In 1543, Charles I of Spain ordered the first survey of a proposed canal through the Isthmus of Panama. The French were the first to take on this daunting task and they struggled for twenty years, but financial problems and disease defeated them. In 1903 the United States and the newly created Panama signed a treaty which gave the United States the right to build the canal, which after years of effort by the multinational work force, opened on August 15, 1914.
Today the Canal is still considered one of the engineering marvels of the world and we took delight in our 50-mile transit. The locks of Miraflores and Pedro Miguel lifted us 85 feet above sea level and after the nine-mile Gaillard Cut, we started our descent at Gatun Locks. In front of us on our journey down to the Caribbean Sea we had a great view of one of the Panamax vessels, which had been designed to just barely fit into the 1,000-by-110-foot lock chambers.
After the Canal it was a short trip to the awaiting Caledonian Star, our home for the next 10 days as we explore the lower Caribbean.
