Panama Canal Transit - April 29, 2011.....On To The Atlantic!!

We arrived in Panama City, Flamenco Marina, on April 11^th, and with our Agent cleared into the country and with Panama Canal Authority to receive our Canal transit date.  We had planned (hoped!!) to transit sometime between the 23^rd and 26^th.  Our crew had made flight arrangements for that window.  The amount of commercial traffic waiting to transit when we arrived combined with a lack of Advisers (an Advisor must accompany each vessel through the Canal) resulted in a delay for us and other private vessels.  Our initial transit date was set for the 28^th; some of our crew had to change flight schedules to accommodate this new date, very frustrating!!  Flight changes were made and our transit crew began to arrive on the 20^th (Rick, my brother and Jim and Sue Gentry) followed by Steve Kuykendall (childhood friend form our days on Whidbey Island, WA) on the 22nd.    However, on the 24^th we were informed that our transit would be bumped back yet another day, to the 29^th. The Panama Canal Authority does the scheduling, Agents have no involvement and Yachties do not carry any priority… that is the way it works.  Like much of what we encounter cruising…you just have to roll with it.  It always works out …….it just sometimes takes additional patience.

Our home for 15 days waiting for transit...

Serena Ray ready to transit!!

Steve, retired Seattle Fireman (knows his bowline)

John's brother Rick, crewed with us on the 2008 HaHa

Sue and Jim Gentry, retired teachers from Clarkston, WA and fellow explorers!!

Full-Fried fish...great meal!!

Cleaning the hull and replacing zincs with Leo, our French crew member

Panama City Skyline!!

With a firm transit date in hand, we departed Flamenco Marina for a small island, Taboga, in Bahia de Panama (10 mile trip) for some swimming, kayaking, paddle boarding and some line handling practice for the crew.  All vessels must have 4 line handlers plus a captain aboard to transit.  There are 3 ways to be secured in the locks…side-tie (up against the lock wall), center-tie (secured in the center of the lock with 4 lines) and tied to a vessel (tug or other small vessel).  Line handlers have to be prepared to secure the vessel for these ties…they can change in each lock.  As a result, this couple of days at anchor allowed for practice throwing lines, tying Bowlines and assigning locations/duties… It is noted in all the cruising guides that poor line handling is the primary cause of problems/accidents in the locks. 

Isla Tobaca prior to transit

The water was great...time to break-out the paddle board and kayaks!!!

Line-handling practice before for the transit

Tell me again about the Bowline???

Getting a handle on paddle boarding!!

Daily thunder showers Bahia de Panama

On the 28^th we moved Serena Ray to the transit holding area and prepared to receive our Advisor the following morning for our transit.

At anchor the night before transiting!

The building of the Panama Canal which was actually started by the French in the late 1800’s and officially opened in 1934 (the first transit was actually in 1914) by the USA was an immense effort which cost the lives of thousands of workers, primarily from Malaria and Yellow Fever.  The Canal story is quite fascinating and well documented in the book “The Pass Between the Seas, by David McCullough.  Panama actually took control of the Canal on December 31, 1999, as a result of a treaty signed between the USA and Panama some 20 years earlier. This stipulated the transfer of the Canal operations to Panamanian control.

The Panama Canal is approximately 45 miles in length and consists of 6 locks (3 locks on each end: Miraflores East and West plus the Pedro Miguel on the Pacific end; Gatun 1, 2 and 3 on the Atlantic end) with a large man-made lake (Gatun Lake) in the center.  The lake and associated drainage area covers some 326,000 hectares in size and was created by damming the Chagres River.  Much of this Gatun area is now Panamanian National Park which is the source for the water used to fill all the locks (52,000,000 gallons per lock fill).  The lake was a critical element in the success of the project.  An average of 40 ships (plus pleasure boats, like us, that can squeeze in) transit the Canal every 24 hrs (Panama Canal operates 24/7, 365 days a year).  Currently, the maximum size of ship that can transit is 965 feet in length and 106 feet wide. 

Arrival of our Advisor at 9:00AM

Eliver MacMillan...our Advisor

Passing under the Bridge of the Americas

Entering the first of the 6 locks...Miraflores

Inside Miraflores Lock

Securing Serena Ray to a small ferry

This isn't so hard!!

Side-tied to a ferry

Electric mules that tow the large freighters into and out of the locks

Dredging is a full time operation in the Canal

Visible cuts from the construction of the canal

Narrow but enough room to pass!!!

Another lock entry

Moving Serena Ray inside the lock and up to a tug

Prop wash from the tugs makes for interesting exits!!

Tugs are used as breaks in the canal...

An average of 40 big ships transit daily...

Last set of locks before entering the Atlantic

Down -Locking

Tug deckhand with a Serena Ray hat!!

Entering the last Gatun Lock

Through the locks.....Colon, Panama

Shelter Bay Marina

Glimpse of the Atlantic

Champagne for the crew...successful transit!!

Shore leave for the crew  was approved!!

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The crew of Serena Ray

We have now completed our Pacific cruising chapter to this adventure and look forward to seeing the  Atlantic side over the next few years.  Beginning with Eager Dreamer in 2008 and now aboard Serena Ray since 2009, we have logged over 13,000 miles along the Pacific Coast from Alaska to Panama. 

Rick and Steve have now returned to the States.  Jim and Sue will continue to cruise with us to the San Blas Islands, until the 10th of May, when we will depart. 

We will likely not update the blog again until we reach Cartagena, Colombia, as WiFi is almost non-existent in the Islands.  All is well...Thanks crew for making it a safe/fun transit!!