Portobelo & the Panama Canal
Our scheduled evening transit through the Panama Canal gave us a perfect excuse to spend our morning exploring the quaint town of Portobelo and its impressive ruins.
The day began with intermittent drizzle and a bit of thunder, not unlike that 31st of October of 1502, when Christopher Columbus and his decrepit flotilla stumbled into the bay virtually by accident, and gave it the name that it bears to this day. The weather conditions did not seem to stop our hearty group, and small parties were taken ashore to investigate the town and ruins. After a leisurely stroll through the narrow streets of Portobelo, we headed back to the Sea Voyager in time to sail toward the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.
Some time around 6:00 p.m. our vessel started moving slowly in the direction of Gatun Locks, and our transit through the legendary waterway had finally begun. Most of us ran around the deck looking for a picture-perfect shot, while others sat quietly on the bow enjoying the crossing in its full magnificence. It was still light out when we cleared the locks and began our cruise through Gatun Lake at 26 meters (85 feet) above sea level. It was only a matter of hours before we found ourselves sailing on the Pacific Ocean.
Our scheduled evening transit through the Panama Canal gave us a perfect excuse to spend our morning exploring the quaint town of Portobelo and its impressive ruins.
The day began with intermittent drizzle and a bit of thunder, not unlike that 31st of October of 1502, when Christopher Columbus and his decrepit flotilla stumbled into the bay virtually by accident, and gave it the name that it bears to this day. The weather conditions did not seem to stop our hearty group, and small parties were taken ashore to investigate the town and ruins. After a leisurely stroll through the narrow streets of Portobelo, we headed back to the Sea Voyager in time to sail toward the Atlantic entrance of the Panama Canal.
Some time around 6:00 p.m. our vessel started moving slowly in the direction of Gatun Locks, and our transit through the legendary waterway had finally begun. Most of us ran around the deck looking for a picture-perfect shot, while others sat quietly on the bow enjoying the crossing in its full magnificence. It was still light out when we cleared the locks and began our cruise through Gatun Lake at 26 meters (85 feet) above sea level. It was only a matter of hours before we found ourselves sailing on the Pacific Ocean.
