Before describing the transit to the Pacific, mention must be made of the quiz night which was organized in the marina for the World ARC crews. Sapphire was represented by the formidable duo of Gavin and Miriam. After a mind-bending series of questions over the course of a couple of hours, our team emerged victorious, taking the top prize! We may not win on the water, but we're very competitive when the drinks are flowing.
The passage to the Pacific on Sunday had a very relaxed, dream-like quality. There are 2 female pilots in the 300 or so pilots working for the Canal Authority. We were fortunate to have one of the two assigned to us, a delightful pilot who spoke perfect English and had a lovely personality. This was just as well, because the day was very hot and we spent a lot of it hanging about, waiting. We crossed Lake Gatun in about 3 1/2 hours with the help of a favorable 1.5 kt current from the Chagres river. We had hoped to see crocodiles and monkeys and other wildlife which inhabit the area, but nothing appeared. There were, though, lots of birds of different species; turkey vultures, swallows, swifts and especially pelicans.
After spending close to 3 hours describing lazy circles in front of Pedro Miguel lock, and occupying our time by texting our families with updates on our likely timing so they could watch us on the Canal's webcams, it was finally time to raft up. The whole process went remarkably smoothly. Maria, the pilot gave clear, timely instructions and in no time at all we could see before us The Bridge of the Americas, the gateway to the Pacific. We had made it! We anchored off Playita Marina and savored the thrill of having moved Sapphire successfully and trouble free into the Pacific.
To cap off a successful day, we found onshore a Cuban restaurant with an 8-piece band and a wildly enthusiastic audience ranging in age from 5 to 75 who clapped, cheered and gyrated to the happy rhythms. It was a very contented crew who made it back to the boat.