By Carol W. West

Republished by permission from the Desert Leaf

My brother Richard has been an avid sailor for much of his life.

When he retired, his dreams of ocean travel came true: he and his wife, Jane— both licensed, experienced boat pilots—bought a 60-foot Selene ocean trawler, Rediscovery II.

Rediscovery II in the San Blas Islands

My husband, Neil, and I enthusiastically accepted Jane and Richard’s invitation to sail with them on Rediscovery II through the Panama Canal. Most people we know have traveled through the canal on a luxury cruise ship; our trip would be a hands-on adventure.

When we arrived at the Panama City marina where the boat was docked, we were puzzled to see 32 large tires lying next to Rediscovery II. Richard explained that these would protect the trawler’s navy-blue-and-white hull as we sailed through the canal the next day.

Richard hired an agent to guide him through the bureaucratic permit process; the "package deal" also included an advisor and four linemen to assist us through the 50-mile canal from the Pacific side to the Atlantic. We alerted our families that they could watch our passage through the canal via a webcam: www.pancanal.com/eng/photo/camera-java.html?cam=MirafloresHi.

At sunrise the four linemen attached the tires to the sides of the boat. Then we cruised to the canal entrance, where the advisor came aboard to instruct Richard as we traveled through the canal.

Rediscovery II was secured to a tugboat in the lock and partnered with the bulk carrier "Federal St. Laurent"

Our trip through the canal was a "minnow and whale partnership." Rediscovery II was paired with a mammoth transporter, the Federal St. Laurent. The St. Laurent went first and was pulled through the locks by mules (or engines) located on the sides of the canal.

Our boat started out tied to a tugboat. Once we were underway, the tugboat released us and took over its major task, which was to act as a rudder for the St. Laurent so it could more easily maneuver at such a slow speed.

The linemen on the sides of the locks threw small lines to our linemen to keep the boat stable and in the center of the channel. As the gates of the lock closed, the waters rapidly swirled into the lock, raising us up in about eight minutes. Computer-controlled hydraulics and fiber-optic cables operate the control system. We passed through Miraflores Lake and through the second set of locks before it became apparent that we were not going to complete our journey to the Atlantic side in one day. We would have to anchor overnight outside the canal in Gatun Lake.

Richard and Jane with their advisor on the flybridge of Rediscovery II"

A water taxi picked up our advisor.

Our four linemen were to be our overnight guests. They dived off the side of the boat into the freshwater lake and "took a shower." They insisted upon sleeping on the deck of the boat. We got the impression that they had done this before.

After dark, the bright, twinkling lights of the nearby ships of all sizes reflected on the water of Gatun Lake, an impressive sight. We were all awaiting the last leg of our journey to the Atlantic side. The world’s commerce sat alongside us. And the stargazing was never more spectacular.

The next day it was difficult for us to adapt to the more relaxed Panamanian time. We were anxious to complete our voyage. Finally our advisor returned, and we were underway.

Our third and final set of locks had more ocean-caused cross currents, making it difficult to manage Rediscovery II. A skillful pilot, Richard was able to navigate the trawler through the turbulence with the help of the linemen who held the lines steady.

Once we had traversed the canal, we headed northeast to Shelter Bay, where we would tie up for a few days. The linemen folded up the ropes and removed the tires from the sides of the boat. They bid us farewell and left by taxi for home. (We recycled the tires by giving them to a catamaran crew who were planning to sail through the canal.)

We sat on the deck of Rediscovery II, marveling at our awesome adventure. The trip through the canal was a noteworthy accomplishment for Richard and Jane and the ocean trawler. It was an unforgettable experience for all four of us.