Gatun Lake and Locks

Other pages from our visit to Panama:
Monkeys, Embara vilage, Flora, Fauna, Modern Panama, Old Panama, Museum, Hotels and friends

Getting onto the canal.
Our group loaded into a small passenger boat for a trip on Gatun lake and along the canal.
We also visited an island to see monkeys but our trip there is on another page.
Here are some of the group.
Nancy is on crutches.  Her knee replacement surgery had to be postponed because of Covid-19.
       

Another boat like the one we were in.


We passed by some large ships.
Some at anchor and others under way.
   

A couple more from the shore.
The second not yet in the canal.
 

We were scheduled to take a trip through one of the locks on one of these boats later in the week.
An increase in Covid cases in Panama while we were there caused the cancellation of that and several other planned activities.


Some of the canal support infrastructure.
Buoys marking the channel.


And one that is used for mooring ships that have to stop along the canal.


A crane, probably used for servicing the boats that maintain the canal.


An electric railroad parallels the canal over much of its length.
I think that the black column is a signal light providing a guide to the channel.


These markers provide another visual indication of the channel.
Line up the near and more distant marker and you are in the channel.
Just be sure to pick the next set before you run aground.


Tourist facilities.


Some views of the canal from a tower overlooking it.
You have another view of the markers on the shore that provide channel guidance.
 


We saw three of the locks from shore.
The Miraflores locks are at the Pacific end of the canal and consist of two chambers lifting ships 54 ft.(16.5 m).


The double gates are a safety feature to limit the water that would be released if a ship were to ram a single gate releasing a flood downstream.


They don't actually make a sharp turn.  This wide view from the visitor center just makes it look like it does.

Looking down toward the Pacific.
   

Three of the "mules" used to pull ships through the locks.
With two in front and two behind they provide a much more precise control of the ships position.
That is especially important when there is only a foot of clearance.


And one close up working hard.


A cruse ship passing through.


The new Agua Clara Locks on the Atlantic end lift ships 85 ft (26 m) to Gatun lake.
They are in parallel with the original Gatun locks and provide the capacity to handle larger ships.
Here you can see both the new (left) and original from the Atlantic bridge over the canal.


Agua Clara visitor center has a picture spot with the Caribbean in the background.


Here is a ship passing through the lock.
Look carefully and you can see a tug in front of it.
The Atlantic bridge is the last landmark before the Port of Colón, the Caribbean, and the Atlantic.
   

And firetrucks because, you know, firetrucks.
Traffic control markings don't matter to firetrucks in Panama either.
 

Out for a little exercise.
 

And this was our greeter when we got back to the dock we left from.


Other pages from our visit to Panama:
Monkeys, Embara vilage, Flora, Fauna, Modern Panama, Old Panama, Museum, Hotels and friends

Go to our Science Fun page
Go to our Travels page
Go to our Personal home page
Go to our Community page

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