The Panama Canal and More
Tues 31 Jan 26 degrees C 10.30 pm. mostly clear and fine with odd isolated rain shower, wind force 4.moderate breeze. Sea has a 10ft swell. Calmest it has been for some time. Speed 19 knots we have been on Curacao. Today and will be ashore for the next two days, but I wanted to get the Panama Canal down while it is fresh in my mind. So Anne is asleep as I type and at my speed it will be a late night.
I left you on the 27th to go to a barbecue, was very nice, had a burger and a small piece of chicken. For those who seem to relish emailing me about my diet, no I have not stuck to it and yes I have put the weight back on, yes I am a fat pig, but what else can you do on sea days, with the weather we have been having.
Friday after the barbecue the sea and weather got up and all that night, plus the following day and night were bad, Our cabin is at the end of the amidships section lengthwise and bang in the middle height wise, this has seemed to play to our advantage as the people in the bow and stern sections, particularly the bow have had it rough. Whereas although we have had our moments, by and large it has been ok.
Sunday the 29th dawned misty, but calm, turned into a nice morning, then filled in and clouded over as we travelled, through the canal, once again a challenge to all the photographers located at the front of the ship, ten hours on your feet in that situation is hard work, but worth it.
Panama Canal
An engineering masterpiece, low tech and high tech. solutions, coordinated efficiency, visually spellbinding and spectacular, all these and more, come together and astonish, as you progress through this tribute to the amalgam of the resourcefulness of man and the basic laws of nature.
It seems incredible that two of these basic rules. The law of gravity, and the fact, that water will all ways find its own level, Enables these huge man made locks to fill or empty and in so doing, lift a 45000 ton cruise ship up and over a mountain ridge and across the 40 miles separating the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. Whilst at the same time generating the hydro electric power to run the project.
Each passage through the locks requires 52 million gallon of fresh water from the lake at the top to be fed by gravity through the system.
Built by the Americans with mainly Caribbean labour, after the French had twice failed abysmally, it was, despite being the largest project attempted up to then, brought in ahead of time at a total cost of £350 million dollars. Astonishingly it was not engineering know-how, important as that was, that was the key, but the ability to control the mosquito born diseases, malaria and yellow fever which had decimated the French workforces. Spraying pesticides, draining swamps and marshes, whilst installing sewage and water systems, eradicated these diseases inside two years and cleared the way for the engineers to triumph. Drawing on the skills gained building the railways across there own mountainous land.
Engineering masterpiece, obviously so, and a wonder of the world at its completion, and all driven by gravity.
Low tech, two men in a boat row the tow cables out to the team of cable handlers on board each ship, along with local pilots (some ships need up to five pilots,) no ship can move, until the captain signs responsibility for the navigation of the ship through the canal, over to these guys. At each pair of locks (there are three pairs at either end of the canal), a wooden arrow is turned, its point directing the pilots to which ever lock the ship has been allocated.
High tech, computers schedule the ships through, large ships singly by day and small ships, several at a time, by night, thereby maximising lock usage, and controlling water wastage. Each ship is pulled through the locks by so called mules, locomotives running on a cog railway line, along the lock sides. These mules located either side, are so efficient as to be able to manoeuvre ships through (the one ahead of us had two foot clearance either side) without hitting the sides and damaging ship or lock.
Coordinated efficiency, ships are processed through the system, lock to lock by the controllers and mule drivers located ashore, the pilots on the bridge and cable handlers on the deck.
A constant programme of drilling, exploding charges and dredging away the debris and silt, keeps the canal clear although it is still subject to landslide. Studies are underway, exploring the feasibility of fitting extra locks, alongside the existing pairs as the demands on the canal continue to grow. This, despite the growth in super ships, that cannot go through, because of there size. However the majority of ships can and travelling through saves an average of 7000 miles and twenty days sailing per trip
The largest ship to go through? A Princess line cruise ship. The cost, $250,000 U.S. Booked and paid a year in advance, as are all cruise liners, guaranteeing them priority scheduling and no waiting in line, as general shipping has too
Coming from the Atlantic, on reaching the first lock you are attached to your mules, pulled, lifted and guided through until you clear the first three pairs of locks, then travel 23 miles through the lake, created by the damming of the river, past islands which are in reality, the tops of flooded hills. The lake narrows down to a channel cut through the mountains for nine miles, this was the bad bit, crossing the rock and shale of the continental divide, bedevilled by landslides, The rocks still carry the marks of chisels, plainly visible from the ship, as is the massive amount of pinning, stark evidence of the volatility of these materials. Although the channel is down to 500ft or 150 metres wide at this point, the freshwater lake itself has grown to cover some 166 square miles, all this 85ft above sea level. A nature reserve, it is home to many kinds of wildlife. We saw pelican, vultures, cormorants and four American crocodiles. The latter calmly watching the progress of the ships from the security of the bank side trees.
You now enter the first of the last three locks, pulled and guided as before by mules, you are lowered and emerge in another lake, you cross the one and a half miles to the final two locks, enter and drop down to sea level, disembark the pilot and proceed under the impressive bridge of the Americas and on out into the pacific.
We of course, did it the other way round, but the map I am using as an aid memoir is drawn this way, consequently I took the easy option.
The Atlantic welcomed us with big 13ft swell and high winds as we cleared the canal. With wind, current and swell all against us the captain had to reduce speed, making for a late arrival in Curacao. Fortunately the weather was mixed today, mostly bright with local showers as we set off to explore.
Curacao
A pleasant little place with brightly painted houses, dotted all over the hillside and a river running in to the port from the sea, again lined with bright, red, yellow and blue houses along its banks. Until recently cruise ships sailed up here and moored in the middle of town, now however, a new jetty has been built out into the sea and we moored there.
The islands two main functions in life seem to be, as a fuel bunker for ships, consequently there are many oil installations. Oil and gas holders and tall chimneys abound, making it a much more industrial island than most. It is part of the Dutch Antilles and as such is has a tie up and agreement with the common market. This provides its other purpose in life as a duty free port, supposedly offering very cheap prices on high cost items. As we were not in the market for these (no sign of my lens here either) we didn’t partake. Instead had a tour of the island, took some photos, and got some bits for the family. Then sat, had a beer and a burgher and watched the world go bye.
That’s it up to date, will return to this on 3rd Feb. as we start our long slog to the Azores after leaving Barbados
Regards Anne and Cliff
