THE PANAMA CANAL - LOX WITH OUR LOCKS

Panama City on the Pacific Ocean
at sunrise

Great vantage point from our
stateroom overlooking the bridge

Comfortably seated for the
morning's proceedings

In 1987 we transited the Panama Canal on our very first cruise.

We’d always wanted to repeat the experience and here we were again at the port of Panama at daybreak as a ball of orange rose in the sky casting dramatic silhouettes over the profusion of skyscrapers and the Bridge of the Americas.

The Miraflores Locks and the new Cocoli Locks
out of sight but off to the right

Maybe at this point in our lives we are a little more switched on because back in 1987 we hadn’t appreciated the accomplishment of building a ship canal across the Isthmus of Panama from Pacific to Atlantic by digging through the mountains of the Continental Divide, constructing the largest earthen dam ever built at that time, building the most massive locks ever envisioned, constructing the largest lock gate ever swung and addressing sanitation and environmental problems of massive proportions.

Exiting Miraflores Locks en route to the Pedro Miguel Locks
and the Culebra Cut, Bridge of the Americas on the horizon

The Panama Canal is undoubtedly one of the world’s greatest engineering accomplishments.

A fifty mile waterway from north to south, ships enter the locks on one side of the Isthmus, are raised in several steps to 85 feet above sea level, then lowered through more locks to sea level on the other side.

The complete transit takes between 6-8 hours.

After a failed attempt by the French, the US took on the task of building the Canal between 1904 and 1914.

The workforce was immense, the death toll from malaria and yellow fever shocking.

Large container in transit through the new Agua Clara Locks
to the right of our position in the Gatun Locks below

While the US controlled the waterway and large sections of surrounding land Panamanians resented the existence of what was known as the Panama Canal Zone and eventually in 1999 President Jimmy Carter authorized a treaty that ultimately recognized Panama’s control and ownership.

Two new lock complexes on each side of the Isthmus were completed in 2016. Designed for larger vessels the expansion has doubled the Panama Canal’s capacity.

From daybreak to late afternoon we were transfixed by the goings on. Dear Akshay brought breakfast to our stateroom while we sat on our balcony and watched the goings on.

A little champagne, fruit, lox and bagels seemed appropriate for such an auspicious occasion.

A large Royal Caribbean cruise ship followed us and it gave great perspective as we watched its progress rising and falling in the locks behind us, its decks thronged with passengers all enjoying the experience, just like us.
 

Exiting the Gatun Locks into the Atlantic Ocean, our transit complete
we continued to watch the Royal Caribbean vessel's progress