"Treasures of Cruising the World" with Bill & Mary Ann: Report #10 Transiting the Panama Canal & Fuerte Amador, Panama January 9, 2018 Tuesday Overcast & 85 degrees Part #1 Of 3 80 Pictures

We’ve lost track of the number of times we have had the privilege of transiting the famous Panama Canal. The purpose of this manmade canal was to create a maritime shortcut, saving time and money in transporting people and goods. It came about at a steep price, not only in money, but also in loss of life. The first attempt to build this water route was begun by the French in 1880. But it wasn’t until the United States entered the picture, that the canal was completed by 1914. Managed by the US, the full operation was turned over to the Panamanians in 1999. It is now run by the Panama Canal Authority.

Well over one million ships have transited this 80 kilometer canal, using a system of locks that raise the ships from sea level to 26 meters high at Gatun Lake. Then after crossing through the Continental Divide, the ships are lowered back down to sea level, this connecting the Caribbean Sea to the Pacific Ocean. We like the way one of our tablemates described it. She said that it was like sets of bathtubs being filled, then dumped. Pretty much the right idea.

And since we have been doing this often, we have been able to track the progress of the new set of locks on both sides of the canal starting in 2007. The idea was to double the waterway’s capacity to transport the larger vessels that are being utilized today. In fact, we happened to pass by one of the larger container ship in the world today. Captain Mercer said that it was well over 300,000 gross tons, and held thousands of containers. He was impressed to see it. We believe that only the over-sized ships use the new locks. The Amsterdam is considered small, and we still fit in the old locks.

The ship arrived at Gatun Locks before 7am. No, we did not get up in the wee hours of the morning to watch this entrance into the canal. Years ago, we did. By the time we were sailing in Gatun Lake, it was time for breakfast in the dining room. The good news was that the special Panama Canal Rolls, a tradition in this part of the world, were being served in the dining room as well as the outside decks.

Going out on the promenade deck, we faced overcast skies, humidity, heat, and hardly a breeze at all. It stayed that way for most all day. Except for some rain, a little unusual for this time of year, when it should be the dry season. The local Panama Canal narrator mentioned that it has been a wet year here with different weather patterns.

Finishing up with yesterday’s reports and photos, we did not get back outside until after noon. So it was at the Seaview Pool that we watched the sights of the canal go by. It was warm, but with enough sun lotion, it was tolerable. Can’t say we saw many of the nicer Panama hats we all got for gifts last night. It was entertaining watching all of the ship and boat traffic as we proceeded towards the Pacific side of the canal.

Always on the lookout for birdlife, we were not disappointed. Ever present are the frigates, followed by pelicans, herons, egrets, vultures, hawks, terns, and gulls. The closer we got to the last set of locks, the more we saw.

We passed the prison where Manuel Noriega, their famous resident, has been locked up for years. And even though he is no longer among the living, there are still more prisoners there. We saw some of them waving to the ship as we passed by. The guards in the high towers did not seem to mind.

As well as the mega container ship that passed by us, we had a very peculiar-looking naval vessel following behind us all day. It wasn’t the typical color of gray, but a strange “cloaking” exterior. Upon several of us asking questions, we learned that it was indeed a type of covering that may prevent it from being detected by radar. They split off from our path and headed towards the new set of locks on the Pacific side.

Sometime around 3pm, we went out on the bow to film our passage under the Centennial Bridge, the Pedro Miguel Locks, and finally the Miraflores Lock. That is where the building is where the locals lined every floor to watch our passage. There is always a group of people there, no matter what day of the week we are here. Once we came out of the last lock, we went past the skyline of Panama City in the distance. Going very slowly, the local authorities left the Amsterdam by descending ladders and jumping into their waiting boats. Somewhere in the middle of all of this, it began to sprinkle. The sprinkle turned in rain, which came down like a fire hose. Everyone with expensive cameras ran for the doorway, but in 30 seconds, we were all wet. That’s the way it is in this part of the world. When it rains, you know it.

Right past the Miraflores locks, there was an open area alongside the river where we spotted three large capibarras, the world’s rodent, we believe. Last year, we counted 10 or 12 grazing near the river’s vegetation. They are normally wild, and probably on the menu somewhere in this area. We doubt many guests saw these without binoculars, or a high-power camera. Speaking of cameras, the ship’s photographer taped a Go-Pro on the back railing in order to film the entire canal’s transit today. He also had another one in the front of the ship, along with signs saying “Do not touch or remove”.

The last part of the canal was going under the Bridge of the Americas. By now, the passing black cloud had gone away, and it was actually nice. A breeze from the Pacific was cooling things down a bit. As we neared the end of Fuerte Amador, we could see two cruise ships at anchor. They were the Oceania Marina, built in 2011 weighing in at 66,048 gross tons. She holds 1258 passengers. The other ship was smaller, an Azamara vessel at 30,277 gross ton. If it is the Quest, then it holds 777 passengers. We could see tender boats serving both ships. We would be doing the same, but not until 7:30pm or so.

We had no plans on going ashore this evening. Dinner for us was in the Pinnacle Grill at 8pm. Perhaps many passengers did go to shore, because we happened to be the last customers of the day at 8pm. The food was delicious as always. We had a hot and tasty fried ravioli for the muse, followed by Caesar salad, and two different entrees. One of us had the filet, and the other had lamb chops. For dessert, we both had the naked Cherry Garcia, or just the ice cream. The rectangular plate came with two squares of the ice cream with mixed berries in the center. Just right.

Going outside for a quick walk, we discovered that gulls and pelicans were circling the ship, probably hunting the waters around us. Smart if the lights attract fish. It had been a long day, although 1 hour short due to the time change last night. We passed on the show, Terry Davies presents: The Piano Man. Probably good, he was playing tunes of Billy Joel and Elton.

Tomorrow, we will explore Ft. Amador.

Bill & Mary Ann

Much nicer Panama hats – gifts from last night