Panama City is a sharp contrast to the simple fishermen and simple farmers of the rest of the country. Waiting to transit, filling out forms, gathering line handlers and mostly shopping was like going into a war zone. Travel anywhere is done by Taxi and in numbers for safety. People are so desprerate and with nothing else to lose I guess but without knowing the rules we left nothing to chance.
3 young scientists from the Smithsonian Research Unit in Gatun Lake accompany us on our transit thru the Canal. Rafted up to two larger sailboats we enter our first lock. The monkey fists stream down from above and we attach our bow and stern lines to them. When the water starts bubbling up and we start rising like in an elevator the anxiety that we had been feeling quickly evaporates and skillfully we adjust the tension of the lines and soon we are thru to the otherside. Gallard's Cut which I had been looking forward to seeing, was tranversed in a downpour of rain that was so strong that we could not see much of the bow of the boat! The night was spent on Gatun Lake under the stars. Jumping of the side of the boat into this strange feeling Fresh Water under a full moon was nice indeed.
The next day we enter the Carribbean, and we have realized a major milestone of our lives. How many of us has been able to do what we have done.
3 young scientists from the Smithsonian Research Unit in Gatun Lake accompany us on our transit thru the Canal. Rafted up to two larger sailboats we enter our first lock. The monkey fists stream down from above and we attach our bow and stern lines to them. When the water starts bubbling up and we start rising like in an elevator the anxiety that we had been feeling quickly evaporates and skillfully we adjust the tension of the lines and soon we are thru to the otherside. Gallard's Cut which I had been looking forward to seeing, was tranversed in a downpour of rain that was so strong that we could not see much of the bow of the boat! The night was spent on Gatun Lake under the stars. Jumping of the side of the boat into this strange feeling Fresh Water under a full moon was nice indeed.
The next day we enter the Carribbean, and we have realized a major milestone of our lives. How many of us has been able to do what we have done.
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