MILES TRAVELED ON ELCIE SO FAR: 2473 NM
MILES TRAVELED ON ELCIE THIS LEG: 54NM Motoring in the Panama Canal
Elcie arrived into Panama after a short three-day sail from Haiti. Our first stop was a small town called Portabela, famous for its ruins of old Spanish Forts. We stayed there for a night before moving on to a Marina called Shelter Bay. There is no safe place to anchor on the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal which means most boats end up in Shelter Bay. We stayed here for a week working on boat projects and getting ready for the Canal.
The Panama Canal is an artificial 48 mile (77 km) waterway in Panama that connects the Atlantic Ocean with the Pacific Ocean. The canal cuts across the Isthmus of Panama and is a key route for international maritime trade. There are locks at each end to lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial lake created in the middle by flooding a valley. The lake is 85 feet (26M) above sea level. The locks have doors that hold the water in while the boats are being raised and lowered. Very large ships can pass through the Panama Canal.
To be allowed to go through the Panama Canal each boat must have:
1. four 125ft dock lines
2. enough fenders to protect the boat on each side
3. four strong deck cleats
4. working engines
5. holding tanks
6. shade for the advisor
7. sealed bottled water for the advisor
8. hot meals that must include meat.
It is also necessary to have four crew to be “line-handlers” and someone to drive the boat. There is also a lot of paperwork involved.
Elcie’s transit date was the sixth of January. Our Agent, the person responsible for completing all the paperwork and making sure everything runs smoothly, told us to be at the Flats (the area outside the canal) at 1530 (3:30PM). There we waited for our Advisor. The Advisor travels through the canal with you and directs you on where to go. Our advisor, a nice man named Moses, came on board around 1800 (6PM) and we headed towards the first locks. By then it was already dark out.
On a boat, we keep track of time using military time which is a clock based on 24 hours. After 12:00 noon, we keep adding hours until midnight.
1:00 PM = 1300
2:00 PM = 1400
4:00 AM = 0400
See if you can figure out:
What would 5:00 PM be in military time?
What would 7:30 PM be military time?
What time would 2130 be on a standard clock?
What time would 2300 be on a standard clock?
Once we were close to the locks Moses told us we were going to have a small mono-hull come along our starboard (left) side. The locks on the Atlantic Side of the Canal are three in a row. Once inside the locks the four line handlers on land throw a small monkey fist (a knot containing a lead ball inside) to the boat. Then you attach the line on Elcie to the monkey fist and the line handlers on shore pull it up. That is why you need four 120ft dock lines. Once the boat is secured the lock starts to fill with water.
We were in the lock with a tug boat and a National Geographic tour boat. As the locks fill with water the four line handlers on the boat need to take up the slack. The water fills into the lock very quickly and the water resembles the inside of a washing machine. The water rises 25ft in each lock which totals a 85ft above sea
level.
Once out of the three locks it was around nine at night and we were pretty tired. In Gatun lake, there are three moorings for small boats to tie up to for the night. We were told our advisor would be back around 7:30 the next morning.
Next morning, I rolled out of bed at around nine and our advisor still wasn’t here. We had around 30 miles of motoring to do until we reached the locks going down into the Pacific Ocean. He showed up around 10:30. He explained the reason he was so late was that due to all the rain recently most of the roads were flooded and he had to take three different boats to reach us. We started motoring to the next lock which took most of the day. It was very cool passing all the big freighters.
Parts of the canal were so skinny that we would have to go off to the side to let the larger boats pass. While we were waiting on the side we saw a crocodile along the banks in the water.
We went under a suspension bridge. On the left you can see the rock that was carved through to build this canal.
While going through the canal we asked our new advisor, named Ricardo (photo right), some questions:
Q. Why did you choose to work with the Panama Canal?
A. It is the biggest company in Panama. There are over 10,000 people employed. It is a good job with good pay.
Q. Was it necessary for you to learn English for you to work here? Any other languages?
A. Yes – I had to learn English, which I learned in school. I also speak Spanish fluently, as well as a little bit of Portuguese and French.
Q. How long did training for this job last?
A. Industrial engineer took three months to become a rookie. It takes 20 years to become a pilot on big ships. To be an advisor on boats under 60 ft people need to have a degree in English and local knowledge.
Q. Would you rather have a different job?
A. No, this job is better. It's not boring because there always different people, boats, and conditions.
Q. How many boats have you taken through the canal?
A. Around 250 a year for the past 10 years.
Going into the locks on the way down we had a small boat on each side and they were in charge on all the
lines. In the second lock, there was a webcam so our friends and family at home could see us. Can you find Elcie in the photo here?
This is the view when a big ship comes in behind you. It is a little scary.
Once out of the canal we went under the bridge of the Americas and we were in the Pacific. Anchored next to the canal, we could see some very interesting ships getting ready to pass though. One was carrying a military ship, another one was carrying a building and the third one is carrying natural gas!
WHERE WE VISITED: PANAMA
COUNTRY FACTS:
Official Name: Republic of Panama
Population: 3,864,170
Area: 29,157 sq. miles (75,517 km2)
Capital: Panama City
Type of Government: Republic
Currency: Balboa, U.S dollar
Language: Spanish, English
Highest Point: Volcan Baru 11,400 ft (3,475 m)
Climate: tropical marine
Natural Resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp, hydropower
Major Exports: bananas, shrimp, sugar, coffee, clothing
Natural Hazards: severe storms, forest fires
Country Flag:
Interesting Facts:
Instead of going around Cape Horn, a ship traveling around America can save around 7,500 miles going through the Panama Canal.
More than 60,000,000 pounds of dynamite was used to excavate and construct the Panama Canal.