DAY 6---TRANSITING THE PANAMA CANAL

 

We are transiting the canal today.  Entered first lock at 8am.  The transit will take all day.  This will be our 13th time through the Panama Canal.

LAST EVENING

We enjoyed the flute player in Mariner Lounge mainly because he was not loud like some others.

This couple are the Komangs.  Very nice couple.

My escargot

We ordered our Caesar salads with the dressing on the side as I mix in some tabasco sauce to spice it up.

                      We special ordered panko coated shrimp for our entrees.  I had two orders!

                                                       Yummy chocolate cake for dessert.

TODAY

First of all the ship's internet has been down most of the day.  Not sure what's going on but we have had issues with it ever since day one.  I hope they get it fixed soon.

HISTORY/INFO

        The French began construction of the Canal in 1881 but by 1889 the French company was bankrupt and over 22,000 workers had lost their lives due to yellow fever (from mosquitoes) and accidents.  Back then Panama was a province of Columbia but in 1903 US warships blocked the sea lanes so Columbia could not put down a rebellion.  On November 3, 1903, Panama declared its independence from Columbia.  The United States began construction on the Canal in 1904 and the Canal opened on August 15, 1914.  The US controlled and provided the defense of the Panama Canal Zone until 1977 when a gradual hand over to the Panama Canal Authority was completed in 1999.  We can thank then President Jimmy Carter for that mistake.  So today the Panama government owns and operates the Canal.  The Canal employs a work force of 9,000 and operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.  Contrary to what you may think, the Canal runs north/south, NOT east/west!! 

        So today we are entering the canal at Colon.  I wrote the below when going the opposite direction so we will be exiting by passing under "The Bridge of the Americas".

        Our transit will begin after passing under “The Bridge of the Americas” which is on Highway 1 which connects the north and south American land masses.  It was completed in 1962 at the cost of only $20 million.  The port of Balboa will be on our starboard (right) side after passing under the bridge and we will be able to see Panama City in the distance, weather permitting.  Basically what happens during our 50 mile transit of the Canal is our ship will be raised 85 feet to the level of Gatun Lake then lowered 85 feet back down to sea level again.  This raising and lowering is done by a “lock” system.  The first set of two locks will be the “Miraflores Locks“.  They will raise us to Miraflores Lake.  One mile later we will approach the single lock called the “Pedro Migel Lock”.  These 3 locks will have raised us the 85 feet needed to sail across Gatun Lake.  On the Atlantic side there is another set of 3 locks called the “Gatun Locks” which will lower us the 85 feet back to sea level.

        After passing through the Pedro Migel locks the engineers who built the Canal had to make an 8 mile cut (excavation) through the Continental Divide.  It was called the Gaillard Cut until 2000 and is now called the Culebra Cut when the Canal was handed over to Panama.  The construction of this cut was one of the great engineering feats of its time.  Many lives were lost.  Over 100 million cubic yards were excavated to lower the summit of the mountain ridge some 150 feet.

        So let me talk about the locks.  Each lock chamber of the original Canal is 110 feet wide and 1050 feet long.  These will accommodate Panamax sized ships but not our aircraft carriers or Super Tankers.  Because of this a new set of locks were built and opened in 2016.  The new lock chambers are180 feet wide and 1400 feet long.  The engineering concept of the Canal is very simplistic but requires a LOT of water.  With the older lock system each time the bottom lock is opened 26 million gallons of water goes out into the ocean from the lakes above.  So for one ship to transit, it requires 52 million gallons of lake water.  What makes this all work is the amount of rainfall Panama receives to keep the lakes full.  The new locks, however, were designed so this water is recycled and not lost.  

        Cruise ships have priority going through the Canal.  Others are anchored on both the Pacific and Atlantic side awaiting their turn to transit and may have to wait for days.  Cruise ships have traditionally been limited in size so they will fit in the locks.  The large cruise ships fill the locks with just about a foot on each side.  Our ship is not nearly that large.  Small boats (sail boats) can also use the canal and share a lock with another ship.  By the way it is expensive to transit the Canal.  Company’s pay by the weight of the ship.  It is costing Regent $170,000 for our transit today.  Payment is by cash only and has to be wired to Panama BEFORE allowed to transit.  Panama makes around $2 billion per year from the Canal

I apologize for the photos below as I tried to use them from a previous transit.  It gives you an idea of the canal.  You can cut and paste the link below to view our canal transit during the 2022 world cruise.

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1249007386839451241/2937295813026027549

                  City of Colon as we enter the canal from the Atlantic/Caribbean side.

This is the port Cristobal.  It is run by the Chinese as is the port of Balboa on the Pacific side.

                                                                        Car ferry

                                          This is the new "Third Bridge" or "Atlantic Bridge".  

                                            Huge Princess cruises ship entering the new canal.

                                    Tugs to assist getting our ship lined up to enter the locks.

                                                                A gull sitting on a buoy.

                                                             Canal pilot station

                                                    A canal pilot is boarding the Mariner.

                                                             Croc lying on the bank

                                                            Entering Gatun lock

                                                           Destinations team doing selfie.

              Middle of the 3 Gatun locks.  Each raises us 27 feet up to the Gatun Lake level.

                                                 Approaching the Gatun control tower.

                                                           Before being raised

This crane was captured from the Germans during WWII.  It was kept in Long Beach, CA, before being restored and moved down to the canal.  It is on a barge and used to lift the huge lock doors when being overhauled.

                                               Stuff dredged up from bottom of the lake.

                                                             A floating service barge.

Dredge in operation

                                                   Dredged stuff is put on these barges.

                    This is one of the dredges.  Dredging is constantly done to keep the canal clear.

       Chages River here was dammed up during the canal's construction to create Gatun Lake

                                          Approaching Gamboa.  The bridge is the train bridge.

This is a prison for Panama's political prisoners.  Ex-Panama president Noriega was kept here.

                There are boards help the pilot keep ships lined up in middle of the canal.

                                           Crossing the Continental Divide at the Gaillard Cut.

                            Better look at the boards used to line the ships up for turns in the canal.

            Lights along the canal bank as the canal is in operation 24/7 and 365 days a year.

   Approaching the Centennial Bridge on the southern end of the canal.  Pacific Ocean side.

   

                        Boats used to pick up the line men that boarded prior to entering the canal.

                                                   Tells distance to each end of the lock.

                                              You can see the lock doors on lane next to ours.

                                                 Turn wheel for changing the mules' lanes.

                                    Viewing place for people to see the ships going through a lock.

                      Each of these doors weighs 662 tons.  Hydraulic motors operate them.

Nearly 27 million gallons of water escaping into the Pacific Ocean bringing the water in the chamber down to sea level so ship in that lane can enter.  Same amount of water is lost from Gatun Lake on Atlantic side when ship is lowered back down to sea level.  So a total of 54 million gallons is lost every time one ship transits the canal.  They need a lot of rain and the rain forests down here to operated the canal.  The water is NOT pumped, but rather is all gravity flow.

There are two lanes and the arrow shows which lane the approaching ships will go into.  Also note the row boat.  These guys throw the lines to our ship that will be attached to the "mules", electric tugs, that will keep us centered in the locks.  There are also some on the other side of the ship.

This is the Panama Canal visitors center.  It's not far from Panama City.  People can view the canal lock operation and ships going through.

                        For lunch I had this leek tart with gruyere cheese as an appetizer.  Very good.  

                                      This was supposed to be cod fish and chips.  It was terrible.

        Same plan for this evening.  Cocktails with jalapeno poppers as our canape in Mariner Lounge.  Followed by dinner in Compass Rose.  We plan on going to tonight's headliner entertainer, Tom Sartori.  Bio says he is a multi-instrumentalist.

                                                             Tonight's Compass Rose menu

ITINERARY CHANGE

The Captain made a PA announcement this afternoon after departing the canal saying due to the civil unrest in Peru we will not be calling on Salaverry and Lima, Peru.  We will now be spending three days in Manta, Ecuador, a day in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and stopping in Lima just to pick up provisions and fuel.  Passengers will not be allowed off the ship in Lima.