Just another day in Panama. Before you start envisioning Titanic-esque scenes of me and the Palenque crew freezing to death in the water, remember that the oceans surrounding Panama are like bathwater.
So we found ourselves on a sinking ship… No, I’m not talking about the economy, I’m talking about The Yellow Submarine, Amble’s boat in Boca Chica. Originally, she was named Miss Mollie, but her previous owners had sunk her, so we jokingly started calling her The Yellow Submarine. Well, two weeks ago, she tried her hardest to find the bottom of the ocean once again.
After capturing an amazing sunset, we were on our way back from Isla Palenque with Adam Elliott the photographer. We had been having issues with the bilge pump earlier in the day, but it seemed to be running fine all afternoon. The boat seemed to lean a bit starboard, but we thought it was just due to the weight of the photo equipment. A few minutes later, I glanced to the stern and noticed that our empty gas tanks and cooler were floating in water. Yup, we were sinking!
I immediately grabbed the cooler and began bailing. Nobody seemed as worried about it as I was. Ben was laughing which made me wonder if this was some sort of employer test to see how I’d react under pressure. Granted, the path to Palenque never puts you out too far to swim to land, but I wasn’t really up for a workout and we didn’t want to lose The Yellow Submarine, much less our photographer’s expensive equipment.
We were able to bail enough to keep the boat afloat and make it back to the hotel dock. The leak was gradual but she was definitely taking on water. We had to get her out, but the boatyard was closed so Ben and I took turns waking up to bail and pull the boat with the tide closer to the beach where it would be safe when the tide subsided. This morning, Carlos the boat guy dragged her away and the verdict is pending.
Perhaps we shouldn’t call her The Yellow Submarine anymore.
TAGS: Adventure Boating Isla Palenque Panama
