Transiting the Panama Canal

We spent today transiting the Panama Canal. This marvel of engineering is not only functional, it is beautiful. We could only imagine the backbreaking labor of the people from Barbados and the other Caribbean islands who gave their lives so that we could cruise through this waterway on a floating palace. We saw frigate birds, two crocodiles, and a host of other tropical animals. We inched our way up 29 meters in three sets of locks, crossed the continental divide in Gatun Lake, then came down again to sail on flat water into the Pacific Ocean. The Culebra Cut through the mountains alone contains enough concrete to build 63 Egyptian pyramids. With the expansion including sets of wider locks, the Panama Canal will continue to meet the increasing demands of the world for years to come. So on a hot and humid December 24 (the high temperature here today was 89 degrees) we wish you a merry and blessed Christmas.Read more