Panama Cruise 2025 Day 12 November 8, Lake

 

After the first locks we sailed through The Culebra Cut, formerly called Gaillard Cut, is an artificial valley that cuts through the Continental Divide in Panama. The cut forms part of the Panama Canal, linking Gatun Lake, and thereby the Atlantic Ocean, to the Gulf of Panama and hence the Pacific Ocean. It is 12.6 kilometres (7.8 mi) from the Pedro Miguel lock on the Pacific side to the Chagres River arm of Lake Gatun.

Culebra is the name for the mountain ridge it cuts through and was also originally applied to the cut itself. From 1915 to 2000 the cut was named Gaillard Cut after US Major David du Bose Gaillard, who had led the excavation. After the canal handover to Panama in 2000, the name was changed back to Culebra. In Spanish the cut is known as the Corte Culebra and is also called the Snake Cut.

Centennial Bridge

 

When the French worked on the canal they excavated some 18,646,000 cu yards of material from the cut and lowered the summit from 210 feet above sea level to 194 feet over a relatively narrow width.

When the US began they used multiple air compressor facilities using some 30 miles of pipe powered hundreds of compressed air drills to bore holes for 400,000 lbs of dynamite per month[ to blast and fragment the rock of the cut so that it could be excavated by steam shovels. Dozens of spoils trains took the spoil from the shovels to the landfill dumps, about 12 miles away. In a typical day, 160 trainloads of material were hauled away.  At the busiest times, there was a train going inbound or outbound almost every minute.

Six thousand men worked in the cut, drilling holes, placing explosives, controlling steam shovels, and running the dirt trains. Twice a day work stopped for blasting, and then the steam shovels were moved in to take the loose spoil (dirt and rock) away. More than 600 holes filled with dynamite were fired daily. In all, 60 million pounds of dynamite were used. .

Steam shovels broke through the Culebra Cut on May 20, 1913. The Americans had lowered the summit of the cut from 194 to 39 ft above sea level, at the same time widening it considerably, and they had excavated over 100 million cubic yards of material.

This is a picture of a number of boats that head out daily on excursions checking out the local wildlife on Monkey Island and various other jungle creatures.

Another Set Pilot Stations

Titan, better known by its former nickname Herman the German, is a large floating crane currently serving in the Panama Canal performing heavy lifts for lock maintenance. Prior to its move to Panama in 1996, the crane was based at the Long Beach Naval Shipyard from the end of World War II until the yard's closure in 1995. It was seized from the German Kriegsmarine following the end of World War II as part of war reparations. The crane served in the Baltic Sea tending German U-boats

Following the closure of the shipyard, the crane was sold to the Panama Canal Commission, and it was transported on the semi-submersible ship Sea Swan in 1996 to the Panama Canal, where it currently serves as the floating crane Titan.

Over the years, "Herman the German" performed numerous notable heavy lifts, including:

Refitting of the battleships USS Missouri and New Jersey in the 1980s

Lifting the Hughes H-4 ("Spruce Goose") from its original hangar in Long Beach when it was relocated to its geodesic dome from 1980 to 1982 for tourist display by the Wrather Corporation

Panama Cruise 2025 Day 12 November 8, First Locks in the Canal

 

This is the timeline for the building of the canal. 

French Failure & U.S. Acquisition

 

Well I woke up at around 4 in the morning and headed up on deck to see what was happening. We had docked out in the middle of the entrance to the canal, waiting inline with other ships. It takes approximately 8 hours to transit the canal depending on how many ships are transiting. There were a number of boats waiting, sometimes they wait for days waiting for their companies to pay the toll. Ours was paid already so we had priority. The only thing that could bump us is a military ship or one with hazardous goods like oil.

Another cruise ship coming into port as we are leaving

 

The Panama Canal locks lift ships up 85 feet to the main elevation of the Panama Canal and lowers them down again.

On the Pacific side, the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks (1914) and the Cocoli Locks (2016) link Lake Gatun to the Pacific Ocean.

On the Atlantic side, the Gatun (1914) and Agua Clara (2016) locks link the Caribbean Sea and Lake Gatun..

We started our journey through the canal by sailing under the Bridge of the Americas.

Port area for container ships to be offloaded

Our first set of canal pilots coming aboard. There were different pilots for every section of the canal. Before the locks, after the locks and the lake.

The old locks consist of twelve locks (six pairs) in total. A two-step flight at Miraflores and a single pair at Pedro Miguel lift ships from the Pacific up to Gatun Lake; then a triple flight at Gatun lowers them to the Atlantic side. All three sets of locks are paired; that is, there are two parallel flights of locks at each of the three lock sites. 

The lock chambers are 110 ft wide by 1,050 ft long, with a usable length of 1,000 ft. These dimensions determine the maximum size of ships that can use the canal; this size is known as Panamax.

The lock chambers are massive concrete structures. The side walls are from 45 to 55 ft thick at the bases; toward the top, where less strength is required, they taper down in steps to 8 ft (2.4 m). The center wall between the chambers is 60 ft thick and houses three galleries that run its full length.

Each lock chamber requires 26,700,000 US gal of water to fill it from the lowered to the raised position; the same amount of water must be drained from the chamber to lower it again.

Embedded in the side and center walls are three large water culverts that are used to carry water from the lake into the chambers to raise them, and from each chamber down to the next, or to the sea, to lower them. These culverts start at a diameter of 22 ft) and reduce to 18 ft in diameter, large enough to accommodate a train. 

The water is moved by gravity and is controlled by huge valves in the culverts. Each cross culvert is independently controlled. A lock chamber can be filled in as little as ten minutes.

This is the ship ahead of us going through the left side of the Miraflores Locks

This is the high tech signal they have to tell the ship which side to go. 

This little boat with two workers on it row between each side of the canal and they row up to the ship to capture the tow lines that hook up to the Mules on the side of each side of the locks. 

These mules are used for side-to-side and braking control in the locks, which are narrow relative to modern-day ships. Forward motion into and through the locks is actually provided by the ship's engines and not the mules. A ship approaching the locks first pulls up to the guide wall, which is an extension of the center wall of the locks, where it is taken under control by the mules on the wall before proceeding into the lock. As it moves forward, additional lines are taken to mules on the other wall. With large ships, there are two mules on each side at the bow, and two each side at the stern—eight in total, allowing for precise control of the ship. Mules are not used on the new expansion locks.

The mules themselves run on paired 5 ft railway tracks.  Each mule has a powerful winch; these are used to take cables in or pay them out to keep the ship centered in the lock while moving it from chamber to chamber.

This is looking straight down from the upper deck, this is how close to each side of the gates that the ship gets.

The gates separating the chambers in each flight of locks must hold back a considerable weight of water, and must be both reliable and strong enough to withstand accidents, as the failure of a gate could unleash a flood of water downstream.

These gates range from 47 to 82 ft high, depending on position, and are 7 ft thick. The tallest gates are at Miraflores, due to the large tidal range there. The heaviest leaves weigh 662 tons the hinges themselves each weigh 16.7 tons. Each gate has two leaves, 65 ft wide, which close to a "V" shape with the point upstream. This arrangement has the effect that the force of water from the higher side pushes the ends of the gates together firmly. The gates can be opened only when, in the operating cycle, the water level on both sides is equal.

The original gate machinery consisted of a huge drive wheel, powered by an electric motor, to which was attached a connecting rod, which in turn attached to the middle of the gate. The gates are hollow and buoyant, much like the hull of a ship, and are so well balanced that two 25 hp motors are enough to move each gate leaf. If one motor fails, the other can still operate the gate at reduced speed.

All but one chamber contains a pair of auxiliary gates, which can be used to divide the chamber in two. This design allows for the transit of smaller vessels less than 600 ft long, such as canal tugs, without using the full quantity of water. The auxiliary gates were originally incorporated because the overwhelming majority of all ships of the early 1900s were less than 600 ft long and therefore did not need the full length of the lock chamber.

A failure of the lock gates—for example, caused by a runaway ship hitting a gate—could unleash a flood on the lands downstream of the locks, as the lake above the locks (Gatun Lake or Miraflores Lake) drains through the lock system. Extra precaution against this is provided by doubling the gates at both ends of the upper chamber in each flight of locks; hence, there are always at least two gates in each flight of locks that would have to fail to allow the higher level of water to pass downstream. The additional gates are 70 ft away from the operating gates.

We made it through the first set of locks, now on to the lake

So as were going through the old locks there was a container ship going through the new locks on the North side. 

The new locks are connected to the existing channel system through new navigational channels. The new lock chambers are 1,401 ft long, 180 ft wide, and 60 ft deep. They use rolling gates instead of miter gates, which are used by the original locks. Rolling gates are used in almost all existing locks with dimensions similar to the new ones, and are a proven technology. The new locks use tugboats to position the vessels instead of electric locomotives. As with rolling gates, tugs are successfully and widely used for these purposes in locks of similar dimensions.

The expansion project added a third lane through the construction of lock complexes at each end of the canal. One lock complex is located on the Pacific side, southwest of the existing Miraflores Locks. The other is located east of the existing Gatun Locks. Each of these new lock complexes have three consecutive chambers designed to move vessels from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake and back down again.

The location of the new locks uses part of the area excavated by the United States in 1939 and suspended in 1942 because of World War II.

Ships entering the new Cocoli Locks

Each chamber has three lateral water-saving basins, for a total of nine basins per lock and 18 basins in total. Just like the original locks, the new locks and their basins are filled and emptied by gravity, without the use of pumps.

Coming out at the end. You can see that the ship is at a higher elevations so they only needed one lock to raise it to the level of the lake. 

Panama Cruise 2025 Nov 7 Day 11 Fuerte Amador (Panama City)

So today we docked early at the cruise port of Fuerte Amador (Fort Amador), which is a historic U.S. Army base at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. This area is called the Causeway Islands, four small islands by the pacific entrance to the canal. They are linked to the mainland via a causeway made from rock extracted during the excavations from the Panama Canal. In part the causeway was meant to serve as a breakwater for the entrance.
A four-lane road runs along the causeway to each island, and there is a bicycle/jogging path as well. The islands are as follows: Naos, Culebra, Perico and Flamenco. 

During World War II, fortifications were constructed on the islands to protect the canal but were never used. They have since been dismantled, but bulwarks and empty gun emplacements still exist.

Our plan for the day was to catch the hop on hop off bus just outside the cruise port and explore the area, so we got directions to walk out to find the bus stop. We walked and walked from island to island looking for the bus we did not manage to find it.  We did manage to see a few things along the way. We walked past a Canal Pilot location. We were able to see one of their ships traveling to a ship that just left the canal to pick up their pilots.

We walked along for about an hour towards Panama City, stopping a city bus stop, only to have 3 busses pass us by without stopping, we finally hailed a cab and it took us to the old French Quarter.  

Statue dedicated to the workers of the canal

There were two museums in the area and a very large catholic church. The first museum we went to was on Panama, it was a very nice local museum that gave a great overview of Panama, the people and its presidents.

We learned that most Panamanians are of mixed race, since the Spanish conquest in the XVI century and then all the people who came to work over the years that the canal was being built added to the country’s diversity.  They say that 80 % of Panamanians have a diverse ethnic background.

On September 7th, 1977 the Panama Canal Treaty and the Permanent Neutrality and Operation of the Panama Canal Treaty was signed by the then President Jimmy Carter and the head of the Panama Government Omar Herrera. The canal was to be turned over to Panama on Dec 31, 1999. 

The next museum that we explored was one dedicated to the Panama Canal.
This museum was very well done, they gave a very good history of the area and the building of the canal. There is so much information but I will try and give a simple overview.

The Panama Canal is an artificial 82-kilometer (51-mile) waterway in Panama that connects the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. It cuts across the narrowest point of the Isthmus of Panama, locks at each end lift ships up to Gatun Lake, an artificial fresh water lake 26 meters (85 ft) above sea level, locks then lower the ships at the other end. An average of 200,000,000 litres (52 million US gallons) of fresh water is used in a single passing of a ship.

The French diplomat and entrepreneur Ferdinand de Lesseps and engineer Philippe Bunau-Varilla were the driving forces behind French attempts to construct the Panama Canal (1881–1889). De Lesseps had made his reputation by successfully constructing the Suez Canal (1859–1869), a route that had soon proved its value in international commerce. Unfortunately, he thought that he could build a Suez Canal like system for Panama. What he didn’t take into considerations is the fact that the two oceans were not at the same level and there was too much land between to excavate a canal that was all on the same level.  So between being unable to excavate all the rock needed to build the canal and the malaria from the mosquitos they were unable to finish construction.  The US decided that it was too important a waterway not to finish, so they purchased the right to complete the canal.

The US had one major area to overcome while they were building the canal, the presence of yellow fever and malaria which caused the deaths of thousands of people. In 1904 Dr William Gorgas led a sanitary campaign to establish a water and sewage systems, cleanup brigades and ordered the installation of mosquito nets fumigation and the paving of streets. Thanks to him yellow fever was eradicated by 1906 and malaria was reduced by 1908.

When the US started the construction they established a Panama Canal Zone which they controlled. They established the Gold Roal and Silver Roll. The gold roll was usually citizen of the US, they had better salaries, better housing and access to better products in the commissarial, compared to workers belonging  to the silver roll who came from over 97 different countries.

The prevailing inequality and racism in the Zone create a scenario for the exploitation of laborers in the silver roll positions. There was segregation throughout the Zone, schools, dining halls, and hospitals well into the mid 1900’s when the civil rights movement in the US started to take hold.  

We did have an interesting experience as we were going through the museum, a lady came up to us and asked Len and I where we were from, we said Canada and she said she was from the US and she was disgusted with this museum because it was the most Anti American she had every seen and she was leaving, I guess she couldn’t handle the truth.

After the museum we went back out to the Independence Square to take a look at the The Metropolitan Archcathedral Basilica of Santa María la Antigua which is a Catholic church located in the old town of Panama City in Panama. It was consecrated in 1796, although construction work began in 1688, 108 years earlier. It was quite spectacular inside.

We decided to walk from the French quarter down into the city, we walked along the streets and found this really neat little market area. It looked like a grocery store from the outside and once inside there was good but it was individual  vendors selling produce and other products and in the second section there was a meat market with individual butcher stalls. It was all very clean and well done.

It was a high traffic area and there were lot of small stores and street vendors and not a lot of crosswalks. However we found that if you waited on the street like you wanted to cross the cars would just stop for you, they put there flashers on and just waited for you to cross.  After exploring the downtown area we caught another cab back to the cruise port where we got back on the ship and into a cool shower.

We had an early dinner again and then made it to the Universal Lounge for a ship production show called On the Bayou. It was a show based in New Orleans and it was done in this location because the stage moves up and down for different levels. It was one of the best shows that we saw.  We were going to take in the Magic show again in the theatre but we were so tired from the day, we walked just over 18 km today so we decided to turn in early and get a good sleep because we had to be up early in the morning for our start through the Canal.

Panama Cruise Bridge Tour.

One evening during dinner a couple we were having dinner with asked the table if we would be interested in doing a bridge tour of the ship, we said we would definitely be interested. They told us to go to guest services and sign up as they needed at least 15 people to do the tour. When we went to sign up there was another couple in front of us doing the same thing, the fellow at guest services asked us if we had a special occasion because there was a waiting list and only so many spots so people with special events might get priority. The couple in front of us said it was their anniversary so I had to come up with something quick, so I told them that my grandfather used to pilot a ferryboat on Kootenay Lake and I was curious to see the differences in the bridges from when I visited as a child.  Well that little white lie worked and we came back to our cabin and there was a letter for us inviting us on a bridge tour.  It was very interesting.

On duty staff

This ship sails under the Bermuda flag and also whatever country they are sailing into, so when we started in Vancouver they would have had the Canadian flag and the Bermuda flag. This is the case where they keep all of them.

 

When the ship goes into a port to dock, a boat pilot comes aboard to help navigate the port area. They are in charge of the navigation but ultimately the captain has final say except in the Panama Canal. There the pilots have control. 

First Officer, main control area, Don't touch the red button on the far right!

Some Statistics.

The bridge is manned 24/7 365 days a year

There are always 4 officers at all times, working 4 days on 8 days off

The Coral Princess first sailed on Dec 23, 2002 and was specifically built to go through the Panama Canal.  It is 963 ft long and 105 wide.

The maximum speed of the ship is 22 knots (27.5 mph)

It carries 483,000 gallons of fresh water and has a system to desalinate sea water, they can make up to 351,950 gallons per day.

The fuel milage is 41 per gallon

At top speed it takes 1611 metres to stop and takes approx. 356 seconds, this was determined during the initial sea trials.

It took 19,700 tons of steel, 5,550,001 man hours and 375 welders to complete the build

It was definitely an enjoyable tour, the people who told us about the tour weren’t on ours but we did find out later that they did get one as well. Looks like they do them on each sea day and take 15-16 people each tour. So there were 11 sea days with 15 per day is only 165 tours, now there could have been two a day but that is still only 335 tours so I guess coming up with a special reason helped us get a tour.

Panama Cruise 2005 Day 9 & 10 November 5 & 6 Puntarenas Costa Rica & Sea Day

So today we docked in on a peninsula in Costa Rica, the name Puntarenas comes from a combination of punta and arenas, which means "point" and "sands", respectively. In English this would translate roughly to "Sand Point".  We were able to walk down the dock right into town.  We didn’t book any excursions in this area as most of the excursions involved going to see monkeys, crocodiles or sloths.  There were also a bunch of zipline excursions but we just decided to explore the little town. 

Walkway to town

One of the first things we found was little church unfortunately we were unable to go inside as they have recently locked it up because of vandalism.  Since the town is located on a very long peninsula we were able to walk from one side to the other in about 20 minutes.  We did find a downtown shopping area though most of the stores seemed to be shoe stores.  If you were looking for running shoes or leather sandals this was the place to shop.

We did find the aquarium that rescues turtles and other sea life in the area, unfortunately it wasn’t open. They had a very nice market area that had some very nice vendors. I found a lady who was actually making little key chains, so I picked one up that had a little sloth on it.  It was nice to find someone who was actually making their own items.  We found the local sign that each port seems to have, so we tried to get a picture in front of it but the sun was going the wrong direction so you couldn’t actually see us, so we had to settle for a selfie.  It was so hot and humid that we decided to have a chocolate milkshake at a little café and then we headed back to the ship. I did manage to get a great picture of a pelican as he was taking off.

We got back to the ship in time to have a shower and get dressed for dinner.  Supper was great as usual. We had two shows tonight, the first was in the theatre, a fellow named Ric Steele.  He sang a bunch of old school country music, Johnny Cash, George Jones and Willie Nelson.  He was very good and is the quintessential cruise ship performer. After his show we rushed to the Universal Lounge to watch a Magician from Canada Neil Crosswell, he was very entertaining and very good, he combined magic with mentalism. After both shows it was time for bed.

Sea Day

Today we are at sea heading to Fuerte Amador and Panama City.  Only three days till the Panama Canal.  We started off with a smaller breakfast because they had a spicy curry as one of the lunch options and I wanted to try it out.  More enrichment talks this morning and then up to the pool deck to watch F1 a movie about Formula 1 race cars.  The pool had finally warmed up, it was actually very warm and as I was treading water a lady beside me commented on what a great day it was, swimming in the sun and watching Brad Pitt on the big screen. 

After the movie we went to a talk on the Panama Canal. The historian that was going to narrate our passage through the canal in a couple of days gave us a brief history on the canal and tips on what to look for and where to get the best views.  

You can see from the picture how much higher the lake is than the locks on the Atlantic side. 

The show in the theatre was a singer names Yaniv Zarif, he is a singer/actor who speaks and sings in over 32 languages. An example of what he did, he sang a song from Fiddler on The Roof and sang it in both English and Yiddish. He also did an amazing performance of My Heart Will Go On by Celine Dion singing and using American Sign Language. He actually won a Sign language competition with this song.