Panama Day 2.2

I had planned something different, and this foto is certainly NOT great, but . . . what it shows is River Wisdom  Qingdao, China-bound and Duncan Island Red Hook, Brooklyn, USA-bound.  They’re passing each other at sea level Pacific side just “south” of the Miraflores locks.

Here was River Wisdom about a half hour earlier.  Any idea what she paid for the transit?  Warning . . . I don’t know the answer, but I can come close.   Number of vessel transits annually?  Answer follows.

Any idea when Duncan Island will arrive at the dock in Red Hook?  Again, I don’t have the answer, but bear with me.

Farfan is the assist tug for River Wisdom  . . . as I write this.

I’ve forgotten the name of this yacht, but with that tall a mast and that many spreaders, it could be the

same one I’ve seen in New York and Newport . . . like here.  (Note:  The yacht is Tiara.  It rents for a mere $200k/week.)

Some answers or attempted ones:  PTCC Tortugas paid over $200,000 to transit the Canal.  In cash.  At least 48 hours in advance.  The alternative is 8000 miles around Cape horn and about two additional weeks .  .  .  .    Richard Halliburton swam the Canal in August 1928.  Took him 10 days.  Cost him 36 cents!

14,000 vessels transit the Canal annually.  52,000,000 gallons of fresh water per vessel do the work.  Good thing the rainy season is generous to the watershed.

For River Wisdom, New York PLUS 7 days put her here.  Balboa PLUS 30 days will put her in Qingdao.

Might Duncan Island arrive with her bananas and other tropical fruit at the dock in Red Hook around March 22?  (Just looked it up . . . they could be there already the 18th!!!.)

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, in the past two hours.

Panama Day 2.1

Quick post . . . more on the 1934 Panama-built  B/E Atlas III.  My guess about the B/E is that it’s Spanish for “barco d’educación” since it’s a training vessel.  Actually, check this site for dozens of “canal zone” era fotos and newer ones.

Let me focus on the Z-Tech tugs a bit.  Click here for more info on them.  Kamari . . . have seen it in New York’s sixth boro…  here assisted Atlantic-bound by Calovedora   on the stern as Dolega heads back south for the next job.  I’ve never seen a paint job like the one on the lighthouse.

Sub-sea construction oilfield services vessel Intrepid here geta assisted by Cacique on on bow and

Pecora on stern.

Vergaquas 1 assists Overseas Rosemar (I’ve seen her in New York’s sixth boro) on stern

and Dolega on bow.  Pilotboat heads back south.

Besides all the construction you see in the background, the foreground shows the Panama Canal Railway.  Originally I’d planned to take the passenger service up to Colon, but I decided to stay here and watch a day go by from relatively the same perspective, like hanging at my “offices” on the KVK.   Note in the background the vessel above the Miraflores lock waiting for traffic to flow Pacific-bound.

My hunch is that most of the day’s traffic on the railroad is containers on stacktrains like this, transferring containers from the Atlantic port of Manzanillo (MIT) to the Pacific port of Balboa.

Passenger service runs north early in the morning and south late in the afternoon.  Victims of SS Central America, their pockets and bags stuffed with California gold passes from the Pacific to the Atlantic on this railroad. One of my favorite books in Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea.

All fotos by Will Van Dorp, who will soon head back out.