The Road waved us over. We were in the Caribbean Sea – an ocean away from the Pacific. Otto gave them a bag of ice that he bought which he nearly dropped in the water.

We met Rubbish and heard the bad news. The Road wouldn’t be going through with us today, oh well, we’ll see them in the Pacific then. Several hours later, we were heading to the famous canal. We motored along with two boats, Ariel from Tasmania (that’s near Australia), and Tin Hao from France. Mariposa pulled into the first lock, Gatun. Let me explain something first. Each lock has doors and chambers and they get filled with fresh water to raise and lower boats. There are three locks in the Panama Canal, Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores.

Kai and I had to go back into the cockpit to avoid getting hit by the monkeyfists with lead balls in them. Those are thrown by the linehandlers on the land and the linehandlers on the boat then catch the lines and connect them to the monkeyfists. The water fills the chambers through holes at the bottom of the chamber. Little whirlpools swirled around.



In less than ten minutes we were up 27 feet and the gates towards the bow opened. We went through two more chambers and were raised 87 feet. The two other locks go down to the Pacific Ocean. Gatun Lake is higher than sea level, so because the Pacific tides change a lot (20 feet) sometimes boats need to go down a lot or only a little, depending on the tide. First, we entered Gatun Lake, the world’s second largest man-made lake.



Mariposa curved around the islands that were really tall mountains. The valley below them had been flooded by damming the river Chagres; it was dammed to build the lake. Some people who had lived there were overlooked and the river flooded over them but I don’t think anyone died. But lots of people did die during the ten years when they constructed the Panama Canal. Soon crocodiles came to live in Gatun Lake, but, they don’t bother people, at least I hope they don’t. We came to two moorings, the French boat hooked to one and we shared the other mooring with Ariel. Mariposa was invited for some after dinner coffee over on Ariel. Kai and I jumped from one boat to another by hoping across the giant mooring buoy.

And then we fell asleep at about ten o’clock.

I didn’t hear the howler monkeys in the morning; instead, I awoke to the sound of voices. Kerri was waking Otto up, telling him that Mariposa was leaving the anchorage. The French boat was sleeping in. Ariel had just left. I checked the time, it was 6:33 in the morning, I had finished the City of Ember and started my next book, Walk Two Moons. Unfortunately I got bored with it quickly so I went outside.

As soon as I went outside I smelled it. The wind blew it over from the cockpit. I went back down below to avoid the odor. The wind kept blowing it towards the bow and down below. I tried going to the forepeak but even there it reached. There was one thing to do. Go all the way to the bow sprit. Otto and the new advisor (those are Panamanians who come on the boat to help us through the canal) both held cigarettes. I am being driven out. Why do so many people smoke when they know it’s so bad for them?

The smoke continued all the way until breakfast. We were all handed a tray of bacon and eggs with some mashed potatoes on the side. I must say that Andrew is a pretty good cook. And as soon as I finished breakfast, poof! More smoke.

We passed a few digging carts and came across the Chagres river.



It really didn’t look like much, but then again, I had no great view of it. Kai chose that moment to wake up. Turned out he had been reading for the last ten minutes, so he must have woken up at 9:50. He got up just in time to see the beautifully built bridge. It was the thin kind with a large pole where white cords connected down from.



I got up to the bow where I would have a good view of what was happening but at the same time be safe from the monkeyfists coming from Pedro Miguel. Ariel and Mariposa rafted together. We entered the second lock, Pedro Miguel.

I blinked, and I saw a wooden boat, I think it was the same boat that I had seen being varnished over on the Pacific side? It was and full of tourists. We waited fifteen minutes or so, and the French boat Tin Hao entered. She rafted next to the wooden boat.

“Last one is always the lucky one.” I heard Andrew mumble.

I have to admit he was right.

The monkeyfists were tossed to us. All but the man astern made the throw. He tossed again, missing badly. He tossed again, four times until someone more experienced took over. I think he needs to go back to school. The new line thrower got it on his first try.



And we went down. This time I could be a linehandler.



I let out the line and we continued going down. The descent was much smoother than ascending. First of all because when you go up, they squirt water up from the floor and it takes a longer time, I think. Verses when they let out water for going down. There are no swirls in the water and it is smooth going. I definitely prefer the water when it’s going down.

I watched it come through the gate into the water. And the water stopped so the double gates swung open. Why double doors? Is that what you’re wondering? The two gates keep some of the freshwater of Gatun Lake stay in the lake.



They are building a new and wider canal that will save tons of water. I wonder what that will be like.

The space between Pedro Miguel and Miraflores was several miles. But it didn’ t take long and soon we were going through the last lock, and two chambers. The first chamber went well. The second chamber went fast. We were out of the Panama Canal. Here's what it is like looking over the lock.




I saw our familiar boat as we came into La Playita. We anchored and came back to our boat.

“Wow” I said to no one in particular.

By Maya

Please comment, (it lets me know if you like my story. )

Hannah sails on Kamaya

This entry is written by Hannah, age 9, who sailed with us in the Perlas Islands this past week.



On January 6, 2010, something wonderful happened. Our family went on a great adventure. We got to go sailing with our cousins on Kamaya. We live in Alaska, so the chance to go to Panama in January and sail with them for 10 days was something we couldn’t pass up. My name is Hannah Ziva Berkowitz Kimmel, I am 9 years old, and I want to tell you all about our trip on the Kamaya.

I quickly realized that life on a boat is very different from life on land. You cannot use up much water is one difference and space is in really short supply especially when the boys fight. You see sea creatures and I like to feel the air running through my hair (something I called hair wind” when I was little).

I’m learning lots of new things like learning how to sail bigger boats and I really got to use what I learned at the San Francisco Yacht Club sailing camp. I also got to learn how to boogie board!



My cousin Kai was a pretty good surfer. He stood up on the surfboard and looked pretty cool with his cowboy hat.



Some of the most exciting times I’ve had were when I went in a kayak with Maya to the beach and when we were trying to land on the beach, we capsized over some rocks. Another first adventure was seeing dolphins and pilot whales swimming next to the boat as we were sailing. I’ve never sailed this far and for so many days. My five year old brother, Noah, even surfed and snorkeled for the first time!



We all got to steer Kamaya. Here's Noah at the wheel.



My Mom even learned to steer Kamaya and read the telltales, that's the yarn on the sails that tells you whether to head up or fall off.



But my Dad loved steering the most.



Each day Maya and I have been doing newscasts at breakfast, lunch and dinnertime. We always tell the time, exciting things that happened that day, and sometimes we tell what we’re going to do the next day. When we do our newscasts, we’re up on deck and shout the news into the dorade (they are on the top of the boat and they are air scoops so sound travels really well).



Every day I learn something new and get to see new places. And Grandma Anita, you wouldn’t believe this, but we got to snorkel above these beautiful reefs. We saw lots of colorful fish. And we’ve had lots of opportunities to speak Spanish. But the best thing about being on-board the Kamaya was I got to spend more time with my cousins and really get to know them! I also got to know Uncle Tim a lot better which has just been great. At first, when we boarded Kamaya, I thought I would not want to go back to Anchorage, but now, all I want to be is COOOLD.

Happy 2010!

Happy New Years to everyone! For the sailors, let's hope this year brings smooth waters, stellar sunsets, great adventures and dolphins to your bow. To those living on land, we wish you a wonderful year of peace, health, good food, less carbon use and wisdom. Lots of love from the Kamaya crew.

Wait ... what's up with the snowman? You might be thinking ... last time we were en route to Panama and now we're playing in the snow ... well, last week we flew up to McLean, Virginia for the holidays. Kamaya is moored right outside the Panama Canal patiently waiting to set sail again. Soon we'll be heading west to explore the Perlas Islands and then to the Galapagos.

Isla Gorgona

When sailing from Ecuador to Panama, most sailors avoid Colombia, for fear of pirates, drug dealers and guerrillas, but we like to live dangerously. Just kidding, there are some safe places to visit along the way. Eric and Sherrell on the boat Sarana wrote an online guide to cruising Columbia, and suggested stopping at Isla Gorgona, located 35 miles from the Pacific Coast of Columbia and so named by the Spanish conquistador, Francisco Pizarro who, when he visited the island in the early 1500s lost two of his crew from snake bites. That experience reminded him of the Greek Gorgon or Medusa, the frightening woman with snakes in her hair, and thus the island's name.



So at 4:00 am on Saturday morning with the full moon lighting our path, we grabbed one of the three moorings in front of the island full of snakes.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that Isla Gorgona also has a fine restaurant, hotel, swimming pool and tour guides. Visitors are not allowed to wander the lush forest without a guide. Remember this island has poisonous snakes.

But the snakes didn't stop us. We were looking for the famous blue lizard, Anolis gorgonae, only found on this island.



(We never saw the elusive and rare blue lizard but I was able to borrow a photograph from Maria Margarita Ramos, a researcher from Princeton University.)

Instead, we did find the Basilisk or Jesus Christ Lizard which walks on water and is very fun to watch as it scurries on top of ponds.



We found many white-faced capuchin monkeys who didn't seemed troubled by the snakes and loved eating the orange seeds from the palm tree.





Early Sunday morning, we rented rubber boots and took an escorted walk on the lush island. The rubber boots are needed for protection from snakes and also to maneuver the muddy paths. One of the first things we saw on the path was a boa constrictor. I didn't get a great picture since I was a little nervous -- silly me, boa's are harmless!



Here's Kai walking the gorgeous beach wearing his requisite rubber boots.



In the afternoon, we took a look at the island's sad past. From 1965 until 1984, the island served as the Alcatraz of Colombia, a maximum security prison. Our guide, Ranulpho, showed us around the remnants of the prison which is overgrown with trees and instead of prisoners, the rowdy monkeys frequent the grounds and bang on the walls. As Ranulpho told us about the horrible lives the prisoners led, the monkeys hollered from above. We learned about one prisoner who had managed to build a raft and escape by sea 50 miles to Buenaaventura. That same prisoner - at the time a freeman -- went to the bar, got a little drunk and bragged about his feat. Someone called the authorities in Gorgona and they came out and brought him back to the prison. I guess he learned the lesson of keeping one's mouth closed.



We planned on leaving early the next morning, but Luis, a biologist on the island dissuaded us. He told us that we could watch him tag turtles. They were going to catch them at eight in the evening when the turtles go to sleep, bring them on shore and tag them. The previous month, they had used GPS to tag and study the turtles, but they lacked the money for more satellite. This was Colombia's first ever sea turtle tacking project.

Look closely as there's a green turtle in the photo. The biologists put a towel over the turtle's head so as not to bother her and then they measured her shell, head, fin and even her tail. They also weighed her. This is probably the first or second time the this turtle has been on land. Turtles begin their lives on land and the females only return to lay eggs.





P.S. For any of the sailors reading this entry, contrary to popular belief, the costs to visit the island were reasonable and we did not have to check into the country. They accept credit cards and don't accept dollars. It cost us $5 for the mooring; $15 to enter the island; $1.50 to rent rubber boots; $3 for the hike which included a panga ride return. We splurged $10 for the three course dinner - shrimp, rice, vegetable and dessert. Not bad and well worth the visit.

Leaving Mainland Ecuador

As our days in mainland Ecuador come to an end, I feel both sad and excited: sad to leave Bahia de Caraquez where we’ve been living for the past three months and excited to be sailing again back at sea amongst clean water, dolphins and turtles.

When we arrived in early September almost three months ago, we were ready to kick our heels deep in the sand, escape the rain and lightning that faced us north of the Equator, hone in on our Spanish and become part of the community. Bahia (when you say it in Spanish, don’t pronounce the “h”) was a perfect place to accomplish these goals.

We settled in quickly with a routine for life on land. Maya and Kai attended a local school for one month, we joined the tennis club, and found our favorite lunch places as the 2:00 pm almuerzo/lunch is the most important meal of the day. Most places charge $2.50 for soup, fish and rice and sometimes even a dessert.

Puerto Amistad, the place where we dock our dinghy and take showers, lives up to its name as being a port of friendship. It is here at Puerto Amistad where we recently had Thanksgiving with more than 120 people (we brought Mayflower boats that we made from pineapples)



It is where we celebrated Maya’s 10th birthday with classic games of the egg toss, water balloon toss, limbo and more.



Here at Puerto Amistad, everyone worked together to complete a 2000 piece puzzle. It is here, where we connect to the Internet, have Spanish lessons, eat our shrimp crepes and hamburgers, drink hot chocolate and Pilsener beer, chat with locals and sailors and where Maya and Kai and their buddies Thomas and Patrick from the boat Victoria play for hours on end.



Now it’s time to clean all the dirt off of Kamaya, raise our anchor, sail out of the Rio Chone and back into the Pacific. We're headed back to Panama, then to the states for the holidays and then on to the Galapagos. “Good-bye Bahia” or “so long” as we hope someday to return.

It’s time to say good-bye to our hundred year old friend, Miguelito. We loved feeding you bananas, giving you water that you inhaled through your nostrils and climbing on top of your huge shell. You are historic and amazing!



Thank you to Pierre and Kim from Victoria for paving the path for us here in Bahia -- we look forward to sailing west with you and hitting more backhands and volleys on tennis courts somewhere in the near future. Gracias to lovely Margarita for starting my Monday and Wednesday mornings with sun salutations and controlled breathing. Bruce, Olenca and Anita, we hope to see you out on the high seas someday -- keep up the good spelling Anita as next year you can win the Spelling Bee. Montserrat - you have created an impressive Montessori preschool school, one which will teach the younger generation to respect our planet.




Maye and Trip, thank you for creating a happy home for us at Puerto Amistad. Carlos, keep up your sense of humor and thank you for finding our anchored buried in the muddy river. Isabel and Guillermo from the boat TinTin, we hope you had a wonderful trip to Peru and hopefully we can continue our Spanish/English language exchange in the Galapagos. Henry, Ana and Brianna, we hope your new life in Canoa continues to satisfy you with stunning sunsets and warm friends. Alfredo from Sainanda, we wish you success in curing the monkey who electrocuted himself. We really enjoyed roaming your grounds, watching your peacocks display their feathers, talking and dancing with your parrots and marveling at the sleepy sloths sitting at your dining room table. I’m sorry the government didn’t decide to build a draw bridge so that sailors can live in your peaceful abode.




We’ll miss the tricyclists who peddle us around town. We’ve thoroughly enjoyed the tennis club, where Maya earns the prize for most improved.



So long to all the merchants in the Mercado selling bananas, tasty pineapples, mangos and granadillas. The fish market took me a few weeks to brave the entrance, but once inside, I was continually amazed by the variety of fish. It seemed like every time I ventured into the market, I saw something new. Once there was even a manta ray on the table.

Thank you Bahia for being a happy home for us. We’ll miss you!