Panama The Panama Canal

THE PANAMA CANAL (Dates for Canal transit below)

Ferdinand de Lesseps, builder of the Suez Canal, arrived in Panama in 1881, and decided to build a sea-level canal along the Chagres River and the Rio Grande. Work started in 1882. 0ne of the diggers in 1886 and 1887 was the painter Gauguin, aged 39. 30 km had been dug before the Company crashed in 1893, defeated by extravagance and tropical diseases (22,000 people died). Eventually Colombia (of which Panama was then a Department) authorized the Company to sell all its rights and properties to the United States, but the Colombian Senate rejected the treaty, and the inhabitants of Panama, encouraged by the States, declared their independence on 3 November 1903. The United States intervened and, in spite of protests by Colombia, recognized the new republic. Colombia did not accept the severance. Before beginning the task of building the Canal the United States performed one of the greatest sanitary operations in history: the clearance from the area of the more malignant tropical diseases. The name of William Crawford Gorgas will always be associated with this, as will that of George Washington Goethals with the actual building of the Canal. On 15 August 1914, the first passage was made, by the ship Ancon.

The former Canal Zone was a ribbon of territory under US control extending 8 km on either side of the Canal and including the cities of Cristohal and Balboa. The price paid by the United States Government to Panama for construction rights was US$10mn. The French company received US$40mn for its rights and properties. US$25mn were given to Colombia in compensation for the transfer of the French company’s rights. The total cost at completion was US$387mn. Panama long ago rejected the perpetuity clause of the original Canal Treaty. In April 1978 a new treaty was ratified and on I October 1979 the Canal Zone, now known officially as the Canal Area, was formally transferred to Panamanian sovereignty, including the ports of Cristobal and Balboa, the Canal dry docks and the trans-isthmus railway, but the US still retains extensive military base areas.

Until the final transfer of ownership in 2000 the Canal administration is in the hands of the Comision del Canal, on which Panama now has majority representation. The coordination of the process of handing over the Canal to Panama is managed by the Inter-Ocean Regional Authority (ARI). According to 1996 figures, about 13,700 ships pass through the Panama Canal annually, providing US$100mn.

As the crow flies the distance across the isthmus is 55 km. From shore to shore the Canal is 671/2 km, or 82 km (44.08 nautical miles) from deep water to deep water. It has been widened to 150m in most places. The trip normally takes 8 or 9 hrs for the 30 ships a day passing through. An odd fact is that the mean level of the Pacific is some 20 cm higher than the Atlantic, but the disparity is not constant throughout the year. On the Atlantic side there is a normal variation of 30 cm between high and low tides, and on the Pacific of about 380 cm, rising sometimes to 640 cm.

From the Pacific, the Canal channel goes beneath the Puente de las Americas and passes Balboa. The waterway has to rise 16 1/2m to the Lago Miraflores. The flrst stage of the process is the Miraflores Locks, 1 1/2 km before the lake. At the far end of the Lake, the Canal is raised again at the Pedro Migucl Locks, after which the 13 km Gaillard, or Culebra Cut is entered, a narrow rock defile leading to Lago Gatun. Opposite Miraflores Locks, there is a swing bridge.

PANAMA CANAL TOURS:

FULL TRANSIT PROGRAM - 8 – 9 hrs:
Our trip departs from the Flamenco Marina at 7:30 a.m., and you will travel from the Pacific Ocean to the Atlantic Ocean on the same day. You will experience all that is mentioned above in the partial transit tour description, but in the other direction. In addition, you will enjoy a trip through Gatun Lake, which was formed by erecting the Gatun Dam across the Chagres River.

During your transit through Gatun Lake you will pass the Smithsonian Research Station at Barro Colorado. You will also experience the Gatun Locks, which are the only set of locks in the Atlantic sector. In Gatun Locks, the vessel will be lowered a total of 26 meters in three distinct chambers. Upon arriving at Colon, you will disembark at Pier 6, where transportation back to Panama City will be provided.

Tour includes:

• Bilingual guide/narrator
• Soft drinks and water (all you can drink)
• Continental Breakfast
• Full lunch which includes various Panamanian dishes
• Snacks
• Transportation by bus from Colon to Flamenco Marina

PARTIAL TRANSIT - 4 –5 hrs:
Our tour starts at the Flamenco Resort and Marina at 10:00 a.m. Passengers board motor coaches for a 45 minute ride to the town of Gamboa where the Panama Canal Dredging Division is located. Once in Gamboa, passengers board the Pacific Queen to start the water portion of the tour. We enter the canal at the north end of the Gailard cut, where the Chagres River flows into the canal. The Gaillard Cut (also known as Culebra Cut because its curves resemble a snake) is one of the main points of interest for visitors because it was carved through the Continental Divide and this section of the Canal is full of history and geological value. The Pacific Queen will travel the Cut's 13.7 kilometers on the way to Pedro Miguel Locks. As you transit the Cut you will be able to appreciate the continuous maintenance that this area requires, because it is very susceptible to landslides.

Before reaching the Pedro Miguel Locks at the southern end of the Cut, you will be able to view the new Centennial Bridge which crosses over the Canal. Next, the Pacific Queen will enter Pedro Miguel Locks, which is one of the two sets of locks on the Pacific side, and here the vessel is lowered 9 meters in one step. You will then enter Miraflores Lake, which is a small artificial body of fresh water that separates Pedro Miguel from Miraflores Locks, the latter being the final set of locks before reaching the Pacific Ocean. At Miraflores Locks the vessel is lowered 18 meters in two distinct steps.

Once in the Pacific Ocean the vessel will sail to the beautiful Flamenco Marina where passengers disembark. On the way to Flamenco, you will pass under the Bridge of the Americas, and later, you will be able to admire the Bay of Panama and Panama City's splendorous skyline.

Tour includes:

• Bilingual guide/narrator.
• Lunch is served on the boat and includes various Panamanian dishes.
• Soft drinks and water (all you can drink).
• Transportation by bus from Panama City (Flamenco Resort & Marina) to Gamboa where the tour starts.