It is quite one thing to see Eric or Bear’s glasses swapped between the men and Dee but quite another when Eric handed his over to Ivan as they read Bad Elf GPS attached to Eric’s IPad – Ivan pointing out the various islands, childhood haunts and local boat routes. Ivan has worked for the Panama Canal Company for twenty two of his forty two years. Advisor, Guide, Lecturer, Health and Safety Officer, Fire Inspector and Visitor Centre Information man. He clearly loves his job, the variety and told us all kinds of stories with such enthusiasm. We all loved him and hope we get him as our advisor on this leg. We told him our boat name and he promised to look out for us.

Ivan handed Gary and Kate the computer readouts for todays south bound traffic, they could keep them as a keepsake

The sad entry on the readouts for me was a tug who is clearly in bad shape judging by her description.

Role in the Canal: The lake is also important as a reservoir of water for the operation of the canal locks. Each time a ship transits the canal fifty three point four million US gallons of water is passed from the lake into the sea; with over fourteen thousands vessel transits per year, this represents a very large demand for water. Since rainfall is seasonal in Panama, the lake acts as a water store, allowing the canal to continue operation through the dry season.

A major factor in water regulation is the ability of the rainforest in the lake's watershed to absorb rainfall, releasing it gradually into the lake. However, significant deforestation of the watershed has cleared away much of the vegetation, and reduced the area's water capacity. This has resulted in falling water levels in the lake during the dry season. Coupled with the massive increase in canal traffic since its opening, and the resultant increase in water usage, this is an ongoing problem for the canal.

I took the rainbow as a sign of good luck

Gatun Lake supplementary benefits: Eco-tourism on Gatun Lake has become a worthwhile industry for Panamanians. Gatun Lake also serves to provide the millions of gallons of water necessary to operate the Panama Canal locks each time a ship passes through and provides drinking water for Panama City and Colon.Angling is one of the primary recreational pursuits on Gatun Lake. Non-native Peacock Bass were introduced by accident to Gatun Lake around 1967 by a local businessman, and have since flourished to become the dominant angling game fish in Gatun Lake. Locally called Sargento, and believed to be the species Cichla Pleiozona, these peacock bass are not a native game fish of Panama but originate from the Amazon, Rio Negro and Orinoco river basins of South America where they are called Tucanare or Pavon and are considered a premier game fish.

We passed an old lighthouse and the Canopy Tower

The Canopy Tower is a very expensive bird watching retreat, too much for us sadly, but it holds the world record for the number of different bird species seen in one twenty four hour period a massive three hundred and sixty of the five hundred known species who thrive here. It is a five-storey converted radar station built by the Americans in the heart of the Gamboa Rainforest Reserve, maybe one day........