Eliza’s Panama Canal Journal
March 28, 2004
6:15 AM March 28, 2004
We are going through the Panama Canal! We are at the first of the three Gatun Locks. Water is rising fast. Oh. We are at the top now I think. There is a huge freighter in front of us. It is pulled by “mule trains,” a short mechanical puller train. We are on the side of two other nested boats, Maya and Wings and Strings. They are very nice. We are now going into the 2nd of the three Gatun Locks. The wall that was very tall is probably two or three yards high. There is a humongous freighter were we were a couple of minutes ago. The wall is high now. We are in the next Lock, the 2nd. We have 4 line handlers: Mom, Rudy (A Panamanian), Becky and Kevin (fellow cruisers). The Lock doors are just closing. The bell is ringing. There is a counter on the wall telling how deep it is. It is now on 46 feet marker. Now 49. Now 52. Now 54. Whew! It’s going fast. Now 62. See ya Later, alligator.
6:40 March 28, 2004
72! We are almost in the third Lock! After the 3rd lock we unnest and sail or motor down Gatun Lake.
There is rainforest on both sides. And you can hear tropical birds in the forest. But more of that when we can hear it. What can I tell you about? I’ve told you everything. I guess I can tell you about sugar cane (SC). Well they (people) burn the fields of SC to get rid of weeds and all the dangerous snakes and spiders, so they can harvest it. Wait, I think I just saw the web camera. Oh well, back to SC. They burn it and then you can smell it. It smells really good. But all I can smell are diesel engines. We are in the last Gatun Lock.
Sorry for my bad handwriting. It’s just soooooo exciting and I can’t seem to write everything. See ya Later, Alligator.
7:18 March 28, 2004
We are out of the 3rd Gatun Lock and headed for Banana Cut. It is Beautiful, Hilly and Tropical! We just saw a Manatee. Not me, but our Advisor pointed it out. We just unnested. We are headed for the PACIFIC! There are Lots of little islands. The rainforest is beautiful. I love it here. I wish we could live here. The water is glassy and cloudy like the ICW. Mom just served everyone watermelon. It’s really good. I can see a dead tree sticking out of the water. Dad says it might have been drowned almost 100 years ago when Lake Gatun was created. But the hard tropical wood hasn’t rotted yet.
Layers and layers and layers of flat trees and round trees and vines are covering the land. There are bushes and ferns and bromeliads encrusting the hilly ground. There might be alligators. Dark clouds are covering the sky. The wet season is coming. It is starting to rain. I have to get inside. Wait. There is a live tree growing in the water. Cool. There are lots of little stumps in the water. We have to stay inside the channel so we don’t hit them. See ya later, alligator.
8:10 March 28, 2004
It is raining really hard. Now I know why it is called the RAIN forest. I am down below reading Usborne books. Mom is at the tiller and Dad is raising the staysail. It’s a little boring ‘cause the rain keeps me inside. I can’t believe that Estrela made it from Groton, CT to Gatun Lake, Panama. I don’t know what else to write. See ya later, alligator.
9:23 March 28, 2004
It looks like the Amazon. Muddy-Goldish color with rainforest on both sides. Magical. Beautiful. Although I am afraid our bottom cleaning day has gone to waste. Instead of sand banks they are clay banks. The land here looks farmed. I wonder if it is.
Wings and Strings is right beside us. Maya is up ahead. We haven’t seen any alligators or heard any birds. But the rain forest is still dense and beautiful as before. Mom actually gave me a bit of diet coke. Super yummy sprite now. I can now see beautiful purple trees. Rain forest much more developed. Looks like a town or something. More small sailboats to starboard. They look anchored. One is Swany. They are from Norway I think. A big logging site is ahead. It looks like they are widening the cut. The rain forest has thinned out a lot. All I can see now are small, thin normal trees, instead of the beautiful dense rain forest. Lots of grasses that weren’t there here before. Totally different. See ya later, alligator
10:35 March 28, 2004
Come to think of it this is like a really beautiful and really deep ICW. One thing in common is that both waters are murky. But this “Muddy-Goldish” water is prettier than the plain brown of the ICW. A big container ship is passing us on the wrong side. Now it switched sides. Dad is taking a picture of it. The camera is too fuzzy for me to take a picture. I can see the Continental Divide. It looks really weird. The mountain has been cut in terraces. The Continental Divide is the imaginary line where, when rain falls it either goes to the east into the Atlantic or the west into the Pacific. I would hate to be a baby raindrop split in half and have to say goodbye to my twin if we went down opposite sides. We are passing by it. We are almost in the Pacific.
We are leaving the Atlantic. I just saw a cut open rock wall and you could see the different colored veins of rock. I can hear the very loud noise of chirping crickets. It is very annoying. It sounds like the constant squeaking of bus wheels. See ya later, alligator.
11:25 March 28, 2004
I saw a crocodile! It was just lying on the beach. It was small. It was big but it looked small because it was a long way away from us. But it was a crocodile. We are coming up to the one Pedro Miguel Lock. Rain. Hold on . . . Hmmm. It doesn’t look too scary. Guess I’ll tell you about it. Well, we are going down not up, down. I don’t know what it will feel like. I’ll go and see. We are nested Wings & Strings and Kiwitt, a German sailboat. Kiwitt is very heavily laden and small. Maya is sidewall. The lock guys just threw the leaden monkey’s fist to us. The sky is very pretty. No rain clouds. We are secured in the lock. The door has closed. The water is going out very fast. No big freighters. No turbulence. Very hot. We’re done! We are moving out, nested. Wings & Strings is the engine boat. They are 42 feet long. Rain forest again! I can see a rusty, anchored freighter called “Polar Honduras.” The last set of Locks! The Miraflores Locks. Super hot. Lots of people watching. I can see the camera! We’re secured. Big freighter behind us. Maya, still sidewall. Estrela still nested with Kiwitt and Wings & Strings. This is really exciting! We are in the first of the two Miraflores Locks. WOW! The wall that was very short is very vertical (boat name for tall). The advisor just blew the fog horn. Time for the next lock. Mom just gave me a coke to split with Abigail. I can finally hear tropical noises. They are beautiful sounds. The freighter looks like it will crush us. It is very big now. I’m waving to the camera. I hope our family can see us. I am tired. I woke up at 5:00 AM. See ya later alligator.
1:05 March 28, 2004
Sorry I skipped an hour. Why are freighters always rusty? We are in the Pacific! The birds are welcoming us. We are leaving the last of the Panama Canal Locks. This is magical. I can hear the cricket again. They are saying, “Welcome. Welcome to the Pacific!” I can see the bridge of the Americas! Dad and Mom are going to pour rum into the ocean to celebrate. This is really amazing. We are crossing under the bridge of the Americas now. Mom, Dad, Rudy, Kevin and Becky just threw rum into the ocean. The pilot boat picking up our Advisor, George, just came. It is much prettier on this side than on the other side. See ya Later, alligator.
2:10 March 28, 2004
We are moored in Balboa. There is a sandbar right next to Estrela. And an abandoned motor boat is a few yards ahead. I can hear bird songs. Well, there’s not much I can tell you anymore. See ya later, alligator.