Panama Canal
- Brett Hunt
- Oct 31
- 8 min read
Once we rounded Punta Mala, we almost instantly moved from backcountry to urban metropolis. As we sailed into the Gulf of Panama, the AIS was dotted with cargo ships moving to and from the Panama Canal, and debris littered the water, from big logs to small plastic water bottles.
After a few days in the Las Perlas islands, we moved to the marina at the mouth of the Panama Canal, La Playita, to prepare for our passage through the canal. We hired a canal agent who helped us with all the paperwork of the canal itself, which included detailed measurements of the boat, scheduling of the passage, payment of the canal transit fee, bringing aboard extra large fenders and lines, and hiring of line handlers. All told, the passage through the canal cost $3700.
When passing through the canal, the boat is managed with four 150 foot long lines, two at the bow and two at the stern. Each line requires a person on board to manage it. You can hire professional line handlers, or bring friends and family along for the ride. After discussing it with others making the transit before, we decided to hire one professional, and bring three friends. Although we thought it might be slightly uncomfortable hosting a stranger aboard for a night or two, we were really happy we had Nick aboard for reasons that will become clear.
We were also super excited to host our good friends Jordan and Erica from S/V Torridon for the transit. We first met Jordan and Erica in Monterey, CA and learned they would also be doing the Baja Ha Ha that year. We ended up spending lots of time together through the Sea of Cortez (they hosted Thanksgiving on their boat), and throughout Mexico. They left their boat in Puerto Vallarta to fly to meet us in Panama City. Jordan and Erica introduced us to Anne Alberg, their sailing instructor from Seattle who was interested in experiencing a canal transit. Anne turned out to be not only a delightful guest, but an unflappable crew member and capable teacher.
We arrived a little early in Panama City for a few reasons – because the surf had been high in western Panama we hadn’t been able to get ashore for groceries and were starting to run short of food. Since we had guests flying in, we wanted to make sure we had plenty of time in case the weather delayed us (which it didn’t). So, we ended up with nearly two weeks to explore Panama City, and we thoroughly enjoyed exploring the city. We got to spend quite a bit of time with our friends Gretchen and Tim from Felicita, Onno from Lost Pearl, Lauren and Troy from Delta V, and Suzette and Paul from Altair. When not going out to amazing meals with these experienced sailors, we spent a lot of time discussing the canal passage, sharing ideas, and generally getting ourselves as ready as possible for the transit.
Panama City has a centuries-long history at the crossroads of western civilization. Long before the canal was constructed, this area served as an overland route linking North and South America, Asia, and Europe. Today it’s a complex mix of cosmopolitan and grit, a huge swath of skyscrapers mere blocks from third world chicken coops and rubble piles. The old town of Casco Viejo is gradually restoring colonial buildings into high end restaurants, boutique shops, and rooftop bars. We were thrilled to find a first-class bike path linking the marina to the old town, our first chance to ride the Bromptons in months (since Zihuatenejo, MX).
The canal has a great visitor center where you can watch ships transiting. We were relieved to see the leisurely, controlled pace of operations, and felt more confident after taking our crew to see the way the lines would be tossed from shore to our passing boat, secured to our deck cleats, then walked by line handlers ashore from one lock to another. There are three “up locks” to reach Lake Gatun at the center of the isthmus, a 25 mile motor across the lake, then three more “down locks” to reach the Caribbean. What could be easier! Each lock moves you about 27 feet up or down, and takes about 10 minutes to fill or empty, all using gravity flow from the lake (no pumps are needed).
Our transit really began the night before departure, when Anne ensured every crew member could tie a proper bowline and cleat hitch. Our professional line handler Nick arrived right on schedule, carrying 8 giant round fenders and four 150 foot dock lines. Nick had been highly recommended by other cruisers, and we could see why – he was super friendly, enthusiastic, and clearly knew what he was doing. Though we had carefully planned all the meals, when Nick asked for a cold Coke we realized we forgot one critical item and Jordon graciously volunteered to make a run – the next day we would all be grateful when the hot sun nearly baked us alive.
We were told our preliminary time to meet our advisor was 0430, out at buoy 4 near the entrance to the canal, but we needed to call Canal Control on the VHF in the morning to coordinate the final time. As we circled near the buoy in the dark, Nick spotted bright lights coming at us. We slowed and straightened to allow our advisor, Guillermo, to leap aboard. It was really happening!
The advisor is a canal employee whose role is to inform the Captain about when to enter and exit the locks, which cargo ship would partner with us inside the lock, and how fast to drive. Guillermo would be by Brett’s side from the moment of boarding until exiting the canal 15 hours later, and was in constant radio and phone communication with the Canal Control and the pilot aboard our partner cargo ship, the Ocean Harvest.
As the sun slowly crept up over Panama City, we were seven aboard Beagle Spirit – Guillermo the advisor, three line handling friends, Nick the professional line handler, Brett the Captain and Kay the roving photographer and all-around helper. To enter the canal itself, the boat passes under the majestic Bridge of the Americas.
The process for entering the locks is time tested and interesting. A line handler ashore has a thin messenger line with a heavy “monkey fist” ball at the end. They swing the monkey fist around a few times then let loose as the line sails in a high arc toward the bow of the boat, landing with a sickening thud on the deck. Quickly our on-board line handler ties a bowline knot in the messenger line to the large loop in our heavy mooring line, and the person ashore hauls our heavy line to shore and drops the big loop over a bollard (post) ashore. Keep this loop in mind, it becomes important later.
On the “up locks” the big cargo ship enters the lock first, and the Ocean Harvest was late. We waited patiently, enjoying the tropical dawn and nervously reviewing the lock procedures. Nick and Guillermo kept the mood light, they’d been here dozens of times before. Eventually we crept in behind the Ocean Harvest, and all four lines were secure ashore. Once the loops were over the bollards, our expert line handlers aboard looped the lines around our cleats but didn’t cleat them off, they held the ends in their hands. We waited.
And then suddenly the water began surging around us as 26 million gallons of water from Gatun Lake flowed through enormous concrete pipes to fill our lock. Slowly we rose, and as we did, our line handlers pulled in the slack on our mooring lines so that we stayed nicely centered in the lock. Brett stood ready at the helm but there was nothing much to do. Once at the top and the water stopped, the mooring lines were cleated off tight. Guillermo radioed to his colleague aboard the Ocean Harvest, and politely asked them to start their props slowly, so that we were not buffeted by a blast of propwash as they exited the lock in front of us.
Slowly we motored forward to the next lock, while the line handlers ashore carried our loops forward to the bollards in the next lock. Guillermo cautioned us not to motor so quickly as to force the line handlers to trot in the tropical heat. The first three locks proceeded like clockwork, and we found ourselves loose in Gatun Lake. Brett put the throttle down and passed the Ocean Harvest in the curves, but then the path straightened and they overtook us again! Motoring across the lake we endured searing sun and intense tropical heat, but were surrounded by beautiful, lush jungle, and we enjoyed watching the bird life along the way.
Once across the lake, it appeared it was too late in the day to make it through the down locks, so canal control directed us to tie up to a mooring ball. As we were preparing to do so, we monitored some angry words on the radio between Ocean Harvest and Control, apparently the big ship was not too happy about spending the night on the lake! Suddenly Guillermo gave us the word to proceed, so hurriedly we diverted from the mooring ball and sped toward the locks, this time moving in front of the Ocean Harvest since the small boats go in front on the way down. Tied up in the first lock, a thunderstorm halted lock operations for a while, and we huddled under the dodger as rain pelted the boat and thunder roared all around us. On the way down, the mooring lines are eased out as we lower and get further from the bollards securing us.
As we motored into the sixth and final lock, the line handlers ashore began placing their loops around the bollards as usual. First the two in the front, then the stern starboard side, but on the port stern side the man ashore was frozen. His hands hovered above the bollard, but he didn’t drop the line. The Ocean Harvest, anxious to be on their way, edged in behind us, their bow wave pushing a stream of water past us. Still, the man ashore would not drop his loop, shouts in English having no effect. The lock gates seemed only feet in front of the bow. Brett struggled with the throttle to keep the boat steady, but with three points constrained, there was little that could be done – slowly, and then faster, the stern of boat drifted toward the concrete wall. Thinking quickly, Guillermo grabbed a big fender off the port side and dropped into position on the starboard stern quarter, only seconds before impacting the concrete.
At this point, we were pinned to the wall, the water rushing past the boat like a river. Nick sprang into action and began calling to the shore man in Spanish, imploring him to secure the loop, which he finally did. Now three crew aboard hauled hard together to pull the mooring line in and slowly pry us off the wall. Soon we were safely back in the middle of the lock, having suffered only minor damage to our solar panels at the stern. The whole episode lasted only a few minutes, though it seemed like a lifetime, and most importantly no one was hurt. We never learned why the man ashore didn’t drop the loop over the bollard. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) we didn’t get any pictures of this “episode.”
Once back down to sea level, the giant lock gates opened and we motored into the Caribbean Sea for the first time. As if on cue, a beautiful rainbow appeared just as we crossed under the amazing Bridge of the Atlantic.
We dropped off Guillermo, then proceeded another hour or so to Shelter Bay Marina, arriving as darkness fell. Of course they had lost our slip reservation but that was soon sorted, and 15 hours after leaving the Pacific Ocean, we sat down and enjoyed the best tasting beer ever.
WHAT an adventure!! Glad it all worked out. We went through the older canal years ago. It was memorable but not as much as your was!!