Panama Canal Question

[Jim Woodall]

My wife and I are about one year away from moving aboard our Lagoon 42. We plan to spend a year or so in the Caribbean (where we keep our boat now) and then head to the Pacific for 2 - 3 years.

We've watched dozens of YouTube videos of sailboats transiting the Panama Canal, and I've read extensively about the procedures for transiting the canal on recreational vessels. I always see commercial ships enter the locks first and tie up (attached to the locomotive "mules") forward of recreational vessels in the Gatun Locks (Atlantic/Caribbean side) heading toward the Pacific. Then at the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks (Pacific side) it is reversed, recreational vessels enter the locks first and tie up forward of commercial vessels.

I feel certain there's a good reason recreational vessels enter the Gatun Locks after commercial vessels but then enter before commercial vessels in the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks. Does anyone know the reason - I can't find any explanation?

I'm simply curious!

[GordMay]

Not responsive to your interesting question, but FWIW:
“... There are three ways a yacht can proceed through the canal. Perhaps the most common is center-chamber lockage, where boats are rafted up two or three abreast. Yachts can also moor alongside a tugboat or small tourist cruise ship. Or they could be tied against the rough cement walls of the canal, less common and also less desirable because water turbulence can crash your rigging into the side wall...”
➥ https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/...-panama-canal/

[LittleWing77]

Probably has to do with the flow... West to East could be "downhill" (going towards Pacific, locks descend like going down stairs) so heaviest boats in first; then East to West "uphill" (towards the Atlantic, locks ascending like steps upward), heaviest boats in last...

Warmly,
LittleWing77

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Probably has to do with the flow... West to East could be "downhill" (going towards Pacific, locks descend like going down stairs) so heaviest boats in first; then East to West "uphill" (towards the Atlantic, locks ascending like steps upward), heaviest boats in last...
Warmly,
LittleWing77

That makes sense.

[daletournier]

I had a ship in front during one lock and a ship behind in another lock.

Being the bigger of the 3 boats during my transit I had it easy, I had two big fenders either side of me ....the other boats.

With competent line handlers and a good advisor the transit isnt difficult. Its important to have your best line handler at the stern, that's the one you dont want to get wrong.

[LittleWing77]

How's it going, Dale?

Have you settled in okay? I was *so glad* to read that you'd made it to your current spot safe and sound.

While all this is going on, small pleasures like a fellow CF member getting to their desired port safely are one of the little things I've been enjoying. Would love to hear if you've got up to anything inyeresting - or even mundane! (up here, all marinas shut, no boats launching and big windstorm blew through yesterday...)

Warmly,
LittleWing77

[daletournier]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

How's it going, Dale?

Have you settled in okay? I was *so glad* to read that you'd made it to your current spot safe and sound.

While all this is going on, small pleasures like a fellow CF member getting to their desired port safely are one of the little things I've been enjoying. Would love to hear if you've got up to anything inyeresting - or even mundane! (up here, all marinas shut, no boats launching and big windstorm blew through yesterday...)

Warmly,
LittleWing77 [emoji2]

Hi mate, yep Chiapas is a eady easy place to settle into, and it was a easy passage getting here, in fact quite enjoyable.

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by LittleWing77

Probably has to do with the flow... West to East could be "downhill" (going towards Pacific, locks descend like going down stairs) so heaviest boats in first; then East to West "uphill" (towards the Atlantic, locks ascending like steps upward), heaviest boats in last...

Warmly,
LittleWing77

I think you're onto something, but in both directions vessels go "uphill" to Lake Gatun, then "downhill" to the ocean. There is a lot of turbulence in the locks, when going up or down, so I assume the lockmasters position the smaller boats in the least turbulent area.

[steve77]

When we transited the canal (west-east), we only went in with a large ship once, and it was the last lock which allowed us into the Caribbean. He was large enough and close enough that his bow overhung our transom. We were told by our adviser that when the gates opened we were much quicker to accelerate than the ship would be, so it made more sense for us to leave first. The other five times we were alongside a Panama Canal sightseeing boat, and we left the lock first since he was alongside the wall.

Sorry, I don't buy this "uphill - downhill" argument. Of course there is turbulence but I don't remember a lot of difference between whether we were being raised or lowered.

Cheers!

Steve

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by steve77

We were told by our adviser that when the gates opened we were much quicker to accelerate than the ship would be, so it made more sense for us to leave first.

Sorry, I don't buy this "uphill - downhill" argument. Of course there is turbulence but I don't remember a lot of difference between whether we were being raised or lowered.

Given the OP's observations, then why wouldn't the small boats go in front at Gatun - they'd be quicker to accelerate there too, would they not?
I'm not entirely convinced the up/down turbulence sets the order in the lock, but figure it's a reasonable hypothesis. IME, the flooding turbulence (going up) is much greater than the draining (going down), but that's from large ship experience. The reason might come down to where the mules can park while holding large ships, keeping in mind they have hills to deal with too. Or it might be that they like to put the small easily/quickly moveable boats near the inward-turning doors.

For the OP: https://www.cruisingworld.com/story/...-panama-canal/

[jkleins]

Originally Posted by Jim Woodall

My wife and I are about one year away from moving aboard our Lagoon 42. We plan to spend a year or so in the Caribbean (where we keep our boat now) and then head to the Pacific for 2 - 3 years.



We've watched dozens of YouTube videos of sailboats transiting the Panama Canal, and I've read extensively about the procedures for transiting the canal on recreational vessels. I always see commercial ships enter the locks first and tie up (attached to the locomotive "mules") forward of recreational vessels in the Gatun Locks (Atlantic/Caribbean side) heading toward the Pacific. Then at the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks (Pacific side) it is reversed, recreational vessels enter the locks first and tie up forward of commercial vessels.



I feel certain there's a good reason recreational vessels enter the Gatun Locks after commercial vessels but then enter before commercial vessels in the Pedro Miguel and Miraflores Locks. Does anyone know the reason - I can't find any explanation?



I'm simply curious!

We were the exact opposite. Behind on the west coast and in front on the East

[Lodesman]

Originally Posted by jkleins

We were the exact opposite. Behind on the west coast and in front on the East

Which direction did you go? It's easy for there to be a misunderstanding when talking about the canal - as was mentioned earlier you travel east (actually southeast) going from the Atlantic to the Pacific, and vice versa. So while I understand your meaning as East = Gatun locks, that is actually further west than Pedro Miguel and Miraflores.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Lodesman

I think you're onto something, but in both directions vessels go "uphill" to Lake Gatun, then "downhill" to the ocean. There is a lot of turbulence in the locks, when going up or down, so I assume the lockmasters position the smaller boats in the least turbulent area.

I was just speculating. My small bit of lock experience is much smaller canals - Caladonian in the UK (where you move the locks yourselves), Trent-Severn and Oswego-to-the-Hudson.

If you can believe this, I once did a delivery of a New Zealand yacht from Newport to Panama - but got off the yacht before she actually went through the canal!

In retrospect, I shouldda stayed on until I'd got through the canal - now that would've been a cool experience.

Warmly,
LittleWing77

[redneckrob]

Or it could be every lockmaster has their own random way of doing things or even that they do it randomly based on their whim that day! That was certainly my experience with the ICW lock we used all the time in Chesapeake.

[Jim Woodall]

Originally Posted by jkleins

We were the exact opposite. Behind on the west coast and in front on the East

I should have been more clear:

During uplocking, regardless of the particular lock, recreational vessels are astern of large commercial vessels. During downlocking, regardless of the particular lock, recreational vessels are forward of large commercial vessels.

jkleins, was your experience different when uplocking and downlocking?

I asked this on the blog of some sailors who had transited the canal several times over the years in both directions.They didn't know the reason, but in 5 total transits over a decade it was the same procedure for them each time.

Again, there must be a reason but I can't find a definitive answer.