Panama Canal 1 of 2

Bondi Tram
Peter Colquhoun and Sandra Colquhoun
Thu 5 May 2011 16:57
We spent a few days in Shelter Bay Marina while we waited for our transit date.
 
 
The red boat is Guppy, Laura Dekker's boat.  Laura is the Dutch girl who wanted
at 14 to sail around the world and was banned by a court in Holland.  I think she
is 15 now. 
The buildings in the background are part of Fort Sherman, which used to be a
U.S. army base when before the Canal Zone was handed back to Panama.
 
 
Collecting our tyres in the rain.  These are used to protect the boat in case we
collided with the lock walls.  Our agent provided us with 20 tyres an 4 150 foot
lines.
 
 
All rigged up for the transit.  Yachts have been badly damaged in the canal in the
past, so there is no such thing as too many tyres.
 
 
The jungle around the marina contained a number of gun emplacements left over
from WW 2.
 
 
We went as line handlers with our friends Glen and Lynn on Steel Sapphire, who
we had met for the first time in Gibralter.  Here we are about to board them out
at the anchorage.  Two yachts were going through this afternoon.
 
 
On the way up to Gatun Locks, which are the first 3 locks on the Caribbean side
of the canal.
 
 
The engine below is a "mule".  Each ship is connect with 4 to six mules which
guide the ship through the locks.  A 'mule' costs a million dollars, and the
Canal Authority has 80 of them!
 
The canal has 9,000 full time employees.
 
 
This ship went into the lock in front of us, and we followed.....
 
 
....behind this tug.  Sea Trout is Colombian (ex-Singapore) owned and is on its
way to Chile to tow a ship to New Zealand.  We rafted up to the tug for the transit
of the lock, with another yacht rafted on the outside of us.s
 
 
Looking back from the first lock after it lifted us.
 
 
It was nearly dark by the time we reached the last of the 3 locks and entered
Gatun Lake, where we spent the night.
 
 
Leaving the Colombians who continued on through the night.
 
 
Morning on Gatun Lake, with ships awaiting their turn at the locks.  Gatun Lake
was created by damming the River Chagres to provide water for the canal.  It
is the second largest man made lake in the world and millions of litres are used
every day to run the canal.   All this enventually ends up in the sea.
 
Panama is building an new section of parallel locks to allow bigger ships through.
This is costing billions of dollars and will be completed in 2014, the hundred
year anniversary of the canal opening.  The new locks will recirculate the water,
cutting wastage.
 
 
From Gatun Lake  we went via a short cut called the "Banana Cut" to rejoin the
main canal after 5 miles....a scenic diversion.
 
 
 
These girls and boys are practising for an annual canoe race from Colon to Balboa....
though they have to pick up and carry their canoes around the lock.s
 
 
 
Rejoiningg the main canal....
 
 
...we came to Gamboa and the first of the down locks.  In the background is Titan,
a giant floating crane which the U.S. took from Germany at the end of WW 2.
 
 
Gamboa is a maintenance centre for the Canal Authority.
 
 
About to pass under the Centenial bridge, the newest bridge across the canal.
This is the Galliard Cut, the biggest enginneering work on the canal.  The
initial French builders were trying to make a sea level canal, but eventually had
to give up.
 
 
This is the Pedro Miguel lock.  Ahead is the small Miraflores lake, leading to the
last two locks at Miraflores..
 
 
 
Going down...
 
 
 
 
Lock doors opening....
 
 
Exiting, followed by the ship.
 
 
At Miraflores we went through the last 2 locks. The tall building on the left is
the visitor centre which was packed with onlookers.
 
 
 
In to the Pacific.  Ahead is the Bridge of the Americas and the port of Balboa.
Just before we went under the bridge a pilot boat came out and collected our
advisor....
 
 
...which was Freddie for the second half of the trip, seen here with Glen and Lynn.
Each yacht has an advisor on board, the first leaving at Gatun Lake in the evening
and the second joining at Gatun Lake in the morning.
 
Advisors are part time employees, ...Freddies normal job is on one the dredges working
on the Canal, so he is on his day off.