Legacy Sailing
Photo Gallery 65
In the Kingdom of the Monkeys -- Cruising the Rio Chagres
We hadn't really intended to visit the Rio Chagres when we did, and we certainly never expected to spend so much time here. None-the-less we found it a great place to spend time, and certainly the nicest anchorage in Colon's immediate area. We stopped in to escape bad weather on our first attempt to reach Bocas del Toro. We encountered very rough seas and winds approaching 30 knots (the prediction was for less of both wind and seas) after we left Limon Bay and decided to take shelter in the Rio Chagres. After a couple of days, and with a good weather forecast we headed out again for Bocas. Unfortunately no one had mentioned the 2 knot adverse current, nor did the forecast accurately predict the 20 knot headwinds we encountered. Because we had a limited window before the next round of bad weather was due to arrive we retreated again to the Rio Chagres after 18 hours at sea. A long period of rough weather and a realization that we might get stuck in Bocas if we got there decided us to stay and explore the Rio Chagres. The six miles of the river up to the Gatun Dam (which holds back Lake Gatun) is deep, and in the dry season, slow moving. After exploring the Castillo San Lorenzo at the mouth of the river we wound our way to the shallows at the base of the dam and anchored a short distance downriver. We spent over a week there; resting, doing boat shores and repairs, and enjoying the rainforest. Eventually we were joined by several other boats, including one, Queen Mary, who we had met on the radio in Colon. We moved 4 miles down river to join them. They shared the location of a pretty waterfall on one of the side estuaries and we enjoyed their company and that of their friends on Barefoot. That anchorage didn't offer any real spot to get the grrlz ashore so we relocated back to the mouth of the river where there was more breeze and a nice sandspit for walkies. We often heard howler monkeys making their mournful moaning calls in the jungle and noticed that they seemed especially noisy when one of the frequent rain showers poured down on them.

Castillo San Lorenzo El Real Del Chagres
When we first arrived in the Rio Chagres, we anchored near the mouth of the river under the ancient Castillo San Lorenzo, built in 1597.	After a nice walk up to the Castillo, we paused to enjoy the view of Legacy floating quietly at anchor in the river.
This reconstructed watchtower rises at the corner of the Castillo, overlooking the moat and the harbor.	Through the gun slit of the watchtower, we can see the surf breaking on the surrounding reefs.
Broad sally ports lead into the Castillo's interior spaces. This one leads from the moat bridge into the interior and has gun slits all around. It wasn't clear whether the slits were used to fire out at outside invaders, or in at those who had stormed the moat.	Both Spanish and British cannons are in place around the Castillo. The Spanish originally built the Castillo to protect the Panama coast from British pirates, but the Castillo was conquered twice, once by British privateer Henry Morgan and once by the British army.
Heather poses with one of the many cannons on the upper level of the Castillo.	On our second trip to the Castillo, we brought the grrlz. They insisted on their opportunity to pose with the cannon!
By squirming around on his belly, Chris was able to take this shot of Legacy framed by window of the ruins of the building at the center of the Castillo.	Kira and Minnow sit on one of the Castillo walls which were originally built of blocks of coral.
Two interestingly shaped trees seen from the top of the grass-cloaked stoneworks of the upper bastion of the Castillo looking out over the main body of the fort and the river mouth beyond.	We found these interesting flowers along the road leading back to the river dock.

To the Dam!
Legacy heads up the six mile navigable portion of the Rio Chagres. The banks of the river are lined with jungle flora and populated with tropical fauna.	Minnow enjoys having the wind make her ears flap as she relaxes on the foredeck during our trip upriver.
Near our anchoring point upriver was a small tour boat operation. Every couple of days, two or three boats brought cruise ship passengers on a tour of the upper river.	From the navigable portion of the river, we were able to get our first peek at the Gatun Dam. Above the dam is Lake Gatun. The Rio Chagres enters the lake near Gamboa nearly 25 miles up the Canal. If you look closely you can see a container ship passing out of the locks above the dam.
This small islet near our anchoring point was home to a number of Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, who build nests that look like hanging woven sacks.	The nests hang in clusters from the branches of the trees on the islet. The birds swoop across the river and effortlessly glide into the openings at the top of the nests.
This starkly beautiful tree made an interesting contrast to the lush jungle foliage.	After having the river to ourselves for over a week, there was a sudden population explosion. Two boats from Montreal, and two boats with French single-handed sailors joined us in the anchorage near the dam.
From the dock ashore, we were able to catch this picture of Legacy peeking out from behind the bird islet.	From the dock, it was a pleasant 15 minute walk up to the Gatun Dam. This is the power house for the dam, built in 1917 in the same style as the rest of the canal buildings. This dam supplies power only to the Canal and not to area communities which are supplied by other hydroelectric projects.
From the road near the Dam, we were able to see the tops of ships that were heading through the Gatun Locks.

Fixing the Mainsail
As the sun rose on our return to the Rio Chagres after our second attempt to get to Bocas we noticed a six inch tear in the mainsail right along the luff of the sail. We needed to fix this so it wouldn't expand and make the mainsail useless.	We started by cutting two patches from adhesive backed sail repair material that we had on hand. We then put one on each side of the sail over the damaged spot.
Although the adhesive is fairly strong, the location of the damage was in a high stress area of the sail so we needed to stitch the two sides of the patch to the sail to secure it. Since we don't have a heavy sewing machine on board that meant hand stitching.	The completed repair showing the stitching around the edge of the patches and reinforcement crossing the line of the tear.

Rainforest Explorations
Kira and Minnow enjoyed sniffing their way along the trail to the Gatun Dam, even though we kept them on leash. Minnow wasn't so sure about the howls of the monkeys overhead though.	Leaf-cutter ants march along cleared paths through the jungle. Here they come out of the grass and head across the roadway near the Castillo.
Chris and the grrlz are silhouetted against the river at the dock we used to access the dike trail. This was the only land access near the anchorage so all of the grrlz shore excursions started here.	By dinghy, we explored several small side channels of the Rio Chagres. At this one, we clambered out of the dinghy to explore a waterfall.
Friends on "Queen Mary" told us how to find this lovely little waterfall. We had to walk carefully however, as the torrential waters of the rainy season had created deep potholes in the rock surrounding the pool.	Steve and Mary from "Barefoot" explored the waterfall by kayak. The brightly colored kayaks were especially scenic framed by the jungle foliage.
Minnow always asserts her right to stand in the bow of the dinghy as we explore the jungle.	These monkeys were hanging out in their favorite tree, swinging and scratching and, well, acting like monkeys.
Chris chuckles as Kira's "sitting disorder" causes her to roll back against him and nearly end up in the drink.

m/v Discovery and her magic swim platform!
We awoke one morning to find this elegant little cruise ship, the m/v Discovery, sharing our anchorage at the first bend in river. Chris had seen her several weeks ago on Lake Gatun on his transit aboard Ave Maria.	We watched with fascination as Discovery disgorged her 16 passengers into launches and kayaks from the swim platform at her stern.
Once all her passengers were seated in their kayaks on the platform, the whole structure lowered into the water, allowing them to paddle off directly into the river. Very cool!

Updated 2/14/2009