Leaving the Caribbean and heading across the Pacific, we were looking forward to reaching the boat-friendly shores of New Zealand. We had planned a list of repairs, maintenance and boat-improvement projects, knowing that New Zealand had a knowledgeable marine industry. Most boat items we required were available off the shelf. This was a far cry from what we had been able to access.  Additionally, we planned to temporarily import Eleuthera into New Zealand, meaning the boat repairs would be exempt from GST.

Boat maintenance occupies nearly 50% of normal cruising life, with both planned and mostly unplanned jobs.  Every boat has a “To Do” list, and inevitably, many things never make it to the top of the list.  The most satisfactory job is the unplanned task, which is completed easily. This is then added to the list and immediately crossed off – feels like progress.  Boat improvement remains a low priority, with repairs taking precedence.

Also, cruising in relatively remote locations means both parts and expertise are generally expensive and difficult to come by.  Visiting friends become couriers bringing an array of parts and spares with them. The DIY approach, aided by YouTube videos and Google searches, means most repairs can be sorted.  Fellow cruisers are also a source of information and often specialist tools if required. There aren’t many problems which haven’t been solved before.

We arrived in New Zealand at the end of October 2024. We had been in contact with a number of suppliers about the big project to replace the refrigeration on the boat.  Eleuthera was originally fitted with a large Fridge and Freezer powered by water cooled 240v compressors.  These were now 20 years old, and while we had tried to upgrade them along the way, but they were passed their use-by date.  On the trip down from Tonga we had had some electrical problems in the 240v switchboard, so that also made the upgrade list,  along with a raft of other small projects.

Little did we realise that this would turn into nearly 6 months of continuous work. We were trying to get the boat ready to depart New Zealand for French Polynesia and were continuously delayed.

Switchboard Upgrade

On arrival at Marsden Cove https://marsdencovemarina.co.nz/, we engaged a local electrician to replace the entire 240V switchboard. The old one seemed to have some electrical damage, and also the enclosures were damaged. 

Two new enclosures and 28 new circuit breakers later, we were able to get an NZ Electrical Warrant of Fitness. We could then plug into the shore power.  In the process, we discovered another faulty contactor, which was also replaced.

Victron Inverter Chargers

Eleuthera has 2 Victron 5Kw Quattro inverter chargers and one of these had failed with suspected saltwater damage.  Removing the offending unit it was sent off Lusty and Blundell for repair.  Reports came back that a circuit board had failed and needed to be replaced.  The good news was, they were in stock. As we had purchased them new in Malta in 2021 they should be under the 5 year warranty.

This relief was short-lived. We discovered that Victron offer a warranty from the date of manufacture, not the date of purchase. Apparently, these units were 5 years old when we purchased them.  Makes you realise the benefits of NZ consumer laws, where warranties are from the date of purchase.

With the unit re-installed everything came back online. However, for no apparent reason the unit was to fail again twice more.  Luckily these repairs  were under warranty as it was the same circuit board failing each time. 3^rd time lucky the system has come right and we can only assume a bad batch of circuit boards.

Anchor Winch

One of the fears when cruising is the anchor winch failing and having to hoist the anchor by hand.  Eleuthera carries 140m of 12mm chain and a 50kg anchor which has a combined weight in excess of 500kg.  Anchoring in 20-25m deep water meant we often had +100m of chain out so a reliable winch is important.

We had come across several boats whose winches had failed for various reasons which severely limited their cruising options.  A full service of our winch was a priority before we had a problem.  With new bearings, motor brushes, oil changed and serviced we should be good for the next few years. We also now carry a range of essential spares for the winch.

Hull Repairs

When we were in the Galapagos, one of the crew noticed some small hairline cracks in the starboard hull. These were above the water line in the area of the main beam.  We did a major inspection of this area, both inside and out to check there was no structural damage. We then marked the ends of the cracks but found that no further movement occurred.

As a boatyard job this was also on the list when we hauled out in March 2025.  After grinding the damaged area back it became apparent that the damage was largely cosmetic. The crack had occurred on a join in the original layup of the hull.  The repair, now a couple of thousand miles old, has held with no other issues.

Rudder Bearings.

We had replaced the port lower rudder bearing housing in Trinidad a couple of years earlier. We were unable to get access to the starboard one, because the fridge compressors impeded access.  With the fridge upgrade and removal of these compressors came the opportunity to replace the starboard one.

Once again a boatyard job with parts coming direct from France through International Boat Spares.  After much dusty cutting and grinding, the old housing was removed from the hull. Following some repairs a new lower housing, the bearing was fitted. Luckily, we had the services of Prevek an excellent fibreglass guy to help.

Fridge Upgrade

All of the fridges were due for replacement when we were in the boatyard in Whangarei.  The plan was to remove the old built-in units and replace them with off-the-shelf units. This initially seemed a straightforward job.

As with all boat jobs, reality was slightly different.  The door on the galley fridge had fallen off during some bad weather in the Mediterranean. It had then been leaking for some time. Consequently,  some of the cabinetry had gone rotten and would also need replacing before the new units could be installed.

The large fridge and freezer had been built into the boat. This construction required nearly a week to demolish the cabinets and remove the insulation. This was followed by the removal of the compressors and other plumbing and wiring.  These had also been leaking water and the floor and surrounding wood work had also rotted away.

With big jobs like this nowhere on the yacht is tidy.

As part of the deal with the boatyard, we had advised them some months earlier that we would need a boatbuilder/cabinetmaker to help with this project.  We followed up when we arrived in New Zealand and they looked surprised. They seemed to have no memory of previous conversations despite the emails.  After a few days we were finally allocated a carpenter. He seemed to know what he was doing, although, the pace of activity caused us to name him “Lightning”.

As the new fridge units are smaller in volume than the old ones we have also installed a fridge/freezer unit under the seat at the dining table.  This was a very tight fit and with few installation instructions it was trial and error.  The first attempt at plywood lids was not successful so the second version has insulated fibreglass ones which seem more successful.

With close supervision, new cabinetry was constructed for the fridge unit. These are modular Isotherm units off the shelf. They only required electrical connections and ventilation as they are air-cooled.  The old units were water-cooled, so we also took the opportunity to remove the through-hull water intakes for these.  Eleuthera now has only 13 through-hull fittings below the waterline!

The new fridges draw in a total around 20A if they are all running at once. The old 240V system could draw in excess of 80A from the batteries.  No longer having water cooled compressors, and the maintenance associated with this, and significantly lowered the energy consumption. The new refrigeration is a great success.

New Oven

An unexpected upgrade came about when Hew cleaned the existing oven. Proudly standing back from a sparkling clean appliance, he discovered it no longer worked.  Given it was over 15 years old, a trip to Harvey Norman saw us return with a new oven. This was installed into the existing space with only minor modifications.  We were beginning to wonder what else could go wrong.

Generator Upgrades and Maintenance

Our trusty Kohler generator has run over 10,000 hours and is an integral part of running the boat charging batteries, powering the watermaker, dive tank compressor and also the oven and washing machine.  While it has been very reliable we thought it deserved a New Zealand birthday.

Subsequently, we have replaced the engine mounts, the starter motor, and some pipework. We have also serviced the injectors and installed an exhaust blower in the generator space to keep the whole system cooler.

Now we have expanded our solar array and changed to Lithium batteries we expect we will run the generator less for battery charging which should see the annual running time drop from around 8-900 to 4-500 hours.

Solar Panel Upgrades

We have had two Rutland wind generators on the stern doing their thing since we have owned Eleuthera .  These  both failed on our trip from Tonga to New Zealand and on inspection needed major repairs if we were to retain them.  We decided instead to install additional solar panels using the wind generator poles to mount them on the stern. The excellent stainless framework was done by Terry at Alloy Stainless & Marine Ltd https://asmltd.co.nz/.

A new frame was fabricated in Whangarei and craned into place.  Aesthetically an improvement over the wind generators as well as providing sun protection for the dinghy. 1000w of silent solar replaced  400w of sometimes noisy wind generator for about the same cost as repairing the wind generators.

Lithium Batteries

While installing the new solar panels and maintaining the generator we discovered that one of our two banks of batteries had failed and the other bank was failing.  All of this about the time we were due to depart New Zealand meant we had to make some quick decisions.  Since purchasing Eleuthera we have been upgrading the battery charging and control systems expecting that one day we would move to Lithium batteries.

To this end we had installed Victron Quattro inverter chargers, Victron MPPT solar controllers and a Cerbo to manage it all in Malta in 2021.  The next step was an upgrade to the engine alternators when we installed Balmar 24V 160A alternators with Wakespeed regulators and DC to DC chargers in St Martin in 2023.  These systems could charge Lithium batteries with relatively simple changes to the software setup.

The price of Lithium batteries has come down dramatically over the past few years and now they are similarly priced to equivalent capacity AGM batteries.  On the basis of some discussions at the Auckland Boat Show earlier in the year we decided to install Juice batteries from Enertech in Auckland as they comply with the Australian and NZ standards and seemed to have a good reputation. 

So, it was out with 8 x  65kg  12v AGM batteries and in with 3 x 35kg 24v Juice batteries from Enertec Marine https://enertecmarine.co.nz/, a weight reduction of 400kg.  The new batteries fitted into the existing battery trays but required new cables and fuses to connect them all into the existing system.  All of this took about a week and some back and forth with the suppliers to get it all to connect up to the Victron Cerbo.  With some programming changes on the charging profiles, we were good to go. The electrical work was done by Paul Watson at Watto Electrical https://www.wattos.co.nz/

What a difference these batteries make.  With the same installed capacity of 780Ah we can now use 80% of the capacity rather than 40% with the AGM’s.  Charging rates are hugely faster with no tapering in charge rates that you get with AGM’s.  Typically we use about 25% of our battery capacity overnight running refrigeration, lighting, internet and other things.  With the old batteries we had to charge them fully at the end of each day to get through the night.  Now we just check that they are at 70% or better and  our increased solar array seems to easily charge everything unless it is raining and cloudy.

Watermaker

Our watermaker runs on 240v and makes around 160l per hour.  It is a simple component system and has reliably produced water for over 1000 hours (160t of water!).  To give it a birthday we have replaced all the high pressure lines and fittings with stainless steel ones and also installed a new membrane housing as the end caps were leaking.  While we only needed new end caps we were fortunate to obtain a whole new housing very cheaply which we have fitted in its place.  With the oil changed in the high pressure pump we should be good for another 1000 hours at least.

Staunchion Bases

Eleuthera was originally fitted with cast aluminium staunchion bases bolted to the deck with a stainless steel bolt and fitted with a stainless steel upright, an electrolysis nightmare. They were always a bit suspect and when we casually pulled one out of the deck with a spinnaker sheet it was obvious that corrosion was a real problem.

The solution was to fabricate stainless steel bases which would mount in the same holes and fit the same uprights.  We had these made locally and, when in the boatyard, we changed them over.  Detaching the old bases from the boat was an interesting investigation into some very tight spaces unseen since Eleuthera was new. With double jointed wrists and the usual bodily contortions we managed to remove the old bases. The adventure including dropping a spanner behind a wall which was only retrievable with a strong magnet.

The uprights were corroded into the bases so several hours were spent carefully cutting away the aluminium before they could be reused. The new bases were fitted  after a few fibreglass repairs on some old damage and we feel a lot more confident in the whole system.  The horizontal wires were also replaced at the same time as the old ones had some burrs and were showing signs of corrosion.

Main Engine Upgrades

Our main engines are Nanni diesels based on the Toyota 1KZT engine commonly used in Hilux and Landcruiser.  They have run over 5000 hours each and well maintained they have a very long life and we expect they will run for many years yet.

We installed catch tanks on the rocker cover breathers  to try and reduce any chance of excess oil fuelling the engines and causing them to run away uncontrollably.  We also serviced the injectors and the engines now run much more smoothly with almost no visible exhaust smoke.

Through Hull Fittings and Other Openings

We had replaced all the underwater through hull fittings in Sicily with TruDesign  composite ones.  Unfortunately, the installation was not well done and at least one had developed a small leak in our travels and, while not serious, was irritating. Having bilge pump alarms going off daily is never a good thing.

‘While out of the water in the boatyard we took the opportunity to remove and reseal the main inlets in each hull which has solved the problem.

Also under the bridge deck were 2 scuppers one of which was the air intake into the aft locker where they main engines draw their air from.  The other is the scupper drain immediately before the step down into the cabin.  The problem with these is, in a following sea, water tended come up the scuppers with the result that the aft locker was damp and salty and unexpected spurts of water would come out of the cockpit drain.

The solution was to close off the underside vents into the aft locker and fit vents above deck from the cockpit instead.  The locker and engines now get clean dry air rather than damp salty stuff.

The unexpected shower from the cockpit drain has been eliminated by fitting a baffle which allows free draining from above but prevents water coming up from underneath.

Safety Gear Upgrades

As part of gaining our Offshore Vessel Certificate  we have had to update the safety equipment onboard.  New fire extinguishers, gas alarms and an electric solenoid on the gas bottle were fitted inside the boat. 

Our 10 man Zodiac  liferaft last serviced in Sicily was 20 years old and no longer serviceable so a new 10 man raft was sourced locally.  The container is much larger than the old one a deck mounting system had to be invented and installed. We continue to carry the old one as well.

Barb got busy on her new sewing machine and made a cover for the new liferaft, a new bag for the man overboard retrieval system, and also a bag for the heaving line quoit.  Our safety equipment onboard is now up to date and current.

Barb can now say she used the sewing machine for real yacht jobs before she got distracted on other items, such as patchwork cushions and embroidery – see later blog. A special thanks to Sue at Country Dawn Quilting https://www.facebook.com/countrydawnquilting/who not only lent me a machine to do the first bag but has continually provided extra help and advice on all sorts of jobs.

Interior Upgrades

Eleuthera has large and comfortable beds with inner spring mattresses on wooden slats.  The mattresses all needed replacing so we ordered new ones from Brownies in Auckland who came and measured up the beds and made us very comfortable new ones. 

Somewhere in our travels the TV lifting mechanism had failed and needed replacing and the TV itself was not coping very well in the salt air environment on board.  We obtained a new lifting mechanism and purchased a new Smart TV and with the assistance of a young German traveller onboard installed a much improved method of mounting the TV.  With Starlink onboard Netflix, SKY Sport, YouTube etc are freely available wherever we go.

Starlink has become a basic necessity of cruising and we have upgraded our connection with Dishy now mounted with the new solar panels and the system is now powered from the DC side of the boat which reduces the power consumption by around 40%.  Additionally we carry a whole other unit as a back up in case the one we have fails.  We now use Starlink for navigation and communications when at sea and for all internet access when at anchor.

Such is the stability of large catamarans we had managed to sail perhaps 30,000 miles in Eleuthera with the microwave, coffee machine and toaster sitting on the bench with no restraints.  However sailing to and from New Zealand proved to be a different matter and all of the above became prone to escaping.  Needless to say we now have much more seaman like fiddles to contain these things in the future.

Saloon Lockers

The storage lockers under the seats in the saloon had always seemed a little suspect with some poor fibreglass repairs.  After consulting Prevek the expert who had helped with the rudder bearings we decided to fix things properly.  Hew spent a couple of days removing the water pump and cutting away the old repairs in preparation for Prevek to come and repair and reseal everything. 

As this was going to be a dusty job and the water pump was removed.  We organised for Prevek to come when we were going to be off the boat for a few days.  Prevek was a very tidy worker, he carefully built a plastic tent over the work area, then sealing himself inside with grinders, sanders and the vacuum cleaner, he got to work.  Unfortunately, the space he was working in had gaps into the rest of the boat.  Having vacuumed everything up inside his tent, he emerged to find the rest of the interior covered in fibreglass dust, which took him a whole day to clean up.

Autohelm Redundancy

Eleuthera’s steering system is hydraulic with the wheel connected directly to a pump and below this in the system is an electric pump controlled by the autopilot. Normal cruising has the autopilot engaged +90% of the time.

The original pump failed while sailing from Tonga to New Zealand and we replaced this with a new pump as well as replacing the leaky manual bypass valves when we arrived in New Zealand.  Expecting this to be long term solution we had the original pump rebuilt and carried it as a spare just in case there was a problem in the future.

Unfortunately, the new pump failed after less than 200 hours and on our abortive trip to French Polynesia https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2025/12/eleuthera-draws-parrot-fish-in-the-pacific-a-1500nm-voyage/ we had to make do with manual steering.  While we carried a spare pump, it is not practical to try and change a pump at sea because the steering system has to be disconnected.  Additionally, the original  location of the pump made servicing or replacement very difficult.

Having had the new pump replaced under warranty we decided to install 2 pumps in parallel with the ability to switch between the them copying an installation on friends boat.  Having 2 pumps plumbed in permanently gives built in redundancy and the process of changing between the two is a simple electrical switch.  The pumps were also moved to a more accessible location and new hydraulic lines made to connect them up.

Dinghy Upgrades

Having been cruising for some years in locations with very small tidal ranges we were unprepared for New Zealand’s 2.5 metre tides.  Our dinghy is a 4m aluminium rib with a 30hp outboard and while relatively light for its size still weighs around 200kg.  With any less than 4 crew it is very difficult to drag it up or down a beach.  It is great for dinghy docks, longer trips and as a dive tender  but having been caught out a couple of times we needed a solution.

We now carry a second dinghy which with the outboard weighs less than 50kg and has fold down wheels.  3hp doesn’t go very fast but for shorter distances it is great and is easily dragged up the beach.  When offshore the dingy deflates into a bag and the outboard goes into a locker.

While 30hp on a 4m dinghy may sound powerful it is a step down from our original tender which while much heavier had a 50hp outboard and would get on the plane pretty much regardless of the load.  Not so the 30hp version so we are experimenting with different pitch propellors to try and improve performance in this area.

 This gives you an overview of all our activities though

I am sure we have missed some out. For sure, there will be more in the future, but hopefully no big items in the short term. Not only do we need a rest, but our bank account does as well!!

Next Blog: Winter in Whangarei

We were so late after we got through the canal, that we found an anchoring spot the first night we ate onboard but by the second night everyone was ready for a good dinner!

The following day was spent shopping for more stores. Geordie was particularly taken by the size of the T-bone steaks! Then he and Craig found the perfect spot under the cooling system for the flowers – the locals must have wondered what they were up to. The boys are still coming to terms with the heat.

We took the taxi back to the yacht but during the unloading one of the trolleys managed to escape the trolley driver – sadly we were down one bottle of wine!!

After an exhausting day of shopping, it was off to try another bar to recuperate.

The next day was laundry day but after a fine morning it was also very wet – maybe the sign of the wet season coming. We knew that many people in Panama would be particularly glad of the rain. The water in the marina went up about a meter between the rain and the high tide. We were back in the Pacific with tides (1.5 -2.5m) after being in the Mediterranean and Caribbean with very small tides( 10-60cm).

Tortuga Island

We could not get anything done over the weekend so we went to Tortuga Island for a couple of nights – fumigation and a hull inspection were booked for check out on Monday. The island is a favourite weekend day stop for locals, so it was very busy. It has been well laid out in the past and has had quite a lot of money spent on it, but now it is looking run down in many areas. The spit between the main and smaller island is covered over at high tide so many visitors leave after the tide comes in. Most of the food stalls and shops are temporary structures.

We returned to the marina early Monday morning to finalise our checkout from Panama and get final clearances for entry to Galapagos. Craig and Hew went off in an Uber to track down something to fix a small hydraulic leak in the steering, Geordie and Graeme were dispatched to the supermarket for last-minute supplies and Captain Barb dealt with Officialdom and the fumigation man. By late afternoon we were ready to leave but it was so late we decided just to go back to Tortuga for the night, a much more pleasant place than a dirty marina with an unpleasant surge jerking the boat around.

23 April Sunny Day, Fish and Spinnaker ride

We set off early in the morning with the code zero up and very light winds. Geordie soon had two lines out and some time later he caught two tuna at the same time.

Just after lunchtime, the spinnaker went up. It was great to have it flying again and dragging us along in the light weather. Shortly before we had the spinnaker up we had seen a small pod of dolphins – the first since we left Trinidad. Immediately before nightfall, we saw a solo dolphin with two large remoras attached – a very strange sight.

We all had dinner and then discussed taking the spinnaker down. The wind had got up and we decided it was a little dodgy to leave it up with inexperienced crew on watch. Surfing at +15 knots seemed a little extreme on the first night with the breeze increasing.

So we got ready and down it came. We ran the motors to take the wind out of the spinnaker as we had no mainsail up. Unfortunately at some stage in the process, one sheet went overboard and into the starboard engine, and then the port sheet went overboard and into the port engine. Two engines out and two short sheets. With no motors and we would have to leave it until the morning to sort it out. Put up the main and Genoa again.

24 April Cleared Props

In the early morning, the breeze eased with a full moon. Lovely sailing but very slow. After daylight, we found a spare sheet and raised the spinnaker again on the spare and the longer of the now short sheets. Both props were trailing parts of the sheets that had tangled in them the night before.

The wind eased more and after some discussion, we dropped the spinnaker – really easy in daylight – and slowly drifted!! Barb, ever looking for an opportunity for a swim, leapt over and one rope came out of the port engine easily. Then Geordie dived in and helped with the starboard engine which was much more entangled. Craig felt he was missing out so also dived in for a mid-ocean swim.

Finally, with the props free and working with no damage, the swimmers back on board, and we were off again under the spinnaker. By the end of the day, we were down to a Code zero and motoring on one engine. The forecast gave a motoring zone of 200nm as we headed into the doldrums.

25 April Rain

By the early morning of the third day, it was pouring rain. Gusty and very wet. One little bird, a white collared swift came and landed on the back rail and stayed for a couple of hours.

At nightfall we had three Boobys riding on the front of the yacht. One on each seat and one on the bowsprit. Overnight we gained another 3 or 4. They did not seem phased by the pitching and rolling although they had to make several attempts at landing.

26 April

At sunrise the wind was slowly increasing, when we decided to put the sails back up our hitchhikers left. Soon we had one reef on the main and hard on the wind with a cloud line behind us. The sea was getting very rough. Barb, of course, decided to cook in the middle of this with Afghans, Banana Cake, Ginger Crunch, and muesli all being constructed while the boat pitched about.

Cooking efforts on the voyage also extended to the rest of the crew with Craig and Hew experimenting with bread recipes, pastry being made as we had been unable to buy any, and Geordie providing a variety of sashimi and ceviche with his fish catching. We continue to dine well!

By nightfall, we had more Boobies on board and the forecast was looking like we should soon be out of the rain.

27 April More Hitch Hikers

By daylight, we were heading 50 deg off course, and running one engine to push us up, while waiting for the wind to go more east – a very frustrating day. The forecast promised it would happen but it was very slow waiting for the change to happen.

Late afternoon the wind started to swing to the east and we began to head in the right direction at last.

28 April Clean Up

The next day was a big clean-up to remove the Boobie poo and then drying out the spinnaker and the code zero which we had tied on deck.

29th April Early Morning Arrival In The Dark

Early morning we were slowly sailing along the coast with large motorboats coming from all directions. We arrived in Puerto Ayora, Santa Cruz just before daybreak. The anchorage appeared quite crowded in the dark and we had a couple of attempts at anchoring before getting a good grip on the bottom.

The anchor inspection crew dived on the anchor when daylight arrived to find it wedged between a couple of rocks and looking secure so we could relax. Several local cruise boats had arrived just after us so we felt a little surrounded and shortly after sunrise an Australian boat Qi arrived as well, we had crossed paths with them a couple of times on the voyage from Panama.

We had already been given a check-in time for the officials of 1100. They were there about 1030, but we were surprised at the number of “officials”. After supplying water and ginger crunch and an in depth tour around the boat for about 3 of them, an inspection of the major first aid kit, and the filling in of many forms, they went away happy and we had our permits.

The rest of the day we just relaxed and looked at the activity around us.

Next Blog: Santa Cruz, Galapagos

Our Passage

We anchored outside Shelter Bay the night before as our uplift time for the pilot was 0400. The Panama Canal control centre gave all the boats an update at 2100 the day before and our uplift was changed to 0430.

0330 we were up and awake, still anchored but we could see the activity of two boats, one a yacht and one a large launch both close to us and both motoring. The canal advisor arrived on time at 0430 and told us to up anchor immediately and head towards the tanker that we could see already in the channel and motoring towards the locks. We asked about following the yacht in front which had picked up his pilot first but he said no just pass him and go ahead.

As we were motoring at 8kts towards the tanker, and passing the other yacht we discovered that the motor boat had decided not to come because he wanted to be in the lock by himself and not rafted to other yachts which would cost him another whole fee. We also discovered that we would be the lead boat of the two yachts as we were bigger. I had asked the advisor if it was because he was older/ more experienced but he said no it was the advisor on the biggest boat that was the leader. Our advisor Edwin was great, calm, knowledgeable, chatty, and a really nice guy.

Approaching the Locks at 0430

Locks Going Up

Below is a collection of photos to give you an idea of the Gatun Lake environment and traffic. A Park surrounds the Lake and you can only go on the lake by boat for the day if you want to look around. When you are crossing the canal there is no time to stop. We were hoping for an overnight trip to just take it all in but no such luck. There is constant work going on at the Pacific end of the lake and the big cut through which is impressive. But there is a lot of old building materials, drilling parts, and general construction rubbish just dumped on the sides of the southern end of the lake.

Line handlers on the yachts must pay attention to keep the yachts in the centre of the lock the lines must be constantly taken in or eased depending on the way you are going. As we were rafted with another boat we only had to manage the lines on the Starboard side. Geordie and Craig assisted by Graeme managed this easily while Barb drove us through under instruction from Edwin our advisor. Hew was in charge of catering, we had been informed it was very important to feed our advisor. He did appreciate a large macaroni cheese for lunch along with afgans and slices of banana cake along the way.

The boat tied alongside was a bit of a problem from struggling to come alongside, even when we were stationary, to wanting to drive and unhelpfully turning their wheel against the direction Barb and our advisor were trying to go! We were very glad to cast off from them when we cleared the final loch into the Pacific.

Going up in the locks to Lake Gatun the small boats follow the big boats, at the other end going down the small boats go first. The gates of the locks can be taken off for maintenance and they float.

Gatun Lake

Some of the locks recycle water but not all so you need to wait for the ship going down when you are going up as the water passes from one side to the other.

Going Down to the Pacific

Canal cameras monitor all the locks and you can bring the pictures up on the internet. -Eleuthera far left at the front of the lock, yacht beside us, and tug behind. The tanker was still coming into the lock.

In the Pacific

More than 12 hours after we had started we dropped the Canal Advisor off and Anchored at Isla Flamenco for the night.

The trip through the canal is awe-inspiring and an amazing experience that takes some time to assimilate. The work in the construction and continued running and maintenance of the whole area and the great bridges are truly awe-inspiring.

This blog has had photos contributed by all the crew. We hope you enjoy the read.

Next Blog: https://kiwiflyingfish.com/2024/05/panama-to-galapagos-passage/

Crew

Two weeks earlier I had seen a post on the Caribbean Crew Facebook site by a young couple looking for a ride to Panama. After thinking about it we decided that having more crew would make the watches easier. I contacted them and their CVs and personality sounded great so we agreed that Marin and Charlotte would join us in the last week of April.

A day later Will sent me a note saying he had seen my answer to the blog Charlotte had posted and asking if I would think of having another. After an exchange of information, I agreed.

It was the right decision – it was refreshing, interesting, and fun. Also, Charlotte and Marin were every good cooks.

Anse D’Arlet, then Anse Noir and Anse Dufour

We were delayed about a week from when we had first planned to leave, so we went up to Anse D’Arlet, then Anse Noir and Anse Dufour trying to fill in some of the time. Good for an initial sail and to get away from Le Marin, and Saint Anne and do some snorkeling.

Snorkeling

Saint Lucia

We arrived back at Saint Lucia to pick up the screen on the Wednesday night before Easter as we had been told it would be ready to collect on Thursday. We anchored late and went into the marina for dinner – it was a beautiful night.

Thursday and no screen – we were told that customs had had Monday and Tuesday off and that it hadn’t turned up on Thursday and nothing would be open until Tuesday. We were not happy.!!

The crew went to walk over the fort and I went to exchange some books at our favourite cafe. I discovered that the park was fixing the dock but rescinding the license for the restaurant and giving the license to someone else. I was very sad to hear of the political maneuvers. The boys enjoyed the seating at the quirky tables tables.

Against all odds we made some inquiries and were told that the chandlery in Martinique would be open on Easter Saturday – so we checked out of Saint Lucia on Thursday afternoon and headed north back to Martinique. A beautiful day with no wind so motored all the way.

Martinique

We anchored in Saint Annes again and first thing in the morning I went to check in and Hew went to get the screen – surprisingly it was there and ready for us. Brilliant. We paid the guy and gave him a bottle of wine for all his help. The second screen had been received first and we were so relieved – it went into the helm station and worked perfectly.

We returned to the anchorage and decided that we were going to stay in Martinique until Tuesday so we should all do something. I went ashore for a swim and to take some photos of the lovely sunset and it was the last time we were in Saint Annes.

Anse Sainte Anne

Anse Saline

The crew had friends who were going to visit and they decided to walk around to Anse Saline. We had seen the beach on the way in and decided we might go around for the day – it was supposed to be day anchorages only.

When the crew got to Anse Saline they texted about how lovely it was so Hew and I took the yacht around and anchored on the western end which looked nearer to the snorkeling and close to the restaurant as they said they were at a restaurant -but they were at another. Their friends were camping and they were halfway up the beach. Under all the trees there were dozens of tents.

Anyway – I went for a snorkel and the crew decided they would swim out after lunch with their friends some time later they turned up. then ensured an afternoon and night of music and jamming. Salem and Will both great players – Salem had not played a piano for 9 years but had her guitar at the tent.

They went in the dingy to get their gear and the guitar then the session continued.

Later Salem’s boyfriend Jude turned up – he had also swum out but was just told we were on a catamaran – when he got far enough out he could hear which one.

What a great night!

The next morning it was back to Sainte Anne but only to check out – it was windy and rough.

Saint Lucia

We finally picked up the last Raymarine screen from Ezone, then customs, and checked out. Once we were signed out, we went to the fuel dock where it poured with rain right after we had arrived so we put the Nav station screen in, checked all the software, and changed the chart card, and we were ready to leave.

We refuelled after the rain finished and left with the sunset

Finally the Passage

We were finally on the way. The first night we decided to be conservative, the wind was up 20 g 25 so we just wandered off with one reef in the main and genoa.

In the morning we got up and the weather was looking good so we rolled out the Code Zero and discussed raising the spinnaker after breakfast when Hew had woken up. As they say – nothing goes according to plan. As Hew came up from bed – he noticed that the roller furler for the Code zero was on a weird angle so the halyard must have slipped – no such luck. The sheath on the halyard had separated from the core. We furled it to drop it onto the deck but could not get the halyard down. So Hew had to go up the mast. Still blowing 20kts and rolling 2m seas – not nice. Ended up cutting the line.

The rest of the trip was with the genoa and main and all downwind. Very frustrating but nothing could be done – even though there was a spare halyard it was too rough to go up the mast right to the exit point to run mouse lines and then a new halyard and lash that to the mast. A job for a calm spot.

Anyway, we were on our way and time was running out. Here are a few photos of the trip.

We arrived at Shelter Bay at 1830 L to a very friendly welcome back, which was lovely. The next day we cleaned up and tried to check out but the Port Captain never turned up so no one could leave. The following day we were cleared in early, Marin and Charlotte were off to Costa Rico, and Will stayed around for a couple of days before cycling up the coast to Portobello. The new crew for the Pacific(older) Graeme, Geordie, and Craig arrived before the others had left the yacht.

The next stage of the expedition was about to start.