Panama Canal Transit - January 26



Lynn - Semi formal

Steve -Semi-formal

Last night was all about celebrating the birthday of Robert Burns the poet.  Dinner included a taste of haggis, tatties and neeps.  The entertainer, Stuart Gillies, sang Scottish songs and afterwards in an official ceremony, addressed the haggis and toasted the lads and lassies in memory of the great poet.  And Steve only wore a plaid bow tie, not his kilt.

The ship sailed quickly through the night and arrived on schedule today 6:00 am at the Panama Canal.  Every ship presents paperwork at a specific time, is boarded by Panama Canal pilots (we have three on board) and then is allowed through the first of the canal locks.  Our slot is 7:45 am and we enter the Gatun Locks precisely on schedule. 

Entering the Panama Canal

Gatun Locks

There have been several lectures about the history of the Canal and explaining what we will expect to see as we transit through.  While the isthmus is only 51 miles across, it will take 8-9 hours to go from the Atlantic to Pacific.  The ship opens up several decks reserved normally for only crew to allow more people to be at the front of the ship as it transits, to take pictures.  A Panama Canal employee is onboard narrating the process while the ship makes it way through the canal.

As I write this entry, the ship has completed the transit through the Pedro Miguel Locks.  We can finally say we have cruised further than ever before heading west.  Along the way we see the areas where they are widening the Canal.  The maximum sustainable capacity of the Canal is expected to be reached in 2015 and would have been 2012 if the global recession had not occurred.  The expansion of the Canal to include a third lane will be completed in 2014.  Even after the expansion, there will be ships too large to use the new expanded channel. This is an amazing engineering feat.

Coral Princess Passing

Mostly we see tanker ships of all kinds.  Mid-day we pass the Coral Princess cruise ship going towards the Atlantic.  A very nice looking four mast sailing ship by Windstar and a rarity – a dead ship, an old victory ship, that is not under power but being tugged by two ocean tugs that are taking it a shipyard somewhere to be scrapped for the metal.  There is also a prison located near the Gaillard Cut that is actually where General Noriega is residing these days. 



Miraflores locks

Through the cut

The jungle is dense along the sides of the canal except where the mountains were cut to make the canal.  There are alligators and crocodiles along the banks and frigate birds flying overhead.  The railroad that was constructed in 1855 still carries trains loaded with containers from the ships that can’t make it through the canal.

Panama City

In the distance Panama City can be seen.  It is the oldest city in the Americas on the Pacific Ocean side (founded 1519).  Next the ship will enter the Miraflores Locks and will then be entering the Pacific Ocean.  This is a very relaxing and interesting day.  We now more clearly understand what King Tut must have been thinking and doing, cruising down the Nile!

Cruise oddities:  Many of you may know about the webcam on the Cunard website.  Some people are ‘smart’ enough to tell their friends and relatives to watch the webcam today while the cruise ship goes through the Panama Canal -- since only for the day passengers have access to the deck where the camera is located.  All day long people are waving, holding up signs and talking to their family on their cell phones.  This same webcam can be seen on our stateroom television so we get to watch them too.  We all have a bit of clown in us!