Today, we are heading toward the Bay of Panama after covering 190 nautical miles from Coiba Island. We spent the morning on the open decks and observed a variety of wildlife, including pantropical spotted dolphins surfing on our wake, brown boobies gliding and diving into the water, and petrels and shearwaters cruising nearby.
We arrived at the Panama Canal anchorage point in the early afternoon, where an inspection of our vessel began. This routine check is conducted before every transit to ensure the engines are functioning properly and to avoid any malfunctions while crossing the waterway.
Later, our Panama Canal pilot boarded and took command of the bridge as we navigated through the first two sets of locks on the Pacific side. The Miraflores Locks consist of two chambers, where our vessel rose 54 feet into a small, man-made lake. We then cruised for a mile before passing through the Pedro Miguel Locks, rising another 31 feet above sea level. In total, the locks lifted us 85 feet, filling the chambers with 26 million gallons of fresh water in just 10 minutes—a remarkable feat. After entering Gatun Lake, the pilot guided us to Barro Colorado Island, where we dropped anchor. Tomorrow, we will explore the wonders of the Panamanian rainforest.
