102
DECEMBER 2012
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
JONATHAN KINGSTON
e’re in a Turkish schooner,
cruising toward the mouth
of Panama’s Chagres River,
with captain Bryan Carson
at the helm. Carson is
tanned, 30-something, a Californian who aban-
doned a fluorescent-lit corporate existence to “live
like a pirate” in the Caribbean. His uniform today
is a pair of board shorts adorned with pictures of
Bob Marley, and he’s leaning back, steering with
his left foot. “I woke up one morning and I couldn’t
do the cubicle thing anymore,” he explains, idly
scanning the horizon. “It just got to be—”
ROGUEWARRIOR
This page, Henry Morgan,
in a 1704 engraving; opposite, clockwise from
top left, the Chagres and the historical fort
San Lorenzo; inside San Lorenzo; Panama City
as seen from the ruins of Panamá Viejo
Suddenly Carson’s eyes go big and
his bare soles hit the deck. “Hold on!” he
says, giving the wheel a hard nudge with
his hand. “You see that?” He points to the
depth meter. It reads 1.6 feet, as in 1.6 feet
of clearance beneath our hull. “This is an
extremely hairy place to maneuver. No
wonder Morgan had problems here.”
By “Morgan” hemeans the British admi-
ralSirHenryMorgan,a.k.a.CaptainMorgan,
themost brilliant privateer andpirateofhis
era. In 1670, Morgan sailed into theChagres
en route to Panama City, the jewel of the
SpanishEmpire, onhisway to successfully
sacking it. Butmereyards fromwherewe’re
cruising,Morgan’sflagship, the
Satisfaction
,
was lostwhen it smashed intoan infamous
coral reef by the name of Lajas—whichwe
justmissedby 1.6 feet. Threehundred forty-
twoyears a er thebuccaneer kingwrecked
here, we nearly staged a reenactment.
As the author of a book onMorgan’s life,
Empire of BlueWater
,
I came to Panama to
meet upwithFritzHanselmann, anarchae-
ologistwhobelieves he’s foundwhat scores
of explorers and treasure hunters have
failed to locate: the wreck of the
Satisfac-
tion
on the Chagres riverbed, right under
our feet. As his team dives on the remains,
the world waits to see if the scientist from
Texas StateUniversity canprove his claim.
Hours a er our close call on theChagres,
Hanselmann and I stroll along the ba le-
ments of a ruined fort called San Lorenzo
that looks out over Lajas Reef. BeforeMor-
gancrashedonto the reef, hismen tookSan
Lorenzo ina grislyhand-to-handfight that
opened theway to Panama. We look down
on the swirling waters where the Chagres
River meets the Caribbean Sea. “I’ve
thought about this for a long time,” says
the strapping, blond-haired Hanselmann.
BOARDING PASS
To follow in the
footsteps of legandary buccaneer Captain
Morgan, let United get you there. You
can fly to Panama City nonstop from its
hubs at New York/Newark and Houston.
On the way, enjoy United’s investments
in your comfort, including expanded
Economy Plus seating.
Go to united.com
to see flight schedules and book your trip.
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DECEMBER 2012
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HEMISPHERESMAGAZINE.COM
