Shelter Bay Marina, Panamá

Yesterday morning (Sunday, Sept. 29), we pulled up anchor in Linton Bay under mostly cloudy skies with flat seas and set off for Portobello to see the ruins of one of the main ports of the Spanish empire in the Caribbean. As we left the protection of the bay, we encountered a strong northern swell, with only a couple seconds interval. There was not enough wind to sail, so we were motoring uncomfortably. We knew these swells would make the bay at Portobello bouncy, and we could see more rain showers moving in. We agreed we could skip the few sights in Portobello and head directly to Shelter Bay Marina, our next destination. As it turns out, it was a good decision for a few reasons. The first is that an alternator belt, one Peter replaced only a few weeks ago, broke, so the batteries cannot charge from the engine. The second is that it began to rain shortly after we tied up at our slip, and it has been raining almost constantly since yesterday evening. The third is that we arrived just in time for the cruisers' potluck barbeque at 5 p.m. that occurs every Sunday, and we were able to enjoy a variety of food and chat with several people about the two things yachties always talk about: destinations and issues with their boats.  Fortunately, there was a lull in the rain during dinner time.

Shelter Bay Marina is inside the enormous breakwater that is the northern entrance to the Panamá Canal, on the western side. Inside and outside the breakwater, which encompasses the large harbor of Colón, there are dozens of hulking cargo ships anchored, either waiting to enter the port or to begin passage through the canal. Passage through the canal is an orchestrated affair, and every vessel is scheduled in advance for transit.

Cargo ships at anchor inside the breakwater to the Panamá Canal

Whenever the rain lets up and it dries out, I plan to take advantage of the beautiful swimming pool here at Shelter Bay Marina. We could have used it in Cartagena!