Category Archives: Boat Technical

Specifics about the boat.

Passage from Panama City to Golfito, Costa Rica

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The nice, smooth ride lasted until around noon yesterday. Then we turned a corner, so the wind and waves were coming from our starboard (right) side rather than the rear. The comfort level was only modestly affected and it was still an overall pleasant ride. Throughout the afternoon, the wind speed climbed quite a bit. The wind was coming from the shore, and since we were paralleling the shoreline, there wasn’t enough fetch for the waves to pick up too much, but it did get lumpier. The dual stabilization probably helped. The day was sunny, bright and clear, which was a nice change of pace. Pretty much the whole time we have been in Panama, it has been gray, overcast and gloomy, so we were appreciating the sunshine. We enjoyed looking at Panama’s scenic mountain coastline while we motored along. As the day wore on, we saw less and less traffic.

We ran our generator almost all day, making water, doing laundry, and enjoying the AC. It is really hot out today, probably because it is so sunny. Eric checked the fan and shaft temperature several times, concerned that they had been running hot in Gatun Lake. The fan seems to be working great. The shaft temperature is actually lower than normal, and we assume it is because the water temperature is about 15 degrees cooler than it was in the Atlantic.

At about sunset, a big school of dolphins came to play with the boat. Usually they only play on the bow, but this set also played with the paravanes. They are a different species to what we are used to seeing. According to a flier we had picked up somewhere, they are called Continue reading →

Exploring Panama City

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Christi was once again up very early with a sick tummy. She was worse than ever. She contemplated starting on antibiotics, but decided to give it one more day to pass on its own. The nice thing about being up so early the last few days is that she has seen some nice sunrises. Here is today’s.

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From where we sat, we could see four of the islands. They all seem to be Continue reading →

Completing the Transit and the Scary Anchorage

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Continued from yesterday”¦ At 1345, when we pulled into the lock quay, we were told we were tying to a tug. We could see it up ahead, already tied up along the chamber wall in front of the gate. Its name is Atlas III and at the moment it was being used as a tourist tug that takes spectators up and down the Miraflores locks. Davidson told us that the tug is owned by the Canal Authority and is also used as an employee shuttle and to give orientation tours to the employees and their families.

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We didn’t get handed any lines. Instead, we pulled forward, lined ourselves up to the tug and tied up. The tie up was a little bit tricky. We had to readjust all our fenders to line up better with their fenders. We realized there was a vulnerable spot that couldn’t be properly fendered, so Eric had to move Kosmos a little bit so that our alignment against the tug changed in a way that the fenders would sit better. Here we all are frantically adjusting lines.

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After a little more minor fender adjusting, we finally felt comfortable that we were adequately protected and gave the all clear to Davidson. The tourists on board gawked at us as we Continue reading →

Panama Canal Transit – Day 2, Part 1

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Moises had told us the advisor would arrive between 0630 and 0700. Christi was up at 0500 with another round of severe tummy sickness. At 0600, everyone else got up. Interestingly, as soon as she was “on” again, her tummy sickness almost instantly went away. But, her allergies were unhappy today, too, so she was sneezy and sniffly all day.

As soon as everyone else was up, Christi made coffee, put out food for breakfast, and did dishes. Everyone helped with folding sheets and tidying up so Kosmos looked like a boat again instead of a dorm room. Outside, all was tranquil and placid in the early morning light. There were 11 big ships in the anchorage with us. The first shot is of our giant mooring and the second is of the surroundings.

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The advisor arrived close to 0800. Today’s advisor is named Davidson, and he is just as pleasant of a person as Moises.

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He got right to business with Continue reading →

The Panama Canal Transit – Day 1, Part 2

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Continued from yesterday”¦ Pacific finally got to the edge of the first lock at Gatun. It almost looks like a runway, with fingers of land on both sides of the waterway. The “runway” extends for quite a way before actually taking you into the chamber. We were going through the left set of locks. We waited a fair distance behind and watched while a little row boat with two guys in it rowed out from the finger. They were carrying the steel cables. They seemed to be helping to attach the cables to the front and back corners of the starboard side. Once the cables were attached, they repeated the process on the port side.

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Once all the cables were in place, the tug turned around, the rowboats rowed away, and the locomotives slowly started to move forward, going up the little hill to the higher lock wall, while Pacific moved forward at the identical speed. Pacific stopped in front of the lock gate. The bridge for car traffic is above this lock, so there were lots of cars zooming back and forth above Pacific while they were getting it situated. For some reason, it seemed almost surreal to see the cars over the canal. It was just as surreal as seeing the cruise ship sitting in the middle of the jungle.

At 1745, we moved forward to the edge of the finger, where Pacific had stopped to be prepared. Here is what the lock ahead looks like. Two guys stood on each side of us, each holding a line. The starboard forward threw first. Joel caught the hook and attached the line.

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Then aft starboard threw, and Tom caught and attached. The process was Continue reading →