Panama - Pacific Crossing Notes: A Sailor's Guide to the Coconut Milk Run - page 193

Canal Ho! The Approach to the Panama
Canal
Thirty-one, thirty-two, thirty-three. My finger tapped the horizon. Thirty-four, thirty-five,
thirty-six. What had started as a few hulking forms on the horizon became a dozen, and the
dozen multiplied until we counted thirty-seven freighters. Thirty-seven looming obstacles
to dodge in our approach to the Panama Canal. And that number only included freighters
waiting outside the entrance. How many more were about to emerge from behind the
breakwater?
Terrifying? Exhilarating? I'm still not sure which. There were ships weighing anchor, ships
dropping anchor, and ships holding position for imminent action, smoke drifting from their
exhaust stacks. I couldn't help but imagining a video game in which tiny sailboats attempt
to dodge oncoming ships. Except in real life, you don't get three lives.
For us, the Canal wasn't just a gateway to a wide new ocean, but an adventure in itself.
And though at times we felt like hapless fans plonked straight into the melee of an NBA
court (time out - please?), we also reveled in the knowledge that a long-held dream was
coming true. We would not only witness the awesome spectacle of the Canal, but actually
become part of it, too.
Happily, all went well when our compact sloop transited the isthmus alongside the titans of
the shipping world. And once the locks opened on the Pacific side, well, our next adventure
could begin.