Hi, my name is Rasmus. I’m 31 years old and have been working with Uni-Tankers for almost 10 years as a Marine Engineer. I had the great opportunity to come on board Lulu Tao and help Leonora and Sissel with their boat while it was on land at Shelter Bay Marina for two weeks. The list of jobs was long, but we managed to complete everything on the list that was crucial for the boat to go back into the water; the remaining tasks could be done once the boat was back in the water.
After the haul-out, we sailed through the Panama Canal, which was an amazing experience. On the first day, we anchored outside the canal and waited for our advisor to come on board. Then we went through the first three locks in the afternoon. We were behind a large tanker vessel, and it was really hard work to keep the boat in the middle of the locks while the water was pouring in and we were pushed backward by the tanker, as we handled the mooring lines by hand. After being raised about 26 meters through the three locks, we were now inside Gatun Lake and had to moor the boat to a buoy for the night. The wind was blowing at around 20-25 knots, pushing us away from the buoy. Sissel jumped onto the buoy and took our mooring lines around it. After about 30 minutes of hard pulling, we managed to get close enough to the buoy for Sissel to jump back on the boat. Those 30 minutes must have felt like the longest of Sissel’s life because of the strong wind and the waves rocking the buoy back and forth.
The next morning, a new advisor came on board, and we continued through the canal and entered the final three locks, which were significantly easier than the first three, as we only had to handle two mooring lines and stay on the side of the locks while we slackened the lines and went down again. The doors opened to the Pacific Ocean, and we anchored just outside Panama City. This was an experience I will never forget!
After two days in Panama City, we heaved up the anchor and proceeded to the Pearl Islands, traveling at about 6-7 knots, solely under sail. It took around nine hours, and we arrived at Contadora Island just before sunset. On the way down, we were greeted by majestic humpback whales. Little did we know that in the following weeks at these islands, we would see whales almost every day, playing and jumping out of the water during their breeding season.
In the next few weeks, we explored many islands, found incredible beaches and snorkeling spots, and saw beautiful fish and marine life, including eagle rays and large sea turtles. We caught our own dinner with fishing rods and harpoons, harvested coconuts, and even found some sprouted coconuts with foam inside, which I call nature’s cotton candy. It has a crunchy yet foamy texture when you eat it—hard to describe the taste, but it’s sweet and delicious. One evening, we made a bonfire on the beach and roasted marshmallows, albeit without biscuits, and had a great time.
During these weeks, we also celebrated three birthdays, including my own 31st birthday. As a tradition on board Lulu Tao, you are woken up by the crew with a birthday song. Afterward, there were pancakes and scrambled eggs with bacon. I even received a gift, which came as a surprise. After breakfast, we went snorkeling for a few hours at a beautiful island. For dinner, Sissel and Anne made lobster bisque as a starter. For the main course, we had lobster tails cooked in the oven with garlic and butter, along with ceviche made from freshly caught parrot fish and various side dishes. For dessert, Leonora made a brownie. The lobsters were bought from some local fishermen who came by in a small boat. This was probably one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had!
All in all, these past six weeks have been absolutely amazing, filled with joy, good times, incredible experiences, and memories—but most importantly, with incredible people.
