Panama, Crossroads of the World

SPECIAL NOTE - Right now there is a category five cyclone directly hitting the South Pacific Island Nation of Vanuata and many fear the worst. Although Sea Mercy has not officially partnered with Vanuata yet in 2015, they are on stand-by to help when the storm has passed. The need for aid is speculated to be great. Please help us by helping Sea Mercy and keeping up with what is happening in Vanuata. Read how to get involved at the bottom of this blog, and God Bless! 

Captain's Blog, Balboa Panama 3/13/2015

Our anchorage at sunset in Balboa, Panama

First-  I apologize for being absent for a while!  Somehow, just after clearing through the locks and just prior to a planned family visit to Seattle, I caught a pretty bad virus. It was a bit rough and put me back in schedule some. I recovered fully in Seattle and with a reschedule of my return flight I am now back on Sea Angel and getting us ready for crossing the Pacific.

Centennial Bridge across the Panama Canal

Birds at our anchorage in Panama

Resting after a big meal, Balboa, Panama

Panama is an amazing place.  

For us boating types it is a world crossroads.  The seas on either side are dramatically different.  The Caribbean side was lush, the sea there clear and with limited tidal variation, for the most part peaceful and calm.  On the Pacific side there is more contamination due to prevailing winds coming offshore bringing commercial, mostly ship pollution and soot as well as ashes from fires in the interior.  The water is not as clean here in the harbor so we choose not to swim or run our water maker, but the sea life is absolutely astounding.  Watching the birds feed at the tidal change (about 12’ from low to high), is watching a veritable feast.  It is absolutely crazy to watch them feed.  Included are a couple pictures of them resting, probably digesting?

GPS Image - Blue Triangles are ships- black boat
in the center in Sea Angel!

The Panama Canal transit was a real highlight.  For me there was a lot of anticipation and maybe a bit of anxiety as I had never transited through locks this large, and with such big companions.  There are three locks back to back going upward to Gatun Lake, a long inland transit, and then three locks back down on the Pacific Side.  It took us two days.  We all learned quickly that the transit is about speed and efficiency as it is very busy and time is a lot of money when they are dealing with getting huge commercial ships through.  It took us one raft up and one lock to get the hang of it, but from then on it was really smooth.  

The Ship Tai Hawk in the Canal

Freedom class US stealth combat ship in Panama Canal

Sea Angel was scheduled through the Canal with two other sailboats, both smaller, so we were the center boat and drove our “raft” through the locks.  There was substantial turmoil in the water and a lot of stress on our small boats and lines as the locks filled, and then again when we got some prop wash from the big ship just in front of us.  There was a bit of yelling between the advisors (one on each boat) and shore side line handlers.  We made it through three locks up on Saturday afternoon/evening then spent the night tied to a mooring in Gatun Lake.  That evening we heard the nearby howl of the black monkeys in the jungle.  The next morning we arose early and transited Gatun Lake and the narrow cut on the way to Milflores locks where we dropped back down to sea level on the Pacific side. 

It was a great opportunity to experience and receive the benefit of such a large work of human engineering.  We also got to see all the work being done on the new larger locks under construction.   We are now on a mooring in a district of Panama City called Balboa.  We are just a few hundred feet from the shipping lanes and get to watch the endless stream of large vessels in the crossroads.  

Stephanie and Oliver, wonderful help for
Sea Mercy in Panama

We have attended a Latitude 38 “Pacific Puddle Jump” kickoff party and have a wonderful new friend that has helped us connect with the needed resources to put all in order aboard Sea Angel.   All is well.

Balboa Yacht Club puddle jump kick-off party

Panama is and has been for us a place of transition.  There has been much that is changing in our environment, the scope of the journey to come has changed, there is a difference in our emotions, and in the detail of our preparations.  Panama has deservedly earned the title of “crossroads of the world” in my mind.   Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare and then depart for the Galapagos and on to the Southern Pacific.

DL

Panama City Skyline from Balboa, Panama

PS - Watch below for a time lapse of our trip through the Panama Canal!

The Sea Angel is sailing for a cause. Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. 

Right now there is a category five cyclone directly hitting the South Pacific Island Nation of Vanuata and many fear the worst. Although Sea Mercy has not officially partnered with Vanuata yet in 2015, they are on stand-by to help when the storm has passed. The need is speculated to be great. Please help us by helping Sea Mercy and keeping up with what is happening in Vanuata.

We welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - they have several ways to get involved and are so grateful for your support. 

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees in the spirit of social responsibility and provide a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. 

Pacific Planning

“I have been impressed with the urgency of doing. Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Being willing is not enough; we must do.” - Leonardo Da Vinci

 

A big thank you to everyone who has followed our story from Carolina Beach all the way to Panama! We've crossed the Canal and are making plans to depart on our longest sail yet. 

Before we go, we need your help! As we've sailed, we've talked about our mission. We've donated our time, our vessel, and our hearts to the cause, but we still have needs on the boat. Please consider a donation to Sea Angel's provisions fund. Everything helps in getting us where we need to be! A portion of donations to the boat will go directly go to the non-profit, and the remainder will help us deliver the Sea Angel to Tonga and Sea Mercy.

To donate to our cause, visit http://www.seamercy.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=15

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR MISSION TO REACH TONGA! 

Stay tuned for Pacific adventures!!!

Faces of the Caribbean (and South America)

Captain's Log, 2-3-2015

"Faces"

I have recently been lonely.  It is a melancholy feeling of loneliness, even though I have a great crew on board and I am not really alone. We have completed some of our longest passages so far; Dominican Republic to Jamaica, then Jamaica to Panama. Each trip was day and night, back to back, multiple days feeling like the day before it. When we stop in port we just get to know some of the people and culture before we have to depart again. We barely connect before we have to say goodbye. That creates a loneliness in me. It is compounded by the growing distance between my family and friends, nations away. Communication out here is spotty at best, so staying in touch can often be disappointing if I can’t get through. I have had a chance to reflect on this and here is what I have come up with:

Sailing is more than a vehicle. It is a way to travel; it is a way to take your home and move it cost effectively. I always kid about the convenience that if you don’t get along with your neighbor, you can just move your home up the way a bit. Boat life is a transient way of life if that is what you desire. I have found that I enjoy the challenges and adventure of this type travel, but what I have also found is that I mostly enjoy the people along the way; the staying, connecting, learning, loving, engaging. The sailing is fun (don’t get me wrong, I am a Captain), but you may laugh... it is not why I sail. I sail for the people I get to meet, for the destinations and landing spaces to set my anchor. So in this blog I wanted to share some new “faces”, the faces of people I have had the pleasure of meeting, of connecting with even if briefly on this stage of the journey. They are the faces that break the loneliness, they are the highlights for me of this lifestyle. There are many smiling children, upside down ones, rooftop ones, basketball ones. There was Terry the Muslim, on Little Farmers island, that seeks the same good in the world that I do. The man mourning at his wife’s grave in Nassau was a touching connection. And then there was Caroline, who I got to give a beautiful “dress of Becky” to in Nagana; Nester the kind man of the Guna Yala tribe who sails the Ulu; a Congo man named “Spider” in Portobello; the boys at the store; and the list goes on.

That is why I sail. I am discovering that it takes putting yourself somewhere alone, somewhere only you can go, to understand what is paramount in life.  

My dear friend Mike Bartz thought of me and shared this quote when he read it a few days ago;

“I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest term.” Henry David Thoreau.  

The timing of the quote was perfect, as it very eloquently begs for introspection and conjures questions each of us should try to answer. How do we live deliberately? What is essential? What can we learn through being alone? Are we resigning ourselves or are we sucking the marrow out of life? What is life’s lowest denominator, what is really important? 

I now know that I sail to reach the anchorage and people. I am looking very much forward to staying someplace for a while, to connect and share with new faces what I have learned by simply being "alone". We leave the Caribbean Sea on Saturday, and on Sunday we will push the bows of Sea Angel into the Pacific. A new Ocean and new peoples. I will be happy to stop and stay a while when we reach Tonga. 

-DL

A boy in Luperon, Dominican Republic

Playing basketball, Island Nalunega, San Blas Panama

Beautiful! Sea Angel, Bahamas

The children of Nevel's home, Island Nalunega, San Blas

Church of San Felipe de Portobello, Panama

Girl with a Gap, Luperon, Dominican Republic

Green and Red Girls, San Blas Panama

Guna Yala Man, Coco Bandero, San Blas 

Gerald, a man mourning for his wife in Nassau

Nevel's son, Nalunega, San Blas

Nevel's younger son, Nalunega, San Blas

Pig Friend, Staniel Cay, Bahamas

Rooftop Boy, Island Wichubhaula, San Blas

Sailing Boy, Island Nalunega, San Blas

School Girls, Luperon, Dominican Republic

Sidewalk Boy, Island Nalunega, San Blas

"Spider", Portobello, Panama

Street Boys, Luperon, Dominican Republic

Sunshine! Hill atop Wardrick Wells, Bahamas

Terry, Little Farmer's Island, Bahamas

Thanksgiving Friends, Sea Angel, Great Harbor Cay, Bahamas

Traveling friends Miriam & Dave, Luperon, Dominican Republic

Upside Down, Island Nalunega, San Blas, Panama

Don't forget to read about our cause below! Sea Mercy will be at the Miami International Boat Show next week with more information as well. Thanks for following.

The Sea Angel is sailing for a cause. Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. 

If Sea Angel's journey is valuable to you, we welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - they have several ways to get involved and are so grateful for your support. 

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees in the spirit of social responsibility and provide a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. 

The Plan!

"The best-laid plans of catamarans and men often go awry." 

- Someone may have said this!

The plan........

I don’t yet know it, and I am the Captain! Let me explain. A very special person in my life has accused me of “not having a plan”, to which we laugh. But tonight it got me thinking.

We (Sea Angel and her crew) departed the Dominican Republic on Thursday the 15th of January. Our clearing out papers were for a destination of Panama, a 7 or 8 day sail. That was part of a broad, general plan to arrive in the South Pacific on schedule- the grand plan so to speak. When we discussed this leg of our trip there was trepidation by the crew on where we might find harbor to stop and rest, as it would be the longest single offshore transit of the trip. I threw out the reasonable options for stopping, and concluded the conversation with “we are just going to start. We will figure out the plan later.”

Jamaican Mangroves

So, I am writing this as we motor along in the lee of Jamaica, on a glass calm sea. How did we end up here!? Well, we started the leg to Panama but listened and responded to the forces greater than us. Nature influenced our plan, or the lack thereof. The winds were abnormally light and we motored a lot to keep up the pace. We used a lot of fuel. Our plan didn’t change... because we didn’t really have one. It reminded me of a scene in the movie “Captain Ron” where in the midst of a terrible storm with everything going wrong at once, Captain Ron says, “well at least we are almost at our safe destination.” To which the crew responds, "how do you know?" He says, "because when they left the last port we had just enough fuel to make it there….. and now we are out of fuel!" He got beat up by the crew.

Jamaican Police escorts Sea Angel

Again, sailing teaches lessons about life. Plans are okay, but they should not be held to fast or dearly. So much of life is out of our control. To have a general plan, a destination, goals, is good. Those set the direction to travel. But to have a plan for each step along the way is not up to us. At this point of our journey, I have learned to give that up, to embrace something bigger than myself. We sail to fulfill a purpose, and it turns out the purpose is fulfilling us.


A quote comes to mind:

“The heart of man plans his way, but the LORD establishes his steps.” Proverbs 16:9, English Standard Version (ESV):

AMEN! David.

Sunrise over Jamaica

The Sea Angel is sailing to the South Pacific for a cause- Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. Read more about Sea Mercy's 2014 Impact.

 

If Sea Angel's journey resonates with you, we welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - there are several ways to get involved. They especially always need enthusiastic volunteers. If you are in the medical profession, consider committing to a rotation in the South Pacific!

 

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees in the spirit of social responsibility and provide a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. The more we sail, the more we understand how important it is to foster these types of relationships in everything we do. Our journey still has a long way to go, and we thank you for being here with us. 

Tale of Three Countries

Since leaving North Carolina in early November we have traveled to and through, three separate countries, the Bahamas, the Turks and Caicos, and now the Dominican Republic from where I write this blog. Each country has been beautiful and unique in its own right. We have enjoyed them all. 

Left or Right?

The Bahamas consist of many, many islands and small Cays, some inhabited, some not.  The communities on each were different depending on their exposure to the “western” influence and visitation. What I felt there was different than I had expected. The Bahamas lie very close to the SE United States and are within easy access by multitudes of “cruising” boats. There was a distinct feeling that we were part of a western expansion of the adventuresome retirement culture, kind of like traveling in RV’s on the water.

The view from Georgetown

The Georgetown culture in the Bahamas was built around activities and social events for this slice of America.  There was basket-weaving, special church for cruisers, women’s groups, volleyball tournaments, potlucks on the beach, etc. Georgetown is the unofficial “end” of this culture as it is more challenging to reach farther south. I enjoyed it, especially the remote islands, but I felt the desire to move on.

The Turks and Caicos were a little farther East and South and more challenging to reach by boat.  The numbers of cruisers reaching these islands is just a fraction of the Bahamas. Here we met only a handful of other cruisers, mostly stopping by as they head farther south. The Islands however are popular with the jet-set vacationers and has an abundance of lavish hotels, condominiums, and villas. Again, very beautiful and interesting but the local population was highly influenced by tourism and all that goes along with it.

Hillsides of Dominican Republic from the ground.

Setting nets in Luperon

Kitchen Sink

As I sit now in Luperon, Dominican Republic, I realize I don’t yet want to leave yet. What a splendidly beautiful country and peoples! Luperon is kind of a back water town, it is a small and simple harbor that was cut out of the mangroves and is home to maybe 40 boats. Most arrived years ago, and the captains and crew just decided to stay. The town is isolated to a great degree, not participating much in the national tax structure or services. It creates a flavor of unofficial-officialness, with clearing-in fees unique to the staff working that day. The town only gets electricity service 6 or 7 hours a day I think because they are only an unofficial-official town. Because it is on the fringe (and not an easy or desired western destination) it has little in common with the other Caribbean countries we have visited.  It is such a loving and friendly culture, much the same as it has been for centuries.  

Best friend

Christ statue overlooking Puerto Plata

The doors of the small homes on the streets are always open and at night the warm glow coming from inside just feels so inviting and comfortable.  The families are close, with the children playing in the streets, parents and grandparents in chairs on the steps.  Everybody smiles, looks you in the eye, touches you, laughs with you.  The love and kindness of these peoples was amazing.  The children are so happy, even the dogs and wild animals are healthy and well cared for.  No bars on the windows, no police.  Most of the local people were born here and have never left.   Many of those that came by boat never left either.  I understand why.  I will always remember and hold the Dominican peoples in great regard.  They have set the cultural bar high for integrity, love, kindness, generosity.   

As I wrote those descriptive words I reflected on  Paul’s words in Colossians 3;12 “Therefore as Gods chosen people, holy and dearly loved, cloth yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” They get it. 

Amigo

We must continue to press on, however.  To stay on schedule we depart today or tomorrow for the San Blas Islands off Panama. Hope to someday return and visit the families and friends we have met here.

New world traveling friends

Jesucristo es mi amigo! 

The Sea Angel is sailing to the South Pacific for a cause- Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. Read more about Sea Mercy's 2014 Impact.

 

If Sea Angel's journey resonates with you, we welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - there are several ways to get involved. They especially always need enthusiastic volunteers. If you are in the medical profession, consider committing to a rotation in the South Pacific!

 

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees in the spirit of social responsibility and provide a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. The more we sail, the more we understand how important it is to foster these types of relationships in everything we do. Our journey still has a long way to go, and we thank you for being here with us. 

Progress

"Life is not a destination, it’s a journey. We all come upon unexpected curves and turning points, mountaintops and valleys. Everything that happens to us shapes who we are becoming. And in the adventure of each day, we discover the best in ourselves.”-UNKNOWN

We are just passing "South Rock", the southernmost bit of the Turks and Caicos. This is a milestone on the journey because we start heading more south than east. Since the trade winds blow pretty consistent from the east, we will now be able to sail more comfortably with the wind at our backs so to speak! Well, more realistically, the wind will be moving more behind us than in front of us, but that is an awesome step. Another milestone is the daily offshore email we do for position tracking, and staying in touch, is now easier relayed through the Panama station instead of the one I have been using in South Carolina.

We are all pretty excited to be heading to the Dominican Republic. It looks like a very neat place to explore. The island of Hispaniola is comprised of two countries; to the east is the Dominican Republic, and to the west is Haiti. Hopefully we can explore both countries a little bit before we move on to Panama. Photos to come!

I put a "note in a bottle" in the sea today. Wonder where it might be found someday? Thank you for following our travels and keeping us in your prayers!

-DL

The Sea Angel is sailing to the South Pacific for a cause- Sea Mercy is a benevolent program developed for disaster and critical care needs for remote islanders. Sea Mercy is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) charity with a simple vision and mission to "stand in the gap" with a service delivery vessel, trained health care volunteers, support equipment, and critical care services as island nations develop their "outer island" health care infrastructure, when critical health care need opportunities are present, or when disasters occur. Read more about Sea Mercy's 2014 Impact.

 

If Sea Angel's journey resonates with you, we welcome you to consider donating on our behalf to Sea Mercy - there are several ways to get involved. They especially always need enthusiastic volunteers. If you are in the medical profession, consider committing to a rotation in the South Pacific!

 

Sea Mercy's Corporate "We Care" Program is designed to help organizations attract and engage clients, vendors, and employees in the spirit of social responsibility and provide a wonderfully enriching partnership. There are several ways to participate with "We Care". Visit Sea Mercy's website for additional information. If you know of an organization or would like to involve yours, please share this information forward. The more we sail, the more we understand how important it is to foster these types of relationships in everything we do. Our journey still has a long way to go, and we thank you for being here with us.