The Panama Canal

Today, we passed through the Panama Canal, from the Pacific Ocean to the Caribbean Sea.

However one feels about it (the Panama Canal continues to divide opinion, mostly on ecological grounds, and the potential damage it causes to the surrounding rainforest), the canal is a spectacular feet of engineering.

It was opened on August the 15th 1914, with the first full transit from Atlantic to Pacific being made by the SS Ancon. It wasn’t until the May 1963 that the canal began operating 24 hours a day, with the most transits in a single day being made in 1968 (65 ships… on average, it currently has 45 ships per day passing through it).

In 1999, administration and operation of the canal was taken over by Panama Canal Authority (previously, it had been operated jointly with America), and in 2007, an expansion project began, which, when finished will double the waterway’s capacity. Despite the project deepening annd widening Gatun Lake, adding new locks and a new 6 kilometre channel, the project will employ a series of revolutionary water-reutilization basins that will require less water than the current locks system, saving 60% of the water actually used. All quite amazing…

Our transit through the canal took roughly 8 hours from start to finish., and quite an experience it was. Its locks work in exactly the same way as any other canal lock you may have encountered, just on a much bigger scale. In front of us, another cruise liner (much bigger than us) was passing through… behind us, a massive cargo ship loaded with hundreds of containers (definitely much bigger than us).

Alongside the locks, on either side, there are rails, upon which tiny trains run. These are called ‘mules’, which connect to the ship with ropes on both sides, and help to keep the ship central. The water needed to feed the locks is taken from Gatun lake, 26 metres above sea level. Considering the amount of water involved, I was surprised at just how little time it took to get through the locks; there were two single locks (Miraflores and Pedro Miguel locks) on the Pacific side, and a double lock (Gatun Lock) on the Caribbean side. At the Miraflores Locks, in particular, they seemed to have a large amount of onlookers, who were treated to a running commentary as the ships passed through. It was all rather exciting, and is something that I can now tick off as done.

Unfortunately, the day didn’t end quite quite so well.

Tracey has been feeling a little unwell for most of the day, and spent most of the afternoon laid down in the cabin. By late afternoon, we realised it wasn’t something that was going to go away quickly, so we called the doctor out (which everyone is expected to do if there is even the remotest hint of anything that might me be a gastric virus). We still don’t know exactly what it is or where it came from (although, we suspect the fruit punch at the Gamboa Hotel – either that or it was the canal water she drank… not deliberately, of course, but there was a lot of spray, so those sitting on the outside seats of the boats were particularly vulnerable); all we know is that we’re confined to the cabin for 24 hours… including myself (even though I’m not ill). This is a bit annoying since we were due to be on tour tomorrow, and I’m hoping we’ll be out by tomorrow evening as I have a class the day after. Until then, we’re stuck with room service and imagining what Costa Rica might be like.