The Panama Canal Tour

The Panama Canal is one of the man made wonders of the world and rightfully so.  It celebrated 100 years in operation August 2014.  The canal was awesome then and still amazing today.

Passing under Puente de las Americas on our way to the Miraflores Locks.

Picking up our pilot, from this coast guard boat, to take us through the locks.

A little history now...in 1880, the French started a canal, under de Lessups, builder of the Suez Canal.  However, after 20 years of struggling with the jungle, disease, going through a mountain, financial problems and just the enormity of the project, they were forced to give up. In 1904 the US purchased the French Canal Company's properties for $40 million and began to build completing the project in 1914.  On August 15, 1914 the Ancon, a US cargo ship made the first transit.  Then in 1979, the canal was handed back to the Republic of Panama and from then on Panama has profited from the canal.

In 2006, the Panama Canal began its expansion project for the Post Panamax ships.  This project's estimated cost of $5.3 billion is to be completed by December 2015.  (We don't think that will happen as it looks like there is still a lot of work to be done in the next less than 12 months.)  They feel that amount is expected to be recovered within 11 years of operation.  The project consists of building an extra set of wider and deeper locks, to handle the bigger Post Panamax ships.  They feel that is important to maintain the waterway's competitiveness and enhance the value of the Panama route so that larger ships do not seek out other trade routes including the 'dry canals' across the countries of the continent.

The expansion project...along side the canal.  Hard to see the depth and width of the new canal from here.  It is said to be a 1400 foot lock, 180 feet wide and have an under draft of 50 feet.  All the 3 locks will be together taking the ships up 85 feet to the Isthmus.  Another incredible feat.

Some facts...

~ the canal is 50 miles long

~ ships are raised 85 feet in 3 locks as they cross the Isthmus

~ the journey from ocean to ocean takes 8 - 10 hours

~ about 42 ships pass through the locks in one day

~ on average the cost/ship is $124,000 US to make the crossing

~ each lock is 1000 feet long and 110 feet wide

~ it takes 240 million gallons of water to fill each lock

~ the lock fills with water in 8 minutes

~ the cement wall of each lock are 55 feet thick

~ the steel doors closing the lock weigh 750 tons/each

~ railway locomotives called mules are attached to each side of the ship so that they do not touch the walls in the lock

Heading into the 1st lock at Miraflores Locks.

The freighter and the tugboats ahead of us in the lock.

The lock gates closing behind us.

The 1st lock is filled with water.

The lock is almost filled.

The lock is filled, we rose 30 feet.

Our pilot guiding us out of the lock.

Heading out of the lock.  There are 3 locks to raise the ship to the Isthmus and 3 locks to lower the ship back into the ocean.

The inside wall of the lock.

The Great Divide which begins in North American and ends here at the Isthmus in Panama and Puente Centenario in the background.  This bridge is very impressive at night all lit up.

The Panama Canal Tour is really a must see as it sounds unreal but seeing it was really amazing.  The engineering of this mega project, over 100 years ago, with it still being in operation today, is incredible. We went through the locks with a huge freighter, or so we thought.  Getting into the lock we found out the ship was about 600 feet long and needed the mules to keep it from touching the walls.  Sitting in the lock as the water filled and raised our boats easily, it made both the boats seem very small and weightless.  Truly amazing and a great experience!