The first time I went through the Canal was aboard Cloud 9. This time was much easier but quite enjoyable. Built in 1914, this interoceanic waterway uses a system of locks with two lanes that operates as water elevators and raises the ships 26 meters from sea level to the level of Gatun Lake. After crossing through the Continental Divide, it lowers the ships to sea level on the other side of the Isthmus. Large ships are guided through the locks by using electric cars called “Mules”.
Construction for the expansion of the Canal is evident everywhere and is slated for completion this year. The new Panama Canal locks will be 427 meters long and 55 meters wide, the size of four football fields. After reaching ocean level on the pacific side we sailed under the Bridge of the Americas and anchored in the bay near Fuerte Amador (Panama City)
