On Sunday, January 29, we took the Zodiac before breakfast at 6:30
AM and toured the small island of Pacheco, which hosts nesting colonies
of seabirds, including Blue-footed Boobies. At 9:00 AM the
Pacific Explorer started sailing towards the Panama Canal, as we
watched the film "A Man, a Plan, a Canal: Panama" (note that the title
is a palindrome).
We arrived at the entrance to the Canal at 12:30 PM , at which time an
inspector boarded to check documents and the ship's readiness for
transit. The Panama Canal pilot, who must be at the wheel during
passage, boarded about 4:00 PM, with a string of flags that provide
information about our ship. As we approached the Bridge of the
Americas, a crew of line handlers boarded for the journey. We then
joined a freighter, Sir Walter,
which accompanied us into each lock. The Canal has three sets of
double locks and takes 8-9 hours to complete the transit. It cost our
small ship about $10,000 in fees to pass through the Canal. We
passed under the Centennial Bridge in darkness, and legend has it that,
for good luck, couples must kiss as they go under.
--Click on pictures for full-screen
views--
Pacheca Island
Birds : 3 Species (1 New)
Blue-footed Booby*
Yellow-crowned Night-heron
American Oystercatcher
CUMULATIVE TOTAL (BIRD
SPECIES SEEN TO DATE: 100 (63 New)
