Dauntless through the Panama Canal

Richard is at the staging area waiting to pick up his advisor to start his Canal transit south. You maybe able to see him go through the Gatun Locks on the Canal's live cameras this afternoon.

https://share.delorme.com/dauntless

https://www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=Gatun

Larry, how long has Dauntless been on this trip? I followed the Delorme plot across the Atlantic and back to Panama.

I get a fuzzy picture on the canal link. Am I missing something?

Is he really crossing the Pacific or just visiting the Galapagos out and back?

Through the first set of locks into Lake Gatun. Looks like he is on the hook for the night. Elevation 149 feet!!! Bet that is the highest Dauntless has been. Unless in Great Lakes, I guess.

I hope he gets some good pics! What an experience!!

Richard sent two photos to me that I am trying to upload but I am not having success. They are in my shared photo albums if anyone would like to view them. Hopefully you have access to that.
Roger

Mod Note: Fixed.

I think he is planning to head to Alaska and then Japan and Korea.

Awesome! What a great adventure.

I am into reading the history of the building of the Panama Canal. Have read over 500 pages of the 700 page tome. It is excruciatingly detailed, but fascinating. To think what was done with steam power is mind boggling. It was the largest civil engineering project undertaken until that time. If Ferdinand De Lessups had not stuck with trying to build a sea level canal the French could have completed it. Such are the quirks of history.

It was a multifaceted undertaking with first having to conquer disease that killed roughly 1/3 of the early workers. Even Panama declaring its independence from Colombia was an interesting story. When Teddy Roosevelt decided he would do something he would let little stand in his way. He would go through you or work around you.

Too bad he wasn't a few days earlier. I just left Panama City and could have taken some pictures from shore for him.

I have never understood why he did this with a power boat. He has more rigging on that boat for his stabilizing fins than we ever had on a sailboat. So if he has to play with all that rigging why not do it in a sailboat, save the money for diesel and enjoy the lack of 24/7 engine noise.
Just my $0.02.

Interesting point:

BobH said:

I have never understood why he did this with a power boat. He has more rigging on that boat for his stabilizing fins than we ever had on a sailboat. So if he has to play with all that rigging why not do it in a sailboat, save the money for diesel and enjoy the lack of 24/7 engine noise.
Just my $0.02.

Click to expand...

BobH said:

I have never understood why he did this with a power boat. He has more rigging on that boat for his stabilizing fins than we ever had on a sailboat. So if he has to play with all that rigging why not do it in a sailboat, save the money for diesel and enjoy the lack of 24/7 engine noise.
Just my $0.02.

Click to expand...

Really???

Clearly you do not have a clue,

This is a powerboat forum... if he wanted to sail he would of bought a sailboat...then he would post on a sail forum.

To those of us that have done long distance voyaging depending on where you want to go power can be a better option.

Now I find myself questioning why I posted this as it was such a wacky question in the first place...


HOLLYWOOD

Does anyone know what the "toll" is for Dauntless to transit the canal? Is an "adviser" a requirement? Is he/she paid? Not that I will ever make this trip but who knows, I never thought I would live on a boat in the first place.

Moonstruck said:

I am into reading the history of the building of the Panama Canal. Have read over 500 pages of the 700 page tome. It is excruciatingly detailed, but fascinating. To think what was done with steam power is mind boggling. It was the largest civil engineering project undertaken until that time. If Ferdinand De Lessups had not stuck with trying to build a sea level canal the French could have completed it. Such are the quirks of history.

It was a multifaceted undertaking with first having to conquer disease that killed roughly 1/3 of the early workers. Even Panama declaring its independence from Colombia was an interesting story. When Teddy Roosevelt decided he would do something he would let little stand in his way. He would go through you or work around you.

Click to expand...

I think the most significant limitation to steam IMO is halving to deal w all those cables plus fuel consumption and handling. Maintenance was probably a pita too.

I think a large percentage of the earthmoving was done manually with shovels, wheelbarrows, donkey carts and some help from dynamite. It is amazing what can get done with strong backs and lots of them. E.G., the canals in the NE USA, all done prior to steam.

And digging the ICW!!!

Amazing stuff.

hollywood8118 said:

Really???

Clearly you do not have a clue,

This is a powerboat forum... if he wanted to sail he would of bought a sailboat...then he would post on a sail forum.

To those of us that have done long distance voyaging depending on where you want to go power can be a better option.

Now I find myself questioning why I posted this as it was such a wacky question in the first place...

HOLLYWOOD

Click to expand...

I have been wondering for some time now why there has never been any mention of sailboats on this forum. Thank you for setting me straight. My point wasn't that his trip should not be done with a power boat but that having to rig, deploy, tweak and retrieve the fish seemed like a lot of work, no different from raising and trimming sails with the addition of fuel costs and noise. I'm not talking the Queen Mary or 100+ ft yachts, I'm talking about his 42' boat.
Having never done "long distance voyaging", our longest stretches were maybe 300-500 nm, can you give an example where power would be a better option?

BobH said:

I have been wondering for some time now why there has never been any mention of sailboats on this forum. Thank you for setting me straight. My point wasn't that his trip should not be done with a power boat but that having to rig, deploy, tweak and retrieve the fish seemed like a lot of work, no different from raising and trimming sails with the addition of fuel costs and noise. I'm not talking the Queen Mary or 100+ ft yachts, I'm talking about his 42' boat.
Having never done "long distance voyaging", our longest stretches were maybe 300-500 nm, can you give an example where power would be a better option?

Click to expand...

Can you give some examples where a helicopter or private plane wouldn't be better than both? That's not the point.

BobH said:

... My point wasn't that his trip should not be done with a power boat but that having to rig, deploy, tweak and retrieve the fish seemed like a lot of work, no different from raising and trimming sails with the addition of fuel costs and noise....

Click to expand...

It is not that much work using the stabilizers. Richard has been trying various things with the stabilizers to get the best performance. Basically, you deploy the fish and that is that. Much less work than raising/lowering sails and no tweaking of the sails when the wind changes. Sailing is a lot more work. Much more.

Later,
Dan

BobH said:

I have never understood why he did this with a power boat. He has more rigging on that boat for his stabilizing fins than we ever had on a sailboat. So if he has to play with all that rigging why not do it in a sailboat, save the money for diesel and enjoy the lack of 24/7 engine noise.
Just my $0.02.

Click to expand...

One word comes to mind: comfort.

BobH said:

I have been wondering for some time now why there has never been any mention of sailboats on this forum. Thank you for setting me straight. My point wasn't that his trip should not be done with a power boat but that having to rig, deploy, tweak and retrieve the fish seemed like a lot of work, no different from raising and trimming sails with the addition of fuel costs and noise. I'm not talking the Queen Mary or 100+ ft yachts, I'm talking about his 42' boat.
Having never done "long distance voyaging", our longest stretches were maybe 300-500 nm, can you give an example where power would be a better option?

Click to expand...

I have made the same trip down the coast of Baja a few times.. both by power and sail. The last time was a N46 and we set the paravanes and never touched them for over 72 hrs.. the same trip sail adjustment was done every 20/30 minutes max 24/7.. the level of comfort aboard a passagemaker trawler vs. sailboat I would put on par with motorcycle vs a nice car. And I will point out I LOVE to sail.. I do every chance I get. But going long distance the comfort is WAY higher aboard a powerboat. The difference is even more appearant heading to weather as Richard will be while headed North.

HOLLYWOOD

BobH said:

I have never understood why he did this with a power boat. He has more rigging on that boat for his stabilizing fins than we ever had on a sailboat. So if he has to play with all that rigging why not do it in a sailboat, save the money for diesel and enjoy the lack of 24/7 engine noise.
Just my $0.02.

Click to expand...

They are very little work, put them in the water at the start of the journey, takes maybe 10 minutes, then retrieve them just before you get to the destination, another 10 minutes of work, and you stay dry and comfortable for the whole journey. Spend a bit money of diesel (which is not actually that much for a slow displacement boat such as this) and and save the thousands on masts, riggings, and sails.

There is no right or wrong way, just whatever makes the most sense to the person who owns the boat

hmason said:

Does anyone know what the "toll" is for Dauntless to transit the canal? Is an "adviser" a requirement? Is he/she paid? Not that I will ever make this trip but who knows, I never thought I would live on a boat in the first place.

Click to expand...

An adviser and at least 4 qualified line handlers are required.

For boats over a certain size, I can't remember the exact size right now, you have to take a canal pilot.

Everybody is payed. Unless you can get free line handlers or have enough crew.

The last time I went through was in a 90' boat and then I had to take the 24' inflatable tender we towed through by itself. Both boats got ad measured and both boats have permanent canal vessel numbers.

I want to say the all in costs for taking both boats through including agency's fees was around $10,000.

The port captain made us put a port-o-potty on board the inflatable just in case the adviser needed to go #2 on the trip across .

Plus since the inflatable boat was so small they waved the 4 line handlers rule and let us go with 2.

Capt.Bill11 said:

...The last time I went through was in a 90' boat and then I had to take the 24' inflatable tender we towed through by itself. Both boats got ad measured and both boats have permanent canal vessel numbers.

I want to say the all in costs for taking both boats through including agency's fees was around $10,000.

The port captain made us put a port-o-potty on board the inflatable just in case the adviser needed to go #2 on the trip across .

Plus since the inflatable boat was so small they waved the 4 line handlers rule and let us go with 2.

Click to expand...

The big bucks were for the big boat Bill.

Dauntless was charged $800 by the Canal for the transit plus some miscellaneous fees. The $800 was for the advisor and the transit. If he rented lines, fenders and hired line handlers (4 required on Dauntless), even more plus return transportation for the line handlers back to where they started from. If he used and agent to organize everything that's and other $250-350.

You have to provide meals, a head and shade for the advisor. For the advisors, it's a side job from their regular Canal jobs. They have to go to school/training. They go on a transit waiting list and when called, they can ask about the size of the boat and accept or refuse the ride. If they refuse they go the bottom of the list. One of our advisors told us one time that the food that was provided was terrible and they called to have lunch delivered. A few hundred dollars later... Being an advisor, sounds like a great side job.

Or advisers were working on moving up to being canal pilots.

I was told by the pilots that the worst food and conditions were on the North Korean ships. Followed by the Chinese.

They said the crew conditions on the South Korean boats were basically slave labor for all but ships officers.

"I have never understood why he did this with a power boat. He has more rigging on that boat for his stabilizing fins than we ever had on a sailboat. So if he has to play with all that rigging why not do it in a sailboat, save the money for diesel and enjoy the lack of 24/7 engine noise.
Just my $0.02. "




Just to give you an example - I made a night run from Taveuni Fiji to Suva. It was a little rough but no problem with GPS and autopilot. A normal run secure in the house with radar running. The next afternoon at the RSYC I overheard the skippers of two sailboats who came in the night before going on about how rough it was all the sail change and course changes during the night. Commended about what a lousy night it was and the hard time they had. I could not help contrasting it with my relatively easy night secure in the shelter of my cabin just watching the miles go by. This is the reason we run trawlers instead of sail boats. The costs of fuel is small compared with all the sailboat rigging, sails, ect. Most sailboaters sail because the love it and don't mind some rough nights.

"They said the crew conditions on the South Korean boats were basically slave labor for all but ships officers. "


At one time I saw the crew off a Korean fishing boat all lined up on the dock with the captain screaming at them. He the proceeded down the line with them bent over and him hitting them on the ass with a paddle. It was quite funny but I did feel sorry for the crew.