After six years out and five different boatyards you would think we would have the work and launch routine down and more importantly what comes after. Like sea trialing a vessel before a long trip.
Unfortunately hubris prevails and after eight weeks of various scheduled and more unexpected projects we slipped the lines and left Shelter Bay intending to head out doing an immediate overnight passage to Bocas Del Toro. Slipping the lines after an extended stay anywhere always has you nervous, especially in the close quarters of a marina and heavily used anchorage.
Well we got past all that, cleared the break water and got out amongest all the freighters anchored offshore waiting for their canal transit. First we tried our revamped autopilot. After it steered us into several near collisions with anchored boats I unhooked the controls and decided to send that one back to the drawing board. No sooner was that was put away when we noticed white smoke starting to come out the companionway.
This was a replay of an earlier experience from the first year out in the Erie Canal when we melted the exhaust system. Not wanting a recurrence I quickly shut the engine down went below and started the process of getting at the engine which means stairs and sink out. Leaning over the hot engine while Deb sailed I spotted the problem. A loose hose connection at the Vetus water muffler dripping on a hot engine. Realizing that fixing the motor in the bobbing seas was going to make for an uncomfortable job we decided to jibe and headed back down to Narjana a small island with a well protected anchorage just outside Colon. We pulled in there and licking our wounds I got down to fixing the muffler.Once I was satisfied with that we hooked up the spare auto on the tiller as well as readying the wind vane. We got down for a good nights sleep but were worried about having missed our weather window.This coast is notorious for its ever changing conditions epecially the ones that come in the form of quick and windy squalls.Throw an adverse current into the mix and it can mean hours of wet uncomfortable sailing. Next morning we woke and got a quick jump but by noon we hadn't even made the Chagres River, only 12 nautical miles and we were soaked from the constant rain. I looked at Deb and asked if we had signed any contracts she said no so it was a mutual no brainer to turn around and run back even further to Portobello and lick our wounds.
to be continued
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