The Canal - Pacific Locks

Early morning wake up as we neared the first of the three locks on the Pacific side. 5:45 am and it was dark, and the lights of the canal cast an eerie glow. It took the ship over an hour to get through the first lock and into the second. It’s a slow rise, but you can feel it, and if you pick a point on the lock you can tell we are rising. There are three holding ponds adjacent to us that I think will fill and empty the locks. The canal says they reuse 2/3 of the water used for each lift. The water is fresh water from the reservoir not salt water from the ocean. In a drought, like now, the fresh water is limited thus slowing the number of ships that can use the canal.Read more