Tug Boat in the Rain

Traversing the Panama Canal means getting up close and personal with tug boats.  They nudge and push to position the large ships for transiting the lock system.  Sometimes it's early in the morning and they're right at your porthole.  Yep, 4:30 in the morning and I get these bright lights.  But since it's raining, the lights take on an ethereal look.

"Tug Boat in the Rain"    © Kathy Dunham 2010

Lil' Toot

The first time I went through the Panama Canal this tug was pushing the ship right outside our porthole at 4:30 in the morning. Needless to say, I wasn't too happy about being awakened that early. But I was able to get this great shot later when it was light outside. The Herrera stayed with us until we entered the first set of locks on the Caribbean side. Last year I transited the canal again and we saw the same tug on Lake Gatun, the man made lake in the mid section of the canal.

"Lil' Toot" © Kathy Dunham 2009

Happy New Year

There was a myriad of channel lights as we left the Panama Canal last month so I decided to experiment with my camera to see what I could achieve. This is the result. My version of fireworks. Happy New Year.





"Happy New Year" © Kathy Dunham 2008

Centennial Bridge

This beautiful bridge crosses the Guillard Cut through the Isthmus of Panama. This nine mile cut through volcanic rock was an extreme challenge during the building of the Panama Canal. Thousands of lives were lost to malaria and yellow fever before they realized that it was the little mosquito that was responsible for transmitting both diseases. A transit through the canal should be on your "must do" list. It's an engineering phenomenon.

"Centennial Bridge" © Kathy Dunham 2008

Three Little Mules All in a Row

These electric "mules" are what keep our ship evenly spaced once in the Panama Canal locks. There was only 24" of clearance on either side so it's important that the tension on the cables between the ship and the three mules on each side of our ship are perfect. Otherwise, we'd be leaving paint on the side of the locks. There are three locks on each end of the 50 mile canal. Three steps up and three down. Lake Gatun, in the middle, is man made and took four years to fill. It was a brilliant idea to eliminate a lot of earth removal had a cut been necessary through the entire width of Panama.





"Three Little Mules All in a Row" © Kathy Dunham 2008

The Little Tug That Could

It was 4:30 in the morning when I first this tug. He was pushing our cruise ship right below our port hole as we started our transit through the Panama Canal. This was an adventure I'd been waiting for. And it was worth every minute. The day was misty, no sun, but I spent a good deal of it on deck. Taking pictures from every angle. I didn't care if I got wet. That's what raincoats are for. The process is fascinating and not a minute is lost in maneuvering these huge ships through the locks. And what an engineering feat this was, building a passage through the jungle to connect two oceans. And they're expanding it to accommodate even larger vessels. I'm going through again this year and I wonder what I'll see this time.

"The Little Tug That Could" © Kathy Dunham 2008