First, a few statistics ……….
Over the period 14-22 February the 22 yachts of the Blue Water Round the World Cruising Rally are scheduled to transit the Panama Canal and into the Pacific Ocean. One of the major highlights of the circumnavigation, the Panama Canal is one of the greatest feats of engineering of the 20th century. The Canal is approximately 50 miles long and uses a system of locks to raise ships from sea level to the level of the Gatun Lake (26 metres).

The lock chambers are huge - 33.53 metres wide and 304.8 metres long. The largest vessels that can pass through the locks (known as "Panamax") are 32.3 metres in beam and 294.1 metres long. (A quick sum will show that there is barely a foot or so between the side of the largest vessel and the side of the lock!)

Ships from all parts of the world transit daily through the Panama Canal - some 13-14,000 use the Canal every year. Commercial transport through the Canal represents about 5% of world trade. There is a work force of 9,000 employees to maintain the Canal, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Ad measurements and bureaucracy
Whatever the size of vessel, there is a requirement for them to be measured. The Blue Water Rally yachts are no exception and each one will be visited by an inspector when they arrive at the anchorage at Colon at the Caribbean end of the Canal. Amongst the items to be discussed will be the requirement for 4 long (120 feet) warps and adequate fenders. Skippers will also have to visit Immigration and the Port Authority to complete their paperwork ashore.

The Panama Canal Yacht Club
A dinghy ride from the anchorage is the Panama Canal Yacht Club. Despite threats of closure for several years, the PCYC has been a friendly haven with an air-conditioned bar and restaurant for yacht crews awaiting their transit of the Canal. It is here that Tony Diment will brief crews on the detailed plans for the Canal transit.

The Transit of the Canal
During our first 2 rallies our fleet transited with up to 18 yachts in rafts (called "nests") of three in each lock. However, in subsequent years our Rally yachts have travelled in smaller groups sharing the locks with large commercial vessels. Some have travelled alongside Panama Canal tugs and occasionally with tourist vessels, which ply through the Canal on certain days.

Each yacht must carry a professional Panama Canal pilot or Transit Advisor. These will arrive by launch early (very!) in the morning and yachts will motor under the command of the pilots and Transit Advisors to the first lock at Gatun, some 3 miles away. Shortly before reaching the lock our yachts will (as briefed the evening before) form into their predetermined nests and enter the lock. It is worth mentioning here that the Canal pilots are the only pilots in the world who are legally in command of all vessels that pass through the Canal - a unique situation in Maritime Law.

Monkeys' Fists and Line-handlers
Each yacht, whether transiting as an individual or in a nest, must have 4 crew to act as "line-handlers", in addition to the skipper and pilot. The Rally, which often has a number of yachts with only 2 or 3 crew on board, therefore has a problem in meeting these regulations. However, one of the strengths of our event is the strong cooperation between crews, which will see crew members "doubling up" on one yacht and the Support Team returning crew members from the Pacific end of the Canal to help fellow Ralliers with their transit.

As each yacht enters a lock members of the Panama Canal lock team will throw "monkeys fists" at the end of a long, light line from the lock side onto the decks of the outermost yachts on each side of the nest. When instructed, the line-handlers will tie the light line to their Panama warps and these are pulled up to the top of the lock. The lock staff walk forward to the predetermined position for the nest to be halted in the lock and the warps are made fast by them to bollards.

If our yachts are sharing the lock with a large commercial vessel they could find themselves either ahead (usual) or astern of such a vessel. Once yachts and commercial vessels are safely positioned in the lock and the gates are closed the locks are filled (or emptied). On the completion of this process - our yachts will motor out of the lock, recovering their Panama warps as they do so.

Mules
It is said that young sailors making their first transit of the Canal on large vessels were the butt of jokes about "feeding the mules", which they were encouraged to do by their older compatriots. The mules are, in fact, the electric engines which run on tracks the length of the locks at Gatun, Pedro Miguel and Miraflores. Unlike our yachts, which have manual line-handlers, mules are attached to the ship's bow and stern warps, which they constantly adjust to maintain the ship's position laterally in the lock. Contrary to general opinion, the mules do NOT act as tugs as the commercial vessels enter and leave the lock under their own stream - remember the point about the breadth of the Canal and the clearance of, maybe, 18 inches each side between lock wall and the vessel.

A Great Adventure and Celebrations
Despite their initial apprehension, yacht skippers and crews find the transit of the Canal to be a very enjoyable experience. Usually the trip will take 2 days as our yachts can only maintain a relatively low speed and do not start early enough on the first day to finish in daylight. As a result they will normally cruise from the first locks at Gatun to Gamboa Lake, where they will stay overnight. The next morning (usually after a get-together and party at anchor in Gamboa the night before) the voyage is completed by early afternoon.

The first section of the trip to Gamboa is amazing as yachts follow the Canal, which is channelled through a rainforest and lakeland area, often populated by monkeys and parrots. Some yachts will actually sail part of the way. On the second day crews will undoubtedly marvel at the amazing engineering of the Gaillard Cut, which has now been expanded into the Culebra Cut allowing even larger ships to use the Canal in the 21st century.

The end of their transit will be celebrated by crews passing under the Bridge of the Americas at Balboa with, traditionally, champagne corks popping as they enter the Pacific.

WE HOPE TO PUBLISH DETAILS OF THE PROGRAMME OF TRANSITS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE. YOU CAN THEN WATCH THE WEBCAM PHOTOS OF THE LOCKS AT GATUN AND MIRAFLORES IN REAL TIME. IN THE MEANTIME LOOK AT THE PANAMA CANAL WEBSITE

Tony Diment has reported that the rendezvous of the Blue Water Rally yachts in the San Blas Islands of Panama has gone extremely well. After several weeks of independently cruising in the Caribbean, crews met again in the unique surroundings of the San Blas Islands - tiny islets inhabited by the pygmy Kuna Indians.

Base for the stopover was Sapibenega Island, hardly larger than a football pitch, with a beautiful azure blue anchorage. Each night Ralliers enjoyed alfresco dinners under palm trees, with burning torches illuminating the whole scene. Crews were entertained by the haunting music of panpipes and dancing by the Kuna Indians. There were also daily trips by dugout canoe to visit the local Kuna village of Playon Chico.

CRUISING AMONGST THE ISLANDS

By 5 February most yachts were cruising slowly towards the tiny islands of Kaneldup, Kwadule and Kuanidup, some 20 miles to the west and onwards to Hollandes Cays. Yachts will then rendez-vous on 10 February in the historic bay at Portobello (see the Home Page) for a rally lunch.

TRANSITS OF THE CANAL

As usual, the Panama Canal Authority have reported that there is a backlog of shipping in the Canal, but we are hopeful that the transits of the Blue Water Rally yachts will take place between 14 and 20 February. As mentioned in our previous report, we are hopeful to be able to post details of the transit dates and times to enable visitors to this website to watch the Rally yachts in real time. Visit the page Noticeboard/Useful Links and Contacts/Panama Canal.

Rally Yachts head south to Panama
Most Rally yachts spent Christmas in Antigua enjoying the traditional champagne on Christmas morning and a beach barbecue. From then crews have been independently cruising through the beautiful islands of the Caribbean towards South America and Panama, where they will rendezvous in the San Blas Islands.

Over the last few weeks there have been few reports to UK Rally Control, with yachts choosing their own routes through the islands. However, we have been pleased to receive the following update from Carolyn Roberts, skipper of the Warrior 38, "Nademia" with news of the Rally.

"We are now in Bonaire, and going diving tomorrow. It is lovely here – highly recommended - quite a few rally boats put in here for a night or two and ended up staying a week! On our way here we stopped off at the Islas los Roques, which are beautiful – a real coral atoll, and far more impressive than the Tobago Cays. We were there with Gee Whiz, Saint Barbara, and Doctor Bird, and we all think it should be mentioned in any general cruising notes in the future.

Firstly news from NADEMIA. We managed to visit all the territories in the Leeward and Windward chain of islands before setting off west to Bonaire, and from here to San Blas. So that was Antigua, Guadeloupe (Iles des Saintes), Dominica, Martinique, St Lucia, St Vincent, Tobago Cays, Union Island, and Grenada! Flying visits only, sadly, but we were struck by how very diverse they are one from another.

GEE WHIZ followed a broadly similar route, as did SAINT BARBARA, and we met up with them from time to time. GENEVA have also sailed down the whole chain.

TOMODACHI, ARAGORN, SUNDAY, MIZU BABY, DOCTOR BIRD, and PERLETICO have done bigger hops to reach Bonaire, visiting only a couple of islands, but staying longer at each.

DON QUIXOTE has been in Antigua until very recently having work done on the boat, but we all hope they are under way now. OCEAN SONG left Antigua before the rest of us, before Christmas, and have visited Venezuela and its offshore islands.

We still hear from Rally Antigua yachts, PACIFICO and RODELINDA, occasionally on the informal radio net." Carolyn signs off for the benefit of UK readers - "I hear it is cold and wet in UK! We are just off for a swim!!"

San Blas and the Kuna Indians
The rendezvous at the San Blas Islands of Panama has always been a major highlight of the Blue Water Rally. Inhabited by pygmy Indians, who live on tiny coral atolls off the north Panama coast, the San Blas Islands make a fascinating and beautiful landfall. Rally yachts will be met by Tony Diment at the island of Sapibenega involving a unique journey from the sophistication of Panama City by light aircraft to a jungle airstrip and a dugout canoe trip to the island. There will be a special programme of events before yachts cruise westward through the islands to Portobello.

Portobello and the Spanish Main
The anchorage at Portobello, a half day's sail from the Panama Canal, will be home to the Blue Water Rally fleet, reminiscent of the days when the bay was also home to the Spanish treasure fleets waiting for silver and gold to be delivered there from Peru in transit to Spain. The ancient fortresses, built by Spanish soldiers in the 16th century, still stand guard and remind visiting sailors of a different and bloody past. It is here that Sir Francis Drake ransacked the Spanish treasure fleet and also died, being buried some miles out to sea.

Transit of the Panama Canal
Reports from San Blas and Panama will be provided by Tony Diment in due course. We shall also attempt to provide details of plans for the transits of Rally yachts through the Canal, including timings where possible. However, although outline plans are for Rally yachts to transit between 14 and 22 February, actual dates and timings will depend on ship movements and will not be decided by the Panama Canal Authority until a day or two before each transit.

Panama Canal Website
Please visit our web page "Noticeboard/Useful Links and Contacts". Go to the section, "Tourism/The Panama Canal" and click onto their website - you can watch live webcams at two of the Panama Canal locks and obtain much more information about this fantastic feat of engineering.

ARRIVALS, PARTIES AND PRESENTATIONS

Jolly Harbour Marina - A Great Place to Arrive

All agreed that Jolly Harbour Marina, with its outstanding facilities, made an ideal port of arrival after the Atlantic crossing. Rally yachts arrived first at the Customs and Immigration dock and were (usually!) processed without too much delay before going to their reserved marina berths. Each yacht was given power and electricity and the excellent services of the marina staff - Selwyn, William and Leslie. Always cheerful and professional, the new Marina Manager, "Festus" Isaac, ensured a warm welcome and gave a wide range of assistance to the crews.

Behind the scenes the Antigua Tourist Board had been working hard, together with Jolly Harbour Marina and ourselves, to create a varied and fun programme. The main organiser, Nnolika Josiah, worked tirelessly throughout the stopover to ensure that each event ran smoothly and was a success. The Ministry of Tourism, represented by Andy McDonald, hosted an early arrivals' welcome party, followed the next day by an island tour, lunch and a swim at Turner's Beach Restaurant and an evening coach trip to Shirley Heights for the traditional sunset party and steel band. Other organisations each played their part in providing a warm welcome to Rally participants - particularly the Castaways Restaurant, the new Grand Princess Casino and the yachties' pub - The Dog Watch Tavern.

As ever, there was "make and mend" to a greater or lesser degree for each yacht. "Don Quixote" required a new mainsail, "Invictas Reward" (whose unique arrival over the last 2 miles in reverse caused considerable amusement) needed a new gearbox and there were numerous other demands upon the Support Team for repairs. If these were not available at Jolly Harbour, demands were met by the various facilities at English and Falmouth Harbours.

An Official Party

Thanks to the Ministry of Tourism and Jolly Harbour, Ralliers were welcomed to an official party at the Jolly Harbour Golf Club on 13 December. Although the Minister of Tourism had to cancel at the last minute, he was ably represented by Andy McDonald, with the assistance of Nnolika Josiah, Hans Kupin (the General Manager of the Jolly Harbour Complex) and "Festus" Isaac.

There were numerous presentations, both official and unofficial - each crew were presented with a bag of gifts and Certificates of Participation. In the following days most were soon wearing their new Jolly Harbour T-shirts.

Awards and Christmas Carols

Following the presentation of certificates, 3 special awards were announced. It was with much amusement that the youngest members of the Rally - Abigail and Matthew of "Mizu Baby" were asked to step forward to receive the award of "Noisiest Boat". Matthew (aged 14 months) was soon sporting his new T-shirt logoed "Warning - Causes Sleepless Nights"!!

Unfortunately neither the crew of "Sunday" nor that of "Geneva" were able to be present to receive their special awards, which were saved for the Rally Sundowners Party given by the Support Team at the Admiral's Inn on 15 December. In that very beautiful and historic setting, Nnolika and "Festus" presented the "Outstanding Achievement" Certificate to Peter and Pattie of "Sunday" for their 17-day crossing in their J35. (They were, however, reminded that this was not a prize for racing!!) However, the greatest applause was saved for Karl, Margie and Maddy of "Geneva", whose Rally had started with the yacht's epic journey across Europe by lorry to Gibraltar. Despite their own trials and tribulations, they had helped others in many ways and were awarded a special trophy, "The Spirit of the Rally". Both crews were also the recipients of generous gifts from the Manager of Budget Marine.

Photographic Competition prizes (donated by GH Insurance) were presented to:
" Sailing" - "Gee Whiz"
" Sunset" - "Invictas Award"
" Weather" - "Pacifico"

Additional competitions were run by the Ralliers themselves - Andy Oliver ("Mizu Baby") presenting prizes for "Fishing" and June Robson ("Don Quixote") for "Halloween".

As a seasonal finale to the party the Royal Antiguan Police Choir put Ralliers in festive mood with a selection of Christmas carols - an evocative end to the Rally programme.

Farewells and Onwards to Panama

The party on 15 December also marked the end of Rally Antigua 2003 and farewell to the yachts and crews that had taken part. A sad occasion as many warm friendships had developed between all those - Rally Antigua and Blue Water Rally alike.

By the week before Christmas most yachts were heading round to English and Falmouth Harbours, either to stay at anchor or to moor stern-to in the historic setting of Nelson's Dockyard. Although the Support Team departed at this stage, there would be plenty to occupy crews, including the traditional champagne party on Christmas Day around the Capstans in the newly restored Dockyard.

Blue Water Rally yachts and their crews are now "free-cruising" towards the San Blas Islands of Panama, where they will meet other yachts who will be joining them in the Southern Caribbean. During this stage of the Rally there is no formal reporting to Rally Control in the UK and therefore no detailed reports on the website. This will recommence with the arrival of Tony Diment, the Rally Director in San Blas/Panama, in early February.

Tenerife - from the gales of the Gibraltar Straits to the sublime...

In our routine web updates the gales in the Straits of Gibraltar and off the Moroccan coast at the start of the 2003 World Rally and Rally Antigua have been well described; suffice to say that a small group of yachts persevered against gale force winds to clear the Straits only to be battered 2 days later by equally strong headwinds off the coast of Morocco.

`Sunday' one of the smallest yachts in the rally at 35ft was the first to arrive in Santa Cruz, ahead of `Tomodachi', `Gee Whiz', `Nademia' and `Oyster Rose'. These 5 yachts constituted what was dubbed `the southern group' as opposed to the `Barbate Beach Club' that were somewhat more prudently sheltering along the Spanish coast.

Some three days after the arrival of the `southern group' in Tenerife the remainder of the fleet started filtering in to port at Santa Cruz having experienced very light winds!

The Real Club Nautico (RCNT) became the focal point for crews relaxing around the 2 lovely swimming pools which with cloudless skies and temperatures steady at 26 degrees C became a stark contrast to those last stormy days in Gibraltar. With arrivals being generally one week later than originally planned and a start date of Thursday 13th November for the Atlantic crossing looming close, work on the yachts was frenetic.Two yachts had serious engine problems on arrival ( Gee Whiz and Pacifico) and had to be towed into their berths. Gee Whiz spent most of their time trying to eradicate water in their deisel tank and Pacifico had both a water pump and alternator problem. Several yachts required substantial sail repairs and others required repairs to hydraulic reefing systems.

There were few yachts that escaped unscathed but all except `Geneva' enjoyed a coach excursion round the island of Tenerife on Sunday 9th November courtesy of the Tourist Board. The Rally were hosted to a most generous party at the RCNT the evening before and there were various `arrival parties' at Da Gigi's restaurant which quickly became a Rally favourite. Somehow all of the maintenance jobs and repairs were completed by departure day and in glorious sunshine the rally slipped from their excellent berths in the Marina del Atlantico on schedule.

On Thursday 13th November yachts sailed past the RCNT in salute to the club's hospitality at midday and set sail for Antigua. The sailing conditions were near perfect with cloudless skies and a pleasant NE 3/4 breeze set to remain for the forseeable future. By sunset every yacht on the rally had cleared the southern end of Tenerife and was making good progress on their 2600 mile passage.