{"id":10047,"date":"2025-02-07T13:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-02-07T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kosmos.liveflux.net\/blog\/?p=10047"},"modified":"2025-02-09T23:51:10","modified_gmt":"2025-02-09T23:51:10","slug":"panama-canal-transit-part-4-the-gatun-locks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kosmos.liveflux.net\/blog\/2025\/02\/07\/panama-canal-transit-part-4-the-gatun-locks\/","title":{"rendered":"Panama Canal Transit Part 4 — The Gatun Locks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Continued<\/a>… As we drove towards the Gatun Locks, we were told that this time, the large ship would be tied up behind us. That was fantastic news, as it meant we wouldn\u2019t have to deal with the turbulent waters created by the ship’s prop wash<\/a> this time around. We were also told that we would again be tied to the wall on the starboard (right) side with the sailboat nested to us on the port (left). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maneuvering into the lock and tying up went smoothly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Since Kosmos was already at the top of the lock wall, our line handlers simply handed the lines to the canal workers, who tied them to the walls — there was no dramatic throwing\/catching of the canal’s lines, and no fears of tying the knot wrong and our line untying from the canal’s. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Jan and Mike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Thaddeus and Mike<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

It felt like there was tons of room for the container ship to come in behind us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Looking back at the top Gatun Lock from near the gate; note the large ship in the new lock next to us. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

By 1430 we were ready for the sailboat to approach, but it was not in sight until 1445. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By 1450, the sailboat was successfully nested and the container ship entered the edge of the lock, where it stopped. The canal crew hooked up the “mules” (locomotive engines) to the ship. <\/p>\n\n\n\n