[pe2-image src=”http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PH7ORk_8QuA/UT5TbiaggpI/AAAAAAAATxk/QGViDQ8oqxE/s144-c/P3111853.JPG” href=”https://picasaweb.google.com/112133179186774955122/SouthAmericaSection2Stage13PanamaBoarderColombiaPacificToBoarderColombiaCaribbean#5854208298187784850″ caption=”The hazy skyline of Panama City” type=”image” alt=”P3111853.JPG” ]

Pos: here
Loc: Panama City
Acc: Hennie’s and Ursula’s house
Dist: 68,7 km
Start: 6:20 End: 21:00

No paddling tomorrow

Sure my night watch neighbour from the “Survivor” crew came this morning on my launch wanting a signed card for himself- no problem! 🙂 At least he was not sitting there highly armed as my night watch neighbours the other days, but rather freezing in the chilly night without tent, the poor guy…

I felt good with my decision to launch just after sunrise after my rest day, and to do the last stretch in one run, expecting to paddle into the night approaching Panama City. This will be fun!

Many, many small planes and boats came up from the city this morning to spend the weekend out on the islands, I counted maybe 25? Mostly small sized private motor boats, those one with a small cabin on top, plus a driver’s helm additionally on top, and more or less high sea fishing rods diagonally sticking out backward to the sides. When they run fast, they look like they are flipping almost over, with the stern invisible immersed with the engine. Just like a woman’s slipper, I always think. Ugly anyway. Only one sailing boat passed majestetically by.
As I was paddling directly on the “highway line” from the islands to Panama City, most of them came close and many waved. Three larger ferry boat motor catamarans came also up, one of them was even stopping to wave also.
The run was almost over around midday. Only one tiny fishing boat with three locals and a woman went my way in the morning, stopping to ask if I want a lift. Thanks! But I prefer paddling…they won’t understand…

The current and wind was affecting me today less than I was dreading, especially before I was free from the islands. Strangely enough, I had the current already a bit with me, although it should change only around 8.30 am…good. Wind waves were more or less all day, but it was not as ugly windy as coming up from the mainland. A bunch of dolphins and two whales added to the entertainment of the long crossing.

I could already estimate my arrival time being in darkness, maybe around 9 pm. A bunch of jet planes were flying close over my head, approaching the landing on the Panama City airport. One motor boat came back from the islands, and drove behind me uncomfortably close, but just to ask friendly if I needed help, this close before sunset and still away from the coast a few km… very kind but no, thanks! I’d have been signaling if I’d be not all right…could they imagine I was kind of looking forward to approach Panama City in darkness?

Once the sun started to set, I pulled out my light – a red light bright headlamp for the front, a green very bright battery light stick hanging down my back. I had a strong white flash light handy, just in case for extra signaling. This should be all right! That I needed the strong flash light, showed already quite early when a pilot boat from the canal area ran up to me quite close, maybe I should better have turned my red front light to flashing? A strong beam out of my flash light made them turn away quickly, probably cussing…

I left the wide anchoring area of the about 30 huge ships waiting for the canal passage to the left, it was already pitch dark, and paddled just in front of the bow of the last one past the first small rocky island. All ships were well lit, and were looking quite nice! But I better watch their anchor chain was down, as they DO let ships pass through the canal at
night…

I had my small GPS map, and remembered also the Google Earth picture of the approach to the Balboa Yacht club. I needed to leave all islands to the right, as they were connected with a causeway with no bridge to paddle underneath.The canal area stayed to my left out of my way. Most motorboats coming home from the islands headed to the right of the islands, no one was going to the left to Balboa!

Once past the first island, I reached the anchoring area of another small marina. I noticed quite late all the sailing boats floating around, as most of them had only a top light switched on on the mast. As those “stars” began at some point to move with me coming closer, I only realized then that these stars were yachts! I almost ran into the first one… The night was basically dark, with only all those different small lights I had to identify what they may be. This was quite a scary game!

The canal area was easy to make out with red and green side position lights. Twice two huge ships were silently passing by, amazingly barely lit, but out of my danger zone. Just a second pilot boat with obviously a Panamanian driving license and glasses prescription, almost ran over me, trying to cut my bow swinging into the small harbor behind the last island reserved for those work horses. I saw and heard him a bit late, but expected him to do exactly that, as I had seen another pilot boat turning in there earlier on. I hurried to quickly flash him with my strong flash light, they stopped and were flashing curiously back with one a bit stronger light, blinding me heavily. They were shouting something, probably nothing nice… if they know their water so well, they should have seen the unusual green bright light stick hanging from my back! But how could they expect such a tiny boat floating around a night…but in a permitted area! But it shows you can’t have enough light in such heavy traffic area…the brighter and the more flashing the better. I called Tim that I’d be arriving in about an hour, good to know that there is someone expecting you!

The paddle then along the causeway was quiet, just the current still running out plus surely that north wind was a bit annoying. Many cars were driving up and down like on a high way – what were they all doing out there Saturday night? It didn’t seem to me there is space for so many cars flooding uninterrupted out to the small islands!

Once I came close to the anchoring area of the Balboa Yacht Club, two fat lights, like eyes of an UFO, were floating right over the area…two deep flying planes? I had seen a few lights obviously belonging to planes before, but these were stronger…they were moving quite close along, and after w while I surely realized this must be another ocean liner driving on the canal lane just behind the anchoring yachts. Just in this moment I hit with my paddle into the mud on a shallow spot on low tide almost before I reached the first yacht – what was that? And I dug in another time, being scared to death.

Hey, this trip approaching Panama City at night was almost like a run in the ghost train! It was the basically pitch dark night with me paddling in the dark shade of the islands with not any other boat escorting me, but many lights in the distance. And I was just by myself…the Pacific Ocean says “Good bye”!

Tim and Diego, two friendly guys working for Hennie Marais business www.paddlepanama.com, were helping me to disembark on the floating jetty of the Yacht Club, as Hennie was out on a kayak race this weekend. On the other side of the jetty, a big catamaran filled up with a shedload of happy Saturday night party people…not a bad boat! But I was happy to be eventually on dry land. The guys brought a trolley, clever enough, to get the boat up the long jetty to the car. The drive through Panama City at night with my baby on the roof with a driver I don’t know scared me a little, but we arrived safely at Hennie and Ursula’s nice house in a gated community – it’s almost like in Florida here!