| Transiting the Panama Canal |
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| The ship actually enters the lock largely under its own power. The mules are used mainly to guide the ship and keep it centered, and also to brake forward speed so it does not hit the forward lock gate. I was surprised how fast we moved. Up to the time the photo at left was taken, we'd been traveling at nearly five knots! (I had my handheld GPS clipped to my belt.) |
| Here, the single lane bridge is opening as we enter the lock. It's now obvious to all that we will NOT FIT ! |
| Somehow, we did fit! The locks are 110 feet wide, our boat is 106 feet. That gave us exactly 2 feet clearance on each side. If we ever touched, I never felt it. You'll also notice here that, although it's still another 10 minutes until official sunrise, the lights have been turned off. |
| We are all the way inside the first lock, the back gate is closed, and we are beginning to rise. |
| The gates are opening now to allow us into the second lock. On the Caribbean side, the three locks are grouped together as a single staircase lock, this is more effiecient as the water drains from the higher lock directly into the lower one. From our vantage point (on the Veranda Deck, above most of the tourists on the bow) we can already see the next lock and Gatun Lake in the distance. |
| 6:20 AM |
| 6:25 AM |
| 6:30 AM |
| 6:40 AM |
| 6:50 AM |