Eliza’s Panama Canal Journal
March 28, 2004
6:15 AM March 28, 2004
We are going through the
6:40 March 28, 2004
72! We are almost in the third Lock! After the 3rd lock
we unnest and sail or motor down
There is rainforest on both sides. And you can hear tropical birds in the forest. But more of that when we can hear it. What can I tell you about? I’ve told you everything. I guess I can tell you about sugar cane (SC). Well they (people) burn the fields of SC to get rid of weeds and all the dangerous snakes and spiders, so they can harvest it. Wait, I think I just saw the web camera. Oh well, back to SC. They burn it and then you can smell it. It smells really good. But all I can smell are diesel engines. We are in the last Gatun Lock.
Sorry for my bad handwriting. It’s just soooooo exciting and I can’t seem to write everything. See ya Later, Alligator.
7:18 March 28, 2004
We are out of the 3rd Gatun Lock and headed for Banana Cut. It
is Beautiful, Hilly and Tropical! We just saw a Manatee. Not
me, but our Advisor pointed it out. We just unnested.
We are headed for the PACIFIC! There are Lots of little
islands. The rainforest is beautiful. I love it here.
I wish we could live here. The water is glassy and cloudy like the
ICW. Mom just served everyone watermelon. It’s really good. I
can see a dead tree sticking out of the water. Dad says it might have
been drowned almost 100 years ago when
Layers and layers and layers of flat trees and round trees and vines are covering the land. There are bushes and ferns and bromeliads encrusting the hilly ground. There might be alligators. Dark clouds are covering the sky. The wet season is coming. It is starting to rain. I have to get inside. Wait. There is a live tree growing in the water. Cool. There are lots of little stumps in the water. We have to stay inside the channel so we don’t hit them. See ya later, alligator.
8:10 March 28, 2004
It is raining really hard. Now I know why it is called the RAIN
forest. I am down below reading Usborne
books. Mom is at the tiller and Dad is raising the staysail. It’s a
little boring ‘cause the rain keeps me inside. I
can’t believe that Estrela made it from
9:23 March 28, 2004
It looks like the Amazon. Muddy-Goldish color with rainforest on both sides. Magical. Beautiful. Although I am afraid our bottom cleaning day has gone to waste. Instead of sand banks they are clay banks. The land here looks farmed. I wonder if it is.
Wings and Strings is right beside us. Maya is up
ahead. We haven’t seen any alligators or heard any birds. But the
rain forest is still dense and beautiful as before. Mom actually gave me
a bit of diet coke. Super yummy sprite now.
I can now see beautiful purple trees. Rain forest much more
developed. Looks like a town or something. More
small sailboats to starboard. They look anchored. One is Swany. They are from
10:35 March 28, 2004
Come to think of it this is like a really beautiful and really deep ICW.
One thing in common is that both waters are murky. But this “Muddy-Goldish” water is prettier than the plain brown of the
ICW. A big container ship is passing us on the wrong side. Now it
switched sides. Dad is taking a picture of it. The camera is too
fuzzy for me to take a picture. I can see the Continental Divide.
It looks really weird. The mountain has been cut in terraces. The
Continental Divide is the imaginary line where, when rain falls it either goes
to the east into the
We are leaving the
11:25 March 28, 2004
I saw a crocodile! It was just lying on the beach. It was small. It was big but it looked small because it was a long way away from us. But it was a crocodile. We are coming up to the one Pedro Miguel Lock. Rain. Hold on . . . Hmmm. It doesn’t look too scary. Guess I’ll tell you about it. Well, we are going down not up, down. I don’t know what it will feel like. I’ll go and see. We are nested Wings & Strings and Kiwitt, a German sailboat. Kiwitt is very heavily laden and small. Maya is sidewall. The lock guys just threw the leaden monkey’s fist to us. The sky is very pretty. No rain clouds. We are secured in the lock. The door has closed. The water is going out very fast. No big freighters. No turbulence. Very hot. We’re done! We are moving out, nested. Wings & Strings is the engine boat. They are 42 feet long. Rain forest again! I can see a rusty, anchored freighter called “Polar Honduras.” The last set of Locks! The Miraflores Locks. Super hot. Lots of people watching. I can see the camera! We’re secured. Big freighter behind us. Maya, still sidewall. Estrela still nested with Kiwitt and Wings & Strings. This is really exciting! We are in the first of the two Miraflores Locks. WOW! The wall that was very short is very vertical (boat name for tall). The advisor just blew the fog horn. Time for the next lock. Mom just gave me a coke to split with Abigail. I can finally hear tropical noises. They are beautiful sounds. The freighter looks like it will crush us. It is very big now. I’m waving to the camera. I hope our family can see us. I am tired. I woke up at 5:00 AM. See ya later alligator.
1:05 March 28, 2004
Sorry I skipped an hour. Why are freighters always rusty? We are in
the Pacific! The birds are welcoming us. We are leaving the last of the
Panama Canal Locks. This is magical. I can hear the cricket
again. They are saying, “Welcome. Welcome to the Pacific!” I
can see the bridge of the
2:10 March 28, 2004
We are moored in Balboa. There is a sandbar right next to Estrela. And an abandoned motor boat is a few yards ahead. I can hear bird songs. Well, there’s not much I can tell you anymore. See ya later, alligator.
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