Panama Canal Crossing

 Sea Date January 24, 2024

What an interesting day.  We started at 6:15 am on the bow of the ship to watch the sunrise and the beginning of the Canal crossing.  Throughout the entire day, Kimberly, our cruise director, shared insights about the operation and history of the Canal.  Having read The Path Between the Seas, I truly appreciated the engineering feat of this canal.  It cost our ship $367,000 to cross the canal.  Our local pilot had led 4,000 ships on this journey. We passed the Smithsonian Tropical Research Facility.  There are over 400 species of birds and butterflies in the area. We were able to see the jail that housed Noriega until his death.

The pilots, trains, lines, water chambers, opening and closing of locks all work very smoothly.  It was fascinating to view the process.  I took too many pictures but it was captivating.  Locks are basically water elevators for ships.  Some ships that don't want to pay for transit off load their containers on one side, train them across the isthmus, then reload  them on a ship waiting on the other side.

The Panama Canal was also part of aviation history:

Robert G Fowler became the first person to make a nonstop transcontinental flight by traversing the Isthmus of Panama in 57 minutes on 27 April 1913. Flying from the Pacific to the Atlantic along the route of the Panama Canal construction in a single-engine hydroplane. 

Burger and beer night around the pool this evening.

Sorry - pictures are out of order.

                                                              Canal pilot coming aboard.

                

                                                                View from 6th floor.

    

                                                             Entering the gatun locks.

    

                                                           

Sunset with boats on Pacific side waiting to go through.

        

                                                        Lovely evening of burgers and beers.

    

                                               Ships offloading containers that will be put on trains.

                

                                                              Two locks side by side.

                                                                Panamanian visitor.

                                                  Sheryl and I participated in the swim across the

             the canal event in honor of Richard Halliburton who in 1928 swam through the Panama              Canal. He paid only 36 cents in tolls and it took him 10 days to complete his canal swim.

    

                                                            The deadly Culebra Cut.

    

                                                                Noriega's Jail.

                                                        

                                                                Verdant Gatun Lake area.

                                           About 10 years ago I toured Gatun Lake in a boat that size.

                                                

                                                Our picture from the Gatun Lake webcam.

    

                                            Viewing stands being built.  We are the animals in the zoo.

    

                                   Bar on bow.  HAL's cruisers can't be more than 100 yards from a bar!

                                                  Ship in front of us has been raised. We will be next.

    

                                                                This ship now exiting.

    

                                          Ruby Princess came through the new locks to our port side.

                                                 We transitioned through the original lock system.