Day 11 Transiting the Panama Canal

DAY 11 TRANSITING THE PANAMA CANAL

Today we are transiting the Panama Canal.  Anyone who had not done this really should as it is an engineering marvel.  Even though we have been through here 4+ times it is still very exciting and awe inspiring.

THE CANAL OPENED ON AUGUST 15, 1914 ten years after the Americans began working on. Total cost of the Canal was $387 million. There are three locks you go through to cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific.

Gatun Locks, Pedro Miquel Locks and the Miraflores Lock.

This Canal can handle 27,000 ships annually and currently handles over 15,000 transits.   Ships are charged a toll based on their tonnage or cargo-carrying capacity.  The highest toll ever paid was over $200,000 and the lowest was $.38 for a man to swim the canal in 1928.  Today it will cost Crystal $115,000 to transit the Canal. Even though the toll is expensive it is better than rounding Cape Horn in South American

The new ships are so large that they are building a new larger canal that will accommodate them and should be opening sometime this year.  It takes 9 hours to transit the 50 mile journey but saves days out on the ocean. On the  first lock a small rowboat delivers cables to the bow of the ship the cables are attached to 6 small locomotive cars or “electric mules” which pull the ship through, although they only weight 5 tons each they can each exert more than 70,000 pounds of pull as they guide the ship through the canal.  In the first one we are raised 85 feet in three steps before entering Gatun Lakes.  In Pedro Miquel which is one lock step we are lowered 31 feet and travel 2 miles through Miraflores Lake till we come to the last and final lock Miraflores where the ship is lowered another 54 feet in two step locks.  After exciting the Canal we sail 4 miles before passing Balboa and Panama City under the Bridge of Americas into the Bay of Panama leading to the Pacific Ocean.

As I said this takes 9 hours and they have speakers to explain what is happening  They set up a continental breakfast early in the am in the Palm Court which is the bow of the ship and a lunch buffet of soup and sandwiches for those people who want to stay up there all day.  Since we are near the Equator is is quite hot and hats, sunscreen and sunglasses are a necessity.  We went up early and after the first lock we went about our day.

I had to work out with my personal trainer today.  Between the Salsa dancing the other day and the weights and machines today I am exhausted!  But the boxing with the weights was a favorite of mine  Will do that at home.  Just have to get a picture of someone who I dislike a lot and put it up and make like I am punching them.

Tonight we have reservations in Silk Road.  We asked Ilene and Andy to join us.  They are having us to their penthouse for drinks and canapés before our dinner.

I will post pictures of that tomorrow!

For tonight I am once again thanking God for all the blessings we have been given to be able to sail around the world.  We are truly blessed!