Southern Cross - Panama Update
Lots of fun and excitement in Panama aboard the Southern Cross. Chris (Kathy's daughter), Doug and Loren joined the crew in Chichime in the San Blas Islands. And to Steve and Dave's relief, they arrived with Panamanian brew, Atlas. We spent several days snorkeling in the crystal clear waters, enjoying freshly caught fish, and admiring the Kuna Indian's handicrafts. Of course, Kathy and Chris could not resist the colorful molas.
We were due at Shelter Bay on the 23rd to prepare for our canal transit so we had a day to enjoy Portobello's historic forts and snorkeling/scuba diving. Shelter Bay was a beautiful marina outside of Colon. Kathy and David re-provisioned the boat (Kathy bought food and David bought a year's supply of chips, cookies, and wine!), Chris, Doug and Loren explored the jungle, and Steve was ecstatic to be connected to the internet. Everyone enjoyed a tour of the Gatun locks (DSC_0655) and San Lorenzo National Park.
Our canal transit was quite impressive. We were joined by our adviser, Ricardo, who did an amazing job leading us through the locks. Kathy made him a wonderful cake b/c the crew decided there was no better way to celebrate Australia Day than to declare it Ricardo's birthday for the transit. It was a late night, we finally dropped anchor and bid farewell to Ricardo at 1:30 AM, only to continue the journey at 7AM the next day. We spent the day as a raft with the Glamorous Galahs to the port and At Last to the starboard. The Southern Cross had quite a day as it spent the morning in the fresh water of Lake Gatun and entered the Pacific the same afternoon.
Chris, Doug, and Loren spent the final day of their vacation touring Panama City with Kathy. The city is quite impressive and diverse with towering sky scrapers on one end and intricately decorated churches with a "New Orleans feel" on the other. David spent an amazing day at Embera Village, located in the Chagres National Park.
There's lots to do and see in Panama City. We'll be gathering some last minute groceries and working on the generator, before we depart to the Las Perlas. The boat seems much quieter without the kids on board. We're looking forward to having Eve join us as we make our way toward the Galapagos.
The Southern Cross Crew
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