by Lacy R. Jones (Brown)
by Lacy R. Jones (Brown)
As a member of the Explorer Scouts from Albrook AFB, we were given the opportunity to paddle dugout canoes, cayucos, in a timed race through the Panama Canal. Since we’d camped out on the Pearless Islands, Toboga, in the interior, we were ready for something new. We managed to field two crews of 4 men, actually teens, for the trip. We were told that we would be leaving on Friday about noon on the Panama RailRoad. We would pick up our boats there. Well, when it came time to board the train for Colon, one of our crewmen didn’t show. He had an engagement with the BHS ROTC and decided to go for that instead of the race. Since all the other crews were made up of four, we were given the choice of dropping out now, or go ahead and take our chances. There was no choice to be made.
I don’t remember the trip over, but I know it must have been exciting. I do remember our arrival. We were taken out to the waters edge and there were all shapes and sizes of cayucos lying all over the ground. Most were about 20’ to 25’ long, just right for a four-man crew. So we started looking for a smaller boat for our three-man crew. These were honest to God dug out logs. One of the Scout leaders stated that they had "borrowed" them from the local San Blas Indians. These were rough! Well, we found one that looked pretty sleek. We pulled it down and put it in the water and almost immediately, before anyone one of us could get in, started filling with water from hundreds of little wormholes. We didn’t even bother to pull it out. After two or three more false starts, two sinkers and one shaped like a banana, we finally settled on the least worst one we could find. Our paddles weren’t much more than flat boards that were a little narrower at one end.
We had 3" of freeboard and were ready to go.
We were briefed that it was a timed race and the first leg would be from here to Gatun. A lot of us had never been in a cayuco before and it was funny to watch everyone trying to get coordinated to make the thing go straight. Some were going around in circles! Well, the time came and the starter’s gun went off and we paddled for all we were worth. The rest is history.
And that was the beginning of the first annual Ocean to Ocean Cayuco Race in May of 1954. We had no idea that we were making history and were starting a tradition that would last for the next 47 years, at least.
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