Transiting the Panama Canal
- 13 hours ago
- 5 min read
By the time this blog is posted, Saecwen will be out in the Pacific Ocean as she embarks upon her 900-mile passage to the Galapagos Islands. Our final weekend in the Americas was action packed and unforgettable as we competed a significant rite-of-passage for many cruising sailors: transiting the Panama Canal.
The first attempt to build a canal was led by the French, in the 19th century and involved attempting to dig a way through the thick rainforest. This sadly ended in tens of thousands of people dying of malaria and yellow fever and the project was abandoned. The second and successful project which was completed in 1913 was a far more ingenious design by an American engineer who dammed the river Chagres to form Gatun lake at the highest point in the centre of the country and then built a series of locks on either side. The locks take you up from the Atlantic and back down again into the Pacific with a lake to cross in the middle.
Usually, the canal authorities when scheduling canal operations fit the yachts in here and there, slotting in a few boats at a time into the locks around the large-scale commercial traffic, meaning you could find yourself sharing a lock with a 150 metre long tanker – not the most comfortable of companions for a small yacht.
However, we were in luck this time, the authorities decided to move us through as part of a group of 12 yachts – who would, combined, occupy a lock in its entirety. So it was with eager anticipation that we attended the briefing with the other yachts crews at Shelter Bay marina, with a detailed explanation of the manoeuvres needed such as ‘nesting’ up with other yachts and attaching ourselves to giant buoys in Gatan lake the expanse of water at the top of the canal between the two sets of locks.
We would enter each lock rafted up in four groups of three boats, described as nests. Each nest would have a catamaran in the middle, and a monohull on each side. By Panamanian law each yacht in addition to its skipper must have four crew members to act as line handlers and an “advisor” provided by the canal authorities to help us manoeuvre through the locks. We were also provided with six huge fender buoys and four 50-meter polypropylene warps, which would hold us in place in the middle of each lock.
With Heloise’s bother Justin now back on board Saecwen as our third crew member, and two local line handlers – brothers Alex and Abel – we were all set to head out into the Colon Anchorage on Sunday afternoon. Here after motoring around in circles for almost an hour we embarked our “advisor”, Guillermo from a pilot boat. After weeks of preparation, paperwork and lots of de-snagging on the boat, we were finally ready to go.
Saecwen was in the last of the four nests of yachts, so after passing under the Colon Suspension bridge we entered the first of the Canal locks at 1830 just as it was getting dark. The heavens also chose that moment to open and we ascended the first three locks in a torrential tropical rainstorm. It was an amazing moment when we watched the first lock close behind us and we could say goodbye to the Atlantic Ocean. We had no idea when Saecwen would see it again.
As the outside boat in our raft lock manoeuvring for us was relatively simple. The big catamaran in the middle did all the work steering the raft in and out of the lock, whilst all we had to do was to give a bit of engine forward or reverse to help steer the raft at various critical moments. However, our critical job was to handle the shorelines which hold the whole nest in place as the locks fill with water. As we entered each lock a light line with a small monkey fist knot as a weight was thrown down to us to which was then attached to one of large warps, hauled up and made fast on the side of the canal to hold us in place . Alex and Abel did an amazing job hauling in the huge warps as we ascended on our first day and then paying out as we went down the locks the following day. All this had to be done whilst keeping our raft squarely in the centre of the lock as millions of gallons of water swirled in or poured out around us.
Once successfully through the first set of locks we then proceeded into the Gatun Lake. Here through a complex series of manoeuvres, we rafted up in the dark in groups of four to enormous mooring buoys, designed for large tankers not small yachts. Again, the heavens chose to open just at this moment adding to the dramatic operation. Finally, by around 10pm our advisor was taken a shore, we were safely tied up, and able to relax with a welcome stiff drink and a huge feast of Chinese take-away chicken for our brilliant line handlers.
At 0900 the next morning our Advisor re-embarked and we began the 35 or so mile transit of the canal. We first had to cross the huge man-made Gatun Lake. With lush tropical rain forest on both sides, we passed and were passed by a fascinating procession of commercial vessels of every size and description: huge containerships; roll-on-roll-off car transporters and oil and LNP gas tankers. Around 10% of global trade passes through the canal, and the wash of each passing ship was not insignificant and sometimes quite alarming when we passed through the narrower sections. After the lake we then entered the Gaillard Cut – a 6-mile stretch of canal that had been carved out the Panamanian mountainside 125 years ago at huge human cost.
At around 1600 we arrived at the final lock system and, with various family members back home watching on the live webcams, we entered the Pedro Miquel Lock before descending our fifth and sixth locks at Milaflores. When the final set of gates opened, we could smell the sea again as Saecwen steamed out into the Port of Balboa, passed under the Bridge of the Americas and entered the Pacific Ocean.
Our Advisor was promptly whisked off by a waiting pilot boat leaving the gallant Alex and Abel to unload the warps and fenders at the dock at La Playita Marina. We had transited the canal, a remarkable and unforgettable experience.
In this small friendly marina just outside Panama City, we spent our final four days in the Americas completing Saecwen’s preparations for her next ocean crossing: we gave the engine an oil change and a much needed servicing of its fuel injectors and cylinder valves; we had the boat fumigated and hull scrubbed by a diver to get our necessary certificates for entry into the Galapagos; Charlie was hoisted up the mast to check all standing and running rigging; we completed a final provisioning stock up on fresh fruit and vegetables at one of Panama City’s local markets – and finally we completed the necessary customs and immigration formalities to clear out of the country.
It was time to head back out to sea.
That’s the most wonderful and interesting Account of going through the Panama canal Congratulations to one and all and give my love to the Galapagos Carpe deum xxxxMum xxx