2nd Half of the Transit

We entered the canal with our pilot, Fernando, on Tuesday evening at 7:40. We went through the first 3 locks and then spent the evening tied up to 6 other sailboats on Lake Gatun. Guita was the official photographer during that portion....Jon was driving and Jennifer and Stephen were helping with lines and fenders as we were tied up to a tug boat during that stage.

As you see from these pictures, Guita often has a camera in her hand and actually does most of the picture taking:

So Guita will post photos from that half of the transit. What follows are photos from the second half; Lake Gatun to the Pacific Coast.

Stephen did some of the motoring as we left

the lake and cruised along the lock-free area of the canal. He seems to be enjoying himself. Just before we got to the locks, we passed an area called "The Cut" which is where the canal goes through the continental divide and was some of the most difficult section of the canal to dig, having to go through mountain and mud. Now, at this point, the Panama Canal goes under the new Pan American Highway. Here is Jennifer as we approach the cut. The bridge is in the background.

Our second pilot was William, again a very calm cool dude, who clearly was in charge but also polite and nice. He assisted Jon in navigating into the locks and tying up to the French mono hull. Here we are in one of the locks as it finished draining. In the first 3 locks, we were climbing elevation, so once the lock doors closed water filled the locks and we ended up almost level with the top. But the last 3 locks (going toward the Pacific) are decending, so we entered high and water drained out of them and we ended up with the lock walls towering above us.

Jason and Tialingua were our two linehandlers. Here they are hamming it up for the camera.

Here, we are entering a lock and you can see that the lock walls are barely visible. Ahead of us are two sail boats tied up together. We are tied up to another sailboat on our starboard side. It is a carefully choreographed dance of big and little boats. This time we went through in the center with the two dock lines (bow and stern) on the port and 2 on the starboard. The line handlers on the canal work with the line handlers on the boats, to keep us centered and steady as the water level changes.

Here is one line handler walking along with us above the lock. And the other photo shows the two boats in front of us and how we are secured into the loch. We were just the same.Once in the lock, I had to make sure that Jon and Stephen were photographed under their mother's family crest. So Marlene, if you're looking down, I know you're smiling and would be so proud of your sons. The photo on the right is proof that Marlene's family crest is in the Panama Canal!