(swing music)
- If you're wondering how
to transit the Panama canal
with a sailboat,
we've created this video
series with you in mind.
I'm Sheryl Shard, my husband,
Paul and I are currently home in Canada,
editing new episodes of Distant Shores
until borders reopen in Panama,
and we can get back on board.
- We made an Atlantic to Pacific transit
in March of this year, just
before the COVID lockdown.
So social distancing is not
being practiced in the video
you're about to see.
- This video is part
three of three in a series
on how to transit the Panama
canal with a sailboat.
In part one,
we showed you the best place to prepare
for an Atlantic to Pacific transit.
And what's involved in an
Ad-Measurer's inspection.
Discussed the costs of doing a transit,
including using an agent
and how to find one,
but also gave resources,
if you want to save some money
and do the paperwork yourself.
- In part two, we introduced
you to the Panama canal.
Went over line handling
practice and techniques
showed you how to work
with a canal advisor.
The procedure for rafting to other yachts
then took you on the first
leg of the canal transit
from cologne on the Atlantic coast,
up to Gatun locks to more
for the night on lake Gatun
- You can find the links
to part one and two here
and also in the description below.
- And this week in in part three,
we take you on the
final leg of the transit
across Gatun Lake through the Culebra Cut
and down the Pedro Miguel
and Miraflores locks to
enter the Pacific ocean.
- Let's go to Panama.
(soft music)
- We got an early morning start today
it was to be on eight o'clock
arrival for the pilot,
but we're not really sure what's happening
because it's four boats here now.
It's the three of us that came through.
Plus this catamaran that has been waiting.
So I'm not sure if that means that
we'll get two more rafts for two,
or someone is going to get left behind,
or just what's happening.
But it's a gorgeous spot to sit here
and keep an eye out for
crocodiles apparently.
- [Narrator] So these guys
are getting a pilot anyway.
- Good morning, Que Tal?
- For the second day, we
have a different pilot
and we welcome him onboard.
It's a bit scary watching the
pilot boat come up so close.
In rough waters and with big ships
transferring pilots
can be quite dangerous.
But today in the calm
conditions, it's easy.
- Welcome on board Distant Shores.
- Thank you
- My name is Sheryl.
- Cool, I'm David
- David?
- Yeah
- We've got three Davids now.
- Oh great.
now we have three Davids.
- Three Davids; okay (laughs)
David is a good name.
- Okay; so we can start
disconnecting the lines,
getting to board?
- Yeah, take the bow and stern.
- Beautiful, we're disconnected.
(soft music)
- So it's around 30 miles.
- Oh, just 30?
Okay, so we do it in about
four and a bit hours.
- Yeah.
- Perfect.
(soft music)
- Our route takes us nearly 20 miles
across Gatun Lake today.
Gatun Lake was formed when
the Chagres river was dammed
back in 1913 with the
construction of the Panama canal.
Since we ascended the three
locks from the Caribbean sea,
we are now more than 80 feet
above the old Chagres river bed.
This channel Mark would have
been high up in the trees
of the Panamanian rainforest.
(soft music)
For this trip, we are
paying Panama canal fees
of 1600 us dollars.
Plus the fees we paid
to our agents for extras
such as line and fender rentals.
But this seems like a bargain
compared to the larger
of these passing ships who
are paying over $1 million
to go through the canal.
This passenger ship pays around 25,000.
(soft music)
- we're keeping an eye on the ships.
We have ships going past.
We also have our ship
friend here the Kinaros,
and that is the ship that's
been already assigned.
That's going to be going
through the locks with us.
And that will be in a few hours still,
but we're watching her
on AIS as she's exiting
the lock and she'll be
coming up passing us.
And then we have to go in
first with our raft of boats.
So we already know which is the ship.
And that that's pretty cool
so we can track it on AIS.
So that's her there.
(soft music)
Yes; so we're traveling
through Lake Gatun now.
And that's the, all the trees
and everything that we're passing
and all these little tiny islands,
were actually just what would
have been the top of the Hills
that were down in this these valleys.
And then when they made the canal,
they created the Lake
and flooded the Valley.
So we're going over top of trees
and the old bed of Chagres river here.
(soft music)
Once we get across Gatun Lake,
we arrive at the Culebra Cut.
This was undoubtedly the biggest challenge
to digging the Panama canal,
cutting through the mountainous Ridge
of the continental divide.
The sides of the excavation
kept sliding down.
Meaning that much more
material had to be removed
than originally thought.
Roughly 100 million cubic
meters was excavated
with steam shovel and removed by rail.
And then by floating dredgers.
(soft music)
Going through the Cut here,
and you can see for these big Neo-Panamax,
they're really large ships
that this all had to be
made larger to handle them.
And you can see how it would
have worked like in the Cut.
You really realize why the
French were never going
to succeed in making this canal
when they had to dig the whole thing.
'Cause we're 85 feet up
above the ocean level.
So if this had been
made the French design,
it would have had to dredge down
85 extra more feet down than here
for this whole length of this Cut.
So it's the real reason
this was hard enough as it was,
and to make the canal using
a sea level lock system
would have been just, it
would have saved water,
but it would have been
completely impossible to build.
The history of this is just so cool.
(soft music)
Well, it's a big thing
to make sure we're going
to look after everyone for the day here,
including the canal advisor.
And today we have super sandwiches.
We're just eating really well.
(upbeat music)
- The Culebra Cut is just eight miles long
and takes us a little over an hour.
Then we'll enter the first of three locks,
which will lower us down
to the Pacific ocean.
(upbeat music)
It seems a great privilege
to be able to use
the amazing Panama canal,
a Marvel of engineering
over 100 years old.
Like the three locks that
brought us up from the Atlantic,
there are three more
here to drop us back down
to sea level at the Pacific.
But here the locks are separate.
First, we enter the Pedro Miguel lock
to drop down to this small lake.
Then the two Miraflores locks together
to get to the Pacific.
(soft music)
Coming up at the Pedro Miguel lock
- Today we're rafting up
with just one other boat
to go through the locks.
- So first they will pass the,
forward and aft and then we
will pass the Springs, okay?
- Alright guys, that's good.
There you go.
- Tying the boat snugly
with four lines like this
means we form a single unit
for maneuvering in the locks.
- Slack a little bit on forward.
- So who's gonna be forward.
You?
Okay; so when you, when
they throw you the line,
the small fist, you make it fast,
on the bowline,
and then you just grab it.
- As we approached the
first lock a Shoreman
throws us a weighted line
called a monkey's fist
with a small lump of
led in a rope weaving.
We put this through the
loop in our dock line
and secure his line to
ours with a bowline knot
which is strong, but easy
for him to undo later.
There are four lines ashore,
one from each corner of our
raft and the Shoreman walk along
beside us trying to keep the
light line up out of the water
until we get to our spot
in the front of the lock.
Then our buddy ship comes in behind us.
Not all ships fill the whole
length of the lock chamber.
So yachts can be put in the spare space.
- Hope they do the math
and we all fit in here.
Here comes the little mule.
Water has started to go down, okay?
- Before both ships can
go down at the same speed.
But now because we are
in waters conservation,
they transfer from one
side to the other, okay?
So they go...
So that's why they're doing--
- They're transferring water to that one
to raise this one here,
- Yeah.
- Smart, I know, I love that technology.
- Every time lock chamber is emptied
that uses 26 million gallons of water.
Meanwhile, our lock needs
another 26 million gallons
to fill in preparation for us,
but because the locks
are beside each other,
the lock keeper can divert
the first half of the water
across to fill our lock and
then just dump the lower half.
Then it will only take 13
million gallons to fill our lock.
(soft music)
Mainly I will be driving
the raft and our neighbor
just keeps the rudder centered
and his engine in neutral.
But if needed, we can
ask him to use his engine
for extra directional corrections.
- At the top of the Miraflores
locks we have to wait
while water is again
diverted to fill our lock.
- We put our engine in
reverse to slow us down
and ask our buddy boat to put
his engine in forward gear,
to help maneuver the raft
and keep us off the wall
while we wait for the lock to be ready.
- Perfect oh!
- We're moving a thousand
feet into the front
of the first Miraflores lock chamber
and the Shoremen keep hold
of the messenger lines.
So it's important not
to go too fast for them.
(soft music)
- It's breezy this afternoon
and there's a lot of force
with both boats hanging
on the stern lines.
But it's vital not to tie
the line off on the cleat,
as the boat descends, it must be eased out
to allow for the 27 feet we go down.
- Welcome to the Pacific.
I hope you enjoyed.
- I hope so.
- Yeah.
- It's a lot of work to get here.
- Yeah.
- This gate opens onto the Pacific ocean
as we're back at sea level again.
- I'm excited we're here,
uh uuh, we did it all the way across.
(loud laughter)
- Good job.
- Thank you.
- It was good.
- Thank you, you've been a great advisor,
so had such a great day with you.
- Thank you.
- Yeah,
absolutely; infact
it's great pleasure
- You guys have
done a good job
- Welcome to the Pacific ocean, honey.
- Yeah; oh my goodness.
I'm so excited.
We've been dreaming and
planning for so long
and now the gates are opening
and we are all the Pacific side of Panama.
- Yeah,
- Yeah, there are webcams
along the Panama canal,
and now that we're at this main
block entering the Pacific,
our friends and family at home
are texting us to say that
they're watching us go through
to get our new adventure.
- [Narrator] Join us next
time as we enter the Pacific,
explore Panama's city
and show you the highlights
of Panama ashore.
- [Announcer] If you enjoyed this,
please click that like
button and subscribe
if you haven't already.
And finally a big thank you to members
of our Distant Shores
Cruising Club on Patreon
for your support, making this video.
(soft music)
