Most vessels that are getting ready to make the Panama Canal crossing are either at anchor in The Flats or at one of the two nearby marinas. A day after we docked at the Yacht Club we met a couple and spoke with them about their upcoming crossing and that they needed crew. After we heard that other people were also looking for crew we suddenly realized that we had an opportunity to cross the Canal and as a family. Barbara & Gary from s/v Hurrah (yes, like in hurrah, hurrah) came the next day and asked if we could help them with their crossing and that all of us were welcomed. They had a friend who is a captain, Judy, already lined up and with us it will make 4 adult line-handlers. What an opportunity, we thought, to have this experience as a family. So we jumped at their request.
Small vessels crossing the Canal are required to have 4 line-handlers and 1 person at the helm driving the boat, typically the captain. Though small boats are usually rafted together with up to 2 other small vessels and, therefore, only 2 line-handlers would be needed, Canal authorities required 4 line-handlers per vessel in the event that the vessel would be the only one crossing. On Monday, January 26 at 5PM we came aboard Hurrah with a couple of small bags as space was limited in this 37-foot Tayana, and motored to The Flats to meet our Advisor, a Panama Canal worker who would guide us through our crossing. We were to cross the first set of 3 locks (Gatun Locks) that evening, moor and sleep in Gatun Lake that night and then motor 27 miles across the lake, entering the Culebra Cut to pass first the Pedro Miguel Lock (1 lock) and then 2 other locks - the famous Miraflores Locks. A series of 3 locks, the Gatun Locks will take us 84 feet up above sea level to the Gatun Lake. Gatun was originally a natural lake but was made significantly larger when the Chagras river was dammed and its water directed to overfill the lake and help make the waterway as well as provide water for the locks. The Pedro Miguel lock (a single lock) which was soon followed by the last 2 locks of Miraflores, will return us back to sea level by taking us down approximately 84 feet again.
We were pumped up and excited to have this experience which we were not going to have with Kikuyu - not at least on our current trip. As we approached Gatun Locks we were told that we were to going through the right-hand-side lock (there are locks on the right and left so that they can pass ships coming and going) rafted to two other boats, the larger of which (a 60-foot sailing vessel) will be piloting the fleet.

At about 8PM we rafted to the other 2 boats without incident and entered the first set of locks. Hurrah's owners had crossed the canal from the Pacific back in March of last year so they knew what to expect. Nonetheless, they were nervous particularly going up to the lake level as this is the most difficult part of the passage. As a fleet of 3 boats, the center boat was piloting and we, who were on the right-hand-side, had to worry about holding the bow and aft lines for the weight of 3 boats. We crossed the Gatun locks successfully save for an exciting part when the current, which is very strong and swirls, pushed the bow of the three boats to the left. Kim and Judy who were holding the bow line struggled to keep the bow from going left but managed to hold it. The strength was so powerful that the line they were holding stretched but, thankfully, did not break. We just recently heard of a boat in a similar situation where the bow cleat actually ripped out and all the boats hit the left wall of the locks' chamber.

Once we passed the Gatun locks the advisor directed us to hook to a giant mooring ball, made for large ships. The ball seemed be half the size of Hurrah and getting a hold of it and putting our lines through its giant hook was an adventure. By 10PM we had tied to one ball and the other 2 vessels with which we had crossed the Canal tied to the other ball. We were preparing to go to sleep when rushing in came a very small vessel - a 26 feet German-owned sail boat with whom we had briefly had an encounter at 3PM earlier that day when he was trying to get his crew! He had a group of 5 locals as crew of whom we accessed only 1 person knew something about boats.
The next morning we rose to a breathtaking sunrise. We were up by 5AM as we had been told that an advisor would come by 6:30AM so that we could make the 27-mile crossing on time. He was delayed by heavy traffic and showed up at 8:30AM. Crossing the lake was peaceful and Hurrah motored at around 5 knots while the other 2 boats disappeared in the horizon - they were rushing to the next set of locks. Unfortunately our advisor did not suggest that we speed up and when we were about 10 minutes from the entrance to the lock our advisor got a call on the radio asking us to return to the lake and take a mooring ball. They could not wait for us as ships were on a schedule that they needed to keep. We returned to a part of the Canal called Gamboa where the Chagras river empties and tied to another giant ball hoping to go through the last set of locks later in the afternoon. However, by 1pm our advisor got a call that we were to stay there for the night! It was a big letdown, particularly for Barbara & Gary who faced the prospect of having to pay hundreds of dollars more for a 3 day in the canal. Though they were told that would not be the case they are indeed being charged for a third day.
We decided to make the best of it and adjust to having to arrange our schedules. Hurrah's 3 cats came out as soon as we were moored - two of them go into hiding as soon as the engine goes on but one suffers from seasickness below and she is always in the cockpit or on deck - a real delightful scene. We took a quick deep in Gatun lake, being careful not to be attached by one of the many crocodiles which we were told infested the lake. We spent the rest of this warm and pleasant afternoon chatting, reading and watching ships go back.

On Wednesday, the advisor assigned to our boat showed up on time and we were in front of Pedro Miguel Lock early. This time we had to tie to the small vessel that had also been left behind and Hurrah was to motor the fleet of two. There was a lot of fear about the ability of the small vessel's line-handlers to do their job correctly and, thought the tension level and shouting by boat owners got a bit out of hand, we transited successfully. Going down the locks, however, is a lot easier since it was daytime and we could see much better.
After crossing the Pedro Miguel lock we were asked to moor for an hour before crossing the final two locks at Miraflores which are the locks that visitors to the Canal see. There is a visitor's center and a wonderful museum here. A friend of Judy captured pictures of Hurrah that the Miraflores' cameras record as we were going through the Canal. Crossing the Miraflores lock seemed easy and the time went by very fast. By 2:30PM we were safely at anchor in the Pacific side (off Flamingo island). We were exhausted but grateful for having experienced one of the most brilliant engineering constructions of mankind. We were owed by it and very proud of American ingenuity and quality as the Canal has been operating flawlessly for nearly 100 years!

To view pictures of our crossing click on the Picture Gallery in the blog - there are 3 albums labeled Day 1,2 and 3 Panama Canal Crossing.