Panama Canal
On January 31, 2024 the Onwards crew crossed the Panama Canal in one long day. We picked up our line handlers at 3am from La Playita Marina on the Pacific side. Our line handlers were a group of four young men who work the lines of sailboats crossing the canal. We then picked up our pilot and pilot in training at the channel entrance at 4am. The pilot boat drove up next to us and the pilots expertly jumped from their boat to ours. Off we went in the dark to our first lock. The day was one to remember as we went through the 6 locks- each pumping in 50,000 gallons of fresh water from lake Gatun. As the last lock gate opened we motored into a windy turquoise Caribbean ocean.
