The Panama Canal

Line handlers Dicky and Isabelle, and photographer Jennifer

Transiting the Panama Canal was an experience to be remembered. While you can hire line handlers, we decided to take other yaughties instead and boy was it an adventure! We took Jennifer and Dicky, Sue and George. While we knew Dicky and Jennifer well and had made friends with them during our shared nights in the Shelter Bay pool, we hadn’t had a chance to get to know Sue and George but we were kind of desperate for handlers and when they offered, we were thrilled. Little did we know what lay ahead.

After a nice dinner of Tacos, both Dicky and George got out a bottle of rum each. Jennifer and Dicky were keeping us well entertained with their stories of cruising life. An hour later both litre bottles were empty and while one of those bottles was shared between five of us, George drank a whole bottle himself. First he started rocking forwards and backwards humming. We all thought he was just joking around until he got up to take a pee and nearly fell into the water.

George sung his drunken ballads all night, keeping everyone awake, and then we heard him get up to take a pee. His wife Sue tried to help him but he was too drunk to go close to the water and he was way too drunk to climb into the cockpit and go to the toilet. Then we all heard the inevitable. Georges pee hitting our deck! I was lying there in bed praying that none of it would go onto the mattresses we had outside for him. We certainly learnt that it is a good idea to get to know people before you allow them to come on board. And my hat off to George who despite having what must have been a killer hangover, still managed to do the lines in the morning.

Canal workers throwing out the lines

The Canal Locks

The experience of the canal itself was incredible, going through the locks was exciting as they filled with water and then on the way down were drained. We had to attach four lines to the dock and have the line handlers pull up the slack to prevent the boat from hitting the sides of the canal. 24 hours after entering the canal on the Atlantic side, we were sailing out of the last lock and into the Pacific, it was such a thrill, we were finally on our way. The adventure had only just begun.

                                

                        Dicky                                       Beautiful Jennifer, Captain James

A thank you to our line handlers for you help getting us through the canal. And especially to Dicky and Jennifer for all of your jokes and stories not only during the transit but also at Shelter Bay. We look forward to hearing more when we catch you again somewhere on the deep blue!

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