Wind Star 2007 (6) |
Panama Canal This page created 12/19/2007
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This is our approach to the eastern locks of the Panama canal, (Gatun locks) which would lift the ship in three steps up to the level of Gatun Lake. Note the neon arrow sign indicating which of the parallel locks our ship should enter. You can also see a small rowboat with two men in it. They row out and throw up lines which then haul heavier cables up to the ship. There were four cables(port and starboard on both the bow and stern), each attached to an electric locomotive (called a Mule) that guided the ship into the lock. |
| It was just at sunrises when we entered the approach channel for the Gatun locks so I wasn't able to get any good photos then. Here is one taken after it got lighter and looking back the way we came (East). | 
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Here are the huge lock gates closing. If you look through the gap you can see a swinging vehicle bridge which had already closed so that cars could cross the canal. You can see by the waterline on the walls how much the ship will be raised in this chamber. |
| Here you can see the water entering the chamber from the chamber above. I was surprised at how rapidly the ship was lifted to the next lock level. | 
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After passing through three different chambers the ship was finally at the level of Gatun Lake. Here are the gates opening to allow the ship into the lake. You can see two sets of gates which are a safety precaution to prevent the lake from being drained in case of a failure of the other gates. |