Ship’s Log Week Fourteen
Location: Perico Island, Panama - 8°54'47.55"N, 79°31'40.16"W
Preparations and setting off
After what seemed weeks at Shelter Bay Marina the wait was over, on the bus trip back from Fort San Lorenzo we received the welcome message from World ARC (WARC) Rally Control, Walrus was scheduled to start her transit of the Panama Canal the next day, on the afternoon of 8th February.
Action stations… With the transit imminent, we had a list of tasks to address - last minute provisioning (the canal crossing required two hot meals to be provided for six people over each of the two days of the transit), filling the water tank, checking out of the marina, last minute messages to friends and family using the marina Wi-Fi and, not least, washing clothes and towels in the marina washing machines (last opportunity for 100 days).
Walrus, like other yachts her size was required to have a Panama canal adviser on board, skipper and four line handlers. In addition to Gerald, me and crew member, Jay, borrowed from another yacht that had already transited the canal, we engaged the services of professional line handler, Daniel. Daniel had more than 10 years Panama Canal experience under his belt and proved to be a fantastic asset. He joined Walrus’ crew in Shelter Bay Marina and stayed with us over the course of the two-day transit, sleeping on deck during the overnight stay in Gatun Lake.
At 15:00 we were anchored in the bay outside the marina, anticipating a two hour wait for the line handlers to arrive. Barely 15 minutes later with a dramatic whoosh and swoosh a pilot boat pulled up neatly alongside Walrus and canal adviser, Daniel no: 2 (clearly a popular name in Panama) stepped on board.
We headed off towards the Gatun locks at pace, passing beautiful lush deciduous forest on either side of the bank and keeping a watch out for crocodiles. As we approached the first of the locks the advisers directed the joining of Walrus with yachts, Imi Ola and Mageia, to create a raft of three steered by the inner boat, Tas and Jane’s catamaran, Imi Ola.
Transiting the canal was an amazing experience, every stage was orchestrated with purpose, precision and seemingly, perpetual movement. No sooner were we rafted together than we were travelling between the deep walls of the first lock. Line handlers walking along the walls of the canal above, threw, what was known as a ‘monkey fist’ with a line attached for the line handlers to thread the thick long mooring lines supplied by the canal authorities through and from there to attach Walrus and Mageaia (the outer yachts) to bollards on the canal wall. A short wait followed while the commercial vessel that followed us into the Gatun Lake was pulled by small ‘mule’ engines, scarily close behind us and the lock gates closed and with it the view of the Atlantic.
Water gushed in steadily rising up the depth markers on the side of the wall a foot (20 cms) at a time. With a combination of everyone keeping a watchful eye on the distance between the yachts on either side and the proximity of the walls, the guidance of advisers and the adjustment of line lengths by line handlers, we rose rapidly but sedately to the top of the enormous, double sided lock gates There was a sense of exhilaration as the view of the Atlantic re-appeared and we could see the further two locks ahead.
We emerged into the Gatun Lake and separated the yachts before motoring to the enormous mooring buoys, where Walrus was to be moored overnight.
Imi Ola’s skipper and crew carried on their co-ordinating role and brought us altogether for a guided tour of Imi Ola (thank you, Eleni) and fun evening of drinks, games and exchange of Gatun lock stories.
The Panama Canal
We learned about the history of the Panama Canal from locals who were knowledgeable and proud of their heritage. We became fascinated too - all the more so for the prominence of the canal in the international news during the lead up to our transit.
The development of the Panama Canal began in 1880 with the aim of creating a passage for the transportation of gold and other goods by cutting across the spit of land (isthmus) between the Pacific and the Atlantic seas. At this time there was an agreement between Columbia and a French company for the rights to use the land to create a sea level canal and take a percentage of the tolls paid for each crossing. The French company started works on the canal and went into administration, after huge financial investment over two decades and the loss of more than 20,000 lives due to malaria, yellow fever and other tropical diseases.
In 1903 President Roosevelt negotiated a Treaty that led to the separation of Panama from Columbia and an agreement to re-start work on the Canal, using the equipment left by the French company. With the knowledge and expertise needed to address tropical diseases affecting the workforce and the investment to create a series of three locks to take vessels up 36 metres (84 feet) to the large man-made Gatun Lake from the Atlantic and down through the Gaillardia Cut via two sets of locks, the Pedro Miguel and the Miraflores Locks to the Pacific Ocean the Panama Canal finally opened for sea-faring traffic in 1914. Vessels taking this route from one ocean to the other travel for fifty-one miles, through 1.9 miles of which are locks.
A further Treaty in 1999 signed by President Carter resulted in the Panama Canal becoming the sole property of Panama, with responsibility for assets and liabilities passing from the US to Panama. Daniel, our line handler, was typical of many local people that we met, he was adamant that the Panama Canal should remain Panamanian, while simultaneously holding up his hands in despair at the corruption of the Panamanian government and the lack of distribution of the wealth gained from the canal.
And on to the Pacific
We set out early the next day, when a pilot boat arrived to deliver our second adviser for the trip down to the Pacific.
The Pedro Miguel and Miraflores locks were no less exciting and just as amazing in terms of the experience, with the same team-work between advisers and line handlers, and careful co-ordination of lines and yacht position. This time the commercial vessel, an enormous car carrier, was behind us and we started high up, looking over the lock gates and ended low down with the gates towering above us.
The last of the Miraflores locks was alongside the museum of the same name and we arrived to cheers from the crowd lined up in the stadium, as the commentator told spectators about our impending circumnavigation. A great ending to a successful transit.
After an exhilarating and exhausting two days, as the last lock gates opened we headed for the Bridge of Americas, Panama City and the Pacific Ocean.
Walrus was starting the next stage of her journey around the world - with the Galapagos and the islands of the Pacific ahead of her.