09:15.6N 079:54.1W

Our pilot, this time Armado, arrived around 7am and we waited for the word to untie from the buoy and set off. 

Our buoy buddy left in a group ahead of us.

Although they used to have a separate channel the small boats use the same route as the big ships now which makes life quite exciting.

The rest of the morning was a gentle chug through the lake.

This however is a picture of a log.  This is why binoculars are helpful when it comes to crocodile recognition.

Ships, ships, ships.

The start of The Cut.  The part of the canal that had presented the greatest engineering challenges when it was originally built and flooded 100 years ago.

Once Gatun lake and The Cut was passed we were held just before the Miraflores locks to wait our turn.