Sailing Vessel Skylark: Panama Canal Transit

January 23 - we headed out of Shelter Bay at 2 pm for Anchorage F (also known as The Flats) to await our Transit Advisor. At about 4:30 pm, the ACP (Authoridad Canal de Panama) boat drops off our advisor. His name is Carlton Regis but prefers to be called Regis. This is not his regular job at the ACP. He is moonlighting on his day off for extra pay. He is certified for boats up to 60 feet.

Waiting at the Flats

The Canal is a busy waterway that produces huge daily revenues for the ACP and Panama. It is a significant component of the Panamanian economy. We started off around 5 pm and headed into the Canal avoiding a couple of ships transiting south and north. Once in the Canal, we kept close to the 2 boats that we would raft up to in the locks - Jeannius and Kalliope. Jeannius is a catamaran and is the center boat. We will raft up to them starboard to with our port side to the lock walls. The first locks, the Gatun which have three chambers, are approached at nightfall.

The pictures below are the Gatun locks taken in the day during a tour Ed and I had taken on the previous day. These are followed by pictures taken during our actual transit.

Ship in the upper chamber, Gatun Locks, heading towards the Caribbean

Center chamber, Gatun Locks

One of the mitre gates at the Gatun Locks

Above the Gatun Locks lies Gatun Lake which was created when the Chagres River was dammed to create a continuous, navigable waterway. The pictures that follow are of our transit through the Canal via the Gatun Locks (three chambers), the Pedro Miguel Lock (one chamber) and the Miraflores Locks (two chambers). The dimensions of the locks limit the size of vessels able to transit the Canal - the so-called Panamax ships. This will change with new facilities being built (completion 2014/2015) that will accommodate much larger ships. The Canal meanders through a dredged channel through Gatun Lake and sections that were excavated to create the Canal.

Panamax vessel to port of Skylark

Evergreen Line container ship in the Canal

Gatun Locks (transit at night)

Francois handling the stern lines at Gatun Locks

After transiting the Gatun Locks, we spent the night at anchor on Gatun Lake. The anchorage is in 20 meters of water and is restricted in area as the bottom outside the anchorage has old tree stumps capable of fouling anchor chains. We put out 62 meters of chain - no problem holding in the mud. The next morning, Regis rejoins the boat and we continued through Gatun Lake and beyond. The next lock is the single chamber Pedro Miguel lock which is a lot easier as the lockage in our direction is downwards making it a little easier on line handlers, Ed and Francois. From the Pedro Miguel, it is a short distance to the final locks in the Canal, the Miraflores Locks. After transiting Miraflores, we are finally in the Pacific Ocean. We break free from the raft and head for the marina at Isla Flamenco , an island joined to the mainland by a causeway. Bustling Panama City is a 20 minute taxi ride away.