What a special treat, transiting the Panama Canal on Makai. Eric is the Captain, the rest of us crew. An adventure few people have an opportunity to have. We were scheduled to pick up our advisor, Amado, at 4:30 pm on the flats just outside of the Gatun Locks. We were in the company of 4 other private boats. The advisors are trained for our sized boat and know how to prepare the boats to safely transit to the Pacific.
We spotted a transport ship coming out of the locks. This is another way to move your boat, but we don’t think it is as much fun. They sink this ship, pull the boats in, chock and secure them, then pump the water out for transport through the canal and beyond.
On the way into the locks the butterflies came out to say Adios. Amado told us that Panama means many butterflies/fish in Spanish and these come every year.
Our entire time here was filled with these Panama Butterflies transiting east to west in a steady stream.
With nothing to do except “be good”, the kids decided to catch a few butterflies for a better look.
Ok, lets all get serious, it’s time to enter the lock. The advisors orchestrated this massive 5 hull raft. Makai is 24 feet wide, the big catamaran next to us is 27 feet wide and Joy, the monohull on the outside was maybe 13 feet wide. That’s a pretty wide penta-maran.
In this configuration the two catamarans powered and steered our raft the mile it takes to get through the locks.
The sun was setting as we entered the first Gatun Lock. Our 5 boats went in behind a small 400 foot freighter. The lit arrow points to the lock to enter. The locks have two side by side chambers that function independently, like elevators. The boats go into a chamber the doors close and flood raising the boats to the next level. Then the front doors open and we move to the next lock. The three Gatun locks raise us 87 feet to the level of Gatun Lake. This man made lake provides the water to flood the locks and also provides at least 15 miles of waterway that didn’t have to be dug.
Once inside, workers high up on the wall threw down light weighted lines to the four corners of our raft. Line handlers on our boats tied rented 125 foot lines and the other end secured at the top of the lock.
Once secured, the doors closed and the lock was flooded. At Gatun we went through three locks each raising us about 30 feet to the level of the lake.
Columbus left in 1492 looking for a passage to Asia and since then explorers searched for a passage. The French started pushing the idea of digging a canal in the late 1800s but were met with an impenetrable jungle, mud slides, mosquitoes carrying yellow fever and malaria, financial corruption, civil unrest, and ultimately turned it over to the United States. The US also had many of these problems, but over time with advancing technology managed to cut the path between the seas.
Gary and Sandy were in charge of the starboard bow line and I had the stern line.
Luckily my friends visited me. Topaz barked at a few pelicans but for the most part she wasn’t so impressed with the passage.
After breaking up the raft we motored a short distance on Gatun Lake to these massive buoys to spend the night.
Our friends on Tangent gave us a bottle of wine a few weeks ago and today looks like a great day to drink it.
We were instructed to be ready early for the second leg of the trip.
The boats were all up and preparing to receive today’s advisors. We were also instructed to provide them with meals and refreshments. Makai served quiche, fruit and coffee for breakfast, lasagna for lunch and chocolate chip cookies for treats.
Along the way we saw remnants of the land that was exposed 100 years ago before the valley was flooded and the lake created. Stumps of trees rooted 40 feet below us.
The upper Chagres River leads to the next set of locks.
Construction is continuous. The Culebra Pass was one of the most difficult and treacherous sections to build. It cuts through the Continental Divide and has taken years to cut back the steep cliffs that were the source of continual land slides. During construction, the rains would wash mud into the canal covering people and equipment and causing expensive setbacks.
The canal is also being prepared to replace the locks with wider ones to accomodate the biggest supertankers. The current locks only accomodate ships 105 feet wide, giving 2.5 feet on either side.
Hot Hot Hot. It was hard to find shade with a view on this 5 hour transit of the lakes and rivers.
This ship is loaded with wind generator blades.
I know it’s small, but here is one of the feared crocodiles in the water along the edge. We’ve been holding tight onto Topaz after hearing all the stories of pets being snached by these toothy lizards.
The Centennial Bridge is a main artery connecting North and South America.
Ok, the final stretch. One lock at Pedro Miguel.
The line handlers tossed us a light line.
The boat rafts motored into the lock.
Now instead of looking up at the lock, we are at the top waiting to be lowered.
Rafted again, the boats will travel through the San Miguel lock, one mile across the Miraflores lake and into the Miraflores locks.
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This is where the tourists can observe the locks in action. I asked our advisor if he could wait here for me while I went into the vistor center to buy a refrigerator magnet and watch the informational movie. Bummer, he said, “No”.
Crews building the locks worked on both ends of the canal at the same time with Miraflores finishing first.
When the doors are closed workers use walkways to move from one side to the other. See our surfboards tied to the solar panels? We covered the solar panels and windows for protection from a line tossed off target. The guys on the lock did a great job of tossing the weighted line onto our trampolines, but this is just for added protection.
Train cars called mules are used to move tankers through the locks.
Gary is on the bow line. Life jackets and seat cushions strung up along the windows for protection.
When the water is drained and the boats are lowered, the doors open. Makai, say hello to the Pacific Ocean. This is her first trip to the Pacific. She has lived her whole life in the Atlantic and Caribbean with a short vacation to the Mediteranian Sea when the Pimentel family owned her.
Thank you to everyone who sent us screen shots from the canal-cam. I put them together for a short movie of us lowering in the Miraflores locks. We’re the catamaran last in line on our right side of the canal and the left of the photo.
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Panama City is a city full of beautiful skyscrapers, but no time for visiting. We have more adventures to rush off to.
After the Bridge of the Americas we will complete the passage. We have the lines and tires we rented from our agent that took care of all our paperwork. In the end, after paying for the $800 toll, $500 for the agent, and another $700 for visas, cruising permits, fees, line rentals. In all about $2000 to take the shortcut to the Pacific. Sounds like a deal to me.
A launch came by to pick up our advisor.
Our agent Francis did a great job taking care of us. He was like meeting up with an old friend and made the whole experience work without any glitches or negative experiences.
Today I turned 50! We couldn’t have ever planned a birthday party on the Panama Canal if we tried. Speaking of crazy coincidences and timing, Gary and Sandy hosted my last minute 40th birthday. We were wandering aimlessly with toddlers Roy and Genny and newborn Marie, not knowing what quick, easy, inexpensive thing to do for my birthday. When we decided to see if Gary and Sandy were having wine on their boat in the marina where we used to live. Sandy, patted my baby, put a candle on a sweet treat and a glass of wine in my hand. Whala a birthday party. This time she and my girls baked a cake and popped a cork on the champagne.
My favorite cards are home made.
We sailed Friday night through Sunday afternoon. It was pleasant. The wind would blow like crazy and then settle to tempt us to turn on the engine. Just when it seemed to light to sail, we would get a couple more hours of breeze. Whales greeted us in the morning and the dolphins were a constant source of concern for Topaz all night. They liked to come up along side of the cockpit and blow a breath for Topaz to hear.
Roy caught a tuna. We haven’t had one of these in quite awhile. The dark red meat wasn’t so appetizing, but it tasted great.
The rhumb line passed right over Isla Montuosa and to time a early morning arrival in Golfito we decided to spend the afternoon snorkeling. On the way into the anchorage Makai skimmed through a pod of swimming crabs.
We found the only patch of sand to drop our anchor in. The water below us was full of life. We saw big schools of little fish and little schools of big fish.
Not much sand but gravel and pieces of coral blanket the bottom. Huge rocks and coral provide a habitat for all types of colorful fish.
Rocks, islands, points, reefs plenty to explore tomorrow.
Compared to the Bahamas, these islands are steep and covered in green with tall palms along the beach.
Hurray a sand bar. The kids and Topaz were tired and stayed on Makai. This beautiful island deserves another day. We decided to spend another day here exploring.
Roy put out a line and had fun catching big reef fish off the back of Makai. We had a pleasant evening, great dinner, movie on the big screen when the water began to get choppy. By 2am there were dangerously big waves rolling through and the wind had us on a lee shore. OH bummer, we have to leave, no exploring for tomorrow.
Topaz spent the rest of the night barking at the dolphins. We could see their wake and hear their breath. We sailed until late afternoon when the wind diminished and in order to arrive in the daylight Makai’s engines had to drive us on in.
It was a great passage to Golfito, Costa Rica. Next we have land travel adventures ahead of us.
