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Published: February 6th 2014
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27
thJanuary 2014 Transit of the Panama Canal
This to me is one of the highlights of the World Cruise.
The sheer size of everything is something to try and take in, they are currently undertaking expansion work and at the first lock, on the banks were the new lock gates (picture).
The Queen Elizabeth is known as a Panamax ship, i.e. it is the biggest ship in width that can fit .through the locks. There was 2ft each side when entering the locks, a tight squeeze!! It costs Cunard in the region of 300,000 US dollars to use the canal (one way).
We arrived at the entrance to the first lock at 8 am with the temperatures already in the high 70’s. The transit of the canal takes about 8-10 hrs depending on canal traffic. Some of the forward crew decks were opened up for passengers today for better vantage points and you had to get there early or the seats were taken (towels were already on seats – I wonder which nationality that was).
The Transit is as follows (thank you Wikipedia)
The canal consists of artificial lakes, several improved and artificial channels, and three sets of locks. An additional artificial lake, Alajuela Lake (Madden Lake), acts as a reservoir for the canal. The layout of the canal as seen by a ship passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific is as follows:
From the formal marking line of the Atlantic Entrance, one enters Limón Bay (Bahía Limón), a large natural harbour. The entrance runs 8.7 km (5.4 mi). It provides a deepwater port (Christóbal).
The Gatun locks, a three-stage flight of locks 1.9 km (1.2 mi) long, lifts ships to the Gatun Lake level, some 26.5 m (87 ft) above sea level.
Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed by the building of the Gatun Dam, carries vessels 24.2 km (15 mi) across the isthmus. It is the summit canal stretch, fed by the Gatun river and emptied by basic lock operations.
From the lake, the Chagres River, a natural waterway enhanced by the damming of Gatun Lake, runs about 8.5 km (5.3 mi). Here the upper Chagres river feeds the high level canal stretch.
The Culebra
Cut slices 12.6 km (7.8 mi) through the mountain ridge, crosses the continental divide and passes under the Centennial Bridge.
The single-stage Pedro Miguel lock, which is 1.4 km (0.87 mi) long, is the first part of the descent with a lift of 9.5 m (31 ft).
The artificial Miraflores Lake, 1.7 km (1.1 mi) long, and 16.5 m (54 ft) above sea level.
The two-stage Mirafloreslocks, is 1.7 km (1.1 mi) long, with a total descent of 16.5 m (54 ft) at mid-tide.
From the Miraflores locks one reaches Balboa harbour.
Nearby is Panama City.
From this harbour an entrance/exit channel leads to the Pacific Ocean(Gulf of Panama), 13.2 km (8.2 mi) from the Miraflores locks, passing under the Bridge of the Americas.
Thus, the total length of the canal is 77.1 km (48 mi).
Some of the equipment we saw operating with the canal included, the Mules, trains that haul the ship through the lock, huge dredgers which continually work to keep channels free. They are also part of the expansion programme widening the
canal. There was also the crane (TITAN) which is capable of lifting the lock gates into position for maintanence up to 300 tonnes.
A huge feat of engineering and a sobering thought that over 20,000 people died in the construction of the canal before the first transit by the SS Ancon in August 1914.
All in all a great day (for boys), with the weather holding up we passed into the Pacific just after 5.30 pm.
Must be time for a G & T!!!
Next stop Puntarenas, Costa Rica
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