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From the Atlantic to the Pacific via the Panama CanalThis is AussieWinlink's report about a cruise by sailboat from the Atlantic to the Pacific side of the Americas via the Panama Canal. Of special interest was observing Winlink use at only 10 Watts of power by our host on S/Y Atlantis and others. However, because of the importance of this topic, it will be covered in a special Media Release.
Air Travel
to Panama: The story would not be complete without also describing
the travails of flying with Delta Airlines from Washington DC to Panama City to meet the hosts whose
vessel was anchored in Colon on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal. The
proposed flight was thought
to be a good opportunity to cash in on the 500,000 or so accumulated frequent
flyer points. Unfortunately, Ms. "No" was on duty at Delta and there
was obviously no intention at all to award any free frequent flyer travel. AussieWinlink was
put on hold with the pretext of "checking with other colleagues to ask if they
had any seats available." As expected, after a while Delta just hung up. As it
provides the most convenient connection, a full-fare ticket was booked with
Delta anyway. On the day of departure it rained and all air travel in and out of
Washington DC was delayed. However, Delta gave repeated assurances that the
connection in Atlanta for the flight to Panama City would be fine. However, when
arriving in Atlanta it was clear that the connecting flight had already left
right on time without waiting for connecting passengers. Telephone calls to
Delta seeking rerouting opportunities were rejected out of hand; however, a
face-to-face meeting with transfer desk personnel in Atlanta was more
productive. This was due in large part because of the insistence of a business
executive who needed to be in Panama City to make a commercial presentation.
Some of us were eventually rescheduled to fly via Miami,
stay there overnight and from
there fly with COPA, the Panamanian carrier, to Panama City. Despite assurances that
luggage would be transferred
on time to the connecting flights, this wasn't done either and it arrived in Panama
City three days later. The experience left
the general impression that Delta staff, from captains to luggage handlers, are
all so demoralized by the threat of the airline's possible bankruptcy that they have
all but given up on providing service. Their attitude can be understood after
having served the airline for many years. Transit Procedure: There does not appear to be on the Panama Canal Commission's website a description of the procedure that applies for the transit of recreational yachts through the canal. Many cruisers make a trial run by assisting fellow cruisers as "line handlers" on a canal transit and they then travel back by bus to the anchorage in Colon for their own transit. AussieWinlink had agreed to take part in such a trial run by assisting the sailing yacht "Libelle" out of Australia.
Because of the flight delays, AussieWinlink arrived in Panama City 15 hours later than scheduled. This meant that after reporting the missing luggage and taking the bus ride from Panama City to Colon only thirty minutes remained after boarding S/Y Atlantis, the host boat, to transfer to "Libelle" in preparation of the transit. The story told below and the photos shown are a composite of several transits on different boats. A noted cruising guide tells cruisers that it generally takes only three days following arrival by boat in Colon to get scheduled for a transit. That is not so now! Most cruisers have to wait for up to three weeks. On arrival by boat in Colon, it is necessary to clear with Immigration, Customs and Harbor Authorities. It then requires a telephone call or a visit to the Panama Canal Commission to request scheduling for a transit. Soon, PCC will send an Admeasurer. He will survey the yacht, measuring its length, check the availability of required safety equipment, and interview the skipper about the vessel's speed under power. The latter is because recreational vessels that travel less than five knots, and therefore probably cannot make the transit in one run, will be prohibited from using the canal. From then on it is necessary to make a daily check with PCC to get a tentative date for the transit. It appears that the long wait before a slot is available is not because of a lack of space in the locks but perhaps more so because of the shortage of PCC line-handlers that assist small boats through the locks. Colon: While waiting for the appointed date, cruisers have two options: (1) Take a slip (if available) at the Panama Canal Yacht Club (PCYC) or anchor out on The Flats. The PCYC has probably more than 100 slips but a large proportion appear to be permanently occupied by club members, Live-onboards and several derelict vessels. Nevertheless, the facilities, if a slip is available, are quite adequate. The club area is protected by security personnel which is an absolute necessity in Colon. The Flats comprise a specially designated anchorage with a water depth of about 10 meters (30 feet). It is a relatively safe anchorage. First, because it is located well within the area protected by a major breakwater. Second, being in the Canal Zone and somewhat remote, fellow cruisers on the nearby anchored boats waiting for their turn to transit keep a watch. There do not appear to be any records of piracy. In any event, it appears that potential pirates in Colon are probably so poor that they couldn't afford a power boat with an engine large enough for a quick getaway.
The Cristobal area
of Colon can be likened to the gates to
hell. The place is filthy, crowded and congested. Setting foot outside the PCYC
grounds at any time during the day is dangerous. Even during our relatively short stay, there were several
holdups and attempted robberies of cruisers, sometimes by teenagers. Twice
during our short stay there were civil
disturbances with gun battles erupting between the police and/or the Army and protesters. While there is
reasonable shopping at a few large
supermarkets, at some local markets and good local bakeries, these are best visited by taxi.
The PCC advises vessels to be ready at a certain
time in the afternoon for the departure. It appears that the specified time is about one hour before the
actual departure time because the pilot boat,
that delivers a PCC Advisor to each yacht making the transit, always seems to be
an hour late. Recreational vessels are not assigned pilots. Pilots would take sole
control of large commercial vessels. Advisors "advise" and are therefore not legally responsible. On arrival
they will
introduce themselves to the skipper and every member of the crew. They quickly
assess the capabilities of skipper and crew and, if satisfied, will agree with
the pre-arranged rafting arrangements. While they watch progress, they actually provide
minimal directions, usually only in respect of direction and speed. The
departure from The Flats at 17:00 means that the group arrives in the proximity
of the Gatun Locks by about 18:00 hours. It allows time for rafting the vessels
together just before the locks are opened. Usually, there is some waiting for the down-locking vessels
to clear the locks.
Locking-up is an unnerving experience. As soon as
the lock gates are closed the lock valves are opened to fill the lock and the water rushes in
with great force which causes considerable turbulence in the lock. This causes great tension
on the lines both those that tie the raft together and those that hold the raft
in the middle of the lock. With the water level in the lock rising lines
continuously have to
tightened When the water level is up to the same level as that in the next
lock the gates to that next lock will be opened. The PCC line handlers will
throw the raft's lines back into the water but will keep hold of the attached light lines. Those on the rafted
boats will pull the
heavy lines back on board. The center boat
will start up its engine and slowly move the raft into the next adjoining lock. The PCC
line handlers will walk along onshore with the raft. Again, once in position the lines
will be pulled and placed on the next set of bollards. The whole routine repeats itself
three times to transit the three-chamber Gatun Lock system. The vessels will
have been lifted by about 36 feet. When locking is completed it will be about 20:00 hours.
The raft then breaks up and the PCC Advisors direct the yachts to a few large
mooring buoys in Lake Gatun about 30 minutes above the locks. The yachts tie up to
the mooring buoys for an overnight stay and the Advisors are picked up by the
Pilot Boat to go home for the night. They'll announce that they will be back in the morning by 6:00 AM.
They will arrive by about 7:00 AM.
In the evening stories get told, experience shared, cruising plans discussed, and glasses filled and emptied. It will be pitch black all around except for the overhead lights of the Gatun Locks in the distance, a few anchored tankers that are not allowed to travel at night and lights of the pilot station onshore. The water is as flat as a sheet and some, despite the possible presence of fresh water alligators, would like to take a dip and some do. Later we learned that this is illegal and if caught by the Water Police could lead to the temporary impounding of the host vessel. Skippers and crews are tired because of the excitement and strain of the preparation for and transit through the Locks. Slowly they fade away to places which they think are most comfortable and cool to sleep. The cockpit is a popular place. Soon all is quiet and the ship's lights are dimmed. (4) Pedro Miguel Locks: The first rays of light can be seen at about 6:00 AM. Shrieking birds fly from their roosts in search for food. Suddenly, as if in stereo, a group of unseen monkeys declare their presence and then fall silent. Another tribe, in a different location, answers the call as if to define and defend their territory. The skippers of the host boats prepare morning tea and provide light snacks. The Advisors are due to arrive at any moment to assist the yachts for the final and most important stage of the transit. Soon the pilot boat appears and drops off an Advisor on each of the three yachts in the raft. As a matter of courtesy the Advisor will ask if the vessels are ready to depart. It doesn't take five minutes before engines are started, mooring lines are lifted from the bollards on the mooring buoys and the vessels are underway.
The Advisor points to the direction that the boats are to take because they will not be following the main canal route but instead follow a narrow track that follows an abandoned railway line, probably used during the construction of the canal but which is now deep under water. It passes close to several small islands in this part of Gatun Lake. Some solitary monkeys can be seen in the top of trees as if they are keeping watch. Attempts are made to photograph them but they are really too far away and they are difficult to see. We saw two alligators paddling leisurely on the surface of the water to quickly dive and disappear when our vessels came too close.
Eventually, this route joins the main canal which is apparent from the huge container vessels and tankers that either are overtaking or are approaching from the Pacific side. These large vessels have a large tugboat at the stern, basically to pull the vessel sideways when it needs to change course along the winding course of the Canal. At first it looks a bit alarming when these large vessels are so close but it becomes soon apparent that there is plenty of space and no wake from the passing vessels as they move at minimum speed just sufficient to maintain steerage.
After several hours following the main canal the magnificent structure of the new Centennial Bridge (Puente Centenario) appears around the corner. The construction of the bridge was completed months ago but the approaches to the bridge are still under construction. When put into use it will be the second bridge to span the Panama Canal after the impressive but more traditional "Bridge of the Americas" that was built a long time ago. For those that watched the Panama Canal webcams to view our transit the Centennial Bridge is beautifully illuminated at night. Just after having passed the bridge it is time for the yachts to be rafted together again. As there usually is some waiting time, and to keep the yachts away from the large vessels that will shortly clear the next lock, the rafting up is often done at the docks used by the PCC Pilot Boats. These are just before the Pedro Miguel Lock. During our practice transit onboard Libelle one of the yachts in the flotilla had an engine failure and the center boat, "Inti" out of Perth - Western Australia, backtracked to tow the immobilized boat back to join the raft that was preparing for the down-lock of the single Pedro Miguel Lock. While waiting for permission to enter the lock the raft slowly circled around and was then directed to stay close to shore to stay out of the way of a number of cruise ships that were exiting the lock.
Down-locking is an entirely different experience than up-locking as at Gatun Locks. Once the raft is in position and secured in the lock the lock gates are closed and valves are opened to drain the water out of the single lock into the Mirafloras Lake. Because it is about noontime the locking is more enjoyable because it is so much easier to see what is happening all around. The water soon drains out as the boats in the lock are lowered by about 12 feet. There is little turbulence but is still necessary to watch the lines to ensure that the raft can lower without putting undue strain on the cleats and chocks. It has to be kept in mind that these integral parts of a boat are designed to hold that single boat in place. Obviously, holding up to three boats in place can put breaking point stresses on these vital parts. Once the water in the lock is down to the level of Miraflores Lake the other lock gate is opened. The engine of the center boat is started, lines are let go from shore and hauled on board and the raft leaves the lock.
On the left side of the canal just past the lock is what remains of the Pedro Miguel Yacht Club (PMYC). PMYC used to be a good location for transiting yachts to take a break for a few days before locking down the twin-chamber Miraflores Locks. Being in fresh water it will kill barnacles and other saltwater marine growth below the water line. However, PMYC is being forced out of business by PCC, ostensibly because of security reasons. The club may not accept any incoming vessels and only a few remaining local yachts may continue to use this marina. Obviously this has destroyed the commercial viability of PMYC. (5) Miraflores Locks: Because of the very short distance from the Pedro Miguel Lock to the Miraflores Lock the raft stays tied together and, generally, within 30 to 45 minutes they would be allowed to enter this final set of locks. Downlocking should be just as simple and smooth as it was in the Pedro Miguel Lock. Unfortunately, it wasn't. The trouble started, initially, when on entering the first chamber the PCC line handlers onshore put the raft's lines on bollards that were not exactly opposite each other. This meant that the raft was unable to center properly in the lock. Eventually, the lines were repositioned. During the transit with "Atlantis", our own vessel, we were accompanied by a small 27 footer named "Little Mermaid" as well as by a much larger yacht "Megwan" that took up the center position. As Little Mermaid was comparatively small and therefore its fittings not strong enough to hold the lines to shore it was the center boat "Megwan" that took care of the lines to the left hand lock wall. Unfortunately, one of the crew on the center boat decided to use a power winch to tighten its port bow line. Obviously, this was no match for the line handlers onboard "Atlantis" who were to tighten the starboard bowline manually with the same force. As a result the whole raft was pulled to the left hand side of the chamber with "Little Mermaid" being only about 10 feet from the lock wall. It was at risk of being crushed against the wall if the raft moved any further to the left. The most senior Advisor on the three boats sprung into action and instructed "Atlantis" to apply power in reverse in the attempt to straiten the raft. Tension onboard the center boat "MegWan" had risen and an inexperienced female crew member had a nervous breakdown because she, apparently, was blamed for the error. It is, of course, not unusual in sailing circles for a skipper to transfers his tension to another crew member - often a wife or girlfriend. Fortunately, after some adjustments, boats and crews were under control again before leaving the first chamber. The raft smoothly entered the last and final locking chamber at Miraflores Locks. PCC has its Visitor Center at the Miraflores Locks, halfway between the first and second locking chambers. There are always a lot of visitors there to look at lock operations. One of the best webcams for viewing lock operation on the Internet - virtually in real time, is located on a hill behind the Visitor Center. PCC offers to adjust, on request, the viewing angle of the webcam. Our PCC Advisor had asked the Visitor Center to focus the Miraflores webcam on our raft. However, as those of our webcam viewers at home that were following our transit noticed, the webcam pictures that were shown were very unclear. It is not clear whether the webcam can actually zoom in on particular vessels as requested. The poor quality could possibly mean that the webcams are of an outdated design or that the PCC webcam operator doesn't take the many requests very seriously.
(6) To Balboa and beyond: A stage of euphoria hits those in the final lock because this is the last stage of the transit and when the lock gates open the raft will enter the Pacific. As soon as the water inside the last lock chamber is at the same level as the Pacific (there is a tidal difference of about 12 feet) the lock gates are opened. The center boat propels the raft slowly out of the lock. The Advisors soon indicated that the raft can now disband. This was quickly accomplished and the close bond between the three yachts was broken with each ready to go its own way. Just past the Miraflores locks is the high "Bridge of the Americas." It's a great sight, not dissimilar to the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Boats pass underneath and the horizon is wide open. Cruisers have several options beyond the Bridge of the Americas.
Usually, all have at least a brief stop at the Balboa Yacht Club (BYC) at the left side of the waterway to drop-off any volunteer line handlers who are returning by bus to Colon to rejoin their own boats to wait for their turn to make the transit. The club is also the place to return any rented lines and fenders that were used during the transit. BYC has a large mooring field where boats can remain for a few days or a longer rest after completing the canal transit. It is said that mooring at the BYC has the possible disadvantage of the Harbor Police insisting that vessels that already got all clearances for leaving Panama in Cristobal, may again be instructed to check in and then clear out again when leaving. BYC is a good location for topping up water and fuel tanks. Alternatively, boats can immediately travel a further two miles or so to the anchorage at Flamenco Rock. This anchorage is reasonably well sheltered from all directions except from winds from the northerly quadrant. Both locations at BYC or Flamenco Rock provide the opportunity to re-provision for the onward voyage or buy spare parts in Panama City. The Flamenco anchorage gives access to the long seawall that has a marina nearby, a marine store and a number of restaurants (including a Pizza Parlor).
Those in a hurry can proceed immediately into the Gulf of Panama either in the direction of Baja California in Mexico for further travel to Hawaii and then in a northeast direction back to the US West Coast or they can travel south to Ecuador or other places on South America's West coast. Others go direct to the Galapagos Islands or immediately start the big jump to the Marquises and the rest of the South Pacific. Those traveling more leisurely may linger around at Panama's Las Perlas Islands - as we did with S/Y Atlantis.
After a pleasant three-day stay at Flamenco anchorage we started our cruise to the Las Perlas Islands. We weighed anchor at eight in the morning. There was between 15 and 20 knots of wind. That's a lot more wind than we had felt since we left Colon. The first destination was the island of Contadora. It is a relatively small island that has a good anchorage protected from the prevailing winds. Contadora has a small airstrip. Prior arrangements had been made for AussieWinlink to leave the Las Perlas islands by flying from Contadora to Panama City at the conclusion of the cruise and from there to fly back to Washington DC. Exploring Contadora island, therefore, made a lot of sense. S/Y Atlantis arrived at the Contadora anchorage by about 15:00 hours. While underway we were accompanied by a few pods of dolphins. There is a close to eight feet tidal range at Contadora and therefore it is necessary to anchor well offshore. There is no marina and not even a pier on Contadora for boats to tie up to or for dinghies to land. The only way to get onshore is by landing a dinghy through the surf onto the beach. That is not a mean feat if there is much surf. It was too early to worry about that now but we just hoped that when we had to land with luggage and dressed for travel by air that the surf would have subdued.
We stayed onboard for the rest of that day and enjoyed the scenery. The shoreline, including the beach and trees and houses on the ridge are very scenic. What made it interesting was that there were about eight other boats anchored near the beach. It was surprising also to see just slightly above the tree line several large antennas like those used by radio amateurs. It turned out to be the station of Gunter (HP1XX), an expatriate of German origin who lives on Contadora with his wife as members of the small international community. There must be a sufficient number of children from other countries because on a subsequent visit we sighted an embryonic International School. Gunter runs the amateur radio Pacific Island Net that welcomes and assist, primarily, German-speaking cruisers of which there were a remarkably large number on both sides of the Panama Canal and in the Las Perlas.
The next day after breakfast, we took our dinghy to shore and had a safe landing without getting too wet. Just above the beach is a nice restaurant and small hotel. However, both were closed. We walked the road and found the small International School and another few miles took us to the other side of the island where we found several hotels but with very few guests. Nearly all bars and restaurants were closed and some had "For Sale" signs. The hotel was being renovated and the units prepared for marketing as "Timeshares". There are two small general stores. One of these opened for only a few hours in the afternoon. The other side of the island also has the small offices of the two airlines that serve the island twice a day using Twin Otter and small Cessna planes. Arrangements had been made for the German crews of several anchored boats to visit Gunter at his place to talk about their cruising plans and exchange information. We were offered cold drinks, looked at Gunter's amateur radio shack and we all gathered on the terrace that overlooked the beach and the anchored boats.
Back on the
boat we felt like eating fish and we jumped into the dinghy and motored towards
a rocky outcrop that promised to be a haven for fish. Walter went in the water
with spear gun and within minutes came back with the first fish. Within half an
hour we had three fish that would feed us, three people, for two days. After
dinner we agreed that we would sail the next day to the island of Espiritu Santos which
was said to have a lovely anchorage. After dinner we listened to the Pacific
Island Net and accessed Winlink to get the short-range weather forecasts for our
area. It didn't sound to promising with light variable winds only. That's exactly the way it turned out.
It was clearly not feasible to sail to Espiritu Santos and we
therefore decided to instead spend time at some nearby uninhabited islands in the northern part of the Las Perlas.
After a pleasant stay that includes exploring the islands and swimming at
virtually deserted beached we returned to Contadora for Tony to start the flight
back to Washington DC. He left the next day and stayed overnight in Panama City
shopping for souvenirs and then flew back home. Atlantis also left and continued
her track through the Las Perlas.
She then continued to Ecuador where she will remain for the next six months or so. The next
stage should take them to the Galapagos, the Marquises and, who knows,
eventually to Australia and New Zealand. THE CRUISING COMMUNITY One of the pleasures and most interesting parts of cruising is meeting fellow cruisers from many corners of the earth. Here are just a few notes about some of the boats and crews met (in alphabetical order). Atlantis:
Walter and Gisela, the hosts for the cruise here reported,
are in the seventh year of a circumnavigation. They started their cruise with a
three-year exploration of the Mediterranean They then crossed the Atlantic
for the Caribbean where they spent a year. The next year took them to the US
East Coast where they anchored near the Statue of Liberty Park in New Jersey and
later on took a mooring on the Hudson River near the 79th Street. From there
they saw the fireworks display that were part of the 4th July Independence Day celebrations.
After a short sojourn to visit relatives in Germany, they returned to the Bahamas
and from there went to Trinidad with frequent stops at many of the islands along the
way. (AussieWinlink joined Atlantis to cruise the Dutch ABC islands. See:
Media Release 52.) After a further year in the Caribbean the decision was made to leave the
Atlantic and the Caribbean behind and enter the Pacific by transiting the Panama
Canal. Libelle: This was our host boat for the first Panama Canal transit. Tim out of Sydney, Australia had also been single-handing. He had sailed already from Sydney via Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, the Red Sea. the Mediterranean, to then cross the Atlantic and cruise the Caribbean. The Panama Canal presented the start of the return trip across the Pacific back to Australia. In Colon, Phillip, an Australian friend taking advantage of his long service leave, joined Libelle as crew to assist during the long stretches across the Pacific back to Australia. (Meeting Tim was of great personal interest to AussieWinlink. Tim had played a major role in constructing and operating the Illawong Alpine Lodge in Australia's Snowy Mountains. It is the most remote lodge in the alpine areas. All building materials had to be carried by hand over small raging creeks and up steep slopes. AussieWinlink's founder had played a similar lead role in establishing an alpine lodge in the nearby Guthega Village that is a few miles downstream from Illawong Lodge on Australia's famed Snowy River.) Little Mermaid: This is the smallest boat, at 27 feet, that was met on this cruise. It is a homebuilt craft skippered by a young woman from Slovania. It is powered by a single outboard engine. In a way, it was surprising that it was allowed to make the Panama Canal transit as the Panama Canal Commission had to be satisfied that the vessel can keep up, under its own power, with others in the flotilla. Actually, the skipper and crew of Little Mermaid did exceptionally well. The only minor drawback was that this small boat with its proportionately light weight deck fittings could not be relied upon to hold the docking lines in the locks. Accordingly, it was rafted to the port side of the raft and just came along for the ride. This, of course, meant that it was at the mercy of the crews on the other boats, Megwan and Atlantis, in respect of its safety, when in the lock chambers. At one stage Little Mermaid was about ten feet away from the lock's wall. The imbalance in centering the raft in the lock chamber was caused by the center boat using its capstan to tighten its line to the wall. This created so much pull with the crew on Atlantis unable to tighten its line to the same tension by hand. Megwan: A rather large vessel with a lot of crew, apparently with several different nationalities. It didn't appear to be a happy ship with many arguments, some shouting and hysterical outbursts. It requires a strong and knowledgeable skipper to run a clean ship. Maybe the pressure of the transit was just too much to take. It is hoped that the crew found peace and tranquility in the South Pacific. Nis Randers: This small boat measuring 27 feet over deck was the home for five people. The skipper, Bernd, is a goldsmith and he and his first mate, Anne, have a gold shop in Germany. The skipper initially expressed a wish to circumnavigate the globe in 12 months but then decided that that was too short a time for the trip and asked his wife and three children to come with him for a two-year circumnavigation. The eldest child, a son - Daniel, is 17 years old and the two younger ones are about six and seven years old. Bernd, the skipper and his son came along as line-handlers on the transit of Atlantis. They were all hoping to complete the circumnavigation within the two-year time period set aside and then reopen their gold shop and design jewelry based on the native designs that they observed while cruising.. Octagon: Octagon is a British-flagged vessel. The skipper and crew remained aloof and didn't really mix or speak with others. It suffered an embarrassing breakdown of its engine when approaching the Centennial Bridge. INTI, a vessel in our three-boat flotilla, turned back to tow Octagon so that it could stay with us to complete the remainder of the transit through the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks. INTI escorted Octagon all the way to the Balboa Yacht Club anchorage. Quest: Quest is skippered by Bill, a single-hander who was just about to complete his circumnavigation by returning from Balboa to the US West Coast. Atlantis had assisted Bill at his earlier transit and Bill, in return, traveled by bus from Balboa to assist Atlantis with its transit. Bill is the proverbial gentleman cruiser who is always ready to help others. Unfortunately, while anchored at Flamenco Rock, he was suffering from severe pain in his ankle and had to visit a doctor before he would be able to complete the last leg of his trip. Vite Vite:
This is a catamaran which the present owners had recently
bought in Trinidad. A delightful sailing couple, Tristan and Ilonka, and their young son - Linus,
have started the first stage of the circumnavigation having reached Colon and
transited the Panama Canal. They are now in the Marquises. Tristan is a computer
engineer and he is much in demand by the cruising community, especially now
since many have computers onboard for navigation and electronic communication purposes.
They run a website, in German, that describes their travels and shows
photographs. It can be found at
www.vitevite.info. One may well ask what this story has to do with the purpose for which AussieWinlink was established, that is, to expand the Winlink amateur digital communication network in Australia and, more generally, in the Southern Hemisphere. Well, the purpose of the trip was to observe the extent to which cruisers avail of Winlink and SailMail HF communication systems while on extended journeys. The findings are: (1) that more and more cruisers now use electronic navigational systems as an auxiliary to using hardcopy charts; and (2) many, if not all cruisers, use one or another onboard HF radio communication system. Most work with the free Winlink system or the Not-for-profit SailMail system. A few of the well-heeled cruisers use satellite telephones but these do not provide the range of services offered by Winlink and Sailmail. Of particular interest for this trip was the operational procedures that was used by cruisers. Of particular importance were: (1) the transceiver power output; and (2) avoidance of interference to other radio spectrum users. Regrettably it was found that some Users could perform better in two areas: (1) they should always ensure before transmitting that the frequency they want to use it not already occupied by other users; and (2) generally, they could transmit at substantial lower power settings. The latter, because of its importance, will be covered in a separate AussieWinlink Media Release. Finally, for those who would like to learn more about the Panama Canal a "Google" identifies thousands of Internet websites that have "Panama Canal" in the title or text. A few interesting websites can be visited by following the links shown below:
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