The Panama Canal Transit
Colon is a dirty dangerous city, Nick and I escaped without being mugged and in this we were more fortunate than half of the other visiting cruisers; we effectively spent the best part of our time avoiding public places. Graeme Douglas arrived on the 18th of September to assist us in the Panama Canal transit and cruise Central America for a time. Two additional ‘line handlers’ were required for the canal transit and were fortunate to have Marty and Celina from the yacht ‘Shoerchita’, volunteer.
The night was dark . In the port of Cristobal a pilot/advisor boarded Pina Colada from the pilot boat at the anchorage. Once underway Nick was given instructions to steer PC close to the edge of the canal whilst the towering sides of a car carrier and a tanker crossed paths beside us. We had no trouble in the three chambers of the Gatun locks and spent the evening on an enormous mooring in the fresh water Gatun Lake, 85 feet higher up. The man made Gatun Lake winds through uninhabited jungle; the numerous islands throughout it are wildlife havens. We motored 31 miles to get to Pedro Miguel Locks.then dropped 31 feet into the mile long Miraflores Lake before entering the 2 chambered Miraflores locks for the final decent into the salt water of the Pacific Ocean. The sniff of home.
As the yacht enters the locks the men on the walls above throw heaving lines armed with monkeys fists to the line handlers on deck. The line handlers tie the heaving line to the boats warps which are then hoisted to bollards on the walls. It’s then up to the line handlers to take up or let out slack to keep the boat under control as the locks are filled or emptied. The most turbulence is created if a ship in the lock creates propeller wash or if a tug boat drives past. Our advisor on the second day was useless; he always had headphones in and would leave the boat whenever we were tied up (a habit that drew the attention of an angry armed security guard). I asked him in loud tones ‘would you like another can of soda and can you give some advice’ to his face and he just kept nodding to the beats. We didn’t need him to be there.
The night was dark . In the port of Cristobal a pilot/advisor boarded Pina Colada from the pilot boat at the anchorage. Once underway Nick was given instructions to steer PC close to the edge of the canal whilst the towering sides of a car carrier and a tanker crossed paths beside us. We had no trouble in the three chambers of the Gatun locks and spent the evening on an enormous mooring in the fresh water Gatun Lake, 85 feet higher up. The man made Gatun Lake winds through uninhabited jungle; the numerous islands throughout it are wildlife havens. We motored 31 miles to get to Pedro Miguel Locks.then dropped 31 feet into the mile long Miraflores Lake before entering the 2 chambered Miraflores locks for the final decent into the salt water of the Pacific Ocean. The sniff of home.
As the yacht enters the locks the men on the walls above throw heaving lines armed with monkeys fists to the line handlers on deck. The line handlers tie the heaving line to the boats warps which are then hoisted to bollards on the walls. It’s then up to the line handlers to take up or let out slack to keep the boat under control as the locks are filled or emptied. The most turbulence is created if a ship in the lock creates propeller wash or if a tug boat drives past. Our advisor on the second day was useless; he always had headphones in and would leave the boat whenever we were tied up (a habit that drew the attention of an angry armed security guard). I asked him in loud tones ‘would you like another can of soda and can you give some advice’ to his face and he just kept nodding to the beats. We didn’t need him to be there.
posted by Nick and Blue at
4:46 pm
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