Seven Hours and 77 Kilometres
On The Panama Canal
By Phil Reimer, Canwest News Service
When I asked the captain of Holland
America's Zuiderdam to describe the Panama
Canal, he said to "think of it as a
real-life Disney Jungle Cruise."
"Seriously, from our point of view, it's
similar to docking ship, only you're doing
it for seven hours," said Capt. Christopher
Turner when asked about the difficulty of
the transit.
I was able to see the entire process
first-hand after I was invited to the bridge
to witness the canal voyage.
Words like "engineering marvel" and
"largest" and "most difficult to build" are
frequently used when describing the Panama
Canal, and few who have journeyed its length
would disagree with any of them.
I was on board the Zuiderdam with 180 Ports
and Bows readers for a repositioning cruise
from Fort Lauderdale to Vancouver. Once in
Vancouver, the ship will start its season
sailing to Alaska.
This cruise lasts 18 days, with stops in the
Cayman Islands, Puerto Caldera, Huatulco,
Acapulco, Cabo San Lucas, San Diego and Port
Angeles, and then into Vancouver. Most on
board were looking forward to the canal. The
captain announced he would open the bow to
passengers at 6 a.m. By then, many were
lined up with cameras and binoculars ready.
By 7:20 a.m., we were at the locks of Gatun
on the Atlantic side, where the process of
raising the ship 26 metres above the ocean
begins, so we can undertake our 77-km trip
through the canal.
We are a large ship, and with three local
pilots on board, we moved slowly through
each lock. It's a tight fit. The ship is no
more than 60 centimetres from the canal
walls.
Small engines called mules are ordered to
loosen or tighten as we moved from lock to
lock, making sure we stay off the walls. By
8:40 a.m., we are clear of the locks and
sail into Gatun Lake before returning to the
canal. Because of our size, there will be no
passing of other ships as we go through 8
Mile Cut leading to the Pacific locks at
Miraflores.
Most of the hundreds of people who have
taken up their positions at various spots on
the ship never moved throughout the
crossing.
Sometime in 2015, new locks will be opened
for the canal that are 21 metres wider than
the current ones. That will allow ships as
big as aircraft carriers to navigate through
the waterway.
Global warming is also a concern for the
canal's future. Every time a ship goes
through, 200 million litres of fresh water
are flushed out to sea. Many believe
powerful devices will have to be built
eventually to lift water into the canal.
But that's the future. On this day, we sat
in awe of this man-made wonder.
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contacted directly at preimercanwest.com.
http://www.vancouversun.com/Seven+hours+kilometres+Panama+Canal/2973875/story.html#ixzz0mmDN5lBQ
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