Sailing From Colombia to Panama

Our sail from Colombia to Panama began happily, since Brian fixed the autopilot! It was a relief knowing we would not be hand steering for the two day voyage. While that made things easier, sailing from Colombia to Panama was not a fun trip.

It Gets Scary

When home is a sailboat with a 65 foot high metal mast and you’re alone in the middle of the ocean, you don’t want to see lightning. A lightning storm is a nightmare. We had a very small taste in Colombia and it didn’t prepare us for the scary lightning storm our first night sailing from Colombia to Panama.

It’s rainy season in Panama and electric storms are common. We saw flashes in the sky throughout the day Saturday, but weren’t concerned. We didn’t think it would get worse. And we were wrong.

Lightning

At around 1am on Sunday, the wind picked up, the temperature dropped, and the thunder and lightning increased. All at once, we were in the middle of the storm. The sky lit up as if by floodlights, and bolts of lightning struck from all directions. It was too much for me. Knowing we had no control and had to keep going, I couldn’t handle it. Every lightning bolt made me gasp out loud, making things worse for both of us.

I went below to hide with Domino rather than stress us both out upstairs. All I kept thinking about was what we would do, all alone on our home, miles from land, if we got hit. I kept telling myself the odds were in our favor, but also couldn’t help but think we were the only thing with a 65 foot high metal pole for miles around. Domino was a good choice; she’s like a comfort animal and petting her is very relaxing!

Fortunately we didn’t get hit, but that was a sleepless night for the Sava crew!

What To Do In A Lightning Storm

Looking back, there was nothing we could have done differently. The storm came up suddenly and we couldn’t outrun it. When the strikes returned on Sunday night, we barely acknowledged them. They were much further away from us, and we knew if they came near, we couldn’t do much anyway. We also learned to hide all our electronics in the oven, creating a Faraday cage, when lightning strikes.

The Rest of The Trip

The 250nm trip took just under 46 hours. We left Cartagena at 9;30am Saturday and anchored in Linton Bay, Panama at 7am-ish on Monday. We saw several boats on AIS, and some visually, mostly commercial boats like tankers.

Other than the harrowing experience of being surrounded by lightning, the rest of the journey was uneventful. The water was calm and wind generally low except during the storm. We motor sailed except when we furled the jib in during the storm.

If it hadn’t been for the lightning, it would have been a relaxing trip. It sounds like this time of year is lightning season, and we weren’t alone in our experience. Several others sailed through lightning from Colombia to Panama. One boat lost their electronics from being too close to a lightning strike. The danger is real, especially this time of year when lightning is a nightly ritual.

I didn’t film while we were sailing through the lightning. I was too scared and didn’t want to tempt fate, so here is a short clip from our anchorage in Puerto Lindo Panama of lightning from afar.

Panama

Due to the global Covid pandemic, we don’t have many choices for where to check in to a new country. In the “before times,” we could have checked in closer to Colombia, but only a few immigration and customs locations are open these days. Thus the 250 mile trip to Puerto Lindo and Linton Bay Marina. We approached there before sunrise, and after a stressful sail from Colombia to Panama, were relieved to catch sight of land and civilization.

We have been checked in to Panama for over a week and so far it’s great. We’ve made new friends, encountered monkeys and dolphins, and are exploring the Caribbean side of Panama, which will take us at least a couple of months. If anyone has tips for things to do and places to go in Panama, please share in the comments. Here’s to smooth sailing ahead!