PROCEDURES FOR SECURING A HANDLINE TRANSIT OF THE PANAMA CANAL
ADMEASUREMENT AND CLEARANCES
Yachts and small vessels less than 125 feet (That's us!) in
length arriving at the Pacific entrance or Cristobal entrance of the Panama
Canal require certain clearances. If the vessel plans to
transit the Canal, and has a local agent, they will be boarded shortly after
arrival by the Panama Canal Authority Boarding Officers and cleared for
quarantine so they can go ashore. The
agent will make an appointment with the appropriate Admeasurement Office to
have the vessel measured and required inspections completed prior to transit. The Agent will guarantee the proper payments
required for transit.
a.
All vessels must be measured and receive a safety and equipment
inspection prior
to their initial transit or
their first transit after modification to the vessel’s structure.
b. After being measured and inspected, the vessel will be issued three
forms. The first is the Admeasurement Clearance
and Handline Inspection Form (No Agents).
This allows the master to go to the Citibank in Balboa or Cristobal
during their office hours between 8:00 AM and 2:00 PM, during weekdays only, to
pay for the transit. The payment can be
made in cash in U.S. dollars, or by credit card. The total payment
includes a transit fee and a buffer. The
buffer is used in case additional charges are incurred (in case someone is a speed demon?) during the transit and
in most cases, it is refunded. The total
fee is based on overall length.
c.
The second form is the Handline Lockage Request which you will be
provided a Copy. This form includes the
type of lockage, a physical description of the vessel, and the equipment
required to be aboard during the transit.
This form is delivered by the Admeasurer to the Canal Port Captain for his
approval. The approved copy is given to
the scheduler to assist him in assigning the vessel to the transit schedule.
d.
The third form is the Handline Undertaking to Release and
Indemnify. It identifies
several Panama Canal
requirements with which small vessels cannot comply with. Upon signing the Form, the master
releases the Panama Canal authority from liability in case of any accident,
damage or injury, caused by use of equipment aboard the vessel that does not
meet Panama Canal’s requirements. (So I guess this means the grandkids won't be driving the vessel?!)
PROCEDURES FOR TRANSITING YACHTS
a.
Upon arrival at the Balboa Anchorage or Cristobal Breakwater, the
vessel will
contact the appropriate Signal
Station announcing its arrival and requesting anchoring instructions. The Signal Station will direct the vessel to
the anchorage and give any operational restrictions that may be in effect. In
no case shall handlines be allowed to pass beyond the Bridge of the Americas
northbound, or beyond buoys 3 and 6, Limon Bay, southbound, without the
services of a Canal pilot or transit advisor.
b.
Small vessels transiting as hand lines will normally
transit during daylight hours.
Exceptions
may be made by the proper authorities.
c.
The Panama Canal authority shall deny transit if a
handline vessel cannot maintain a speed of 4 knots. However, a vessel may be towed through the
Canal by another handline vessel if it can tow her at 4 or more knots, or make
arrangements to be towed, at their own expense, by a Panama Canal Authority
launch. Sailboats cannot transit
the Canal under sail. They must transit
with motor propulsion. If the vessel is
equipped with an outboard motor as its primary propulsion, it must have a
reverse. The operator must be able to
control the outboard motor from the cockpit, or else, the vessel may need a
Port Captain’s inspection.
d.
Small craft less than 20 meters (65 feet) in length
shall be assigned a transit advisor, who will function as an advisor to the master, who provides
communications with the locks, transiting vessels and Authority Transit
Controllers, knowledge of the Canal operating area, and procedures to
follow. These vessels will be assigned a
Panama Canal Pilot only under special circumstances. Small craft more than 20 meters (65 feet),
require a pilot. (that's us!)
REQUIRED EQUIPMENT
a.
All handline vessels are required to be equipped
with 4 ropes, of adequate strength. (We rented ours from our canal agent, along with some tires) The 4 ropes are sized for our vessel to maintain its stability in the lock chamber under strong
turbulence. We have to be careful not to get in a tugs backwash as it can spin us around. Who knew?! I hope we don't stop short..
These ropes must be a
minimum of 125 feet (38 meters) long and have a loop tied on one end about
three feet in diameter. The ropes must
be free of knots or splices in order to pass freely through the chocks. (Yes, we all have our own pairs of gloves to handle the lines with.) The vessel must be equipped with adequate
fenders, at least 4 to prevent damage from making contact with the rough
concrete of the chamber walls during lockages.
Normally, ropes and tires for fenders can be rented from local yacht
clubs, or shipping agents if needed. It is the vessel’s responsibility to have
enough fenders on board and properly placed. (I can't even imagine how dirty the sides of our boat will be after tires spend a day rubbing against it!) All vessels must have an anchor capable of being retrieved without
delay. The vessel must be equipped with
a working whistle or horn.
(Um..Brad upgraded the horn this past year to one that is more like...
I think I just pooped my pants LOUD!)
The vessel
should have a toilet on board (really?) or they could experience delays while relieving
the pilot or transit advisor. The vessel
should provide the pilot or transit advisor with a meal (Top Ramen?) and fresh drinking
water (duh), or there could be an additional charge to provide these items for
them. An awning should be installed
over the cockpit to provide the transit advisor and crew with shelter from the
sun and rain.
TRANSIT REQUIREMENTS
After inspection, the Canal Port Captain will determine whether your vessel transits the Canal as a
"center chamber" or "sidewall" handline lockage. We have requested "center chamber" & "Nested". This
determination is based on hull configuration, protruding railings, awnings,
tall masts, spars or anything else which could be damaged when made fast
alongside Chamber walls.
On up-lockages, heavy turbulence is
encountered. Consequently, all lines should be inspected for condition and
should be of sufficient size and strength to hold the vessel under heavy
strain, recommend at least 7/8” in diameter.
Line handlers (that will be myself, Carly, Kat, Matt & Matt) must have enough strength and skill to control lines
during times of turbulence. Fingers crossed!!
Regardless of the type of lockage planned, every vessel
must be equipped for center chamber lockage, especially with regard to number
of linehandlers and number of mooring lines.
PICKING UP
MOORING LINES
Following ship into a chamber, the crew of the
handline vessel passes the first bow and stern line to linehandlers on the
approach wall at position 1. At position 2, crew passes the second set of bow
and stern lines to linehandlers on sidewall of chamber. At position 3 all lines
are made fast on board and ashore for flooding operation. Whew...this sounds like a busy Monday we have ahead of us!
(political innuendo not included..ha-ha!)
We must have sufficient experienced and capable crew members (Yes, that's us...the FAM!) who must
be on board to provide four linehandlers and a competent operator at all times. It won't be 5 o'clock somewhere that day...
Chocks and bits or cleats should
be inspected to make sure all fittings are in good condition and fasteners well
secured. They will be under heavy strain during the transit. The area around
these fittings must be clear of gear so that the lines can be safely and
efficiently handled.
We've been told that if our boat is damaged due to faulty or insufficient equipment or improper handling of boat
or equipment by the crew, the loss of time and expense will be our$.
When asked, we will be sure to tell the Canal Port Captain
the correct top speed that our vessel can sustain. There can be hazardous currents
associated with the transit, and it is important that our vessel be able to
maintain a safe speed at all times.
Vessels, which cannot sustain a speed of at least
four (4) knots (We laugh at 4 knots! A snail can go faster...), and vessels without properly operating engines should make
arrangements to be towed through the Canal. A Panama Canal Commission launch
can perform this towing service with all towing charges at ones expense.
If, at the start of the transit, the craft cannot
maintain a safe speed, as reported to the Canal Port Captain, the craft will be
turned around and returned to the starting point. If this occurs, an aborted
transit charge will be billed to the craft. We'd have to do a quick reverse...which won't even happen on our watch.
Normally for sailboats or slow vessels, the transit
will take two days. If the vessel must
anchor for the night at Gamboa or Gatun Anchorage, no one other than Panama
Canal Authority personnel are allowed to go ashore (watch out for the crocodiles!) without the Port Captains
permission and then only on PCA launches.
No dinghies or rowboats are permitted.
If one is unable for any reason, to
commence a scheduled transit, your vessel will be charged a fee of $295 for
delay, unless the transit was canceled prior to close of regular business hours
on the day immediately preceding the scheduled transit. Hopefully, this will
prevent the unnecessary call out of a pilot or transit advisor. wah...wahh.
GATUN LAKE AND DAM
Gatun Lake, through which the ships
travel for 23.5 miles from Gatun Locks to the north end of Gaillard Cut, is one
of the largest artificial bodies of water in the world. It covers an area of 163.38 square miles and
was formed by an earthen dam across the Chagres River adjacent to Gatun
Lock. The two wings of the dam and the
spillway have an aggregate length of about 1.5 miles. The dam is nearly a half-mile wide at the
base, sloping to a width of 100 feet at the crest, which is 105 feet above sea
level, or 20 feet above the normal level of Gatun Lake.
And who knows..we may spot some of these critters!
A MAN-MADE DITCH FOR SHIPS
Because of its historical background no part of the
Canal trip is more interesting to the ship passenger than the Gaillard Cut. During the Canal construction period it was
called Culebra Cut, but was renamed for Col. David DuBose Gaillard, the
engineer who was in charge of this section of the Canal work.
This portion of the channel is 8 miles
long through rock and shale for most of the distance. It was here that the principal excavation was
required and the devastating slides occurred during construction and soon after
the Canal was opened.
The ship enters the Cut where the Chagres
River flows into the Canal channel at Gamboa. More than any other section of
the Canal, Gaillard Cut gives the impression of an enormous man-made ditch. A
short distance before the ship reaches Pedro Miguel Locks it passes Gold Hill
on the left, the highest promontory along the channel. It raises 662 feet above
sea level.
Contractor's Hill, seen on the west bank opposite
Gold Hill, originally had an altitude of 410 feet, but this was reduced to 370
to stabilize the hill in 1954. The channel in Gaillard Cut was originally
excavated to a width of 300 feet. During the 1930's and 1940's, the straight
section immediately north of Gold Hill was widened to 500 feet in order to
provide a passing section for large ships, and during the period 1957‑1971, the
remaining portions of the Cut were also widened to 500 feet.
The Pacific‑bound ship enters Pedro Miguel Locks at
the south end of Gaillard Cut. Here it is lowered 31 feet in one step to
Miraflores Lake, a small artificial body of water a mile wide that separates
the two sets of Pacific locks. The length of Pedro Miguel Locks is five‑sixths
of a mile.
The transiting ship is lowered the remaining two
steps to sea level at Miraflores Locks which are slightly over a mile in
length. The lock gates at Miraflores are the highest of any in the system
because of the extreme tidal variation in the Pacific Ocean.
We are PSYCHED to experience this!!!
Once we transit the canal, we will be at anchor in Shelter Bay Marina for the night.
Here are the 3 areas highlighted in blue "pinpoints" where will be.
The next morning we will be heading to the San Blas Islands. It should take us a full day to get there. I'm posting all of this now as WiFi in Panama has not been reliable, so I doubt we will have a connection for a bit. Mom, this could mean 4-5 days so don't have a spazz attack! (you can reach us on our SAT phone) It may not be until we get to Bocas del Toro that we find WiFi..so stay tuned!
Can't wait to get to San Blas...pure heaven on earth.
