[Rhodes22-list] Cruising Story

[Slim]

Thanks for the story, Anne.  Our boat partner, Judi took her sailboat
through the canal and her story is similar.  All the cruisers get together
and crew for each other on each others' boats.  Very cool.

I just saw a special on a big tanker navigating the canal, and like Rummy
said, speed and timing is everything.  Not just the ships but also everybody
else--dredging crews, maintenance workers, engineers, supervisors, etc.  If
you hold up the show--big problem and big money.

Slim

On 2/24/07 7:05 AM, "Anne M" <anima13 at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Wow, Listen to this: my friends Larry and Carmen are going through the Panama
> Canal.
> They are aboard a french-built beneteau 44ft center cockpit. They have been
> cruising for 2.5 yrs.
> This will take two and a half days! They lived at my house for two months
> while they prepped the
> boat. 
> Here's the story.
> Anne M
> KY Lake
> 
> 
> February 20, 2006
> 
> Greetings fellow sailors/friends and family,
> 
> On this, the eve of "Water Musik's" transit of the Panama Canal, the captain
> (El Capitan, as they say here in Panama - Larry really likes to be called El
> Capitan) and crew are truly excited.  We have said "good bye for now" to the
> Caribbean Sea and by this time on Thursday "Water Musik" will be getting used
> to her bottom floating on the Pacific Ocean!
> 
> With wrapped tires supplementing fenders to protect the hull, four 125'
> mooring lines at the ready, and three friends aboard to help me serve as our
> four required line handlers, "Water Musik" will be prepared to transit the
> Panama Canal.  Our Canal Authority advisor is scheduled to board "Water Musik"
> on the "flats" in Cristobal Harbor at 1900 hours (7:00 p.m. Eastern or 6:00
> p.m. Central time).  We will transit the locks rafted up with friends Ray and
> Marilyn aboard their 32' Bristol named "Horizon", and possibly a tug.  We'll
> be lifted 85 feet, behind the ship, in the three Gatun Lock chambers before we
> spend the night tied to a very, very large mooring ball in the fresh water of
> Lake Gatun.  One lucky deck hand/line handler will jump onto the middle of the
> "white washed" red ball, obviously a favorite large bird hangout, to secure
> spring lines.  When "Water Musik" is secured, the advisor will depart on a
> pilot boat.
> 
> If we are lucky, howler monkeys will serve as our wake up call on Thursday
> morning.  A new advisor will climb aboard at about 0630 and we will motor or
> motor-sail, depending on the advisor and the timing, 31 miles across the large
> and scenic Lake Gatun, created by damming the Rio Chagres.  We'll pass through
> tragically historic Gaillard Cut.  Midday to mid-afternoon we will be lowered
> through the one-chamber Pedro Miguel locks, cross the mile wide Miraflores
> Lake and then enter the two-chamber Miraflores Locks.  The ride down will be
> in front of the ship in the locks.  By late afternoon "Water Musik" will be in
> the Pacific Ocean.
> 
> There is SO MUCH history that we would love to share with you, but that will
> have to be reserved for another time.
> 
> If you have the interest and an internet connection, you can watch "Water
> Musik" lock through Gatun Locks and the Miraflores locks, or watch as she
> passes under The Bridge of The Americas at Balboa.  Perhaps you'll witness our
> champagne toast as soon as we pass under the bridge.  Just go to
> http://www.pancanal.com.  Start by selecting a language, and navigate through
> Multimedia and Popular Sites to "Live Photos".  The Miraflores web cam works
> the best.  You need Java on your computer to view the pics.
> 
> We plan to ask the camera operator to zoom in on "Water Musik" in the locks as
> he did for "The Wombat of Sidney", the yacht we transited with a few weeks ago
> as line handlers.  If you feel really ambitious, use your Prnt Scrn (Print
> Screen) button.  Press the button, then cut, paste and save the image of the
> page for us in a Word file.  (Be sure you have the whole picture showing on
> your screen because any part of the web page not showing on your screen will
> not be included in the new file.  We would love to be able to have a photo
> like that!
> 
> Looking forward to hearing from you,
> 
> Carmen & Larry
> Aboard Water Musik
> Cristobal Harbor, Colon, Panama
> __________________________________________________
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