The path between two seas

Feb 12

We packed a small bag for our trip to Colon on the Atlantic side of Panama to meet up with Wayne and Dana who are taking their 27’ sailboat through the Panama Canal. Wayne's parents, Phil and Gunnel, will be joining in as well. They are flying down from Portland, OR where they live. We took the Metro to the end of the line, Albrook, where the inter-city bus terminal is located. We boarded an express bus to Colon and waited for it to fill up. This wasn’t like the first class bus that is available in Mexico but it was air conditioned and there weren’t any chickens or goats on board. When we boarded the bus there weren’t two seats together so we sat across the aisle from each other. We only had to wait 10-15 minutes for the bus to fill and to get underway. 

Then came the worst part: in the front of the bus where we sat,was a screen playing the most god awful film imaginable: a chainsaw massacre film. Almost the entire 60-70 minute trip I could hear the chainsaw roaring and the victim's screams. I refused to look at the screen, constantly looking out the left and right windows; but once I looked up just in time to see a man being eviscerated while hanging with his hands tied above his head. It was graphic. Sitting in one of two seats in front of me was a toddler facing the screen in the front row. I have strong feelings about showing films with violence or sex scenes on public transportation where young children are exposed to viewing. I’ve witnessed it on planes and buses and I find it unconscionable.  This film was followed up by a medieval witch film with yet more violence although not as graphic as the first one. If I were in the US I would protest loudly but alas I am a guest here and have no voice. I can only imagine what a crotchety old lady I will be in a decade! The good news is that it was an express bus on a new toll road and the driver didn’t start letting passengers out until the outskirts of Colon.

The scenery to Colon was mostly undeveloped land with an occasional small village; but mostly it was jungle with tons of vegetation: trees, grasses, palms, shrubs, banana trees, sugar cane, teak, bamboo and rolling hills.

We arrived in Colon, took a cab to the Radisson Hotel  to meet up with our crew. Wayne, Dana, Phil and Gunnel were waiting for us in the lobby. We visited briefly and then decided to check in to the hotel when Wayne mentioned how tight the sleeping quarters were on the boat. Afterwards, we walked to a nearby street cart and got a delicious cup of chicken soup and from there were bought groceries for the trip.

We hired a van to take us to the locks and watched ships go though in each direction. It is truly amazing to watch how quickly hundreds of thousands of gallons of water can fill or empty from these huge locks, ten minutes on average. 

After watching for a couple of hours we returned to pick up the groceries from the hotel and we walked to the dock. It took two trips to transport us and all the groceries and gear in the dingy to sailboat. We then sat in the cockpit and enjoyed visiting.

Wayne and Phil (Wayne's Dad)

Dana is some kind of saint. She worked in the galley putting away groceries and preparing a feast for dinner: Cole slaw, rice and barbecued chicken, which Wayne grilled on the amazing little BBQ that is mounted on a stanchion in the cockpit. I am awed by how these two function in the confined space. They have been on the boat for two years and just move about with grace and ease. Before dinner I went to the head to use the toilet and got terribly sea sick. The boat was rolling and pitching back and forth and I lost sight of the horizon. Fortunately, I didn’t get sick but was queasy so only ate a little of the most delicious dinner. Dana cleaned up after us. I think I should nominate her for sainthood!

Wayne ferried the four of us back to the dock in two trips then we caught a cab back to the hotel. Apparently Colon isn’t very safe at night. For $1.50. why risk a problem? Our bed was divine. Ron fell asleep by 8:30 and I managed to stay awake until 9:00. We slept until 7:00!

Feb 13-Friday - but we aren’t superstitious.... much

We ate a good breakfast, did more grocery shopping and boarded the sailboat around noon. After we got settled, Wayne moved the boat near the entrance to the canal where an advisor was to board his boat. Small boats get an advisor who helps guide the crew through the process of transiting the canal. Large craft get a pilot. This crossing is not cheap. Wayne’s fee was $1800 that must be paid in cash. The big boats pay from $200,000 to $400,000 a trip. I believe the cruise liners pay the largest fees.

Once we anchored at the entrance, we got word that our advisor would arrive at 4:30. In the meantime, Dana prepared yet another feast, Asian soup with chicken, cilantro, rice noodles, carrots and more. Yum. She and I are recovering from colds so it was just the ticket as far as I was concerned.

Our Advisor Hector

Four-thirty came and went and later our advisor arrived, a very handsome Panamanian named Hector. Hector works full time as a pilot boat driver. These are boats that ferry pilots to and from the freighters and ships that will transit the canal. Today is his day off and he will take us through the Gatun Locks , the first set of three locks to Gatun Lake where we will anchor for the night. Hector loves his job!  But wait, not so fast!  We are now told we must wait for a car carrier to arrive, as we will transit in the locks with him, parked just behind, snugged in front of the back gates. It is now dark and it makes Wayne a wee bit anxious. We wait almost 4 hours from our original departure time. At last the car carrier arrives, we must now circle the wagons or in this case three sailboats and be lashed together to go through the locks. This is done in the dark in choppy water. All three boats must have fenders on each side to protect them from being damaged while being lashed together. In Wayne’s case and the other smaller sailboat they have rented used tires for $140 , which included some of the long ropes needed for the line handlers. 

Now we are lashed together and Hector and the advisor on the catamaran to which we are lashed give constant instructions to Wayne and the line handlers: ‘reverse minimum, neutral, now reverse’ they shout. It is hard to hear as the large car carrier makes lots of noise. It is GIANORMOUS! As a matter of fact it is 105 wide fitting into a 110 foot canal…that is 2.5 feet to spare on each side! The huge ship carries 2,000 cars!! YIKES! 

Next the line handlers above throw down a rope with a ‘monkey fist’ (a special knot) to make sure the rope has enough force to reach the intended target: our crew is on the starboard side of the ‘raft’, (the three lashed together sailboats). The same thing happens on the other side of the canal with the third sailboat. The monkey fist is wrapped around the loop end of the line rope on deck and the line handler for the port can pull it up to where he is standing. He then carries the loop to proper bollard along the canal lock and slips the loop over the bollard. . The crew then wraps the other end of the rope to a cleat on our boat. 

The catamaran is in the center as it is the largest with the biggest engine and a very able skipper (a woman from Belgium) guides us through. Once in the lock and the lines are secure  the gates behind us close. The lock then fills with water and raises us about 30 feet within 10 minutes. During this time the line handlers (front and aft) on the two outside boats constantly adjust the line so no slack is be allowed as this keeps us in the center of the lock and away from the concrete sides.. Otherwise we could drift into the canal wall and damage our boat. Hector at times would call out ‘loose line’, meaning pull on your rope and keep it taut. The purpose of the ropes is to keep the three sailboats perfectly aligned in the center of the canal. Now that the lock is filled, the gates in front open and the car carrier moves into the next lock. We are still hooked up to the ropes on bollards and it is a good thing because the force of the car carrier moving forward creates a rush of water trying to push us back. Without the ropes we would have been bashed against the back gates. The process is now repeated in the second lock and we raise another almost 30 feet and again in the third lock. 

This process takes us an hour and in total we are raised up 87 feet to the level of Lake Gatun.  We then proceed a short distance and unlash the raft.

Along the way to where we will spend the night, we pass the work zone where the new canal will enter Lake Gatun.  It is almost complete except for the last 100 feet to make the connection to the lake. The new canal will be 30% wider than the existing one.  Both will be operational.

We then head to a giant buoy where we spend the night after we once again lash onto the other two sailboats. It is now 10:30 p.m. We are joyful and very tired. Dana offered to feed us but all of us just wanted a little snack and to go to bed. We decide on sleeping arrangements : Ron and Phil want to sleep outside in the cockpit, Gunnel and I will take the couches which pull out to make a bed and Wayne and Dana will sleep in their bed. After a short time it starts raining and Phil joins Gunnel in her bed. Later she leaves for outside as the beds are narrow. Ron makes in through the night using his jacket to try and stay dry with mixed results.

Feb 14 Happy Valentine’s Day

Relief captain Ron (Grey Beard)

None of us get a full night sleep as the new advisor, Jose, arrives at 6:30 a.m. Dana has coffee ready. How does she do it? Our boat is the smallest of the three and the slowest so we unlash and head out as we have a 28 mile lake trip, about five hours. 

We get underway and lo and behold this woman makes gluten free AND buttermilk pancakes! I eat granola with soymilk which she was kind enough to get for me, remembering that I am lactose intolerant. We get to see some of the construction of the new lock which will accommodate the super large boats that will transverse the canal when completed. There are beautiful pelicans and other birds along the way. Rarely do we see any evidence of homes or development except those that are related to the canal itself.

We see evidence of dredging to deepen and widen the shipping channel in the lake, getting ready for the opening of the new canal in about one year.

We arrive at the Pedro Miguel locks. The catamaran and other sailboat, the Sea Wolf, had passed us in route and once again we lash up. This time we go through the locks with just our three boats. We now repeat the same process except instead of pulling the ropes in the handlers on the boats have to ease the rope out as we go down in the locks as we now need to be lowered a total of approximately 87 feet to the Pacific Ocean. After Pedro Miguel we go a short distance lashed together to the next two locks, the Miraflores locks. These locks require us to go alone as the mixing of the ocean’s water with the fresh water of the Lake Gatun creates turbulence as the fresh water is heavier, there is a wind factor also. It would be too much pressure on the lines if we had a huge car carrier or freighter in front also pushing water against us. It saved us time getting through these locks as we didn’t have to wait until the larger boat exited before we could exit.  

We were once again gleeful to have completed the Panama Canal trip. We unlashed the raft and headed out for Jose to meet his pilot boat which will take him ashore. This is amazing to watch as these powerful boats approach quite close to our much smaller craft, the advisor has a helper on the other boat to grab his arm and help him aboard…remember the wind is bobbing us around and everyone is trying to keep the two boats from crashing into each other while a man jumps a gulf and lands on his feet. The pilot quickly puts the large boat in reverse and away they go. We then proceed to where Wayne will anchor for the time he will be in PC. We visit for a brief time but we are both pretty tired and opt to come home. We catch a taxi, shower and collapse for a while. Around five we have a snack and revive then around 7:00 head out for a recommended restaurant that we tried to find last week. It is closed, we discovered, although they haven’t bothered to shut down their website. So we ate across the street at a good Italian restaurant and had fabulous salmon with fresh sauteed mushrooms and spinach and a mixed salad. A perfect Valentine’s Day meal. We are thrilled to have had the Panama Canal adventure and are very grateful to Wayne and Dana for including us.

Canal Facts

First effort to build an 80 kilometer (48 mile) waterway between the Atlantic to the Pacific through Panama began in 1880 with the French. They ran into financial troubles and diseases such as yellow fever and malaria cost 20,000 workers their lives.

Apparently the US helped Panama declare independence from Columbia in 1903 so we could then build the canal. It was the largest engineering project the US had undertaken up to that point and construction started in 1904 and the canal was completed in 1914.  In 1903 Panama negotiated an agreement with the US to build the canal by 1914 and to manage the canal until 1999. December 31 1999 Panama took over full operation, administration and maintenance of the canal.

Since its opening in 1914 more than one million ships have transited the canal. Annually more than 14,000 vessels pass through and 10,000 workers support that effort. Since 1963 the canal started round the clock operations. The canal handles about 5% of global shipping. I couldn’t find a current figure for the amount of revenue generated by the canal fees but did see that over $800 million in profit went to the Panama Treasury a couple of years ago.