About Dodgevile AKA Colon and Time off

Since Intle was delayed we needed to stay in a hotel for an extra 3 days and were only told this on the last minute. Shelter Bay Marina Hotel was fully booked as teh World Arc Race had arrived, we simply had no choice but to find a hotel in Colon.

Some of you remember when we first arrived here in October, I said that this place is a total dump, well nothing has changed in the last 3 months. It is still Dodgeville!

My mind is utterly boggled as to why Colon is so shady, an hour and 20 minutes away there is Panama City, which is an absolutely incredible city, beautiful, clean, modern, cosmopolitan. Then there is Colon, dirty, dark, old, crime, drug and gang riddled, in fact one of the highest crime rates in Panama.

The fact that Colon is the gateway to the Pacific Ocean and entrance to the Panama Canal, has made no difference to this crime ridden town, even though every boat, super yachts, ships, cruise liners, multi hulls, mono hulls you name it are coming through here, every single day to get to the pacific and visa versa. Container ships are paying upwards of 500 000USD 💵 to get through the canal, yet this town is a dump.

Apparantly, there have been efforts to improve Colon, however these have never really been successful mostly due to extreme corruption.

Fun Facts About Colon

    1)  Colon is home to one of the largest duty-free zones in the world, this money certainly does not benefit the community.
    2)  Colon is named after Cristobal Colon (Christopher Columbus) his role in the area eventually led to Spanish Colonisation of Panama
        One of the first Europeans around Panama and believed there could be a way through to the Pacific without going around Cape Horn.
         Well, many years after his demise the Panama Canal was built. This a whole separate story to tell.
    3) Shelter Bay Marina is a little piece of heaven in Colon, this Marina is completely cordoned off and run by Military, there are armed guards at the entrance searching every vehicle that passes.

Some time off

After Intle splashed, we worked like slaves - definitely not glamorous at all! But now, we can proudly say she is shining and sail-ready, both inside and out.

We did take a little time off with some friends we made in Curacao - enjoying drinks, dinner, and a tour of a very strange little coffee factory while sampling some local food. You will also see a video of how fuel gets filled around there parts!

It is always great fun reconnecting with fellow sailors we have met along the way. It tryly feels like we have known each other forever. I suppose this is due to our shared understanding of life on the water and the same passion for the sea and sailing.

Tomorrow, we will finalize our passage plan, which I will share with you once complete. We will also handle the necessary clearance procedures with the Port Captain, Immigration, and other authorities. 

It is crazy to think that a year ago, we had an emotional departure from Port Owen, since then, we have gained enormous experience and confidence.

There are certainly days when we miss our crew, family, and friends from around the world, but now, it is time to take this adventure on our own.

Over the last year, we have sailed 8 550 nautical miles, visited 7 new countries, and now, we continue our journey across the rest of the globe!