Lake Gatun and the Panama Canal Transit

Lake Gatun is a fresh water lake created for one purpose only back in the early 1900's, to fill the Panama Canal LOCKS. Filling the locks with the fresh water reserves of this lake is gravity feed, no pumps. The Lake is 93 feet above the 2 oceans, the Caribbean on the North side and the Pacific to the South-East.

This direction may sound odd, but the canal runs from the NNW across the lake to the SSE side of the continent. As the Panama Canal exits under the "Bridge of the Americas" you are more East than when you started on the Caribbean side. RIGHT: One hour before the transit, the 'WanderLust3' team.

When I transited 4 years ago, I was alone on the Caribbean. Carla had to leave to meet up with her mother for a Galapagos charter and I was left to look for, or hire, the required 'line-handlers'. Last time I hired 3 professional handlers and a Brazilian man, Fabio, who was looking to make some extra travel money.

At that time, we were boarded by the 'Advisor' before sunrise. All fenders (10 old car tires) and rented 150 ft lines had to be mounted and the 4 handlers had to be at their station, one on each corner of the boat before we could proceed. We rafted to the side of a TUG that was accompanying the small freighter in front of us through the LOCKS, both up and down.
The TUG would slide up the wall and his 6 handlers would take up the slack or ease out the lines when needed and we didn't have to do much. We arrived under the "Bridge of the Americas" after sunset, all in one day.

This time, I had a late transit date, 9 frustrating days of waiting. But I was able to meet some of the other cruisers who were all waiting 9 to 10 days for their 'slot'. Among others, I met a catamaran owner from Vienna Austria who doesn't speak English. I was the only one there at the time who speaks fluent German. He and his young daughter, Claudia, traveled across the Atlantic from the Med and are heading to the South Pacific.

Claudia worked many years as a travel agent and was out on a dive boat when the terrible Tsunami hit South-East Asia one day after Christmas last year. After that experience, she decided to take life a little easier and travel the world with her father on his big Cat along with their boat dog, 'Floyd".

I met 3 back-packers in Jamaica. They were on a 65 foot sloop parked next to me in the Port Antonio Marina. Their captain, Bob, was in Miami for a few days getting parts for his troubles. The girls were 'boat-watching' while he was gone and we all got together for dinner on my boat when he got back. I left the next day and Bob was coming to Panama in a few more days after he fixed his problems.

Nine days after my arrival in Colon Panama and the evening before my transit, Bob and his crew of 2 Jamaican boys and his 3 boat hitch-hikers finally arrived and side-tied next to me. It was then we decided that his 3 girls would transfer to my boat and be my line-handlers and then the 2 Danish girls would continue for 5 or 6 weeks with me to the Galapagos or when their money ran out. LEFT: Mayan got sick so I hired professional line handler Luchiano to replace her.

These 4 girls, Claudia from Vienna Austria, Mia and Louise from Copenhagen Denmark and Mayan from Israel, were my line-handlers. We practiced together with one of Tito's professional handlers and they worked well together. I would take these 4 girls as handlers and hire one professional to be their guide and trainer.

One hour before we were to meet the other 3 boats that were to transit with us, Mayan got very sick. She is vegetarian and we all had some Chinese food together. She had the Chop Suoy and asked for 'meatless'. Apparently they just took the big chunks of meet out but left enough that Mayan had an allergic reaction. So we had to leave her with Bob and continue out to the 'Flats' to meet up with the others and wait for our Canal Transit Advisor.

It was dark when the 4 advisors transferred, one to each sailboat. I was designated the 'main' boat and had the highest ranking advisor aboard, so I was to tie in the middle between two other sailboats about my size. I would be the boat to use the engine and bowthruster, the other 2 would glide along with me after we were tied together. The fourth boat would go alone up the locks, then we would go two-by-two down the other side. That was the plan.

It is different now and much more relaxed and safer than the last time I transited. They are widening the canal and preparing to add a third LOCK in about 6 years. That makes the narrow passage dangerous for the big ships so they now have "One-Way" traffic for the larger ships. In the early morning the ships travel from the Pacific side North to the Colon or Caribbean side of the continent. The smaller boats then travel against this heavy ship traffic keeping to the starboard (right) side of the canal near the RED markers. This leaves plenty of room for the ships to pass safely. RIGHT: Captain Mike.

To get the smaller boats up into the Lake Gatun in time to make an early morning passage, we all have to leave Colon and the Caribbean side after nightfall, traverse the first 3 LOCKS going 31 feet up each time to the 93 foot higher in elevation fresh water lake and then spend the night tied to a large buoy until day break.

It is simple gravity that creates the water pressure to fill each of the LOCKS. It has worked without failure for over a hundred years. Nothing is going wrong while we are here.
Going up the three LOCKS and into Lake Gatun was really easy for my crew. They had absolutely NOTHING to do. We were in the middle and the other 2 boats tied to our port then starboard side and their line-handlers had the job of keeping the lines taught and all three boats in the center of the LOCK. We were in the small space behind a large freighter. His powerful propellers would move a lot of water when he moved forward and I was kept busy with my engine and the bowthruster maintaining a center position and straight in the Locks when we moved forward through the 3 gates in succession.

After releasing ourselves from each other, the 3 boats traveled a few miles into the lake to tie up to a large mooring buoy set up just for that purpose. After a great dinner we all finally went to sleep around midnight. RIGHT: Half-Way on the Lake Gatun for an overnight tied to this buoy.

I usually wake early, before 6 am and take a short swim naked before showering on the swim platform. The Lake Gatun is so clean and warm, it was like bath water in the predawn hours. At 6:15 the new "Pilot Advisor" arrived and was surprised to find 3 beautiful girls offering him fresh coffee and backed rolls for breakfast.

During the 28 mile traverse of the lake, he was so very pleased with our CREW that he took the girl's suggestion to stop in a small cove for a short swim in the fresh, warm water. That is normally forbidden and small boats are not allowed to stop for anything except a mechanical emergency, so Danielle called on the radio for a 'Change of Fuel Filter" break. Just enough for a 4 minute swim.

LEFT: Our Advisor was able to ask to 'change a fuel filter' break to let the girls swim in the fresh water Lake Gatun, normally "forbidden".

Going down was easy, no turbulence or problems because they put us together two-by-two in a huge LOCK by ourselves, just 4 small sailboats. The girls got on the bow with the 'advisor' and Lucinao, the professional line-handler from my friend Tito, controlled the stern.
It was a quick, pleasant traverse of an entire continent. We all arrived on the Pacific Ocean relaxed, rested and very excited for the adventure.

'Change a filter' break on Lake Gatun, 92 feet above the 2 oceans.