Page 1 of 3
Log
of S/V High Drama
No.6-
Panama to Ecuador
March 2001
Greetings
once again from High Drama! This episode finds your hearty sailors
at Puerto Lucia Yacht Club in Salinas, Ecuador preparing to cast
off to the Galapagos. Yes, I know. Careful readers undoubtedly
thought that we should be in the Galapagos by now. But, we have
no schedule and we are sticking to it. For those of you who would
like to see our location on a map, please click here (opens a
new window), or visit http://wl2k.org/aprs.htm
and then type KD7GWH, which is our ham radio call sign. We will
update this map daily when we head to the Galapagos and points
west.
High Drama Crew in Panama
Mike
and Stacy Morrison joined us in Panama. Those of you who have
been following this Log since it's inception will remember that
Mike and Stacy sailed with us 1½ years ago when we left San Diego.
We sailed together to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico where they returned
to a more normal life. As soon as Mike and Stacy joined us, we
started the paper work to check out of Panama. We set off for
Las Perlas Islands. Goodbyes were said to our close friends Scott
and Sharon aboard Geisha, pictured below with their dog, also
named Geisha. If you follow the Spanish speaking soap operas you
will notice that Sharon is wearing a "Yo Soy Betty La Fea" T –shirt.
(This extremely popular soap opera is roughly translated as "I
am Ugly Betty" and it follows the life of Ugly Betty in a fashion
modeling agency. If one is patient enough to follow the plot to
a conclusion one learns that Betty is not ugly after all, but
a ravishing beauty.) We had sailed with Scott and Sharon for many
miles, from Costa Rica to the Panama Canal, and it is once again
sad to leave good friends.
Sharon, Scott & Geisha
|
The Equator
We sailed south from
Panama keeping Colombia a minimum of 200 miles to our port. The
activity of the drug people, the anti drug people, and the military,
supported by the Clinton administration suggested that we should
stay well offshore. The Caribbean trades pushed us southward and
we picked up a modest current of about 1½ knots, also to the south.
For three days we enjoyed great sailing. After traveling approximately
500 miles south, we crossed the equator, on Valentines Day. Below
is a picture of the GPS showing that we were truly at the Equator.
(00 degrees, 00.000 minutes of latitude) We immediately ran below
decks to flush the head to see which way the water flowed out
of the drain, to confirm that we were in the Southern Hemisphere.
GPS
at equator
Crew celebrating crossing the equator
Ann pouring champagne for Neptune
Champagne
flowed as we celebrated the crossing. Ann poured a glass of champagne
to Neptune invoking his permission and guidance for safe sea travel.
After the ceremony, all former "polliwogs" were now inductees
into the Honorable Ancient and Venerable Society of Shellbacks,
with all of the privileges and responsibilities attendant thereto.
(continued next page)
Go on
to page 2
|
