Sailing Away: Talaria transits the Panama Canal


Talaria under the Bridge of	Americas

August 5 was the day we began the canal transit with Dick, Maureen and Pierre to help us. Everyone was aboard by 5:30 AM for a departure of 6:15. We were lucky to have cinnamon rolls from Maureen and Dick to munch while we waited until 9:30 for the advisor to come aboard. Time is relative for a small vessel transiting the canal. Vessels under 125 ft cost the canal more than they pay. An advisor is needed aboard to guide us through the canal and arrange the configuration of boats that go into a lock with a ship. Most ships are too large to have small vessels in the canal with them so we had to wait until a ship with a length of around 750 ft was going through the canal.

Our 'buddy ship' under the Bridge of the Americas

Pierre and I relaxing before we have to work the lines

Maureen never gets to relax as she is an excellent skipper

moving toward the first locks, Miraflores

We tied off to a Canal tug for the first lock going up. This is a good arrangement for us and the reason we needed so many tires to protect our boat from the huge rubber fenders on the tug.

locks closing before the water level rises

aboe Ricks head, you can see the steel cable from the train to the ship

Pierre and Dick

Rick and Maureen at the helm

This pict doesn't capture the turbulence of the water as the lock fills

Miraflores visitors center

between the locks we separate from the tug and move forward

the train that moves the big ships through and makes certain they don't crash into the sides of the locks

Pedro Miguel is the 3rd lock up, 3 tugs, a small port a potty transporter and Talaria going up together

It is a long way to the top of the lock

Canal Tug, small working vessel (pota potty on the back) and Talaria all tied off together.

we all move apart after the lock is filled

Rick at the helm leaving the locks

8/6 we begin to down lock in Gatun locks after spending the night on Lake Gatun

down locking tied to the portapotty boat

We spent the night tied to a mooring on Lake Gatun and were prepared to leave at 09:00 on 8/6. Again we had to wait until 3 PM for an advisor and the right size boat for us to go through the locks with. It was windless, sunny and hot waiting in the lake. But the worst part was all our ice melted. The small working boat with the port a potty didn't have food or water for the next day and had to receive a delivery from canal authorities. They say this is hugely expensive.