Arrival in "Oceano Pacifico"

Entering Pedro Miguel Lock

Rafting prior to first Gatun lock

Exiting Miraflores lock

Entering first Gatun lock behind freighter

F

Feb 18, 2015

Arrival in "Oceano Pacifico"


It is hard to believe that we are now anchored in the Pacific. From a sailing perspective there is no going back now. Actually there may not be much going forward either. True to its reputation there is a week of light winds forecast. It's too bad we missed last week which had better than normal winds. Mon and Tues were spent going through the canal and the captains had an appointment onshore last night to get our checkout paperwork. Unfortunately not all was in order from information given on the Atlantic side so they need to go back between 12 and 3 today and try again. The organizers have been frustrated with all the red tape involved, both for here, and more so for the Galapagos entry. It has been Carnival Fri to Tues so many offices have been closed or lightly staffed. However we had the treat of watching the fireworks from the boat last night.

The canal crossing, fortunately, went very well. We thought it was overkill that each boat needed 6 aboard when 3 are rafted together in the locks. But it was a full 2 days work for all aboard. We only had to hire 1 line handler and a pilot. The pilots were very good so as long as you did what you were told. They helped with getting the 3 boats tied up together while moving, and keeping the "raft" travelling in the right direction. Maurice on Mon and Oscar on Tues spoke good English as well so it was like having a tour guide.

By Mon afternoon we had the rented heavy duty and long lines, extra fenders made from wrapped tires, and our line handler. We moved to an anchoring area where the pilot was dropped off from a canal barge about 5pm. You go through the first 3 Gatun locks until you arrive in the man made Gatun Lake. Our raft on Mon transited with a larger ship. It was after dark by the time we reached the lake. Again we needed to raft up to other boats, several on each of 2 large mooring balls. The first pilot was picked up but Abdel stayed overnight. The new pilot arrived at 6 am and we crossed the lake and Gaillard Cut. The second set of locking started at noon.  First the Pedro Miguel locks, then another man made lake, Miraflores, then the last 2 Miraflores locks. The raft separated again and the pilot was picked up. Later in the canal going out, as we passed the Balboa Yacht Club, a water taxi came along side for Abdel and the tires and lines. All these alongside landings went fine except that somewhere we have lost one fender.

Besides having made a stew for Mon night dinner, the crew was making a lot of sandwiches. I wasn't counting on going through 4 loaves of bread! Barb and I will be baking sooner than we thought.

A few other tidbits of info picked up about the canal. In the am we were travelling straight east into the sun on the way to the Pacific. They refer to the trip as north or south to avoid confusion. We passed the penitentiary where Noriega is living. There is a Smithsonian research station and a few resorts along the canal. There are a lot of crocs in the water-don't swim in the lake. A lot of animals needed moving to dig the new canal. The Gaillard Cut is where the mountains needed to be cut and the most lives were lost in the building. There is a fault line there so the rock has had stabilizers built in. Dredging to keep the depth is done on an ongoing basis. They are working on widening and deepening it to be ready for the new locks. The Chagres River midway used to run to the Atlantic. Now it is what keeps Gatun Lake full. There is now a "plug" or dam keeping the water out of  the new locks until finished. If the dam were to fail the whole system would be shut down for 3 or 4 years to refill the lake. We have watched a documentary on the building of the canal which was very interesting. Rob has read a book worth reading on the building called, "A Path between the Seas"